You Again

The mention of the trip stopped both of them, each holding the other's gaze before looking away and now the silence that fell was awkward.

"Don't mean to spoil a good time or anything," he said finally, "But an explanation is due seeing how I didn't get one."

"I thought we'd both agreed on the natural rule of 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas', Seth."

"C'mon Mariposa," he said, calling her that special nickname he'd given to her all those years ago. "One thing, one reason, and then consider it dropped."

"Nothing is ever dropped with you. If it were then you still wouldn't be chasing me after all this time and all that's happened."

"Can I help it if I knew what I wanted then and now?"

"You never left room to explore and find other things that you may have wanted."

His brows furrowed. "How'd you know? You weren't in England with me and I'll have you know I dated, but nothing turned serious."

Another deep sigh left her. "Do you really want to have this discussion in the middle of the street?"

"Funny, I recall hearing those same words only it was in the middle of the quad."

"You are so...so...."

"What? Hard headed, stubborn, frustrating?"

"All of the above."

"You know a smaller man would take offense to that," he said, giving a pretend hurt look. "I know what I am and I don't deny it." He received a suspicious look. "And now I can see your wheels turning. You're wondering how it is that I'm managing to play it cool right now...why I'm not acting as I did that day at the quad. Look, I'll make you a deal, you give me an explanation about Vegas and...." He paused, thinking.

"And what?"

"Well...I, uh...what do you want out of it?"

Blue eyes watched him closely. "If I give you your explanation you bring up no further mention of that trip, got it? You consider that chapter closed and I'll give you a new one."

"Deal."

"Deal."

"Ok then," he said, then moved back to her side and began to lead her towards his apartment once more.

===============================================

The two spent hours talking and catching up, laughing over stories and good memories. He couldn't help but notice that she still talked with her hands when they got on certain subjects, blue eyes sparkling with interest, and her infectious laugh as well as her smile overtook him, leaving him smiling the whole time. It felt as if nothing had changed, that comfortable and safe feeling still there between them. By the time they finally lapsed into a silence, a question popped into his head, one which should've been the first from his mind but hadn't come.

He looked to her. "How long are you in New York? And what brought you here anyway?"

"I'm here for another week and, well, Markus is what brought me here," she said, watching him.

"Oh, I see." He met her gaze. "Why's that?"

"He's a good friend, Seth. Nothing more, don't worry. You don't have any competition."

"Well that's a relief. That means I don't have to be over the top or try too hard," he said, suppressing the smile pulling at his lips.

She laughed. "Yea, because it's not like you've ever been any of those things."

"Of course not." The smile broke through and he laughed. "So, where you staying?"

"The Ritz Carlton." She grabbed his wrist and looked to his watch. "Wow, it's late...or I should say early – 1 am."

"Time flies when you're having fun."

"And when you have close to ten years of history to catch up on," Natasha said. "I should really go..."

He glanced down to the floor. "Yea..."

"But I, uh, I would really like it if we could do this again."

He looked back to her. "I'm off tomorrow. I may not have been living in New York long, but I know some good places."

"Going to be my tour guide, eh?"

Seth gave her an affirmative nod, which earned him another dazzling smile as she stood from the fireplace. He stood as well, watching her.

"You know..." He began, "It's close to impossible to get a cab around this time. Let me call down to Bobby and have him drive you to the hotel. Or you could..." He paused.

"I could, what?"

"Well, I have a rather large guest room and you just so happen to be my guest. You could stay for free here while you're in New York."

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"Tasha, c'mon, when have you ever been an imposition to me?" He asked and at the look he received, Seth could tell she was considering it. He moved a tab bit closer to her. "So you'll stay, yes?"

Looking up to him, she bit her lower lip for a moment, then gave a nod. "Sure. I mean, I can't pass up a free room."

"Great." He grinned.

"Only problem is my luggage is there and I certainly can't sleep in this dress."

"No, no, you can't." His eyes swept over her, his heart beginning to race a bit as he thought of what she would look like out of that dress. He shook himself from that thought, not wanting to get hot and bothered around her. "You can borrow one of my t-shirts or something. You know, like you use to when we had time to ourselves."

"And then your dogs would suddenly go into a fit of barking and..."

"We'd move as quick as we possibly could to not let the units know anything had happened. They didn't even notice that I was wearing my shirt inside out that one time." The two laughed at the memory. "I don't know what would've happened if our mutts hadn't been able to alert us to their presence."

"Probably something extremely embarrassing."

"Probably." He cleared his throat, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck. "C'mon, I'll show you to the guest room."

"All right," she said.

======================================

Natasha wasn't sure at first when he'd offered the guest room to her, but as soon as he'd moved closer to her and she'd looked into those dark eyes she couldn't find it in her to decline. As she followed him through the apartment different scents hit her, scents that had always reminded her of him in their years apart – Vanilla, from a candle burning somewhere she guess, the clean scent of his body wash (she was hardly surprised that he still used the same one seeing how Seth had never been one to stray from something he liked), and his aftershave. That aftershave that just so happened to have been picked out by her as a gift one year – if she recalled correctly it was called "Ink".

Blue eyes watched him, scanning over him. Good looking from the front and the back, she thought to herself as he opened the guest room door, revealing a good sized room with an even better Queen sized bed.

"Here you are. Your room." He walked over to another door, opened it, and then flipped on a light inside. "Got your own bathroom and those double door over there is your walk in closet."

"You went all out."

"Nah, my room is definitely better than this one," he said with a smirk and he winked at her playfully.

"Well of course you keep all the good stuff for yourself," she said, moving to sit on the bed before she lied back on it. "God, this has to be the most comfortable bed I've ever laid on."

"Glad you approve. I'll, uh, go grab you one of my comfy sleep shirts."

"Wait..." she said, extending a hand to him. "Help me up and I...kind of need some help with unzipping this dress. You know, zipper's in the back and all..."

"Oh, right..." He took hold of her hand and pulled her up, perhaps a little too strong because she stumbled a bit and then they stood only a few inches from each other. Man, this is a pleasurable torment, he thought. Neither spoke, instead she put a tiny bit more space between them, and then pulled her hair over her bare shoulder once she'd turned around. His hands reached out and began to unzip the dress, his fingertips skimming her creamy white flesh gently from time to time. Once unzipped she turned to face him once more, holding the dress up with her hands.

"Thanks," she said, her voice soft.

"You're welcome," he said, his voice just a notch or two above a whisper. The two watched each other's eyes, each searching the depths of them. Oh, what the hell... Seth knew how to stop the pleasurable torment. Had he been a teenager once more, he would've sheepishly began to put distance between them and gone off to get her the t-shirt. But now, there was no asking or requesting of anything, instead he took the initiative, leaning in and claiming her lips to his; the sparks flying once again.

Natasha felt weak against him. His kisses had always been the best. The unspoken need for the physical had been in his eyes and she admitted that she needed it as well. As he began to deepen the kiss, she granted him access into her mouth, and her arms wrapped around his neck, bringing him closer, forgetting about the dress. A pleasurable sound escaped both of them. Talk about one hell of a reunion, she thought as she felt his palms moving up her sides.

God how he'd missed this; missed her. Slender digits wove their way into his ebony hair, causing a shiver to run through him. His tongue battled with hers for dominance and he strove to drink in her very essence with each passing second. He felt himself being pulled closer then turned around and a moment later the back of his legs hit the bed, causing a rough sound to escape him. The kiss broke, both panting, and lust-glazed eyes watched each other.

Natasha's hands itched to know what laid hidden under that turtleneck he wore. With a seductive smile on her lips, she slipped her hands under the barrier and was met with hard, toned flesh. Watching his eyes, she moved her hands upwards and soon his turtleneck laid somewhere behind them on the floor. With only the smallest push did he come to sit on the bed before she was crawling over him, forcing him to lie back. Her lips met his hungrily and she felt his strong hands grip her waist. Breaking the kiss, her lips moved down his neck, along his chest, and then up to his ear, nibbling a bit. She hadn't forgotten what he liked. A moan escaped her when his hands feverishly moved up her back and then his nails trailed slowly downward. It seemed as though he hadn't forgotten either.

His chest heaved, breath ragged as he once again found himself being put through a pleasurable torment. It was then that thoughts began to stir, the more rational side of his brain beginning to break through the lusty haze of his current situation. When had been the last time they'd done this? And as the answer came to him, he cleared his throat and tried to find his voice. "Tasha...Tasha, I think..." She nipped at his neck. Oh this isn't going to be easy...

She was oblivious to his words. Her body felt aflame and she only knew one solution to that sensation. She soon found herself flipped over, him lying on top of her, but the look in his eyes had changed.

"Far be it from me to be the voice of reason here..." He said, eyes watching hers. "Especially in a situation like this...perhaps it would be best if we, uh, waited..."

A moment of silence passed between them, their panting breaths the only noise in the room. "Wait..." she repeated, the word sounding foreign to her at that moment.

He gave one nod. "Yes, wait." Bloody hell, she's going to think I've gone mad.

The look she gave him said just that too. "Who are you and what have you done with, Seth?"

"I wish I knew." He sighed and moved off of her. Distance, yes that would help at the moment. "It's just we...just met again tonight and...Ok, I can't really explain this away..."

"Try."

"I knew you were going to say that." He leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. "Think back, when was the last time you and I did....this, huh?"

Natasha was silent for a moment. "Uh, well, Vegas."

"Right. And what wasn't done before Vegas...?" He asked.

"You've lost me."

Seth closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the wall, and grimaced. Surely the confusion or lusty haze should've worn off by now.

"Seth...keep talking..."

He stayed the way he was. "South...of the border..." Jesus, this has officially become the most embarrassing moment of my life, he thought then sighed.

"Oh," she replied.

"Exactly." He looked to her. "But I'm not just saying that we should wait because of...that...I'm saying it because well, we did just reunite and...I mean..."

"You're embarrassed."

"And I'm still that see through, huh?" He let out a nervous laugh. "That's part of it. The other part is that...this should be done the right way." He was met with a look of a mix of amusement and disbelief. "What? I can't do a gentlemanly gesture?"

She sighed. "You started this whole thing."

"I know...and we will finish it, just at a later date."

The two stared at each for a moment before an awkward silence fell between them. Say something, anything...

"So..."

"So...how 'bout them Dodgers?"

She let out a laugh. "You need a new catch phrase."

"I've been told that before." He smiled lightly. "I hope you don't mind..."

"Well no...well, sort of, but I get that it might be uncomfortable seeing how it'd be the first time with...the whole package...oh, uh, no pun intended."

"Yea..." He blushed. "Well, I'll go get you that t-shirt..."

"Yea, I'd appreciate that."

"All right." Seth disappeared from the room before Natasha could say anything. As she watched him depart, she realized just how much they still had to catch up on. The attraction, sparks, and fireworks were still there, she wasn't going to deny that, but Seth had truly become his real self and that person she had to get to know. He returned with the shirt and handed it to her. "There you are."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Ok so, I'm going to go to my own room and sleep..." Hopefully...

"Good, because you know it wouldn't do me any good if my tour guide was falling asleep on me tomorrow."

"I'll try my best." He walked over to his discarded shirt and picked it up before meeting her gaze. "Well, uh, good night."

"Night."

They both had a feeling that this was going to be one long week.

==========================

"Ah, Central Park, the one place you can feel like you aren't living in a city," Seth said then looked down to her with a smile on his face.

"It is nice," she replied but her gaze didn't meet his.

"What's going on in that mind of yours?"

"I can't be sure, but is there someone following us, someone with a camera?" Blue eyes met his.

He threw a quick glance to where she'd been looking then let out a long sigh. "Damn."

"Damn? Damn isn't good. Who is it?"

"Poparazzi. I forget the fellow's name, but he does follow me everywhere on my days off, clicking away pictures to put in the paper..." His tone indicated that he'd grown use to it, but her eyes widened.

"He's taking pictures...of us?"

A mocking smile formed on his lips. "Why Ms. O'Hara how ungentlemanly of me to forget about you reputation that would be utterly destroyed should word get out that you've been consorting with a cad such as myself," he said, putting on a Southern accent.

"Gentleman? You are certainly a cad," she returned in the same accent and he chuckled. "You should've warned me."

"It slipped my mind."

"As slippery as your mind is, you still should've mentioned something."

He leaned in a bit closer. "Perhaps we should make him work for his money, hmm?"

"Pssh," she replied, taking a step back. "As you said Mr. Butler, it'd hardly be good for my reputation if I was seen with the likes of you."

Seth laughed heartily then and shook his head, surprised how long the act had lasted between them. Parties had hardly ever been their thing, but he had managed to convince her into joining him when he'd been invited to a friend's house for a Halloween party. As a condition of going the two had agreed to dress in a "couples costume". Having already had the tuxedo, Seth had gone and had a replica dress made for her, one fitting of Scarlett O'Hara. He spoiled her with no intention of reciprocation in that field, doing it out of the love he had for her and not as a way to win her affection. He'd already done that.

"Don't worry. I'll give Ari a call and he'll give his employers hell...again," Seth said, beginning their stroll in the park once more.

"So, how long are we going to pretend that last night didn't happen?"

"Wow, and here I thought I'd get to ask that question first," he replied jokingly, avoiding her eyes, which he felt upon him. He let out a sigh. "Can't we just leave that where it started?"

"So you do want to pretend that it didn't happen then?"

"Yes...well, no...I..." He looked down to her, eyes narrowing. "Where's this going?"

She gave a shrug. "Not sure, just thought I'd ask."

"Well, last night did prove one thing..."

"Did it?" she asked, an innocent tone in her voice.

"Yes, that the attraction is still there."

She gave a nod. "That it did."

"What do you want to do about it?"

"Honestly?" Tasha asked, coming to stand in front of him, halting is progress.

"That would be nice."

"The person I know is Seth Allen. Seth Archer is a stranger to me in a lot of ways."

"They're the same person."

She shook her head. "No, they're not. For instance, you're not chasing."

"What?"

"Chasing, pursuing. I mean, you are, but not like you use to. You're more laid back, more..."

"Comfortable?"

"Exactly. And that's because you've become really you. When we got together you were half way there and now you're whole. So, what would Seth Archer be doing? Surely not playing tour guide, not when family is in town and you have a performance tomorrow..."

His eyes narrowed, but an amused smile formed on his lips. "You want to be my shadow, do you?" She gave a nod. "That's not possible. You are hardly worthy of being a shadow, you belong..."

"At your side?"

"At the front," he said. "As always. You can't change that. And Seth Allen is Seth Archer. A change of a name doesn't change someone's character."

"Then tell me what happened in the in between time. You left that out."

He was silent for a moment before he nodded. "Ok. I spent a month in Glasgow, Scotland in a swanky hotel drinking and drowning in self pity trying to forget who I was and what laid in my past. One day Holly showed up, snapped me out of it, and made me remember. The name change was simply done to protect my family members and friends...and my past. If the press found out who I was – nevermind that I went through every motion there was to secure that they couldn't – but if they did it'd be disaster. I wanted to prevent that for myself and everyone else."

"That's it?"

"No. I spent six months in Germany, with Holly as my translator, in a hospital after the procedure was done. Went back to London and as they say, the rest is history."

"Huh."

"Huh? That's it? 'Huh' is all that gets?"

She smiled. "Yeah, that's all it gets. Glad you told me though."

"Why? So that this could be even more awkward?"

"No. So that it'll make it easier to see why people like you now." With that remark she turned and began walking.

"People have always liked me," Seth said, coming to be in step next to her once more.

"So, where do you really want to be right now?"

He extended a gloved hand to her. "Honestly?"

She took his hand. "That'd be nice."

"At rehearsal for tomorrow's show and then at Christian's flat for the family get together."

"I thought you might say that."

=======================================

Natasha was awestruck – not to mention a bit stars truck as well – when she'd accompanied him to rehearsals, with Seth muttering apologies even though the conductor and director told him to go back home, seeing how it was his day off. She'd half expected him to jump at the chance, but instead grabbed the script – the one he knew by heart by the time he was sixteen – and took a place among the chorus. She was proud of him and that feeling was something that could always bring a smile to her face. He interacted even when he didn't need to, goofed off on the sidelines with a few smitten chorus girls, and filled in wherever he was needed, knowing each note and lyric by heart.