I seem to be only writing for these two lately.

These crazy kids really need to just talk some of this stuff out. This is my attempt at making them do so.

"Say it again." Audrey mumbles into his skin. Her breath is hot against his neck, it prickles in a delightful way.

Nathan runs his fingers up and down her spine, relishing the way she pulls closer, the tightening of her muscles.

"I love you." He whispers. Her eyes flick up to look at him, wide and honest. She smiles broadly, lifting up a bit so her chin rests on his chest. "Again." She urges, sleep barely creeping into her voice.

He reaches up and cups her cheek, slides his hand to push back her hair.

"I love you."

She leans forward and kisses him soundly, mouth sliding open, urging his to do the same. He pushes her back until they both sitting up, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck so she's pressed tight against him.

"Your turn." He breathes as they break apart, and her face splits in another smile. God, he's missed seeing her smile.

She rests her forehead against his, matches his gaze for several moments.

"I love you, Nathan."

He trails kisses down her jaw, nips at her neck. She tangles a hand in his hair, lets him nudge her until she's laying back on the bed.

The second time's slower, less frantic. They've already succumbed to their need for skin-on-skin, now it's soft touches and long kisses.

She curls up in his arms again after, her head nestling into the curve of his shoulder, one leg thrown over his. He resumes his movements, his hand trailing along her back.

"I'm sorry." She whispers, so soft he almost doesn't hear it. For a split second he thinks he should pretend he didn't; he knows where this conversation will lead.

But if they're going to do all of this for real, then they need to have it.

Audrey wiggles closer into him, her nose nuzzling his neck.

"I shouldn't have pushed you away." She murmurs. The words are still barely audible, a quiet secret in the dark of the room.

"Parker, I-"

"No." She cuts him off, sits up suddenly. She looms over him, long hair slipping down in a curtain around them both. "Nathan, I need to say this."

He nods slightly. She gazes down at him a moment before continuing.

"I thought I could keep you safe, and I was wrong. And I'm sorry. I should have told you…. Everything."

She looks unsure, her face illuminated only by the moonlight coming in through the window.

"I get it." His response is just as quiet as her admission; this is a confession, a moment just for the two of them. "I'm sorry too."

Her mouth twists but she doesn't say anything, waits for him to continue.

"I should have fought harder. For you."

She casts her eyes down, but he keeps going.

"And you were right. I screwed up with Howard. All I wanted to do was fix things and I made them so much worse."

Audrey looks back up at him. The pain and guilt are clear in his eyes, and she wonders how many nights he spent feeling this same regret over his actions.

"I forgive you." She offers, because someone in this goddamn town needs to.

Nathan's not done though. "And about Sarah-" He starts, but she doesn't let him finish. Shaking her head quickly, she brings her hand up to rest on his chest and he quiets.

"Don't." She says, and he looks up at her, brow furrowed. She doesn't want to hear his apologies for what happened, doesn't want him to say words she knows he doesn't mean.

"I'm not…." She pauses, thinking. She has to pick the right words here, as difficult as it may be. "I'm not mad. About any of it." Part of her thinks she maybe ought to be, but a greater part knows that whatever happened, happened because even 54 years ago she felt something for him. Even in a world where she knows next to nothing about him, she still wanted to be with Nathan.

The words tumble out before she can stop them. "I've always loved you."

The last time she made that same statement he lay motionless beneath her, dead and gone for all she knew. She slides her hand to rest over his heart, feels it beating, reminds herself that he came back to her.

Nathan covers her hand with his own, reaching out to rest a hand on her waist. "She was you. And I couldn't…. I wanted to be with you. Just once."

Something twists inside of her, and she understands. She would have taken that chance too.

She leans down and kisses him, soft and sweet. His arm wraps around her waist, brings her to rest back in her same spot, pressed against him.

Neither of them speaks for several long moments. Audrey turns her head into him, so close her eyelashes brush his skin when she blinks.

"What about James?"

With a shaky, uncertain tone, Nathan breaks the silence at last. Of course he's not finished, she thinks.

"I didn't see him. In the barn, I mean." She rests her hand on his chest once more and begins tracing a circular pattern with the tip of her finger.

Nathan's face falls minutely; another depressing revelation. Still, he pushes on. "Do you wanna talk about him?"

There's sadness in his voice, and Audrey imagines he feels the loss as well. She does not know if she is allowed to grieve for a son she can't remember, but perhaps together they can make some sense of it.

"Not tonight." She manages, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "Let's go to sleep."

For a minute it seems like he's going to fight her, but he nods sharply and tugs the blankets up to cover them. She presses her palm over his heart again, and the steady beating is reassuring in the face of all they're up against.

They're barely scratching the surface of all the obstacles they need to pass. Their communication was shattered before she went into the barn, but surely they can rebuild it. They're stronger together, after all.