Chapter 3
It was a beautiful night despite the chill in the air. There weren't many people out making it easier to hear the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through them. The moon hung high, it's glow shining down on the young witch and warlock sitting on the porch steps of her home. There was only a few inches between them, but to Sabrina, it felt like a mile. They had been sitting there for almost ten minutes, neither of them saying a word.
She wondered how much of her conversation with Harvey he heard. Was he upset? Angry? It was hard to tell these days. He was always one or the other. Partially because he could barely stand on his own for weeks. Mostly because the Dark Lord had been in him so long, the pure hate probably somewhat rubbed off on her sweet Nick.
"What are we doing, Sabrina?" he asked. He wasn't looking at her. He had a scowl on his face as if he was just told terrible news. Maybe he was waiting for some.
"Well, right now, we're sitting in front of my house," she said hoping to lighten the mood.
"I'm serious, Sabrina." He finally looked up at her. His eyes were begging for an answer she didn't have.
"I don't….I don't know," she said honestly.
He let out a breath and turned his gaze away again. "Damn it Sabrina."
"Wait, you're mad at me? You, Nicholas Scratch, are mad at me?!"
"Yes, I am."
She scoffed. "Wow. I can't believe you. You have no right to be mad at me right now."
He snapped his head up. "Oh no?"
"No! You do not, Nicholas. Or did you forget what you did?"
"The part where I binded the Dark Lord to myself or the part where I spent a year in the 9th realm of Hell?"
"Let's try the part where you lied to me and tricked me."
"You want to talk about that? Fine, let's talk." Nicm sprang to his feet and faced her. "I didn't tell you about the favor the Dark Lord asked me to do because I didn't think it mattered. All I wanted was to spend time with the beautiful new girl who's voice was like the most majestic symphony I had ever heard and he gave that opportunity. He told me to go for it, so I did. He said I could have the girl if she stayed on the path of night. I wanted you so badly. I had to. I had to do it. I didn't know what his endgame was. I didn't trick you. Everything I felt, everything between us was real."
"How do I know that's true?"
Nick dropped to his knees in front of her, taking her hands in his own. "You just have to trust me."
She wanted to. She wanted so badly to trust him. "I can't," she said as a tear rolled down her face. "I'm sorry Nick, but can't. Not yet." He dropped his head onto her knees. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could. Nick…."
He pulled away, quickly getting to his feet and pacing for a moment.
"Nick," she called as she stood. "Nick…." She put her hand on his arm, but he moved away from her touch. The action was like a dagger to her heart. "Please don't be mad."
"Don't be mad?" He asked with a sarcastic laugh. "You're fucking serious right now?"
"Hey, don't talk to me like that!" Salem hissed at Nick as Sabrina's voice rose.
"What in the Heaven is going on put here?" Zelda asked as she stormed out the front door. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Sorry, Aunt Zee," Sabrina said, not taking her eyes off of Nick. "We're just talking."
Zelda tightened her robe. "Well, do it quieter. The twins are sleeping. As for you, Mr. Scratch, I believe the Kinkles are putting you up? I wouldn't stay out so late and disturb them when you stumble home." With that, Zelda disappeared back into the house.
"Don't forget you broke my trust, Nick," Sabrina said. "Not the other way around."
"And I'm sorry," Nick said gently. "You have no idea how sorry I am for betraying your trust. I should have told you about the Dark Lord's call for devotion. But I'm not going to apologize for spending time with you or falling in love with you. Please, just give me a chance to earn your trust again."
Sabrina crossed her arms, hugging her own body. Suddenly, it felt very cold. She couldn't feel the warmth of his body next to hers and all she wanted to do was go to him. "I don't know…."
Nick laughed. "Why'd you even come for me, Sabrina? Did you drag me out of Hell to torture me by telling me you weren't going to forgive or trust me again? Because that is far worse than anything I could ever have done to you." He shook his head. "The mortal was right. You should have just left me there. You should have let me die."
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" she was screaming as the tears rolled down her face freely. "I came for you because I couldn't bare the thought of you down there. I came for you because I needed you back. Because I can't imagine my life without you in it. I saved you because I love you, you idiot!"
In two quick strides, he was in front of her. His hands on her face, pulling her to him. Their lips collided in a frenzy. She dug her hands into his hair, needing him to be closer. They both knew their relationship needed work. They were far from ok, but in that moment, they just needed each other.
Zelda watched from the window as Sabrina and Nick continued their discussion that seemingly was getting intense. "Come now, Sabrina," she whispered to herself. "Be smart."
"I love you, you idiot!" Sabrinayelled. In an instant, Nick was kissing Sabrina. Zelda let out a disappointed sigh.
"Zelds? What's going on? I heard shouting," Hilda said as she walked into the room. She stood beside her sister and peeked outside. "Is that Sabrina and Nicholas? Oh they're working things out! That's wonderful."
"Wonderful? Hilda, have you lost your mind?" Zelda asked angrily.
"I'm sorry….what's that?"
"You can't possibly want our niece back with him after what he he has done to her."
"What what he's done? You mean the part where he stopped the apocalypse and letting the Dark Lord take her as his child bride? You didn't want that remember?"
"Of course I remember. He's a deceiver, Hilda. He tricked Sabrina into making her trust him when she clearly shouldn't have."
"I'm not happy with what he did either. If you recall, I did say I didn't trust him. But, Zelds, look at what he's done for her. He saved her. He saved all of us."
"So that gives him a free pass?" Zelda snapped at her sister.
"That is not what I said," Hilda interjected. "What I am saying is they should try to work things out. She was so broken up about losing him the first place. She loves him, Zelda."
Zelda scoffed. "Love? I highly doubt that. I should just excommunicate him from the coven."
"Zelda Spellman, have you lost your mind? That boy has no one. If you force him to leave the church, he will have nowhere to go. He's still just a boy."
Zelda snapped her head toward her sister, glaring at her. "Boys like Nicholas Scratch turn into men like….like…."
"Like Faustus Blackwood?" Zelda pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. "That boy is nothing like Faustus, Zelda. He's a sweet boy with no mother, no father….no one to turn to. He just needs guidance. He needs another chance. Who knows, maybe it won't work out between them."
Zelda shook her head as she looked out the window at the young couple again. "Oh Hilda, it will work out with them. The last time I saw a boy so in love with a girl was when Edward met Diana."
Nick sat beside Sabrina on his bed. He was tired, confused, and needed a shower, but she wanted to talk about Lilith knows what, so he waited. He took her hand in his.
"What's on your mind, Spellman?" he asked.
"First of all, we need to get you more shirts," she said. "I don't know what shocked me more: the fact that this is the first time Roz has seen you without a shirt or her reaction."
Nick chuckled. "Jealous Spellman?"
"Of course not. I'm just saying it's inappropriate for you to be walking around all naked."
"Oh this isn't naked. I can show you naked." He winked at her with a smirk.
"You're all talk, Scratch."
"If it's action you want…." Nick grinned. He turned into her, catching her lips with his own. He brought them down to the mattress, pulling her body closer to his as his lips moved down to her neck.
Sabrina closed her eyes and allowed a soft moan to escape her lips. She loved the way her body reacted to him. If this was what her body did when he kissed her, she was pretty sure she would die when they were finally together.
"Are….um….are you ok?" she stuttered, struggling to put two words together.
"Oh I'm fine, baby. How are you?"
"Nick," she said as she gently pushed on his chest, disconnecting his lips from her neck. She could feel the cold air against the spot he was attacking on her. She really just wanted him to continue, but she knew they needed to talk. "I'm serious," she stated. "What's going on? After last night, you seem kind of disconnected again."
Nick propped himself up on an elbow. "I don't mean to be. It's hard to shake though. There are moments when I can't decipher from what is real and what isn't. Like my mind isn't my own." He grabbed her hand and kissed it softly. "But you, Sabrina Spellman, always bring me back. When I see you. When I touch you….I know I'm home."
"Then why won't you have sex with me?" she blurted out. She didn't mean for it to come out so blunt, but she needed to know. "I mean….is it….me?"
"What?" he said with a laugh. "I don't know if that was a joke or not. Sabrina, I love you. What's going on….it's not your fault."
"Then what is it, Nick?" She looked at him, desperately needing an answer.
"Well, this kind of a mood killer." Sabrina glared at him. "I guess we aren't telling jokes. Sorry."
She put her hand on his arm, gently stroking his bicep. "We always come so close, but then you pull away."
"I'm sorry. You know I want to…"
"Then why don't we? I thought we worked through everything. I thought we were ready."
"So did I."
"Then tell me what's wrong. Help me understand. Let me help."
Nick sighed. He stared at their hands, fingers entwined like perfect pieces of a puzzle. He avoided this conversation for a reason. He knew it would come, but he prayed it wouldn't. Having to live it once was hard enough. Having to recall it was another thing.
"Wanting to have sex and being ready are two different things. We want to have sex, but I don't think we're ready. Not anymore at least." He took a deep breath knowing the time had come. There was no more hiding. No more holding back. "We won't be ready until we talk about it." He paused and looked over at yhe door. "But not here. Come on."
He rolled off his bed and quickly put some clothes on. Sabrina watched him, not sure what exactly was going on. "Wait….what do we need to talk about and why can't we talk here?"
He openned his door. In the other side was Harvey, Roz, and Theo, their heads tilted as if they just had their ears pressed against the door. "That's why."
Sabrina got up and shot a look at her friends in disbelief. It wasn't like she wasn't going to tell them later. Her friends cleared a path for the couple to leave.
"Really, Farm Boy? You too?" Nick questioned in a playfully manner. Harvey just shrugged. Nick leaned over and whispered something to Harvey. Harvey suddenly had a shocked/disgusted look on his face as Nick grinned devilishly. "Something for you to think about, Harry. Hey, Roz." He gave her a grin and winked before moving past the group to catch up with Sabrina.
"What was that all about?" Sabrina asked as they headed out the front door.
"Oh I just told Harvey I wss going to have sex with you in his bed."
"Nick!" She swatted his chest. "Ok, seriously now, what do we need to talk about?"
Nick's face fell quickly. He let out a long breath before responding. "We need to talk about when I was in Hell."
