The Blackout (M) New on: 7/22 (8-?)

[Rika]

This is pretty frikkin adorable.

I'm love your writing style and i can't wait for more

[stargazer]

I'm really enjoying this. I hope you continue soon!

[coldcure08]

hoping for more with bated breath...

[PaperThings]

A/N: Haha, so, I'm not sure if anyone cares about this story anymore (it's been so long, and I sort of almost planned to discontinue it), but I was feeling a bit guilty about the mass of stories I'd left unfinished, and decided to update. Not sure how regular it's going to be, but this story isn't abandoned just yet. Oh, and Quite Contrary, haha, yes, they are from Guys and Dolls . I thought it fit with the circumstances, somewhat .

Part 4

"Um, I think it's your turn," she said gently, resisting the urge to put her hand on Nate's arm, like she would have done on any other day. It had been his idea to play Monopoly - one she had gaped at, for at least ten seconds after seeing he box - but every few minutes he would grow distracted and rub at his temples, sniffling miserably into a wad of tissues.

"Sorry," he said, his voice rough, and rolled the die. He advanced to go and collected two hundred, but forgot to complete the rest of his roll.

"Uh... Nate?" She eyed him carefully, concerned. "Are you okay?"

He rubbed sharply at his head and then nodded, squinting his eyes. "Yeah, sorry. I just feel a little out of it." He sighed, fiddling with his empty pizza plate. "Maybe this wasn't such a great idea."

The idea had shocked her, at any rate. After knowing him for so long - or thinking she'd known him, at any rate - Adelaide had never thought of Nate Carrodeen as a real board game type. He played lacrosse; he played the piano until ninth grade when he quit because his instructor moved to California. He was a loyal friend, the best you could hope for really, and he had a sweet, shy side to his inscrutable, blasé behavior. Once upon a time, Adelaide had thought this side was hers, that she was one of the few privy to it. Now she wasn't sure.

"Maybe... maybe I should go," she said slowly. "It's getting late, anyway. Your parents should be back soon."

He shrugged. "I checked the website, and it said there was some issue at take off too, so that's what the first delay was, and now they're fighting the winds. It could be a while."

Her eyebrows stretched. "Wow, that sucks. Probably a pretty crappy flight."

"Yeah." He didn't seem to care much, and Adelaide couldn't help but ask.

"They didn't use to travel this much, right? Only recently?"

He sniffled liquidly, waving his arms in a shrug-like manner. "On and off, for like the last eight years."

"Do - do you miss them?" She looked at him seriously, swallowing to keep flush from flooding her cheeks. They were friends; at least, she hoped they were still friends.

"I guess so," he said. "I mean, I'm jealous of families like yours, where everyone's around, you know?" His eyes met hers, his pink-rimmed and earnest, and she felt her heart thud warningly. "But I mean... I don't know. I'm used to it. It's not like I never see them."

He sounded the tiniest bit defensive, so she backed off. "Right. Of course. Well... like I said, I should really go." She stood up, awkwardly leaning against the couch and inching towards the door.

Nate had sprawled along one of the couches - one that did not look particularly comfortable to sprawl on, Adelaide noted - and barely moved. His neck crooked at an awkward position, ear pressed against the corner of the couch. "I mean, maybe." He grimaced and brought up his fist, coughing heartily into it. Adelaide winced. "Sorry Laidey, I just don't want to get you sick." He looked at her, his eyes wide as a dog's. Somehow, his cold brought light to his innocence, so well masked by his normal behavior. "I'm - I'm really sorry."

For some reason, this almost made her snap. She folded her arms. "Stop saying your sorry," she said, biting back the tone of exasperation. "It isn't your fault you're sick." He looked almost hurt, embarrassed at the very least, and she sighed. "Want me to help clean up the dishes before I go?" she asked. I'm not trying to find reasons to stay, she told herself. I'm not. He needs someone to help him, is all. What if he's not up to it himself?

"Thanks," Nate said, and at last he unfolded himself from the stiff fabric. Mid-stride she heard him pause, the quiet tap of his feet behind her stopping. She slowed enough to stay near, just close enough to hear his tiny, strangled, "Hihh'uhh..." She turned slightly, hoping to be subtle, and caught sight of his eyes losing steam, their power over his body draining away like streetlights in this storm. "Hehhh'hih..." This one did it, and he shed his control, his power over himself, as quickly as a mask he'd warn all his life. "Hehh'TSHHH! EHH-TSHHH!" His waist bent forward, and she caught a single glimpse his face between the first pair of sneezes and the second - tears puddling beneath his eyes, nostrils sifting through the air so quickly she could practically feel his frustration. He gave one more gasp and pressed his sleeve over his nose. "HUH-E'tCHHH! HuhHH'CHOO!" He stopped and took a deep breath, muttering curses to himself as he wiped his nose.

"Bless you," she said, and handed him a tissue.

"Sorry," he murmured, dragging his feet the rest of the way to the kitchen. "I hope you're not afraid of germs?"

She laughed and, wanting to prove her bravery, draped an arm around his shoulder. Even though it felt right, she realized he might misinterpret it and quickly pulled away. The stupid stigmas that came with being the reject ones. "Nate, you don't actually think I care, do you?"

He sniffed a rubbed a hand over his red face, like a child. "I don't know," he said, his voice deeply congested. "I'm glad you don't."

Together they scrubbed the two plates - an easy cleaning job, really - and Adelaide stalled in the kitchen best she could, twirling around a little bit to resist going to the door. "Well, I guess I should - "

The sound of motors stopping cut her off. The lights in the kitchen, plentiful and fluorescent, cut off. The whir of the dishwasher, which they'd just set to run, turned off. Lights, all across the house, went black. "Oh, shit," she heard herself mutter, but it was like she was looking in on the two of them in the kitchen together.

"Blackout," Nate murmured.

"Wow. This must mean it's pretty bad out there. I - I should go, shouldn't I? But... hey, I mean, do you want to come? You're sick and - "

"Laidey?"

"Yeah."

"Um, I hate to tell you this..." His tone was hard to identify. "But um, the elevators stop during blackouts."

"Yeah, so?" Though her mind hadn't arrived on what his had, not yet, she felt a vague hope creeping in on her.

"So... I don't know, it might be illegal or something, but we only have the one elevator. The one in our living room? No stairs."

"Oh."

"Yeah." It was hard to see him in the dark, but she did watch the way his hands stuffed uncomfortably into his pants pockets. She heard him sniffle several times. "So, um, I guess you're stuck with me."

[Scion]

Hahaha, I still care! And the blackout has come! Coolness. And now they're trapped together. Double coolness. And he's sick. Triple coolness.

For some reason, this: He rubbed sharply at his head and then nodded, squinting his eyes. "Yeah, sorry. I just feel a little out of it." He sighed, fiddling with his empty pizza plate. "Maybe this wasn't such a great idea." ...made me want to hug him so bad lol.

[sillystarsmoons]

This is awesome. I'm so glad you're posting this again I can't wait to read more soon. Great chapter!

Merged posts ~ obsessed

[Aprilcot]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I REALLY HOPE YOU CONTINUE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really really hope to find out what happens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Quite Contrary]

Oh hey, this is still going? Cool! I really like this story! I hope I get to read more soon; this just keeps getting more interesting.

[Butch]

PaperThings - Oh WONDERFUL! The story continues. Love it. Can't wait to read more, now that they're stuck together.

[PaperThings]

A/N: Yay! I'm updating again! Another filler-ish chapter, but at least this one's got some important Internal Developments. I'm going to start replying to comments individually, because I've noticed other people do that and I feel badly that I don't.

Scion - Yay! I'm glad you still care! Haha, the trapped-together-in-a-storm must be like the oldest trope in the world, but I remember it was winter when I started this story, and I wanted to give it a try.

sillystarsmoons - Thanks so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

Aprilcot - Awww, YAY! Thank you! I'm so so glad you like it!

Quite Contrary - For the time being at least, haha. I know I'm just about the worst person in the world at regularly updating. And yay, I'm so glad you like it!

Mims - Yay! Heehee, I know I'm going to have a bit of fun with having them stuck.

---

Part 5

---

"Yeah, Mom. I'll keep you posted." She was using Nate's home phone, since her cell had ceased to work with the storm. The landlines were all right though - at least until the storm knocked down the telephone lines as well.

"All right. Be careful, sweetie."

"I will."

"Are his parents okay, flying home in this? It's rather dangerous flying weather."

"Yeah, I mean, no one expected such a storm." It was true. The sheer volume of snow had come as a surprise. The weather reports hadn't predicted anything nearly so serious. "They'll be okay."

"All right. Well, good night sweetie. I love you."

"Love you too." Adelaide hung up the phone behind her, her muscles oddly lethargic. She heard a set of sneezes behind her, the second coming so quickly after the second that little more than a thread of breath separated them. She also heard Nate cough twice, and curse, and she smiled to herself. It had been one surreal day, that was for sure. Between actually getting the nerve to talk to Nate about their relationship, to being shot down because 'they were better as friends', to being stuck in his apartment... Even ignoring his sickness, her brain could hardly stand to process the overwhelming oddity of it all.

"Hey, Laidey, I thought of something we can do." His voice was thickly altered, the words barely sounded more than mush. Even from across the room she could see his nose, glowing, and his eyes, swollen and pink as sunburnt skin.

"Yeah?" She pushed herself off the counter. "What?"

"I have the DVD of the first grade play. We can watch it on what's left of my laptop battery." He was smiling so wide, her heart skipped a beat or two.

"You're sure you don't want to save that for something?"

He shrugged. "For what? It's not like I have internet. Please? This'll be fun." His shirt hung off him in sweaty wrinkles, and she felt suddenly certain that he had a bad temperature. He needed rest. But he looked so happy there, waving the DVD around, and she found herself smiling in agreement. "Sorry, you'll have to sit kind of close to me so you can see." He sniffed and pushed a knuckle into the side of his nose. "I don't want you getting sick, though."

"Oh, that's okay." She settled beside him on the couch, wishing she could curl up against his shoulder as they used to do. Why couldn't they just go back? If she'd known things would end up this way, she never would have seized the day like that. Simply searching for something to talk about, she laughed. "I can't believe you still have that. We only have the VHS version, and we threw it out ages ago."

"My parents are actually pretty big on saving my old stuff. I guess they think, once I'm famous in business or whatever, they can show it to their friends." He snorted in derision and, when a tiny bit of snot trickled out his nose, clamped a tissue to his nose and flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry," he muttered, but Adelaide ignored it. Is that what his parents thought? That he would go on to be a famous businessman? Nate hated math; he'd always been the kid who was good at sports, and who liked a surprising amount of books. He sounded cheerful, like he always did, but there was the tiniest trace of bitterness then. She wanted to ask about it, but didn't dare.

"Okay, let's see." She stared at him out of the corner of her eye and decided he really did look miserable. A thin sheen of sweat covered his face, and his whole face looked heavy, like something was pressing in on his pores. I'll give it another hour, she told herself. Then I'll ask if he's okay. The DVD screen came up on the laptop and Nate pressed the play button.

Adelaide laughed out loud at the sight of their principal from so many years ago, dressed in a blue skirt and smiling. "Oh my God. I forgot all about this," she murmured. It was a dumb play, written by the first grade teachers and badly sung by the seventy six-year-olds. They cracked up each time they saw another one of their friends, someone else from their little group diminished in size and years.

For the first time that day, Adelaide managed to forget the awkwardness between them. Nate was just Nate again. He was not the guy who'd broken her heart, or the guy whom rumors circulated about (that he'd been with every girl on the cheerleading squad, unbeknownst to his friends, or that he spent every weekend getting drunk alone in his empty apartment) - he was the boy she remembered. And, sitting on the couch beside him, she was forced to realize that maybe the guy she'd been crushing on was this guy, not the guy he was all the time at school. The half-goofy, half-inscrutable Sports Star of her memories. Smiling, deciding she could accept this for the night, she let her leg touch up against his.

"Oh, man," Nate said, covering his eyes when a small version of him toddled onto the stage. "Look at that shirt."

"Look at your hair," Adelaide added, giggling to herself about the short haircut.

"You know - oh, shit." The words were breathy, hurried, and she stared just a little as Nate's irises dipped away from her, towards the floor. He opened his mouth wide, tongue flapping slightly manically against his perfect set of teeth. She glanced to the tissue box, which was beside her, and decided it was Smart rather than Awkward to hand it over.

"Here," she said softly, placing them in one of his basket-like hands.

He squinted open one eye in a quick nod of thanks and then his head dipped to the side, the sneezes toppling him. "EiiSHUHH! EhhSHHHH!" The sneeze dripped onto his pants and she watched him grimace as his eyes fluttered open.

"Bless you," she muttered, and kicked the trash can towards him. "Um. Are you okay?"

He took a deep breath then shook his head, frowning. "No. Truth is Adelaide, I feel kind of like shit."

In spite of herself, she smiled. "Let's see if there's anything we can do about that."

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thank you for reading .

[Scion]

Definitely like it. The characters seem so real.

[sillystarsmoons]

I love it! The characters do seam real like Scion said. Amazing writing! I can't wait to read more soon!

[jezebel215]

this is sooo good!

i'm hoping nate comes to his senses (so to speak) and reevaluates his and Laidey's relationship.... :-)

[PaperThings]

A/N: Well, it's the first night of summertime for me, and I decided I may as well but it to good use by updating . Sorry for the long wait!

Scion - Aww, thanks!

Sillystarsmoons - Thank you!

Jezebel215 - Thanks ! Teehee, all in good time...

---

Part 6

---

She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe herself. She'd done this before - she was rarely squeamish, and always wanted to ease suffering - but never with a guy like this. A guy she felt that way about. And certainly, certainly, never with Nate. She'd only daydreamed about such a thing. About taking care of him.

"Here's your water," she said, sliding the glass onto the night stand. "Are you sure there's not... anything else I can get you?"

After Nate confessed how sick he felt, Adelaide how somehow mustered her courage and asked if she could take care of him. Well, she didn't phrase it quite like that. And his willingness to be doted upon had certainly helped. She had tucked him into bed, forced him to take his temperature (which they'd found was well over a hundred) and supplied him with another three boxes of tissues. When another fit of sneezing overcame him - the sneezes much wetter than they'd been, coming in a messy handful of four - she'd patiently not stared and then brought the trashcan to him. "So you don't have to get up to throw the tissues out," she'd explained.

Now she stared at him, the sight of his glazed eyes making her heart thump. He shook his head, and the light movement looked as if it pained him. "No, that's all right," he muttered, wincing. "You've done enough, Adelaide. More than enough." His eyelashes drooped gracefully and he cupped his hands together, but after a moment of breathy repose, he dropped them and continued talking. She noticed his voice wavered slightly more than it had a moment ago. "Y-you know, you don't have to hang out in here, if you don't want to get sick. There's a guest room and y-you c... ehhh-hhh" He snatched a tissue from the nightstand, well-refined nostrils flaring warningly as he stalled. With another gasp, this one sharp and needy, his muscular shoulders jerked forward. "EhhSHHH! EHSHHH!" They flung from him with little more than a half-gasp between them, his mouth continuing to gape. "HuhSHOO! Uhh'T'SHOO!" He curled the soaked tissue tight in his palm, cheeks pink as he tossed it away.

"Bless you," Adelaide remarked timidly.

"Thanks, sorry." Voice dull, he continued with what he'd been saying, "Anyway, if you don't want to get sick, you could stay in there. There's a nice TV and lots of DVDs and stuff."

She eyed him, surprised by the honest concern she could feel rearing up inside her. In a vain attempt to preserve her own feelings, she tried not to connect her worry with any of her old emotions towards Nate. "But what if you need me? I mean, um," she tried not to let her stammering show, "I mean... need anything."

He shrugged, looking all too dejected. "I'll be okay. It's just some sneezing, really."

"And a fever."

"It's fine. My parents won't be too much longer, anyway."

Adelaide's neck grew warm. 'Will they be, um, surprised to see me here?" She didn't know what answer she wanted. What did it mean if they weren't surprised?

To her delight, Nate smiled. "Nah. I talk about you guys - our friends - all the time. They think you're great." His eyes scooted downward, his gaze shadowed by a darker sentiment. "Anyway, they might not notice."

"This place is pretty big, after all," Adelaide chortled.

"Yeah." But he sounded uncomfortable, and Adelaide realized she had embarrassed him.

"Sorry, um, I didn't mean it that way. Your parents have great taste... I - I think it's a great apartment! You know what, maybe we should go to sleep." He nodded, and with dread she realized he looked relieved. "You're sure you'll be okay... by yourself?"

"I'm sure. I'm a big boy, Adelaide." He was grinning, but it chipped away a little something in side of her. I know, she thought. He opened his mouth, and she thought he meant to say something more, but then he snapped sideways into his elbow with an unexpected row of sneezes. "AhhSHH! Uh'SHH! HehTISHH!" Unlike the slow-building, agonizing fits, it was these smaller, biting sneezes that seemed to aggravate him more, peppering his every word with an taunting, soon-to-tip tickle inside his nose. He scrubbed his face with the palm of his hand and blew his nose. Adelaide waited, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. She wasn't sure if their conversation was over. She watched him sigh and lie back, his eyes closed in a private sort of weakness.

"Well. Good night," she said, giving him a meek smile that he couldn't see.

"Night."

She found her way to the guest room after a few wrong turns, and found it as luxurious as Nate implied. There was a soft, cloud-like duvet on the King-sized bed, and a beautiful fireplace rested in the corner. She wanted to watch TV, but all of her usual favorite movies would make her too sad tonight. She was a sap; her favorites were all the romances. In the end, she decided to simply catch up on sleep. There was hardly a better room to relax in, after all.

Too early, it seemed, she was roused. Something rough and persistent knocked her shoulder. "What?" she muttered angrily, forgetting where she was. When her eyes pealed back, Nate before her. At first she thought she was dreaming, but then she realized it was his voice she had heard saying "Adelaide, wake up," over and over. She stared at him, him with his red nose and his blue boxers and his body, which was shivering slightly. Her heart nearly stopped. Looking at him, she could tell there was something wrong.

"What?" she asked again, this time more gently.

"Adelaide." She could see him swallowing, his voice choking over something she couldn't see. "My parents' plane crashed. They're...they're dead." His voice broke, and she reached out, touching his shoulder. With a gasp of surprise, she pulled him towards her, holding him tightly against her as he began to sob.

---

I have to know if anyone guessed. Didja? I don't often write stories without character death . Thank you for reading! Comments always make my day.

[Scion]

Uggh, your cliffhangers. I can now appreciate my own evilness. As it happens, I did not guess, and I ALWAYS guess lol. Is this something you'd planned all along? Love this, by the way.

[sneezychick93]

OMGoodness!! That was such a great chapter!! Poor Nate! Can't wait for more!!!

[sillystarsmoons]

Ahh noo a cliffhanger! But I really can't wait for the next chapter now, this was great, hope you write more soon?

[jezebel215]

maybe it was a mistake. maybe they ID'd the plane wrong and they're not really dead.... poor nate :-(

[PaperThings]

A/N: I know, I know, it's been a month. Eep. I'm sorry. But I figured, at least an update now is better than an update never... right? Anyway, hope you all like it .

@ Scion - Thank you!! Yes, I did plan it from the beginning. In fact, oddly, that was the idea I started with. Cliffhangers are fun stuff .

@ sneezychick93 - Thanks so much!

@ sillystarsmoons - Thanks! Sorry the next chapter took so long .

@ jezebel215 - Haha, well, I never like to rule anything out as a possibility...

There was no manual for this, no way she should or might have acted. Adelaide was a teenager; she had no experience with tragedy, especially not on such a grand scale. The more she tried to process it, the more it eluded her. Nate's life had always seemed to pristine, so untouchable. No wonder he looked so lost.

They sat on the couch together, him beside her, her arm draped around his shoulders. Never mind her earlier wanting to escape, or her joy at caring for him. His sickness was forgotten. Though she might have felt uncomfortable if she thought about it too much, there was no space for that. Nate was curled up, half in her lap, alternating between a stunned, silent look and painful jags of crying. She didn't know what to do, other than sit with him and hold him with a freedom she'd never had before. She thought it was a bit funny, the way the world worked. If it wasn't all so horrible, she would laugh.

"Nate," she said tentatively, during one of his quiet periods. He glanced up at her, his face nestled against her arm. Where can we possibly go from here? she wondered, not wanting but needing to think of the future. I always wanted him to need me, but not like this. "My mom said..." Was it horrible for her to mention her own mother? God, she hoped not. "...when I called her, that when the storm gets better she'll come to get us. You can stay with us, and - and she'll figure out the... the funeral, and all of that. Okay?"

For a moment she was afraid of his reaction. Would he think it was too presumptuous? He did have better friends, at all. He was popular. There were plenty of families who would take him in. But Adelaide's mother was the take charge sort, and offered whole-heartedly upon hearing the news. "It's a good thing you're there," she'd said, sounding near tears yourself. "Be good to him, Adelaide."

Adelaide peered down at him, her heart aching as his handsome face knotted up. Several tears trickled down his sopping face. "Thank you," he said softly, and pressed his face once again into her shirt. She sighed softly, agonized by the sight of him, and pressed a kiss to his hair before she thought about it too hard. "Of course," she whispered back. She locked her arms protectively around his trembling shoulders, holding onto him tightly. His shirt was slightly damp with sweat, from the fever, and she realized she had no idea how he was coping at all. He was still too sick to be out of bed.

There was no sound for a long time but his rough breathing; Adelaide shut her eyes and let the noise fill up the apartment, praying they wouldn't let this drown him. Or rather, she wouldn't let it drown him, because she feared without her presence that it might. There was a moment where he tugged against her grip and assumed he was simply shaking from the tears. She tightened her arms again and, when she felt him struggle more, glanced down in confusion. She realized too late what was happening, and that he was gasping twice as much before, but not just because of the tears. Still, she didn't process anything quick enough to let go of him, and instead watched him duck his head haphazardly into her lap. She heard the muffled "UhSHHHH! T'SHHHH!"

"Nate?" She felt herself start to panic at the sight of him. He was still sobbing, his face torn wretchedly between the crumpled look of tears and the desperate need to sneeze again. He was nearly hyperventilating now, unable to stop gasping between sobs long enough to set the sobs free. He curled into a ball then, the sight of his damp, twisted face so terrifying to her, that she refused to let him go. "Nate... honey..." Despite it all, her cheeks heated up foolishly at the word. She forced herself to let it go. "You need to calm down, just a little, okay? I'm worried you won't be able to breathe." She braced his shoulders and watched, nervously, as he fought to gain control. At last his sobbing slowed to tears and she relaxed, the strangest of relief pouring through her as his nostrils flared wide. With a little gulp of a whimper, he turned away from her and sneeze into the couch. "HehSHHH! EhSHHUHHH!"

He sniffled softly, so pathetic and helpless that she knew she would never be able to look at him the same way again. She touched his shoulder, shy once again.

There was a long gap of silence and at last he looked at her, the saddest of smiles on his face. "What's going to happen to me, Laidey?" His eyes were full of tears again, but none fell. "I don't... I have an Aunt, who will probably come live here, but... but God, I can't even process that."

"I know, I know... shhh..." She hugged him tightly, his tears slipping down her back.

"I'm sorry I sneezed on you," he muttered, half-laughing.

She let herself laugh back. "Do you really think I care?"

He chuckled, but the humor dissolved almost instantaneously. He pressed his wet face into her collarbone and uttered something she couldn't hear.

"What?" she whispered, stroking his hair. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought. I'm comforting him and I'm not even freaking out.

"Don't let go of me," he repeated, voice broken into bits.

Her lips parted in soft surprise and she felt her own eyes grow warm with tears, touched at his words. "I won't."

A/N: Thanks so much for reading!

[Butch]

NarnieSmile - WOW.. I came back to read this and I was NOT expecting that twist! Glad you updated. Awesome. Please tell me there's more?

[sillystarsmoons]

Great Chapter! I can't wait to read more soon. Post more soon?

[obsessed]

Your writing is beautiful.

[everest]

Dang, girl. You just keep outdoing yourself! This is a really, really great story. I feel like you've got it just right- the pacing, your descriptions, everything. It doesn't hurt that Nate is adorable, either. Anyway, great job!

[PaperThings]

A/N: I'm starting to update more again (let's hope it lasts), because I really, really want to write the sequel to The Shiver Storm (hey, does anyone actually remember that story ?), but I'm not letting myself start anything new until I finish at least one of the stories I have up. So, here is part eight, I hope you guys like it . It was simultaneously fun and uncomfortable to write, so yay for that.

@ Mims - Thank you so much! I'm glad you weren't expecting it. Here is more for you .

@ sillystarsmoons - Yay! Thank you!

@ obsessed - <3 Thank youuu. Yours is too, you know!

@ Everest - Yay! Thank you so, so much! I'm so glad that you like it (and Nate). He's a fun one to write.

---

Part 8

---

"What are you doing?"

With the entire apartment draped in darkness, the curtains drawn to obscure the growing tarp of snow along the streets, Adelaide had decided it was best to ignore the actual time and simply pull them into their own routine. When Nate had at last seemed to cry himself out, she had put him to bed once more, ignoring the fact that the clock read 7:30 a.m. She had then fallen asleep herself, her mind too cluttered and overwhelmed to do anything but focus on the pristine ceiling and pray for some kind of internal calm. Now she awoke, only two or three hours later, to find Nate sitting on the floor of the guest room.

"I - I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. He was so pale that his face nearly glowed against the darkened room. "I was just waiting for you."

She sat up, scratching at her tangled hair. A shower would feel wonderful right about now. "You could have just woken me up."

He smiled wryly. "I already did that once today."

"Right." She looked down at the duvet and back up again, refusing to let herself grow cowardly. "Well, why don't we see about lunch."

"Lunch?" He looked truly baffled, like a child, and she resisted the urge to pat his head.

"Or breakfast. Whichever." She smiled at him, perching on the edge of the mattress. "Remember? Food?"

"Oh, right." His presence clouded over with grief and he stared at the fluffy carpet, eyes glassy. For a moment he had almost seemed like the jock she knew - at least partway - but now all of that was gone again.

"Hey, are you feeling okay? I mean," she added quickly, "um, physically? Your fever?"

He shrugged. "I stopped noticing."

Of course, she thought, feeling stupid and insensitive. Then, noticing the tiny drop of liquid around his nostrils, she thought, I won't tell him that he needs to blow his nose. Still, as she stood up, she snatched the tissue box with her left hand and extended her right. "Come on, then. Let's see if there's anything still salvageable in the kitchen." Her word choice felt almost too poignant, too related to death, and she gulped, hoping Nate wouldn't notice. But he, thank God, was Nate, and never read very much into anything.

"Okay," he said softly, after a moment. To her great shock, he reached out and took her free hand.

"Everything's still turned off then?"

"Yeah," he said distractedly, and she tried not to think about the way his sweaty fingers felt in hers. "Hey Adelaide?"

"Mmmm." She dropped his hand, almost forcefully, so she could open up the pantries. As he struggled with his words, she began spooning chocolate cereal into two bowls.

"I'm really sorry."

She stopped, feeling paralyzed. Between the lack of sleep, and her emotional turmoil - which she knew she didn't have a right to feel, considering what Nate must be going through - she wasn't sure she had the energy to reassure him again. When would he get it through his head that she wanted to be there for him? "Nate, enough already. I told you, I - "

"No, um. I mean... about before that. About... what I said. When - when you asked me out." He looked from tile to tile, wall to wall. Anywhere but at her.

"You apologized for that already too," she said softly, barely managing to say each word. If only I could have seen us today, when I spoke to him about that, she thought. Then, smirking a little, at any rate, we both look like crap.

"Yeah, but... that was before. I mean, um, I don't think... I don't think I meant it. What I said. About me not... not feeling that way about you."

Adelaide felt nothingness clog in her throat, every hair on her arm tingling. "Nate..." She turned as slowly as she possibly could, terrified to look at him. Simply wanting something to do, she handed him a tissue. He held it absent-mindedly, staring at her.

"Adelaide, no," he stepped forward and she felt dizzy, wanting suddenly, horribly, to get away from him. "Please let me finish... I - I realized that I wouldn't even be standing here right now if it wasn't for you. If you hadn't been here with me, I honestly don't know what I would have done when I found out. I mean it."

"Nate, you're grieving. This isn't the time to think about any of that. And anyway, you're confused, you're - " He put a single finger to her lips and she cursed him, hating him for ruining her mature defense. Did he know how badly she wanted to give in? Did he know how often she had dreamed of this moment, of him needing her and actually saying he needed her? And not to comfort him either, but... in that way. In a romantic way. She had wanted it for so long - years, really - and now it did nothing but add to her misery.

"Adelaide, I think I love you."

And before she could react - tell him that you don't change your mind about that sort of thing, scream at him for breaking her heart and then taking it back - he leaned forward and kissed her. His lips were so warm they burned her, but she didn't care because for one moment, one whole moment, she forgot everything but Nate. And this time he was the full Nate - Nate the jock, Nate her friend, and Nate the boy who had lost his parents and depended on her so heavily. He was Nate Carrodeen, her crush, come to love her at last.

She brought her hands up and pressed them to his shoulders, as if to hold him there. And she knew if his lips hadn't been on hers, his arms steadily around her waist, she might have shrieked from excitement. This was it, her dream come true.

"Wai-ai...ait..." He jerked away, inhaling unevenly between the words. Still reeling from the moment, she reached out and tugged at the hand that still held the tissue, which he brought up to his face. She watched him full-on this time, feeling bizarrely that at last she deserved to. She watched the order of his facial reactions, childishly fascinated with way it all happened. First his lips parted - lips she had just touched with her own, she reminded herself - and his breath began to hitch. It was silent at first, but she could see the way each inhale brought him closer, snagging his body with an ease no human could master. His eyebrows wound together first, then his nose turned upward, twisting desperately.

"Heh! Heh - " The last two gasps, the only audible ones, cut off and his eyes squeezed shut. "Ehh'SHOOO! HUHttSHOO!" He bent away from her, compressed face hidden in the tissue's papery touch. He stayed there for a moment, curled up, and she dared reach out and put her hand against his coiled shoulder muscle. There was a second's pause and then she heard him breathe in once more, his head tilting backwards now, slightly, as if to shake the sneezes free. "EhhSHHH! UH'tCHHH! 'SHOO! " The last syllable slipped out with unwarranted force and Nate breathed in once, taking a moment to recover.

He straightened up and mopped his face, his nose bright red and his eyes, which had been pink before, practically sealed shut with puffiness. Oh, why not, Adelaide thought, if there's ever going to be a moment to go for it, that would be now. And she did what she'd wanted to do before, reaching forward and weaving her arms around his neck. He froze a moment in surprised but then wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his chin in the crook of her neck with a smile she took as gratitude.

"Uh, bless you," she said softly, nearly giggling.

"Thanks," he muttered, and she patted his back at the sound of unsteadiness she still heard in his voice. "Adelaide, do - do you believe, me then?" He sniffed, and she snatched another tissue for him. He leaned back from her to wipe his nose, but kept one arm around her, holding her there.

"I don't know," she said. Then, deciding she could do nothing but be honest, said, "But I want to. I really do, Nate. But... right now, I don't think it's me you should be focusing on." Feeling him tighten his grip on her, she shook her head. "You don't need to worry, though. I'm not going anywhere." And the smile of delight on his face - a delight she had worried she would never see again from him - made her feel so strong, so powerful, that she leaned forward and kissed him once, gently. "I would say that I love you too, but you already knew that, didn't you?" Foreheads pressed together, Nate's already wrinkling in wont of another sneeze, they both smiled.

A/N: That is all for now . Yay romance! Oh God, I do hope I don't suck at writing romance... it's not something I stab at particularly often. Anyway, thank you for reading the chapter! Comments are always much appreciated.

[Candy]

So happy to see this story updated again! Very sweet.