Natalya caught the tail end of Sam's plea and flashed him a quick, genuine grin over her shoulder. Spetsnaz operatives, maybe another ten, were stepping onto the roof, some starting to make their ways down into the building. They went immediately to their fellows, checking for injury and trauma. One of them puzzled over Yorick a little, but Natalya figured that was to be expected. He was a puzzling young man.
She was striding toward the men in the jackets, tailored subtly different, that were XOs, and when one of them broke from the group and rounded on her, walking with just as much purpose and a longer stride toward her, and all the breath left her lungs. She stopped and stared.
He was as tall as she remembered, and as broad. His eyes were as clear, and warmer than one would expect from a premier sniper of his skill and experience. He wasn't quite clean shaven and his hair was clipped and short in that Roman way that meant he was busy or on active duty and didn't have time for anything else. Economical. He was so handsome she thought her heart was going to drop into her stomach.
"God, look at you," he breathed, stopping in front of her. "Is it true? That you staged an infiltration to recover the rest of the team alone? That's- Natalya, this is tremendous. You're going to jump rank, I can't-" She could tell he was nervous because of the lines around the corner of his mouth. No one else in the world would know.
"Well, you won't be my protege much longer, that's for goddamn sure." Her jaw worked a little but she couldn't say anything. He wasn't her husband yet. She didn't know how to to talk to him. In a year, they'd be so much more than familiar, but now she was stuck.
He gripped her suddenly and pulled her into a rough, tight embrace, which was a breach of etiquette to say the least but one everyone there would overlook. She was his student, his only one for the past year, and so they would understand the closeness. She lifted her hands to hold onto the backs of his shoulders.
"You're okay," he murmured, and she realized it was to himself. He pulled back after a moment, gripping the back of her neck like a brother, grinning fiercely at her.
"You're okay." He looked awkward for a moment and her heart broke, because that was the moment she'd realized she wasn't hallucinating the unspoken edge to their relationship.
And a year later they were married. Jesus.
"Head up to transport," he said, giving her arm a powerful squeeze and looking into her eyes before letting go and starting past her. Natalya turned, his name on her lips, and found herself staring at the doorway of the kitchen in the compound on the island.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-11-14 07:41 pm (UTC)She was striding toward the men in the jackets, tailored subtly different, that were XOs, and when one of them broke from the group and rounded on her, walking with just as much purpose and a longer stride toward her, and all the breath left her lungs. She stopped and stared.
He was as tall as she remembered, and as broad. His eyes were as clear, and warmer than one would expect from a premier sniper of his skill and experience. He wasn't quite clean shaven and his hair was clipped and short in that Roman way that meant he was busy or on active duty and didn't have time for anything else. Economical. He was so handsome she thought her heart was going to drop into her stomach.
"God, look at you," he breathed, stopping in front of her. "Is it true? That you staged an infiltration to recover the rest of the team alone? That's- Natalya, this is tremendous. You're going to jump rank, I can't-" She could tell he was nervous because of the lines around the corner of his mouth. No one else in the world would know.
"Well, you won't be my protege much longer, that's for goddamn sure." Her jaw worked a little but she couldn't say anything. He wasn't her husband yet. She didn't know how to to talk to him. In a year, they'd be so much more than familiar, but now she was stuck.
He gripped her suddenly and pulled her into a rough, tight embrace, which was a breach of etiquette to say the least but one everyone there would overlook. She was his student, his only one for the past year, and so they would understand the closeness. She lifted her hands to hold onto the backs of his shoulders.
"You're okay," he murmured, and she realized it was to himself. He pulled back after a moment, gripping the back of her neck like a brother, grinning fiercely at her.
"You're okay." He looked awkward for a moment and her heart broke, because that was the moment she'd realized she wasn't hallucinating the unspoken edge to their relationship.
And a year later they were married. Jesus.
"Head up to transport," he said, giving her arm a powerful squeeze and looking into her eyes before letting go and starting past her. Natalya turned, his name on her lips, and found herself staring at the doorway of the kitchen in the compound on the island.
He was gone.