A/N: Hey guys! Remember when I started this story last year and then sort of disappeared? Oops. A lot happened, in real life and in fic life. I got completely obsessed with the 100, so my focus has largely been on that. As for real life, you don't need to know the details really. All is well now, and I bring you a gift!

My Jenny/Nate muse arrived a few days ago and my love for Gossip Girl, while always there, started bubbling to the surface once again and here we are with this update! Btw, Jenny's birthday is on June 2nd, I've decided, so she's a Gemini. Personally, I think it fits. I myself am a Gemini, so I think it's safe for me to say that.

I am truly sorry that it's taken so long to get this chapter up. I can only hope my faithful readers are still out there. Enjoy! x

Heartbeats

'I'm sorry, I seem to have walked into the past,' Jenny said quickly, her hand still gripping tight to the doorknob.

She wasn't sure what'd she'd been expecting, walking into Nate's office without stopping to ask his secretary – who had been suspiciously absent anyway – after the last time she'd tried that and been met with the image of him and that young, barely legal Sage something… Well, it certainly wasn't this. Nate and Serena both turned to look at her, his hand still on Serena's cheek, and gawped. Serena wiped at her eyes.

Nate cleared his throat and sprang back, as though Serena had sprouted horns and a tail, and he ran a nervous hand through his hair. Serena craned her neck to look at him, eyes narrowed. But Jenny wasn't fazed; sure it had been a shock, but come on, Serena was more in love with Dan than Hades was in love with Persephone, and that was something. Jenny wasn't sure where that had come from, but she didn't dwell on it. Instead she proceeded into the room, eyes wide with awe, and her gaze darted to Serena's stomach as she rose from her seat.

'You're pregnant?' Jenny said in a whisper, but the smile was evident in her tone as she approached her soon-to-be sister-in-law, and then engulfed her in a squeezing hug. 'This is so exciting!'

Serena hugged her back with equal vigour, and over the blonde's shoulder Jenny glanced at Nate, who was kneeling beside little Henry and showing off some tiny toy trains. Nate looked up at the same moment, and for a few seconds Jenny's smile was only for him. As quickly as it had come, it was gone again and Serena squealed as she drew back from Jenny's embrace, taking up all of her attention. Jenny grinned at her.

'It's really, really early days,' Serena said with barely contained glee. 'And I don't know if it's for certain yet.'

She glanced back at Henry then, as he crashed through the pile of toys he and Nate had been playing with and made a beeline for Jenny. She bent down and kissed the top of his head, then lifted him so he sat neatly on her hip between her and Serena. Henry grabbed on to a lock of Serena's perfect hair, but not too tight; it seemed to be a security thing, and Jenny smiled at the closeness. Nate was watching them, still over in the corner, with a smile touching his lips as he slipped his hands into his pockets. He looked particularly handsome today, Jenny noted, not that it was surprising. His face was ridiculous.

'I haven't told Dan – I'm not sure when the right time would be.'

'Are you going to tell him before or after you're sure? Have you taken a test?' Jenny asked, doing her best to cover Henry's ears with one hand.

Serena scrunched her nose at the display, but Jenny was resigned.

'He's Chuck and Blair's son,' she said, distracting Henry with kisses. 'Who knows who he'll tell your news to before you get the chance!'

Serena giggled. 'He's four years old.'

'And hardly a little Gossip Girl in the making,' Nate remarked, smirking.

Jenny rolled her eyes, and Serena took Henry from her arms.

'Alright,' Serena said, gathering her bag. 'Henry and I are going shopping,' she booped him on the nose wither own, and he giggled.' So I'll leave the two of you to…' she looked between Jenny and Nate, who were busy looking anywhere but at one another.

'I'll see you both on Saturday,' she said, giving Jenny's hand a final squeeze before she and Henry departed the room.

The silence that followed was not an uncomfortable one, but it was far from friendly. Nate set about gathering up the toys that Henry had left strewn around the corner. Jenny took the time to look around; she'd never really been in his office at The Spectator before. She'd been in the doorway, completely floored by Sage something-or-other as she manhandled Nate behind his desk. Jenny shook that image from her mind with force. Sadly, it was burned into her retinas and it bothered her to no end, reliving it. Only because it was such a surprise, of course. That's all. That's it, she swore. But looking at Nate now, distracted in the corner with the sunlight just catching the top of his head and bathing him in a glow, well… Jenny wasn't so sure.

Something stirred in her stomach, feelings long since buried that had first awoken back at Constance. She was taken back to when he'd found her that night with Agnes and Max, them yelling at each other on the street, him grabbing her and spinning her around –

'Did you come to apologize?' he asked suddenly, rising from his spot on the floor and rounding his desk to stand opposite her.

Jenny narrowed her eyes. Whatever edgings of feelings might have sprung up were quickly diminished at the sight of his arrogant face, replaced with a pooling warmth in her stomach. She clenched her jaw.

'Actually, I was going to give you the chance to apologize to me.'

Nate folded his arms. 'What?'

Jenny stood her ground. 'You came to my apartment –'

'It's Serena and Dan's apartment –'

'Whatever,' Jenny said, raising her palms to face the ceiling. 'You came over and judged me, and that wasn't cool, Nate.'

'I judged you?' he said, raising his eyebrows. 'Was what it you said, that my list of exes couldn't even fit in the apartment?' he said, his volume rising slightly by the end of the sentence.

They stared at each other, both waiting for the other to make a move so they could counter, but Jenny herself couldn't find the right words to hit back with, and he seemed at a loss too. She turned her gaze to the ceiling, reliving their past conversation, wondering why on earth they couldn't seem to get along this time around. She was mature now, as was he, and they were both happy with where they were. There were no complications, no hurdles to get over in their friendship; she wasn't trying to sabotage his relationships and he wasn't jumping to conclusions about her. Theoretically they should have already been laughing over lunches and getting drinks with the others and running in each other's close circles. But they weren't.

There was something in the way, and Jenny couldn't put her finger on what it was.

She turned her gaze back on Nate. He was leaning against his desk, arms still folded but shoulders relaxed, and he was looking at her with kind eyes. Jenny softened under his gaze.

'What's wrong with us?' she asked quietly.

He chuckled, shaking his head. 'I really don't know.'

Something in his tone of voice told Jenny that he wasn't being completely honest, but she let it slide. She knew this was awkward; she was on the other side of the awkward, for God's sake. So she pushed on, closing the distance between. She came and settled next to him by the desk, smiling down at her feet. She felt like a kid again, and she both loved and hated that he could do that to her in equal measure. She kicked her heels on the dark, wooden floor.

'For what it's worth,' Nate began, turning to look at her. 'I wish we hadn't argued when I came over. That's not what I wanted.'

Jenny nodded along.

'Then what did you want?' she asked, finding his eyes with her own and waiting with baited breath for the answer.

She certainly hadn't intended on the question sounding so loaded, but it was out there now and there wasn't much she could do about it. Nate studied her for a moment, and Jenny tried with gusto not to seem vulnerable under his gaze. There were a lot of people she could hide from but Nate was not one of them. He'd seen her at the top of her game, and then again at her worst, or at least one level above it. Thankfully, he hadn't been there at the exact moment when Dan had confronted Chuck and revealed to Blair the awful truth about that night… Nate hadn't seen the dreadful state she'd been in that whole time. The darkest part of her life hadn't appeared on his visual radar. He knew about it, of course. Everybody knew about it. But it cut her a little deeper to know that he, Nate Archibald, had judged her alongside everyone else. His opinion mattered. He mattered… Nate smiled at her, and fifteen year old Jenny's stomach would have flipped. Soon to be twenty-four Jenny managed to save face, but something did kindle inside her, and she warmed all over.

'I want us to be friends again,' he said simply, pairing it with a hapless shrug.

Jenny's eyes flickered across his face. He was still the same seventeen year-old that she'd fallen hard for, even if his facial hair was a little more impressive now. Jenny looked down to where their hands sat between them, almost touching. She covered his with her own.

'I want that too,' she said happily, and then stood up.

Nate remained frozen to his spot, and he only looked away from where her hand had been on his when she spoke again. Jenny had crossed the room and was heading for the door.

'Do you have any meetings this afternoon?' she asked. Nate shook his head, and Jenny grinned. 'Good, let's go. We have a few years to catch up on, after all.'

Nate chuckled, but he didn't hesitate to follow her out of the room.

Chuck had always admired his wife. She was Blair Waldorf Bass, after all, and she was exquisite, and while she was many things; a businesswoman, a public figure, designer and CEO, she was most of all the mother of his child – and hopefully one day children. Chuck's favourite part of the day was whenever he was with his family, but with his son off being bought ridiculous outfits by his godmother, Chuck had his wife all to himself. Alright, they both had some business to attend to, but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy each other in the process.

'Not this moment, Chuck,' Blair said through a growl.

He'd come up behind her, brushed away her hair and kissed the nape of her neck.

'You might change your mind,' he said against her skin. 'When I tell you what I happened to discover during one of my late night study sessions.'

Blair turned in her chair and kissed him full on the mouth. She took his face in her hands and smoothed his hair back.

'And what, my darling, might that be?'

Chuck moved around to take his seat at the head of their dining table. Dorota, who had been seeing to Blair's lunch, brought out a platter for him to enjoy. He thanked her kindly with a smile, and asked after Leo and Ana, who were proving to be great playmates for Henry some evenings despite the age gap.

'It won't be long before I make the call for their admissions to Constance and St Jude's,' Chuck said easily, and Dorota gasped.

'Mr Chuck, I am grateful but we could never afford –'

'Don't be ridiculous, Dorota,' Blair said, waving a hand.

'You've done so much for our family,' Chuck said, placing a hand on Dorota's arm. 'It's done.'

'Mr Chuck, I don't –'

Chuck smiled, and Dorota gave in. She touched his hand and smiled, somewhat glassy-eyed.

'Thank you, Mr Chuck, Miss Blair.'

Blair smiled warmly at the woman, before requesting more salad. Dorota complied and went through to the kitchen, leaving Chuck to quietly go back to admiring his wife from where she sat to his right. Blair handed him the paper from the end of the table, and Chuck opened it to the real estate section. He liked to be current, to keep up with how property was doing all over the city. Just as he was getting lost in a story about the upcoming property auction he planned to be a part of, Blair cleared her throat at him and peered at him over the top of the paper. Chuck let a smirk touch his lips before folding it back up and putting it aside. Blair reached over and entwined their hands, before giving his a gentle squeeze.

'Spill, husband,' she said, flitting her eyelashes.

'Turns out there's a foreign party interested in the building I'm looking at,' he said.

'The businessman from Tokyo you lost out to last year?'

Chuck pursed his lips. He wouldn't call it 'lost' out… more that he got out before it was too late. He shook his head.

'London, actually,' he said, and he watched as the pieces fell into place on her perfect face.

'Baizen,' she muttered, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

'The one and only,' he replied. 'I'm surprised the snake is arrogant enough to go after a property that has my name attached. It's certainly bold.'

'You mean it's certainly stupid,' Blair corrected him. She began cutting her food with a heavy hand. 'Has Robert found anything?'

Chuck smiled at how well his wife knew him. Of course his PI had been on the case.

'Apparently Baizen means to open a restaurant. Classy place for classy clientele, romantic… all the makings of a great spot.'

'Why would he even want to show his face on the island? We made it perfectly clear he isn't welcome here.'

Chuck leaned forward. 'It seems Jenny Humphrey hasn't been completely honest with us.'

Blair narrowed her eyes. 'I knew it.'

'Carter means to open his first restaurant on American soil, and not only that, but he already has a name in mind. A familiar name.'

Blair's eyes widened to the size of saucers. 'No,' she whispered.

'A restaurant named after our very own little J,' Chuck revealed, clicking his tongue. 'Who ever would have thought?'

Blair drummed her fingers along the table.

'This can't happen,' she said, and then she excused herself and swept from the room.

Chuck relaxed back in his chair. He didn't like Carter, and Baizen was not welcome in their city, but he had to admit he was a little excited about what might come of this new discovery. Were Baizen and Jenny really together? And where did that leave Nate? Chuck knew his best friend better than anyone, and he only had to look once at Nate, and the way Nate looked at Jenny, to know exactly what his friend's feelings were on the matter of the blonde Humphrey.

Where did the return of Baizen leave Blair's plan of attack for the upcoming nuptials?

If Dan would just get the damn proposal over with, of course.

'I can't believe she did that!'

Jenny cringed at the mere thought. One of Nate's ex-girlfriends - although from the way he was telling the story she seemed to be more of a fun buddy than anything else – had caught him on the phone to another woman, which later turned out to be his mother, and locked him out of his own suite at the Empire. He'd called security, of course, and it hadn't taken long to get back in, but by the time he had, she'd cut through his favourite blue shirt with a pair of scissors. Needless to say, she was no longer welcome at the Empire, any other building owned by Bass Industries, or within fifty feet of the beautiful Archibald Jenny found herself walking beside then.

'Your poor shirt,'

'It was my favourite shirt!'

Nate sighed, looking utterly devastated as he threw his arms out, coffee to go in one and his suit jacket in the other. Jenny had his tie safely in her purse. It was heating up considerably, being the last day of May, though Jenny had to admit she didn't much mind seeing him glistening just a little bit in the warmth.

'It was the one you wore when you were still trying to seduce me,' he said then, murmuring against his coffee cup as he brought it to his lips for another drink. Good thing he'd gone for iced coffee, she thought, because she had a half a mind to knock it up into his face for that remark. Jenny wrinkled her nose, choosing instead to breeze past it.

'I wouldn't exactly call it trying to seduce you…' Jenny said, rolling her eyes. The hot feeling of embarrassment was creeping up the back of her neck and it was most unwelcome. Nate didn't seem to feel the same way, however, and carried on smiling.

'Then what would you call it?'

Jenny smirked. 'Are you flirting with me, Archibald?'

They'd found themselves wandering Central Park, taking in the colours of summer as they burst around them. Jenny couldn't remember ever feeling this at home in London. Sure, she liked it there a great deal and there were many a beautiful sights to see. But being in New York, having her friends close by – having her father and Dan close by, it all just meant something more. And now walking around with Nate like it was the easiest thing in the world? It just felt like home. Jenny studied him for a moment. She needed to slow down, right down. That was how it happened the first time, and the second and third. She always fell too hard and too quickly for him, and every time it blew up in her face.

'Reaching,' she said finally, and then with a smile in his direction, 'For something that wasn't right.'

They came upon the reservoir, surrounded by runners and tourists and families and yet, somehow, it was still calming. They stopped, and Nate turned to her. His eyes gave away something that Jenny hoped hard he wouldn't put into words, but a moment later any doubt she had seemed to melt away. She felt all alone in the world; in his world, like she was all he could see. He had a knack for making her feel that way, and she remembered it all too well. She opened her mouth to something, anything just to relieve the silence.

'It wasn't right back then,' he said then, pinning her with a look that stilled her. Jenny's breath caught.

'Um…' she began, trying to find the words.

He moved closer. She didn't protest; she had to admit, she'd always liked the smell of his cologne and the feeling she got low in her stomach whenever he turned his hips in her direction. Jenny bit her lip as he came closer still, and when his hand came up to brush away the bangs from her face, her eyes fluttered closed under his touch. She wondered if he could hear her heartbeat; she certainly could.

'You've got something right here,' he whispered, and Jenny opened her eyes.

He was even closer now, impossibly closer, and he withdrew his hand to show her the small red thread he'd retrieved from her hair. She smiled fondly.

'I was…' she scratched the back of her neck, expecting him to move away. He didn't.

'It was just something I was working on this morning, or late last night. I don't even know in this city.'

He chuckled with her and stepped back. Jenny relaxed, releasing a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding in all that time. They kept their eyes on each other for a moment, neither of them moving to step back. There was more distance between them than there had been, but Jenny still felt his skin against hers, still felt his fingers on her face, still burnt like the sun under his touch.

She moved back.

'A lot of things weren't right back then,' she said in a throwaway tone, and when she carried on walking Nate fell into step beside her once more. They headed back towards the main roads.

'What do you mean?'

All thoughts of their history had disappeared from his face, replaced instead with what looked like concern for a friend. They were friends again now, right? She turned to him with a shrug.

'It's stupid.'

'I'm sure it's not,' Nate replied with a smile that broke through Jenny easily.

'It's just… I'm sure by now you know that Blair wants me back full time. I'm not sure of the parameters yet, but I do know it means settling down here and I'm not sure it's right. I want to come home for good, but…'

'Why not?' he asked, as if it was ludicrous. His eyes were narrowed in a way that suggested he'd already made up his own mind about it, and Jenny didn't have any doubt that it had to do with – 'Is it because of Baizen?'

Jenny pursed her lips, tilting her head to one side. 'No.'

Nate seemed to relax at that.

'Then what is it?'

Jenny crossed her arms.

'I ran away from this place when I was seventeen and I didn't look back. I missed things about it; my brother, my father, Eric and you,' she said pointedly, and a soft smile touched his lips.

'I didn't want to miss you, but I did. You were one of my only friends. But despite all that I never came back, and for good reason. I wasn't ready for this life then. But things are different now, and I belong and I'm happy. But I never reconciled who I was then with who I am now and, to be honest… I'm not sure where that leaves me.'

Nate touched her arm.

'You did a lot of bad things back then, Jenny, but so did the rest of us. I guess we've just had more time to get passed it. We were stuck here; we didn't get the break that you did.'

Jenny scoffed at him. 'I'd hardly call moving away in disgrace a break, Nate.'

He laughed, running his hand through his hair.

'Alright, perhaps that was the wrong word. What I mean is… the rest of us have been here the whole time, and that meant we had to deal with all the stupid things we did. Maybe moving back is exactly what you need. You're different now.'

He nudged her shoulder affectionately.

'I guess you're right…' she said, though she still wasn't thoroughly convinced.

It was an odd feeling. She wanted to come home, and yet she was afraid to. She'd made her amends with her friends, but she was still worried everything could turn on a dime. She liked to think she knew them, and herself, much better than that. But the Upper East Side had turned Jenny into someone she truly didn't like, and the only other person who seemed to understand her hesitation at coming back was half a world away.

Nate, on the other hand, was standing right in front of her.

Jenny opened her mouth to speak, though she didn't know what to say. She was saved by her phone ringing.

'It's Blair,' she said, upon pulling it from her purse. 'Sorry,' she whispered, but Nate only smiled and stepped back to give her privacy.

'Hey Blair. Everything okay?'

'Perfect, little J. I'm calling about your birthday. Everything's all set.'

Jenny smiled into the receiver. 'I can't wait.'

'Make sure you look your best, little J. it's going to be a night you'll never forget, I'm sure of it.'

The tone clicked off then, and Jenny made her way back over to Nate.

'Just an update about my party,' she said, gesturing for them to continue walking.

'Are you excited?'

Jenny nodded. Then, with renewed enthusiasm, she turned to him.

'Did you get me a present?'

Nate chuckled, and he ran a hand through his hair once more.

'As a matter of fact,' he said. 'I think I have the perfect gift.'

Jenny clapped her hands together. They walked on in comfortable silence for a little while, and then Nate checked his watch.

'I should head back to the office,' Nate said at length. Jenny frowned.

'You said you had a free afternoon.'

'I do,' he said quickly. 'It's just I'm flying over to the LA office tonight for meetings all day Friday, so I just need to make sure I have everything together; folders, presentations, all sorts of boring business stuff that will keep me there for hours.' He finished with a grin, and Jenny sent one back.

'When will you be back?' Jenny asked, and it came out a little more desperately than she'd intended. 'I just mean… will you miss my party?'

'No, no,' he said, resting a settling hand on her arm. 'Wouldn't miss it for the world.'

He kept his hand on her arm as they said their goodbyes, then leaned in to kiss her cheek. The graze of his lips against her skin sent fire through Jenny, and she barely contained a heavy sigh as he pulled back. She turned into him, all on instinct, and if she'd only been a little closer they lips might have just touched…

'I'll see you Saturday, Jenny,' he said, and with that he went in the other direction and back to his office. He hailed a cab.

Jenny watched him go, watched the slope of his shoulders, the straight line of his back, the curve of his a-

Her phone rang once more.

'Blair? Again?' Jenny said, surprised.

'The one and only,' drawled the Lady Bass. Jenny raised a pointed eyebrow. She knew that tone well enough to know a scheme was at hand. And she was right.

'I need a favour, mon ami.'

There it was. Jenny chuckled.

'What can I do for you, boss?'

'It's going to sound a little rash, and forgive me for the suddenness, but it's imperative that everything go well this Saturday. Friends and family aren't the only guests after all.'

Jenny was well aware of that. Everywhere she went, there seemed to be a legion of paparazzi following, eager to get a shot at the up and comer of Waldorf Designs. On top of that, Jenny's transformation from Brooklyn Wannabe to Golden Darling of the Upper East Side had a lot of tongues wagging, even after all those years. Jenny knew what to expect, and she knew that whatever she did or didn't do reflected on Waldorf, and Blair herself.

'I need you to bring Nate as your date to the party,' Blair said.

Jenny scoffed. 'What? Why?'

'All in good time, my little J. I'm asking as a friend and as your boss. As my friend you can turn me down, but as my subordinate, you have to comply.'

Jenny thought on it. Nate wasn't the worst date in the world. He was handsome, had good press, seemed to be in line to run for mayor, and his presence at her birthday was guaranteed anyway. So this was icing on the cake, she supposed. She'd all but agreed in her mind, before a dark little corner of it pulled her thoughts elsewhere, and she was left wondering what Carter might make of it when he inevitably saw it. Although, Jenny realised then, he was the one who hadn't called in a few days.

So why should she be the one to worry about it?

'Jenny?'

'Okay, I'll do it.'

'Wonderful! Now, as I said earlier, everything is ready so I'll see you on the big day for breakfast.'

Jenny grinned. 'Okay, bye Blair.'

'Au revoir.'

Jenny slipped her phone back into her back and turned around. Nate was long gone, on his way back to the office, and it wouldn't be long before he arrived. Jenny walked back the way he had, hailing down a cab of her own, and just hoped she'd be able to catch him. Though he had said he'd be at the office all day, anyway. She smiled as a cab came to a stop for her. Yeah, she was looking forward to Saturday and she was sure it would be a night to remember.

How right she was.

Nate had expected silence when he returned, and for his office to be empty, for that matter. What he certainly hadn't expected was to find Sage Spence sitting behind his desk, feet up, ordering papers and making files. Nate threw his jacket on to the nearest surface, which happened to be the chair opposite her, and leaned on the back of it as he stared daggers through her. He began to speak, but she cut him off and swung her legs down to the floor. She stood and smoothed her skirt with one hand. She put the papers back on the desk with the other.

'Sage –' he began, but she was already speaking.

'I came in to apologize for the way I behaved the last time we saw each other, and that's when I realized that your assistant isn't here, and hasn't been all day for that matter.'

Nate looked behind him, through the open doorway, and noticed that Katie's usual spot was, in fact, empty. He turned back to Sage.

'In light of that, I made a call to find out where she was – relax, I pretended I was Susan from Marketing,' she said when he made to interrupt. 'Anyway, turns out your lovely assistant went into early labour and had a bouncing baby boy about an hour ago. Nice of you to check in, by the way,' she added as and aside.

Nate rolled his eyes and grabbed for his jacket. Sage rounded on him and stood between him and the door, nudging it closed.

'Look Nate, I know you have no reason to believe me but I am sorry for what happened.'

She peered up at him through her eyelashes, and Nate could feel his resolve faltering. He'd always been a sucker for a gorgeous pair of eyes. But even with Sage here in front of him, his mind was still a little elsewhere, back in the park where he'd left a certain blonde. His heartbeat almost sped again at the thought. Nate kept himself firm in the situation.

'I have a proposal for you,' Sage said.

Nate folded his arms and took a step back.

'I'm guessing you haven't found a replacement assistant just yet, given that you didn't even notice your current one wasn't here –'

'I'm a little distracted today,' he replied.

'No doubt,' Sage said with a knowing look. 'Never mind that. Listen. I want to be your assistant. Not because it's you, or that it's you and me, but because I'm serious about journalism and the Spectator is a phenomenon. I want to learn, and I want to do it here.'

'I don't know…'

'Why don't we use LA as my audition?' she said, brimming with confidence. He raised an eyebrow at her and she chuckled. 'I was bored, so I looked at your calendar. I also put together all the papers you need for the first three meetings of the day when we get there.'

Sage smiled up at him, and Nate had to admit he was impressed. Perhaps it was the good mood that Jenny Humphrey had put him in, or maybe it was more the fact that he didn't have an assistant and he was going to need one. The idea was a good one, and if he didn't like the way she worked then they could go their separate ways and he would just have to manage until he found someone else. Sage's smile brightened and he shrugged.

'Alright, fine,' he decided, and then made for his jacket. 'Let's go.'

Sage frowned. 'Where?'

'The hospital. I want to check in on Katie; it's the least I can do. We'll stop to get a gift on the way. Boy, right?'

Sage nodded. 'Why am I coming?'

Nate ushered her out of the door and closed it behind him. He scoffed.

'I don't want you going through my stuff again, at least not when I'm not around.'

Sage laughed as they left the building. Nate hailed down a cab, and he touched the small of Sage's back as he pulled the door open for her to get in first. She turned to him and smiled, and he did the same as he slipped in after her.

It was a perfectly innocent display to anyone who took the time to look, except one tall blonde who was across the street, having just stepped out of her own cab. Nate didn't spot her, but she clocked him. Jenny narrowed her eyes.

So much for an afternoon at the office, huh?

Hope you liked it enough to forgive me for the long wait! x