She had just experienced one of the worst weeks in her life. Now she needs someone to help shoulder the burden
FALL INTO YOU
Fall into You w/ Jess and am2pm by Cosmic Gate
Mission Ops, Late Sat morning
It had been two weeks since she got the call, one week since she packed a bag and boarded a flight to Minnesota, 8 hours since she boarded a plane back to LA, and an hour since she landed. And all the space in between was taken up by family, visitors, well-wishers, and general mourners. She got out of the taxi and paid the man as he pulled her suitcase out of his trunk. She went to step inside to grab a few things before heading home when she noticed a familiar car parked outside. Making a bee line for ops the door opened and in a chair watching the big screen sat the one man she really wanted to see.
(Start am2pm)
He jumped a bit at the doors opening, almost spilling his coffee when he looked over and saw her. His heart both swelled at seeing her again after a week and also crushed seeing her as she was. Not the happy, cheerful Nell he knew, but a dark clouded Nell. He stood up and walked over to her.
"Hey, Welcome back." He said, giving her a genuine smile.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him.
"Computer upgrades last night. I came in this morning to restore our backup files before Monday" He said, nodding at the screen showing a bunch of file transfers.
Nell only nodded, her brain not functioning on the level usually needed in this room.
"How was your trip?" He asked her, his brain scrambling for words to say.
She sighed. "It was a trip."
Eric mentally slapped himself. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I wish I could have gone with you" He said in an almost whisper.
"I wish you could have, too." She whispered back
"Are you hungry?" He asked her.
"I'm too exhausted to be hungry. I haven't gotten much sleep lately" she answered, gently shaking her head.
"Give me 10 min to finish this and I'll take you home. I'm not comfortable with you driving." He replied.
Not having the energy to dispute that she nodded. In the back of her mind she wanted every excuse to stay with him.
After a few moments the displays showed the transfer being completed. "All done. Now let's get you home." He said as he packed up his things. Grabbing her suitcase he placed a leading hand on her back, leading you out to the car. Nell shivered slightly at the touch but not enough for him to notice.
Nell's apartment
Eric opened the door and let Nell pass before bringing her suitcase in, closing the door behind him. He set the suit case by the door as they walked into her living room. Nell had her arms crossed over her stomach and her eyes downcast.
"Are you going to be ok?" Eric asked her.
(Start Fall into You)
Nell turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her into him.
What is life?
Without you in it
I wish I was that strong
without a reason to hold on
Eric, a little caught off guard by her reaction but quickly overcame them by wrapping his arms in a protective cocoon around her. Then he did something that she had needed for the past two weeks desperately to happen.
She felt him take her weight, both physically and figuratively. The stiffness in her back went away, the pain in her body left and for the first time she started to relax.
"I've got you" He whispered to her.
How does this work?
If you're not here with me.
You say we don't belong
And you're better off alone
She stood for what seemed like hours, gripping on to him like she was drowning. She felt every breath he took, every beat of his heart and it filled her with wonder. How did she get so lucky to have a man like Eric Beale in her life?
"I need a shower" She mumbled out, not wanting to leave his arms.
Eric let her go slowly, obviously not wanting to break contact either.
"I guess I'll head home then." He scratched the back of his head. He turned away, disappointment creeping into his features when he felt something grab two fingers of his hand. He turned to see her holding on to his hand. Her eyes started into his, conveying to him what her words couldn't say. Her hand shifted from holding his fingers to his entire hand, her fingers intertwining with his. She gently tugged him to follow her as they made their way to the bathroom
But you've got me running, running, running so wild
Looking for a way to make it down that winding road
Cause I could fall into you
I'm gonna fall into you
In the still of the night
Take the thorn from my side
She turned the water on as Eric took control, slowly undressing her as she let her final guard down and left herself completely in his care. Eric recognized it and while the temptation was there to touch her he refrained unless it was obvious she wanted it. Nell was too exhausted to think about it but as he undressed himself she saw the obvious effect she had on him and she smiled.
Eric helped her into the shower as the warm water cascade over them. Eric took her into his arms and held her, again taking her weight as the water splashed off her skin. He gently ran his hands through her hair, getting it sufficiently wet. He turned her around and grabbed her shampoo. He took his time washing her hair and applying conditioner before grabbing her body wash. Lathering up he gently washed her and she felt on cloud nine, letting herself be completely in his hands. She felt his body pressed against hers but he made no sexual movement toward her and she marveled at his control.
I'm gonna fall into you
Just fall into light
Under the midnight sky
I'm gonna close my eyes
And just fall into you
After rinsing the wash off and rinsing out her hair he climbed out and helped her dry off. He went into her closet and fished out some pajamas for her and a pair of shorts he kept here for late nights. They changed and then climbed into her bed.
Nell rolled onto her side, laying her head on his shoulder as she placed a hand on his chest, which he took into his.
"I got to see my Grand-mama before she passed away" Nell broke the silence.
"I'm glad for that. I know you were really close with her" Eric said.
"She told me that I should stop wasting my time." Nell said, running her thumb across his.
"With what?" Eric asked.
Nell responded by lifting her head from his chest and gently pressing her lips to his. They broke the kiss but she didn't move.
"I love you so much." She whispered.
"I love you, too" He whispered.
She laid her head back down as she felt herself slipping away. Soon the only sounds in the room was her breathing. Eric just laid back and listened to her for what seemed like hours until his body decided to follow suit and fall asleep with her
Cause I could fall into you
I'm gonna fall into you
In the still of the night
Take the thorn from my side
I'm gonna fall into you
Just fall into light
Under the midnight sky
I'm gonna close my eyes
And just fall into you
And just fall into you
And just fall into you…
The second I heard the new song Fall Into You by Cosmic Gate and JES I knew I had to use it. Originally I wanted this with Nell dealing with Eric's death but it didn't sound right to me so I retooled the story. I hope you enjoyed it.
Of course the songs have now been added to the Tales from the Mission soundtrack on Spotify. I'm thinking I might also see about putting a playlist together on YouTube as well for those of you that don't have Spotify.
As always Thank You for Reading, Reviewing, Favoriting, and Following.