Author's Note: For those of you reading this, I apologize for the late posting. I usually like to post much earlier in the day, but my day consisted of back-to-back events as I get ready for Easter tomorrow. Either way, here's the new chapter. Enjoy! ~lg

~oOo~

By the next morning, anger and emotion had faded into embarrassment. Erin stayed tense from the moment she awoke until she walked through the front of Atticus about midmorning. She honestly had no idea what to do with her day after meeting with Rosalee, but she knew she wanted to spend it on herself. Her catastrophic meltdown last night showed that she had pushed herself to the breaking point.

Not seeing Rosalee, Erin walked through the scattered tables to the one area that looked like a living room. A low coffee table had been situated in front of a small sofa with two arm chairs facing it. A bookshelf closed in one end and gave the area a sense of privacy while still keeping it open to the rest of the room. Above the sofa, a print of some exotic garden momentarily distracted her, but the coffee table book captured Erin's attention.

Open to a picture of an infinity pool, the focal point of the entire photograph was the enclosed daybed at the end of the pool. Rich wood pillars framed the area, and a matching wood screen offset warm golden walls. Erin slowly settled onto the couch, picking up the book and staring at the photo. She instantly relaxed and smiled. This was what she wanted for her bedroom.

"Hey." Rosalee's hesitant voice pulled Erin back to the present. She looked up, blinking as the other woman laughed. "Earth to Erin."

"Sorry." Erin checked the back of the book and grinned when she saw the price tag. She could afford this and so much more. "I've been thinking about redecorating my apartment, and this is just perfect!"

Rosalee frowned. "You can do that?"

"Yes." Erin smiled. "I own the place, and it's more of a condo than an apartment. But I've always called it an apartment. Still. . . ."

Rosalee grinned again. "Let's get tea and buy your book so you can drool some more."

Erin laughed at that idea, wondering where Rosalee had found this dry sense of humor. She'd always known that the woman hid more than she revealed, but it surprised her nonetheless. Not to mention her own gleefulness. Just last night, she'd been ready to attack Nathan and then virtually crying on his shoulder. Now, she was ready to change everything in her apartment. Part of her wondered if she shouldn't slow down and think this through. The other part of her, the part holding the wallet, said to ignore caution and create a space just for her.

After buying their tea, Erin led Rosalee to a high table and slid into the chair. She forced herself to set the book aside rather than flipping through it to find what other treasures she could. She met Rosalee's eyes. "How are you?"

"Good." Rosalee nodded. "I almost cancelled today."

"Why?"

"Because I woke up with that stomach flu again."

Erin's eyes narrowed. "Again? How long have you had it?"

"A couple weeks." Rosalee shook her head. "It's been going around the house, so I think I keep getting it back from one of the kids there."

"Maybe you should see a doctor."

"I'm fine." Rosalee waved it aside. "I just make sure I drink plenty of fluids and don't eat anything too spicy. I'll be okay. I want to hear about Nathan." She drew out the last syllable of his name, making Erin's face heat as she remembered the previous evening.

"He's my just neighbor."

"You're blushing, which mean's he's more than just a neighbor." Rosalee took a sip of her tea. "C'mon. Spill."

"I'm not sure there's anything to spill." Erin shifted in her seat and had a hard time remembering the last time she'd felt this awkward about anything. "I showed up at his door last night on an emotional rampage. He let me come in and pour my guts out while he served me tea. Given that he's a guy and I'm a woman, I'm not sure he's gonna want to see me again."

"Yeah, he will." Rosalee smiled. "He's too good to let you go."

"And you know this how?"

"Because you like him. That's enough for me."

Erin blinked at the vote of confidence. "Rose, I'm not the best judge of character. Not normally."

"Well, this is the one time you're going to judge right."

"Okay, what's got you so chipper today?"

"I don't know." Rosalee shrugged. "I just feel. . .good."

Erin eyed her, her mind already flying to the possibilities. But she kept her mouth closed and opened her book again. "How about we talk about my apartment? I have nothing in there, and I need to do a lot of work."

Rosalee let the subject change and spent the next two hours pouring over Erin's new book while generating ideas. By the time they left Atticus, Erin even had sketches of room lay-outs on napkins. Her enthusiasm for the project hadn't been dampened, but she knew it would be a massive job to change her entire life. But the idea of having a place to relax at the end of the day appealed more and more with every crisis that she faced. With the decision made, she turned her car in the direction of the nearest paint store.

~oOo~

Nathan slept late the next day and rose only when his hip started to ache. He normally didn't spend much time sleeping, but the previous night's emotions worked on him. Namely, Erin's invasion of his home. He would never tell her, but he'd been a bit disturbed by her intrusion. Yes, he'd told her to knock on the door if she ever needed anything. But he'd meant help, cooking supplies, and the like. Not emotional support. His line of work did not invest a lot of time into the emotions of those he protected. In a kill-or-be-killed situation, he had been trained to protect his clients, taking a bullet for them rather than risk losing someone as valuable as the Princess of Wales. Or Charles Manchester, CEO of Rockwood Engineering.

Instead of that, he'd sat and listened to a distraught woman pour out her life. When he first met Erin, he thought her very composed and elegant. Now, he wondered about her. Was she really as composed as he imagined? She'd seemed overwhelmed by the design of his apartment, not to mention his hospitality. And his hug.

Nathan shook his head as he settled into his chair and grabbed his latest book. Last night, he'd impulsively hugged her, something that he hadn't done in recent years. Most women he knew tensed up at a simple hug. Instead, Erin had melted into his arms, the height difference between them due to her heeled boots not an issue. And, as she left his apartment, he thought he saw her wipe away a few tears.

Realizing that he'd been staring at the same page for the last twenty minutes, Nathan pushed to his feet and walked over to his window. He truly cared about Erin, more than he'd cared about anyone in years. His time in the palace had taught him to be distant and respectful. To relish personal space. He glanced around. Maybe he relished personal space a bit too much. This apartment, while opulent and reminiscent of the palace, was empty. No photos. No little bits out of place. Only his desk showed usage, as well as the small tray in the entry way.

Erin's music started again, and Nathan pressed his lips together. He had two choices. He could either ignore her and move, or he could embrace this new turn in his life. Erin clearly needed a friend, and she'd turned to him. If she knew half of what he'd done, she would likely walk out of his life forever. But he could not turn his back on her. Decision made, he left his apartment to knock on her door.

~oOo~

Erin barely heard the knock over the music. Frowning, she left her now-empty bed room, wound her way through the mess in the living room, and opened the door. Nathan blinked at her, and she suddenly realized how she must have looked. When she'd arrived home from her shopping spree with too many bags to carry, she'd made multiple trips from her car. Then, while everything had been dumped into the kitchen, she'd changed into a paint-stained tank top and shorts.

Ignoring the way her face heated, she smiled. "Hi."

"I wanted to see how you were doing today." Nathan let his eyes drift over her once and then looked her in the eye. "I apologize if I interrupted."

"You didn't." Erin glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. Swinging the door wide, she smiled. "Care to come in?"

Nathan stepped inside and looked around. "You are remodeling?"

"Repainting, actually." She shrugged. "I found a picture in a coffee table book at Atticus. I'm redoing my bedroom right now." When he eyed her again, she grinned. "Here. Take a look."

Grabbing the book, Erin pointed out the picture and waited for Nathan's reaction. The glimpses she'd seen of his own home showed an elegant, refined taste. The spa-like look she'd chosen couldn't have been more different. He studied the photo and glanced around. "This is very pretty."

"Thank you." She shrugged. "I haven't really taken much time to establish a place to relax, and I thought it was time. I mean, with Antonio gone now, I'll be spending a lot more time here. Maybe, if I can get this condo arranged like I want it, I'll be more productive instead of running from one project to the next."

Nathan pointed to the picture. "How do you plan to do this?"

"I'm repainting my bedroom now." She shrugged. "The fumes will force me to sleep out here tonight, but I'm okay with that. I'm still looking for a bed frame, but I've got different little accessories to go with it. Like new bedding and such." Then, she stared at him. "I'm sorry. I'm running off at the mouth again."

He actually chuckled, bringing out those amazing dimples. "It's quite alright. I don't mind."

"Good."

"So, can you use an extra hand in painting?"

Erin glanced down at the slacks and button-down shirt he wore. "Sure. But you'll need clothes you don't care about."

"I'll be back shortly."

As he let himself out of her apartment, Erin stared. Had her amazingly hot neighbor just promised to help her paint her bedroom? Rosalee would have a fit about this! Instead of letting the giddy, school-girl emotions take over, she went to the bedroom and arranged the drop cloths she'd bought. She'd chosen warm honey gold for the walls. Her bathroom, which could be glimpsed through the door in the bedroom, would be the cool aqua of the picture's infinity pool. She'd found a large square wall hanging made of dark, almost black, wood, which would be framed by the white sheers she planned to use as a canopy when she finally found the bed frame of her dreams. She could already feel herself settling into the project.

Nathan returned within five minutes, dressed in a slightly frayed button-down shirt and faded slacks. He followed her to the bedroom and eyed the walls. She'd already taped off the trim, which would be painted a bright white. Looking around, he nodded. "Where would you like me to start?"

"Um. . . ." Erin considered that for a moment. "Here." She pointed to the wall with the window. "I'll start over here and work the other way around the room."

"And how do you do this?" His question, so serious, made her blink.

"You've never painted before?"

"No." He shrugged. "Back in England, I worked for. . .a very wealthy family. They hired outside decorators to do the painting and such. I know the mechanics, but I don't want to ruin your space."

Erin shook her head. "Painting is very easy." She grabbed a roller, poured some paint into the pan, and showed him exactly what she wanted.

For a long time, they worked in silence with the occasional comment here and there. Finally, he glanced at her. "I wasn't aware you could paint the interior of these apartments."

Erin grinned. "That's because I own mine. I can't paint the outside of the door without approval, but the inside is all mine to do with as I please."

He grinned at her. "You're very lucky. The beige walls are driving me insane."

"You're used to more color, then?"

"Very much so."

When the fumes became too much, they stepped into the living room to drink a glass of water and eye all the different pieces of her life. Erin sighed. None of them matched. Finally, she met Nathan's eyes. "Thank you. For everything. Especially last night."

This time, his eyes took on a softer glow when he smiled. "It was my pleasure."

Not surprisingly, Erin believed him.

~oOo~

Rockwood Engineering had a reputation for hiring young, brilliant researchers fresh out of university. However, Charles Manchester stayed out of the day to day operations, preferring to allow Human Resources to hire and fire people. Which explained why most of the firm's security personnel had histories of military special forces. Or, in Nathan's case, a fake history with the RAF.

On Monday, Nathan stood in the video surveillance room and watched the night security feeds as was his habit. Painting with Erin last night left him wanting to enjoy her company more often. She'd laughed with him about the paint speckles on his face, and he'd teased her about coloring her hair. He yanked his mind back to the present when Manchester appeared without warning. "Nathan."

"Yes, Sir?" Nathan turned from the video feeds and straightened. At about five-nine, he wasn't the most physically intimidating person. However, his broad shoulders made Manchester's slender frame look frail.

"I've received a request to have you help Drs. Satters and Collins with an experiment." Manchester eyed him. "Apparently, they want no one but you."

Nathan nodded and headed out the door without another word. He knew exactly who Satters and Collins were. Collins had years of experience in weapon's R&D. Satters, however, had a crush on Nathan. And, since Collins was grooming Satters to take his place, he listened to her.

In the lab, Nathan ignored Satters's lovestruck stare and met Collins's eyes. "You needed to see me?" Normally, he allowed a hint of his British accent to escape. Today, he completely flattened his tongue and squelched it. It made speaking rather difficult for him, but he refused to do more to attract Satters's attention.

"Yes." Collins reached behind him and picked up something that looked like a science fiction pistol. "We call this the PGV-3."

Nathan raised an eyebrow, not giving the scientists the pleasure of seeing him smile. "PGV-3?"

"Plasma Gun, Version Three." Collins handed it over to Nathan. "We'd like you to fire it for us. That way, we can monitor the output and performance of the weapon. Neither of us are truly qualified to fire such a weapon even though we've developed it."

Nathan suspected that Satters wasn't qualified and that she wanted to see him with the weapon in his hands. Either way, he wanted more information. "What happened to Versions One and Two?"

"Uh. . .they didn't work out as planned." Collins gave Satters a quick glance.

"Would you mind terribly much explaining that?" Nathan asked.

Satters stepped over to his side, just close enough that he could smell her perfume. Which, in Nathan's mind, was too close. "They weren't entirely successful." She put what should have been a comforting hand on his shoulder and gazed up into his face. "But that shouldn't happen here. We've found and fixed all of the instabilities in the design."

"You're sure?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yes." She beamed at him.

"Very well." Nathan walked over to the firing range they'd set up and weighed the weapon in his hands. This was the future of the US military. Science fiction wasn't that far away, and he knew better than to be superstitious about it.

This particular gun weighed about as much as a Desert Eagle 50 caliber pistol. It settled into his palm like one, too. Nathan took a typical shooter's stance, aimed at the target, and pulled the trigger.

The gun exploded in his hands.

~TBC