Storm Brew

It had been a while since I could hold a pencil the right way. My hands didn't stop shaking, it was horrible. They'd been at it ever since the gun went off. Nate didn't comment, only said it would pass when I stopped giving it too much thought. They were still shaking a little—but since yesterday it seemed to have subsumed. Maybe Nate was right and talking about it had done some good. I wish I could say the same about sleeping. I had woken up twice more, the last time I didn't fall back to sleep. Instead, I did my best to stay quiet and still, watching Nathaniel. I didn't tell him, though. When he woke up in the morning I pretended to be asleep and wake up at the same time he moved.

A weight settled next to me—I didn't look up. There was no need; only one person would start pressing his lips to my temple trying to gain my attention.

"You were fast," I commented easing another line into the blank page.

"The last time I went to the bathroom in a diner you were kidnapped. It's better safe than sorry." I managed an absent smile. "I ordered for you," I nodded. "It's your favorite… corn, potato chips, sausage and a glass of milk, right?"

"You're the best, Nate." I murmured drawing a circle, filling it in half.

"We're going to Vegas tonight?"

"Whatever you want is fine by me…"

"Maybe go bungee-jumping off the Statue of Liberty?"

I angled my hand better onto the paper.

"Awesome, babe," A little more color in the edges... I squirmed as two strong arms snuck around my waist.

"You're not even listening to me," He chuckled lowly in my ear.

My head whipped to him.

"Of course I was," I had no idea what he'd been talking about.

Nate's trimmed eyebrow quirked.

"So it's okay if we go to Vegas tonight?" His eyebrows wiggled.

My cheeks flared pink as he whispered a 'told you so'.

"Alright, so I wasn't listening. You got me," I set the sketchpad onto the table. "Sorry, it's just... I haven't been able to..." I waved my pencil before setting it down with a tight line for lips. Nate remained silently kissing my temple, my eyes closed. There was no need for me to say it, he knew.

I cleared my voice before speaking. "Did you order?"

"Yeah," Nate answered letting me sit in my seat.

Soon the waitress came around with a plate of bacon and eggs. My nose twitched. Diner food was beginning to mess with my stomach. I took a fork poking at the yellow gem—watching as it spilled onto the white of the egg.

"Something wrong with your food?" Nate was eating scrambled eggs with a hamburger on the side... I swear, he had the weirdest eating habits.

"No... but eating at diners every day and night is getting to me, that's all." I thought of all the times I'd gotten up and ate my crunchy cereal. "I miss cereal... and milk." I pouted at the plate.

"Milk? What are you, eight?"

My eyes slit. I liked milk a lot, it was one of the best drinks in the world; even better with cookies and cereal. How dare he jest me because of it?

"One of us his," I jabbed, baring a smirk as he made a hurt face.

As he finished up his food and I continued to move my bacon around the plate Nate broke the silence.

"Can we talk?"

Oh damn. I should be happy because Nate wanted to talk—progress and all that, right? Wrong. He'd been asking me this continuously, since he was okay enough to think. The only thing he seemed capable of thinking was: How did I find him? I'd been holding out on him. Yep. If he knew I'd gone to Aric he'd... he would... I couldn't really say. I was just... too worried. Of course he knew it had been something involving half the money in the black sack—and the black sack since Aric took it with him. The last time I'd been unwillingly alone with Aric, Nathaniel had yelled, punched a wall and stormed off. Though, it resulted in us finally being together—it didn't make him forget that Aric was dangerous to me. He was from The Order, and while he claimed to be a wild card—interested in seeing as my treasure hunt turned out—Nate didn't give a crap about that.

It was a fact that Aric helped find Nathaniel... I was conflicted about hiding it or telling him. I'm sure one day this would have to be known, because I didn't think that day at the dusty road was the last time I'd see Aric.

"What about?" I asked like I'd been doing since he began asking.

Nathaniel did his best not to roll his light brown eyes.

"You know what," He stated a little dryly.

"Then no, we can't." I shrugged.

Nate's fist curled as he let out a gruff sigh.

"I thought I was the avoider, not you. You're supposed to be the sharing-type—stop inverting our roles!" He demanded exasperated.

I popped a bit of crisped bacon into my mouth.

"Nope," I made the word pop.

I watched as his shoulders hit the backrest of the booth. I hated keeping things from him, but I didn't want to get into a fight on how I'd been in danger contacting with the enemy and whatnot. Besides, if we were going to pick up that subject we shouldn't do it in a public place. I knew how much Nate got carried away—he wouldn't even know he was yelling in the diner, for all the people to hear, until everything was out of his system.

"I'm not reversing roles," I placed my fork on the side of the plate. "It's the first time I'm seeing you without any stubble." I traced my hand over his completely shaved face. It was so smooth... but I liked to see a little stubble on him. It was sexy. This morning I'd walked in on Nate shaving and just stared. It was hot. It was weird, but it was true. The grin he'd given at my drooling expression had been even hotter.

"Don't change the subject," Nate crossed his powerful arms. "I want to know how you found me. It couldn't have been dumb luck—I don't believe in that."

I sighed pretending to be annoyed, when what I really was, was worried. How much was he going to push today?

"Are we going to leave Richmond today?" I detoured avoiding his eyes.

Beside me, he shifted.

"Melissa," He warned.

"Nathaniel," I copied meeting his eyes this time.

If this had been back when we'd met I'd never refuse to tell him a thing. I'd been scared for my life, literally. He'd been a bodyguard from hell. Violent, abusive, teasing—he still took delight in teasing me, but I found that I didn't mind as much anymore. Instead, I'd tease him back. The point was, I wasn't afraid Nate would lash out at me and that meant I could deflect this topic for a while.

"Are we leaving or not?" I repeated inching closer to his arm.

Nathaniel couldn't resist it when I traced a pattern on the side of his neck. I watched as he slid down the booth, his face coming to mine's level.

"You're a vixen, you know that?"

"Do you even know what a vixen is?" I rolled a short strand of blond hair between my fingers.

"Of course I do," He whispered pulling his head away. "Right now, it's a woman who continuously disagrees with me."

"I love you too, Nathan." I smiled a little, pecking his cheek.

It was impressive how restrained he was around me nowadays, it obviously had to do with our feelings for each other, though.

"I don't think we're leaving Richmond just yet." Nate said at last. I tilted my head wondering why that was. "Last night's storm tore a few trees, there blocking the streets. I don't think they'll be cleared for passage until tomorrow."

I tried not to show my discontent. I wanted to go to Georgia and be one step closer to the finish line. I liked how I spent time with Nate while on this crazy goose chase, but I longed to return home. I wanted to see Pacey, Anna—heck I even wanted to attend Mr. Richard's classes just so I could say it was boring. And I wanted to try and be with Nate without looking over my shoulder every minute.

Can you really do that, though? A little voice in my head whispered. He's still going to be a killer when all this is over. You'll just go back to being an art student. Will you ever have a normal relationship? That voice held reason, but I told it to shut up. I didn't have to worry about that right now. One thing at a time.

"What are you thinking?" His voice returned me to the present.

I blinked. Couldn't he go one day without guessing something was wrong with my thoughts?

"Has anyone ever told you, you should've been a magician?" Nate grinned briefly. "I was thinking about... home."

Nathaniel's eyes lost some glint making my heart picked up. I didn't like when that happened; even more when it happened because of me.

"You miss your friends," He wasn't asking, I could tell. "If I could take you back—"

"You would, but you can't. I understand." I whispered, leaning my head onto his shoulder. "It would put me in greater danger," And you too, I thought. "And everyone I talked to." Nate's fingers laced with mine lightly. "Where do you live, exactly?"

I knew he lived in California, he'd said he always lived there. Until he was eight he'd lived with his Mother in Beverly Hills and afterward I had no idea. Wherever the Hive was stationed, I guessed.

"San Diego," He whispered in my ear.

"Really?" I couldn't picture Nathaniel with a surf board under his arm. I giggled.

"I swear to God if you say I don't look the type—"

"Do you surf? I can't picture you surfing." I cut him off just to rile him a little.

"What did I just say?"

I shrugged shifting to the other side of the booth. He caught my wrist pulling me easily back to his side.

"No, I don't surf. I swim, play Water polo—but I don't surf."

I looked him over. Those broad shoulders of his... I knew they had come from swimming; extra points for me!

"Why don't you surf?"

"Because I don't like it," He seemed to ponder something. "I like drag racing."

My jaw dropped, a little. It wasn't something that should shock me beyond limits.

"What does that have anything to do with surfing?"

"It doesn't, I just thought you liked knowing things about me..." I watched as his hand lifted up to ruffle his hair.

"I do like to know things about you." I sorted the hair he'd messed up. "Whenever I ask stuff about you, you normally act like I'm a dentist tearing your teeth out, though."

Nathaniel gave me a look.

"I'm not that bad," I nodded, the vestiges of a smile taking my lips. "No, I'm not." He argued one final time, his face leaning into mine. "And for the record, I was never scared of dentists."

I giggled as Nate pressed lush lips onto my neck, and then his teeth graced my skin—I was just glad it was his blunt teeth, because Nate had pointy canines. Seriously, they were like a cat's or something.

"Do you think anyone has been following us?" I asked after buckling my seatbelt.

Nathaniel put on his sunglasses.

"It's hard to say," I never heard him say that; he always knew when we were being tracked. "With this storm I got a little sidetracked." Nate flashed a look outside. "If I see any silver Lexus' I'll let you know."

Right, The Order drove around in only silver Lexus. My boyfriend seemed to think it had something to do with a religious rule of theirs. The same applied for the cross-scar on one of their wrists. But there was one exception, one that I knew of.

Aric.

He didn't drive a silver Lexus, he drove a red Viper and to top it off, had no scar on either wrist. I couldn't understand what his game was. He was from The Order but seemed to disobey their wishes, he worked on his own—like a mercenary, Nate had said once. If he didn't want to work in a organization of assassin's why not quit? Some people were too complicated to figure out.

I looked down at my sketchpad sighing. I missed my painting classes. I used to be inspired… now all that came out was abstract. The last thing I'd drawn that wasn't abstract was the puppy in the basket. I smiled turning the page. What if I never drew like that again?

"Mel," I looked to see Nate staring at me. "I think you need to have fun."

Okay, had I entered an alternate dimension? This couldn't be the same Nate who gave me a disapproving look every time I asked him if we could go to a clothing store.

"Fun… did you hit your head at the diner's bathroom?"

Nathaniel rolled his brandy eyes, and then a smile—a devious one—took his features.

"I don't think we're being followed, even if we were they wouldn't do anything in a crowd. Assassin's like discretion." I blinked, propping my head onto my fist. "We're stuck here for one more day—and in twenty years this is your first time out of New York. You should enjoy what you can."

I was certain this had something to do with me saying I missed home and the people back there. I concealed a big idiotic smile.

"Nate, you don't think going to a store is safe." I pointed out.

"I can be paranoid, I know."

This time I smirked softly.

"Glad you admit it,"

But what if The Order or a bounty hunter was here? Wouldn't our moment of fun be the opportunity they'd been looking for to pounce? I bit my lip.

"Trust me, princess." He winked.