From Flame and Ash

— Chapter 2 —

Broken Solitude

THE POND had never seemed so quiet, yet its silence was deafening to his ears. The pier enclosed him about, and yet it felt like every inch of space was a mile.

Hope Valley was quiet behind him. That slumbering twilight peace before sleep filled the air. The shops were closed, residents home and fed for the evening, and households quieting. His shoulders ached from a long day and he rolled them with slow weariness, grateful the evening still held remnants of the day's warmth.

There was a sudden change in the air.

A chill layered atop the gentle breeze that was blowing, and his ears picked up the sound of soft footsteps approaching. He stiffened. He could hear the grass rustling underfoot, the small rocks and leaves being displaced. He did not turn. He knew those footsteps.

He knew the instant their owner recognized him, within ten feet of the pier. There was a quickly in-drawn breath, so soft as to be nearly unnoticeable, and then the abrupt cessation of movement. He dropped his head, arms braced before him on the rail, and gazed quietly into the shining silver water below, only half-seeing the lily pads that ringed the pier.

His arms began to tense in the silence, one muscle at at time, until his arms were taut before him.

The footsteps resumed motion, slowly crossing the final length of grass to reach the pier, where there was another pause, longer this time. Then a wooden board emitted a faint squeak and his arms relaxed. Perfect silence fell.

His mouth flattened. It seemed silence was the weapon being wielded tonight.

His hands tightened around the rail that ran the circumference of the pier and a splinter of dry wood broke through the skin of his palm. He ignored the burn as the tiny wound began to throb like a wound five times its size. He straightened his arms, pushed himself away from the railing, and quietly turned to face the person who'd broken his solitude.

She was a solitary figure dusted in silver moonlight at the end of the pier. She stood tall and unbowed, half-turned against the railing, her hands open and flat against her draping skirt. Her face, unseen by him in days, was turned toward him but her features were cloaked in shadows.

A moment passed in which neither moved, and Nathan studied her in the stillness, eyes narrowing slightly. The placid peace of the setting seemed jarringly at odds with the tension that grew with every second that passed without human sound or movement between their two figures at either end of the pier. Human emotion, silent and potent, held reign instead. It hovered like a cloud above them, thick and weighted.

The water lapped lazily at the footings of the pier and for a moment it felt as though the pier was breathing beneath their feet, gently rocking them.

He moved. Or prowled might have been a better word as he moved in a straight line for her, his feet moving with practiced silence.

There were several feet of distance still left between them, but as he reached her, he watched as her eyes widened and she unconsciously turned, fully pressing the small of her back against the railing as she faced him.

He shifted slightly, closer, his head tilting down to catch a clearer glimpse of what her face read.

The moon broke free of the scattered clouds that had been drifting across it, obligingly illuminating her face. His gaze traced her features one by one, catching the pulse thudding at the base of her neck, then lifted to read her eyes.

Guarded. Defiant. Conflicted. They clung to his now, her hands lost in fistfuls of fabric at her sides. He could hear her breathing, soft and wavering on the inhale.

Is this what you're afraid of? What lies between us? Does this — do I — frighten you, Elizabeth?

His eyes searched hers for answers. For anything.

There. A quiver of uncertainty seemed to shimmer through her and he saw her throat move as if she were trying to swallow. Those long curling lashes he'd so often fallen under the spell of wavered then fluttered shut against her cheeks. Moonlight glinted off her cheekbones and Nathan had to physically restrain himself from bending down to her.

Without warning, her eyes sprung open, flaring wide against his, and she must have read something there because her lips parted as if to speak and something akin to panic swirled through her eyes.

The air between them stretched taut as a wire.

Then from the pond, a lone bullfrog sounded his distinctive call somewhere by their feet and she jolted back from him in surprise, one hand flying to her throat. He could see the shock fading as she glanced down sharply at the water and realization began to show in the relieved slope of her shoulders.

With the edge of his boot, he nudged a loose pebble off the pier, hearing it plop below, then caught her eyes in one last, slow look as he silently stepped past her and began his walk back to the row house where Allie slumbered safe and warm in her bed.

He did not look back.

— ooO0Ooo—

Author's Note: For those who are familiar with my writing, you may have noticed that my writing style is a little different in this story compared to some of my others. I actually did that deliberately. I'm omitting the usual (and more personal) way I tend to include sensory descriptions because, seen through the POV of main characters, those details tend to make the characters and what they're experiencing more immediate, more alive. But here, since our characters are more distant from each other — or are they? — I'm using a more distant style of writing and of imparting details. Down the line, as the walls between them begin to erode and tumble down around them, you'll see the progression to my more normal style of writing come into play more and more. ;)

The choice to not include any dialogue in this chapter was deliberate — and a first for me. (Eeek!) Hopefully, I was still able to convey what they're going through and also provide some atmosphere in spite of it. :)

This story has a "darker" feel to it, for sure. That, too, was deliberate. After the movements of S8, especially Elizabeth and Nathan's jaw-droppingly out-of-character behavior in the finale, I just could not see my way to a "fix-it" fic that picked up all sunny and chipper. It's dark, it's stormy, it's a little bleak, much like the state of their hearts currently. They're not fully themselves here, either of them. How could it be otherwise (for awhile anyway) after those destructive finale scenes between them? But have no doubt! The journey will be angsty and filled with romantic tension, but never fear, Nathan and (the real) Elizabeth will move on to flirting and laughter and tenderness by the end of this story, whether the weather is storming or shining on them. Real love holds fast. No storm can alter that. I hope you'll stick around to see where this takes our couple!

* I can't close without a quick word to my readers (thank you, readers!) and reviewers. Much like the reviewers/followers of my "When Hope Calls" fic (many of whom I see here, also — thank you!), you guys are the best and leave such wonderful reviews. Know that I read them all, and am grateful for every one of them. They truly touch my heart, much like I hope my writing touches yours.

SaSeLi777: Hey, lady! You're one of my OG reviewers — for several of my stories! — and I always look forward to seeing what you've thought of a chapter. Thank you for your interest and for your support. It means a lot to me. I tried hard to give Nathan that impassioned reaction, as honestly, I couldn't see him reacting otherwise to what she said. His not challenging her in the finale made zero sense. And don't even get me started on what they had him say to L — ! Insane and disrespectful. Still steaming over that. Huge thank you for reading and leaving your thoughts. It makes my heart happy.

Missela: Heyyyy, I recognize your name from one of my other stories. :) I tend to write lots of "emotion" into my works; hopefully I don't overdo it. (Yikes, haha!) I'm so happy to see you here also and am delighted you liked that first chapter. Hopefully, the second was pleasing, too.

Jacki Foster: Strong and determined, but gentle — yesssss! You said it perfectly; that's our Nathan. There is something so darn attractive about a man that is physically or temperamentally so strong, but reins it in and gentles it with his woman. Thank you for your words. I'm so happy you enjoyed that initial foray into this story.

elizabethB88: Girl. You already know, so I'm going to leave it there. Massive thank you hug.

Mamabethany: Oh, I'm so glad you introduced yourself! Nice to "meet" you. Gosh, your review got me in the feels. Bad. "The fire and fury we all felt over the jail scene" is about right! It was a kick-70%-of-the-audience-in-the-stomach lie they presented to us, and we all know it. On a happier note, one writer to another, please know that I adore your detailed feedback; it helps me know if writing choices are working or not. So thank you, thank you! "Gothic romance proportions" made my day! And another similarity: I, too, yearned to see N&E "duke it out", to see them fight, emotions flaring. We know they had it in them! We saw it so often, both skirting the edges and blazing forth from them. It was cathartic getting to put it on "paper". Couples fight! And these two have needed a good fight for awhile, IMO. Their fighting isn't over in my story . . . ;)

Elle018: Ooooh, that makes me tearful, especially as I didn't know for awhile if I even could write N&E again. I'm so glad it resonated with you, Elle.

Hi00000: Quote: "I'm discovering more and more that, even though a lot of things bothered me about that jail scene, what bothered me the most was that E left happy with the lies she spouted and N didn't call her on it. He just stood and took it even though he knew (at least in previous episodes) that it wasn't the truth." YES, YES, YES! Ohh, this got me. He stated early in the season that he knew she felt the same way . . . and we saw the truth of it in her eyes and tormented reaction. She knew she did, too, but she didn't want to. She felt it so much, she fled from it and from the man who was causing it. Nathan. Not Jack. That was not Jack she was feeling pulled towards in that moment (and so many other moments). It was Nathan. So he knew . . . but then just gave up without so much as a whimper to her out-of-the-blue, illogical lies? The finale made no sense. It made a lie out of truth. And we were told to swallow it and just be happy a show like That One is still on the air. They can miss me with that malarkey. Grrr! Anyway, yes, him just standing there in silence in the jail scene and not calling her on her lies was out of character and infuriating, to a "cray-cray" degree. But what made me see red was the insane line they had him say to L in the saloon. You know the one. So unfaithful to their own previous writing and to Nathan's character itself. I'm working on fixing their inane mess in my fic, and I'm so glad you're joining me on the journey. Thank you for your detailed feedback. You don't know how much that means to me!

Dez284: You and I are of one mind on that score. I, also, will not be returning to The Show. The trust is gone. As is my interest. On a more pleasant note — thank you abundantly for your supportive words on the first chapter. I'm so touched by your words and will strive to continue earning them.

Kcrow125: Gosh, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it! And thank you for reading! I'm hard at work on more, so I hope you "stay tuned". :)

Nsnash: You're welcome! It took me some time to get here, but I'm here and committed to fixing the finale mess (at least on "paper", we can make truth out of the lie they presented us with). I look forward to seeing your thoughts! And thank YOU for taking the time not only to read, but also to leave a review. It means a lot.

Linds1234: I will! Promise! I hope you liked the 2nd chapter, too. :fingers crossed: More is "in the works"! Thank you so much for reading and leaving a review; they're really helpful (and encouraging!) to me.

To all my anonymous Guest reviewers: I'd like to thank you all by name, but since I don't know your names, please know that I extend a huge, warm thank you to each and every one of you for your support and kind words! I'm thrilled that my story is striking a nerve (in a good way!) with you. More to come!

XOXO
~Paths Through Lavender Fields