It had been a week since a nice night of zoodles and family time turned into a shouting match. Nate and Natalie argued often; they both ran hot and they could both be stubborn, so butting heads was inevitable. It was part of their dynamic and some days, they seemed to revel in the tension.

The last fight was different. Natalie demanded that Nate leave and that was the torch she would use to burn the bridge between them. Nate was still allowed to see Norah and take care of her when Natalie was busy with work, but the parents were working as separate entities. There was no more witty banter or passing touches. Natalie was pulling the plug on their affectionate friendship because she actually liked Nate, and he was still trying to wrap his head around that.

They both knew that pursuing a relationship was a dangerous idea for themselves and Norah. They decided, after their first night in the LIE, that they had a natural chemistry that was hard to ignore. It was going to be easiest to let moments of passion happen without things getting too serious or emotional.

If that was really true, looking back, why was Nate letting things get so sweet and innocent? It was not co-parenting and it was not emotionless sex. There were feelings on Nate’s end, but he knew better than to make choices he already deemed unsafe. Unfortunately, the acts of affection still happened, like contained feelings were bleeding through.

So, they both had feelings and they proved why that was a bad idea. That could have been the end of their little experiment, but zoodle night was still the thought in Nate’s mind, badgering him throughout the day and night.

It was a typical workday at Haven Headquarters and Nate was walking down a hall to fax out information on mutant refugees from the other side of the rip. He had not slept well the day (or week) before, so he was walking on autopilot. At least, until he realized his feet had stopped, leaving him in front of Natalie’s office.

The light was on. That should have meant nothing to Nate, yet he pushed open the door against his better judgment. He closed the door behind him and turned to face Natalie. ”If you had feelings for me, why didn’t you just come out and say that?” he asked in frustration. ”We could have called things off, or…” Or what, Nate? The ex-con had not thought so far ahead. In fact, in a rare bout of bad decision making, Nate had not walked into Natalie’s office with anything mentally prepared. He was going to be playing everything off the cuff, for better or worse. ”I just wish you’d’ve said something, Nate.”

A week had passed since she’d sent Nate out. She didn’t regret doing it, either. If they had gone on any longer, things only would have gotten worse for her, and if she’d gotten any more attached, there was no telling what she would’ve done.

Still, it hurt to think about him. He was still Norah’s father, and she wouldn’t keep her from seeing him just because she couldn’t stand to look at him. He was still free to spend time with the little girl when she was working, or to take her out for events, but Natalie wanted no part of it. She did everything she could to avoid him, even with the Inner Echelon. She’d done a fairly good job of it, too, that week. She’d only seen him in passing.

She knew all the things that she was supposed to know. That they shouldn’t be together. That she had no right to go off on him like that. That they’d made an agreement. And yet, she just didn’t care. She couldn’t care. She had to face the facts; she was too in love with him to keep going like that. Either it ended with pain and anger in the short term or a thousand times more pain down the line. Her decision had been for the best.

It sucked to be anywhere near where she knew he might be, though. She was in her office in the Haven building, rereading some case files. It was easiest to be there rather than home, where she wouldn’t get any actual work done. She couldn’t exactly go to her office at her firm and read files that had nothing to do with her job, either. That left that office and that office only.

It just meant that it left her open for her worst fear: Nate walking in. That was, of course, exactly what he did.

She very nearly jumped when the door opened, and she did her very best to keep her face steely and impassive as he walked in. She was still angry from the week before. Time had done nothing to close her open wounds.

Even though she was angry, she let him say his piece while she glared at him. She said nothing in response for a minute or two, just letting her anger brim. What right did he have to come in there and tell her what to do? After he’d humiliated her like that?

”I could’ve said something? Seriously, Nate? What did you want me to say? You made it very clear that I was just another one of your women,” she hissed. Natalie shook her head and looked back at her case files as she flicked her hand toward the door. ”I have nothing to say to you.”

The sudden appearance of Nate through her door justifiably surprised Natalie. At first, she might have been startled, but that quickly faded into the same angry look he was growing used to over the past week. She did not want him there, but he did not care; he had unanswered questions he needed to get out of his system if they were really going to sever all emotional ties.

It took an unreasonably long time for Natalie to provide Nate with an answer. He found himself entertaining the idea that Natalie was just ignoring him until he gave up and went away. When she finally responded, she questioned the entire premise of his question and directed him toward the door.

Stepping into Natalie’s office was a dangerous, big decision, so Nate was not going to give up because she told him she was done. ”Well, clearly I have things to say to you, or I wouldn’t be here,” he said defiantly.

Nate took a step further into the office, but he did not move toward the seat in front of her desk. He had too much energy to sit anyway. ”I’m getting a lot of grief for the men and women in my life, but what was I supposed to do? We made the choice not to let things get serious, so I didn’t exactly think there was anything waiting for me here. If you said something, maybe I wouldn’t have tried to ignore… things.” Feelings? Sparks? Everything that could have made things complicated with Natalie, Nate had intentionally ignored. She was “just another woman” because he thought that was all she intended to be.

Natalie had few regrets in her life. Her choices were her own, and she had always tried her best to stand by them. Norah, leaving Chicago, becoming a lawyer. It was all hers, and they were choices that she held firm to. Lately, though, there seemed to be more and more things that she regretted.

She regretted letting herself get so attached to Nate. It hadn’t seemed like an issue when they’d first met, but when they discovered their chemistry, she hadn’t pulled away. In fact, she’d leaned into it with extra vigour. Maybe she’d just been lonely for too long, or maybe she felt like there could be something real, but either way, it had to end. She regretted starting it, but not ending it.

He just didn’t seem to be able to get out of her life, though. Natalie understood that they would have to see each other on Haven hours and when she was allowing him to see Norah, but specifically seeking her out on his own time was too far. She didn’t want to see him, and she didn’t want to have to deal with him. She had things to do, and he was no longer on that list.

Now, he was just making things worse.

”We agreed that we wouldn’t be more than coparents,” Natalie said despite herself. She wanted nothing more than to watch him leave so she wouldn’t have to deal with any of that. ”I know that. We made it clear. I didn’t say anything, because that’s what we agreed on. I thought…”

The brunette closed her eyes and shook her head. Her own stupidity still hurt. ”I thought that we were feeling the same thing, but I was wrong. It… hurt to hear otherwise.”

She didn’t apologize, but it was still the most honest she’d ever really been with him. It was unlike her, and she didn’t meet his eyes. All in all, she hadn’t known where it had come from, and she regretted saying it, but now it was out there. It was too late. ”Please, just leave. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

Anyone who accused Natalie of being one-dimensional was not seeing all the sides of the woman that Nate was experiencing. When Natalie started getting jealous of the women in Nate’s life, he assumed he was either being petty or too territorial to share her toy with everyone else. Maybe he did not want to get his hopes up, but Nate never entertained the possibility that she was jealous because she wanted more than casual and uncommitted.

The way she admitted to how she felt was so genuine, Nate faltered in his frustration. He was starting to see things from her side; if she really did want to be with him, she had received a decisive reminder that she was not special to him. He was still upset that she was not communicating with him, but he should have known better.

”Dammit Nat, I wish you’da said something,” he muttered, rubbing his temples with his thumb and middle finger. ”Course I had feelings for you. No one challenges me like you do,” he admitted.

It was clear for months that Nate’s connection with Natalie were more than just physical, but he had to set aside those feelings. At least, that was what he thought. ”I thought there was something, but you kept pulling away and I remembered that we weren’t supposed to let things get serious. So I tried not to get serious.” If Nate really wanted to make sure things would not get serious, he should have ended things with Natalie when he realized they were changing. It would have been the safest choice, but he never found it in himself to stop returning to Natalie.

The more Nate thought about what happened, the more he was willing to accept some of the blame. He complained about Natalie’s lack of communication, but how was he any better? He was worse, because he was trying to ignore the problem with other people. ”I’m a damn idiot,” he said with a heavy sigh. What kind of mess had he gotten himself in?

She’d assumed that because Nate was having fun in other places, that he didn’t feel the same way about her. It was an easy assumption; she just wasn’t enough to keep him happy. Why else would he run into the arms of his ex-girlfriend? It all made perfect sense.

And yet, there he was, standing in her office, saying that if she had only said something, then they could have avoided everything. They could have been on the same page. He never would have seen other people. It was all on her for not saying anything, obviously. There had been nothing implied and nothing felt between the two of them. Only the words she failed to say.

Natalie gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes. She really wasn’t interested in hearing how it was all because of her. That was complete bull****. It was a two way street, and if he was going to waltz in, take her feelings, and then stop on them, she was having none of it. It was not all her fault, and he couldn’t make it out to be. She wouldn’t fall for it. Just like it had taken the both of them in the LIE all those months ago, it had taken the both of them not to communicate.

If he was supposedly in tune with his feelings all along, then he could have said something just as easily as she could have. Hiding behind the guise that she was cold and distant was a coward’s response. Sure, it was nice to hear that she wasn’t alone in feeling the connection between them, but this was not how she wanted to go. She’d already burned that bridge and it was too late for him to expect anything from her.

>>”I’m a damn idiot,”

”Yes, you are,” Natalie agreed, standing up from her desk and collecting the papers that she was working on. Her body language was beginning to show just how done with his bull**** she truly was. ”I’m not infallible, Nate, and I’m also not up for being toyed with. Now, if you’re not going to leave, then I am. Close the door on your way out.”

With that, her heels began to click as she walked toward the door.

Nate could not put the problems they were having on Natalie when he was just as responsible for a failure of communication. If they both felt for each other like they claimed, they should have had the conversation, but in lieu of that, Nate could have done more to be approachable for one. Of course Natalie thought he was disinterested; he was busy denying his feelings by jumping from bed to bed like it was an Olympic sport.

Actions had consequences, and Natalie was ready to be done with Nate’s s***. Since he was being stubborn, she chose to stand and walk toward the door, committed to ending the conversation. He could not blame her, but he also could not let things end where they were when there was so much they would leave unresolved.

Seeking to stall, Nate stepped in front of the door. He had half a mind to grab Natalie’s hand, but as it was, becoming an obstacle was already putting him at risk of a swift kick. He was not going to have a lot of time, and he was on his last legs. If he said the wrong thing, she would get through him and leave and that would be the end. Nate had to dig deep and hope what he had was good enough to convince her not to walk out.

”I never meant to toy with you. I wasn’t trying to play games, I just… couldn’t stop going back to you. I should have been the one to say something. That’s on me, and I should have been honest with the both of us. I get why you’re going, but please… don’t.” Nate was on the verge of pleading with Natalie not to leave him alone in an empty office. ”I have never wanted to f*** things up with Norah, but it’s just as important to me that I don’t f*** things up with you. Shout and argue and insult me, but please don’t go.”

She was going to be gone. Gone out of the office, and hopefully, out of his life. If all went according to plan, then she would never have to interact with him again past meetings, holidays, and dropping Norah off. Maybe she could even avoid IE meetings entirely. She did have a life, after all, and a full one at that. Specific scheduling of meetings over that time would be a great way to get out of seeing him more often.

Natalie reached her hand toward the door to open it, but Nate stepped in front of it. Seriously? Was he seriously going to pull that? After everything? No, that just wasn’t going to stand. She’d already made it clear that she was done, and she wasn’t willing to hear him out. There was very little that he could pull to make her want to stay.

”Get out of my way, Nathaniel,” she bristled. If he thought that he could just walk all over her, then he was sorely mistaken. Natalie Ross was not someone that was played with.

Still, he opened his big fat mouth and proclaimed that he didn’t want to f*** things up with her. It was a little late for that, but he said it nonetheless. She stood back on her left leg and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him. His words seemed sincere at least, but she was still angry. She didn’t want to hear him out, and yet her feet wouldn’t move to push him aside. Her head was telling her to go, but her heart was telling her to stay. Maybe, if he was willing to fight for her, then he wasn’t entirely bad.

”Make me stay, then,” she challenged with a sneer. If she was going to give him another chance, then he was going to have to work for it. The conman convincing the lawyer that there was still something worth saving.

There was too much on the line for Nate not to leave everything out on the table. He could have taken the risk and assumed there would be other chances; they had to cross paths too often for her to avoid him. Deep down, though, he knew that if Natalie left, she would take any chance of something more with her. Nate had to not only prove that he wanted to be with her, but that he was not going to make her feel unwanted or unworthy like he had done at dinner.

With hope all but lost, Natalie stopped and challenged him to make her stay. She did not sound optimistic that he could, but it was the best opportunity he had since stepping foot in her office.

It was time for Nate to take a deep breath and find the right words for the first time in weeks. ”I don’t want to be scared of what we can be. I don’t want to chase after men and women that I don’t connect with the way things click with you. You drive me mad, but I can’t stop falling for you.”

Nate wanted to be careful about invoking their daughter, because she was part of what they had, but there was more than that. ”This isn’t something I want for Norah. I just want the chance to make up for all the wrong decisions I’ve made. I’m not above begging and embarrassing myself here, because I need the chance to prove we can be a good decision.”

She wanted to have every reason to be angry at him; hell, at that point, she wanted him to give her a reason to slap him and storm out. A dramatic exit sounded perfect and fitting. He had to allow her that, didn’t he? Entice it, even. That was what he was meant to do.

Only… he was starting to sway her. Yes, he was a conman, which likely meant that he was an expert at making his words sound sincere when they really weren’t, but for some reason, she found herself believing him. Could it really be true that he was wanted her? He was standing there, trying to fight for her. Perhaps she hadn’t given him enough of a chance.

God! What was she doing? She’d been down this path; let him walk all over her time and time again, and it had made her a shell of herself. It was getting harder and harder to see through all the lies when she wasn’t even sure where she stood. There was no longer that strong Natalie when she was around him; it was just confusion and a longing for more of him. She didn’t want that. She didn’t want-

Oh, who was she kidding? Of course she wanted that. She wanted him. She had put up her fight and made him profess his love and all that, and now she was just making it harder for the both of them. His words had given her a change of heart and her face softened slightly to reflect that.

”Alright,” Natalie relented, ”you’ve got your chance. Treat it well.” There was no longer the same bite in her voice, and it was clear that she was feeling differently when she looked at him. It was a different moment now. She wanted to see what else he would do with it.

Nate stood there with a mix of hope and desperation in his eyes. He was putting himself in a very vulnerable position with a woman who made a professional career of attacking any signs of vulnerability. It was terrifying, but he went for it because he knew that was not the woman Natalie was, at least not with him. He hoped that was still the case.

After holding his breath for what felt like hours, Nate finally exhaled as Natalie’s expression softened. He was not smacked and she did not storm past him to leave the room. There was another chance, and that was more than he could have hoped for.

The tension was subsiding, but Nate was still careful when he reached out to place a hand on Natalie’s shoulder, walking closer to close the gap between them. ”I will. I want this. I want us,” he affirmed.

It had been a long time since he was able to, but Nate was finally smiling. ”We’ll have to find some way to let Norah know. I don’t exactly know if there’s a standard way to let a kid know daddy and mommy are dating.” Their situation was unique, and the risks that came with a potential breakup were bigger than having to block a phone number. ”I know there’s a lot that could go wrong, but I wouldn’t forgive myself if I went on pretending I don’t love you, Nat.”

The anger in the pit of Natalie’s stomach had been replaced with something else. It was a feeling that she wasn’t really used to; it was different than what she usually felt around Nate. Instead of wonder and the fear that he wouldn’t feel the same way about her, she was hopeful about what might be. Now that there was confirmation and her anger was sated, she could focus on what she really wanted to feel.

She blinked up at him through wide blue eyes, unsure of what to do with herself now. She had never been in a situation like that before, where she didn’t have the upper hand and she was being well and truly vulnerable. If he had only fallen for the strong Natalie, then he would have to come back at another time. She felt weak in the knees, like some childish schoolgirl.

Natalie placed her hand on top of his on her shoulder and thought about what he was saying for a second. He wanted them. There was going to be a them. Just the two of them, making something work.

The two of them and Norah, anyway.

She hadn’t really thought that much about what would happen to Norah. She had thought long and hard about the consequences of them not speaking, but not much about what would happen if they started really seeing each other. How was that going to work? She had no idea where to even start.

They had to tell her. She was perceptive, and Nat knew that she already had an inkling that something was wrong, so hopeful hearing that her parents were back on good terms would be good for her. The thing that she was worried about was how good of terms they happened to be on.

”I… I love you too, Nate,” she said meekly. She was happy, but she also felt so strange, standing there like that. It was going to take some getting used to. ”Norah will understand, I think. We can do what we can to make it as easy as possible for her.”

Now that there wasn’t the same anger burning deep inside of her, Natalie felt free enough to let herself go a little. She’d been so pent up for a week, just waiting for the perfect moment to either let her feelings go or to blow up, but now that it was there, she didn’t know what to do with it. The simplest course of action was to just step forward and put even less distance between the two of them.

It felt so good to hear Natalie say those three magic words. It felt better than good; it was the best thing he could remember hearing in recent memory. Finally, it felt like they were putting away the walls and barriers they used to protect themselves from letting things get real between them. The warmth of her hand on his was welcome and intimate, because there was finally an open emotional connection felt through the physical connection they already shared.

There were ways things could go wrong, but Nate was finally convinced they were making the right choice. Norah would understand, and they had to stop letting the fear of things ending keep things from beginning. ”Of course. Norah will always be the biggest thing in our lives, no matter what happens. Though maybe we should look into finding sitters… I think we’re long overdue for a real date,” he said, excited about the idea of a genuine relationship where he could let the whole world see how he felt about Natalie. They spent too long keeping things superficial and hiding feelings from themselves and the world at large.

”I love you, Nat. That still feels so good to say,” he admitted with a grin, leaning in closer for a kiss. It was tender and sweet and surprisingly innocent, which was a new sensation that left Nate feeling warm inside.

At least, that was how it started. They kept kissing until the kisses deepened. Nate was continuing to lean into Natalie, encouraging her to slowly backpedal until she was leaning against her desk. Looking back at the office door, Nate mused aloud. ”Please tell me that door locks.” Nate did not want to share everything with the world, after all.

A real date for a real couple. They were going to be real. That was the best thing that Natalie had heard in a very long time. It was good enough to even make her crack a hint of a smile, in fact. She figured it was a good use of one of those rare things.

No longer would their nights together just be “friendly encounters”, and they could talk to each other honestly. They could go out to dinner without a reason other than the fact that they wanted to spend time together. A real couple. They would be a real couple. Natalie had never felt like that before, but she was glad that she was feeling that way about Nate, of all people. Things were going to be good, even if they would be a little rocky for awhile.

Again, he told her that he loved her, just like a real loving partner would say. Natalie’s smile grew wider and she pressed herself into the kiss that he leaned in to give her. God, it felt good to be kissing him like that. No shame or guilt necessary. She wanted more. They started out relatively innocent, which gave Natalie butterflies like some young girl. Then, the more that each of them felt the draw, the more the fire between them heatened.

She stepped backward in time with him until she was pressed up against her desk in the heat of the moment. ”It locks,” Natalie told him breathlessly, ”top latch.” With that information cleared up, she leaned back into him hungrily, ”You forget I’m also an illusionist.” Not that she would have enough conversation to cover for what he was talking about.

It was so easy to sink into Natalie’s kiss, like kissing her was something he was supposed to be doing. With nothing stopping them, it finally felt like they were clicking. They always had chemistry, but it finally felt like he was peeling back the curtain and moving past the restrictions and apprehensions. If every kiss could carry that same emotional charge, Nate would be sure he made the best choice.

Natalie confirmed that the door could lock, but reminded Nate of her ability to create illusions. Begrudgingly, Nate still broke away so he could quickly turn the lock on the knob. ”I’m sorry sugar, but I don’t plan on letting you focus enough to play mind tricks. Besides, we should enjoy having this to ourselves before the rumor reaches every ear in Haven.” The organization and the headquarters kept growing, yet rumors and gossip traveled with lightning efficiency.

Returning to his new girlfriend and savoring that thought, Nate’s hands found the backs of Nat’s thighs and lifted her up onto her desk. He met her lips with a searing kiss before breaking away to kiss up her jawline until he found her earlobe. After a few moments of play, Nate chuckled and whispered teasingly in Nat’s ear, ”We’re going to have to go to HR at some point. This is definitely fraternization.” While the statement was true, Nate was just making a joke. He did not want to think about paperwork; he just wanted to prolong the teasing and slow, torturous lead up to what they both knew was coming.