Ten

October 18, 2008

"This looks a little girly."

"No it doesn't. It's nice. I like it."

"Of course you like it, you're a girl."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Lucas, it's not a girly color."

"But it is," Lucas muttered as he took a step back and glanced at the light crème color that they were currently painting the living room with.

Haley sighed in frustration before she went back to painting. She didn't know what Lucas was talking about. The color was beautiful and way better than that stupid plain white that covered the walls since they had moved in the place. She was happy for the change.

"You taking off again tonight? You've been MIA for the past week."

"The guys have been taking me out a lot. They think I need to hook up with someone soon to get over Lindsey. I swear I've been to more clubs in this past week then I have in my whole life and I still haven't hooked up with anyone. The guys have not been happy about that."

"Right," Haley sneered. "Let me guess, they meaning Nathan?"

"Yup," Lucas nodded with a sheepish smile.

"Ugh, don't listen to him. He's the last person you should listen to."

"Well, he never did have a girlfriend before."

"My case and point," Haley smiled smugly. "He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. He just wants you to be like him which I'll kill you if you do. I really mean it. I love you, Luke. But if you cross over to the dark side then I'm going to have to take you out. Trust me. You do not want to be on Team Nathan because…he sucks."

Lucas chuckled. "He sucks, huh? That's the meanest thing you could come up with? And don't worry I'm not changing for anyone."

"Good," Haley smiled proudly. "I'd hate to have to kill you."

"I get it," Lucas smiled as he glanced at her. "No being like Nate or I'm dead."

"As long as you understand."

Haley smiled at him playfully before going back to rolling the paintbrush up and down the wall. It was hours later when they finally finished. She stood next to him in the hallway as they glanced at the walls. She smiled proudly. They looked so much better. Everything looked so much better. It was time for a change for both of them. They both needed to start over.

"What do you think?"

"I think this is looking more and more like a chick's place," Lucas pointed out.

Haley punched him playfully on the arm. "It does not! Get over it. I think it looks awesome!"

"Fine," Lucas conceded. "It looks ok. But I'm done helping you girly this place up."

"It looks great," Haley corrected.

"Whatever."

"I don't like your attitude, Eugene."

"You said that you would never call me that!"

"And you promised not to act like a little bitch," Haley retorted teasingly.

Lucas folded his arms over his chest and scowled. "A little bitch?"

"Just calling it like I see it," Haley shrugged.

"Why are we friends again?" Lucas wondered.

"Because you love me," Haley beamed.

Lucas shook his head. "Right."

"If you play your cards right I might make you lunch. I was kind of hungry for that pasta you like but if you're –"

"I love fixing this place up," Lucas cut her off.

Haley smiled proudly. "Now you're just saying that so I'll feed you."

"Nope." Lucas shook his head innocently with a huge smile. "I'm all about the new color."

"Right," Haley laughed. "I was cooking anyway, loser. No need to lie."

"Fine. You got me."

"Do you want to help?"

"Sure."

They took off for the kitchen. Once inside, they both went their separate ways as they prepared lunch. It had been an easy routine for them. Living together hadn't changed anything for them. They were still best friends who would do anything for each other. Nothing would ever change that. With Lucas here she didn't feel alone. She felt safe.

Nathan sat quietly inside a booth of a local diner outside of town. He had been coming to this place since he moved out here. He liked it. There was just something about it that reminded him of home. He didn't know what it was but after he found this place the first time he had kept on coming back.

He glanced down at his half eaten plate of food before pushing it away. Before he could stop himself he was drumming his fingers steadily on the table as he waited.

The diner had only five other people inside. The old man at the counter who seemed to live here and always had a cup of coffee in his hand as he watched the news. There was an old couple that he had noticed a few times sitting next to each other and sharing a piece of pie. A few tables down was a truck driver with his hat turned behind his head as he ate three plates of food. Well, that's how many Nathan noticed the waitress deliver to the guys table. He must have been traveling for a while without a break because the guy was still shoving food in his mouth. It was making Nathan nauseous. Lastly there was a young girl, about 18 or 19, sitting at the counter doing her homework.

Other than that there was only the young waitress that always smiled a little too brightly when he walked in and the old man cooking in the back. The place was never busy and Nathan wondered how they stayed in business. But even then he kept coming back. There was just something about it that he liked.

"Anything else, darling?"

"No thanks," Nathan smiled politely.

"Will your girlfriend be joining you?" She asked. "You know the one you brought in last week."

Nathan felt his fists ball up under the table. It shouldn't surprise him that she remembered him coming in with Haley last week. It was only a week ago. Still, hearing her ask about Haley angered him for even bringing her here in the first place. That had been stupid of him. In fact, hanging around her at all outside of work was just stupid. The girl didn't know how to shut up and he couldn't have himself slip up now around her. He had worked too hard and long for that.

Still the fact that the waitress had brought up Haley at all had pissed him off. He was doing just fine not thinking about her at all.

"She's not my girlfriend," Nathan gritted out.

Her smile brightened. "Oh. Well, I just assumed. I should know better. Its just that you come in so much and it's the first time a girl has been with you and so I just thought that –"

"How about a piece of apple pie?" Nathan smiled. He knew if he'd let her, she'd talk for hours to him and he didn't have time for this shit. He wasn't interested. If she didn't figure that out by now then he couldn't help her. She was a good looking girl but he didn't have time for distractions. Plus, he liked this place. If they went out then he'd never be able to come back here again and he couldn't have that. Not for a quick fuck. She just wasn't worth the time or the effort.

"Coming right up," she smiled pleased.

As she walked away he couldn't help but notice how she swayed her hips and glanced over her shoulder at him to see if he was looking. He glanced away before glaring out the window. Fuck he needed to get laid. He had been so busy working and worrying about other things that he just hadn't had the time. Plus, it took time to find a girl that wasn't going to get clingy or attached to him. He couldn't deal with that shit. He had enough to worry about.

Nathan kept his eyes focused outside the window as someone slipped into the booth across from him. He let his eyes travel the length of the parking lot as he made sure that no one had followed him before turning.

"You're late," Nathan pointed out.

"I haven't seen you in months and this is how you treat me? I'm hurt, Nathan."

"Clay," Nathan sighed. "I'm not in the mood for this gay shit."

Nathan watched as Clay laughed at him before holding out his fist. Nathan bumped his fist quickly before relaxing himself.

"Sorry," Clay chuckled. "Long flight and well there was this chick on the plane that –"

"Save your sex story for someone else."

"You sure? It's a good one. Someone's cranky today," Clay teased.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "I've just got a lot of shit on my plate right now."

"I know that."

"Do you?" Nathan wondered. "Do you know how hard all this is on me?"

"I do. We all do."

Nathan shook his head. It seemed impossible. Were they the ones out here risking everything? No. It was him. If he got caught then that was it.

"I don't think that you do," Nathan muttered before glancing away angrily.

"What happened? You were fine a few days ago…"

"Nothing…everything. I'm just getting tired of all the lies. It's so hard to keep this up. I don't even know who I am anymore."

"Nate, this will all be over soon," Clay promised. "What brought this on?"

"She's asking questions again and I –"

Clay smiled brightly in an instant. "She's persistent, I'll give her that."

"You know, your fascination with her is a little annoying. This is stressing me. I can't do my job with her breathing down my neck every minute that we're together." They couldn't even do anything without her bringing up something about his past.

"Request a new partner," Clay suggested. "Easy fix."

That would be an easy fix, Nathan thought. He would just tell Jimmy that he couldn't work with Haley anymore and that he needed to find her another partner because he just couldn't work with her anymore. Then they would both get different partners and wouldn't have to deal with each other anymore –wouldn't have to see each other anymore. She would be out of his life for good. That would be for the best.

"I can't."

"Yeah you can. You can make that happen. If she's getting in the way of why you're here then you need to get her out of the way. You can't afford to let this girl ruin all the work you've done since you've been here. Hell, the work we've done. It's too important. We both know that and if she's getting in the way of that then –"

"I can handle her," Nathan sighed before sending Clay a pointed look.

"You sure? I can get someone to take care of it."

"No, I'm sure," Nathan spoke up. "Just forget I said anything. Like I said I've been stressed about a lot of things."

"Fine, whatever you want. You're the one calling all the shots."

"Speaking of, did you come through this time?"

"Yep," Clay smiled. "He was quite impressed. Everything went down just like you said. At first I thought it was another dead end and I was ready to give up but I didn't."

"And…?"

"I got it," Clay smirked before reaching beside him and pulling up the black briefcase before pushing it across the table at Nathan. Nathan glanced around the diner and made sure that no one was watching before he opened it and glanced inside. He smiled happily before closing it.

Relief flooded his body and he felt a little better.

"This is great," Nathan smiled before releasing the breath that he had been holding in. "Wow. I can't believe that you got this. I mean I hoped but we've never…"

"I knew you'd be happy. He said you would be."

"I am," Nathan nodded. "I've been worrying about this for weeks. Finally."

"Now you don't have to. You're not alone, Nathan. You've got us, you know that."

"Yeah, I know. It's just being here alone is…"

"Frustrating?" Clay guessed.

"Exactly," Nathan nodded. "I'm always afraid that I'll slip and say the wrong thing."

They had been having this same conversation since Nathan moved up here. He had been afraid to slip up when this all started and years later that hadn't changed. He was still afraid that he would blow everything.

"You've been doing well," Clay pointed out. "Your father is very proud of you, you know."

"I don't know about that."

"He is," Clay promised. "He told me so the other day."

Nathan smiled. "He did, huh?"

"Yep. We had lunch and he told me."

"How is he? I know he's been stressing about everything."

"He's good. Of course, he's having trouble at work but who isn't? We're all stressing at this point in the game."

"I know," Nathan chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that he's doing well. I haven't really talked to him lately."

"You've both been busy."

"Yeah, that and Agent James is always listening whenever she's around."

"You know, I find it hard to believe that a girl that hot would have that much interest in you. You're making this up so that I'll think you're the man, huh?"

"Right," Nathan chuckled. "I wish she'd forget it and leave me alone."

"Is she really that annoying?"

Nathan shrugged. "It's not so bad."

"Well, as long as you keep her from finding out about us then I don't care. Now, if she gets close to uncovering the truth then I'm going to have to take care of her. You just give me the word and it's a done deal."

"I can handle her," Nathan stated firmly. "She doesn't have anything to do with this."

"I'm just letting you know."

"This stays between us," Nathan added. "I don't need you running back and telling anyone about this. I don't want anyone else involved. She's not a problem."

"As long as it stays that way."

"She's oblivious," Nathan muttered with a smirk.

"That's all that matters then."

"She'll never know the truth. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good," Clay nodded proudly. "You keep that for safe keeping. You're the only one they trust with it. When the time comes we'll need it."

"I know. When does your flight leave?"

"A few hours. I haven't held a gun in my hands since yesterday and it's killing me!"

"I'll bet," Nathan chuckled.

"Here's your pie. Can I get you anything, darling?" She slid the pie in front of him. Clay smirked before he started looking her up and down. Nathan shook his head before ignoring the both of them. Clay Evans was something else. The boy was a total playboy. Nathan had known him for the longest time and the guy never changed. Nathan was sure that he never would.

Nathan stood in the elevator as he waited for it to stop. His hands were full and he was ready to get there already. After spending the afternoon with Clay and talking about work he was ready to relax and have a good time. For some stupid reason he ended up here.

The doors opened and he walked out before making it down the hall. With both of his hands full he kicked the door hard twice before he waited. It was minutes later that Haley opened the door and her smile slowly disappeared. She was shocked to see him. He could tell by the way she was looking at him. He hadn't seen or talked to her since the day he had taken her on his bike. That day had been a mistake. He had been avoiding her ever since.

"Look, about last week…"

Nathan searched for the right words before he glanced down and noticed that she was in her light blue sleep shorts. He licked his lips as his eyes traveled up and down her bare legs. They didn't stop as he reached her small white tank top. Haley rolled her eyes and he couldn't help but smirk. The awkwardness from before was completely gone.

"Control yourself, jackass."

"I will when you stop dressing like a slut."

Haley glared at him with fire in her eyes. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Move the pizza's getting cold," Nathan barked.

Haley stood firmly in place. "I didn't invite you over."

"You're not the only one that lives here, princess."

Haley glared at him before she took off walking down the hall. He chuckled quietly to himself as he followed her inside. He kicked the door shut before making his way to the living room. Lucas and Haley were both sitting on the sofa. He didn't stop walking until he reached the two of them. He held up his hands.

"You need new friends," Haley muttered angrily to Lucas.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "I've got beer, a movie, and pizza. And you need a new roommate."

"Sweet," Lucas muttered as he reached for the pizza. Nathan laughed before placing the beer on the coffee table and then making his way over to the DVD player. He popped in the movie before taking a seat on the sofa next to Lucas. He reached for a beer and a slice of pizza before relaxing himself.

He started eating and noticed that Haley made no move towards the food or the beer. Before he could say anything Lucas spoke up.

"You're not eating? There's more than enough."

"No thanks," Haley muttered.

"What are we watching?"

"Boondock Saints."

"Awesome!"

"Again?"

"Don't act like it wasn't good, Hales," Nathan chuckled. "You enjoyed it the first time."

Nathan smiled knowing that he was right before he went back to eating and drinking his beer. Before he knew it the large pizza was gone and he was left with a beer in his hands. He drank it slowly as he watched the movie.

In the middle of the movie Lucas had moved himself to the chair so that he could relax himself. Nathan noticed Lucas glancing over his shoulder at him.

"What did you do today?" Lucas questioned.

"Stayed home," Nathan lied. "You?"

"We painted the living room," Lucas pointed out.

Nathan glanced around. He hadn't noticed the difference. "It looks gay."

"No, it doesn't," Lucas muttered.

"Dude, it totally does," Nathan chuckled.

Lucas glanced at Haley and noticed that she had fallen asleep. He watched her for a few seconds making sure before turning his attention back to Nathan.

"I know but don't tell her that. She'll kill us."

"Ok," Nathan chuckled. "Suckered you into it, huh?"

"Yep," Lucas nodded. "I didn't even see it coming."

"If I didn't know any better I'd swear the two of you were married."

Lucas grimaced. "She's like my sister. That's just gross."

The movie continued as they sat there and watched. Haley stayed asleep and he wasn't surprised. The girl could never stay up whenever they watched a movie.

"I'm done," Lucas stated as he stood up and yawned. "I'm going to bed."

"It's almost done," Nathan protested as he pointed at the TV.

"I've seen the movie a million times," Lucas called out as he made his way to his room.

"So…?"

"I know how it ends. I'm tired, Nate. Lock the door when you leave."

Nathan heard Lucas close his door and he chuckled to himself. He relaxed himself and placed his feet on the coffee table before crossing his legs over each other. As he watched the movie he couldn't help but hear Haley sigh in her sleep. He glanced at her and noticed that she was smiling. Her body was curled up and slowly her legs stretched out until her feet were almost hitting him. For a second he thought she was waking up but nothing happened.

He continued to watch her, his eyes traveling up and down her shapely legs. He quickly snapped himself out of it before reaching for the small blanket and covering her up. Thankful that he couldn't see any more of her skin, he quickly went back to watching the movie.

He heard her laughing softly. "Nathan."

"Yeah?" Nathan muttered as his eyes stayed glued to the TV. When she didn't answer he glanced at her and noticed that she was still sleeping.

Nathan was confused for a second before he started smirking. She was dreaming about him. He couldn't believe it. He had slept in the same room as her countless times and this had never happened before. His eyes stayed glued to her face as he watched in fascination. There was just no way that this was happening. This had to be a fucking dream.

"Nathan."

His heart was hammering hard in his chest as he swallowed the lump in his throat. As she moaned his name again he couldn't take it anymore. His hand reached out under the cover and moved up her leg as he moved his body closer to hers. He sat himself right next to her body as he continued to move his hand slowly up her leg. He sat there watching her. The scent of her vanilla shampoo filled him and his eyes snapped shut. Before he could stop himself he moved his hand slowly up her thigh. Her skin was soft and warm.

What was she dreaming about? What were the doing? Where were they doing it? He wanted to know everything.

"Haley," Nathan groaned as his fingers reached her shorts. It wasn't long before her eyes opened slowly and she looked at him confused. He continued to rub soft circles on her thigh.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Haley breathed.

"Wet dream about me?" Nathan smirked.

"Hardly, it was more like a nightmare," Haley growled before shoving his chest forcefully off of her. His whole body flew to the ground hard. As he sat himself up, she was already standing up and marching to her room. He chuckled as he watched her go.

"Sounded like I was fucking you just right," Nathan chuckled. Her room door slammed shut seconds later as he continued to chuckle. That had to be, hands down, one of the hottest things ever. Just knowing that she was having a wet dream about him was enough. He needed a cold shower as soon as possible.