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It comes as no surprise when Chloe gives Nadine the opportunity to pick their next gig, Nadine drops a much thicker dossier in front of her than Chloe gave her.
“Doubt my ability to do my own research on a job?” Chloe asks jokingly with an eyebrow arched.
“Not really. I just like to do as much as I can on my end first.”
If Nadine’s going to have to learn how to let certain logistics go, Chloe can learn to work with someone details conscientious. She’s never had that experience before.
Her last – her only great partnership with Nate was a union of two people who were both very good at improvising very different things. Nadine is something of a welcome shock to Chloe’s system and she’s always game.
Looking at Nadine’s preamble worthy of a history textbook, Chloe zeros in on a handful of words: Laos, nineteenth century, buried treasure.
“Right on the nose there,” Chloe chuckles.
“Thought you’d find that funny,” Nadine smiles. “Not as old as our Hoysala friends, but it should boast some spectacular views.”
Chloe smirks, adrenaline of a new hunt coursing through her. “You know me so well.”
Nadine shakes her head as Chloe haggles with the rental car guy.
“Control issues, you said,” Nadine points out, amused as Chloe twirls the keys around her finger. “Never in my life have I met someone more willing to go with the flow.”
“You would know,” Chloe says, throwing the climbing gear in the back. “When you’re good at something, you don’t let anyone take that away from you.”
“Too true.”
Spelunking into the cave where colonial governments hid and lost their wealth, Chloe’s own competitive streak comes out.
“Race you to the bottom.”
“You’re on,” Nadine laughs.
They’re both laughing, already a bit breathless when there’s a crack in the rock.
Without thinking, Chloe reaches out to catch Nadine’s hand for support, but they’re both falling.
It’s incredible, for something that happens in little more than a blink of an eye how long the moment drags on. Chloe’s free hand manages to make purchase on solid rock face with her piton.
It takes another moment to realize her other arm isn’t straining with weight. Nadine managed to catch solid rock with her piton too.
“Holy shit,” Nadine laughs nervously, as they both pant hard, trying to catch their breath.
“You can say that again,” Chloe agrees, suddenly conscious she’s holding onto Nadine’s hand a little too hard.
Quickly she reaches out for a notch in the rock face, ready to wholly support her own weight again. Why that flusters her more than the freefall, she can’t say.
“You think we should go down one at a time so that doesn’t happen again?” Nadine asks.
“Probably before the best. Age before beauty –” Chloe says without a second thought as she begins swiftly descending again.
“Hey!”
Joking aside, Chloe doesn’t breathe easy until they’re both splashed down at the bottom of the cave.
“Cheap way to win the race, Chloe,” Nadine exhales.
Chloe lightly smacks her arm, “You’ll get ‘em next time.”
She almost snaps a photo of Nadine’s face.
----------
When Nadine’s head emerges from the water, she doesn’t expect to see Chloe Frazer sitting at the edge of the hotel pool.
“Jesus,” Nadine splutters, “You could have called.”
“I did,” Chloe waves Nadine’s phone.
Nadine rolls her eyes, swimming for the stairs. “Couldn’t give me forty minutes.”
Chloe leans back on the lounger as Nadine snaps up her towel. “It couldn’t wait, china.”
Nadine can’t deny she’s excited for another job so soon. She may be getting ahead of herself, two successful jobs isn’t a streak, but so far, treasure hunting with Chloe has gone really well.
“I take it we have a rival close on our heels,” Nadine says, voice muffled by her towel.
No response.
Finished drying off, Nadine looks at Chloe’s face is almost indescribable. If Nadine had to say, Chloe’s torn between guilt and – if Nadine didn’t know better, slack-jawed staring.
Inexplicably, Nadine’s cheeks go hot.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Weeeell there definitely is a high interest in this one, which is why it might be easier on us if it was a three-person job, hence why I wanted to talk to you in person.” She lets it sink in.
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Him?”
“He’s available,” Chloe says sheepishly.
Shit.
Nadine sighs.
While Laos wasn’t without its complications, she and Chloe were good. Nadine chose to have it just bet the two of them, but she’s not proud to admit, it could have gone smoother with a third.
Sam Drake wouldn’t be her first or even her second choice, but they can work together semi-professionally. Possibly.
Nadine sighs, “It’s your gig.”
“Our gig,” Chloe insists; heat rises in Nadine’s face again and she could swear her heart skipped.
“And Sam Drake’s,” Nadine says, trying to not sound too bitter.
“He’ll behave; I told him it was a condition of him getting his full third.”
Nadine chuckles. If he can be civil, she damn well can be too. “I’m in. What’s the job?”
“Well love, have you ever been to Bangladesh? You’ll love it.”
----------
When the firefight starts, Chloe’s grateful for a third person on their side, but even more grateful it’s Nadine’s back pressed up against hers.
“This really happens every job,” Nadine observes wryly. Well, shouts really.
“Just about,” Chloe chuckles nervously. “At least all the really good ones.”
“I’ll up my game for the next one,” Nadine says.
Chloe’s in the middle of reloading and wondering where the hell Sam could have gotten to when there’s the deafening sound of a gun firing near her head.
“Fuck!” She barely hears herself yell as Nadine’s grabs her roughly and drags her away.
“We have to get to the car and find Sam!”
Chloe doesn’t need to be told twice. If Nadine’s concerned, it’s probably time to go.
Miraculously the jeep’s exactly where they left it, but there’s no sign of Sam. Chloe practically launches herself in, tearing off as soon as Nadine’s ass hits the seat, no time for arguments. She swerves the car enough through the shots to avoid getting the tires shot out.
“That was close,” Nadine pants.
“We’re not out of it yet –” Chloe mutters, scanning for any sign of Sam.
Sam’s garishly printed shirt is easier to spot through the jungle than Chloe’s red one.
“Hold on,” Chloe gives Nadine just enough warning to grab the dashboard as the jeep screeches in the opposite direction.
Nadine reaches out and snatches Sam up; Chloe assumes Sam’s yelp of pain is more surprise at being picked up rather than anything to do with her driving.
Eventually the shots become more distant and more infrequent, the loudest noises being all their panicked breathing, slowly stabilizing.
“Thanks for the diversion, ladies,” Sam says between wheezes.
“Better have been worth it,” Nadine cranes her neck.
“Welllll…” Sam drags out before dropping a small cylindrical decoder in Nadine’s lap.
“Dick,” Nadine laughs, clearly relieved.
“What do you say, should we keep him around?” Chloe asks, eyebrow cocked.
Nadine hums in exaggerated thought.
“I can hear you guys,” Sam grouses.
Nadine smiles at Chloe, “I suppose so.”
Chloe grins back.
----------
Chloe’s been flirting with her. Nadine quite likes it but she doesn’t know what to make of it. After all, Chloe flirts with everyone: the flight attendant, the rental car guy, Sam. It’s not like Nadine’s special.
Another successful job in the bag calls for drinks; Nadine and Chloe hang back at the table while Sam heads up to the bar to flirt his way into another round of drinks.
Nadine contemplates the dregs of her glass. It makes sense, sort of, that Chloe and Sam flirt with each other. There’s a history there, they’re birds of a feather. The treasure hunter’s eye always looking for the next, new shiny thing.
Nadine has to work on that.
But then again, Sam. Chloe may be a wild card, but she’s not blind.
And it gets her thinking about the elephant in the room.
“What happened with you and his brother?”
Chloe looks at her, surprised but also contemplative.
“That’s quite the throwback. God, we were young. Don’t get me wrong, the sex was incredible, but I fancied myself a bit in love. I thought we’d be partners longer than we were.”
Chloe says it with the wistfulness of someone who didn’t just fancy themselves in love, she was. Like someone who would like to be again. Nadine’s heart squeezes with a similar kind of want.
There’ve been boyfriends, there’s been sex, but there’s never been that, much less with a woman – though the thought has crossed her mind before. She has no idea what to make of it, other than she might like Chloe.
“Professional interests went another way?” Nadine asks, giving the situation the benefit of the doubt.
Chloe scoffs and chuckles with a bit of affection. “That’s one way to put it. No, he walked out on me, the bastard.”
“Surprised he hasn’t done that to his wife,” Nadine says as an aside.
“He has, the idiot. Multiple times. The time you met? One of them.”
Chloe says it like Nadine met Nathan Drake at a business luncheon rather than her throwing him out a window.
She knows Chloe and Nathan’s wife have a rapport of sorts, but speaks her mind anyway, “I don’t know why anyone puts up with that kind of behavior.”
If either of her parents had behaved like that, they’d be divorced before the day was up. But then, that’s why they’ve suited each other all these years.
“Because he loves her. Fortunate for him, she loves him too.” Chloe says it with the assurance of someone who knows and wants to know that feeling.
It’s funny, Nadine’s considered Chloe to be a pragmatic sort, not given to sentimentality. It’s why they’ve gotten on so well since India and why the flirtation thrills and frustrates her in equal measure.
But the companionship Chloe had with Nathan Drake hasn’t left her yet. College boyfriends, sex: Nadine’s known deep down, she hasn’t been in love yet.
Chloe still wanting it makes her want it too.
Chloe continues casually, “And if he does it again, I’ll kill him for her. Want to help out?”
Nadine laughs, “It’ll be a piece of cake, especially if we keep Sam out of the picture.”
“Don’t I know it? Why do you think I took Sam off Elena’s hands?”
They’ve circled back around to what, in spite of herself, Nadine wanted to needle at all along. Is it flirting because that’s what Chloe does, or because she’s reminded of his brother?
“You and him never?” she jerks her chin in Sam’s direction, seemingly successful in getting drinks.
Somewhat to her horror, Chloe doesn’t scoff at the idea outright. Nadine stares at the way Chloe’s hand presses against the back of her neck in casual thought.
“He’s not Nate, but he does have that Drake charm. Ten – five years ago even, maybe. I’m looking for something very different these days.”
She looks at Nadine as she says it; Nadine’s stomach flips in anticipation.
“Would you ever mix business and pleasure again?” Chloe asks pointedly.
Nadine almost chokes on her drink. Not all that coolly, “If it’s the right person. Trust me, I know the wrong sort.”
Chloe throws her head back in a cackle. “You definitely do.”
Sam finally returns with the drinks and Nadine quickly gulps down half hers in one go.
Chloe’s flirting with her and god help her, Nadine doesn’t want her to stop.
----------
Ever since Elena pointed it out, Chloe’s been on edge; torn between a desire to do something about her apparently abundantly obvious attraction to Nadine and absolute fear Elena will beat her to the punch.
She needs to get a grip. She’s done far bolder and crazier things than ask a girl out. Why should Nadine be any different?
The past few nights have been agony; keenly aware of Nadine sleeping in the other bed.
It doesn’t buzz often, but every time Nadine’s phone goes off, Chloe descends into slight panic. It worries her more than doing the job shorthanded.
Spinning the rental car keys around her finger and hitting the road is only a temporary distraction. Chloe’s lightheadedness has nothing to do with the mountain incline as she licks her lips, readying herself to say something when there’s the distinct vibration of a phone.
“Is that Sam?” she blurts out none to subtly. Jesus Frazer.
Nadine eyes her inquisitively. “No, it’s the buyer. Why on earth would it be Sam? Unless he thinks baby pictures will buy him sympathy for skipping out.”
“No reason,” Chloe says, not at all convincingly. Nadine’s face says she isn’t buying it and Chloe’s out of time. She blurts out, “You wanna go out some time?”
“Excuse me?” Nadine asks, high-pitched. Surprised maybe, but not upset.
“Like on a date.”
Thank god she has to focus on the road, because her face is heating up and at least Nadine’s only seeing half of it. Except there’s a long pause and try as she might, Chloe can’t read Nadine’s mind.
Tearing her eyes away from the road, Nadine is smiling shyly. Chloe’s stomach flips with the best kind of anticipation; Christ, she’s already staring at her lips.
“We only going to talk shop?” Nadine asks casually.
“We could if you like, but it might be fun to talk about something else.”
“Ja, I’d really like that.”
Asking was a risk Chloe was willing to take. She didn’t anticipate how much success would take her by surprise. She feels herself grinning like a fool and she doesn’t care as she stares at Nadine in a kind of wonder.
“What?” Nadine laughs nervously.
“Oh nothing,” Chloe replies.
She’s trying to will her heartrate back to normal when Nadine yells “Look out!”
Chloe whips her attention back to the road, swerving in time to miss a sizeable boulder.
“This means I’m driving next time,” Nadine jokes.
“Pfft,” Chloe huffs her hair out of her eyes.
Sharing hotel rooms with partners never used to be uncomfortable, but now whatever tenseness Chloe’s built up since her conversation with Elena is doubled, assured of mutual attraction.
They hadn’t been fastidious about changing privately before; now there’s awkward jostling for the bathroom.
“Sorry,” Nadine mumbles as she brushes past Chloe.
All the hair on Chloe’s arms stands on end. She hasn’t felt like this in years. God, she better not be the one to fuck this up.
The little back alley café they find themselves at has ridiculously overpriced wine that eases them both up.
“This is coming out of Sam’s share,” Nadine declares, pouring a Chloe generous second glass.
“Fine by me,” Chloe chuckles.
Talk turns from their absent partner to old romantic partners.
“I scared one boy off by telling him my father didn’t want me seeing him anymore,” Nadine says.
“Was your dad really as overprotective as all that?”
“No, I just thought he was boring. And an awful kisser,” Nadine giggles.
It hasn’t escaped Chloe’s notice that Nadine’s only mentioned boys and men in her past. She tries not to read too much into it. If this is as far as the date goes, so be it, but Nadine said yes.
“Well, this is has been far nicer than all my high school dates combined. I could never take a cue from my mum and be friends with my exes – if you could even call them that.”
“You and Nathan Drake seem to be getting on okay,” Nadine points out. Chloe hopes Nadine isn’t needling out of jealousy, though she may have a right.
“Chalk that up to Elena. She’s good at people.” Chloe chuckles, “Actually, it was Elena who figured out I have a bit of a thing for you too.”
Nadine raises her eyebrows, “Really? You’re that transparent to people?”
“You didn’t say anything, so clearly not,” Chloe takes a playful swipe at Nadine, Nadine easily dodges. “Besides, she’s a journalist, it doesn’t count. She threatened to tell you through Sam, hence my bit of panic earlier.”
“I was wondering what that was all about. Because whatever it was, you were not cool.”
“Yeah, yeah, forgive me for actually wanting to make my own move and not rely on my ex’s wife hijacking her brother-in-law’s mobile.”
“You were very smooth,” Nadine grins.
“Shut up,” Chloe rolls her eyes.
Nadine raises her near-empty glass, “To Elena Fisher, for kicking Chloe Frazer in the ass.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Chloe toasts.
By the end of the evening, it’s mostly the wine that has Chloe buzzing but when they both reach for the hotel room handle, Chloe feels as though she’s had a shock. That or it’s static electricity.
“I don’t usually go home with just anyone the first night,” Nadine says seriously, façade cracking almost immediately into giggles.
“Promise you won’t do anything untoward,” Chloe copies her mock-serious tone; Nadine’s smile falters slightly.
“Sorry. Just made that weird,” Chloe apologizes.
“No worries, it’s fine.”
It’s in that moment Chloe swears to herself she’s not going to screw this up by diving in headlong. Besides, she has to give Nadine a chance to make her move.
Chloe flops down on her bed to give Nadine a chance for the bathroom first, but Nadine lingers in the doorway.
“This was really nice. We should do it again,” she says, mouth curved in a smile.
Chloe’s heart could explode. Nadine wants to do this again, with her.
“We have more of Sam’s share to blow through,” Chloe jokes, muffled into the pillow.
Nadine cackles her way to the bathroom. Alone, Chloe shoots Elena a text.
[Me 1:09 AM] She agreed
She wakes up to a response.
[Elena Fisher 3:58 AM] 😁 👍 😍
----------
It’s been a hell of a long time since Nadine’s dated, most of those memories being noisy clubs and shitty drinks.
Working with Chloe may be a high wire act but dating – that’s what they’re calling it – is surprisingly subdued. Nadine suspects Chloe might be doing that for her sake, which brings its own mix of emotions.
[Chloe 19:30] Stupid layovers 😒
[Me 19:33] The joys of flying commercial ✈
[Chloe 19:34] Flight’s not til tomorrow get dressed we’re going out
Count on Chloe to not tell Nadine she’s in Cape Town at the drop of a hat. Keenly aware of how Chloe will take it, Nadine replies.
[Me 19:36] What are you wearing?
[Chloe 19:36] Wouldn’t you like to know? Something sexy 👗👗
Nadine rolls her eyes, but immediately begins tearing through her apartment for something to match.
Chloe’s at her door just as Nadine finishes with her hair, clearly still in her travel clothes. Chloe eyes Nadine up and down approvingly.
“If that’s what you call sexy, I get to change,” Nadine says pointedly.
Not that Chloe doesn’t look good, but if Nadine’s putting in an effort, Chloe damn well ought to too.
“Yes ma’am,” Chloe smirks flirtatiously before scurrying off to change.
Nadine nervously rubs the back of her neck when Chloe steps out in a slinky dress, “You clean up nice, Frazer.”
“Looking pretty good yourself, Ross.”
Chloe grabs Nadine’s hand, “Come on, let’s go.”
It’s hardly surprising Chloe knows more about Cape Town than she does and the bar they wind up at isn’t a total hole in the wall. Still, they have to shout a bit to hear each other.
“I assume your mum knows about the layover.”
“Yeah, I’m overdue for a visit.”
“Does she know about the Hoysala exhibit coming up?”
“That’s gonna be the surprise. The next trick is getting her to go to it.”
Nadine’s throat is sore from all the yelling and she’s drunk too much rum to overcompensate.
“I have to run to the bathroom.”
“I’ll order another round,” Chloe shouts to her retreating back.
Except the bathroom isn’t enough; what Nadine needs is fresh air. Chloe isn’t looking her direction when she steps out of the bathroom, looking far more confident and comfortable at the bar than Nadine.
The alley on the side of the building isn’t crowded with smokers or dumpsters, for which Nadine is grateful. She just needs a few moments to think.
“Hey,” Chloe calls out from the sidewalk. “I was wondering where you got to.”
So much for that.
“Not very far,” Nadine sighs. “What are we doing here?”
“Having a nice drink out, I thought.”
Illuminated in the light of the neon sign, Chloe looks like a femme fatale from an old movie, and way too hot.
“I mean us,” Nadine gestures to the perilously small space between the two of them. “If this is just a thing we do before we go back to being business partners? Is it something more or is this the end of it all?”
The thickness in her voice betrays her, but Nadine needs an answer one way or the other.
“Oh china,” Chloe breathes. “I’m sorry, I thought taking it slow for you was alright, I –”
Overcome with the urge to take charge, Nadine closes the gap between them with half a step, cupping the sides of Chloe’s face and kisses her. It isn’t tentative, but it isn’t deep until Chloe presses herself closer; Nadine’s hands slipping back some, tangling in Chloe’s hair and pulling strands loose.
Nadine doesn’t want to break away, but they’ll need to breathe again at some point.
When they do, Chloe stares at her intently as a cat.
“Well, that clears things up,” she laughs quietly.
Nadine lets out a relieved exhale. “I think so,” she says before they move in at the same time.
Nadine marvels that for all the callouses on Chloe’s hands, how miraculously soft they are against her. It’s different, and it’s exhilarating.
“Back to my place for a nightcap?”
“Are you suggesting we run out on an unpaid tab?” Chloe smirks.
“I’m not sure I’d come back here anyway and it seems like your style.”
“You know me so well.”
Chloe takes up Nadine’s hand and runs back to the street to hail a cab.
There is no nightcap, no alcohol could be as thrilling as pulling clothes off each other. It requires a bit more tugging on Nadine’s part: Chloe’s dress really is quite tight.
“I would have worn something different if I had known I was getting naked tonight,” she jokes; Nadine snorts, savoring the skin on skin contact.
The sex is different and familiar all at once and Nadine relishes it.
After, Chloe runs her finger up and down Nadine’s bare arm. Observing, “This is the longest I’ve gone without having sex with a partner.”
“And this is the fastest I’ve jumped into bed with one,” Nadine says wryly. “We keep meeting in the middle.”
“That’s what makes us a good match,” Chloe says, rolling closer for a kiss.
Nadine wakes up to an empty bed and a note in Chloe’s scrawl.
See you soon, love.
Nadine doesn’t worry.
----------
There isn’t much time to talk about where their relationship is going when Sam drops back in on the next job.
“I haven’t snuck around like this since I was a teenager,” Chloe snickers, diving in to trace kisses down Nadine’s neck.
“Makes it kind of fun,” Nadine breathes before shoving Chloe off as Sam’s hotel door opens.
Chloe takes a quick assessment of Nadine. Unless Sam sees the back of Nadine’s t-shirt hiking up, there’s no sign of their activities.
“All set?” Nadine asks him brusquely.
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles. “Some of us don’t wake up at the crack of dawn.”
“Don’t be such a grouch, buttercup,” Chloe lightly slaps him on the ass.
Sam strides out ahead of them, Chloe and Nadine smirk behind his back. No need to mention they barely got any sleep at all. Chloe’s too wired from an amazing orgasm twenty minutes ago and the prospect of a good payout. She’s pretty confident Nadine feels the same.
While Chloe’s grateful for a partner to share the unbelievable adrenaline rush of treasure hunting, age might be finally catching up on her. It’s the little things she revels in.
The way Nadine lights up when they share a look; the gentle, quiet strokes as they lie in bed together. Even when Nadine tells Chloe she’s being an idiot – especially when she’s being an idiot.
Chloe’s so totally enchanted by the way Nadine seems to glow in the morning light, she leans over to kiss Nadine again when Sam’s not looking. Nadine frowns and pushes Chloe off, shaking her head.
“Always professional,” she teases.
Chloe thought she muttered low enough for only Nadine to hear, but Sam catches it, twisting his head around. “That is what they say about me.”
Damn him for not having his brother’s hearing loss or proclivity to zone out.
Sam lags behind as they scale the mountain face, giving Chloe and Nadine a moment of privacy at the mouth of the cave.
“He’s gonna find out eventually,” Chloe sighs.
“You sure about that?”
It gets a chuckle out of Chloe at least.
“I just want to keep this between the two of us as long as possible,” Nadine says quietly.
“Yeah,” Chloe nods, unable to disagree on that point as Sam pulls himself up over the cliff. The conversation remains there.
When her phone goes off some hours later, she expects it to be from their client, but instead it’s a picture from Elena of a very asleep Nate with a drooling Cassie on top of him. It’s unbearably cute and that’s when it hits her.
“Oh shit,” Chloe mutters.
“A totally normal reaction to a friend’s picture of their baby,” Nadine laughs, chin resting on Chloe’s shoulder.
“Not that – Elena knows about us.”
“And?”
“Presumably she’s told Nate – I mean I’d guess that’s what married people do. And if Nate knows –”
“Sam probably does too,” Nadine finishes her thought. “Oh shit.”
“That’s what I said,” Chloe chuckles nervously.
“Men don’t talk about this sort of thing with each other, right? Sam’s certainly not the emotions type,” Nadine tries to grasp for any out. “Although those two can’t help themselves when it comes to talking.”
Chloe would agree that the old Nate certainly wouldn’t have said anything, but Nate after Elena and Sam is a bit of a wild card to her.
“Better hope our luck holds then. And let’s enjoy the privacy while we can.”
It’s only a matter of time before other people will butt in.
----------
Nadine’s always up and dressed early, but she takes to lingering in bed when work brings them together.
She revels in slowly waking up with Chloe rather than a brisk hand to the shoulder. Chloe indulges her, although some days they clearly wait too long because Sam takes to pounding on the door to rouse them, insisting they need to get a move on.
Nadine’s just put her toothbrush in her mouth when Chloe leans in the bathroom doorway. “This is working for you, right?”
“The job?” Nadine asks, words garbled.
“I meant us. We’re really only seeing each other on jobs. Is that enough?”
Nadine hasn’t allowed herself to envision long-term with Chloe, choosing to try to live in the moment. But this has been smooth and steady sailing both professionally and romantically for months. Years, even.
She spits out her toothpaste. “That was sort of bound to happen what with jobs taking us all over the place and not exactly living in the same part of the world.”
“And you’re alright with that?” She sounds almost tenuous.
“Getting sick of me, Frazer?” Nadine teases.
“Not a chance,” Chloe grins.
Their new hunt is the most booby-trapped gig Nadine’s been on since Libertalia. When her foot triggers a final, unseen switch, all bets are off.
Nadine can run miles on the treadmill at a steady pace, but when it comes to sprinting, Chloe and Sam have her outpaced.
As the roof caves in, the ceremonial knife they fought so hard to find is knocked from Nadine’s hand. She doubles back to snatch it back up, barely hearing the others’ shouts over the din.
Though she dodges an immense rock in the nick of time, both Chloe and Sam make their way back to her to yank her forward towards their means of escape. There’s no time for arguments or annoyance until they’re a safe distance from the collapsed shrine.
Still wheezing, Sam mutters, “Thank god I’m back on cigarettes.”
He walks off some distance as a courtesy and leaving Nadine and Chloe alone to catch their breath.
“I love you, Nadine Ross, but what the hell were you thinking?” Chloe manages between gulps of air.
Already dealing with a slightly-oxygen deprived brain, Nadine’s head feels fuzzy. She can’t believe what she just heard. “Did you just say you love me?”
Chloe goes as red as her shirt. It’s adorable. “Did I? I suppose I did. I meant it, although you could have gotten it out of me less stressfully. Big grand gesture for big grand gesture and all that.”
Chloe’s babbling; Nadine needs to save her from herself. She steps forward to kiss Chloe, then holds her close for a few moments, feeling their heartrates slow to normal, not pounding so loudly in their chests.
Nadine whispers into Chloe’s ear, “I love you too.”
Chloe squeezes hard.
Finally letting go, Nadine looks down at the knife and laughs, “If this doesn’t prove I’m starting to get a hang of those treasure hunting instincts, I don’t know what does.”
Chloe grins warmly before kissing Nadine’s forehead. “How could I not love you when you’re being completely stupid?”
----------
She doesn’t say anything over the phone, but mum figures it out about her and Nadine anyway. Chloe’s glad apparently everyone’s got her number, it saves her the trouble of having to explain herself.
“Bring her round the next time you visit,” mum insists.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Chloe says tentatively. She glances over her shoulder to see if anyone’s listening, knowing full well both her partners are on calls of their own.
“Darling, you haven’t introduced me to anyone in ages. Humor me in my old age.”
Chloe scrunches up her face, more in frustration at herself than anyone else. She didn’t mean to that type of person with her mum.
“I’ll ask, but don’t get your hopes up. Nadine’s a private person.”
Mum snorts on the other end, “No more secretive than my own daughter.”
After her call, Chloe sneaks up behind Nadine; Nadine instinctively elbows her in the gut.
“Ooof.”
“You think you’d know by now not to sneak up on me.”
“I like the danger.” Snaking her arms around Nadine, “Speaking of danger, I was talking to my mum.”
“Hmm?”
“And she was wondering if you’d come visit the next time I go home.”
“Oh.”
“Well that’s encouraging,” Chloe says sarcastically.
“You told her about us?”
“Not in so many words, but she’s my mum, so she figured it out.”
Nadine pulls away slightly and turns around, chewing on her lip in thought; Chloe lets her go.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she says hurriedly, suddenly in a panic she’s pushing things too far, too soon.
“No, I’d actually really like to,” Nadine says, finally meeting Chloe’s gaze. “Are you alright with it?”
Chloe hadn’t really given it much thought, but she knows the answer right away. “I am. My two favorite ladies in one place? How could I say no?”
Pushing through the crowds at the airport, Chloe spots mum’s beaming face. She glances back at Nadine before hurrying to get to mum first.
“You didn’t have to pick us up,” Chloe says as she hugs her.
“Don’t be silly, yes I did – Nadine so lovely to meet you!” mum drops the hug in favor of Nadine. Nadine awkwardly but gamely accepts. Chloe stifles a snicker.
“Likewise, Ms. Frazer.”
Mum laughs, “Please don’t, it’s Robyn, if it’s all the same to you.”
Mum doesn’t grill Nadine too badly over dinner.
When Nadine mentions her old zoological aspirations, mum claps her hands together, “We’re going out for a drive while you’re both here, make no mistake. You have to see what Australia has to offer in the wild.”
“Quite a few deadly things,” Nadine points out, but is smiling herself.
Chloe feels warm from head to toe. Cleaning the dishes, she offers, “Shall I make tea?”
Nadine tries to do the clean up after; mum and Chloe shoo her away.
“I like her, love. Hope she’s staying.”
Chloe bumps her hip against mum’s. “I think she is.”
Nadine’s sprawled out on the couch in the dark, watching a documentary Chloe’s sure they’ve watched a hundred times already.
She takes Nadine’s mug out of her hand and takes a sip. “Ugh, that’s cold!”
“That’s what you get for stealing other people’s stuff.”
“Hmm, I’ll make a note,” Chloe says, setting the mug down on the floor before lying out on top of Nadine.
“Oof, you’re heavy.”
“Mmhmm,” Chloe hums, getting comfortable. And busy.
David Attenborough drones on as Chloe’s working under Nadine’s bra when Nadine makes a tsk of disapproval against Chloe’s mouth.
“We can stop if you’re not in the mood.”
“No, it’s not that – I’d just rather not be where your mum could walk in any second.”
“Good point. To the lockable room we go!”
As they explore the wild of Chloe’s second home, Mum insists on taking pictures of the two of them.
It’s nice to have shots that show more of the landscape than selfies allow; Chloe sets one of her and Nadine in the Bush as her lock screen.
It is a very pleasant visit with mum. Chloe really ought to do it more often.
----------
Nadine could hit herself for suggesting she and Chloe visit her parents. Chloe made no mention of wanting to go, but it’s a thing you do when you’re serious about someone.
They’ve said ‘I love you’. They don’t live together, but they’re almost always in the same place. And now Nadine’s met Robyn Frazer, it’s only a matter of course that Chloe meets Judith and Hector Ross.
They crash ant Nadine’s apartment after the flight.
“Leave your stuff here, we’re not staying over there,” Nadine says in a clipped voice.
“Okaaay,” Chole says in a sing-song tone that only irritates Nadine more, but Chloe’s not the one to blame.
“I just haven’t been on the greatest terms with them since Shoreline.”
Nadine tries not to think about how Chloe might be an unwelcome reminder to her parents of the path she chose to walk away from.
The drive over is mostly silent except for Chloe fiddling with the radio tuner.
Not taking her eyes off the road, Nadine clears her throat, “Do you want to be introduced as my girlfriend? Partner, whatever?”
“I’ve never been a ‘whatever’ before. Sounds fun,” Chloe chuckles softly.
“I’m being serious.”
“I know, china. Is it a problem if we say girlfriend?”
It feels like a juvenile word to describe what they are to each other, but she understands Chloe’s point. “They maybe won’t be thrilled. You aren’t exactly their type to be friendly with to begin with.”
Chloe snorts, “I’m everyone’s type.” She reaches her hand across to rest it on Nadine’s. “We’ll get through tonight with about as much delicacy as we do our work.”
Nadine laughs and more importantly, she starts to worry less. She’s an adult; she doesn’t need absolute approval from her parents.
Mum and dad are at the door when they ring the bell.
“Chloe Frazer, I’m Nadine’s new partner. Wonderful to meet you.”
Chloe puts her hand out to shake dad’s. He’s always been a believer in a firm handshake and it seems Chloe doesn’t totally disappoint. The worst he does is give Nadine a sidelong suffering glance.
Dinner remains mostly neutral. Her parents put on a good show of listening to Chloe go on about the going rates of certain antiques, pretending like it wasn’t treasure that crushed their life’s work.
When Chloe takes a moment to drink some water, dad speaks up. “Shoreline’s been bought up.”
Nadine fumbles under the table for Chloe’s free hand, lacing her fingers in hers.
“I’m surprised there are parts left to sell after what Orca did to it,” Nadine says, unable to keep her tone neutral. All things considered, tonight was going so well until now.
“I almost bought it back,” dad responds coolly.
“You’d come out of retirement to do all that again?”
“No.”
Nadine locks eyes with him. He didn’t buy it because she’d never take it back.
They don’t understand each other, but for the first time in years, they can accept and live with it.
“Maybe you and mum can go on some vacations with that money instead.”
Chloe squeezes Nadine’s hand out of view. The rest of the dinner continues without incident.
In the dark outside the house, Nadine kisses Chloe deeply.
“Thank you.”
“Any time, love.”
----------
Though Chloe’s a bit put out Nadine rejected the idea of visiting the Fisher-Drakes with her, she understands. There’s always another year.
An idea hits her while Cassie very proudly shows off her impressive array of stuffed animals.
Luckily Chloe’s phone is nearby, already filled with photos of Hawaii. She books two seats on a flight but doesn’t forward it to Nadine.
Once her hosts have turned in, Chloe steps out onto the porch to call Nadine.
“I know where we’re going next.”
“Isn’t it Sam’s turn to look for a gig?”
“Not a gig. For you and me.”
“You’ve got me intrigued.”
Chloe has to tell Nadine eventually, as Chloe doesn’t care for keeping secrets from her, and they both need to get better coats. Shopping is a laugh, losing themselves in great oversized hoods.
“I, for one, don’t think this counts as visiting the States either,” Chloe declares as they board the flight to Alaska.
Nadine rolls her eyes, affectionately. “Own up to it, Chloe. You’ve been more places than most other people have.”
Their breath comes out in puffs and curls not unlike the myriad of colors dancing across the black night sky.
Neither of them has a thing to say. They’ve seen so many man-made wonders through the years, but nothing really compares to what the universe has before them.
Glancing over, Chloe watches the Northern Lights reflected in Nadine’s eyes. Chloe stands corrected. This is the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen.
Chloe and Nadine stand shoulder-to-shoulder looking out in the same seemingly endless direction. Chloe won’t ever have it another way.