Chapter Text
Nathan groaned and rolled from his side to his back, the sheets twisting around the lower half of his naked body. He opened his eyes a sliver before closing them back again thanks to the blinding light streaming in from the bedroom window. His head was throbbing, making it difficult to think straight, but he did register that Delphine wasn’t in the bed with him. He lifted both hands to his face, rubbing his temples and shielding his eyes a bit before attempting to open them again. It had to be late given the angle of the sunlight–probably close to noon. Nathan had never been one to sleep in. Growing up there were always chores to do, and the Mounties had instilled a strict schedule that started before the sun rose. He could probably count on one hand the number of times he’d let the morning get away from him–and at least two of them had been because of Delphine.
Nathan closed his eyes again, willing his brain to function.
After he’d agreed to stay the night, Delphine had met him at the back door, somehow already changed into one of her robes, with a bottle of champagne in hand. When they got upstairs she’d said something about toasting the new province, and the events after that were a little fuzzy, his memories just a fog of alcohol and intimacy–the taste of the bubbly swirling with that of Delphine on his tongue, the smell of her ever-present perfume mixed with sweat and desire, the sounds of their ragged breathing and moans of pleasure. As usual when it came to this woman, he wasn’t sure how to feel. His memories of the night were incredible, but he’d broken a promise to himself and had apparently added a hangover to boot.
Nathan tried to convince himself to sit upright, knowing he needed to get moving and head home as soon as possible, when he heard a door open across the room.
“Hey there, sleepy head,” Delphine said, making her way over to the bed and perching on its edge. “How are you feeling?”
“Like my head’s going to explode,” he responded, again shielding his eyes and wincing as he looked at her.
“I was worried about that. You kept refusing the trays at the gala, and then you didn’t eat anything once we got back here either. Well…” she paused and winked at him and then added, “You didn’t eat any food. I seem to recall you feasting quite a bit on yours truly.”
Nathan was somewhat surprised that she could still make him blush, but he could feel the heat rise in his neck at her implication and decided to deflect rather than delve into the details of last night with her.
“Well I don’t think I could eat anything now either.”
Her eyes softened as she watched him, conveying a hint of concern. Whether it was for his embarrassment or his physical wellbeing he wasn’t quite sure.
“I tell you what, why don’t I run you a bath, and I’ll bring you a little concoction that always helps me when I’ve had a few more glasses than I should.”
She leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his chest, and then she was gone as quickly as she had appeared, and he could hear the water running in the room next door.
As much as he wanted to just get dressed and go, he had to admit that the idea of submerging in her tub sounded glorious, so he started the painstaking process of finding the floor with his feet.
XXXXXXXXXXX
The bath and whatever it was Delphine put in the drink mixture she had brought him took a bit of the edge off of Nathan’s headache–enough for him to realize that he wasn’t sure what had happened to his uniform. He got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around his waist, and entered the bedroom to find Delphine sitting on her sofa with a book in hand. She looked beautiful like that, her strawberry hair framing her face, and her teeth biting her lower lip slightly as her eyes floated across the page. He shook his head and begged his body not to betray him.
“What are you reading?” he asked in an attempt to announce his presence.
Delphine’s attention shifted immediately to him, and she held up the cover for him to see.
“Poems by Emily Dickinson. Scandalous some of them. Remind me to read you the one about Wild Nights,” she answered, wiggling her eyebrows before softening her expression. “Feel better?”
Nathan couldn’t help but notice the genuine care in her tone. These were the moments he’d tried so hard over the last two weeks to avoid–the ones where the way she treated him felt so much like a real connection. Like she wasn’t just taking what she wanted from him, but actually wanted what was best for him.
Or like she felt about him the way he had been trying so hard not to feel about her.
He’d caved last night when she’d asked him to stay, but he didn’t need to amplify that by remaining in her apartments any longer than necessary. Every moment he stood here allowing her to look at him like that was another moment that made things more confusing and difficult for him.
“Yeah, but, uh, I should get home,” he said, his eyes searching the room for any sign of his uniform, the one thing standing between him and a clean exit.
“Yes, you probably shouldn’t go dressed like that,” Delphine laughed, unfolding her legs from the sofa and rising to her feet.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Nathan couldn’t help but laugh in return, inwardly cursing her natural ability to disarm him even when he was actively building up his defenses, “But my uniform seems to have gone missing.”
“Oh well, I guess you’re stuck here then,” Delphine said, feigning innocence, as she crossed the room toward Nathan, stopping in front of him and fiddling with the towel at his waist. “I could help you feel much better, Constable,” she teased as she ran her fingers under the edge of the towel.
Nathan sucked in a breath at the sensation of her nails on the skin of his hips, searching for an excuse for why that wasn’t a good idea, when she placed both hands on his chest.
“I’m just teasing you, Nathan,” Delphine said, smiling up at him. “Unfortunately, your serge suffered some damage last night.”
Nathan’s eyebrows shot up, as some of the memories resurfacing, dancing just at the corner of his mind, but Delphine was quick to reassure him.
“Not to worry, I have it in the capable hands of our laundry attendant. Like I told you before, she has plenty of experience with these things. She’ll have it good as new by the next time you’re here on Monday. In the meantime, I purchased some clothes for you a few days ago when I was shopping in town.”
“You what?” Nathan asked. He was both shocked and not at all surprised that she would do such a thing.
“What can I say? I liked seeing you in your civilian clothes at the festival a couple of weeks ago. An image like that sticks with a girl, so, when I saw some things I thought would suit you, I bought them to keep in your dressing room. ‘For such a time as this,’ as they say. I told you when you first came that you could leave things here.” She grabbed his hand and started leading him toward the open door.
Nathan wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just followed her into the room as she showed him the selection of items she had chosen. Before he knew it, she had kissed him gently on the lips, told him goodbye, and closed the door behind her, leaving him to change into some of the nicest clothes he’d ever worn and make his way back to his apartment.
XXXXXXXXXXX
The sound of a knock on his apartment door caused Nathan to awaken with a start. He’d eaten a light lunch when he got home and then crashed on the sofa in an attempt to sleep off the remnants of his hangover.
“I’ll be right there,” he called as he scanned the room for the shirt he’d removed, finding it draped across the back of a chair. He shrugged it on quickly, still amazed at the weight and softness of the fabric, and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to look a little more presentable. He had no clue who might be visiting him on a Saturday afternoon, but Sergeant Major Patrick Nelson wouldn’t have been at the top of his list of guesses.
His superior officer stood with the trademark posture of a senior Mountie, hands clasped behind his back when Nathan opened the door.
“Sir,” Nathan said, “Is everything alright?”
“I wish I could say that it were,” Nelson responded, a serious look on his face. “Do you mind if I come in for a moment?”
“Of course not,” Nathan replied, stepping aside to clear the path and closing the door behind him.
The Sergeant Major glanced around the apartment, wrinkling his nose a bit, and Nathan felt the gesture as keenly as he would have a full reprimand. His quarters were not exactly tidy given how busy he’d been the last couple of weeks. Nathan moved to clear the used dishes off the table.
“Would you like to sit, sir?” he asked.
“No, Grant, I won’t be staying long. I just got some unfortunate news this morning that I wanted to deliver in person.”
Nelson glanced at his feet and then back at Nathan, obviously searching for the right words.
“I suppose it’s best just to say it. We got a telegram this morning that Constable Richards was killed sometime yesterday.”
Nelson paused, and Nathan blinked, his brain struggling to process the news. He stared at the sergeant major in disbelief. There was no way this was true. Richards was the most full of life person he’d ever known. Surely there was some mistake. He looked back at the Sergeant Major, hoping that he’d somehow misheard, but the look on the man’s face made it clear that he had heard correctly. Nathan felt his stomach lurch.
Nelson continued, placing his hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Grant. I know he was a friend of yours. That’s why I came to tell you in person. We don’t have a lot of details yet, but they sent a messenger who should be here with more information sometime Monday.”
The initial wave of shock shifted into a sort of numbness, as Nathan stood there trying to take in the rest of the sergeant major’s words. Something about helping with Richards’ file. Notifying the family. The words were all merging together until Nathan heard the name of Superintendent St. Clair.
“He’ll be busy with the prime minister, so I’m hoping you have a little extra time on your hands to help.”
Nathan just nodded.
“Look, Grant, if you are in the Mounties for long, this probably won’t be the last time you get news like this. I’d like to tell you it gets easier, but it doesn’t. But we honor the ones we lose by doing the job they can’t do. Understand?”
“Yes sir,” Nathan said, taking a deep breath and standing up a little straighter.
“Good. Make sure you get out of these four walls sometime tomorrow. And I’ll see you Monday,” the Sergeant Major said, and, with that, Nelson patted Nathan on the shoulder one last time and exited the apartment.
Nathan closed the door behind him and turned, resting his back against it. Through the tears pooling in his eyes, he saw the unfinished letter to his friend, still sitting on the table.
He slid to the floor, head in his hands, and allowed the sobs to overtake him.