Title: Aftermath

Pairing: Nina Theroux/Rachel Pirzad

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Just having a little fun.

Summary: The aftermath of Nina pushing Rachel to kiss her opens up a can of worms that neither girl was prepared to deal with.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who's ever reviewed this story. I'll end it here and maybe write a few one-shots chronicling Nina and Rachel's progression from here on out. Thanks again for reviewing! :)

Rachel could feel Nina everywhere.

Every time her chest expanded with a ragged breath, she could feel Nina closer, always closer the way Rachel needed her to be. She felt sure hands and long fingers settle on her waist and sighed a moan against Nina's lips as she attempted to get that much closer.

Her fingers twined in Nina's hair with need as she tugged Nina closer. The familiar scent of the woman she had come to love seemed to burst through her nostrils. With every heavy inhale Rachel felt herself grow more intoxicated. She curled her fingers into the back of Nina's skull while her other hand molded fondly against her face, brushing a flushing cheek with her thumb. It was warm to the touch and made her knees week. She felt herself slipping as her tongue slid along the seam of Nina's lips but she couldn't bring herself to care, especially not when she heard the muffled, breathy moan tumbling from Nina's lips.

It was accompanied by fingers tightening around Rachel's hip, digging for purchase, for more as Nina kissed her back with just as much enthusiasm. The fact that this act, this second chance, was consensual wasn't lost on her, and only spurred Nina's deep seated need to have Rachel in ways she had only imagined.

Nina felt Rachel pull away, a ragged gust of air brushing across her face.

"Nina…"

Rachel's voice was liquid that flowed right to the core of Nina. She smiled a serene grin while her eyes remained closed. "Hmm?"

The next thing she knew, Rachel's grip had renewed in vigor and their lips were fused together once more.

Nina's fingers flexed on Rachel's hips before she garnered enough self-control to push her away. Their lips parted, and Nina inhaled a shaky breath, feeling cold now that they had separated.

Rachel stared up at her with dazed, heavy lidded eyes before they widened and she gasped in horror before completely ripping herself away from Nina's arms. Her hands found her face, felt how warm her cheeks were as awareness came crashing down around her. "I'm so, so sor—"

"I'm not," Nina whispered once and for all. She stepped forward to wrap her hand around Rachel's wrist. Her thumb brushed a thundering pulse point. "This time I'm not sorry," she continued, staring directly into Rachel's glazed eyes. "And I don't think you are either."

Rachel bit her lip, gaze dipping in embarrassment at her actions and surprise by Nina's words. She inhaled a deep breath then met Nina's gaze once more through her eyelashes. "I'm not sorry," Rachel admitted in a soft voice.

Nina took that as her cue to step even closer. The way Rachel naturally swayed toward her body lit her insides on fire. It took everything she had not to curl her hands around Rachel's waist again and tug her mouth closer, to devour it completely and show Rachel what her body could really do.

Instead, Nina took a calming breath. She tilted her head to the side and cupped Rachel's cheek. "Then this is something you want?" she asked for further clarification.

Rachel's breath hitched at the steady warmth the palm of Nina's hand provided. "Nina, I—" She licked her lips and her eyes seemed to blaze with certainty that had yet to present itself when she continued. "I've wanted this, for a very long time."

"I think we should talk." Nina nodded to herself. "How about we take a few days to gather our thoughts, and when we're ready, we'll discuss them."

"Wednesday," Rachel spoke up. Her gaze was steady as she held Nina's eyes. "Have dinner with me Wednesday. We can go out somewhere and just talk."

Her initiative to get things started made Nina smile, a crooked grin that made heat rise to Rachel's cheeks.

"I'm holding you to this dinner, regardless of how you decide we proceed from here," Nina informed her, a throaty purr to her voice.

Rachel bit her lip to stifle a smile. "I look forward to it."

Work was impossible. Nina felt like she was in grade school again, complete with a high school crush on the cute, quiet girl that no one knew anything about. Her hands grew restless, fingers working double time on the keyboard with the knowledge that Rachel was just right next door, in her office working.

Dr. Rosen eyed her for a moment. "How are you, Nina?"

Her fingers stopped immediately as she gazed up at him with bright eyes. "I'm great, Dr. Rosen. The best I've been in a while."

She flashed him a quiet smile, then put her head down and got back to work, failing to notice the ghost of a proud smile on his face.

For once in her life, Nina didn't feel pretty enough. It was a silly notion, really. She knew she was beautiful, had been told so all her life by men and women alike.

But…this was her chance with Rachel, her Rachel who had lived in her apartment, down the hall from her for months in what came to be known as the sweetest torture.

This was, for all intents and purposes, Nina's chance, her only chance. She had managed to regain Rachel's trust as a friend, and more than anything, Nina wanted to prove that she could be trusted with Rachel's heart as well.

Her phone began to ring and Nina jumped, tightening her grip around the steering wheel as she eased to a halt in front of the red light. She blew out a shaky breath and fished her phone out of her purse in the passenger seat. "Hello?"

It was silent on the other line for a moment then Rachel told her, "Your voice pattern is far too stressed for this little dinner, Nina." Her voice grew soothing. "Take a deep breath, okay? And don't crash. I need you here, with me."

Warm intimacy laced the end of her sentence, and Nina sank back into her seat. The light turned green and she eased into motion with a quirk of her eyebrow. "Did you call because you knew I'd be a mess?"

"Actually, I called to inform you that I'm here."

Nina glanced down to the clock above the radio. "You're fifteen minutes early," she pointed out. Her tone was light and teasing as she asked, "You do know that, right?"

She couldn't see Rachel's blush, but knew it was there anyway by the demure tone of her voice. "I think it's important to be punctual for a date."

Nina stomped down the urge to ask Rachel to confirm what she had just said. She swallowed inaudibly and rolled her shoulders back, willing the butterflies in her stomach to calm. "How very right you are," she replied airily. She glanced over at the car beside her before flicking on her signal light. "I'll be there soon." She disconnected the call, and slid smoothly into the next lane.

"Table for two, please, under Theroux."

The waiter adjusted his bowtie. An amused smile ghosted across his lips that made Nina narrow her eyes. "She said you'd attempt this," he responded, as if attempting to explain the smile on his face. "The table is under the name Pirzad. She said she was paying for the bill."

Nina's shoulders tightened. "We'll see about that," she muttered to herself. Perking up, she told the man, "Take me to her," and was escorted through the restaurant a moment later.

Upon first sight of her, Nina forgot all previous thoughts of squabbling over who would pay the bill. Rachel looked gorgeous. Adorned in a golden dress that made her skin glow, she looked over and up at Nina with dark chocolate eyes accentuated by the eye liner she was wearing that made her look all the more alluring.

Nina's steps slowed as she approached the table, gripping the chair opposite Rachel. The waiter seemed to pick up on his cue to exit and politely excused himself.

Rachel cleared her throat. "Nina—" Her name was little more than a breath on the tip of her tongue as she dragged her eyes down her friend's svelte frame. A navy dress draped dramatically over pale shoulders and clung to a narrow waist and hips like a second skin. "You look so beautiful," Rachel breathed. She inhaled a deep breath and her eyes fluttered, darkening. "And you smell so good."

The nervousness she had felt while driving over was completely obliterated the second Rachel's hungry gaze landed on her with such finality, as if after surveying the entire room, Rachel had decided that Nina was all she wanted.

Grabbing the chair before her, Nina slid into her seat with a crooked grin. Her voice was low when she finally spoke. "You look gorgeous, Rach."

It was predictable, but no less amazing for Nina when Rachel reddened at the compliment, smiled bashfully, and looked away. It was charming, and Nina tilted her head to the side and observed her in silence.

Rachel fidgeted with the hem of her dress before she admitted, "I had been waiting, rather impatiently, for this day."

Nina nodded her agreement with a self-deprecating laugh. "It's been a long three days of work."

Rachel glanced up to meet Nina's eyes with an intensity that conveyed more than her words ever could. "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad that you agreed to this…whatever this is," Nina countered.

"What do you want this to be?"

She released a shaky breath, surprised by her own anxiety. But her voice held steady, confident. "I think it's obvious what I want, Rachel."

Rachel licked her lips.

"Can I get you ladies anything?"

Nina crossed her legs, and Rachel leaned back in her seat. Neither one had noticed how much they had gravitated toward each other.

"Two glasses of red wine, please," Nina spoke up for the both of them. She glanced over at Rachel rubbing the back of her neck, and met the waiter's gaze again. "And I think we're ready to order."

At that, Rachel perked up. "Yes, we're kind of regulars here," she informed the waiter with a charming little laugh. "So we've kind of fallen into the habit of getting the same thing."

He flashed them a polite smile and took their orders before politely excusing himself.

Once he was out of sight, Nina sighed. "That should keep him away for a while." She steepled her fingers together and placed her hands on her knee under the table. "I think it's important that we…discuss what happened that night." She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as Rachel went silent for a moment.

"I—Nina, I wanted to hate you," Rachel admitted with reluctance, and sorrow, and guilt weighing down her voice. "That night," she forced herself to continue. "I wanted to hate you because I hurt so much that night, and I wanted it to stop."

Crescent moon indentations were being carved into Nina's legs with each passing second that Rachel's voice wavered with such ferocity. It had been a long time coming, and though listening to her best friend confess how much she wanted to hate her squeezed Nina's heart close to breaking, she knew that they wouldn't be able to move forward until they actually dealt with the incident.

"Look at me."

Rachel's voice had steadied in the time that Nina had dropped her worried gaze and furrowed brow to fixate in her lap. Her eyes rolled to the far walls of the restaurant, feeling slightly claustrophobic before she looked up to meet the challenge in Rachel's eyes, the dare that told Nina that she had the choice of either staying and making it work or leaving it all behind, and tomorrow they could go back to being coworkers and tentative friends.

Nina chewed on the butterfly that tickled her lip and swallowed the rest to let them wallow around in her stomach. She held Rachel's eyes steady as Rachel spoke again.

"I felt so betrayed, so cheap, and so used."

Nina opened her mouth to speak, but an uncharacteristically sharp look from Rachel caused her mouth to clamp shut once more.

Round, brown eyes began to glisten and Rachel blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. "And I wondered how could Nina, how could my very best friend do this to me. And you know what? I didn't have an answer."

Nina leaned forward in her seat as if she was ready to leave it at any moment and sprint around the table to wrap Rachel in her arms. "You said you wanted to hate me. Why didn't you?" she asked. A shoulder shrugged almost helplessly. "Why don't you?"

Rachel gurgled out a humorless laugh and wiped at the corner of her eye. "Because I love you," she replied emphatically as if the answer should be obvious. "I'm in love with you, Nina, and I have been for some time."

The soft declaration pulled a smile out of Nina despite the heaviness of the conversation. She placed a tentative hand on the maroon table cloth and scooted forward in her seat.

"I could never hate you," Rachel continued in a voice that threatened to whisper. "I was so angry and hurt, but I couldn't, I can't—"

She choked on a breath, and Nina was by her side in an instant. Hiking up the hem of her dress, Nina knelt on gentle knees and looked up at Rachel with startling determination before wrapping long arms around a trembling waist and tugging Rachel to her more stable frame.

Rachel leaned down to tuck her face into wisps of dark hair. With each inhale of Nina's sultry perfume, shampoo, and a smell that was uniquely her, Rachel could feel herself falling deeper.

"Say it's reciprocated, Nina, please," she found herself whispering in a form of desperation she had never felt.

Nina's reply was instant, confident. "It is." Her soft hands and long fingers trailed up Rachel's spine and reveled in the shiver it invoked. She tucked long strands of dark hair behind Rachel's ears then cupped the sides of her face. Nina felt her breath hitch at the sight of her. Rachel had never looked more beautiful, so vulnerable. "Rachel, I—" Nina rubbed her lips together, feeling laid bare and uncomfortable in front of the woman she loved. "It's been hell living right next door to you in my apartment and not being with you." The mystified expression on Rachel's face made Nina chuckle with a self-deprecating shake of her head. "Do you know how hard it's been, having to give objective advice to you about your male suitors? Instead of just telling you to ditch them and be with me?"

Rachel giggled, a watery laugh as wet as her eyes. Her palm was warm when she cupped a pale cheek. "Nina…" she whispered. She had never sounded more in love.

Nina tilted her head into Rachel's hand, a coy smile tugging at her lips. "I love you, Rach."

She felt little tremors wrack the lithe body below her, and Nina placed a parting kiss to Rachel's neck to pull back and glance down at her face.

Rachel was flushed from her cheeks down to her chest that heaved with each breath and ached for attention she was ill-prepared to receive. Nina smiled, a tad smug and a tad sympathetic. She shifted to lay by Rachel's side, pressed tightly against her. Her hand combed through silky hair as Rachel's shaky breathing filled the silence.

"Too much?"

Rachel huffed in frustration. Her eyes screwed shut as she mentally berated herself. "I try so hard to be ready, but I just can't get it right and it's aggravating, and—"

"Hey, hey," Nina shushed. Her lips brushed against the shell of a sensitive ear and Rachel felt her skin prickle. Her sigh was languid as she seemed to just melt back into Nina's bed sheets. "Rach," Nina continued in the same voice that seemed to soothe Rachel best. The tip of her index finger traveled from Rachel's hairline, down the side of her face until she reached her chin. Applying the barest hint of force, Nina guided Rachel to face her. Deep, pitiful eyes met hers with reluctance, and Nina's smile renewed. "Rach, it's okay," she continued as her thumb brushed comfortingly across Rachel's cheek. It'll take time, I know that. And you know that, so there's no reason to be so upset."

Rachel dropped her gaze to the bed sheets. She saw commingling remnants of hers and Nina's dead skin, and really, there was nothing at all romantic about dead skin on bed sheets; but the fact that it was theirs meant the world to her. "I just…I want to be good enough for you, Nina," she finally mumbled.

Nina's face softened at the gentle declaration. "Oh, Rachel." Her voice was little more than a murmur. "You're more than good enough for me. You're too good for me, I'd argue."

Rachel went to rebuff her claim, but Nina only leaned forward to press their lips together gently. The simple action made Rachel quake and moan into the kiss, completely forgetting what she was going to say.

"That's not very fair," Rachel murmured when Nina pulled back.

"Then you'll just have to get better at not reacting to me so fiercely," Nina replied with a wink.

Returning to the subject made Rachel's face elongate in dare Nina think it, a pout. "You'll just have to be patient with me."

"Oh, Rachel," Nina purred with a glint in her eyes. "I've waited this long just to get you in my bed. I think I can wait a little longer."

Though overtly flirtatious, the statement made Rachel feel more cared for than she had ever felt with any previous lover. She felt like she didn't have to be ready right then and there, that Nina would be patient with her and, equally importantly, she would be more than willing to help Rachel progress in this realm that Rachel had never felt comfortable exploring previously.

Rachel turned onto her side to face Nina. She wondered if the novelty of having Nina this way would ever wear off. Then Nina smiled in genuine happiness, and her face lit up the room, and suddenly Rachel doubted it ever would.

They had paved a hard road to get to this point.

But it was almost guaranteed that there would be smooth sailing from here.