Trusting the Wolf Ch. 02

Faith winced, remembering rule #6 - always secure the retrieved object, and any tools before leaving the scene. Opps.

Clearly Nathaniel had either been a crappy teacher, or she'd been a particularly dense student. Considering her current state it was probably the latter.

She kicked out, catching the guy in the side of the head, but without enough weight behind the blow to do any damage. The pole slammed into her upper arm, sending a frisson of pain along her nerves. She tumbled to the ground, landing gracelessly.

The pole slammed down on her stomach, momentarily stealing her ability to breath. The alcohol she had consumed lurched uncomfortably in her gut, and she swallowed quickly in an effort to avoid throwing up.

Sprawled on her back, trying to get air back in her lungs, she forgot all about the man with the big stick. (There was probably a rule about that too, but at that particular moment she could think of nothing but pain and breathing.)

The shadowy figure paused, guard up, to stare at her.

"Faith? What the fuck are you doing here?" Nathaniel asked, not lowering his guard for a moment.

"Oh... You know... Just admiring your balcony." She gasped painfully, eyeing the pole he held.

She had been aiming to sound cool, calm, and composed in the face of danger, but thought that perhaps the gasping for breath, and hugging the ground, might have ruined the effect.

Nathaniel stared at the woman lying before him. She was dressed for stealth - sort of - most ninjas would probably agree that the messy blonde hair was a bit of a beacon.

He weighed the pole in his hands, looking for all the world like he was considering using it to beat some sense into her. Mostly because he was.

The scotch haze was still present, but knowing that she could be a mere-moment away from the beating of a lifetime had cleared up Faiths' thinking a little. She didn't bother getting up, figuring that he'd allow that when he was good and ready to. It was best not to push his temper.

Probably.

"Let me guess... You've reconsidered working with me? You thought you'd break into my house and ransack my office in an attempt to find a message pad on which to leave me a polite note?" Nathaniel used the pole to carefully nudge the USB that had fallen from her hand. "After you liberated a little confidential information sent to me by Aaron?"

From the floor Faith took a moment to swallow nervously. He really was a very intimidating man. The urge to throw up was back.

"Can I get up, or are you going to hit me again?" She asked.

"I haven't decided yet." He answered truthfully.

With an inelegant snort she decided to chance it, sitting up and rolling painfully to her feet. Keeping a wary eye on his intruder Nathaniel picked up the USB, snapping it in half, and placing it in his pocket to incinerate later. The pole, he set back against the wall he'd snatched it from.

Faith followed him back inside, seating herself gingerly on the arm of his sofa.

Scowling he sent a pointed look her way. "I didn't pay an arm and a leg for that couch for people to ignore the seats."

"And I didn't put five years of my life into this mission to have a shovel-headed asshole steal it from me." Faith snapped.

"I didn't steal anything from you, you vacuous drunk." He said mildly.

"Syphilitic serial killer."

"Stubborn, mange-ridden bitch"

"Arrogant, unwashed, mentally-deficient delinquent. With fleas."

Despite herself, Faith was remembering why she worshiped him as a trainee... Now that he wasn't beating her with sticks, anyway.

Nathaniel smiled unexpectedly, his teeth gleaming in the low light. "I've missed our little chats Faith. We will have to catch up more often. Now get the hell out of my lounge, and let me get back to my job."

"My job. You stole it from me." Faith growled.

"I stole nothing from you." He said heatedly.

She snorted. "Right. You didn't steal this and you didn't steal anything else from me."

Nathaniel looked at her - really looked at her. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Four years ago-"

He interrupted her "Four years ago you consented."

She fell silent at the unwelcome reminder. He had given her opportunity to stop him. She hadn't spoken up. In fact, she'd given him permission.

Nathaniel continued talking. "I went about it the wrong way, and I hurt you, which I regret, but I stole nothing. You had ample opportunity to speak up - to stop me. I was in the wrong - I wasn't a good enough man to turn down the opportunity to have you."

"But Faith? You were in the wrong too - it was your responsibility to tell me you were a virgin, and scared. I'm not a fucking mind reader, as much as I wish I was."

He remembered the sick feeling he had when he'd drawn back, realising how stiff she was in his arms, and seen the tears on her cheeks. "Fuck Faith! Why the fuck didn't you-"

Faith flinched as he broke off, and glared angrily at a spot on the carpet. If she concentrated long enough, and hard enough on how much she wanted to go back in time and smash a pinecone over the big scary man's head... Well, as her grandmother had been fond of saying, maybe dreams could come true.

With a deep breath Nathaniel managed to get his self loathing back under control. Faith continued to ignore him, instead choosing to aim a death stare at the foot of his coffee table.

They sat in silence.

"How much have you had to drink?" He asked reluctantly.

"What the fuck does it matter to you. It never has before." She growled again.

He ground his teeth together, and waited.

She broke. "Maybe five... Or ten standard drinks. I wasn't counting."

He would have to drive her home. Sighing he got up, and grabbed for her arm. Unfortunately Faith thought the move was for an entirely different purpose.

Yelling "No!" She jerked away from him, eyes going wide in alarm. Rolling backwards off the couch she hit the carpet in an off-kilter crouch and backed up putting a good distance, and the couch, between them.

Finally remembering the knife tucked into a sheath at the back of her pants she drew the blade and rose to stand, staring at him with wide horrified eyes.

Nathaniel jolted. The expression on her face mirrored the last time he'd hurt her.

"Easy, easy..." He murmured stepping slowly around the couch, and keeping his hands up so that she could see he was unarmed.

"Put the knife away Faith. I'm not going to touch you. I'll give you a lift home."

She slowly dropped her guard. She didn't sheath her knife again though. "I don't need a lift."

"How did you get here? He asked, confused, but intent on keeping her calm and distracted from the knife.

"Taxi."

He chuckled little. "Only you would have the balls to-"

Moving abruptly he grabbed her wrist jerking the knife from her fingers, and restraining her as he did a quick check for weapons. He did not want to be in a car with a drunk woman considering vengeance with a hidden hand-gun. She was clean.

"As I was saying, only you would have the balls to take a taxi to break into my house. And with only one knife. I am impressed. I'd be more impressed if I hadn't caught you hanging from my roof like a drunken newt - but I'll give you points for originality."

He frog-marched her to the door, and ignoring her angry growls managed to get her to the passenger door of his car. Releasing her he opened it, and waited.

With quiet dignity she stepped in, and buckled her belt. He chuckled again, shutting the door, and going around to the drivers side.

On the ride back to her apartment she ignored him, as he frowned in thought.

"Faith... I really am sorry I hurt you. There isn't a night that goes by that I don't think..."

She pointedly looked out the window.

"Did you... Were you ok? After we left?"

Her jaw tensed. "Yes. Fine."

"Okay. Did you ever... Never mind." He shook his head at himself.

You do not ask a woman you once slept with how her follow-on sexual experiences went, Nathaniel reminded himself.

That was just asking for trouble - and from the stubborn angle of her jaw it might also be the cause of grievous bodily harm. He was big, but angry female wolves could do a lot of damage when they put their minds to it.

When he stopped the car he cleared his throat again. "Faith, you can join me. Partner with me. I don't want to take this away from you. You deserve to be in on this, and I need help."

"No, Nathaniel, what you need is-"

"Faith! Stop for a moment and think. How many years of your life have you put into this? How much do you want to help Aaron? We're so close to finding Alexia. Everything you've sacrificed will be for nothing if you let it go over me. Haven't you already let me take enough from you?"

Faith paused with her hand on the door handle. He was right. She so desperately wanted this.

Something about 'Haven't you already let me take enough from you?' jarred her though. Logically she knew she was just as much as fault as he was. She did hear very real regret when he spoke about that night.

She knew a lot about regret.

Faith screwed up her nose and nodded reluctantly. "I'm in."

Without waiting for an answer she swung herself out of the car, and slammed the door roughly, enjoying the wince she caught on Nathaniel's face.

Staggering unsteadily from the car, and towards her apartment again she hoped she wasn't making a huge mistake.