Story: You and I
Title: You and I
Author: alinaandalion
Rating: T
Spoilers: Up through "The Queen Gambit's Job"
Pairings: Nate/Sophie
Notes: Written for the leverageland Team-Up challenge.
He springs the question on her because the moment feels right. Well, he doesn’t technically ask anything, just pulls the small box out of his pocket and opens it.
And, it is the right moment. He’s been carrying around this ring for the past two weeks, and it’s only because Parker is so wrapped up in whatever she has going on with Hardison that she hasn’t tried to pick his pocket in a disturbingly long time and that his plan hasn’t been ruined prematurely.
But, the point is that they’ve been sleeping together for several months, and she’s technically moved in even though she still has her apartment. They haven’t talked about their relationship; it just feels like beside the point to put a label on whatever it is that they are. Which means that marriage has never really come up in conversation either. But, it feels like a logical step; if the idea of a second marriage isn’t sending him running to the hills, well, maybe it is a good idea.
So, he pulls out the little velvet box, and she stares at the ring he spent so long picking out. It’s a white gold band with a sapphire surrounded by diamonds. When he saw it, he knew it was perfect for her.
She doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, and he shifts and asks, “Do you not like it?”
“Is it an engagement ring?” Her eyes haven’t left the ring, and he really wishes he could read her expression.
“Yes.”
She reaches over and snaps the box shut. “I don’t want it.”
He doesn’t know how to respond to that. He blinks. “What?”
She shrugs and lets her hair fall into her face. “I don’t want it, Nate.”
“I thought you would like it. Is it the ring? Should I get you something else?”
“It’s more the idea of the ring itself.”
“I don’t understand.” He runs his hand through his hair and settles back on his heels.
“I don’t want to get married. I’ve done it twice, and I don’t particularly fancy doing that again.” She tries for a smile, but her lips tremble a little.
“You’ve been married twice?” He remembers figuring out that she was married once before, to that duke or something, but he never knew about this other man.
“Yes, and both ended badly. I don’t do well with commitment.”
“Are you saying that you don’t want to be with me?”
She rolls her eyes and scoots away from him. “No, Nate. It’s just that, well, what are we? What made you think that you want to marry me?”
“I love you. I thought that was a good reason.”
Her face softens, and she traces her fingers along his furrowed forehead. “I love you, too. It just feels like a big step.”
“No one said we had to get married tomorrow. I wanted to get this for you. It felt like the right time.” He opens the box again and grins when he sees her eyes light up at the sight of the delicate ring. “You can just wear it for now. Please?”
She takes the box from him with a hesitant hand and pulls the ring out, holding it in the palm of her hand. She holds it out to him.
“Put it on my finger.”
He slides it onto her left ring finger and kisses her palm when he’s done. She leans over and kisses him, moving into his lap as she slips her tongue into his mouth.
He catches Parker staring at Sophie’s left hand the next morning when Hardison is briefing the team on their new job. He tries to get Sophie’s attention, but she is pointedly ignoring him, if only to avoid the issue for the moment.
Eliot finally has enough and snaps, “Parker, stop staring at Sophie. It’s weird.”
Parker narrows her eyes and leans closer to Sophie. “Is that an engagement ring?”
“Why would you ask something like that?” Hardison is about to throw a fit because this is the sixth time in the past month that his briefings have been interrupted for what he considers unimportant matters.
“It’s a ring with diamonds, and it’s on her left ring finger,” Parker explains. “And, she’s been with Nate for awhile. I thought it made sense.”
Nate doesn’t say anything because this is something Sophie is better suited to handle, and besides, it’s her prerogative if she wants to tell the rest of the team. He watches as she pushes her hair behind her ears and turns to Parker.
“Yes, it is an engagement ring. Nate gave it to me last night.” She smiles, and he almost misses the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Among other things.”
“Aw, now, that’s just nasty.” Hardison grimaces and heads to the kitchen, muttering as he walks off. “Nasty people. Nobody needs to hear that. Nobody.”
“Congratulations.” Eliot gives her a small smile and nods his head at Nate.
Then, Parker asks the million-dollar-question. “So, when are you getting married?”
He’s not sure he’s seen Sophie that flustered in a very long time.
Surprisingly enough, it’s Parker who insists that there be an actual wedding. With a lot of help from Eliot, Parker and Sophie manage most of the details while Hardison is left in charge of the guest list. Which ends up receiving a lot of input from Parker. Nate has a feeling this is the reason Maggie and Tara are present; it’s a little awkward but nothing he can’t handle.
He’s waiting with Hardison and Eliot at the front of a small church they’ve “obtained” for the occasion. Hardison is already ordained from some online program he did a while back, so he’s officiating the ceremony. Parker walks in first, for once voluntarily in a dress; she’s holding a bouquet of flowers that Nate is pretty sure she picked herself from someone’s garden.
Then, Sophie appears in the back in a flowing white dress and her hair braided away from her face. She beams at him, and he grins back. When she reaches him, he takes her hands in his and pulls her close, unable to resist leaning in for a kiss; she turns her head away, thwarting him so that his lips fall on her cheek.
“Chill, man. There’ll be time for that later.” Hardison tries to be stern, but he’s smiling too widely to pull it off.
It passes in a blur; he just repeats the words Hardison feeds to him because he’s so focused on the fact that this is actually happening, and it’s Sophie standing in front of him, smiling and promising to spend the rest of her life with him.
“Now you may kiss the bride.”
The words are barely out of Hardison’s mouth before Nate sweeps Sophie into his arms and kisses her; he only lets go when they get a wolf whistle from Tara. Then, it’s over, and they vacate the church quickly when the pastor shows up and starts yelling about calling the police or something like that.
It’s not until later when Sophie is curled up into his side and he’s playing with her fingers that it really hits him that he’s married to her.
She cranes her neck to look up at him and smiles. “So, how does it feel?”
“The panic hasn’t started yet. I think that’s a good sign.”
“A very good sign.”
Author: alinaandalion
Rating: T
Spoilers: Up through "The Queen Gambit's Job"
Pairings: Nate/Sophie
Notes: Written for the leverageland Team-Up challenge.
He springs the question on her because the moment feels right. Well, he doesn’t technically ask anything, just pulls the small box out of his pocket and opens it.
And, it is the right moment. He’s been carrying around this ring for the past two weeks, and it’s only because Parker is so wrapped up in whatever she has going on with Hardison that she hasn’t tried to pick his pocket in a disturbingly long time and that his plan hasn’t been ruined prematurely.
But, the point is that they’ve been sleeping together for several months, and she’s technically moved in even though she still has her apartment. They haven’t talked about their relationship; it just feels like beside the point to put a label on whatever it is that they are. Which means that marriage has never really come up in conversation either. But, it feels like a logical step; if the idea of a second marriage isn’t sending him running to the hills, well, maybe it is a good idea.
So, he pulls out the little velvet box, and she stares at the ring he spent so long picking out. It’s a white gold band with a sapphire surrounded by diamonds. When he saw it, he knew it was perfect for her.
She doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, and he shifts and asks, “Do you not like it?”
“Is it an engagement ring?” Her eyes haven’t left the ring, and he really wishes he could read her expression.
“Yes.”
She reaches over and snaps the box shut. “I don’t want it.”
He doesn’t know how to respond to that. He blinks. “What?”
She shrugs and lets her hair fall into her face. “I don’t want it, Nate.”
“I thought you would like it. Is it the ring? Should I get you something else?”
“It’s more the idea of the ring itself.”
“I don’t understand.” He runs his hand through his hair and settles back on his heels.
“I don’t want to get married. I’ve done it twice, and I don’t particularly fancy doing that again.” She tries for a smile, but her lips tremble a little.
“You’ve been married twice?” He remembers figuring out that she was married once before, to that duke or something, but he never knew about this other man.
“Yes, and both ended badly. I don’t do well with commitment.”
“Are you saying that you don’t want to be with me?”
She rolls her eyes and scoots away from him. “No, Nate. It’s just that, well, what are we? What made you think that you want to marry me?”
“I love you. I thought that was a good reason.”
Her face softens, and she traces her fingers along his furrowed forehead. “I love you, too. It just feels like a big step.”
“No one said we had to get married tomorrow. I wanted to get this for you. It felt like the right time.” He opens the box again and grins when he sees her eyes light up at the sight of the delicate ring. “You can just wear it for now. Please?”
She takes the box from him with a hesitant hand and pulls the ring out, holding it in the palm of her hand. She holds it out to him.
“Put it on my finger.”
He slides it onto her left ring finger and kisses her palm when he’s done. She leans over and kisses him, moving into his lap as she slips her tongue into his mouth.
He catches Parker staring at Sophie’s left hand the next morning when Hardison is briefing the team on their new job. He tries to get Sophie’s attention, but she is pointedly ignoring him, if only to avoid the issue for the moment.
Eliot finally has enough and snaps, “Parker, stop staring at Sophie. It’s weird.”
Parker narrows her eyes and leans closer to Sophie. “Is that an engagement ring?”
“Why would you ask something like that?” Hardison is about to throw a fit because this is the sixth time in the past month that his briefings have been interrupted for what he considers unimportant matters.
“It’s a ring with diamonds, and it’s on her left ring finger,” Parker explains. “And, she’s been with Nate for awhile. I thought it made sense.”
Nate doesn’t say anything because this is something Sophie is better suited to handle, and besides, it’s her prerogative if she wants to tell the rest of the team. He watches as she pushes her hair behind her ears and turns to Parker.
“Yes, it is an engagement ring. Nate gave it to me last night.” She smiles, and he almost misses the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Among other things.”
“Aw, now, that’s just nasty.” Hardison grimaces and heads to the kitchen, muttering as he walks off. “Nasty people. Nobody needs to hear that. Nobody.”
“Congratulations.” Eliot gives her a small smile and nods his head at Nate.
Then, Parker asks the million-dollar-question. “So, when are you getting married?”
He’s not sure he’s seen Sophie that flustered in a very long time.
Surprisingly enough, it’s Parker who insists that there be an actual wedding. With a lot of help from Eliot, Parker and Sophie manage most of the details while Hardison is left in charge of the guest list. Which ends up receiving a lot of input from Parker. Nate has a feeling this is the reason Maggie and Tara are present; it’s a little awkward but nothing he can’t handle.
He’s waiting with Hardison and Eliot at the front of a small church they’ve “obtained” for the occasion. Hardison is already ordained from some online program he did a while back, so he’s officiating the ceremony. Parker walks in first, for once voluntarily in a dress; she’s holding a bouquet of flowers that Nate is pretty sure she picked herself from someone’s garden.
Then, Sophie appears in the back in a flowing white dress and her hair braided away from her face. She beams at him, and he grins back. When she reaches him, he takes her hands in his and pulls her close, unable to resist leaning in for a kiss; she turns her head away, thwarting him so that his lips fall on her cheek.
“Chill, man. There’ll be time for that later.” Hardison tries to be stern, but he’s smiling too widely to pull it off.
It passes in a blur; he just repeats the words Hardison feeds to him because he’s so focused on the fact that this is actually happening, and it’s Sophie standing in front of him, smiling and promising to spend the rest of her life with him.
“Now you may kiss the bride.”
The words are barely out of Hardison’s mouth before Nate sweeps Sophie into his arms and kisses her; he only lets go when they get a wolf whistle from Tara. Then, it’s over, and they vacate the church quickly when the pastor shows up and starts yelling about calling the police or something like that.
It’s not until later when Sophie is curled up into his side and he’s playing with her fingers that it really hits him that he’s married to her.
She cranes her neck to look up at him and smiles. “So, how does it feel?”
“The panic hasn’t started yet. I think that’s a good sign.”
“A very good sign.”