#n^2

Nate frowns. "It's hard to tell," he admits. "Even with our...awareness, Mason is difficult to read." Nate shakes off the mood with a smile. "However, I'm certain that Bekah will be able to ease his troubles with her sunny personality."

Nancy grins at the accurate description. "She does have a way with him, doesn't she?"

"Unlike any other I've seen him with."

"Knowing him, I can believe that. He doesn't seem to really listen to anyone but Adam, and that's only under official orders."

Nate's lips curve into a wry grin. "Mason does make an effort to come across a certain way. But he is a loyal friend."

Nancy rubs the back of her neck, dropping her gaze. "Glad there's more to him than what it seems sometimes."

"He does like you too, you know."

Nancy instinctively turns back to Nate in surprise. "...Really?" she asks with an incredulous laugh.

"He isn't just putting out his cigarettes for Bekah's sake."

The snort escapes her before she can stop it. "How do you know that? She's the one getting him to stop. He's never once listened to me." A hint of bitterness creeps into her voice. Nate frowns slightly as he catches it. It would seem Nancy's used to this being the case. Just as well he's brought up the subject then.

"He's put away new cigarettes without being asked while in your office." Nate smiles. "He didn't know anyone was looking."

Nancy blinks. "That seems...so unlikely."

Nate chuckles. "But it's true."

"I believe you." Nancy stops short, surprised at how truly she meant it, let alone admitted as much. Nate slows his pace to let her catch up. "It's still difficult to wrap my head around, but I trust you."

Nate beams, a golden beacon drowning out the colorful lights of the carnival. "I'm glad you do. And now I'm even more pleased Bekah chose not to come with us on our excursion." He chuckles at Nancy's raised eyebrow. "With Bekah staying behind to comfort Mason, you and I get more time alone."

"Alone in the middle of a crowd?" Nancy asks with a laugh.

"I don't see anyone else. Only you." Nate murmurs, his voice growing husky.

Nancy's throat goes dry as her cheeks flush bright red. After too long a pause, she finally mumbles, "Even with your hypersenses?"

"They're all attuned to you."

"All of them?" The question comes out breathier than intended. Any thoughts of the mission die on her tongue.

They both stop walking as Nate closes what little gap remains between them. "All of them," he purrs.

The declaration floods Nancy's senses and suddenly, she understands exactly what Nate meant. Her every instinct fights not to drown.

"Good thing your hands are full, Agent Sewell." Her tone is light, disarming and enticing in equal measures. "It wouldn't be fair to take advantage of a man who can't defend himself from any untoward advances."

Nate's gaze doesn't leave hers. "I don't need to defend myself from you, Detective Green."

"Are you sure?" It's meant to be playful, but there's an undercurrent of apprehension in the question.

Nate leans closer, causing Nancy's head to swim. "Completely."

"What are you all doing?" Adam's voice comes over the radio, shattering the moment. "You are supposed to be working!"

Mason's growl comes from a short distance away, not over the radio. "We were until you interrupted." From the way Mason has Bekah pressed up against the side of a nearby tent, it's pretty clear that the work being done was not what Adam had in mind.

"We just met up again," Nate assures Adam, his tone not betraying the simultaneous eyeroll. "Don't worry. Everything is under control."

"Are you able to stand?" he asks gently, as though fearing any word spoken too loudly would cause her further suffering.

"Not without help," she admits. "I know I have to, though."

Nate holds out both hands, letting Nancy set their pace. With a soft sigh, she places her hands in his, leaning on him as she stands. She bites back a yelp as fresh pain shoots up her arms and spreads throughout her body.

"Sorry," she chokes out. "This might take a while."

Nate squeezes her hands just enough to give her a grounding focus. "You have no need to apologize. I will be here with you, no matter how long it takes."

Some of the tension goes out of Nancy's shoulders at that reassurance.

"Thank you," she mumbles against his chest. Newly strengthened, she shifts to Nate's side, still leaning all of her weight against him. They shuffle toward the bathroom together, Nate shortening his stride to match her pace. "I just hope we make it before the water gets cold. I'd feel bad about wasting it."

A chuckle escapes Nate. "Should it come to that, it will have been sacrificed for a worthy cause."

Nancy frowns up at him. The movement forces them to stop as a wave of dizziness overtakes her. "Not if it's not used."

Nate smiles back. "The promise of its soothing warmth has gotten you this far, has it not? It is already serving part of its purpose."

Nancy coughs out a laugh of her own. Any reply she might have come up with was lost to the burst of pain through her chest.

Nate tries to dampen the worry that threatens to spread across his face, but Nancy can see it in his eyes.

She smiles faintly and squeezes his hand. "Don't worry, mon coeur, I'll be good."

They continue onward to the bathtub without further incident. Nate checks the water temperature and nods to Nancy.

"Call me if you need anythi-"

"Don't go." Nancy tightens her grip on his hand.

Nate raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"Please don't go," Nancy says again, a note of desperation creeping into her voice. "I can't even stand without you. There's no way I'll be able to get undressed or into the tub on my own."

Nate squeezes her hand back. "You had but to ask."

The tension flows out of Nancy so completely that Nate has to hold her upright. "Thank you," she whispers.

The pair fall silent as they painstakingly peel away scraps of Nancy's ruined clothing from the deep gashes across her body. Underneath the fresh wounds are the faded white lines of old scars. Nancy steals a glance at Nate to see if he's noticed. He remains focused on removing a particularly stubborn piece of cloth from her side without hurting her. A ghost of a smile crosses her face. She'd have expected no less of him.

When all of the clothing remnants have been removed, Nate's gaze doesn't leave hers. Not that Nancy would have minded exactly. Needing to be in various states of undress for medical reasons builds up a partial immunity to self-consciousness. And yet...this is different.

Nate supports Nancy as she slides into the tub. She shudders as the water flows over the open wounds. Nate studies her face, their fingers still intertwined.

"Would you like me to stay?"

"Yes, please - if you don't mind."

Nate kisses the back of her hand. "Of course."

Only then does Nancy let go of him. Nate settles himself onto the bath mat next to her.

"You know, I haven't been this much of a wreck since my last surgery." Nancy doesn't see Nate flinch so much as she senses the tension in the air. "No, not Murphy. That doesn't count. He didn't cut me open, just gave me injections. Really painful injections." She shakes off that train of thought. "Anyway. I mean my last proper surgery. Six years ago." Nancy leans her head back against the edge of the tub and lets the bitterness creep into her voice. "I'm sure you saw the cancer diagnosis in my file, along with the chronic nosebleeds, right?"

"No, we didn't." Nate's voice is earnest with concern, not pity. "There was very little information in that file. Only enough to identify you by sight. Nothing more."

"Of course." Nancy sighs and closes her eyes. "I'm not sure which is worse: you all knowing my medical history before meeting me or Rebecca hiding things from you too."

Nate pauses, choosing his words carefully. "I am certain she was trying to protect you."

"Not like you do." Nancy's instant response stuns them both into silence. When she next speaks, she has to fight to keep the tears out of her voice. "She wasn't there, Nate. Three surgeries in four years, and she wasn't there. They were all hard for their own reasons, but the last had...complications." She traces her fingers along the longest of the old scars, starting halfway down her chest and ending low on her belly. "I couldn't have made it without Tina. She was with me every step of the way."

A sob escapes her, unbidden. Nate reaches out to her, resting his hand on the edge of the tub. Nancy gratefully presses her cheek against the back of his fingers before continuing. "Rebecca tried, I guess. Even back then, she made it very clear that she couldn't get away from work. She was furious. So was I. But what could we do?" She sighs. "I'm sure whatever the agency needed her for so badly was more important than her playing nursemaid to me, but..." Before Nate can say anything, Nancy turns and kisses the back of his hand. "I just want to thank you for being here. Because it's a choice."