Being In Love Is Never Easy
By: Sailorjj07
12. The Fall
A/n: THANKS FOR REVIEWING!
Disclaimer: I do not own!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Actions
(Me!)
"Tory, how-?"
"Does that matter?"
The exchange was short and sweet. Natalie shook her head, hugging Tory again and burying her face in his neck. He laughed as a blush rushed across his face, putting his arms around her.
"Nadalia told me you needed me. And remember, I told you if you ever needed me, I'd be back."
"Are you staying?"
Natalie was ever-tactful, huh? Tory moved away from her a little bit, so he could give Natalie a very serious look.
Then as a smile broke across his face, he nodded, "Yes. Unless you don't want me to?"
Natalie's smile grew and she thought she would cry all over again, "Don't want you to?! Tory, are you kidding? Of course I want you to!"
"Well that's good. When you're mom offered me the room across the hall, I was a little worried you didn't want me there." Tory laughed, sheepishly.
"I'm upset that you would even think that!" Natalie hugged him tighter, leaning her cheek against his. She smiled and whispered in his ear, "If I had my way, you'd always be here."
Tory blushed, before coughing slightly, deciding now would be a good time to ask Natalie about her current condition, "So... you can see him?"
Natalie immediately sobered up, "Yes. He...Tory, he told me that while I was in World Three, he had a chip put into my brain."
"What? Did you tell your Mom about that?"
"No. While I was in World Three, she and I were fighting; I had ran away from home to join them."
'So that's why her mom is so accepting and nice...She's afraid of losing her daughter again.' Tory couldn't help but wonder how he would act in Natalie's mom' s shoes... probably the same way.
"We need to go see Lan's Dad." Tory stated, after thinking for a moment.
"Lan's Dad? But he's a scientist. What can he do?" Natalie questioned, her violet eyes curious and unsure.
"Help you. I'm sure he can check and see if there is really a chip in your brain or if its something else." Tory looked around the room in the darkness, wondering where the baby was. But not even two seconds after the thought crossed his mind, Tory heard a soft gurgle coming from a corner of the room. He got up, walking over to the crib that was usually near Natalie's bed. He wondered if she had moved the baby in the corner to keep her away from "Dex".
"I was...afraid for her. I didn't want Dex to see her and do something bad..." Natalie said, watching as Tory picked the baby up. The little one moved around, lifelike as ever, and giggled happily at him.
"At least she remembers me."
"Of course. She was a little fussy when you were gone, though. I told her you had to go away for work."
"If these babies weren't so real, I'd tell you how silly you just sounded." Tory smiled, going back to Natalie's bed to sit next to her. Natalie moved so that she was laying next to the wall, so Tory would have room to sit-up and play with Anastasia.
"Ok, close your eyes. I'm going to turn your lamp on."
Tory touched the switch, turning on the lamp. When he turned to look at Natalie, what he saw nearly broke his heart for two reasons.
With her eyes closed, Natalie's face was breathing-taking in the soft lamplight. But she looked so sick and sad - Natalie had tear-stains running down her cheeks, complete with dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was disheveled and in such a disarray, Tory wondered if she had been thrashing while tossing and turning.
"Don't open your eyes yet," he whispered, moving Anastasia to his shoulder so he would have a free hand. Tory reached out, running his hand through Natalie's hair so that it was all going in one direction, at least. Then, with his hand shaking, Tory's hand made a path from her hair to her face, wiping the few remaining tears away. Finally, his hand rested on her cheek, his thumb caressing it softly.
Tory was upset that Natalie hadn't told anyone she was going through this. And he was even more upset that he hadn't seen it himself.
His hand pressed into her face more firmly, but his caress was still soft.
Natalie opened her eyes, and when she saw Tory's eyes in the dim light, her heart skipped a beat.
Tory really was a cute guy. At the moment, as he looked at her seriously with care and concern, Natalie knew he was determined to help her.
"Iceman!"
Both Natalie and Tory turned their heads toward the computer screen where Nadalia had knocked Iceman over, hugging him tightly.
"Hiya toots! How are you?" Iceman said from the floor, as Nadalia nuzzled her face in his chest. She was speaking nearly incoherently; the only understandable phrase was: "I missed you!"
"I missed you too. Didn't you know I was coming with Tory?" Iceman stood up as Nadalia finally got off of him, watching her grin widely.
"Well no. Remember, when I came to get Tory I told him to get ready to leave as soon as he could. You were gone with Papa when I came over." Nadalia told him, matter-of-factly.
"Oh yeah, you're right!" Iceman put his arms around Nadalia, resting his cheek against Nadalia's as he spoke, a smile spreading contagiously across his face, "Well, I'm here too!"
"I know! I'm so happy!" Nadalia smiled happily, at then turned to Natalie, "Did you like my surprise for you?"
"I love it. Thank you so much, Nadalia. You're the best navi any OP could ever wish for."
Nadalia nodded as her face got serious, "Now get better. I brought Tory all the way here to help you. So don't let me hear you crying anymore. I'm afraid I won't be able to take it, if you do."
Natalie nodded, trying to keep her composure. Nadalia was truly a great friend. She had let her cry at night, without telling anyone, and when it had become too much for her to handle, she got help for Natalie.
"I promise, she'll be much better within the week," Tory added, smiling at both girls. Both navi and OP smiled back at the young man, before Nadalia gave another cry and glomped Iceman again. He laughed, enjoying Nadalia's excitement and happiness.
"Promise me you'll never go away again!" Nadalia cried, and Iceman chuckled again, before giving Nadalia a firm nod.
"I never went away, Nadalia. What am I promising you?"
"You did too! What do you mean?"
Iceman's face was serious as he sat-up, making Nadalia fall into his lap. He looked down at the female navi he adored, before looking past her, at his Op's serious face, "I mean, me and Tory were never really away from you guys. We might have moved, but we wanted to be here for you as much as we could. That's why we sent so many e-mails and called all the time."
"But that didn't stop us from wanting to be here, with you guys." Tory agreed, nodding at his navi. Iceman was getting better at understanding him and the girls in their lives. He was proud of him.
"So...we kind of asked Mom and Dad if it was ok for us to live here...Even AFTER you get better."
"REALLY?!" Both girls said at the same time, an expression of joy mixed with shock on their faces.
"Yup. Once you're better, Yai told us we can go stay with her, and during the summer, I'll go back home to Mom and Dad."
"But the summer's five months away!"
"I'm sure you could find a way to be able to come home with me, Natalie." Tory said, uncharacteristically winking at Natalie. Natalie nodded mutely, surprised at the playfulness and flirtatious attitude she saw from Tory. He hadn't been like that before.
"Anyways, we should go to bed. We still have school tomorrow." Tory told her, while he took Anastasia back to her crib. The baby had long since fallen asleep on his shoulder, and he rolled the crib back near Natalie's bed.
"Oh wait..." Blushing in embarrassment, Natalie slowly slid something off under her covers, before reaching down and removing them. Tory was slightly worried until he saw his ice blue sleeping bag appear; he had been looking for it when they moved.
"I knew I had left it here!" Tory exclaimed, smiling as he thankfully took his sleeping bag from Natalie. He zipped it up like normal, before climbing in himself. Natalie settled back into her bed beside him, and she blushed when Tory put his arm around her softly.
"Go to sleep, Natalie."
"Good night, Tory."
"Night, Natty."
The Next Morning
"Natttaaaallliiieeeee!! Toorrrrrryyyyyyyyy!! Wake up you two!"
Tory watched Natalie's lovely face as she groaned loudly. He chucked to himself when she rolled over and covered her head with her blanket, muttering something about her Mom's voice.
"Natalie...It's time to get up," Tory told her quietly. He pulled the blankets from over her head, gently smoothing out her hair as he did so.
Natalie woke up at his touch, but kept her eyes closed with a yawn: "Tory, I don't wanna get up..."
Tory grinned and leaned down, until his mouth was directly beside Natalie's ear. Then with a soft, slow breath, Tory whispered in her ear: "Natalieeeeee...wake up, honey."
"I'm up, Tory. I'm up." And she was. Natalie sat up in bed with a bright blush running rampant across her face. Tory found a blush burning a path on his own face, and tried to suppress it.
"Is it ok if I take a shower first, Nate?" Tory asked, slipping out of the bed. Natalie nodded, still trying to hide the blush on her face. Without another word Tory gathered his things and headed into the bathroom.
"Nadalia, Iceman, wake up! We've got a busy day today you guys!" Natalie smiled as she pressed a key on her keyboard and booted up her computer. She saw the two navis sleeping and rolled her eyes. Then with the loudest voice she could muster: "WAKE UP!"
Both navis jumped up at Natalie's voice, scrambling to obey the girl. Iceman, after realizing who it was, glared at the screen.
"You didn't have to wake us up like that!"
"I agree!" Nadalia added, glaring as well. Natalie just laughed at the two navis, walking over to her closet to plan her outfit for the day. It only took her about ten minutes - she grabbed a purple and blue shirt with a hood, then took a lilac tank top out the drawer to wear underneath it. Her blue jeans were already ironed and hung up on a hanger, so she took them down and placed the entire pile on her bed.
By the time she was gathering all of her undergarments, Tory was out of the shower with a towel around his neck and his brown hair was dark and dripping.
"Hey Natalie, the bathroom's open if-! Whoa!"
Natalie, who hadn't heard Tory come out of the bathroom, was totally startled as Tory walked towards here. The girl screamed and everything in her hands flew up, tossing her undergarments and socks into the air in her fright.
Natalie whirled around and nearly fainted from embarrassment as her panties fell at Tory's feet. Her violet eyes stared at the spot on the floor, which attracted Tory's eyes downward, and as soon as he saw the lacy pink items on the floor, his eyes immediately diverted upward.
"Uhhhh ummmmmm, I...ummmmm..." Tory's face was getting redder and redder as each second went by, while Natalie, in a rush, scooped up all her belongings from her bed. She practically threw everything into the bathroom, then turned around to collect the rest of her belongings. Natalie failed to realized that Tory's hair had been making the carpet slightly damp and in her hurry, she ran directly into the small wet spot while attempting to grab her panties quickly.
This caused Natalie to slip and go careening into Tory, who had been trying his darnedest to stay in one spot and look another direction. He had wanted to keep Natalie from being totally embarrassed, but as the two of them fell to the floor in front of the bathroom door, he realized there would be no way to save the situation.
"Ahh!" Natalie cried as they went down, which made Tory push his arms out against her shoulders. He was hoping to keep her from falling painfully to the floor, but all that did was accidentally tap her wrist which made her involuntarily throw her panties...They were tossed into the bathroom, thankfully.
"Ya know, any other time, Natalie would not have such accuracy," Nadalia commented, as the two teens stared at each other. A blush was on both of their faces, but neither wanted to move or look away.
"Shh. If we talk too much, they'll move." Iceman whispered, as he moved to a better vantage point.
"Tory, I-!"
"Natalie, I-!"
The two teens realized they were both about to speak at the same time, and decided against talking completely. Tory began to move from underneath Natalie, in a way that said he was trying to get them out of their current..position.
But Natalie moved at the same time, and that brought them even closer to each other. The rosy blush on their faces brightened, but it went unnoticed by them both.
As Natalie stared in Tory's slate gray eyes, she felt her own sliding shut slowly. In one gentle move, Tory kissed her.
It was as simple as that one movement, but it was so much more complex than Natalie had ever imagined a kiss from Tory to be. It burned her, it made her heart stop and it made her understand Tory better, all at once. It was such a sharp sensation...It made Natalie feel like she had swallowed a handful of dry ice. Even her throat burned as her arms came around Tory's neck; the fact that his hair was wet completely escaping her.
And it was the same way for Tory. He could feel his entire heart ready to explode as his arms went around Natalie's waist and if he could, Tory would've pressed Natalie further into himself. She was so warm, as her fingers found their way into his wet hair, and he couldn't resist kissing her harder.
The two forgot they need to breathe.
Natalie was the first to pull away, gasping for air without realizing it. Tory followed suit, but as soon as Natalie had gotten enough of breathing, she sought his mouth again, barely wasting a second to kiss him. This time she was slightly more aggressive, pressing her mouth against his in a way that demanded he kiss her back. Which he did, of course, but why wouldn't he?
The need to breathe came back, and the two moved their faces away from each other, staring at one another once again.
"Natalie..." Tory began, but his words were cut off. He was too breathless to continue.
Natalie didn't even try to speak. She couldn't because her mouth was entirely too thankful for the air. Natalie wasn't however; if she could die kissing Tory, she would, without a problem.
"Nate, you umm...We h-have to eat b-breakfast soon." He couldn't think of anything else to say, but he figured that would help them move away from each other...He didn't want to, but it helped.
The situation had gone to Hell and came back to Earth, but soon it went to Heaven and above.
"Y-you're right," Natalie said, softly. Her voice came out rushed, since she was still trying to breathe and get her heart back in control. The two nodded at each other and Natalie slowly got up, with Tory following her directly after. Then they separated, Natalie walking into the bathroom and Tory going to the bed.
"Well! That was interesting!" Iceman said loudly with a grin. Tory, who had been staring off into space, looked up quickly, suddenly realizing that both navis had seen the entire thing. Tory became Cherry in name and in face, because the young man was so very red, Iceman wondered if he was sick for a moment.
"You can't-! Do NOT tell anyone about that!" Tory cried, in near horror that the navis had witnessed had witness his first full, all-out kiss. The one at the movies had been a tiny little peck, something he had done only to distract Natalie. This one had been the real deal though!
"What? Why not? You should tell EVERYONE about that! You and Natalie are officially together!" Nadalia said, grinning widely at Tory's red face.
"How? I didn't ask her to be my girlfriend or anything and we've never even been on a date alone together..." Tory looked down at the towel on his lap with a sigh. He had always wanted to ask Natalie to go out on a date with him, but with her current problems...Not to mention, the last time they went out, Lan and Maylu had shown up and joined them.
"So ask her! Ask her today!" Nadalia proposed, doubting that Natalie would have any problem with it at all.
"But...What if she-?"
"Tory, she won't! Natalie likes you! A lot! Geez, get some confidence!" The female navi told him, with a glare. Tory nodded and dried his hair off, then folded the towel and placed it on the edge of Natalie's bed.
"Confidence, confidence." He said over and over to himself, as he walked out of the room. Shortly after, Natalie peaked her head out of the bathroom door, wondering if Tory was still there. She saw only his towel and the two navis, and figured he had already went down for breakfast.
With her own, light purple towel around her neck, Natalie strode out of the bathroom fully dressed. Nadalia winked at her as she walked by the computer to get her earrings, but was promptly ignored by her Net Op.
"Nat, don't be that way!"
"You were watching!"
"Oh so what? It was just a little fall."
"It was so NOT JUST a little fall! I can't believe you're taking this so lightly!" Natalie cried, storming to her door. She opened it with a huff and then slammed it quickly.
"Geez, what's her problem?" Iceman asked, shaking his head in disapproval. Natalie didn't have to get mad.
"Oh, she's just embarrassed. Very embarrassed." Nadalia replied, with a smirk.
"Think they would be even more so if we posted a video on the Net about this?"
"Oooohh! You wouldn't!" Nadalia laughed mischievously, as did Iceman beside her.
"Ahh, I would, toots, but the camera angle is horrible. Too bad, though. That little fall was probably the best thing that could happen to them."
Nadalia opened her mouth to say something, but Anastasia cute giggle was louder then her. The navi grinned despite herself, "Apparently, the baby thinks so too."
End Chapter 12