Beautiful Catastrophe

Chapter Seventeen:

"C'mon Nathan, you knew what I was saying was completely right."

"No it wasn't Stephen. I can't even explain how pissed I am at you right now." Nathan grumbled.

"I just want to make sure your head is in the right place. You've waited so long to get revenge for everything Green has done to you, don't mess this up all because of some girl you've screwed couple of times. Why does it even matter if she took what I said the wrong way? Why should you care?"

"Because..." He hesitated for a moment, not quite sure whether to tell his friend the complete truth or not. "Because she's been hurt too many times before. I don't want to just be another asshole that makes an appearance in her life and screws things up completely for her."

"But your entire mission was to bring her back to D.C to the CIA. If you don't think that's screwing things up for her then I don't know what is-"

"I think- I think I'm having a change of mind." Nathan said hesitantly.

"About what exactly?" Stephen wasn't quite sure what Nathan meant by his words. He was confused and after getting no reply he inquired again. "What are you talking about Nathan?"

"I'm saying that maybe I won't bring her to D.C. Maybe she's better off somewhere else? I'm afraid of what they might do to her. Kim doesn't deserve whatever she has coming for her."

"I thought she was a conniving little rich kid who created software to hack the US Government's computers? That doesn't sound like she is undeserving of what's ahead of her to me."

"It's not like that. Things are a lot different than I had expected. My immediate thoughts about her are completely different to what she is actually like in person. She's different."

What Nathan was saying was the complete truth. Kim had turned out to be an entirely different person to what he had expected at first. He had accepted that now although it was difficult to take in at the beginning. Kim was not the bad person in this situation, she was foolish, but she was not evil. His interpretation had been twisted by his own negativity but he had figured out by then that she was more good than bad.

"I just hope you're making all of the right decisions here Nathan. I know you think I'm a d**k for being this way but it's because I'm your friend and it's because I care about you. I don't think you've fully thought all of this through. Planning on running away with a girl you know next to nothing about and putting her before the revenge you've been seeking for twelve years is definitely not the right choice. But it's your own choice and I suppose I have to accept that. It just makes me wonder how special she really is. You have never been so affected by a woman like this before in a long time."

"I'm not exactly putting her before my revenge against Green. We're going to poison him, we're going to kill him and settle the score. I'm just not using Kim as a pawn in my plan. Anyways, I have to go. She's waiting for me back at the hotel." Stephen rolled his eyes in response but said nothing. "I'll see you later tonight for drinks."

"See you later man."

They said their goodbyes and soon enough Nathan was on his way back to the hotel. He went out for lunch with Stephen to talk about Friday night's event. He originally planned for Kim to go along too but she refused to leave their suite. She said she wasn't going somewhere with him to just sit there and be dismissed every time she opened her mouth.

Although Nathan knew it was a bad idea leaving her there, he could not drag her to go with him. But later that day, he had something planned for them that he thought she might enjoy. Since their argument the night before, Kim was deflated and unenthusiastic. She was confused and unsure whether to begin trusting Nathan again, she decided to just snap at him every time he spoke instead.

He knew he messed up, Kim was beginning to open up to him and Stephen's words sent her right back into her shell again. Surprisingly to him, she was lounging on the sofa watching a movie when he got back. Nathan shook off his jacket and then walked into the living room area to see she hadn't even acknowledged his arrival.

"Kim."

"Nathan." She replied curtly, her eyes remaining glued to the screen in front of her.

"We're going out in an hour or two. Go get ready."

"No."

"Kim," he urged and sat down in the armchair closest to her. "Look at me." She rolled her eyes and then turned her gaze to him.

"What?" she asked.

"I know you're still pissed but we're going somewhere special. You're going to love it."

"As much as I love spending time with you?" she replied, rather dryly.

"Even more, if that's possible."

Kim didn't reply to him, only got up off of the couch and went to get ready. She took her time, hoping it would annoy him but he was being more than a little patient with her. Nathan didn't want to fight any more. He wanted her to believe him and also, he wanted to make it up to her. If things went back to the way they were, he would be delighted although he knew that would be difficult to achieve with a girl like Kim. Second chances, if any at all were rare.

Within a couple of minutes in the car, Nathan and Kim were stopping next to a theatre. Kim didn't want to get her hopes up, and so followed Nathan inside without saying a word.

"What are we doing here?" she asked quietly.

"We're going to see Peter Pan, the ballet, dumbass. Didn't you see the sign?" Nathan joked.

The excitement and delight Kim felt in that moment was too much for her to hide any long, the cocktail of both emotions made her forget her worries that emerged from last night's conversation with Stephen. She giggled at him, unable to think of a witty comeback. He enjoyed seeing her smile again, he loved watching the excitement appear on her face and he relished the sound of her laughter because of him.

Kim hadn't seen a ballet in what felt like years by then. Although she was not dancing in this one, she would thoroughly enjoy watching it. Nathan reached out and took her hand before walking to the ticket office. The reception area was full of people who chatted rather loudly all around. She didn't shake out of his grip, remembering how she missed his touch, even a small one like this.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since their argument and she was already missing him, despite his presence all day. She guessed she just wanted things to go back to the way they were, and decide just then that they would, but she wouldn't forget what she heard over dinner last night. Kim would watch out for him, although she didn't want to admit his denial of the accusations she made felt like the complete truth.

They sat and watched the ballet together. Nathan wasn't particularly interested in it but liked watching how she lit up once her eyes looked at the stage. The dancers swirled around and gracefully took over the stage, the joy Kim felt only subsided at the realisation that she may never dance like that on stage again. And so, as they left the theatre to make their way to Nathan's car, he couldn't ignore her frowning face any longer.

The mood seemed to have faltered, even Nathan was fully aware of how disheartened she became. Kim spoke very little on the drive but opened her mouth to talk once she noticed they were not returning home just yet.

"Where are you taking me now?"

"We're meeting Stephen for drinks. We won't be too long Kim."

"Alright." Kim felt deflated and too taken away by her sad thoughts to argue with him.

Once inside the club, they met with Stephen who was sitting at a table waiting for them. Kim barely said two words to either men for a couple of minutes until Nathan volunteered to go and get a round of drinks. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable alone with Stephen, who was chirpy and polite to her once she arrived, although she did not even spare him a glance and ignored him when he greeted her. She was unable to get his remarks out of her mind.

"Listen, I know you think I'm an asshole right now. You have every reason to think that but you don't understand." Stephen finally spoke. Kim had been looking away but then turned to catch eyes with him, giving him her full attention then.

"I'm not Nathan's play thing." She said in a stone cold voice. "So get that out of your head."

"I know, he's given me enough s**t for my poor choice of words already-"

"I don't care what he's done. I'm just telling you myself."

"Please don't be mad at me because of that, I take it back. It's just that- it all seemed a little strange to me."

"What did?" she asked, quite surprised that she was actually having a conversation with him after she promised she would give him as little attention as possible.

"Nathan changing his mind about the entire plan because of you. I don't mean to be rude but you're just a girl and he's been looking for revenge for almost twelve years now."

"I get it, you don't have to remind me." She rolled her eyes at his statement about her. Kim didn't know whether to feel relieved that she would never end up with Nathan or not, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to just be 'a girl' to him or not.

"He's my best friend, he has been since we were young kids. I care about him. So when he shows up to Las Vegas with a change of plan because of a woman, I obviously start to get suspicious. I want this mission to work out for him, after all that's happened to him, he deserves to get Kevin Green back. I was just looking out for him, I don't want him to screw this up because of who he is actually screwing." Stephen's honesty made Kim like him just a little bit more that night. She had gone from disliking him to understanding where he was coming from.

"I'm glad Nathan has a friend like you. He needs someone to look out for him after everything."

"So he's told you- everything?" Kim furrowed her brows at him in confusion. It was then that Stephen realised he said too much.

"He told me about his parents being murdered yes. Is there anything else?" Stephen gulped and tried his very best not to look suspicious.

"No, nothing else." He lied, his words transparent.

"I know you're lying." she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Listen, there's other things in Nathan's past that he obviously doesn't want to share with you. You have to understand and respect his privacy."

Kim had practically poured her heart out to Nathan about everything from her past, except for what happened between Shane and her friends, and so was shocked upon discovering he had left out parts of his.

"So there is something else then?"

"I can't answer that. If he wants you to know, you'll know. Nathan's a very difficult man to talk to about his past. He's broken but he won't ever admit it. Not to me and not to you."

"Please, can't you just tell me a small bit?"

In that moment, Stephen contemplated on whether to tell Kim the awful tragedy that Nathan had to face just a couple of years after both his mother and father were taken away from him. Kim was obviously not just like the rest of the girls Nathan would take an interest in for a little while.

Stephen was not stupid, he knew that their situation was difficult because of how they had met and the mission Nathan had to complete. But for his friend to even consider going against the CIA's instructions for Kim made Stephen more than a little skeptical. Was he allowing someone into his heart again after all of these years? And would it be with a girl who was the most difficult to keep considering the circumstances with the CIA? He wasn't quite sure he knew the answers to those questions yet, but one thing he did know was that Kim must have meant something to Nathan. He cared, and Stephen knew it. So making a decision to tell Kim another part of Nathan's past, a part she might never know unless Stephen told her himself, was difficult.

But Nathan was scarred, and Kim needed to know that in case she was the type of girl who played games.

"Just don't f**k around with him okay? He might seem strong at times but things can still hurt him. He needs to be in control a lot, it makes him feel better because of how little power he had over all the other s**t in his life." Kim wasn't quite sure what to say for a moment, she was taken aback. She was about to question him further but he cut across her again.

"Wh-"

"Let's just say Nathan's parents aren't the only ones Kevin Green took away from him."

Before any more words could be exchanged, Nathan had arrived back and was placing their drinks on the table. Kim pushed her and Stephen's conversation to the back of her mind then, but wouldn't forget it. The three got along a lot better after that, all of them interacted with each other. Nathan was surprised by the fact that Stephen and Kim were getting along but said nothing about it, until they were on their way home in the car alone.

"You shouldn't be driving?" Kim said, she was a little drunk from the couple of drinks she had but wasn't completely wasted.

"I was drinking coke Kim, do you really think I'd actually get behind the wheel if I was drunk?"

"Oh." She said quietly. "I didn't know."

"Someone has to look after you if you get too drunk." He chuckled a little. "Hey what were you and Stephen talking about earlier?" Nathan asked her casually.

"He just apologised."

"I guessed so, considering before I left you two you wouldn't even breathe in his direction."

"I can be a stubborn girl sometimes."

"Don't I know." He replied before turning into the parking lot.

It took them very little time to get up to their room. The mood had changed quickly once they were in the privacy of their suite. Kim got into one of Nathan's t-shirts and climbed into bed to find a shirtless Nathan already in there, lying on his side to face her.

She gulped at the sight of him. Although she had seen him like this many times before, she felt shyness creep up on her. Nathan reached out and traced patterns on her arm while she watched him carefully.

"Did you enjoy tonight?"

"It would have been better if-"

"If what?"

"If you weren't there." She giggled once she saw him roll his eyes.

"I think I should start taking your insults as compliments at this stage Kim."

"Maybe you should yes." There was a short silence before she spoke again, this time her voice was quiet and gentle. She looked him in the eye, "Thanks for today Nathan, the ballet was amazing."

"Not as amazing as me surely?"

Kim laughed again, but could say no more because soon enough Nathan's lips were tormenting hers, soft and gentle, slow and sultry. It seemed so sudden yet what she was craving all night. She pulled away for a moment to look at him; his gaze was intense and almost questioning. She knew why, she knew he was looking for her to say yes to him again, she knew he was looking for her forgiveness.

And for a moment, Kim was unsure as to whether kissing him back was the right thing to do or not, but then she decided she couldn't hold against him for long. Kim believed Nathan when he told her he wasn't using s*x as a way to trick her into being a part of his plan.

When she kissed him back, she just hoped it was the right decision.