The Limit - Chapter Sixteen

[unwindingdreams]

Just a note....the rating squeaks up a tiny bit on this one. I still think it is appropriate for most readers, though, just slightly more explicit than previous chapters.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving!

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

When Nathan wakes up, he’s surprised to see sunlight streaming through the window. The curtains in his room are always drawn, so it confuses him that the light is filtering through them like this.

“Good morning,” Haley’s soft voice calls. She’s sitting cross-legged on the bed, smiling at him around her cup of coffee. “Want a cup?”

“What time is it?” he asks, struggling to blink the sleep out of his eyes.

“Ten,” she confesses, giving him a defiant look that practically dares him to mention the fact that they’re missing school, “It just didn’t seem that important, you know?”

He nods, pushing himself into a sitting position. He smiles at her, taking a sip when she offers him her cup of coffee. “Thanks,” he murmurs gratefully, “Not just for that, but for everything. I think that was the best I’ve slept in ages. It was nice to have you wrapped around me.”

She blushes hotly, but he notes that she also looks pleased by the sentiment. “Are you okay?” she asks, “Did you have anything you needed to do today?”

“I’m fine, Hay,” he promises, reaching out to cup the back of her head, drawing her towards him. He kisses her slowly, deepening it by degrees until their tongues are rubbing together wetly. The calm sense that surrounded their intimacy the night before is gone, and replaced by an urgency that leaves them both breathless.

“Did you want to talk?” she asks, “You don’t have to tell me anything, obviously, but if you want to, I’ll be happy to listen.”

He nods, reaching out to pull her closer to him. Once he’s got her against him, he lies back, taking her with him. She giggles, leveraging her arm against his chest so she can look up at him. “I just want to hold you right now.”

“Just hold?” she asks skeptically, his arousal pressing insistently against her hip.

He grins. “Maybe not, but I’m certainly not against it.”

She laughs a little, but still holds as still as still can be. He’s better now, compared to last night. There isn’t that emotional numbness around him, the one he was carrying like a mantle, anymore. And it was hard enough to keep herself under control then, when sheer proximity and the touch of his hands made her aware of places she’d never been aware of before, but when he’s awake and flirty and looking at her with that lust in those eyes, she doesn’t have the defenses to combat that.

So she’s stuck relying on him to know her limits, and to respect them, as well. Which…hello, that’s a lot to put on him, and she knows it. She’s not stupid, she knows that she can’t expect him to be in charge of her like that, and she can’t expect him to do the right thing.

But somehow, she believes that he will. She’s gotten it into her head that he’s real and sincere with her, and that he cares, just like she does. She just…can’t fathom the other possibility anymore. It’s still there, but how could someone who has shown her so much of himself…how could he be anything other than genuine?

“Hay, where’d you go?” he asks quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, keeping his eyes on her face, “You okay?”

She smiles brightly at him, her head dropping down to rest on his chest. Last night, it took her so long to figure out why he’d spread his hand across her breast, just holding it there. And then she realized he was listening to her heart beat, and she wondered if he heard the proof of her life and if it made him feel more secure in his.

“I’m fine, Nathan, just thinking,” she sighs, snuggling against him. She wonders if she should move off of him, stop being the tease that she’s feeling like and give him some space. She paid attention in sex ed, so she knows that…well, she knows.

“So, we’re skipping school,” he notes dryly, grinning to himself when he feels her shake with laughter, “This is the first time I’ve skipped without making that decision on my own.”

“Do you need to be there?” she asks, lifting her head, “I know you have basketball, but I thought maybe if you talked to Coach, he’d let it slide, just this once. He knows how hard you work.”

Nathan laughs at her naivety, lifting his head to kiss her briefly. “Whitey? Not the most understanding guy in the world. But in some ways, I do think he understands about my dad better than anyone else. I think he’s dealt with the same Dan Scott that I deal with on a regular basis. But he gave us the night off, so whatever.”

She leans down, kissing his chin. “What happened last night, Nathan? Do I need to kill him for you?”

He grins, relaxing under her touch, her body. “No, you don’t. We just…had words. Nothing new, right?”

She sighs against his lips. “It was different last night. I was so worried about you. Whatever he did, it was worse than normal.”

“Is that why you took my clothes off?” he asks quietly, tightening his arms around her, “Because you were afraid he’d hit me? I told you, Hay, I wouldn’t let him do that to me. I meant that.”

She nods, her fingers brushing against his cheek. “It was more than that, actually. I just….wanted you to know that I was here, and that I was close. You seemed so lost, and I just thought….oh, never mind, it’s stupid.”

“What?” he presses, wanting to know now more than ever. “Tell me, Hay.”

“You seemed lost, and I thought if you could feel me, then maybe you’d come back faster.”

He shakes his head, looking her in the eye. “I wasn’t lost, and I always knew you were there. I just needed time to process. He said I was worthless.”

“Oh, Nathan,” she breathes, appalled that a father could put something like that in his own son’s head.

“Yeah,” he agrees, “That’s a bad one, huh? He even - well, I said something about how he cares more about sticking things to Lucas and Karen than he does about me and my mom period, and he - he made a joke about trading us in for them.”

She gapes at him, sickened by what she’s hearing. Not just for him, but for his mother, too. She’d always felt so bad for Luke, to not have a father around, not have a family with siblings and a traditional home. But Luke was the lucky one, the one who got to escape the main wrath of Dan Scott. Because however bad he’s made Luke feel, she knows he’s done it a million times worse to Nathan.

“He knows how to play on your fears,” she tells him quietly, “He doesn’t deserve you. You or Luke. Or your mother. Or anyone, really.”

He scoffs, scowling scornfully. “Or maybe my mother is exactly what he deserves. An absentee wife who is barely ever around, doesn’t even seem to care. At least he gets what he gives from her.”

She sighs, shifting slightly on top of him, causing him to groan at the friction. “You should talk to your mom, maybe,” she suggests softly, trying to ignore the way his hands are sliding over the backs of her unclothed thighs, “Maybe she’s ready to try now. Maybe she’s ready to stand up to your dad, for herself and for you.”

“My mom is worse than he is,” Nathan sighs, his hands tightening on her thighs when she starts squirming again, “She’s not even here. She left me with him, Haley.”

“Maybe she didn’t know,” Haley offers, trying to make him feel better, “You should still talk to her. Maybe if she knew how bad it is, how hard he is on you, she’d stay home.”

He slides out from under her, sitting up. “I don’t think that’ll ever happen,” he bites out, “This isn’t the fucking Partridge family, Haley. We’re not nice and kind and don’t love each other, despite our mistakes, like your family does. That’s not us, it never was, and it never will be. And I don’t really appreciate you throwing that in my face.”

She gapes, actually recoiling from him. He’s never acted like this towards her before, or at least not in an awfully long time. His tongue hasn’t cut across her this sharply for awhile.

She looks at him, hurt written across her face, seeping out every inch of her body. “Sorry I said anything,” she whispers, moving off the bed to look out the window. She’s standing there for a minute before she lets herself get angry with him for acting like that. For taking his pain out on her. “No, I’m not sorry,” she says forcefully, whirling to face him, “You’re being an ass. I - I let you stay here, in my room, and I try and help you and - and now you’re snapping at me?”

He turns slowly towards her, contrition written across his face. He falters a little at the look of obstinate anger she’s sporting, but moves towards her. When he’s standing before her, he cups her face in his hands, his thumbs gliding softly over her cheekbones.

“I’m so sorry,” he tells her, sincerely meaning it. She’s the first person who has ever even tried to help him, who has seen past the charmed life of a star athlete, and she didn’t deserve him taking his shit out on her, “You’re totally right. You don’t deserve any of that. I didn’t even mean it, Hay. It was - I’m a jerk. A total jerk.”

“God, Nathan, I don’t even know what to do with you when you get like that,” she exclaims softly, glaring at him still, “You act like you’re the only one who has problems, like you’re the only one who doesn’t have a perfect life. And okay, yeah, I get that you have it worse than a lot of us, your dad is a jerk. But that’s not my fault. I just wish you’d see that I want to help you, not hurt you.”

“I know, I do,” he promises, leaning down to pepper her nose and cheeks with kisses, “Please, Hay, forgive me. I don’t deserve it, but I need it. I need you.”

Sighing, she looks up at him. “You can’t treat me like that. I’m not some mindless drone slut that is going to take it and come back for more,” she warns him, and he nods immediately, trying to reassure her that he knows that, that he knows she is different and better and perfect. “This is hard enough, being your secret. Having you be mine. Don’t make it harder, for both our sakes.”

He nods, pressing a lingering kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I promise, I won’t, baby. It’s just hard to not lash out sometimes when things get so personal.”

She softens a little, the rigidity seeping from her body as she wilts under his plea for forgiveness. “Don’t do that,” she sighs, “It’s not fair. I’m on your side, Nathan.”

“You’re the only one,” he notes, a little rueful, “And maybe that’s why it’s hard to remember that sometimes.”

She nods, her look becoming one of understanding. “Just don’t be a jerk to me. I’m not perfect, but I don’t deserve that.”

“You’re as perfect as it gets, Hay.” His hands slip from her face, dropping down to wrap around her waist. “The holiday dance is tomorrow night,” he notes, his long fingers drifting down to caress her ass, “Let’s go out, just you and me. It won’t be the same, but maybe it’ll be better. Just us.”

A smile lights up her face, and she nods slowly. “Go out, like…?”

“Like a date,” he grins, leaning into her a little, “You, me, an overpriced restaurant, a sexy dress, and lots of heavy petting.”

She laughs delightedly, throwing her arms around his neck. “Well, Mr. Scott, I think that sounds like a really nice idea. Thank you.”

“For what?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at her.

“For asking.”

He grins, kissing her lightly on the tip of her nose. “Thanks for agreeing to come with me then,” he teases her. She pinches him on the shoulder for mocking her, and he responds by covering her lips with his. “I want you, Hay.”

She murmurs something unintelligible against his lips, the feel of his hands on her butt and his lips on hers completely distracting her from any semblance of rational thought. And she doesn’t even care. Not one whit, not one iota. She’s good with it, too. She likes the way he wants her, and she really likes the way he makes her feel. It’s….freeing to be wanted and to want.

And oh, she wants. She can’t believe how much she wants, and how fast she’s started wanting it. It’s like he’s ignited this pilot light inside of her that always stays on, but whenever he’s around - and at some other inopportune times - it bursts into a hot flame. She’s become one of those girls that thinks about a boy all the time, something she swore would never happen, at least until college.

He backs her up until her legs hit the bed, and then he lays them down, him half on top of her this time. He smiles at the pretty picture she makes with her hair fanned out over the pillow, her full lips parted, and best of all, her eyes glazed over with lust for him. He’s still wearing the beater tank top that she’d stripped him down to last night, and his heart just about stops when she’s slipping her small hands under the material, caressing his abs.

Touching her is like a gift he’s unwrapping; being touched by her is like heaven. It’s like it is so unexpected or something that it is just the best surprise in the world when he gets it. He groans as her hands roam further up his chest, and while he wants to start touching her in the same places, he lets her be the aggressor in this.

She pauses when her fingers brush over his nipple ring, and her eyes widen as her gaze flies to his face. “You - oh,” she blinks, blushing as she traces around it. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to maintain his control. When she tugs on it gently, he pulls back enough to take the shirt off, throwing it somewhere behind him.

Her blush depends again at the sight of him bare-chested, but she just sighs appreciatively when he moves back down on top of her again. This time he’s the one touching, taking the hem of her shirt and lifting it with one of his hands, folding it so it stays in place just under her breasts. Her sweetly braless breasts, if he’s not mistaken, and he rarely is about these things. He traces little circles over her skin of her now bare stomach, smiling at her when her legs restlessly move against his.

He wants her so much, but more than that, he wants to make her want him. He knows she does now, at least to an extent, but he wants it to be more than that, he wants there to be need. The same awareness that he has whenever she is around, he wants that in her of him.

She shocks him when she grabs his hand, dragging it upwards. He looks at her questioningly, and she gives him a rueful shrug. “I want you to touch me, Nathan.”

He grins, winking at her. “I was touching you, Hay.”

She shakes her head, simple honesty stretched across her face. Taking a deep breath, she moves his hand up further, under the shirt he’d pushed up to her breasts. She doesn’t have to say anything else; he knows what she wants. Tentatively, he moves his hand, giving her time to change her mind if she’s not really ready for things to go this far.

But she sighs, closing her eyes as his hand fully cups her. He’s soft and gentle, things that he normally never is and never wanted to be, but he doesn’t want to scare her. He doesn’t want her to ask him to stop - he really, really does not want that. He pushes her shirt up so that he can look at her, see the soft skin that he’s touching.

He drops his head down, burying his face in her neck. He presses kisses to the skin there, hot, openmouthed kisses with his tongue trailing over her skin. She arches into his hand, and he grows more aggressive, his touch firming.

“You like that?” he breathes against her ear, grinning when she wiggles against him. Her hand comes up to fist in his short hair, directing his mouth back to her skin. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he grins to himself as he brushes his thumb over her nipple.

“Oh, my God,” she whispers, her eyes flying open to stare at him. He looks up, grinning at her. “Kiss me.”

He laughs a little, leaning up to peck her on the lips. “That good enough for you, ma’am?”

She mock glares at him, her eyes widening in surprise when he rolls her nipple between thumb and forefinger. “No, kiss me. Really kiss me.”

He stares hard at her for a minute, trying to see something in her eyes. He doesn’t know what he wants to see, and he isn’t even sure what is there now that he’s looking.

“Are you going to make me beg?” she asks breathlessly, laughing a little, “Because I will. But it’d be really cool if you didn’t make me.”

He grins, laughing with her when she starts to. “No one has ever laughed or made me laugh during this before.”

The laughter dies, but she’s still smiling softly, sweetly at him. “Then you just don’t have enough fun, do you?”

Slowly, he shakes his head. “No, I probably don’t,” he agrees, his hand again moving over her breast, “I want you, Haley James.”

Just as her eyes are fluttering closed, the door behind them flies open. “Oh, ew,” Taylor snots from her position in the doorway. Haley squeals, moving to put her shirt back in place. Nathan just groans, burying his face in Haley’s shoulder as he wished that they’d at least pulled the covers up over themselves when they’d lain back down. “God, Haley. You want me to send Luke up now, or should I have him wait five minutes?”

“Shit,” Nathan swears softly, rolling off of her enough that Haley can jump off the bed, glaring at Taylor.

”Are you kidding me?” she asks softly, but dangerously, “Because if you’re kidding about this, I’ll kill you. Kill you, Taylor.”

Sighing, Taylor shakes her head. “Sorry, he’s really down there,” she apologizes, and Nathan thinks she might actually mean it, “And he thinks he knows whose truck that is out front. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he’s so positive I don’t think he believes me. Anyway, I’ll stall him for a few minutes, but you know Luke. He’s persistent.”

Haley nods, starting to shake a little. “Yeah, thanks, Tay. Just tell him I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

“Too late,” Luke calls from the hall, “I’m already out here. You sick or something, Hales? Do I need to find my germ suit?”

“Fuck,” Nathan swears again, his voice a mere ghost of a whisper now, wrapping the bedspread around him as he gets out of the bed. He moves behind Haley, putting his arm around her. He had figured she might move away from him all things considered, but she actually leans into his touch.

“Luke, I’ll meet you downstairs in a few minutes,” Haley calls in a shaky voice, “Just give me five minutes to put myself together.”

“Are you okay? I don’t know what you’re freaking about,” Luke calls, and Taylor closes the door so he can’t see in, “I’ve seen your pajamas a million times. You’ve slept in my bed before.”

“You were on the floor,” Haley grumps, “And that’s beside the point.”

“She’s naked!” Taylor yells, shrugging when Haley throws her a horrified look, “She sleeps in the nude now!”

“Oh, my God,” Haley mutters, burying her face in Nathan’s chest, “I hate you, Tay.”

“What?” she whispers back, “I just saved your ass. You ought to be on your knees thanking me!”

Nathan laughs to himself, hugging Haley. “That’s too much info, Taylor,” Luke calls ruefully from the other side of the door, “I’ll just wait in the kitchen. Think Jimmy left me any pie?”

Taylor slips out the door. “Nope, because I nabbed it last night. You’re stuck with cookies or tuna casserole.”

“Hey, Hales?” Luke calls, apparently not ready to let Taylor drag him down.

“Yeah?” she calls wearily.

“Why is Nathan’s truck parked outside, right in front of your house?”

She casts a nervous look Nathan’s way, sighing deeply. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Luke.”

“Nathan’s truck,” he repeats slower, and Nathan just rolls his eyes, “It’s parked right in front of your house. In my spot, by the way. I was just wondering if you saw where he went.”

“Sorry, don’t know,” she says as lightly as she can muster, “And why do you care anyway?”

“Because it just irritates me that he’d be in a five mile radius of you,” Luke sighs, “And maybe that’s overstating, but I just don’t trust him in anything he does.”

“You’re paranoid,” Haley calls back to him, “Now, go downstairs and save me a couple of cookies. I’m hungry.”

“Yeah, fine,” he grumbles through the door, “You’re really okay, Hales?”

“I’m really okay,” she promises, biting her lower lip anxiously, “And Luke? Thanks for coming by to check on me. That means a lot.”

“I was worried,” he notes gruffly, “I’ll see you downstairs.”

Haley looks up at Nathan, tears in her eyes. “I - I can’t believe that happened. He’s here, and you’re here, and I’m so screwed. I’m so screwed.”

“Hay, don’t cry,” he blinks, his hands resting on her shoulders, “It’s okay, he doesn’t know I’m here.”

“No, it’s not okay,” she argues tearfully, “What am I doing? What in the hell am I doing here? This is crazy, totally crazy.”

Panic seeps into him, and he’s suddenly terrified that she’s going to cut ties with him. And he’s not sure he’d blame her if she did. Not only is she risking her friendship with Lucas, but he’s got a whole passel of heavy emotional baggage. Who’d want to risk anything for that?

She throws her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. “How do I keep doing this, Nathan? I’m ruining everything.”

“Hey, you aren’t, not at all. It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.” He holds her tightly, his hands rubbing over her back. “You better put a bra on,” he teases her, “Luke doesn’t need to see that.”

She smacks him lightly on the shoulder, offering him a small smile. “I’m sorry,” she sighs, “I never in a million years figured that he’d show up here.”

He grins. “I kinda figured, all things considered. Did you know Taylor was here?”

She shakes her head as she pulls off the boxers and steps into a pair of jeans. His eyes are completely fixated on her legs the whole time. “She was supposed to work today. Who knows what happened there.”

“Are we okay?” he asks far more timidly than he would like.

She whirls around to face him. Her expression is cautious and guarded as she faces him. “Is there a reason why we wouldn’t be?”

“I just…that was intense, and I guess I just want to make sure you’re okay with it.”

She blushes, looking at his chest. “If I wasn’t, you’d have known. There’d have been screaming or painful kicking,” she shrugs, “So, yeah, I guess I was.”

He leans down, pressing a lingering kiss to her cheek. “What do you want me to do now?”

Sighing, she shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ll get him out of here, make him take me to the café for chicken noodle soup or something. I’m really sorry; I thought we’d be able to spend the whole day together, Nathan.”

He nods. “Well, tomorrow night, we have a date. Maybe it’s not as good as a whole day, but it’s got to be a close second, right?”

She grins at that. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right. Maybe it’ll even be equally good,” she teases, trailing her fingers down the exposed part of his chest.

“God,” he groans, “You’re going to kill me.”

She laughs quietly, then sobers. “Thanks for bearing with me on this. I know, I mean, I guess this isn’t a normal situation, and most girls wouldn’t be tossing you out right when…when…you know.”

“When it was getting good?” he winks, grinning at her blush.

“Yeah, that,” she mumbles, giving him one more quick hug. “Thanks, Nathan. For trusting me enough to come here last night. I know I didn’t help, but I’m still glad you felt like you could come here.”

He blinks in surprise. She doesn’t know how much she helped? “Haley, you did help me. I felt like I was shattering into a million pieces, and you were what held me together. Don’t ever think you didn’t help.”

“Then I’m glad,” she smiles, stepping out of his embrace. She looks around the room. “Um, I have to change my shirt and put my bra on now.”

He grins cheekily. “I don’t mind.”

She snorts, rather indelicately, at that. “Yeah, I’m sure you don’t,” she giggles, “But I kinda do, which is probably ridiculous, all things considered. But I do.”

He nods, trailing his fingers over her cheek. “Okay. I get the hint, I’ll wait in the bathroom. Call me tonight, okay?” She nods. “Bye Hay.”

“Bye Nathan.” She watches as he goes, sighing when the door shuts behind him. Seriously, she is not supposed to be the girl that misses a boy whenever he leaves the room. She just isn’t!

But that’s exactly who she’s becoming.

~*~

When he pulls into his driveway, he’s surprised that there are lights on in the kitchen. He knows his dad is gone - his car is, and he never comes home without it. To his even greater surprise, his mother is there.

“Mom,” he states flatly, the only emotion evident in his voice surprise, “What are you doing home?”

She turns around, smiling hugely at him. “I’m here to stay, Nathan.” He just stares blankly at her, letting her put her arms around him in a hug. “Why do you smell like strawberries?” she asks curiously, blinking at him in confusion.

“You’re here?” he repeats, “To stay. Okay, that’s a little out of left field, what are you talking about, Mom?”

Shaking her head as if to clear it, Deb looks at him. “Nathan, you were right. I don’t know you the way I should, the way I want to. And maybe I’m asking for too much, maybe it isn’t fair, but I want to try now. No, I want to do better than just try: I want to get to know you, Nathan. It means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me.”

He regards her warily, having been through too much with both of his parents to fall for the line too fast. But the things Haley said, the ideas that she put in his head…combined with this, it makes it harder for him to discount this, it makes it harder for him to tell her back off and give him his space.

“This is out of the blue,” he says mildly, going over the fridge and taking out a water bottle, “It’s kind of hard to believe, Mom.”

She nods sadly, her lips pursing in worry. “Maybe we do this slowly,” she says softly, moving to stand next to him, “I know I’m dropping this on you on a school - Nathan! Why aren’t you at school?”

He sighs, rolling his eyes at her. “I had a rough night, Mom. The game didn’t go so well, and Dad had issues with my play.”

Her eyes widen in realization, and she looks at him carefully. “What happened? Did you just have an off-night, honey? That happens to everyone.”

Nathan snorts, shaking his head. “Coach said I had my best game of the season.”

“Then what problem could your father have had with it?” she asks slowly, carefully.

“I wasn’t King Ballhog,” Nathan snarks, “Actually, I don’t think it was so much that, as it was who I shared the ball with.”

“What do you mean?” Deb asks, her brows arching in curiosity.

“Lucas, Mom. He doesn’t want me to pass to Lucas.”

“Oh,” is all she can muster, not surprised.

Nathan shrugs. “Whatever, it doesn’t even matter, right? Coach liked it, and he’s the one I have to impress, right?”

She sighs, “What did your father say, Nathan?”

“What difference does it make? The end result is the same, I have to train harder and he has a new reason to ride my ass harder than ever before.”

“No, it doesn’t matter who is on the team, and it shouldn’t matter to your father. At least not the way he treats it,” she sighs, running a hand wearily through her hair, “I had hoped - well, never mind. Now, why is this an excuse to skip school, Nathan? I thought you were doing so well, with your tutor and all?”

Well, he can give her credit for that. He’d barely mentioned having a tutor in passing, and she actually remembered. That’s something, he supposes. Not a big thing, but something.

“It’s not a big deal if I miss one day,” he sighs, shaking his head, “Besides, Whitey gave us the day off, so I won’t be missing practice or anything.”

“What on earth did your father say to upset you into skipping school?”

“I just overslept,” he bites out, rolling his eyes. The sentiments might be there, but he’s not honestly believing that she cares. Or at least that she would care anymore than on the surface, because of how it looks if he skips. And he certainly doesn’t trust her enough to open up about anything major.

“You don’t get to do that anymore,” she states firmly, apparently comfortable blowing back into their lives and playing the mom card - he kind of can’t wait to see her play the wife card because he knows that’ll go over like a lead brick, “I don’t know what sort of arrangement you and your father had, but you don’t get to do that anymore.”

“You’re right, you don’t know,” Nathan snits, glaring at her, “And maybe you’re the one who doesn’t get to do this. You can’t just come back here and start playing mommy. Life doesn’t work like that, don’t you get it?”

She sighs, her lower lip trembling with emotion. The problem with that is Nathan can’t tell what’s real and what isn’t from her. Aside from Haley, there is no one in his life that he trusts to be real with him.

“Okay,” she nods slowly, watching him carefully. Her lip stops moving and her face falls blank, and he wonders again if any of that was real. If it was, it seems like it’s all falling away.

He shakes his head, laughing mirthlessly. “You really don’t get it,” he deduces, shaking his head at her, “This is such a joke. Everything about this is a total joke!”

“Well, well, what’s going on here?” Dan asks from the entryway, “Deb, to what do we owe this surprising pleasure?”

Both she and Nathan are duly surprised, and it shows on their faces as they gape at him. “Dan, hi honey,” Deb smiles, making her way to him. He pulls her into a hug, and Nathan rolls his eyes as they kiss. “I’m home, honey!”

“I see that,” Dan smiles in return, looking at her like he’s afraid the bleach has gone to her brain, “You are standing right here in our kitchen, after all.”

Deb grins indulgently. “No, I mean I’m home. To stay now. I’ve resigned my position, and from now I’ll just work as a consultant. That’s something I can do from here, for the most part. I’ll be home, full-time, with both of you.”

To Nathan’s amusement, Dan looks just as disconcerted by the news as he feels. God only knows what non-wife friendly activities his father has going on that he wouldn’t want his wife to know about.

“Well, this is an interesting development,” Dan notes, looking like he just sucked on a lemon, “And what brought it about, if I might ask?”

Nathan actually does let out a little laugh then, because the look his dad shoots his way lets him know exactly who Dan is blaming for this. Both of his parents glare at him, not appreciating his untimely outburst.

“This is my family, Dan. My home, my life, and I guess I was just awakened to the fact that it is all passing me by. I don’t want life to pass me by, I want to be a part of it, with you, and with Nathan.”

The words are pretty, but neither Nathan or Dan tend to believe them. She’s been absent from both of their lives too long for it to be that simple. Nathan just watches them, waiting to see if anything interesting will happen. Waiting to see if his dad begins his punishment now, or if he’s going to make him wait and suffer longer.

He doesn’t say anything to him; in fact, neither acknowledge him as they move the conversation from the kitchen to somewhere more private. Maybe her coming back can work in his favor after all. At least she might get Dan out of his hair somewhat. That wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Silver linings can be found in anything, he supposes.