Baby, It's Cold Outside [UNICK]

[nicholas]

Truthfully, Nick looked forward to this little getaway every year. It was the one time of year that he could count on for things in life to actually slow down a little bit for him. Though he had to admit that things towards the end of this year had been quite remarkably... nice for him. 'Nice' wasn't typically a word that Nick would have used to describe his life. Normally it was filled with him going to the office and working ridiculous hours that he really didn't need to work and then he'd go home to an empty house and cook dinner for himself. Nothing terribly exciting. In fact, while he might have enjoyed a life of solitude while he'd been on the SEAL teams because it had given him the chance, in between combat deployments, to decompress after everything he saw, now that he was older and more accustomed to the world he lived in, he found that the lifestyle he had been leading had just been lonely.

Strange that he never realized it until a petite brunette who, for all intents and purposes, should have been running in the other direction from him, given the fact that he was some fifteen years older than her, came into his life and just about damned near turned it right upside down without realizing what she was doing in the first place. But with his company being closed for the month of December (one of the only perks of being a private contract company and not a division of the US military was the fact that he could, in fact, close his doors for a set amount of time to give his team mates the time to relax and unwind a little bit before they kicked off another year) he knew that he had the time to relax, unwind and spend a little more time with Yulia.

They'd been through hell - genuine hell - the last little while. The entire team needed this break desperately and, as tradition called for, everyone packed their families up, if they could manage it, and made the trip to Lake Geneva Switzerland. Of the people who had been invited but had not come on the trip were Kira, Kiernan and one of the other guys he had running ops for him had a wife who was due to pop out their first kid at any given point during the month of December, really. So Nick had completely understood. Kira's circumstances were a little different and despite the fact that she pretended not to care, Nick knew that Russia was just a little too close to Switzerland for her peace of mind.

Alexandre, the guy who's family owned a number of properties right on Lake Geneva, usually rented the homes out during the seasons to tourists, but during the holidays the series of homes and properties became privy to family members and the men and women who worked for Nick. It was one hell of a nice arrangement and Lake Geneva was breathtakingly beautiful. Alex had pulled him off to the side when everyone had been dished out into the homes in the area. Most of the operatives wound up with two families to a chalet, not that it was much of a heartbreaker considering the properties were quite extensive. But at the last minute, Alex handed Nick off a key and just grinned at him. "Merry Christmas, Bossman." He had commented before disappearing into the crowd around them.

It turned out that Nick and Yulia had been given their own chalet. A honeymooners retreat that looked out onto the lake right out from the mountainous terrain around it. It was just far enough removed that the noise of everyone around them wouldn't bother them or even be a consideration, but it was close enough to everyone else that they could easily receive visitors if they wanted. Nick had to shake his head at the man. He knew everyone on his team knew the deal between himself and Yulia by now and it seemed that everyone was encouraging him. Most seemed to think that the younger woman was good for him and Nick had to admit that he agreed with that sentiment. She was damned good for him.

Nick gestured towards the black Audi parked nearby. Nick had rented it because he hated traveling anywhere without a viable set of wheels to get him around. Truth be told, he knew a lot of the major cities across the map a little too damned well and seeing as Lake Geneva was a place he came to every year without fail, he knew it better than most places. He loaded their luggage up into the back of the car, opened the passenger's side door for Yulia and then climbed into the driver's side before putting the car in gear and heading for their little corner of paradise.

It wasn't long before they were unlocking the door to the impeccably kept chalet and Nick was damned near floored at the place. Rich, dark woods made up the majority of the furniture and large open windows left the view plain as day out there in front of the lot of them. Nick was amazed. He was truly amazed. He looked at Yulia who was, no doubt, even more amazed than he was at the moment. "Home sweet home for the next two weeks." He commented as he set their bags down on the ground and unzipped the coat he'd been wearing.

[YULIA PROFIT]

Holidays for Yulia were a newish thing having not celebrated them before her foster family and feeling a little on the out’s with them even with the normal happy setting of a home. When she’d moved to her own apartment she’d tried doing the holiday thing alone but something hadn’t ever seemed right in what she’d been doing so she didn’t normally get too worked up or excited for them. This year was different though because she wasn’t celebrating alone and she wasn’t spending it with a foster family full of cheer she didn’t feel at being around people who while they were a family of sorts weren’t all that close to her. This year she was celebrating the holiday with Nick, someone who cared about her and that she cared very much about in return. She was still amazed at how much the older man meant to her, how much she could care about him and want to be around him or how comfortable she was with him actually since there were very few people she was truly comfortable around. She was looking forward to Christmas because she’d found presents for him that she thought he would like. They were “normal” like he’d said but also had meaning to them. Plus the trip to Switzerland was still something that amazed her since she’d never left the states before though she’d thought of traveling sometimes in a “maybe someday” kind of way.

She’d made sure to pack anything she could possibly need for this trip and figured anything she forgot could just do without for two weeks since she had the important stuff for sure. Getting her passport had been something she was almost too late in remembering in time but Nick had reminded her so she’d done all she needed too and had the pretty new book for her travels…well travel since going outside of the USA was a rare occasion for her. She made sure to keep her packing to a minimum as well, only 2 cases and one carry on though it would have been just the one dress if warm clothes weren’t so bulky and she didn’t need to pack a dress she didn’t want scrunched up. They were and she did though so she was careful to keep it to the two bags so she didn’t fall into the stereotype of women who packed too much since she normally didn’t for any situation. She had found the suitcases in a second hand shop and loved the purple color of them and hoped they’d survive the trip since she’d heard that flying could seriously screw up your luggage. She didn’t worry so much with the kind of flight they were taking though and her biggest concern was the people who worked with Nick and managing to not be thrown off by not knowing them too well so being nervous/skittish around them.

Thinking she’d done pretty well so far she stayed by the luggage as Nick spoke with the man who rented them the places to stay and looked around blinking to get the sleep out of her eyes. She’d slept through part of the flight which she was surprised by since she’d been too nervous/excited to sleep well the past few days but it catching up on her was bound to happen sometime. She was just glad that when it caught up with her it didn’t come with nightmares because waking up screaming on a flight didn’t sound like a good idea. Luck was on her side this time though and she was more than thankful for that and also a little bit wondering if maybe it had to do with being close to Nick, making her feel safe even when sleeping or something. She didn’t let herself think too much about it for now though as she looked at the Audi Nick gestured toward and gathered her stuff helping him put it in the car before climbing into the passenger’s side setting her panda pillow on her lap as she buckled up.

Watching the scenery pass by it wasn’t really a long ride but when they got to where they were staying her eyes went a little wide just looking at the view and the chalet from the outside. ”I see why you come here.” she muttered softly and climbed out of the car helping to get their things to take inside and following him inside once he’d unlocked the door her eyes truly wide now as she looked around taking in all she could see. ”This is where we are staying?” she asked in amazement as she just stood there gob smacked for a moment. ”This place is beautiful.”

Wearing This For Now :: MEL/NICK :: DONE

[nicholas]

Nick was blown away and he damned well knew what the guys were trying to pull here. For a moment, he had to wonder if Kiernan hadn't had some part in all of this. Honestly, it seemed like something he'd worm his way into doing, but he wasn't going to complain. He actually liked the idea of being alone with Yulia for the most part, even if the guys back in the other chalets had no idea that the pair of them had never been intimate. And he had no intentions of letting them know that as it stood. That was between Yulia and himself... And Kiernan, apparently, the little bastard. He'd figured it out and Nick sucked at lying to him. He was the one person in the world that Nick sucked at lying to at the heart of it all. Either way, however, he wasn't going to pass up the chance to spend some time alone with the woman who had completely captured his attention without ever having meant to do so.

Nick smiled when she said that she saw why they went there. Lake Geneva was incredible and he had to admit that all of the guys and ladies on his team needed the chance to decompress and unwind a little bit after the fact that they worked endlessly throughout the rest of the year. This was their time to relax, unwind and work off some of the tension that came along with their jobs. And he was pretty damned sure that the married men's wives all appreciated the chance to reconnect with their husbands through it all. "It's pretty incredible here." Nick said. The view here never ceased to amaze him. Never. Honestly, if there was one thing he had to admit to loving, it was this trip they took.

And it was made all the more special with the fact that Yulia was there with him now.

"Yep. This is where we're staying." He confirmed as he took a moment to flip on a few lights inside. Nick took a moment to look around the chalet. It really was beautiful and well decorated. He had to shake his head at his friend who had set them up in this place. "This place is incredible." He admitted with a shake of his head. "I can't believe they put us up in here." He gave a little bit of a laugh as he pulled their bags into the living room. But as Nick explored the chalet a little bit more... he realized something... "You have got to be kidding me..." He muttered from the master bedroom which was... coincidentally (or not) the only bedroom in the chalet.

"Uhm... Yulia..." He commented with a little wince. "Looks like you're going to be sleeping in style, Sweetheart." He commented. He waited until she came to investigate before giving her a little shrug. "Apparently they assumed we'd be sleeping in the same bed because... this is the only one here." He sighed. Yep. He'd have to have a talk with his boys about this one when all was said and done.

[YULIA PROFIT]

Yulia didn’t know what exactly to think about the place since while she hadn’t known what to expect this wasn’t it. This was about a million times better than what she’d thought really since the view and the chalet were both beautiful. She’d figured like little cabins or something, though she’d known he said it was nice and believed him but still her mind had been thinking small with trees and things and while there were still trees there was also an amazing view of the lake itself and a very nice place to stay. She’d heard the part about how when they came they normally split a place between two “groups” or the people who came kind of thing, but she hadn’t seen anyone else coming here with them which she was secretly glad for though she was sure Nick would realize that it would make her happy since he knew about her issues. She’d actually hoped that Kira would change her mind and come along so they could share space with a woman she considered to be a friend but understood that she hadn’t wanted to come along for her own reasons. She’d wished her friend a good time for Christmas since the other woman was spending it with Kiernan who seemed like a good man and who seemed to also make Kira happy which was a good thing.

Pulling her eyes away from the view to see Nick’s smile made her smile as well before she looked back at the view as they got out and unloaded their things. She was glad that she had met Nick and not just because he’d brought her out of the states for the first time in her life on this trip, not because he saved her from a lot of things including herself, but because he was nick. There was so much to him and he was an amazing man who deserved to be happy and getting him to smile made her happy as well. This break she understood was important to him and his team, a chance to relax and take time off which she could see how it was a good thing since Nick worked so much all the time and deserved time off as well. She figured it would be good for all of them and for maybe her and him to get a little more time together to get to know each other even better. She nodded as he spoke and smiled happily, ”Just got here and I can already tell.” she said tucking some hair behind her ear to keep it out of her face.

Him confirming that it was actually where they were staying sunk it home for her and she couldn’t stop the grin that slipped across her lips happily. As he flicked on lights she slowly moved around looking at everything and familiarizing herself with the place they would be staying. She let Nick move on ahead of her as she took her time moving around. ”Guessing this isn’t the normal place for your stay here then?” she asked as he said he couldn’t believe they’d been put up in this chalet. She’d thought they’d be coming somewhere he’d been before but if the place surprised him as much as her then clearly he hadn’t yet stayed in this one. Hearing him call out to her and what he said about sleeping in style she gave a confused frown as she followed the sound of his voice to the bedroom looking around then glancing behind her toward the other doors realizing it was the only bedroom she’d seen in the place. ”Oh… she said softly and looked at him when she spoke again about it being assumed they’d share a bed.

Lifting an eyebrow she couldn’t help it that her lips twisted into an amused smile when a thought occurred to her. ”We’re back to square one you realize? The whole ”one bedroom” dilemma. Only this time…neither of us should be on a couch?” she suggested as her cheeks tinted pink and she looked over at the bed thoughtfully a moment. ”It’s big enough…we could share.” she finished as she bit her lip. She knew she trusted him and she was comfortable now with hugging him or kissing him even so sharing a bed shouldn’t be too much of an issue right? It would only be awkward if she actually did sleep and ended up having a nightmare. She didn’t want to disturb him by waking up screaming next to him on the bed but she wasn’t going to let him sleep on the couch either and knew he’d never go for her taking the couch thanks to that past argument she’d mentioned. ”Just…if I wake up screaming…don’t think it’s because of you.” she added softly knowing he had to know about that already since they’d been living together for awhile now and she’d woken up that way a few times. Not nearly as frequently as she used to, but it still happened now and then and she hoped that maybe she’d keep up the less-frequent streak while here.

Wearing This For Now :: MEL/NICK :: DONE

[nicholas]

Nick took his time looking around, but he had to admit that this was way nicer than anything he'd been holed up in in the past. He knew exactly what his team was trying to do for him and, while he appreciated their efforts and understood that they were trying to do something nice for him, he also wasn't sure entirely how Yulia would wind up reacting to all of this. It was stunningly beautiful and Nick had to admit that he had never felt this relaxed in his life... He had never felt this content or happy... But this was all incredibly different. He wasn't used to the domesticated side of things. He was still getting used to the fact that he came home from work and had a warm meal waiting for him and a beautiful woman to greet him at the door. Now all of this...? It was like his entire world was being turned right the hell upside down...

And he loved it.

This entire trip was important to his team, but Nick hadn't realized just how important it was to him as well until that moment. This was his chance to get to know Yulia on a whole new level. It was their time to be alone without the fear of his job getting in the way. It was time for the pair of them to Get more acquainted and adjust properly to the role that they had slipped into for one another, even if neither of them really realized what was going on until it was happening. But Nick knew one thing was for damned sure. He'd gone and fallen in love with a woman who was fifteen years younger than him, but had all the wisdom of a woman twice her age. She was amazing and he would never let her forget that. He'd protect her with his last god damned breath if he had to because he had never known anything more worth fighting for than what he felt.

He laughed a bit when she said that it wasn't the normal place that he wound up staying in. "Uh no... I usually bunked down with Zander, but he's got Biz with him now anyhow and... well... I have you." He grinned at her, unable to help himself in the moment. He definitely did have her and he was loving every second of it. It was pretty clear to him what was going on here, but he wasn't going to comment on it for the time being. He had bigger fish to fry... like with the fact that there was only one damned bed in the place. Her reaction to him giving her the news left him a little unsure as to what she was thinking or feeling in the moment. But they were back to square one again...

He had to smile when she mirrored his thoughts in saying that they were back to the beginning all over again with the problem of only having one bedroom. "Looks like it." He commented. He was prepared to call someone up and have a cot brought up or something when her next words caught him completely off guard. "I can-... What?" He blinked at her, stunned at her words. She looked unsure in the moment, vulnerable even, and he hated that look on her. He wanted her to feel secure and sure of herself, but he knew that the only one who was going to change that in her at the moment was him. He cupped her cheek in one of his hands and looked at her intently. "If you wake up screaming, I'll be right there to make sure you realize that you're safe and that no one will ever hurt you again." He said to her. "I'd never think it's because of me, Yulia." He assured her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "But I want you to make sure you're certain of this, all right?"

[YULIA PROFIT]

Yulia hadn’t really taken any trips in her life to anywhere that would be considered a vacation or anywhere as nice as this place was. She’d gone once with her foster-family to a place where they’d stayed in a hotel, but she hadn’t really enjoyed that trip very much because they’d all had to share the room and it was just too close to everyone else for her tastes. She hadn’t liked being so close to people in that situation but this was different, this was Nick and they weren’t just sharing one room in a hotel where there were tons of strangers. They were sharing a beautiful chalet in a beautiful area and it was amazing to just be there and know they’d get to spend time together without him having to worry about work. They would get the chance to get to know each other better which was good because she wanted to know more about him, she was looking forward to this time together because without her even realizing at first she’d gone and fallen for the man.

She wasn’t the girl who dreamed of love and being with someone, she had used to dream about being left alone to live her life without having to worry about someone coming into it and hurting her since in her mind that’s what relationships were. Nick was changing her mind though, making her want that and showing her that being with someone wasn’t about them using you or hurting you. Nick wouldn’t ever hurt her and she knew that, she could honestly say she trusted him more than she’d ever trusted someone in her life and that was a good thing because since meeting him she’d felt safer and happier than ever before. She was getting a bit better, he was helping her get better and it was amazing to realize she could trust people, could let herself get to know someone or let someone know her. He’d shown her that and she would be forever thankful for it.

Back home she was always happy when Nick came home, they could eat together and talk about their days or watch a movie or do something. She’d started being okay with going out for walks with him which was making her a little braver at night but she still wasn’t totally comfortable with the thought of going out alone. She’d tried a few times but it never ended up as planned and she normally ended up back home wishing she’d not gone out at all but it was still a step in the right direction since she even went out at all. Here at the chalet she hoped maybe she’d keep the home habits, things like wanting to go out and see things around the area rather than just staying inside while they were there would be a start to that. Getting to do things with Nick here would be fun since he already knew the area so he would know what they could do that would be fun.

Exploring the place she was amazed at how nice it was, and smiled over as Nick explained that it wasn’t the normal place to her question. She nodded a little and her smile growing at him saying he had her, ”Yes you do have me. So sorry to tell you but you’re stuck with me.” she said playfully and went back to her exploring before ending up in the bedroom with him looking at the single bed that the chalet held. It wasn’t a disaster or anything that would make this trip any less special, it was something they could handle maturely and make it work. She was comfortable with Nick, enjoyed hugging him and kissing him or cuddling while they watched a movie so she could handle sharing a bed with him while they were there too because it was like that just in a bed?

Seeing his smile at her comment about it being square one again she smiled back with a little laugh and nodded. ”It does…” she said and bit her lip as she considered the whole sharing a bed thing. She knew he would realize how big a deal it was her suggesting it and his reaction showed that he did realize. She knew it was huge and a giant step in a direction that it was questionable if she was going to be able to handle but with Nick she was willing to try. She believed it could work with him, but knew there was no one else she’d even be willing to try with. Leaning into his touch a little without even realizing she gave him a little smile. ”Just having you there would let me know I’m safe, because I know you won’t ever hurt me or let anything or anyone hurt me.” she said hoping he understood how much she meant that. She also hoped he knew she wasn’t just with him because he made her feel safe, she did love him and enjoyed how he could make her laugh and how happy she was with him. She loved seeing him smile or the way he could be goofy sometimes but serious others, she loved everything about him and knew she would only grow to love him more in time. ”I’m certain Nick. Trust me to know what I can and can’t handle? We can share the bed, I want to.”

Wearing This For Now :: MEL/NICK :: DONE

[nicholas]

Nick gave a bit of a snort. "Stuck with you? You make this sound like it's some kind of a hardship? And if that's what you're aiming for, believe me, there's no one else in the world that I'd rather be 'stuck with'." He said, using his fingers to make air quotes as he spoke. He definitely didn't consider anything in this trip to be a hardship. He was right where he wanted to be with the only woman in the world that he wanted to be with. She'd come into his life and turned it upside down without ever even having had to try to do it in the first place. He couldn't even pinpoint the moment that he realized that he was in love with her. It had always just kind of been there in the back of his mind, for as long as he could remember.

He smiled at her a little bit when she told him that she knew that he would keep her safe or let anyone or anything hurt her. He wouldn't. Just the thought of someone attempting to hurt her pissed him off. If he ever had the chance to see the guy who had hurt her in the first place, he wouldn't hesitate to deal with him by any means necessary. The man was the worst kind of animal. He was the kind of animal that lured you into a false sense of security and trust and destroyed all of that with a set of actions that no child should ever have to deal with. That no woman anywhere should ever have to deal with well into her adulthood. Yulia was the light in his life and he couldn't even begin to fathom how she had turned out to be such an incredible woman in the face of everything that she had faced.

He looked at her when she said she was certain. She seemed confident in that decision and Nick couldn't help the little flutter that started u in his chest in knowing that she was trusting him with so damned much. Nick was used to being a pretty trusted guy. He'd had an impeccable military career and he knew that each of his operatives trusted him with their lives... but in a way, this was so much more important. She was trusting him with a hell of a lot more in a lot of ways. He would never do it, but he knew damned well that breaking that trust would shatter this woman completely. But he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would be there for her always. He loved her so completely that it scared him sometimes.

"All right..." He breathed with a nod. "We'll make it work then." But the expression on his face said it all. If she so much as felt the need to separate the pair of them, he'd do it. All she had to do was give the word. He twined their fingers together after a moment and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. "Now..." He said, turning towards her and letting his fingers slide through her hair a moment. "You need to get something nice and warm on because..." He gave her a mischievous little smile. "We are headed into Geneva City." He told her. "And I am going to spoil the hell out of you there." He smirked at her.