Author's Note: This is a total work in progress! I'm very new to the show, and this is my first fanfic ever, so please review it to let me know what you think. Mostly focuses on Natalia and everything she's gone through, I guess the timeline is before Nick dies? I prolly took some liberties w/ the characters, but again, I'm new at this:)
Natalia Boa Vista took a deep breath before stepping out of her car. Her arm was in a cast and sling, but makeup paired with a long sleeved blouse pretty well covered the bruises. Her lip was a little swollen, but she had been able to cover everything fairly well for the most part. She had spent hours trying to make the bruises as inconspicuous as possible before putting on her shirt. The last thing she wanted was for someone else to get involved.
As she walked into the office Eric and Ryan stopped talking abruptly and started to go the other way. Eric turned, about to leave, but he suddenly realized she was in a sling. What happened? He wondered, walking after Natalia. She might not be his favorite person at the moment, but he couldn't stand to see her hurt.
He came up behind her and gently touched her shoulder. A squeak of pain escaped Natalia as she jumped at his unexpected touch. "Natalia, it's just me!" Eric said, unable to fathom her reaction. "Are you ok?" Natalia opened her eyes, trying to slow her racing heart and keep her mask of serenity intact. She was pretty sure she failed, but she answered as nonchalantly as she could, "I'm fine. I fell down and hurt my arm, no biggie." She walked away fast, and Eric looked after her worriedly. He didn't know exactly what to make of her, but he knew something wasn't right.
Natalia made her way to her lab quickly. She didn't want to talk to anyone, Eric possibly least of all. She didn't want to have to lie to everyone about what happened, she didn't want to be reminded of what had happened the day before.
The previous day...
Natalia sat in her lab, deep in thought. She knew that her ex-husband, Nick Townsend, had been released from prison the day before, and she couldn't shake the ominous feeling that had been growing since then.
She went ahead and paged Calleigh to let her know that the results she had asked for were in. A few minutes later she heard the lab door open, and Natalia looked up with a smile, thinking it would be Calleigh coming for the results.
Instead of Calleigh's face, however, it was a face from her nightmares, the face that haunted her every move. "Nick, what are you doing here?" She asked. The fear she felt was written across her face, and she took a step backwards. "I just came by to say hi, baby," Nick sneered, steeping towards her. "Leave. I don't want you here," Natalia gestured towards the door, but Nick just grinned and closed it solidly. She tried to move around him, and he smacked her across the face, splitting her lip.
"Come on, now, is that any way to welcome home your husband?" he spat at her. He practically leaped towards her then, taking her arms in a vise-like grip. She cried out, and was rewarded with a hard punch to her gut. She fell back away from Nick, as he stood and watched with satisfaction.
Nick moved towards Natalia, giving her a look that said if she made so much as a peep she would pay dearly. She backed up, trying to find a way out of the lab, but her back hit the wall and a small moan escaped her as she realized she was trapped.
"Please Nick..." her voice trailed off as he continued his advance, grinning at her obvious inability to do anything. She tried to dart around him, making a last desperate attempt at escape. He grabbed her wrists, forcing her back against the wall. "That was really, really stupid, sweetheart," he breathed in her ear. Natalia struggled, but Nick quickly twisted her wrists in such a way that she felt they were going to break. She heard a faint crack as her right wrist finally gave way beneath the pressure Nick was exerting, and she bit her lip hard to suppress a scream of pain. Nick smirked at her weakness, then dropped her wrists and let her fall to the floor in a shaking heap.
He fairly waltzed out of the lab room, confident once again in his power and absolute control over her. He thought about going back to shake her up a little more, but the click of heels coming down the hallway told him it would be better to just wait. Wait, and plan.
Natalia shuddered as the memories and images flashed through her head. She shook it hard, trying to clear them and forget about it.
At the sound of the door opening Natalia quickly looked up, but upon seeing that it was Calleigh she sighed and offered her a small smile.
Calleigh looked at her for a moment before asking, "What happened to your arm?" Natalia looked down, hesitating to lie to Calleigh. She realized that she couldn't tell Calleigh without putting her at risk from Nick, so she put on her biggest fake smile and quickly answered, "It's fine, Cal. I just fell and hurt it, but it should be ok."
Natalia could feel Calleigh scrutinizing her, and she tried to think of a better excuse. She was caught off guard when Calleigh suddenly asked her, "Where were you yesterday? I got your page, but when I came down there was nobody here. Some of your stuff was knocked over...are you sure everything is alright?"
Nodding her head, Natalia scanned Calleigh's face for any sign of suspicion, but she didn't meet her eyes. Sighing, Calleigh said, "Well, if you ever want to talk I'm here. In the meantime, I have something for you." She raised the hand holding the small baggy to indicate what she needed, but all Natalia saw in her peripheral vision was a hand going up quickly.
She instinctively recoiled, forgetting where she was and who she was with. It all happened so fast that Calleigh barely had time to take it all in. One second Natalia was just standing there handing her a sample, and the next she was backed up against the lab table, as far away from Calleigh as she could get.
"Are you all right?" Calleigh asked, trying to figure out exactly what had just happened. Natalia's eyes were closed and her breathing was uneven and harsh.
"Natalia?" Calleigh questioned. Natalia slowly opened her eyes, looking around. She started when she saw Calleigh, but everything quickly came flooding back. She could see the question in Calleigh's eyes, but more than that she could also see the hurt, the confusion.
Did she really think I was going to hit her? Calleigh was more than a little disturbed by the thought, but more so by Natalia's reaction. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Natalia babbled. The fear and small sense of relief was written across her face, and Calleigh couldn't help but reach out her hand to her.
Natalia flinched as the hand came towards her, but she managed to refrain from completely losing it. Her reaction was still noted by Calleigh, who began to wonder. "Hey, it's ok," she said.
"I know, I'm sorry, it's not you, it's..." Natalia's voice trailed off as she stopped herself. She tried again. "Someone I know...he just got out of jail, and I guess I'm a little jumpy." Calleigh looked at Natalia carefully, before slowly reaching an arm around her and pulling her close. Natalia's body tensed at the touch, but she slowly relaxed.
As Calleigh hugged Natalia's small frame, she was struck by the fragility of it. To her surprise, Natalia hugged her back, just a little, but enough to tell Calleigh that she needed her.
"Thank you." Natalia whispered. Calleigh smiled at her, amazed at the sudden protectiveness she felt. "Don't mention it. If you ever need anything-and I do mean anything- please come find me. Please?" The last word was more of a question, asking Natalia to let her in and accept her help.
Natalia nodded slowly, "Ok." A small smile came onto her face, and she moved to get the new sample. "Now, let's get back to work."
Alright, so I know that this is bad, but somehow I started incorporating elements of my own life into this fic. Don't ask me how that happened, but somewhere along the way my subconscious started writing stuff into the fic that's happened to me, and it's a little disconcerting. I don't know exactly where I'm going with this, so please let me know if you have any suggestions. Reviews are appreciated!
