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Post by William Blake on Sept 26, 2010 9:24:51 GMT -5
Will's original excuse had been that he was giving Natalie time, time to cool down after what she'd seen. But as that excuse faded, the next was hard to admit; he wasn't sure how to make it up to her. Any other guy would have bought her flowers, apologised, hope that it worked. But with Natalie, she had an understanding of his other side, and that made him hard to trust, even if he said he loved her.
So, he'd had to put his mind to work to think of some way to earn her forgiveness for being so foolish in the first place, and hurting the woman he loved. Looking for forgiveness had never been his strong suit, usually he never apologised, but this time it was worth it. Two weeks without Natalie had taught him that he couldn't stand life without her, and that she was worth whatever embarrassment or loss of pride that he sustained.
The diabocle with R4 got in the way, of course, but as soon as everyone was safely back on the ship, Will put his plan into motion.
There were still people on the ship that were willing to help him. Natalie was well liked, and Will not so much, but when he explained what happened, and what he wanted to do, people had agreed to help. It was big job, but after a couple of days of tinkering, they were ready.
-x-
It was quiet in engineering, even with most of the staff working away, getting on with their jobs. An awkward silence had descended over the place after Will had thrown the bottle of whiskey across his office, and it had never really lifted, especially with Will and Natalie both avoiding each other. Natalie was there today, Will was nowhere to be seen.
What the people in there didn't know was that it was all about to change.
The comms system buzzed into life, and Hollie's voice echoed around the room.
"Ladies and Gentleman, if I could have your attention please. We're interupting work today to bring you a special musical interlude, curtosey of our Chief Engineer, William Blake. Natalie, if you're listening, this one's for you."
Slowly, music started playing over the comms, filling the room with the soft sounds of string instruments. After several bars, they were accompanied by Will's tenor voice, singing Frank Sinatra's famous lyrics.
Time after time
I tell myself that I'm
So lucky to be loving you
So lucky to be
The one you run to see
In the evening, when the day is through
I only know what I know
The passing years will show
You've kept my love so young, so new
And time after time
You'll hear me say that I'm
So lucky to be loving you
The music faded out and into another song, louder and more lively than the last. At the first beat, Will slid through the door dressed in a tux, arms out, a small headset attached to his ear. He began clicking his fingers, walking forwards towards where Natalie was standing.
Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
'Neath the cover of October skies
He spun around once on the spot.
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
Will approached her now, taking her hand as he sang.
And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush
Pulling her close, he put a hand on her waist, looking into her eyes.
Can I just have one a' more moondance with you, my love
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love
The song faded smoothly ahead, and he pulled back, singing to her from an arms length.
Can I just have one a' more moondance with you, my love
Can I just make some more romance with you-u, my love
Can I just have one a' more moondance with you, my love
The music slowed and Will span her into him, dipping her into the last words.
Can I just make some more romance with you-u, my ...love.
As the music faded, Will breathed heavily, looking at her hopefully. "Forgive me?"
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Post by Natalie Blake on Sept 26, 2010 11:54:40 GMT -5
Holding a grudge had never been Natalie's forte, but after what he'd done, she couldn't just go up and forgive Will, as much as she might want to. Even though she was hurt and angry, she missed him desperately. The last time she'd felt like this had been when her father died--an overwhelming sense of loss. And yet, there was nothing she could do.
She'd taken to avoiding Will. Which meant that, as the incident with Silk had interrupted her asking for them, Natalie had yet to obtain the parts she needed to fix that stupid console. It was far more trouble than it would ever be worth. And yet, to get the new parts, she'd have to ask Will to order them. So she suffered on.
Despite noticing it, she hadn't taken much interest in the fact that Will hadn't been around engineering all that much the last few days. It never occurred to her what he might be up to. To Natalie, it just meant she didn't have to try as hard to stay away from him. And so, when the intercom crackled on, she looked up from the console idly to hear what Hollie had to say.
A musical interlude? Natalie's first thought was that Hollie was just goofing around, or that Ben had put her up to it. But then she mentioned Will, and Natalie froze. At her own name, almost every person in engineering turned their eyes on her, and she felt a warmth crawling up her face that she determinedly pushed back.
As Will's voice sang the classic love song, she found herself fighting a smile. That man never downscaled anything, did he? Secretly, she admitted to herself that she probably wouldn't have it any other way. As one song melted into another, he made an appearance. Natalie crossed her arms, battling with a smirk, as he danced his way over to her, singing.
There was no complaint on her part when he took her hand, or when he pulled her close, even if it was just for a moment. By the time the song had ended, she found herself leaning back in his arms, his blue eyes staring hopefully into her brown. She was absolutely still for a moment, but she didn't have the energy to play with him.
Letting the smile split her face, a laugh erupted from Natalie's mouth at his question and she flung her arms around his neck. Straightening up, she hugged him tight enough to suffocate him, burying her face in his neck and inhaling deeply. "I've missed you so much. You wouldn't believe."
Ignoring the fact that all of their coworkers were watching, she used his tie to bring his head down and pushed up on her toes at the same time so as to meet his lips in the kiss that she'd been missing for what felt like a lifetime. |
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Post by William Blake on Sept 26, 2010 12:32:18 GMT -5
Relief washed over him completely as her face broke into a smile and she let out a giggle; it had worked. Despite all the eyes burning into the back of his head, he straightened and held her tightly in his embrace, one hand stroking her hair. "Oh, I can believe it," he said through a chuckle. Not having her around meant that the storm cloud over his head wasn't banished to kingdom come when he got out of bed in the morning. She literally was the light in his life, she kept him grounded, made him feel loved.
Will wasted no time in kissing her back, his hand running up into her hair as he massaged her lips with his. A cheer and applause erupted from around them, and Will had to pull back in order to laugh, resting his forehead against hers. There was so much he could say, how sorry he was, or how ridiculous he felt right now having just Gene Kelly-ed his way across engineering in order to win back her heart. He had a lot of people to thank when he got the chance, Anna (and Ben) for choosing the music, Hollie especially for sorting out all the technical stuff. But right now, he wanted to continue to make up for lost time.
Hitching her up into his arms, he placed her legs around his waist, holding her up with one arm while he waved to everyone else. "Thank you," he said, smirking, "now back to work." To Natalie he said, "the console can wait," and with that, he carried her from engineering.
If she hadn't have forgiven him, then she never would have known what was coming next. Will knew the ship back to front, so knew all the nooks and crannies, places where they could go which no one else knew. There was such a place towards the aft of the ship, a small viewing chamber built in order to inspect the rear of the ship in cases where the scanners were malfunctioning. There was just enough room to fit a blanket inside, some spare pillows he'd snaffled from storage, and two plates of food that Alex had gladly made up for him. Hey, if he could sing and dance across the deck then he could certainly arrange something like this. And besides, he'd promised Natalie a dinner at some point anyway, why not now?
He put her down just outside the room, taking her hand as he opened the door and showed her what was inside. "Here you are, madame," he said, "dinner sur une blanket." He smiled, "I got dressed up and everything." |
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Post by Natalie Blake on Sept 26, 2010 13:47:44 GMT -5
In truth, Natalie had almost forgotten where they were when the applause broke out, and she giggled a little when Will broke away to laugh. "I wasn't done with you," she joked, stealing a quick peck. She was a little surprised when Will picked her up, but she didn't complain, instead grinning as he told the engineers to get back to work.
He carried her from engineering then, and she waited until they were away from prying eyes before she started kissing his again--his face, his neck, his shoulders, anything she could reach from this position--to let him know that he really was forgiven. Being without him had been devastating.
When he came to a stop, she unhooked her ankles and dropped to the floor, wondering where exactly it was he'd brought her. He opened the door they'd come to and took her hand, letting her see what he'd put together inside. The room was relatively small, but he'd managed to dress it up nicely.
There was a blanket spread out on the floor, along with a couple of pillows to make it look more accommodating, and apparently he'd managed to talk Alex into making them a little something to eat. Natalie turned back to him when he spoke, and she couldn't help but smile. "How long have you been planning this?" she asked, sliding her hands up his chest and over his shoulders, effectively freeing him of the jacket he'd been wearing. |
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Post by William Blake on Sept 26, 2010 14:43:21 GMT -5
Will enjoyed the treatment he was getting on the way to the room, she was definitely making up for the near four weeks they'd spent apart. It had been torturous for the both of them. But it was over now, and he was oh so very glad. He returned some of the kisses, but she was applying her lips to areas he couldn't reach if he wanted to walk in a straight line. For a moment there, he thought they weren't actually going to make it to the viewing chamber, he half considered ducking into a closet and letting the food go cold. But no, he'd planned this, he was going to follow through for once.
The great thing about the room was the view. They hadn't got far from Earth, and for the moment, they had a beautiful view of Saturn's rings, it was nothing short of stunning. His jacket fell to the floor, and he smiled back at her. "The better part of a week," he said honestly, "me and my elves have been secretly plotting since we left Earth. It all fell into place yesterday, and well, you saw the outcome." He grinned at her. He could only imagine what it looked like to everyone else. Anna would no doubt embarrass him with camera footage tomorrow. He knew they'd probably been watching.
He tugged at his tie, undoing the top button of his shirt before nudging the door closed with his foot. Now they wouldn't be disturbed. He gestured for her sit before he did so himself, reaching for the food - Alex had done as he asked, delivering the food piping hot from the kitchen just in time. The question was, with the way Natalie was looking at him, would they eat at all? Will looked across at her, reaching across to brush a strand of her from her face. "Thank you," he said, "for forgiving me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't." Died of shame, alone in his office probably. |
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Post by Natalie Blake on Sept 29, 2010 0:03:08 GMT -5
So preoccupied had Natalie been with looking at Will, she'd almost missed out on the beautiful view before them. She made herself look now as they settled down, admiring Saturn and letting the sight of its rings reign her wandering thoughts back in. He'd gone through all this effort for her, and she wasn't going to ruin things for him by jumping the evening ahead.
Will's fingers brushed passed her face then, fixing her hair for her, and she repressed a slight shiver as the delicate touch before turning toward him in order to listen to what he had to say. She smiled a little, wanting to say something witty or teasing in response, but she just ended up repeating what she'd said before, if with a little more embellishment.
"I missed you, Will. To be totally truthful, I was only a day or two away from forgiving you just on the principle that if I did, I wouldn't have to avoid you anymore. It was taking its toll on me just as much as you. And yet, you're the one who spent nigh-on a week trying to fix us. So thank you."
Not really sure where that had come from, Natalie cast her eyes out to Saturn again, watching the planet for a prolonged moment. She then turned her eyes on the remaining plate, only to find that it was laden with so many good-looking foods she wasn't sure where to start. Finally, she glanced back up at Will, wondering what he thought of her logic. |
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Post by William Blake on Sept 29, 2010 16:01:17 GMT -5
”You couldn’t have told me that sooner?” he teased with a grin. It was worth it, the hours of planning, sitting around with Ben and Anna while they bickered jokingly over the music choices, watching Hollie whiz around on her computer faster than anyone he had ever seen even though she was blind, sneaking out at four in the morning to tamper with the appropriate equipment, all of it, everything, had been to win her back. And he had done so.
”You’re welcome,” Will said seriously, taking her hand up in his and kissing it gently. He lingered there, stroking her soft knuckles with his thumb, wondering whether it was time. He’d thought that maybe it had been time to take their relationship further back after the awards ceremony, on the rooftop where he first told Natalie he loved her. But he hadn’t wanted to, not after he said those words. He’d felt they were enough.
Will didn’t usually wait this long, but with Natalie, waiting was effortless. It wasn’t like there was any rush, and because he truly loved her, he felt like it had to be special, it had to be right. So, was now the right time? Would it cheapen all that he had just done if they skipped the meal and went for dessert? Or would it make the perfect end to his grand gesture?
After another moment of hesitation, he pressed his lips her hand again, kissing each of her fingers in turn before moving up her arm, her shoulder, her neck. She had ample chance to push him away if this wasn’t what she wanted, but if it was what she wanted, then he would continue to pepper her skin with tender kisses, eventually finding his way to her lips. |
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Post by Natalie Blake on Oct 1, 2010 18:46:35 GMT -5
"What, and missed your wonderful performance?" Natalie scoffed, her voice alight with mock horror, "Of course not!" Oh, how she'd missed their pointless banter--even more than she'd thought. It just wasn't the same with anyone else as it was with Will. Nothing was the same with anyone else when compared to how it was with Will, she noted idly.
He accepted her thanks, bringing her hand to his lips, and she tilted her head a little to the side as she watched, growing curious when he lingered there. Slowly, there seemed to be a slight change in his expression, a small adjustment in the set of his shoulders, as if he'd decided something. Not long after, it became evident what that decision was.
His lips found her fingers, her hand, her arm, and so on, traveling up and returning the kissing she'd bestowed on him on their way here. The subtle shiver that rippled through Natalie when his lips found her neck had very little to do with cold. "Oh, hell." And with that, she pulled their mouths together and gave in to the inevitable. |
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Post by William Blake on Oct 1, 2010 19:08:17 GMT -5
Will was endlessly glad that she'd accepted his forward move, embracing it and taking him higher than he'd ever soared before. They lay on the blanket, another pulled across their lower halves, Will's chest heaving in and out as he breathed. There were no words to describe what had just happened between the two of them. He had never felt like that before. Never. She had made him feel wanted, loved, and ecstaticly happy all with one act.
His heart beat loudly, regaining its strong, steady rhythm as he lay silently, relishing quietly. "I love you," he said, looking across at her with his large blue eyes. She had looked beautiful to him before, stunning, but now she looked perfect; the blush in her cheeks, the light in her eyes... perfect. That they'd waited so long just made the moment more heightened and more special. He'd done it not for gratification, but because he'd wanted to express the deepest of desires to be with her, one and all. |
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Post by Natalie Blake on Oct 1, 2010 21:34:05 GMT -5
So this is what they mean by making love. It wasn't like Natalie was a virgin--she'd had the odd fling now and again. But they'd been pointless, and meaningless, with no rhyme or reason to them. This, with Will, wasn't like that, not in the slightest. Never before had someone's touch set her skin ablaze quite as his had, nor had she ever felt so wonderful afterward.
Their frantic heartbeats and erratic breathing both slowed gradually, the only sound in the room until Will's quiet voice broke the silence. A soft grin split Natalie's face, and she pressed her lips to one of the scars on his chest. "I love you too," she murmured happily in response. The words didn't seem strong enough for how she felt, but they were the closest equivalent she could come up with.
For a while, she was content with just lying there, staring up into his eyes, but finally hunger drove her back to the supper they'd abandoned earlier. Sitting up, she rooted around for a moment until she found something to wear--something that, as cliche as it was, turned out to be the dress-shirt Will had been wearing earlier. Smirking a little, she pulled it on before grabbing one of the plates and shifting back over to sit next to him.
"You want anything?" she offered. Most of what was on the plate had chilled a little, but it was all still edible, so long as they got to it quickly. |
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Post by William Blake on Oct 2, 2010 5:51:58 GMT -5
Hearing those three words returned always filled a person with warmth. What they had now was so much more than love, and they both knew it.
Natalie moved, bringing him out of his daze, and pulled on his shirt. It made chuckle, seeing her in it. "Now I know what they mean when someone says something looks like a tent." It really was huge in comparison to her petite form. It was entirely flattering though. He'd like to see her in his shirt more often. "I think wearing it earns you the title of sex goddess." He had truly never made love like that before, to his mind, she was a goddess.
Will hadn't realised how hungry he was till she offered him the plate. Propping himself up on his elbow, he picked up one of the green beans and munched on it. "I swear," he said, "I don't know how we did it, but we hired the best chef in the galaxy." If he could make vegetables taste that good, then he deserved some sort of commendation. The rest of the stuff was delicious as well; they picked at it, eating until their hunger was satisfied, then Will twisted himself round so he was looking out at the view.
Nothing in his life compared to this moment. It had been a pit of darkness for a long time, and he'd thought that it had been getting better once he'd started University and escaped from his father's clutches. But it hadn't truly begun in earnest until that evening when he opened up to Natalie completely about his past, then the following boat trip at the resort. She had shown him just how good and happy his life could be. He didn't know what he would do if he ever truly lost her. |
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