017. Conspire

Title: Dark Shadows
Genre: Mystery, Romance
Characters: Fran Callahan, Nathan Davis
Prompt: 017. Conspire.
Word Count: 1026.
Rating: PG
Type: Series: 16 of 33
Summary: Fran makes progress dealing with her grief.
Warnings: None really, some sensuality.


“I understand Frannie,” Nathan said, resting his elbow on the table. “He was important to me too, I looked up to him as much as my own father.”
“They were great friends, I know Luke meant a lot to him. As many years as they worked together, he always said he knew he had a partner who had his back.” Fran smiled looking out at the calm waves, gently rolling back out to sea. She shivered slightly, standing up to move further from the incoming breeze and partially to increase the distance between her and Nathan.
Fran leaned against the wall of the nearby store that sold trinkets and fishing supplies. Nathan followed, not ready to give up his fight just yet.

“Do you remember that summer when I was nine, I guess you were about thirteen…anyway, we all came over to your house one evening and your dad was grilling hamburgers and hot dogs.”

She smiled as the warm summer night crept into her memory, the sounds of crickets, the smell of the grill, her sister and Nate laughing, throwing water balloons at each other around the yard. “I remember,” she said, the thought of the days long past warming her heart even though they seemed a lifetime ago.
“I’ll never forget it,” he continued, “I had never had a hot dog before and thought they looked weird and then your sister told me they were made of real dog meat. I remember your dad being so nice, he gave me his hamburger and ate a hot dog instead, even though he really didn’t want it.”

Fran laughed, a real laugh, the kind that had been missing for longer than she could remember. “He was so bummed about his hamburger but he just couldn’t make you eat that hot dog!”
They both shared a laugh, the very act of it made Fran feel lighter than air. These were the times she longed for, being around a true friend who knew her practically inside and out.

“Do you know why I told you that story?”

She shook her head, “No…why did you?”
“Your dad meant so much to me, that’s always how he treated me, like the son he never had. I know what you’re going through, I miss him a lot too. I just hate seeing you down like this, I wish there was something I could do, anything to make you happy again.”

She sighed and fought back the tears, happy tears, “You already have. I know I’ve been out of it lately, it’s just hard to deal with, I feel like my whole world is turned upside down.”
He stepped closer to her, that delicate personal space between them shrinking once again. “I just want you to know you don’t have to do this alone, I’m here…I wish you would let me bear this pain with you, Frannie.”

She looked up at him, his eyes glistening in the dim glow of the nearby streetlights. They were earnest and endearing, complete and utterly trusting. Against her will, she felt that familiar wall crack and crumble, much as it had when she had talked to her mother. She started to cry and instinctively fell against his chest hard, the overwhelming need for comfort greater than her resistance to the confusion she felt for him.
Nathan held her close, keeping his arms softly around her, he was almost afraid to move, if he lost control, he could ruin things permanently. She looked up at him and he wiped away her tears, the need and want to kiss her pounding in his eardrums as his pulse quickened. She was so close, so near, mere inches away from his lips, it would only take a second…

“I’m sorry Nate, I have been such a pain…can you ever forgive me?”

He loosened his hold on her slightly, sensing her need for comfort was over. “Of course, we all deal in different ways, you don’t have anything to be sorry for.” he said, giving her space as he leaned back against the wall, glad to have the moment to recover himself.
She smiled warmly and breathed in the night air deeply, feeling incredibly better than she had in days, maybe even weeks.

“There is still something I just don’t get,” he said after a moment, desperately wanting to change the subject, “why didn’t you become a cop, I always figured it was a given, my father encouraged me and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

“I…promised him I wouldn’t. He asked me not to do something so dangerous and I gave him my word. He always wanted his family to be safe, even living here isn’t what he wanted, my mom and I have had our share of arguments because of it.”
“Well nothing is a hundred percent safe, you could get hit by a bus on the way to your ‘safe’ desk job.” he grinned as she looked back at him incredulously. “Fran, I think your dad would understand if you wanted to make a difference, he would want you to follow your heart.

“Besides, you still haven’t given me an answer and I don’t plan on accepting a ‘no’, you know I like to get my way.”
“I don’t know Nate, I have no experience going undercover or working with police, what if I screw everything up or get caught, or get somebody else killed, I could never live with myself.”

“Look, all you need to do is be a model, something you already know how to be. Just hang around these girls, see where they hangout, what they do after work, that kind of thing. I really need to find out more about the owner of the agency, without inside help, I can’t touch her. Please just think about it, I know you would do anything to help these women, you’ve been where they are and know how hard it is.”

Fran sighed - a big, deep, regretful sigh. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s more like it, I’ll be expecting an answer bright and early tomorrow.” he said, tapping her on the end of her nose playfully.

Part 17