rules of attraction (Reese)

[Nathan Spencer]

(ooc note : set a month after 'Reading Between the Lines')

A month had passed since Nathan first made the decision to finally speak to Reese Mackenzie. She wasnt like other girls and she held a very strange fascination for him, a desire he couldnt quite quench no matter how much time he spent around her or spent listening and talking to her. For all the questions he asked, he seemed to have a million more. The two of them over the course of the month had been spending a lot of time around eachother, much to the confusion of those who actually knew Nathan.

He was breaking every single rule he'd ever set down for himself. First rule; never get too close to someone. He was breaking that with Reese, allowing her to get to know him, and getting to know her in return. Starting to care for her and though she didnt know it, he looked out for her secretly. Rule two; Never start to care for a girl so much you'll end up getting jealous. Well that was out of the window now. Nathan was attracted to Reese and he cared enough to feel jealous whenever he saw her with Damon. Rule three; never fall in deep like with someone.

All three of his main rules. He'd broken.

He'd spent the better part of dinner looking over at the Gryffindor table where she sat. He'd been sat with Ryan and Alfie, both of whom were talking to him but Nathan just kept 'hmming' and 'ahhing' at the right moments. Not really paying any attention to what the two of them were actually talking about. He watched as the candle lights flickered of Reese's brown hair, watched as her whole face lit up when she laughed with her friends. His head tilted to the side as he watched her from across the hall. He forced himself to stop watching her and actually pay attention to his friends, although by now he'd lost all sense of the conversation and the food was no longer appealing to him so he decided to get up from the table and go for a walk around the grounds.

For the last month, ever since their first discussion his mind had been filled with more than the usual stuff. More than work, friends and his fluffy problem. Now his mind has a slight bright spot in it, a light... something that was worth something, or possibly at least. Now his mind had something else to puzzle over, he had Reese in his thoughts more than what was necessarily healthy for the both of them. He ran a hand through his hair as he let the breeze clear out his mind. He remembered her scent, her perfume and the smell of her shampoo. It always got in his nose every time they were together and it drove his senses over the edge. Even in Potions class it was easy for people to notice Nathan was a lot more comfortable around her, laughing with her and joking. Both flicking frogspawn at eachother, or ticking eachothers faces with bits of root.

Time ticked by and he made his way back into the silence of the castle. He'd told Reese where the Slytherin common room was. In the dungeons through a well concealed trapdoor. It was hard to find which was why it was the hardest one to get into. But he'd told her exactly how to find it, as long as she had a wand she'd be able to. The further you went into the dungeons the damper they got. After all, their common room was underneath the black lake. He found the trap door and sprung it open, slipping inside then through the big door leading into the common room. It was deserted now, which he thought it would be, everyone would be asleep.

He made his way up to the dorms and de-clothed down to just his underwear then slipped into bed. Pulling the curtains close as he went. His bed was right by the window, although it was underneath the lake, the windows in the dorm rooms were enchanted to mimik the sky outside. If you stopped the charms all you would see were bricks. But now, he looked at the enchantment, the moonless sky, the clear starry sky. It was beautiful. It would be another three weeks until he would look up at the sky with the same feeling of fear. But for now, he just slipped into a peaceful sleep. Unaware he was going to be woken up quite rudely very soon.

[Reese Mackenzie]

Reese had no idea what had been going on between her and Nathan for the last month or so. From that one Sunday morning where they had sort of had breakfast together, there was something going on. She found herself pairing up with Nathan in potion class during assignments, waiting for each other after class so they could walk together and chat as they made their way to the next class, greet each other in the hallways and randomly kidnapping the other to take a stroll around the grounds to just hang out and have fun. It was pretty weird, considering all the years prior they never exchanged many words.

But even so, for the last month there was a permanent smile stuck on her lips.

After Jake had died Reese wasn’t allowing herself to love someone else. It didn’t feel right when the guy you loved had given his life to protect the one he loved, her. You couldn’t just move on from that. So she had a lot of flings that didn’t mean anything but did give her comfort, something Jake could no longer provide. But her heart had still been occupied with one thing, mourning his death. But there was another reason why she couldn’t allow herself to fall in love or to have someone else love her. She couldn’t handle another person getting hurt cause of her. Jake had loved her too much and now he was death. Never, was she going to allow for something similar to happen ever again.

Reese had tried though, tried to move on but every time she tried to open her heart to someone either she got scared or that person eventually hurt her and left her. It was one big emotional mess and lately it was just getting worse. Especially since she was ready to maybe start something new with someone to only find out they didn’t care. Something pretty to screw, that was the only thing she was to people. Something that had been said straight into her face a couple of times. Surely you had the few people who actually did care like Graham, Ryan and Damon. But Reese loved them like friends, Graham like family. That was different.

And than there was Nathan Spencer. He rocked her little world for the last month and Reese wasn’t sure why. There was something going on between them, that was for sure. An exciting tension always hung between them, looks were being shared, him gently touching her cheek or she playfully nudging his shoulder, but nothing had ever truly happened. No kiss, no sitting in each other arms, no hug, no holding hands. Just nothing. So what was it that they had? Some sort of friendship? Or was it something more?

During tonight’s dinner she’d caught herself continuously glancing over to the Slytherin table. Her eyes wandering over all the faces until she found the one she couldn’t keep out of her mind. The one she’d dreamed she’d kissed the other night. Deep down inside Reese knew she was starting to fall for Nathan Spencer. Her little crush had turned into caring but since a few days it was slowly starting to develop in something more than that. But was he feeling the same, what did she mean to him? That question kept going round and round in her head and when she, at some point during dinner, locked eyes with him she knew what to do.

She needed to know if there was something going on or if he was like any other person she’d been with. Was she another notch on his belt, something pretty to screw, or did he actually care? And tonight she was going to find out if it was safe to let herself fall for him or that now was the time to run.

It was midnight when Reese left the Gryffindor dorms, her wand tugged in her cloak’s pocket as she made her way barefoot through the castle. She’d charmed her feet to stay warm and clean during her little trip. In her first year she’d learned that sneaking around on bare feet was easier, cause you made less sound while moving. Ergo, less chance to get caught. Under her cloak she wasn’t wearing much other than her underwear, her black sleeping shorts and a black with purple top. There was no use in getting fully dressed when the whole idea was to see if Nathan was really interested in her or in her body.

It took her about fifteen minutes to get to the Slytherin’s dorms for she had to take several detours. Apparently all the ghosts of the castle were on patrol duty tonight or something. Getting into the Slytherin’s lair was the easy part though, after all with what Nathan had told her and considering the fact she had been her numerous of times before in the past. Reese silently made her way over to where she knew Nathan was sleeping. She slipped between the curtains and found him laying in his bed, fast asleep. Silently she let her cloak drop to the floor and stood besides his bed for a moment feeling a little nervous. Nathan looked cute though, as the ‘fake moonlight’ fell on his face. Hell he even looked like a sleeping angel, which she knew he surely wasn’t when he woke up.

Taking a soft deep breath Reese gently sat down on the side of his bed, not wanting to pull a ‘Jesse’ on him and wake the poor guy with a heart attack, She reached out with her hand and gently brushed a few stray hairs out of his face, her fingers brushing lightly over his cheek. “Nathan…” his name leaving her lips in a whisper. “Nathan wake up…”, she hoped that he wouldn’t kick her out. Although that of course would instantly prove he wasn’t after her body, it would also be very embarrassing.

Then again, there was only one way to find out right?

[Nathan Spencer]

He was standing in the middle of the forest like any other normal Wolf-Night but he had the feeling like something bad was going to happen, something terrible and something he knew he should avoid. He couldnt remember what he was doing here, why he was standing naked in the middle of the clearing. This wasnt where he changed from Human to Wolf. His brows were furrowed as he waited for the moon to fully rise, he could already feel his blood boiling, the power the moon held for werewolves was astounding to him, even now, and it frightened him witless every single time.

The moon fell over the tops of the tree's, the moonlight flooding the clearing and falling over Nathan's pale face. His light blue eyes stared up at the silvery orb in the sky with hate. If there was no moon, there'd be no werewolves and Nate wouldnt go through this every month. He knew, somehow, that this wasnt real, he was only dreaming. But it felt real. Although, during the change the pain was lessened. Back in the real world though you wouldnt know he was having a nightmare, he was as still as a plank of wood. The front paws of the wolf landed back on the floor as he began to trot aimlessly through the forest. His mind was still on Reese and being in the Wolf form his hunger, desire to see her, was stronger than ever. His paws were leading him to the edge of the forest. It didnt strike him as odd that Gray wasnt here... at least not for the moment.

As he walked the boarder, Nathan picked up the familiar scent of Reese and something... something stalking her. His head whipped around and faced back into the forest. Turning, he ran, sniffing and following the trail. Eventually he ran across the Gryffindor but she was alone... well, she was being followed by Nate and something else but she was alone.

It all happened in a flash.

A wolf jumped out in front of her. This looked familiar, the location, the setup, the way the wolf moved. It reminded him of the time he'd bitten Gray. Her face matched Grays too, the fear, the shock, the horror... It made his heart skip. She was looking at it with Hate. Would she look at him like that too? The wolf stalked backwards, allowing room between it and Reese. "No!" Nathan thought to himself. This was all too familiar for him and he didnt like it. She ran, just like Gray and the wolf gave a couple of seconds before chasing her. Nate not far behind.

He was late.

The wolf was already on her, but Nate reacted quickly. He jumped out of the bushes and tried to get the wolf off her... but Nate went right through the wolf... He tried again and again but the same thing, it was as though he was a ghost. He watched, helplessly as the wolf sunk its teeth into her shoulder and she let out a piercing scream before passing out cold. The evil wolf turned it's head away from her and looked directly at Nate.

"It could have easily been her." It gave a lopsided smile, "It may still be her one day. The wolf is inside you all the time... how long until you want to bite her?"

The realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. The wolf wasnt a stranger... it was Nate!

He jumped up, wide awake and breathing heavily. At first he didnt notice the shape on his bed. He placed his hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat slowing. Now that had been a nightmare and half. His eyes, accustomed to seeing in the dark, made out the shape. With the artifical moonlight too, he could see her face quite clearly. Though his eyes crickled in slight confusion. What was she doing here? "Reese?" Stupid question really, he knew exactly who it was. His eyes took in her appearance. That wasnt an attire someone just wanting to talk would wear... and that scared him. He wasnt ready for that.

They'd been friends for a month, gradually leading to something more but they hadnt even had their first kiss yet. He knew he wasnt ready for the full... well to go that far. He shifted on the bed slightly and continued to gaze at her. His eyes full of wonder but they lingered on her face and not her body. "What're you doing here?" He moved some hair from her eyes and looked at her, she seemed nervous.

He pushed the dream from his mind and concentrated on the Reese infront of him. He'd prove the dream wrong, there was no way he was going to do anything that would hurt her or endanger her. He wouldnt bite her, he wouldnt ever do that to her. He took extra care now, he was careful around her so he wouldnt hurt her and he'd taken the potion last week all week and upon change time he'd kept his mind and stayed hidden deep within the forest with Gray.

"Reese, what's going on?"

[Reese Mackenzie]

Her heart skipped a beat when Nathan suddenly opened his eyes and jumped up. Reese pulled her hand back and watched with somewhat widened eyes. Well great, another guy she’d given a heart attack in less than a month. And she’d had been super careful this time! Why couldn’t guys just be like Damon and be chill about it? That would be so much easier. A wave of insecurity washed over her though, seeing him like this. Normally she didn’t get insecure fast but lately Nathan was doing one hell of a good job with making her nervous around him. Which actually was a good thing as it meant she wanted for him to like her.

“Hi…” her voice was soft, a whisper, and sounded a bit insecure. Maybe this had not been such a good idea after all. Leaving was not an option though, now that he was awake. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…” she honestly felt bad about this. She hadn’t meant to freak him out and here he was, breathing heavily. Reese narrowed her eyes, trying to see his face in the dark so she could try to read his eyes. However he’d moved out of the light and the only thing she could see was the outline of his body.

She bit her lip and winched a little when he asked for clarification. To her it didn’t sound like he was happy to see her but she could be wrong. It was just so hard to tell in the dark when all she could she was the outline of his body and only had his voice that could tell her how he was feeling. Yet, the gently gesture of him moving some hair out of her face proved the opposite. Nathan could be so hard to read sometimes! That guy went hot and cold so fast you couldn’t keep up. Which of course was something that sparked Reese’s interests, even if it was very annoying sometimes.

“Can I stay with you tonight? Please?” She truly hoped he would say yes if it meant he wouldn’t see it as an invitation for some late night fun. If he would see it as that she’d hope he would say no. Although the latter would not happen. If he wanted something to happen he wouldn’t send her away. This was so messed up wasn’t it? But she really needed to know and simply asking him was no option. Actions always spoke louder than words right? “I can’t tell you why, I just…” her voice trailed off, as she didn’t want to lie to him.

Reese stayed put on the side of the bed, her hands resting in her lap as she awaited his answer.

[Nathan Spencer]

"Hi..." He spoke back, his voice sounded breathy, like he was out of breath. She sounded nervous and Nathan couldnt understand why, his body was still reacting to the dream and his heart was hammering as though he had a Hummingbird beneath his chest. "What?" He asked, then remembered she'd had her hand on his chest and vaguely remembered her trying to wake him up. She thought she'd scared him. "Oh! No you didnt scare me, dont worry about it." It was the nightmare that had given him the mini heart attack, not Reese.

He allowed his breathing to slow down a bit as he listened for signs of life around them. Everyone in his house knew he was knocking around with a Gryffindor and a few of them weren't happy with it. Nathan didnt care, he was happy right now and that was all that mattered. Alfie and Ryan stood by him too so that was helpful. He looked at her, werewolf senses were useful for Darkness, he could see much clearer than any normal Human and he watched as her face form from nervousness, to confusion, to relief and back again. He tried to give her a smile, but he didnt know if she could see it.

He couldnt hide his surprise as she asked to stay with him. Where'd that come from? "You want to stay?" It wasnt really a question, more a statement. He moved up on the bed and pulled the covers up. He looked back over to her, taking her hand and bringing her onto the bed properly. He put the covers over her to keep her warm and put his arm around her. "If you want to stay you can." His brows furrowed but he retained his smile, his was a bit confused as to why she had suddenly decided she wanted to stay with him. Afterall, nothing had ever happened between them... "You dont need to tell me why... you can stay if you want to."

He pressed his lips lightly to her hair in what he hoped was a comforting way. He was confused, he didnt know what Reese wanted from him and he didnt know if he'd be able to give her anything she wanted. But for now, he'd just wait to find out for himself. There wasnt a lot more he could do. However, he did feel like something was going on with her, which had lead to her being here tonight but he didnt ask. She'd tell him when she was ready.

[Reese Mackenzie]

So she hadn’t scared him? He did sound like she had rudely awoken him just now with the way he was breathing and how his voice sounded…off. Reese wasn’t really sure if he said that cause it was true, to hide the fact that she did scare him or too just pretend she hadn’t scared him as to make her feel better. Whatever it was she’d probably not find out but that was alright. At least he hadn’t told her to leave. Reese nodded a little when he repeated her request but smiled when she could see him move around in bed. As if he was making room for her.

While holding his hand she crawled under the covers and instantly felt his body starting to heat hers up. Upon feeling him wrapping his arm around her Reese let her head rest on his shoulder and snuggled a little closer to him. Nothing too close though as there was still a little room left between them. She wasn’t here to lead him on, only to see if he would try something just cause he could. If it did happen though, she wouldn’t mind some fun but it wasn’t what she truly wanted. But at least she would have her answer then right?

"Thank you.."He was pretty sweet wasn’t he? Reese wondered if he was one of those guys who was only sweet when it was him and his girl. Those type of guys were hilarious and when they would have Reese as their girl they were bound to be messed with. “I don’t want to lie to you . That’s why I can’t tell you.” She hated it when people lied to her so she always tried to be honest with everyone in her life. “And I promise I don’t snore.”, she joked, trying to lighten the moment some.

Reese slowly closed her eyes as she could hear his heart beat inside his chest. Funny, how you could still hear that when you had your head resting on his shoulder. His body was radiating heat and it was like her own personal fire place, perfect and warm. Another smile made it to her lips when she felt him lightly kiss the top of her head. It felt nice, comforting, which was exactly what she needed. “Are you sure you’re okay Nate?” She had noticed he had been pretty freaked and as he’d said to her it wasn’t cause of her, it made her curious as to what had caused it instead.

[Nathan Spencer]

After the nightmare, he had been a little startled to find Reese in his dorm room. It took a while for him to get his breathing back under control and realise his nightmare had in fact been just that, a nightmare. As he looked at the brunette girl, his heartbeat slowed, his breathing followed suit and a wave of relief washed over him. She was safe, that was all that mattered. But upon the word safe entering his mind, panic flooded over him --he was careful not to let it show-- how safe would she be around him. And the bigger question, would she want to be around him when she knew what he was? He knew, or thought he knew, where this was heading. Or, the possibility of where it might be heading and he knew one day he'd have to come clean, let down all his barriers and let her in... let her know what he really was and that scared him more than anything. Not the telling her, that would be a sinch... but the thought of losing her.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Lying close to her like this made the world around him dissapear. He couldnt be sure how this would all turn out but for now this was enough, this was good. Feeling her snuggle closer to him his eyes drifted down, he calmed his breathing and gently stroked her back, leaning down he pressed his lips to the top of her head and just relaxed. He was worried though, he didnt know why she was here or what she wanted from him. A thought came into his mind... did she want him and her to... Does she want us to sleep together? He thought, again panic washed over him. There was no way in the world he'd sleep with her in that sense. It was too dangerous and besides, he wouldnt sleep with anyone unless he loved them and was in a relationship with them... But for now, he wouldnt worry about that bridge until he came to it.

"Sure, no problem." He answered and looked at the ceiling. He didnt know what was going on, but he knew something was up and her next answer only confirmed it. There was tension here, Nate didnt know what to expect and whatever she was hiding from him was adding to it. But everyone had their secrets. "You dont have to tell me everything, you know that." That was as truthful as he could say. Though he laughed when she said she didnt snore. "I dont know if I do... It's been a while since anybody was in a position to tell me." Over two and a half years to be precise.

"I dont know." It was the truth, he didnt know. In many ways he was fine, better than usual in fact, having someone, a girl, be this close to him was a novelty, one he didnt allow himself to over-indulge in and it was nice. It was one of his few moments of happiness when he was around her. On the flip side, he was terrified she'd run screaming for the hills from him. Then there was the nightmare he'd had and the fact he was worried he'd hurt her. Plus he wanted to know what she wanted from him and what had made her come here so late at night. It was a mess to be frank with you. "Its nothing to worry yourself over anyway. I'm sure I'll be fine, I'll head to the Hospital Wing tomorrow, maybe I'm coming down with something." It was a lie, he wasnt ill in that sense, but he couldnt tell her what was really worrying her could he?

[Reese Mackenzie]

Reese knew she could be quite the complicated girl. Jake had always said he loved that about her even if Reese knew sometimes she could be a handful. Not that she did it on purpose, she just well…was born complicated or something? Boys seemed to adore that about her though. An easy girl was boring but a somewhat complicated girl was more interesting. As long as it didn’t get –too- complicated. Reese liked to stay somewhat mysterious too, knowing that mostly boys loved to chase a little first. On the other hand, being complicated and being mysterious was always a way to protect herself. Loosing Jake and later on the baby had been hard on her and she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle anything dark like that again.

There was this unspoken rule when it came down to boys about drama. Bring it on them too soon and they will run like the wind. Which basically applied to pretty much any kind of relationship. Reese really did not want to spook Nathan by staying with him tonight. It was pretty obvious she was here for some reason that had some drama behind it. Drama she needed to deal with herself and surely did not mean to lay on top of his shoulders. There really was no other way for her to deal with it than this and she could only hope that Nathan wouldn’t think differently about her in the morning.

Cause if he would, that would suck really bad.

She was no prude but for once Reese was a little afraid she was pushing it if she would snuggle up against him. Or lead him on, which was so not the point of all this. Cause of that one of her arms rested awkwardly over her side –while holding Nate’s hand, as her other arm was sort of ‘stuck’ between them. It wasn’t really uncomfortable but it was just…awkward. She smiled though, when he said she didn’t need to tell him everything. Part of her was glad cause she really did not want to get into this at all but the other part made her think that he might not care. And that right there added some more insecurity on the already growing pile. Something Reese hated, feeling insecure, cause it was so not like her. “Oh… really? I thought girls crowded this bed of yours. After all, you seem to be very popular Nate.” Now that surprised her, no one had been in a position to tell him if he snored? She’d expected for him to be quite the ladies man. But she liked his answer, it gave her some hope. “Well I’ll kindly jab you in the side when you start making loud sounds then.” she chuckled, nudging his side softly to tease him.

This was nice though. Being close to him and not being close to him at the same time. Did that even make any sense at all? For a moment Reese felt very uneasy when he said he didn’t know how he felt which was followed by him hinting that he was coming down with something. Maybe he didn’t want her around and he was just being nice by not telling her to leave. Great, now she was really getting somewhere by messing up his personal bubble. “Do you want me to leave?” her voice was suddenly soft when she spoke again, which was very unlike her considering the bubbly and flirty girl she normally was around him. “I’d understand if you did, if you’re not feeling well…”

For a brief moment Reese was actually starting to think coming down here might not have been such a good idea after all. Maybe it was just selfish of her to do this thing and maybe it was her being a coward as well. She normally was all about telling people things up front or straight in their faces, to have honest talks and not run around subjects before getting in to them. Pushing herself up to a sitting position she turned around to look down at the shape she knew was Nathan. “I’m sorry…I just…I just missed you. she finally said, and which was part of the whole truth. She had missed him considering he was on her mind all the time lately.

[Nathan Spencer]

Nathan glanced down at the arm which was wedged between them both and thought that it couldnt possibly be comfy. For a moment he released the hold he had on her hand and slipped his arm underneath her to pull her up so her arm could be placed in a more comfy position then took hold of her hand again with a small smile. A silence fell over them for a while but it wasnt an uncomfy silence, it was rather a nice silence. "I have a fanclub who crowd me. Giggling girls following me... it gets more than a little annoying and personally I would rather chew my arm off than go anywhere near those people." It was the god's honest truth too, even though he had many people who wanted to be around him, Nathan preferred to not be crowded and would have loved to be able to slip into the background most days but he knew that would never happen. He preferred girls like Reese, who would be themselves and were open and honest to a point, rather than the sort of girls who became what they thought you wanted. It annoyed him more than anything. "Do that and I may have to squash you." He joked, but wasnt entirely joking, he didnt like sharp jabs in his side, it made him squirm.

He looked at her when she asked if he wanted her to leave. Of course he didnt that was the last thing he wanted. He quite liked having her around, he wasnt bothered by the fact she was lay snuggled up to him in his bed, and he wasnt bothered by the looks he know he'd recieve in the morning when the other guys woke to find a girl in Nathan's bed, in the Slytherin Dorm and being a Gryffindor. He could deal quite easily with that and he knew Ryan would back him up like he always did. Alfie on the other hand, would probably just take the piss, especially after just a month ago Nate told Alfie he wouldnt go anywhere near a girl. "No I dont want you to leave, of course I dont." He ran a hand over her hair gently and tried to smile, this was a new situation for him and he wasnt sure how to handle it. "I'm fine, its nothing serious honestly. I dont want you to leave. I dont mind you being here."

She began to shift and made to sit up, Nate looked at her in a confused way wondering if she was going to leave even though he'd told her he didnt want her to. He watched as she seemed to be having some trouble getting the words out of her mouth, he smiled and found it cute how she stumbled over them. He mirrored her movement and sat up facing her, taking both of her hands in his own. She'd missed him, that made him happier than it should have done, it made his stomach feel funny. What an odd sensation, like he had bats in his stomach. He'd never felt that before. Was he hungry or was this some form of crazy excitement? "You missed me?" He asked, finding it somewhat odd. "I've been with you more or less all day." He smiled, thinking back to the break and dinner hour. Not to mention he'd pretty much changed his seating plan in most lessons so he could sit next to or close to her. There was something going on here, it was almost as though she was trying to tell him something without actually saying it. Sort of like it was a guessing game but Nathan couldnt quite catch her drift. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm here as long as you want me around." He pulled up one of her hands and kissed the back of it gently. They hadnt gone over the friendship border yet, and he wasnt sure how to broach it either, or if he should.

[Reese Mackenzie]

Nathan was funny and there didn’t go a day by where he didn’t end up making her laugh. Or smile. Lately she seemed to be smiling a lot more which didn’t go by unnoticed. Several people, who knew about Jake, had already said she looked happy. Which she was, happy. Even if of course there were also those darker and bad days. But in general, she was actually pretty happy. And happy in a way where she didn’t have to fake a smile but could simply flash everyone a real one. The one to blame for all of this was Nathan, but he didn’t know it yet and Reese was at the verge of discovering this all for herself.

She laughed as he mentioned that he’d have to squash her and settled comfortably against him. Only, of course, until she pushed herself up as she wasn’t sure if she should be crashing in his bed for the night. She really wanted to though, Reese didn’t do well on her own even if she was independent. Complicated much hu? The more people she had around her the better. She’d rather sit in a crowded common room than in an empty one even if she was reading her fairytale book. It was just the feeling and the idea of not being alone that soothed her.

For a guy he was fairly hard to read. Reese never had a problem with reading guys and she usually already knew what the guy was after before he mentioned it to her. Surely some bad guesses on her side had been made, leaving her end up in tears or in anger. But most of the time she was pretty good at it. Nathan though…well with him not so much. When she thought he liked something he didn’t appear to do so, when she thought he didn’t agree with something they ended up having the same opinion, when she thought he didn’t like her he apparently did like her…and the list went on and on. It was something new and Reese found it very exciting to say the least. But at the same time it made her feel uneasy every now and then, insecure if you will, and that was a feeling she didn’t like to have.

The same applied to this very night. At first she thought he didn’t mind for her to stay and now, a minute later, she got the feeling he actually did mind but was too sweet to say it. But then he suddenly told her he didn’t want to leave and she could feel his hand brush over her hair in a very sweet gesture. It was gentle and Reese hadn’t expect that from him. But it was nice though, really nice. “Okay…” she softly whispered, “…you’re just really hard to read sometimes. ” She smiled, gently patting his chest for a moment, “Then again, I think I sort of like that whole mysterious bad ass side of yours. It suits you somehow.” Which it did. But she loved to find out that he had a secret sweet side as well.

The moment Nathan sat up and reached out for her, her eyes instantly wandered down to their linked hands. Not that it had much use since she couldn’t see much in the dark. Let alone see him actually holding her hands. Reese wasn’t sure what to think of this, other than that she liked what he was doing. Her fingers seemed to then move with a will of their own and linked with his as it seemed they desperately did not want to let go. She shrugged faintly and looked away –another useless thing to do considering he probably couldn’t see her face in the dark anyway-. “Yeah, I guess you kinda grew on me?” she tried to joke about it, not wanting to get all serious with this. “I just like you, you know?” Reese sighed softly as she so had not wanted to say that. Course she meant it, but it was probably a little early to say stuff like that. But now that she had she might as well try and fix this before he’d think she was one of his groupies or something. “We have fun and I like hanging out with you, obviously. I guess I just wanted to hang out with you some more today.” Not the smoothest safe ever but it would have to do. For now.

Only then he went and surprised her by picking up her hand to kiss it softly. A faint tingly sensation was left on her hand where his lips had been. Friends didn’t do these things….right? Reese fell silent and just stared at him while she could feel a blush creeping up on her cheeks. Another thing she didn’t do often, blushing. What the hell was Nathan doing to her?!

[Nathan Spencer]

Nathan knew people found him a difficult person to get to know. He knew he often gave off mixed signals and when you thought you had him pegged, soon enough he'd do something which made you think twice. Reese was no different. He was distant, careful with his feelings and actions, and though he knew he should relax around Reese, or it could cost him, he couldnt seem to do it. Around her, his barriers were higher and though he would never admit it to her, she actually scared him. She scared him because of the hold she had over him. It was an odd feeling for him and he didnt like it much, knowing how much he wanted to be around her. When he wasnt she was in his thoughts. This made Nathan uneasy.

"Yeah..." It wasnt news to him. "I'm often told I'm difficult to read." Yet around her, he wanted to tell her everything. What he was thinking, what he was feeling. He wanted to show her that he did care for her and that he wasnt after her body. Yet, he couldnt say the words he often thought to himself. He didnt know, but it all sound cliche'd. "Mysterious bad ass?" He laughed, he'd never thought himself as mysterious or badass if he was honest. Okay, sure enough hardly anyone knew anything about him but still, mysterious was a bit of a stetch wasnt it?

When he took her hands, a small wave of... something... washed over him. He couldnt explain it but when she didnt pull her hands away, in fact, when she linked her fingers through his, Nathan felt for one minute like everything was going to be okay. That no matter what happened he'd be able to pull through it somehow and he had the feeling that Reese would be standing beside him. Watching him, caring... Who knows? Maybe Nathan was getting ahead of himself, afterall, she was only holding his hands. "I grew on you? Well thats new... I've never been told I've grown on anyone before." He laughed, though his laughter died short when he heard what she said next. Unlinking one of his hands from her, he gently ran his hand down the side of her face. "I know what you mean." Okay, so he hadnt said he liked her too but Nathan just wasnt good at things like that so he was trying to go for the approach which would make her understand. "So you decided to sneak into the Slytherin dorm room with a bunch of sleeping snakes and wonder what would happen?" He found himself laughing again. Not the smartest idea.

"You know..." He spoke softly, relinking his hand with hers. "I could get used to this." He squoze her hand showing that this was what he meant. He could get used to it, get used to having Reese around... It wasnt as bad as he thought.

(Blegh.. sorry its poo)

[Reese Mackenzie]

Reese shrugged as he made it sound like it was an awful thing that he was hard to read. It wasn’t. It was just difficult sometimes. She never told anyone everything about her. Not even Graham knew that she had lost her baby or that she often wandered at the forbidden forest at night. Not telling everything made you somewhat mysterious. Reese liked that. It was safe and in a way it was fun too. It left something to the imagination which Reese owned tons of. She ran a hand through her hair as Nathan laughed at her words. Well he was bad ass, and mysterious to her, so in her own little world it made sense that way.

The moment both her hands got taken in his, her heart made a little flutter and her stomach did this weird squishy thing. Which –thank god- was not something he could hear. There was only one guy she’d ever felt like this with before and that was Jake. In the dark Reese stared into Nathan’s face, unable to see anything, but still gazing into his eyes. She wasn’t sure how she should feel about this. Part of her was scared, ready to pull away and run. But the other part made her stay right where she was, made her feel that somehow…this was okay.

“Yeah, sort of I guess. Didn’t want to go all too mushy there.” She said with a chuckle in her voice. Knowing very well she couldn’t talk sweetly in the same to Nathan as she did to Damon. At least not yet. It seemed like the smooth safe had worked, one way or the other, and a soft sigh left her lips in relief. Reese always managed to screw good things up and this –whatever it was- with Nathan, she really did not want to mess up. Not at all.

Before she knew what he was doing Reese could feel his hand touch the side of her face. Without even realizing what she was doing, she leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. Feeling his warm hand on her cheek felt so right, so sweet, so close. Her eyes slowly opened once more when he said he knew what she meant. For a brief moment she felt a faint pang in her heart when he left it with that. She’d somehow expected, or more so hoped, for him to say something similar to her. That he liked her as well as to let her know it was alright to feel this way.

But he didn’t.

Pushing those feelings back she focused on his question instead. “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing Nate. Seems to me that you might be starting to enjoy this little midnight surprise.” Not that she knew how much but he was gentle with her and she was still allowed to be here with him. So in a way, he must be enjoying himself with this. “Besides, I’m a gryffy right? I’m supposed to do all kinds of dangerous and exciting things.” she continued softly, smirking at him in the dark.

When his hand left her cheek her face suddenly felt cold. Too cold. “Me too.” And here we went again with the mixed signals. So he did like to be close with her like this? This guy was starting to give her a frigging emotional whiplash. Then again, weren’t most guys like this to begin with? Reese let her thumbs gently run over his hands when she felt him squeeze hers. “But at some point I’m going to have to need my hands back.” she suddenly joked, trying to keep things light. At least, she figured that is what Nathan wanted.

A little yawn got passed her lips making her realize that she was in fact getting tired. It was pretty late after all. Reese lowered herself onto her side again, pulling Nathan along with her. Once he was down she let her head rest against his shoulder once more. Just like before she let some space exist between them even though she did hold on to one of his hands. “Are you tired again?”

[Nathan Spencer]

Nathan grinned, an uncharactistic grin for him. One that reached his eyes. "Of course it's not a bad thing. I could definatly get used to waking up with you here." Although, when she spoke again about being a Gryffindor a small laugh escaped his lips. He couldnt help it, the whole situation was amusing to him. "Yes I suppose you do but isnt this taking dangerous and exciting to a whole new level? Not all Slytherins are as easy going as me."

He couldnt turn around and say that he liked Reese, that would totally screw him on the masculine scale now wouldnt it? Besides, he was terrified of actually admitting it. What would Gray say? Would he tell her what Nate was? What about that Damon fella? Or her best friend? There was a lot to consider and the problem was Nathan's mind often over-analysed things. "Oh right, yeah.. sorry." He stammered and released her hands, setting his own awkwardly in his own lap.

When he suddenly got pulled down, a small gasp left his lips as he hadnt been expecting it. But now lying down his eyes fluttered close and he realised too, that he was tired. He put his arms around her and cuddled her close. "Yes, actually I am kinda tired." He yawned as he gave her hand a squeeze and fell into the world of dreams again. Only this time, his dream was plesant and not scary.

-----------------------------------------------------
(NEXT MORNING)

His dream that night had been rather nice and he awoke with a smile on his face. He'd dreamt that he was in his early thirties, him and Reese were together and had their own little cub running around. He squoze Reese, but she didnt stir. He disentangled himself from Reese and got out of bed to find himself face to face with Ryan.

"...There's a girl in your bed." He stated.
"...Yes... there is a girl in my bed." Nate smiled.
"...Why is a girl in your bed?" Ryan grinned.
"Because she came into the room in the middle of the night." Nathen put his finger over his mouth and made a shhh sound.
"... But... there's a girl in your bed." He sounded stunned.
"Ryan, leave. Now!" Nate laughed.
"But..."
"Now!"

Ryan did as he was told and left the dorm room, but not before saying, "You, me tomorrow! Details!" Making a sign indicating the two of them and leaving Nate standing and half laughing as he got himself half-dressed. By half, he shoved some pants on and made his way over to Reese. Sitting on the end of the bed he shook her but she didnt open her eyes. "Reese... come on its Saturday... wake upp." Still no reaction. "Alright... you asked for this." He bent over her, and pressed his lips lightly to Reese's, running a hand through her hair as he did, as he tried to kiss sleeping beauty awake.

[Reese Mackenzie]

Reese had not expected to be actually pulled close into Nathan’s arm when they went to lie down again. As she settled comfortable against him, her head resting against his chest now, a smile lingered on her lips. It seemed that maybe she had been wrong about him. Maybe he really did care and didn’t see her as some trophy he could claim. Reese had given him the opportunity to seize the moment and have his fun with her but he hadn’t. He’d been sweet, seemed to be caring –even if it was just a little- and now he was actually being the one pulling her close to him. Course, it didn’t mean he liked her in the same way she was starting to like him. But it was nice to be close to him like this.

And who knew? Maybe it would lead somewhere. Maybe it wouldn’t. But at least she had a shot at finding that out.

It took her a little while to fall asleep but when she did, she was lost in a deep sleep. The next morning she still laid cuddled up against him. One leg had ended up laying between his legs, one hand still holding his, her other hand resting on his chest while she’d buried her face into his neck. Her upper body was still pressed against his side and her hair laid around her shoulders like a soft blanket. Reese was fast asleep and only groaned lightly when Nathan disentangled himself from her. The moment he’d left she turned on her side and continued her beauty sleep.

She was a true addict to sleep. Once she had given into it, it was hard to get her leave her warm and comfortable bed when there was no real reason for her to get up. Especially on weekends. The voices filling the room didn’t fully wake her but they did manage to pull her away from the dark. Sounds from the real world started to fill her ears but Reese was stubborn and remained in a light slumber. Enjoying the warmth around her she stayed curled up under the blanket, a smile lingering once more on her lips.

Somewhere in the distance footsteps could be heard and somewhere in her mind got registered that someone was sitting on the bed with her now. When someone apparently wanted for her to wake up, by trying to shake her awake, Reese groaned again, softly. Her dream, in which she’d become a nurse and was currently bandaging up a really hot guy, faded away. Trying to get back to that perfect dream Reese forced her eyes shut to fight her becoming awake. But all of that need to stay asleep faded away when she felt Nathan’s lips on hers in a light kiss. As soon as her mind was able to register what was happening her eyes started to flutter open and she could feel a hand run gently though her hair.

Looking into Nathan’s face Reese was confused for a moment, until everything about the previous night came flooding back. An instant smile lit up her face while she looked into his eyes. “Morning handsome…” her voice still thick with sleep, but at least she was awake. “Now this is not a bad away to wake up in the morning…” she softly said, smirking at him now as he raised a hand. Gently she let her fingers run over his cheek for a moment. “What time is it?”, it seemed bright in here but since they were under the castle it didn’t necessarily mean it was already light outside. Magical light ey?

She pushed herself up to a sitting position and ran a few quick hands though her hair. The curtains were pulled back a little and she could see into the rest of the dorm. It seemed like everyone was just starting to wake up.

[Nathan Spencer]

It had been the strangest night for Nathan, having Reese in his bed. Yet, he had no desire to do anything ungentlemanlike to her, or put her in any kind of an awkward situation. He waited for the dorm room to empty fully before rousing Reese from her dreamland. Even though he didnt really want to as she looked adorable sleeping but he would prefer to get her safely out of the Slytherin common room, before he had to leave on business. He had many things to do today, like drag Gray to the potion lab to teach him how to make the wolfsbane potion, sign him up for Astronomy and fill the head in that there was a new wolf in town. All because... no, he wasnt laying any blame today.

He smiled when she looked at him, her face seemed to light up and that made his own eyes sparkle. For the first time in a long time Nate was actually happy. Now there was an achievement. "Good morning yourself beautiful." He murmered and bent back down to place his lips back on hers for a brief moment and leaned back, the bed creaked under the uneven weight which made Nathan laugh slightly. "Well if you're a good girl you may find more mornings like this one." He stood up and opened the drawer beside his bed, pulling out a dark shirt. Running his wand over it, the creases fell out. Reese spoke but Nate missed it, "What?" He asked, honestly sometimes his mind drifted away before he knew where it was going. "Time? Oh right. Just after ten in the morning." Nathan didnt tend to sleep until all hours of the morning, he was usually up and about by eight but he hadnt even wanted to get out of bed. "Artificial light makes telling the time difficult in here."

The light was here simply because even the Slytherins hated being in total darkness. The light wasnt always the best, but it gave the illusion that they were above the ground rather than underneath the lake. He pushed his arms through the sleeves on the shirt and sat back down on the bed beside Reese who hadnt even moved yet. He couldnt help but smile at this, maybe she didnt want to move. Frown. Or maybe she expected something from him he couldnt give. Well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. "So, are you going to tell me really, what last night was about?" He asked as he began to button up the shirt. "Cause I think it didnt have anything to do with missing me." He smiled at her though, "Hey, I dont mind... If it's something you had to do then I get it, dont worry about it. I just wondered what's going through your pretty little head."