Home Is Where

Participants:

heidi_icon.gif f_nathan_icon.gif

Scene Title Home Is Where
Synopsis Nathan reunites with his wife. Of a different time and place.
Date May 9, 2009

Presidential Hotel Suite


It's nice to have nice things. Nathan grew up with them, never went without. Silver spoon, the whole deal. Diplomas and degrees he wheeled and dealed for. Surely, sometime along the way, he actually worked for all this. He didn't always have the ability to stop time.

"Nathan?"

This is the second time she's said his name, but Nathan is having a hard time turning around. It's a beautiful hotel suite, and he's trekked his way across it, touching things, looking at what he has, and finally coming to stand at the mirror to see if maybe he could pull this off, actually. And then she had come, a silhouette in black, standing at the door way in a slice of reflection.

Maybe he should respond. As soon as he can get his knees to work.

"Hey." Simple enough, and so is the smile that accompanies it, Nathan turning towards her, moving on over with his hands out. "Spaced out. Long day." That's some of the truth - it's well into the evening. And his words are enough for a smile to alight on her face, for her to move on forward and place her hands in his. He grips a little too tightly and he adds, "I missed you today."

Today. Last several years. His wife's blue eyes flicker in uncertainty, and Nathan's smile feels frozen.

"Are you okay?" Her hands come up, long and feminine, always cleaned, and they rest delicately on either sides of his face. Her pale blue eyes seem to evaluate his soul rather than his body. "You look so tired."

Nathan's hands come up, and circle Heidi's wrists. "I am tired, honey," he manages, forcibly lowering her hands from his face. "Can we just…" He lets her go only to reach other, card his fingers through her fine black hair, watching the touch occur rather than her expression, which he knows must be a mix of patient bafflement. "Can we lie down?"

They lie down. Some clothes are left behind on the way, but they don't make love, only becoming a tangle of two bodies on bedsheets, and Nathan makes sure that at least one hand is held, the rub of his wedding ring an alien circle of cool metal on his finger. He doesn't turn on the lamp and he doesn't lift his head from where he has his face buried against her hair.

He doesn't want her to see.

"Nathan…?"

Heidi's voice sounds thin in the darkness, a wavering question. Fear? Nathan can feel himself go tense, eyes shut. "Yeah?"

He feels her fingers play through newly dyed hair. Hesitation draws a tense string of silence through the room, threatening to break at any moment, and then— "What's wrong?" There's a lack of accusation in her voice, simple curiousity. It occurs to Nathan how much he had taken for granted, and his heart aches a little more.

"Nothing." He's always sure to answer quickly.

There's a sigh from Heidi, and she fidgets with his hair some more. "You need a haircut, you know. I thought you went just the other week— "

"Can we not talk?"

His voice comes raw sounding, abrupt and harsher than he intended. A silence follows and he's not sure if it's one of offense, no, actually, he's sure it is. In the silence and semi-darkness, Nathan silently tries to remember what he should be saying. Apology, backpedalling, he doesn't know anymore. If he can't speak to his wife, how's he meant to be the father of his sons, the President of the United

"Sure, Nate." Heidi shifts down to curl around him, her hand lowering to hoop her arm around his hunched shoulders. Nathan shuts his eyes when he feels her kiss his forehead. "Whatever you want."

Like that. "I just missed you."

"I missed you too."


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