Natalia was standing outside of Ryan's hospital room, too many thoughts flooding her head to pull them apart. She didn't dare to go in the room, something kept her outside. She didn't know whether it was because she wasn't quite ready to admit her feelings, and well...it was just too complicated for Natalia to deal with it at the moment.
"You should go in, honey." A familiar voice sounded next to Natalia. Natalia whipped around, speechless. Alexx was behind her. "He'd appreciate it." She said, and Natalia sighed.
""Alexx, is he going to be okay?" Natalia asked, avoiding the question. Alexx frowned.
"Had a concussion, and multitude of cuts, but he'll be fine." Alexx said, still looking at Natalia.
"Alexx, I'd go in if..." Natalia sighed. "If..." Natalia couldn't quite explain what was going on in her head at the moment.
"You're not arguing again, are you?" Alexx asked, and Natalia laughed.
"If I told you that it was more complicated than that, would you believe me?" Natalia asked, and Alexx smirked.
"Yeah, I would, baby. I would believe anything from you being pregnant with his child to you two hating each others guts again because something happened. Hopefully it's somewhere in the middle, because I'm not sure how to deal with either extremes." Alexx said, and Natalia blushed.
"Yeah, it's somewhere in the middle." Natalia sighed.
"Look, Nat, it was and always will be complicated between you. No exceptions. While complicated-ness hasn't hurt anyone yet, the fact that people can't deal with it has." Alexx said.
"I don't see your point..." Natalia said quietly. Alexx smirked.
"My point is, if it's even a point, is that he loves you. That's the only reason things have ever been complicated between you two." Alexx said. Natalia opened her mouth to say something, but that something decided to not be said. "Think about it. Think about everything that's been between you two." Natalia sighed. "I'll leave you to think." Alexx said, her footsteps receding.
"BV!" Walter exclaimed and Natalia jumped. "Sorry to scare you, but what do you know about Wolfe's condition?" Walter asked, not even being able to catch his breath.
"Yeah. He's going to be okay. Just a concussion." Natalia said, and Walter frowned. "What happened to you two there?" Natalia asked, and Walter sighed.
"The tornado touched down on the scene and Ryan got swallowed up in the storm." Walter sighed. "I'll see you around, Natalia." Walter said, and went into the hospital room.
-x-
"Hey, um, did you hear that you got an accommodation after Ryan gave Horatio his statement?" Natalia asked, coming into the lab where Walter was examining the satellite dish.
"Ryan doesn't even know..." Walter sighed, not looking at Ryan.
"Ryan doesn't know what?" Natalia asked. Walter looked guilty but he didn't look like was going to share with Natalia. "Walter?" Natalia frowned, looking at Walter.
"Never mind." Walter sighed.
"Okay." Natalia said meekly.
-x-
"Oh. You're alive and well." Natalia smirked, once she saw Ryan in the locker room. "Finally tell him what you were hiding, Walter?" Natalia asked, and Walter glared at her.
"Yeah. I did." Walter said.
Ryan stared at Natalia so thoroughly that she felt goose bumps spread across her arms. "What?" Natalia asked, looking at Ryan, half smiling. Ryan snapped out of the stare and frowned.
"I don't care what I'm missing out of here, so I'll just get going now." Walter said, getting up. "Get well, man." He said. He no longer felt horrible about letting go of the Christmas lights, and he could go home with a clear soul.
"Okay, now to answer your question, I was just wondering why you look so different from this morning." Ryan said, and Natalia smirked.
"It's not important." Natalia smiled. "You sure you're okay?" Natalia asked, and Ryan frowned, not answering. "Of course you're not going to answer the question, but that's just you." Natalia said, and Ryan turned around, shaking his head.
"Sorry, it's just, I'm spacing out, wondering what would've happened if..." Ryan trailed off, staring at his locker.
"Ryan-" Natalia said, putting her hand gently on his arm. "Sorry that you had to go through that." Natalia said, and Ryan smiled.
"We should talk." Ryan said, and Natalia bit her lip.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we should." Natalia blushed. "Look, you don't look like you're in a great driving condition, and I still owe you one-" Ryan chuckled. "So, if you let me give you a ride home, maybe we could talk." Natalia said.
-x-
"Are we going to talk, or not?" Natalia asked Ryan before he disappeared into his house. "Ryan-" Natalia said. "I'm not going to let you off without even the slightest explanation." Natalia sighed.
"Look, today, when I was barely holding onto that string of lights I was thinking off what happened between us two in the gun range..." Ryan trailed off again. Natalia looked at him, pushing him on into explaining. Ryan sighed. "I love you, and I didn't want to die without you knowing that." Ryan ran his hand through his hair, and Natalia grinned. "Okay, just... why aren't you..." Ryan frowned.
"Why am I not, what running off screaming because you admitted to me that you love me?" Natalia asked. "Ryan, if I didn't know that, and feel the same way about you, you do realize that I would've slapped you in the gun lab." Natalia smiled. Ryan still stared at Natalia a headache beginning to pulse through his head.
"...And I am just going to pretend that makes perfect sense to me." Ryan said.
"What isn't making any sense to you?" Natalia sighed. "You don't believe me or...?" Natalia asked, and Ryan chuckled.
"No, it's more like I don't believe how absolutely strange our friendship is." Ryan said, and now it was Natalia's turn to laugh. "I actually thought you would beat the living light out of me." Ryan smiled, wrapping his arms around Natalia's waist carefully.
"I wouldn't do that." Natalia paused looking at Ryan who was looking at her with a doubtful look. "Really." Natalia said, and before Ryan pulled her into a kiss. Natalia's hands ran behind Ryan's neck, his fingers entangled in her brown curls. Suddenly Ryan pulled back, wincing.
"Sorry, Ryan-" Natalia blushed, realizing that she had accidentally ran over a wound from yesterday.
"No harm, no foul, Nat." Ryan said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Do you want to come in for some coffee?" Ryan asked, and Natalia bit her lip again. "I mean, what more harm can it do?" Ryan said, and then saw Natalia's expression, but Natalia only laughed.
"That was horribly phrased, Ryan." Natalia said. But Ryan's questioning look made her think twice about the question. "Sure, why not." Natalia said, and Ryan's smile only grew. "I mean, you already said it, what more harm can it do?" Natalia mocked her friend, before she entered his house.
-x-
Yes. This is the very unsurprising ending to Pandora's Box. Hope that it satisfied most of you while I try to still figure out a title for this tornado based fic(and die).
Would anyone like to help me out? Or just review?
~Forensic, Slinky, and Rain. :)