Work Text:
He should definitely be more worried about William right now. He should be concerned about the ever growing troubles and the list of the dead since his return that's seared into his brain.
It proves difficult when Audrey is in front of him, comfortable and relaxed, but attentive to the problem at hand. When she is wrapped in a mystery, (Of troubles, identity, existence; pick the day.) she is equal parts interested and concerned. She wants the answers, will work for them until she can no longer function.
While it worries him, he cannot stop her, will not stop her. They are partners and they have to work together and he can't leave her side, not now.
He's decided now that he has the chance to hold her and have her all his own, he must use every opportune moment to make up for lost time. Months of awkward shit with Jordan and lost nights before the Hunter. Six months of grief and death and guilt coated with the smallest glimmer of hope. The short amount of days, so minuscule in length, so filled with disappointment and anger towards Lexie over who she was and how much of Audrey she wasn't. The feeling of having her back. Feeling. Her touch, burning across his skin, little bolts of pure ecstasy wrapped into every fluid motion and whispered "I love you." The moment where he begged and pleaded to convince the woman he loved most that there should be a bullet in his chest.
He has time now to call her apartment home and take her to bed each night, to kiss her like there will indeed be a tomorrow and that the world will not fall apart when she is in his arms.
"We have time." Echoes in his brain from a era long gone and a woman so close yet so far away. It comes back to him when he thinks of all the things they've never done, things he still wants to do.
He hasn't wanted anything in a long time that didn't involve a gun pointed at his head. The troubles have paralyzed his brain for so long with sacrifices. He feels the guilt pile on his back as he shoulders an injured woman's pain tonight. He will take on that pain for the repercussions of his actions at the Barn if he gets to have this.
Audrey's hair, now extension-less, is damp against her scalp, the dark brown accented by the dim light of the room.
His desperation arises as he slowly leans closer. He taps the tip of her nose, the soft, warm skin against his finger for only a moment. He watches her smile slowly creep up with affection.
He captures her lips, slow and tender, before she pulls herself onto his lap for a better position. She's close to giving in, leaving William behind for now. He tries to distract her, his lips interrupting her words, prompting for more. She complies eagerly in defeat, grinning into his kiss and ceasing the conversation. His hands delicately curl around Audrey's waist before eagerly suggesting a move to the bed to search for troubles, he jokes. It's a stupid thing to say, but little, silly, jokes are something very tiny and precious they need more of these days.
He grasps her tightly in his arms as they go, clutching to the feeling of her in them, the warmth of her arm lightly around his neck. They are ridiculously happy and in love, leaving the weight of the day behind them.
It is such a massive weight, ready to drag them down, drown them. The town of Haven cracks beneath them more and more each day. It is why he is more worried about William, it is why he is not worried at all. It's stupidly overprotective, Audrey can take care of herself, but he doesn't want her to take this on alone.
As he drops her onto the bed and quickly follows, Nathan decides he will not worry about William right now because he will stand by Audrey's side and defend her every step of the way, no matter how many steps ahead of them the bastard gets.