Still Burning

10- Pass Time

The dark sky looked over the street. It was a chilly night, unlike the day where there had been some sunshine. Nathan pulled his robe around tighter. His fingers traced the soft material, remembering when Andy had gifted it to him. It was grey, his favourite colour.

Andy watched from the door, holding a cup of coffee in her hand, a blanket draped over her shoulder. Deciding that he had enough time alone, she pulled the door open and stepped out into the cold night.

"Hey honey," she whispered. Nathan snapped his head back and smiled. "Thought you might want a little warming up."

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"I knew you went three hours ago, Nathe. I thought I would give you some space to just think. But I bet your toes are frozen with just one layer of socks." He wiggled his toes as he took the mug off her.

"Dammit, pumpkin, you're the best." She placed the blanket over him before making her way back into the house. "Hey, you not staying?"

Andy shrugged her shoulders. "I thought you wanted some alone time."

He stuck a hand out for her. "Come here, beautiful." She slowly walked over to him and smiled. He pulled the blanket back and patted his lap. "Come on."

"You sure? I just wanted to give you something so you wouldn't freeze to death."

Nathan silently pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head before taking a sip from the coffee. He felt the warm drink going down his throat, sending a warm shiver down his body.

Andy kissed his jaw lightly. Her hand rested on his cheek, brushing over the stubble he had from not shaving for the last two days. "Hey Nathe?" she whispered. He hummed his response and she felt the vibration run through her arm. "You're the best thing that happened to me. Before I met you, I was this girl who had her nose in a book, wouldn't dare take a chance on anything. But you taught me that no matter how afraid we are, all we can do is run through it and hope for the best." He turned to her, a small smile on his face. "And you taught me to be brave and have a voice. And I can't imagine my life without you, I really can't."

"I know, pumpkin."

"I don't think you'll ever know how happy you make me." He placed the mug down on the empty seat beside him before looking back at her. With a smile, he lifted a hand up to her cheek. "And whatever happened today, at that orphanage, I want you to do what you taught me. Breathe in, run through it and hope for the best. Those people are gonna get what they deserve, Nathe. We just have to keep our heads cool and give them everything we have."

He nodded his head. The last thing he wanted was for those people to walk free. Andy's phone buzzed inside her pocket. She placed her hand in her hoodie pocket and felt tears in her eyes as she read the message.

"What's wrong?"

"Only five of the eleven children you found are alive. That newborn is in critical condition, a lot of burns, a lot of smoke inhalation. They are hoping for the older children to pull through so that they will know what's going on." She sniffed, blinking away her tears. "How do you do this, Nathan?"

"You have to," he responded with a tight smile.

* * *

When morning came, Nathan found himself wide awake. He had Andy clinging to his arm and would feel her stir every few minutes which let him know that her dreams were not pleasant. He brushed his fingers along her cheek and felt her relax into his arms.

Truth be told, he was scared to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see the children with their burnt flesh lying there, helpless. He shook his head of the memory before pulling Andy closer to him. He sighed heavily into her neck, knowing that if she was awake, she would have pushed him away with a giggle.

"Thank you for being here for me," he whispered. "I love you so much."

Nathan traced his fingers along her arm. He gently pulled on her hair then smiled, remembering her reaction when he told her he did so. Andy groaned in her sleep before turning around, smacking him in the face. He hissed in pain, removing her arm from his face. His cheek throbbed.

"Dammit pumpkin," he groaned. He tried to get his arm out from under her but that only resulted in waking her up.

"Where you going?" she said, still heavy with sleep.

"Nowhere. You just smacked my face."

"Sorry." Her eyes locked on the alarm clock, focussing on the bold blue numbers. "You haven't slept have you?"

"Just not tired," he lied. Andy sighed. She kissed the bottom of his chin. "You go back to sleep."

She placed her head on his chest. "Let's do something then. I'm not going back to sleep so let's do something."

Nathan gently pulled back her hair from her face. He smiled down at her as she traced her fingers across his chest. "Like what?"

"Build a puzzle."

"The one that we had for so many months?" She nodded her head before getting up. "Stay," he whispered, holding a hand out. "Just let me hold you for a few minutes first."

"Am I gonna be your teddy bear for now?" Nathan chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her. He leaned over her, placing his lips over hers. Andy pulled away from the kiss, breathing hard against his lips. He smirked at her before kissing down her jaw. She tilt her head to the side, giving him more access.

"I think I have another way to pass some time," he murmured against her skin. His hands slipped under her t-shirt, running them up and down her hips. "God you're so beautiful."

"I know," she said with a giggle. "And you're so handsome, so sexy."

"I know," he groaned as she nibbled on his ear. "Fuck! That's it, you're getting it," he said before placing his lips over hers again.