A/n: This was a two chapter post day. So, Talk - Part 3 is first. This is the last part chapter.

I jump sky high knocking my head against the roof of my tiny car.

A second knock at my window in the middle of the night. Noah's sandy blonde head tilted to the side watched me. He had a frown, and without him saying it.

"You wanted me to wait inside the party and not at the very end of the street. And on top of that not under a lamp in the middle of the night. Because sitting in the dark is basically the beginning of almost every horror movie." I filled in the blanks for him as I rolled down my janky car window. Because he was worth it. No, Neptune wasn't happy at all. Not one tiny bit of happiness crossed his crabby expression. He was like a crabby farm cat and if I had a saucer of milk, it would be a perfect day. And if I was honest with myself I knew better. I grew up as a black woman in America. That's basically like horror movie practice.

"I would have preferred it, yes," he said. Concise, caring, and oh so angry. I'm not even sure how he does it. He's yelled at me a total of one time in our entire relationship. And that was on the boat when I wanted to swallow, and he didn't want to cum in my mouth. It took forever to fully roll down my crappy window that doesn't roll up properly. Because of course it's Noah and I couldn't help myself. When it was finally full down, the grumpy barn cat was absolutely a correct assessment. I hate when there's space between us now, even if that space is a stupid window pane.

"Thanks for coming Noah," my smile was lopsided as a flat tire.

"No problem Tari, start the engine. I want to see what the problem is," he said. I turned the engine over and it sounded like I did when I was pregnant the first time. A wail of projectile vomiting and complete sadness. Of course the car didn't start. He lifted the hood, and I closed my eyes in the front seat and did everything in my power to think about how fucked I was. I had the money to fight back in court if I had to. But the battle would set back most of the gains I've made for the past year plus. Lawyers are expensive plus I'd need to take time off but I have a nest egg to do it now. It wouldn't clean me out totally, I'd still be in a good place. And even if I didn't have the money to do it I'd still fight Theo.

How dare he give me some type of ultimatum for my own good? The level of assholary from Theo was off the charts. I got out of the car and headed to the front. Gone was his flannel shirt, the white under t-shirt grease stained like a warrior mark. Noah's hair was up in a bun, his head under the hood inches away from my engine exposed.

"It is not the starter, I can guess it's the engine by the noise. Is that why you stop visiting the house with your car? He asked me. And he put together the pieces pretty quickly. I was limited in the amount of times I took the car anywhere. The kids were taking buses to so many places with me.

"Yep," the monosyllabic answer didn't encompass the level of done I was with all of it.

"I can fix it," he proceeded to hook my car up to the truck for the haul. I expect him to ask a bunch of questions like why I didn't ask him for help or to fix it early. But he didn't, and I was thankful. I didn't trust him enough to ask for help which probably made it worse. I 'm not even sure why I didn't trust him to tell him I needed help. He babysits what meant most to me, the kids but things like this. I'm not sure what it is. But it's rooted in a lack of trust. Same reason why I didn't talk to him about needing money for Space Camp for Sim, he'd have hired me back mad or not. It's the same feeling with not inviting him over to my apartment. The smallness makes us look poor even though we aren't exactly poor here, just not exactly rich either. I thought he might think less of me. Which is dumb. So dumb. While he did that I got into the truck shutting the door. Leaning up against the cold truck window staring out into the night.

"Thank you, I'm. I'm... I'm really glad you came." If he hadn't come I'd been waiting for Eve to get out of her event so I could use her insurance card for my tow. He smiled and Noah smiled and shut the truck door. I still say it to myself. Trust every now and then.

We sat in the car together on the other side of town. Not anywhere close to either of our homes. In that California way where there's no real straight shots to anything when you really want it. Noah drove that truck on. I couldn't look at him with my hot head against the cool truck window. Flashing lights of other cars racing by the truck but we were moving slowly with my little life in tow.

I need to trust.

Once I thought that what I did to Noah was cruel when we broke up. It was the right thing for me and the kids. You can't be fucking around in another man's house as a basic visitor bring kids into it. When they already got uprooted once already and what if something happens? What if Noah didn't want the same as me? We had too many cards riding on it. Going bust for me wasn't an option on the table. I was too broke to even be playing the game to begin with. And I was never much of a poker player. I choose to save myself; I let the ghost rule me. And I took a step back while I had even a tiny bit of my soul I could save. Even though it was already too late and Noah had it all.

I thought I only taught Noah how to fuck and he fucked me well. But I also wasn't in a place to take the risk of loving and failing. Trust that I didn't have to give. And trust I didn't have to take. When I watched him get into the side drive, I took his hand into my lap. I reached out this time and not the other way around. I steady myself. I'd been plagued by ghosts for so long even this short still felt like new.

Noah took another turn down the street closer to his house. I was going to invite him to my little apartment finally, but we already missed the turnoff. He seems to already have a plan for us so I let him take me along.

Trust... It's a funny thing, but it feels good to give it again.

This trust was what we both needed to breathe properly. As if it was something that should have been there from the start and not just the sex. Maybe neither of us were built for risky fucks. First time together was destined to not work and that's ok. The truck came to a stop and I remember this place all too well. It was on the other side of Folsom Lake. Not near the back side of Noah's house but across the way he took me this way before. In the middle of the night though I couldn't see anywhere far the moon and stars were enough. The moon bounced from the lake and the stars bathed the water.

"This isn't my place or yours Noah?" I asked. Did he plan to fix my car out here?

Noah had a particular expression, and it wasn't on my catalog list from him. And then it dawned on me all at once he wanted to talk. He wasn't much of a talker but the few times he did it was that expression spread across his face every time. As if his mind was running through every word in his head at once.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Theo doesn't want us to see each other." I answered honestly. "He's threatening to take me to court. I think he was implying if I brought you fully into our lives. With the kids and me he wouldn't feel comfortable with that." I didn't want to hide anything anymore.

"Has he said that before?" Noah asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"Is that part of the reason you did not want to stay before?" He asked me, but I could feel the muscles of his forearm tighten in my hold.

"Yup, part of it." I leaned back against the truck seat. Staring at the metal ceiling of the truck and the stairs I'd see when I looked up on the boat weren't there on land. It was too cold to sit out in the back of the truck and watch the stars. It's a pity, it's a good night for it.

"Ok," and all the sadness in the world was in that reply from Noah. I had to do something about it.

"Put the seat back," and Noah puts the seat back. I climb over the seat straddling him, my knees on the chair. I'm not sure how Sacramento does it. It can be 105 degrees during the daytime and a heat wave. But it still manages to get freezing cold sometimes in the middle of the night during the summer. It's like the heat flees this place come night. I slide my hand under his shirt and rest my head on his shoulder. His big arms wrap around me naturally. "Where better this way," I say.

Noah grunts at my words. I giggle into his chest. That shaky breath I was holding on to I let go listening to his heartbeat. Still a grumpy cat but we are getting to a better place together.

"Are you going to cry?" He says with worry. Oh, man who doesn't trust sad tears or the happy ones either.

"Queens can't give fools their tears. And crying would be giving my tears to Theo," I answered him. We sit quietly together and it's so comfortable. My heavy eyelids dropped against his chest. It's funny we had been fucking around for almost a year plus. This real relationship stuff is still so new. The only time we have ever slept together was on the boat, never once on land. Every time we were together Noah would always make sure he was gone almost right after. If it wasn't him leaving, it was me leaving. That was life on land together.

"Noah, I'm tired," the words were so loaded.

"Go to sleep Shiny," he says to me.

My eyes closed in that front seat, the lake too dark to see in a world too dark to see. That only thing was me, my broken car, stars, Noah, and the Moon.

***

When he woke me up, I wasn't really awake. My body is not in as bad of shape as it should have been but my braids were a mess. I've gone most of my life religiously putting my hair up but damn if I didn't tonight. The sun hadn't even crested the lake. There wasn't even a sign of the dawn yet. Noah's hand shifted me into a place in the passenger seat. He clicks my seatbelt into place and I roll in to cuddle. The passenger side window so that I won't cuddle me back like he did. The world goes black again. I can't believe we finally got to sleep together on land. First...

When we finally made it to my apartment, the sun was just beginning to rise. Noah opened my passenger side door. When he unclicked my seat belt, I felt like a kid who had to get up early to go to school. I'd rather have slept in the truck for longer.

"How'd you know where I lived?" I asked him.

"My sister," he said bashfully. "I can repair your car tonight, the time frame will depend on what parts I have on hand. The car is older, so it does not need much of the computer repair tech." He was babbling and Noah wasn't a babbler. I sleepily smiled at him while he fumbled through his words. Then I leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Did you want to come upstairs? I can't promise you anything other than sleep." A quick thought and I remember this might not be a good idea. Someone coming over wasn't in the plans plus I didn't clean up. I didn't have a bed. I normally slept on the couch. The more I thought about it, the faster I was talking myself out of it. After I already offered, it would have been one hell of a dick move. My embarrassment about my apartment though and him being in it wasn't there. I was proud of myself, taking baby steps in life counts and having my own place was huge for me. "It's not too clean so.. I'll understand.."

"No, I want to go." He said firmly.

"Ok," and I took his callus hand in mine. Then he followed me upstairs with a goofy smile. So, this must have been how sirens led sailors in the past. I wanted to laugh, but he was happy to go to my place and I was so happy to have him. And I wasn't willing to let my laughter ruin the spell between us.

Opening the door with my key I let him into my one-bedroom apartment. It wasn't big, but it was mine. I click the light and check my few plants to see if they needed water, and they didn't. Noah surveyed the room quietly. The man was way too big for such a small room. I knew when his eyes spotted the paintings. Forgot they were on the wall but didn't. They were what gave me comfort for a long time but the paintings were such a part of the house. So part of my home that they were more like kittens who lived in the house than simply paintings on the wall.

"They were up the whole time. It was the first thing we put up when I rented the apartment." His smile was big, and I loved it. "I love you." Leading him into the main room I got on the couch. "That's where the kids sleep, this is where I sleep." I made it a blunt statement half expecting him to want to leave. He didn't, instead he joined me on the couch gathering me up in his strong arms. Noah laid down with me on top and we shared that couch together.

Noah is way too big to fit, but he fits perfectly all the same.

A/n: I think I've become such a Noah stand that even grumpy cat Noah is one of my favorite Noah's. 

That picture of Brock O'hurn waiting for someone to get in with him is fire. He know what he doing. lol With that slow version of Miguel sure thing looped. DAMN

-OP