A/N Apparently I'm feeling inspired these days, so here's another chapter :)
Nate and Sophie might seem out of character, but this fic is pre-series so Nate isn't angry at the world. He is happier, but in later chapters we will see that in a job is like our modern day Nate. I like to think that Sophie is more like she was in the first season, she loves the idea of love but she has trouble committing.
Damascus was such a beautiful city during the night. The streets were still full of people and some shops were still open, invading their senses with the smell of spices.
They walked pass the National Museum. The building was so imposing in the square and Sophie had to slow down to fully admire it. Of course she had been inside it many times, but it still fascinate her the mixture of the different architectural styles.
She could feel Nate's eyes on her and she turned around to see him smiling at her. "What?"
"You really do enjoy art" he pointed out.
She chuckled. "Why do you think I steal it?"
"I'm actually curious about that. Why steal painting, artifacts and not leave them in a museum for people to admire them?"
"Why not?" she retorted back, but Nate wanted a real answer. She sighed. "I'm not really going to start talking about why I do it. It's a long and complicated explanation that sometimes I have trouble understanding too. But from what you know about me, or from what you know about my crime history, you know I rarely steal from museums. Mostly it's from private collectors who don't deserve what they have…" Nate snickered, but she ignored it. "but mostly I do it for the thrill. I like turning into someone else, create a new persona, a new background, accent, identity; stealing or getting something at the end it's just a prize."
He stopped walking and turned towards her "Will I ever understanding you, Sophie Devereaux?"
She smiled "Probably not, but I do like seeing you try"
He shook his head with a smile and they kept walking. "Where are you staying?"
"A bit straightforward, aren't you Mister Ford?" she raised her eyebrow playfully.
"No… I meant…" he started stammering.
"I'm just teasing you" she put a hand on his chest feeling his fast heartbeat underneath it. "My hotel is on the next street"
"I was thinking we could eat something at the hotel restaurant, so then you can safely reach your room"
"Still a white knight" she teased him again. "Love the idea"
They quickly reached the hotel and they were pleased that the downstairs restaurant was still open. They easily placed their orders since they both liked the country traditional food and when their orders arrived they hadn't actually realized how hungry they both were.
"I know there's something you've been meaning to ask me all night" Nate suddenly said.
Sophie stopped eating and looked at him. "How…" she was surprised that he could already read her so well. She shook her head. "What made you change your mind? I mean, when I left you in Prague, you've made it pretty clear that you wanted nothing to do with me"
"I didn't say that" he interrupted her.
"I think you and I remember a different conversation"
"It had nothing to do with you…"
"Just with who I am, which is practically the same thing." She retorted back. She could feel the fuel starting to burn in her veins. How could this man create so many conflict feelings in her?
"Sorry if I was a bit shocked to find out that the first woman I started dating, after my marriage failed miserably, turned out to be the thief I had been chasing for the nearly a year now."
"It still ends to the same conclusion: you're an IYS agent and I'm an art thief. We shouldn't been seen together, why are we here?"
"Because maybe we are worth the risk." He quietly said looking down.
"Really?" she was surprised by his response and a little bit touched.
"I was angry. The few weeks after Prague I was so mad that even my son was frightened of me" he looked down ashamed. "And then I realized I wasn't angry because of who you were, but I was angry at you for taking away a possible future with could have had."
Sophie's eyes started tearing up. "And now?"
"Now I'm willing to put aside the circumstances and see where this will take us. Are you?" he asked her staring directly at her.
She had to take her eyes of him. She didn't like being so exposed with her emotions. "I don't have much to lose, it's you who'll be risking it all."
"And I said that I want to try it"
She sighed. "God Nate, have you got any idea what kind of pressure you've giving me?" she started waving her hands and rambling. "What if we get caught? You could lose your job or worst, arrested. And what if I don't live up to your expectations? You're a normal, honest guy and I'm not your typical girlfriend. I flirt. A lot. It's my job, I'm a grifter and if you're a jealous guy we'll definitely have some problems. And…"
He could see that she was starting to panic and they were slowly attracting the attention of the other clients in the restaurant. "How about we continue this somewhere else? In private."
He quickly paid the bill and they headed to hotel desk. "Which name are you under?" he quietly asked her.
Sophie was still struggling with her thoughts. "Uh..? Oh, Sinclair."
Nate got her key and they went up the lift to her floor. They spent the ride up in silence. Sophie wondering why she was panicking about the all thing. Maybe because she really wasn't expecting this. Who would have thought that she would have met Nate here and he was going to tell her that he wanted a relationship with her?
And Nate? Well, he was trying to figure out how to resolve this mess.
Finally the lift bell rang when they reached the floor. They steadily walked to her room and Nate opened the door for her.
"Do you want something to drink?" Nate opened the minibar like it was his room.
"Yeah, something strong" Sophie took her shoes off. She liked wearing expensive high-heeled shoes, but they always ending it up killing her feet at the end of the evening. She also took the pins from her hair and let her beautiful chestnut hair lay on her shoulders.
Nate offered her a glass. "Thanks" and she quickly took a sip feeling the strong taste of bourbon going down her stomach. "I'm sorry about before, I don't know what got into me" she sat down on the bed.
"That's fine" Nate took a seat on the chair next to the French doors that led to the balcony. They stayed in silence for a while. "So…"
"So…" she repeated not really knowing what to say.
"I didn't mean to scare you before" he finally told her "It's just that I thought we were on the same page based on what you told me in Prague…"
"I am, we are" she clarified. "I guess this time I was the one caught by surprise. I wasn't really expecting a serious conversation about us." She got up and started pacing " I thought tonight we were just going to have sex so we would have got that out of our system and then moved on" she told him frankly.
Nate's eyes doubled their size and he had to put his glass down because he thought it was going to slip from his fingers.
"It doesn't mean I'm not happy about it" she soon added after seeing his shocked expression.
"Okay" he said lingering the word.
Now they were both embarrassed about where the conversation was going.
"Well, I can finally see that the straightforward woman I met at the museum and that gave me a hard time on the phone is back"
Sophie looked at him with a fake annoyed expression and he just smiled glad that they were slowly coming back to act like normal.
He looked at the time and got up. " I should probably go"
"How did you get married and have a kid if you run away at the only mention of sex?" she walked closer to him, teasing him.
"Very funny. I've got an early flight tomorrow. IYS don't really like spending more that they should."
"Yes, I gathered that from their insurance policy, why do you work for them?"
He shrugged. "It's a job like another."
She looked down not knowing if she should she say what she was about to say. "Nate, I would leave it"
He looked at her in question.
"This life, the thefts, the grifts. I could leave all this behind for us, if you asked me to"
His eyes lit up. "I know, but I have a small confession." Her eyes telling him to continue " I might have had a crush on you long time before I bumped into you at the museum."
At first she hadn't understood, but then she finally realized what he meant and her smile grew bigger. She placed her hands on the lapel of his jacket and pulled him down to her for a heated kiss. "So, there is a bad boy side in you, then" she whispered on his lips once they broke the kiss in need of air.
He just grinned mischievously and opened the door behind him.
"The number I gave you is still valid. Call me when they send you in Europe again." She kept her hands on his chest not wanting to let him go. She didn't want to wait another two months before seeing him again.
"How about I call you in a few days and we'll set up our third date?"
She nodded. "Okay, I'll be waiting your phone call"
He gave her another small kiss and they finally let go each other. "See you soon" he gave her a small wave and walked down the corridor.
A/N 2 What will happen the next time they see each other? You might find out sooner that I thought. thanks for your reviews and for reading this fic. Let me know what you think :)