Title: A Sobering Experience

Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for a while!

Author's Note: This is a re-write if a I did for ER.

Spoilers: I'm not sure of the episode but before Magda had the affair

Summary: Magda wakes up and finds that she's not alone.

Rating: PG-13

Magda shifted in her sleep, causing her leg to brush up against the person sleeping next to her. Since Gabe had been away for the last two months feeling somebody next her sent warning bells off in her head and she immediately woke herself up. Discovering someone sleeping next to her wasn't the only surprise she encountered. Her biggest surprise came when she looked over at her sleeping companion, only to find it was...

"Nate!?" Magda gasped loudly.

Hearing his name he groaned and rolled over, blinking several times trying to make the pain in his head to go away. His head felt like it was ready to break off from his neck, his eyes burned and he was pretty sure he would never be able to produce saliva again but nothing could compare to what he felt when he finally looked at the person who said his name.

"Magda?" He questioned confused, being that he had woken up to Magda next to him, a very NAKED Magda next to him. Magda slowly sat up with one hand rubbing her temple, the other holding the sheet tightly to her chest. "What happened?" She asked, trying to calm herself down as she nervously running her fingers through her hair.

Magda was still silent; still trying to comprehend what was going on.

"Nate?" Magda asked again, a little more forceful, losing her patience.

"I...I don't know..." He whispered when he was finally able to respond. "We didn't... did we?

"We're both naked in your bed. What do you think?" Magda said protectively, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Oh god." He groaned, closing his eyes tightly, hoping he could wish everything away.

Deciding that leaving as fast as she could would be the best way to end the uncomfortable encounter; Magda pulled the light comforter around her body and got out of bed in search for her clothes. Finding everything but her shirt and bra, Magda wandered into the living in search of the missing items.

"This isn't happening. This isn't happening." Was Magda's mantra as she found the rest of her clothes near the front door. After she got dressed in the living room, she was prepared to run home and never look back when she heard Nate's voice.

"Magda, don't you think we need to talk?" His voice sounded almost frightened, it caught her attention right away

"No we don't. It was a mistake; it's over, no big deal." Magda replied plainly. She was lying to him, lying to herself. She got drunk and cheated on her husband. That was a very big deal and she knew it.

"No big deal?!? We slept together, that might not be a big deal for you but..."

"We were drunk, we don't remember what happened, so what is there to talk about?" She said, cutting him off. If only Jinny had heard her say that.

"How about the fact that we have to work together on a daily basis and we can hardly look each other in the face?"

"I can't do this right now." Magda said in an almost child like voice. "I...I'll see you at work." she said, then hurried out the door.

Later that morning at work...

"Magda, we need to talk." Nate said, cornering her by the vending machines when she walked in almost an hour late.

"Like I said before, there is nothing to talk about. It was a mistake." She said trying to walk past him, without luck because every move she made he was right in front of her.

"It might have been a mistake but it's a mistake we have to deal with." He wasn't going to let her walk away from this conversation a second time.

"Nate why can't we just forget about it?"

"Because I have to tell CD."

"What?!" She screeched in horror.

"I have to. Paul cheated on her and lied about it. I made a mistake. If I don't tell her, I might lose her." He explained

"No, if you tell her you will lose her, there is no might. " she snapped

"I can't lie to her Magda." He said, keeping his cool tone not wanting to attract more attention than Magda already called to them by her outburst.

"If you tell her you will be losing more than just a girlfriend." She said regaining her composure.

"I know I'll be losing a partner, a best friend, and the best thing that ever happen to me."

"And are you willing to risk that?"

"She doesn't deserve to be lied to."

"She doesn't deserve to be hurt either. Nate, you have to think before you do something like this, you're affecting more than just your life."

"You think I don't know that?" He was starting to lose his temper but he managed to hold on to it by a thread.

"You're acting like you don't, if this gets back to Gabe my marriage is over, and I have son to worry about Nate. You tell CD and he'll lose his father for a second time. Think about that before you decide to ruin his life." She growled before storming off.

Nate spent the whole day thinking about what Magda said. If he told CD and she told Gabe, Magda's marriage would be over and Ben would be left without a father for the second time in his life. He always hated the 'cause and effect' part of life. With this particular problem there was no way he could win. If he told CD he could lose her and Ben might lose his dad and Magda; her marriage. If he didn't tell her it was a defiant lost for every person involved.

Magda couldn't believe she had actually gotten drunk and cheated on her husband. She never thought she would do a thing like that. One minute she's in a bar with Nate after working a case together since both of there partners had court dates. The next thing she knows she's waking up in his bed. She didn't even know why she accepted the invitation to go out for drinks with him. It wasn't like her to try to cloud her memory with alcohol, but this case was too much for even her to handle with out something to erase the images from her head for awhile. She and Nate had both witnessed a mother kill her two kids right in front of their eyes.

Earlier that day, they had gotten a call from a school for a possible child abuse case. When they went to the child's home to check out the report, they walked in on the mom holding a gun on the two younger kids. They spent over an hour trying to talk her out of shooting them but at the last minute she pulled trigger.

Even now thinking about it made tears come to her eyes.

"Magda, are you alright?"

"What?" she questioned as Jinny's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Are you ok?" she asked concerned, she knew what Magda and Nate had seen the day before and couldn't understand why neither of them took the day off.

"Yeah, I just need a minute. I'll be back." Magda replied quickly and walked out the squad room. Not believing her, Jinny got up and followed her.

"Maybe you should go home early."

"God, Jin you scared me."

"Sorry. Magda, go home. You and Nate really don't need to be here today."

"I'll be fine Jin. I just need minute."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"Well I'm here, Mag."

"I know..."

"You want to talk about it?"

"I made a big mistake Jin...I slept with Nate."

"You what!?"

"It was after everything happened yesterday. We went out for a drink after we left here, the next thing I know I'm waking up in his bed."

"God Mag."

"You know what Jinny that really doesn't help." Magda said almost snapping.

"Sorry it's just a surprise."

"What's a surprise." CD asked walking into the locker room.

To be continued...