BIG FIRES
Chapter 2/3
"I knew this was a bad idea," Elena sighed as she sat on the couch in her apartment, impatiently tapping her finger on her knee, "Go on a date…," she mockingly grumbled into space.
Go on a date – those were the exact same words her mother and sister had been using…or, more so, abusing… over the course of the past couple of months. And their persistence was bloodhound.
Normally Elena was good at dodging those well-meaning attempts at reviving her personal life, taking refuge behind excuses: too much work, too little time, too tired, too many plans… too sunny, too rainy – the excuses were endless.
The true reason was plain and simple - after the "Drake fiasco" several months back, Elena felt completely and utterly discouraged from even thinking of getting into another prolonged meaningful relationship. Albeit the relationship with Drake wasn't even that prolonged. And the meaningful part of it, obviously, only existed in Elena's head. Wait… was there even a relationship to begin with?
There was a sound of toilet being flushed and the rush of water flowing from the faucet in the bathroom.
Startled from her thoughts, Elena raised her eyes at the floor lamp by the balcony door. For a moment, she was sure she caught movement with a corner of her eye, but when she looked directly at the door she saw only darkness of the night and the reflection of the room wrapped in soft amber glow.
Lord knows why, but, in the end, two days before her departure overseas she suddenly decided to take the plunge and go on a date. It was the guy her mother had been trying to sell her all along – tall, dark and handsome pediatric resident from a good family with a good job and bright prospects in life. Elena didn't really care about those prospects, but going on a date right before leaving the country for a year was as non-binding as it could possibly be and it would get her family off her back.
What was Elena trying to prove by showing up on the date all dressed up and fancy? That was a mystery even to herself.
And now the date was over. What's next? Elena's eyes skid to the alarm clock on the table – 10:00pm. Despite the countless subtle hints Elena dropped on the way home, Alex, the future pediatrician, managed to talk his way into her apartment. What to do now with this educated/handsome/all-around-Mr.-Right-kinda-guy Elena had not the faintest inkling! And then there was…Nate…
…popping into the evening unannounced like snow in the middle of July. And no matter how hard Elena tried to remember the details of conversations she and Alex had over dinner – she struggled – the memory was a big black blot with Nate's face in the middle.
The door into the bathroom opened and closed and out came her date. Elena mastered a pained smile – maybe now Alex will finally pick up on the clues and decide to leave. But Alex didn't. He asked for water, he asked for directions, and, with all those unsophisticated little delays, he clearly asked for…more.
It was time to really wrap it up.
"So, Alex," Elena said and gave a very articulated yawn, "your shift must be starting really early, huh?"
She kicked the annoying heels off her feet in another desperate attempt to convey her message. Unfortunately, Elena failed to realize the dual nature of her innocent hint. It seemed as if she only blinked once and then, to her unspeakable horror, she found Alex a trifling inch away from her face and the distance was growing unmistakably shorter. Before long, her lips were rudely captured by his and she winced at this sudden turn of events. Elena defensively planted her hands on the broad chest and gave a small but firm push.
Alex, surprised both by the unreceptive welcome and then by Elena's attempt to escape, drew back and looked at her with puzzled protest.
Brutally honest words ripened on Elena's tongue, but, just as she was about to let them flow…
THUD! THUD! THUD!
... the glass door burst with loud impudent knocking that echoed with a high-pitched zing and then grew suspiciously quiet.
Elena jumped with surprise, her head turning sharply in the direction of the balcony door. There, faintly illuminated by the floor lamp towered a dark figure that grew increasingly familiar the longer Elena looked at it.
"Nate?!"
The initial fright retreated. Elena got up from the couch.
"Give me a moment," she mumbled illegibly to her uncomprehending date, and, feeling as if she was walking through water, waded to the balcony door. Alex gallantly jumped to his feet, in all his appearance conveying readiness to assist in case of trouble.
And trouble came.
Elena fiddled with the lock and slid the door open. She was met by a pair of prickly blue eyes that flared brighter as she made contact with them. Red with rage hit the bullseye among the descriptions that feverishly ran through Elena's mind as she stood staring at her second guest of the night. Elena was taken aback and, for a second, she was even speechless(!) – something that didn't happen to her very often.
"Can I help you?!" Elena finally found words and her voice rose with all the righteous indignation she could master.
Nate, in his turn, only looked at Elena briefly, and that look clearly shot an angry "I'll deal with you later". All his attention was aimed at the man, standing by Elena's couch. Drilling holes through the expensive suit of Elena's, well - suitor, Nate marched past her and with a murderous expression on his face, growled.
"The lady is clearly trying to tell you she's not interested and if she can't tell you that outright - I will! - it's about time you leave!"
To Alex's credit, he withstood the storm valiantly and only his slightly raised brows gave away his bewilderment. If, at that moment, Elena found the philosophical capacity to appreciate the comedic factor of the situation, she would certainly note that the scene she was witnessing was right-smack from the Discovery Channel - two mighty moose ready to clash antlers! But, unfortunately, the humor was lost on her.
"And who are you for starters?" Alex finally spoke, scornfully glaring the intruder down.
"I'm her boyfriend" Nate answered without missing a beat.
The palm of Elena's hand tiredly covered her eyes under Alex's unblinking stare.
"Ex-boyfriend" she belatedly corrected.
"It doesn't matter," Nate spat out, "It's late. You better go now," he told Alex with a warning rise of his brows.
Alex glanced at Elena questioningly, but seeing that she stood helplessly blinking, decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Oh really," he scoffed, throwing an expressive look at Nate's rather crumpled shirt, "You're coming in - through the balcony! - and telling me I should go?!"
"If you're not careful enough you might just leave through the balcony, asshole".
"You know what - how about we just call the police and let them figure it out?"
"NO POLICE!" Nate and Elena exclaimed in unison.
Alex frowned, looking at Elena with both puzzlement and frustration.
"Look, I'm not leaving you here alone with this clown who thinks it's ok to break into someone's home like that..."
"Oh for heaven's sake-" Nate grumbled.
"...ex or no ex-," Alex put more volume into his tone, "So it's either he leaves or I call the cops."
"Oh c'mon Elena," Nate shook his head, turning back to her, "Just tell him to get out already and let's cut the crap."
"Yeah, how about we do just that," Alex said sarcastically.
"Hey, she's been trying to make you leave for a while now anyway, you know that, right?" Nate didn't even try to hide the open mockery in his voice.
"And you know that by spying on your ex like the creep that you are? Do you even realize how pathetic that is?"
"What's pathetic is expecting a girl to sleep with you just because you bought her lobster for dinner."
"Lobster? How long exactly have you been following us?!"
"Long enough to want to make sure something like this doesn't happen to her!"
"Something like what?! Seems to me like she's lucky that I stayed for as long I did! First stalking, who knows what else you're capable of?"
"Oh you have no idea..."
It was at that moment when sparks were flying hot and the two men were facing off a single tiny step away from argument escalating to a physical fight that Elena finally shook the bystander paralysis off.
"STOP IT. BOTH OF YOU."
She said loudly, clearly enunciating every word.
Two pairs of eyes - one blue and one brown - set on her. Both cooled down if only by the surprise of discovering Elena was even still there in the first place! Elena felt indignation bubble up to the tips of her ears. It was her house! Who the hell gave the both of them the right to even tell her who could stay and who could go?!
"Alex," she began with the least of her current problems, "I had a great time, but I DO want you to leave," she informed him firmly. Her eyes shifted to Nate for a moment and the look of brazen triumph across his face made her want to smack him over the head with something heavy. Still actively entertaining that idea, Elena sternly looked back at Alex, "I've got this," she added and tried to do her best to soften her voice - after all, Alex was just trying to be a decent guy, "Really. No need to stay... And no need to involve the police either," she added just in case.
For a moment Alex looked like he was going to argue. Then he raised his hands, perhaps a bit too dramatically, in a gesture of capitulation, "You know what," he looked from Elena to Nate and back, "I see now what you meant by saying you just got out of one problematic relationship..." shaking his head, Alex walked over to pick up his suit jacket from the back of the armchair, "I see you weren't exaggerating," he picked up his car keys from the table by the door and they furiously jiggled in his hand, "Actually "problematic" might be a serious understatement," he threw the door open and honored them both with the last indignant stare, "Clearly you two deserve each other!" the door slammed with a hefty thud and rushed steps were heard stomping down toward the parking lot.
Elena found herself wincing, she stared at the door for a moment longer - she sure wasn't going to ever hear the end of it from her family.
Then there was silence.
Slowly, Elena turned her head to Nate.
"Happy?" she wondered with supernatural calm.
Catching her prickly eyes once, Nate suddenly became strangely interested in the picture of a serene beach with the backdrop of a tropical jungle that hung on the wall over the couch. As if he hadn't seen it before.
"I-ya...," he nudged a corner of the rug with his shoe, "...just wanted to make sure you were safe."
"How very honorable of you," Elena seethed, "What are you even doing here in Florida?" she asked with accusation.
At this Nate suddenly frowned with poorly hidden sarcasm.
"What, is there a line running somewhere in the middle of the state of Mississippi that I can't cross or something?"
"Well maybe there should be!" Elena spat back. She didn't mean it, but enjoyed the irritating effect those words had on Nate.
They stared each other off and the silence intensified, accentuated by the murmur of the night outside the sliding glass door and the distant buzz of a TV on in the apartment above. In the end, Nate uncomfortably shuffled from one foot to another. The zapping rift between them became unbearable to listen to any longer. Suddenly the small living room of Elena's apartment seemed even smaller and his whole presence felt awkward and surprisingly unwanted. And what did he expect? His berserk fury completely ran itself out now that it was just the two of them. Alone. In her apartment.
"I guess I should go now," Nate finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
In one moment Elena's righteous indignation deflated like a balloon and she helplessly blinked.
Go?
Now?
…Already?
…but she didn't even finish giving him the proper talking-to for the stunt that he flipped tonight!
At a complete loss, Elena's eyes brainlessly dropped to the ragged loose collar of Nate's dust-smudged white shirt. The rough and tumble adventurer even in a sleek formal suit. Elena's gaze traveled to the bare part of his chest, catching on the silver ring that glimmered with its centuries old smooth edges. It glimmered and every etching of every letter fine-tuned together the fragments of the not-so-distant past – his and hers.
The search for Sir Frances Drake's coffin... revenge-fueled chase through the jungle ruins... the plane crash... the jeep escape...the pursuit-the revelation-the curse-the horror-CRASH...
The starlit stormy night.
The ring mocked her. Did she really think she could just leave all that behind? And why exactly is it that she made Alex leave first?
"I…," Elena raised her gaze in a formidable fit of willpower. She found that, while she herself was transfixed on Sir Frances Drake's ring, Nate had been curiously observing her from the toes of her bare fit to the spaghetti straps of her formfitting sage-green dress. He quickly raised his eyes to her eye level and didn't look away this time. Elena struggled to find the words.
"Do you have a ride?" she finally blurted out and quickly regretted it.
"A ride?" Nate gulped downed and frowned as if not entirely comprehending her question, "Ah yeah, I do. Sully's car."
"Sully's in town too?"
"Yeah, he's at the hotel. Waiting. We decided I should just meet the contact alone."
"Ah… figures," Elena gave a weak sour smile, remembering the attractive brunette Nate was sharing the dinner with at the restaurant.
The conversation reached yet another dead-end. Nate's eyes searchingly travelled around the room, trying to buy time, looking for inspiration. Elena looked down at the floor, trying to conceal the sudden flare of unexplained irritation.
"Well," Nate said quietly and gave a small pause. Hoping, waiting. Yet, unable to neither make eye contact nor get any response back, he slowly shuffled his foot on the rug and turned in the direction of the door, "Good night."
"Yeah. Good night."
Elena watched as the polished black shoes with scuffs of brick crumble on them, walked out of her view and the sound of Nate's steps carried away the faint scent of his perfume mixed with sweat, deodorant and aftershave.
The locks clicked on the door and it was opened. A sheet of white light streamed from the corridor of the apartment building, throwing Nate's tall shadow over the floor.
Trying to choke the stinging feeling of finality, Elena raised her eyes at the door.
Nate stood in the doorway, looking back at her. It was as if he paused to say goodbye, but no words escaped his slightly opened lips. Elena didn't know how it happened. One moment she was standing in front of the couch, but the next, her hand was already pressing the door closed and she was taking in the exhilarating scent of adventure, grasping on to the heavy folds of Nate's suite jacket and soaring in the frenzied savage joy. Nate's arms, taken by surprise at first, slowly slipped down the length of her dress. She felt the reassuring weight of his hand on her waist and the other cupping the back of her head with fingers gently parting her hair as they shared a passionate hungry kiss.
"I…-," Nate breathed out a long moment later, "-I thought you said this wasn't gonna work?"
Catching her breath, Elena met the intent look of Nate's warm blue eyes. In moments like this, completely off-guard, they were as transparent as still waters of the Gulf of Mexico on a quiet sunny day. In moments like this she could read every elusive thought that passed through them. Nate was never one to beg, but his eyes spoke truer than any words could.
"I did," she said quietly, "And it won't."
"Then why-"
"Cause I want this. Please.
Stay."
The bed sheets had long grown cold. Crumpled, bare and still they were abandoned in the darkness, mixed with the piled up blanket and clothes scattered at the bottom of the bed. Nate's phone rested on the bedside table – finally motionless and quiet after a period of violent buzzing.
With Elena. Nate had to drag himself to type those two short words back to Sully and impatiently dropped the phone back on the table. The annoying - and very distracting - buzzing immediately stopped.
Now, some time later, Nate and Elena sat at the small table in Elena's equally small kitchenette. Two empty cups of coffee and a bowl of grapes sat in front of them. Elena had long migrated from her chair into Nate's lap with her arm wrapped around his shoulders for balance. They spent hours like this, after the base hunger for each other had subsided. Neither of them wanted to sleep, knowing that when the morning came the spell would be broken. And they had too much to talk about.
The night, velvety black and unmoving at first, had begun to stir and, with a feeling of looming doom, Nate begun to notice it dissipate into unwelcome shades of grey that grew lighter increasingly too fast.
"So how long are you gonna be overseas on this job?" Nate asked, tracing his fingers up and down Elena's back.
"For a year for sure," Elena answered, thoughtfully chewing on a piece of grape and feeding another to Nate, which popped in his mouth, "then we'll see I guess. Don't wanna keep paying rent while I'm away, so I decided to put everything into storage. My Dad and Mark are coming in the morning to help me move everything."
"Your brother Mark?"
"Yep."
"Thought he lived in Atlanta?"
"He does, but he came down for a week to spend some time with Mom and Dad. And me."
Nate hummed in response and placed a leisurely kiss on her bare shoulder.
Elena raised her eyes at the microwave clock, "They're gonna be here at eight," she said with evident regret. Time moved way too fast. She gave a forced smile, affectionately looking down at Nate and drawing lazy circles on his chest, "So what's next for Nathan Drake?"
"Eh," Nate shrugged without much enthusiasm, "Currently just stealing from the rich to give to the…rich," he said and they both chuckled.
"No mystical artifact to find? No supernatural beings to escape from?"
Nate gave a puppy-like expression of pity, "Nooo…not currently at least. Just boring old routine. So much for the glorious life of a treasure hunter."
"Well," Elena gave him a reassuring pat on the back, "I'm sure it's coming for you."
"Let's hope so, Sully really needs a good workout and some excitement in his life."
"Oh I'm sure Sully does," Elena smiled with irony and playfully pinched Nate on the belly.
"Ouch!"
"How is that for some excitement?"
"Oh there's been plenty of that. Can't complain," Nate parried with a smug expression and found his way back to Elena's lips. His cup was so full with content and quiet joy that he was afraid that if he moved he'd be sure to splash it all. He didn't cradle hopes, but he'd never forgive himself if he didn't even try.
"Did you really like that guy?" he whispered when their lips parted.
Elena gave him a long look, sensing exactly where this was going.
"Do you think I'd be sitting here with you if I really liked him?" she answered in the end. Her hand moved off Nate's back and she slipped down from his lap. Mugs clinked as Elena grabbed them together, "Let me make some more coffee," she said with a sigh.
"Why not?"
"Why not what?"
"Why didn't you like him?"
"Nathan Drake, are you jealous?"
"NO," Nate scoffed at her question and grimaced, "Just curious!"
"Just curious?"
"Yeah. For sure!"
"Okaaay," Elena drew out sarcastically.
As coffee began dripping into the pot and the teasing scent filled the air, Elena turned back to look at Nate. Crumpling a kitchen towel in her hand she leaned her back on the counter and pursed her lips thoughtfully, "Well, let's see… to quickly summarize: he's looking for a wife and a mother of his future kids. A woman who'd conveniently fade into the grand shadow of his great big ego. And that's just not… me."
"No, it's not you."
"Nope."
Elena set a steaming mug of coffee in front of Nate and sat on the opposite side of the table hugging her mug with her hands, "And I don't know what gave him the idea that it might be me."
"Wishful thinking?"
"Maybe… Or maybe I'm just a magnet for extremes," Elena meaningfully smiled at Nate and the knot in his stomach tightened – she didn't change her mind.
They sat sipping coffee for a while and the amicable silence grown by the bursting sunrise drew a line between them. When strokes of pink and orange bloomed on the horizon, Elena stood up and pulled the curtains closed, locking the comforting remains of the night inside of the apartment. Her dark silhouette briefly outlined by the light sank back into darkness and she rejoined Nate on his chair.
The steam coming out of two mugs with coffee curled toward the ceiling until it disappeared and the contents slowly grew cold.
The clock was nearing eight in the morning and the alarm on Nate's phone shattered the quiet peace making both of them jump.
"Well, that's that." Nate sighed as Elena slipped away and he got up with a grunt and walked toward the bed to shut the phone off. Grudgingly, he got back into the pants of his suite and, when he raised his eyes, Elena was already handing him the shirt. He threw it over his shoulders, but when he was about to do the buttons, Elena slapped his hands away and did it herself.
"You take care of yourself, okay?"
"Yep. Always."
"Yeah, I know your always," Elena chuckled, but her smile quickly faded.
Her fingers softly brushed against his skin as she did the buttons, leaving the top one undone and carefully setting Sir Frances Drake's ring straight on the exposed part of his chest. Nate's Adam's apple bobbled as he swallowed a heavy lump in his throat. For a moment Elena's hand rested over the ring and then… she was gone. Hiding her eyes from him, Elena pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt, "I'll walk you down," she said, grabbing her keys from the coffee table.
They walked outside and the morning met them with humid stiffness dressed in excruciatingly bright gold that made them both squint after a sleepless night spent in faint ambient lighting. Random inhabitants of the apartment building were leaving their homes for the day. Heels clicked on concrete, sneakers shuffled toward the parked cars; doors opened and closed; engines came to life and tires rolled on concrete. Nate and Elena slowed to a stop by the street light and stood awkwardly looking at each other.
"Well, it was a pleasure," Nate tried to diffuse the tension.
Elena chuckled, "Yeah. It was."
He opened his arms for a hug and Elena tiptoed into his arms one last time.
"Good luck with stealing from the rich, cowboy", she whispered into the collar of his suite jacket.
"Good luck with the new job. Keep yourself safe," Nate huffed into her hair.
They stepped away from each other. Nate matched Elena's forced smile and she watched as he turned on the heel and walked away toward a tan old sedan parked under the shade of a tree.
"See you around!" He called out without turning back.
"See you 'round," Elena echoed, knowing this time was probably the last.
Just as Nate fumbled for the key and twisted it in to unlock the car, a compact moving truck noisily rumbled into the parking lot. Going past Elena, the window rolled down and she saw her father's grinning face.
"Anybody ordered Two Men and a Truck?" he bawled out in hello and slowly began swerving the truck parallel to the no park line by to the curb.
"Please, just go...," Elena quietly pleaded the heavens under her breath, seeing as Nate hesitated by the open door and curiously watched the truck and the two men that began climbing out of it. Apparently the prospect of meeting her family wasn't very exciting - giving her a smirk and a wave, Nate quickly got in the car and backed out from under the tree.
"Hey baby girl! Did you just wake up? Late night?" Energized low voice of her Dad snapped Elena back into reality. Bryce Fisher glanced curiously at the car his daughter just waved at, but didn't add any more comments.
Elena greeted her Dad and brother with a hug and the three of them walked back to her apartment, chatting and exchanging banter along the way that Elena carried along on pure automation.
"Want some coffee?" she offered as they stepped through the front door and she immediately rushed to push the curtains open.
"That'd be nice," Mark said and their Dad nodded, while both of them took stock of her place when it got filled with sunlight.
Elena inwardly cursed, seeing that the only two unpacked mugs still stood on either side of the kitchen table. She collected them and put them into the sink, letting the water run and bubbling the sponge with soap.
"Early guests?" her Dad asked behind her shoulder.
Elena hummed something illegible as she wiped the rim of Nate's mug.
"Was it that guy your mother finally fixed you up with?"
"No."
There was a pause and Elena could almost feel her Dad's perceptive blue eyes starting to burn a hole through her back.
"Ah," he correctly interpreted the silence, "it's that Panama guy, isn't? From your show?"
"Dad," Elena pressed a warning into her voice.
"Okay-okay," Bryce Fisher retreated peacefully, "So secretive this one," he muttered to himself as he walked closer to Elena and leaned his arms on the counter by the sink. For a while he stood there watching his daughter with a knowing fatherly gaze.
"Big fires are consuming and once they consume everything they fizzle out," he finally said quietly and gave Elena's shoulder a gentle squeeze, "You know I'm not gonna pry. Just think about it."
As Elena rinsed the remaining traces of soap off the other mug, she pondered the latest pearl of her father's wisdom.
"So," she shut the water off and slowly turned around, wiping her hands thoughtfully on the kitchen towel, "what about your and Mom's big fire?"
"Ah," Bryce scratched his dark greying stubble, "that turned out to be a different kind of fire in the end... tame, nurturing...the kind that warms you up after a long hard day," he twitched his lips and shrugged his shoulders and, after a moment, asked "So which kind of fire is it, 'Lena?"
Elena helplessly pursed her lips. If she was asked this question yesterday, she'd blurt the answer without a doubt in her mind. But, after last night...
"I'm not so sure anymore," was all she could say.
A/N: Surprise!
I know-I know - so much for the "couple of days" this chapter was supposed to be posted in after the first chapter rolled out.
And I did change the name - it seemed to me it suited the whole story much better than the prior one.