Author's Note: I really didn't intend to continue this, but after discovering Haven and watching all three seasons in about 3 weeks, these characters won't leave me alone. Have to make it to next fall somehow!
I do warn you – don't expect much in the way of plot here. I'm confident the writers have fantastic twists and turns in store, and I'm hoping they're not all incredibly angsty – but I'm not going to endeavor to solve the Troubles. Just provide some much needed Audrey/Nathan moments, some bonding amongst our favorite three Havenites, and maybe explore how their kid fits into all of this.
Feedback is always greatly appreciated!
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Exhaustion hit her while she was standing in Nathan's arms. Her day had been seemingly endless before her deranged daughter-in-law had kidnapped her and forced her to start another one – which had fast forwarded two years and then kept on going. She felt like she could sleep for days. The way things were, six or seven hours would probably have to do. But her body was reminding her it wanted to start now, as nausea started to swirl in her stomach while heaviness pulled on her limbs.
When she tried to step back from Nathan's embrace he held on.
"Inside," she mumbled. Enunciating her words suddenly seemed like a monumental task. "Need rest."
He reluctantly released her. When she looked back at him he looked so forlorn she grabbed his hand and linked their fingers together.
The contact was like a spark that drove him forward. He followed her into the house.
"Need a little help here," she said, standing in the dark hallway. She'd never been in Nathan's house before, but it was nearly impossible to make out anything in the dim light. She'd have to search for his decoupage collection in the morning. In the meanwhile the situation made her a pretty poor leader.
"Bed. Now," she demanded.
She could see his eyes go wide, and she rolled hers in response. "For sleeping. I don't know where your bedroom is."
She watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "Right."
Now it was his turn to lead her down the hallway to a door on the right. He pushed it open and she took in the surroundings. Spartan in furnishings, but she'd never expected anything different. A bed. A nightstand. A dresser. She frowned at the half finished bottle of whisky on the nightstand. She'd have to pour that down the sink in the morning. There was also a picture frame. She picked it up and was shocked to see a faded image from the Haven Herald. It was a candid shot of the two of them, taken for the coverage of one of their early investigations. They were smiling a little more widely that was probably appropriate for two cops on duty. She remembered that he'd been regaling her with some ridiculous story of small-town Maine living. Hadn't even been the Troubles that had made it so amusing.
"Only picture of us I could find," he said, and she startled at the sound of his voice so close behind her. She hadn't noticed him follow her across the room.
It was sad to think that was true. She'd never been photo happy. Before coming to Haven she'd never had much worth documenting. Well – the real Audrey Parker hadn't, anyway. Who knew if she had ever had an existence outside of Haven? But this time around, those precious six months, were definitely photo worthy. Nathan had been her first friend, and then Duke her second. There had certainly been times when a normal person would have pulled out her iPhone and had a stranger snap a picture to capture a moment – but it had never occurred to her. By the time she knew her days were literally numbered their camaraderie was broken. There were hardly any photo ops when Nathan was sneaking off with Jordan and she was going off with Duke and they were deliberately speaking as little as possible. But it was sobering to think that she'd vanished and this was the only proof Nathan had that she had ever existed.
"We'll take more this time around," she resolved, putting the frame down. "Starting tomorrow."
She took a few steps back to yank off her shoes and her jacket. Nathan stood still as a statue, and when she caught his eye and flashed him a perplexed look he cleared his throat.
"I, uh, should go sleep on the couch." He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled a shaky breath. "But I really, really don't want to."
She couldn't decide if his chivalry was annoying or endearing. All she knew was it wouldn't fly tonight. "I think we're a little beyond that. I'm not letting you out of my sight."
She turned around to pull off her t-shirt and shuck off her jeans, leaving herself in a camisole and panties. She pulled the elastic from her hair as she spun back around, letting it escape from its bun and fall around her shoulders.
Nathan's jaw was practically on the floor, and she swallowed a snort as she advanced on him.
"Shirt off," she commanded, tugging at the hem.
It was fascinating to watch the blush creep up his neck. "We're not going to…" The sentence died in the air but its meaning struck straight to her core.
If only she wasn't so damn tired! But she'd be barely functional in a few minutes, and after all the time they'd spent dancing around each other – all the time he waited – their first time deserved to be better than anything either of them was capable of at the moment. She fully intended to blow his mind – and quite possibly short-circuit his sensation starved body. They just needed to be patient a little bit longer.
"Not tonight," she said, walking her fingers up his chest. She pushed herself up on her tiptoes and whispered, "Later," in his ear, deliberately blowing on his earlobe.
"Tease." She could hear his smile. It was the first time things had felt normal between them in months, and the coil of tension that had sat stalwart in her chest for nearly two months began to loosen. She had sorely missed their banter.
"You like it." She pressed her lips to his cheek, briefly, just because she could. "Now off."
"Why?"
"You'll find out. Now come on. Or I'll do it myself."
That wouldn't be wise, considering her resolve for later, not now. But damn if the image wasn't now in her mind. It seemed to be in his too, but after a few seconds he relented, pulling the shirt off with an easy gesture.
Leaving her eye level to a shirtless Nathan Wuornos, proving she hadn't exactly thought this through. It was a pretty fabulous view – all pale skin and well defined abs, an inch or so of the waistband of his black boxers visible above the pajamas slung low on his hips. But the number of scars made her ache, especially the bullet wounds on his shoulder and chest. Even if he hadn't felt them, the thought of anyone hurting him made her livid and heartbroken simultaneously.
"You're staring." His voice was so dangerously, deliciously low.
You're exhausted, Audrey, remember that? Exhausted.
She wanted so badly to forget.
"Like you weren't looking at my legs," she joked, breaking the tension.
Later.
"Bed. Now," she demanded again.
He regarded her somewhat warily as he slipped under the covers, turning slightly onto his side to watch her.
She practically leapt at him, pressing as much of her body against his as she could. He froze, but she could feel his heart racing under her ear.
"This is why."
"Good plan," he croaked.
She shifted her head slightly to look up at him. He was blinking slowly, as if his mind couldn't quite make sense of all the sensations, so she gave him some time to process. But she knew she'd be asleep soon, so she didn't give him too long.
"Now I know it's probably been awhile, but usually the guy puts his arm around the girl." She reached out to pull on one of his arms to demonstrate, but quick as lighting he snaked them around her, and the strength of his grip took her breath away for a second.
When they were properly situated she tangled her legs with his, drawing her right foot across his toes and up the opening of his pant leg, inordinately pleased with the way it made his breath hitch and drew a low moan from this throat. She wondered if he could feel her bare legs against his flannel pajamas, her cami covered back on his bare chest, or whether it was only skin to skin contact that reached him. There'd be plenty of time to experiment later. We've got time, that strangely accented voice in her head whispered, and instead of making her nose bleed it made her smile.
"You okay, partner?" she asked, unable to stop the yawn at the tail end of the question.
"Better than okay." He sounded like himself again, not that broken thing drowning on his front porch a few minutes ago.
"Thank you," he whispered. His reverence wrapped itself around her, like his comfortable mattress and soft sheets and warm, strong arms. She was finally safe, and her body welcomed the bliss of finally being able to rest as her mind finally accepted that it could shut off for a few hours and the world wouldn't crumble without her or steal her away.
"We've got time," she told him as she let herself sleep.
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Unless real life gets in the way, there's almost certainly another scene or two coming.