Chapter Twenty-Eight: Bird on a Wire

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Author's note: This is naley for my Ange, who sort of has the patience of a saint.

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Haley smiled as she neared her husband's building, glad she'd spend time with Ryan and Jake to inflict normal coupledom upon herself, glad she'd been able to take part in just a little bit of their happiness. A crazed, raving Jake upon the news of his fiancee's condition was not the most normal, but still it was closer to the concept than any other part of Haley's life.

The company car driver stopped smoothly in front of the firm and Haley stepped out, confidently entering, no longer intimidated by the bustling atmosphere or the imposing lobby.

She rode up to the top floor, where Nathan had a room for the children to play with as well as his huge office, Deb's and Lucas'. The several interns she passed smiled dutifully at her.

"Evie? Nina?" called Haley, entering her children's playroom. She sighed upon finding it empty, and backtracked into Deb Lee's office.

The secretary had left for the evening, as had Lucas. She reluctantly opened the door to Nathan's office.

It was empty as well. His flat screened computer was turned off, the cushions on his leather couch were straightened, the lights were off. She ventured in a step further, feeling oddly like the room was expecting her yet oddly like an intruder.

The door creaked behind her. She stiffened but didn't turn.

"Should have suspected this. You'd been far too nice for a while. What am I here for, Nate? Planning on holding my children hostage? Raping me without witnesses?" she asked scathingly.

"Am I going to have to?" he asked softly.

"Where are the kids?" she asked.

"With Heli."

The floorboards creaked as Nathan moved across them, toward her. Haley shut her eyes, hoping against hope that if she didn't see him he couldn't affect her.

"It's only been two months, Nathan. You've really got to work on that whole willpower thing," said Haley distainfully. Her eyes opened in surprise as his hands moved to touch her, and began to glide up and down her lower arms. She felt a slight pressure as he moved in behind her, lightly touching all of him to her back.

"I'm supposed to believe you're doing just fine?" he asked.

"Whatever you need to believe."

His lips hovered at her ear, as if about to whisper a secret.

"Why don't you just admit that you like me pursuing you, Hales? It would be so much easier on us both," he said softly. His lips grazed her skin, and moved slightly downwars to touch her neck.

"You'd had good behavior lately. As if you were moving on, and being a grownup."

"I warned you before."

"Don't know why I persist in thinking you're a better man than your words," she said.

"You should know better," he agreed. One of his hands moved from her arm to her back, slipping under the hem of her shirt and gently admiring the shape of her waist and the swell of her hips. She shiver involuntarily.

"Is this what you got me here for? To let me know I'd made a mistake? To get your rocks off, because it's been so damn long?" she asked, her last words escaping without permission.

"Or maybe because I still love you, and you still love me, and it's about time you got over your doubts and just came back?" he asked. Nathan felt a slight shock as she reached back to pull away his hand, and moved away from his roving lips.

"Don't bother," she said, turning around swiftly to make for the door, still avoiding his eyes.

Before she could take a step his hand shot out to grasp her wrist and she stumbled slightly, supported only by his hold on her.

"You know I'd rather do this in our bed, but the kids are home and I'd like you to be as loud as you want," he said.

"Here? Because our kids can't here us even though all of New York can?" she demanded.

"Sure. So long as I can."

Nathan forced the memory of their two previous kisses-the gentle, passionate one on her bed, the loving one outside the hall after the party.

The one he laid on her before she could speak was different.

Confident in his ability, confident in their love, Nathan kissed her smoothly and forcefully, ignoring her protests, holding her hands at her sides, running his tongue along her lips until she opened hers as well and let him in. Forgetting his earlier plan of waiting for her to come to him, restarting their marriage on a more positive, two sided note, he moved toward the sofa and pulled her on top of him on it.

"Men don't treat women they truly love like this," she said, during a pause. He met her eyes.

"Same could be said of you," he said. For a second, she looked as if she wished she was as capable of hurting him as he was of hurting her.

He ripped open her shirt and admired her body through it. He didn't understand it. Haley had had three children but was still young, but had never been a supermodel. Just a beautiful small town girl with a nice figure, yet she'd captivated him for ten years now.

He wove his hands around her waist and pulled her down unto his hardness so he could feel her moving above him. He felt her skin, warm and sweating, smelled her scent.

Lights flicked on, the door opened.

"Hey, Nathan? You still here?" came a voice.

Haley sat up abruptly as Deb entered and covered herself, glad she was still wearing a bra. She grabbed her shirt and detangled her legs from him. He made a grab for her as she left. His hand landed on her waist and his arm wove around it to pull her back in, but at the lock of surprise and slight revulsion on Deb's face he let it drop. Haley ran, tears streaming down her face.

The older blonde woman looked at Nathan, eyebrows raised.

"Wow. Looks like you two seriously don't understand the concept of a breakup," she said, her voice dripping with disapproval.