The Assignment (CLOSED)

[zydrate]

"I missed you so much also..." Nicole said, leaning her head on his shoulder... even though what he said was sincere, she was still puzzled by the girlfriend bit...

As much as Nicole said she doesn't need tacos now, it didn't stop Alex from ordering them. Of course, it was early in the morning and she heard him demanding that some be made and delivered ASAP. There was no stopping him so Nicole let it go. She stayed in bed and had fallen asleep a bit more longer before she found Alex serving her tacos in bed.

"Are you going to feed them to me too?" She said, teasing him.

***
Later, Nicole woke up again, this time Alex was gone. It took her a minute to clear her head, remembering that he still had to go to work but would be back later tonight.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and Nicole knew it was Tami. She told her sister to come in and after Tami did, she had asked how Nicole was doing.

"Just a bit tired. I'm going to try to stay awake from here on... I have a couple of weeks off and don't want to have an off schedule that doesn't mess up Alex's own schedule." With that, she flopped back onto the pillow and saw Tami's bag, "You're leaving?"

Tami nodded and placed her bag down before sitting on the edge of the bed, "I am, I have to get back to work. Since you're safe and home, Besides, you have Alex looking after you." Nicole heard the teasing tone in Tami's voice.

"Yeah.. I guess so..."

Tami sighed, "What's wrong?"

"He..." Nicole shrugged, "it's just something he said earlier when I had woken up with him earlier this morning. He called me his girlfriend after I had said something about being hungry... I don't know, it was just odd."

"Well, you are. And he's just the boyfriend."

"That sounds callous. He's more than that. I mean, yes we are in that context but I thought it was much more... Like I said, its probably nothing and my messed up head is just making things bigger than it should be."

"I... well--" Tami sighed, "I might have said something like that earlier."

Nicole looked at Tami before sitting up in bed, "What?! When?! What did you say?!"

Tami held up her hands, "Hey... it was a frantic moment when I got the call and they said you were coming home! And I was told that only family members were allowed to come get you and Alex had insisted he come too but out of... I don't know, out of frustration, I may have implied he's not family and just the boyfriend!"

"Where did you hear that, Tami?" Nicole asked, always the ever calm one in an argument.

"I assumed! Besides, I am speaking the truth, he's just the boyfriend, Nicole. He's the one who told everyone across the US about your captivity! He even showed the video!!"

"He was doing his job. And he didn't do it intentionally to hurt anyone. What happened, happened. He had no part in it. And I'm sure he was already feeling like shit but then you say something like this, making it seem he's not someone special in my life?"

Tami blew it off. "No man is special until he puts a ring on your finger."

Holding her head, Nicole sighed, "That's not true and you know that. That may be your way of thinking and believing Tam, but it's not mine. I--" Nicole stopped and pointed at the door, "Just go. You have a flight to catch."

Tami tried to say something but Nicole about had it, "I SAID GO!" she yelled.

*********************************
Later that evening, Nicole had finished up a shower, carefully washing her hair and around the stitches. She had changed into some clothes she had kept there Alex's when she stayed there. She grabbed her phone and realized she never answered it all day so there were a ton of messages on there, some being well wishes from her squad asking if she would meet them for beer later this week. Crazy jerks.

She had looked at the kitchen and thought of making something for dinner for herself and Alex but who was she kidding? She could take apart her service weapon in the dark and put it back together but the kitchen gadgets were still a mystery to her.

Laying down on the couch, she hadn't realized she had fallen asleep again...

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex hated to leave Nicole, but he knew she would be in good hands with Tami. He told Tami that he would pick up dinner for them on his way home, so she wouldn't have to worry about anything. "It will be a late dinner, so, make sure Nicole eats something for lunch... and no tacos." He laughed.

Going to work was a little easier now that he knew Nicole was safe, and especially now that she was home..... with him. He was going to work hard to convince her to make it her home. They belonged together. Even though he had almost ruined it, he knew that they should be together.

When Alex arrived, he stopped in to see the management team to discuss when the special was going to air. He was not happy to hear them hem and haw about it .. saying that they weren't quite sure when would be a good time. "Well then, you have two days to make a decision, and a week to get it on the air. If not, we are going to have a big problem." He wasn't happy to hear this. The relationship since his returned to work had been pretty good. This was a potential stumbling block.

The news report went well. Nothing eventful happened today, so, much of the newscast was rehashing events from earlier and providing updates.

Before leaving his office, Alex called Millie's, a fine, upscale restaurant and ordered dinner for Nicole, Tami, and him. Millie's didn't usually do takeout, but Alex had dined there enough that he was able to convince them to do it for him.

When Alex walked into the penthouse, he saw Nicole asleep on the couch. He sat the food on the kitchen counter and walked into his room and got a blanket and covered Nicole. He went to the guest room and knocked. When he didn't get an answer, he figured that Tami was asleep too. He peeked into the room and saw that it was empty.

Confused, Alex looked out on the balcony to see if Tami was out there. Moving back into the living room, Alex called Tami on her cell phone, but it went right to voicemail. He disconnected. Alex said to himself, "What the fuck. How could she leave Nicole alone like this."

He went into the kitchen and got a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. Then, he went back into the living room and sat down on a chair across from the couch. Alex just watched Nicole. First, he watched closely to make sure she was breathing. He wasn't sure why, but he just needed to be sure of it. Then, he just stared at her. It was so great to have her here with him. Their time in Florence had been amazing. Now he needed to go about building a relationship with her here at home.

While Nicole slept, Alex wondered if he could convince her to give up her line of work and leave the military. Then, his mind went back to that night in the restaurant when he blew up at her when he found out what she really did. There was no way that he could ask her to leave, not after the way h e had reacted. If she truly enjoyed what she was doing, it wouldn't be right to ask her to give it up. It was one thing for Tami to say that to her, but he could not. It would be selfish. If she was going to leave, it would have to be Nicole's idea.

While sitting there, Alex's phone rang. It was the network president. She proceeded to tell him that they had decided not to air the special that he had worked on with Lisa and Stephanie. She said that it would seem like they were just doing it because he got injured. Alex listened quietly. His anger was rising. He did not yell, however. He responded calmly, hoping not to awaken Nicole. "You will have my resignation in the morning. I can't work for an organization who does not appreciate what I do." Without waiting for a response, he hung up on her. Looking through his phone, he called one of the executives at a competing network who had recently reached out to him. "I think we should talk. Maybe sometime next week." After scheduling an appointment with him, he hung up. He wasn't sure why, but he felt good about what had just happened.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole woke up slowly, extremely groggy… she wasn’t used to sleeping so much but with what she had gone through, she knew her body was telling her to rest. Besides, what else was she supposed to do? She wasn’t supposed to return for a couple more weeks.

She thought she heard something about a resignation and figured it was just something with a dream she was having. She opened her eyes and saw Alex, watching her and she smiled, “Hi…” she said as she sat up slowly. In no time, he was next to her, taking her in his arms, asking if she was hungry. It felt so good to be in his arms… it just felt so right. With a nod, he went to get dinner dished up.

Nicole went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. She was surprised she had slept the entire day after Tami left… it felt weird.

That made her think about her sister. She recalled what her sister had said to her and what she had told Alex. That made Nicole feel awful and she knew she’d have to apologize to Alex about Tami.

Dinner was delicious and although they made small talk throughout, it wasn’t until they were in the main room where Alex started the fireplace, and they sat there in each other’s arms. They reached a comfortable lull in their conversation as they just enjoyed each other when Nicole spoke up, her eyes were closed while she talked, telling Alex what happened between her and Tami earlier. “I know she’s not the most tactful person out there but, she shouldn’t have said what she did. At least not in that way. She was telling the truth, only family members are allowed in, at least with what I do. Remember, no one is really supposed to know…” She had wanted to add that should something like this happen next time, she would make sure he was informed also… it was odd to think that, but she hoped there wasn’t a next time someone would need to notify if something happened to her.

“What about you? How was your day?”

 

[BeachBum25]

"Babe, I realize nobody is supposed to know what you do. I also understand the idea of only family members being allowed on certain facilities. It just hurt when she said it. I was so worried about you. I got ambushed when the played the clip of you to open the news report. Everyone denied knowing it was you. They said it was just received and were going with it. I didn't know what I was watching. When I saw you on the video, I freaked out. I cursed everybody out.. threatened people. When I went back on the air, I took the bullet for the network, but I was still pissed at them. From that moment on, I wanted and needed information about you. Once I knew you were safe, I needed to see you. It hurt when she said that, but I understand. I am just happy you are here with me now."

He kissed her and hugged her; being careful not to squeeze too tight. He was walking a dangerous line. He was treating her almost like a China doll, afraid he would hurt her. He knew that the time would come where she wanted him to stop treating her like that... that time was probably coming soon.

"Well, my day was okay until a little while ago. I got a call saying that the network was not going to air the special we did. It is probably a good thing you were asleep right there, because I kept my voice down and remained calm. Well, as calm as anyone can be when they are telling the network president that they quit."

He watched for her reaction. He saw the shock and surprise. "Don't worry, I will have a job soon. I will be able to continue to lavish you in luxury when you are home with me." He kissed her forehead.

"I immediately made a call to one of the other networks who reached out to me while I was away from work. Everyone thought I quit. I had multiple offers. Most of them would require me to move; some across the country. The one network is located right here in town. No need to move. I am meeting with them next week. That means that I will be here to help you."

Alex continued to watch Nicole. He wasn't sure how to read her reaction. Was she mad? Was she excited? Was she just tired or drugged up? Could there be some part of all of the above?

 

[zydrate]

‘You? Remained calm?” Nicole said with a small smile. She sighed when Alex had said he quit. At first, she didn’t say anything as she ran her fingers through his hair and thought about it. What was she supposed to say? She wasn’t upset, she was just wondering if he was truly OK with it AND at the same time, she felt like part of this was her fault.

Perhaps if she and her team had stayed with him on his assignment when he got injured, things would have turned out differently?

She couldn’t help but smile at his saying he’d still lavish her. Hell, as corny as it sounded in her head, if he had nothing and still treated her this good by loving her, she’d still love him. Yes, he tried to shower her for gifts when they were first seeing each other but she had to tell him to stop because, really, she didn’t have much room to put things. In truth, she had no place of her own. Yes, she stayed with Tami from time to time but mostly, she was always out and about, doing her job.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, she sighed out loud, “I’m still in shock you remained calm…” she laughed softly and then sat up straighter in his lap, “I’m happy for you Alex. I want you to be happy up here,” she kissed his forehead, “and here...” she kissed him lightly on the lips before deepening the kiss as she pressed her body against his.

Nicole could tell he was hesitant with holding her and she wasn’t mad. She understood and lifted her shirt, not completely removing it but just showing him the bruises on her sides, “I’m fine, OK? Nothing’s broken… except my ego… but I’m going to be all right. I—” Nicole’s phone sounded. She was tempted to not answer but a call this late usually met something serious.

“Hold on...” she said, getting up to get it. She saw it was Jesse. With a puzzled look, she answered, “What’s going on?”

She listened to Jesse and how he said she needed to get back to base, the higher ups wanted to talk to her ASAP.

“Then why didn’t Morgan call?” Their commanding officer.

“Just get down here Mase…”

“Not until I hear from Morgan, Jesse. I’m still not clear for—”

Just then, another call came through, it was her CO.

After 10 minutes, Nicole was dressed and still unsure what was going on… why did they need to see her now?

Even though she knew Alex wasn’t happy about, Nicole assured him she’d be OK, and she’d call him once she knew what the hell was going on. “Listen, it could be paperwork, or they need me to clarify something… besides, I’m not even cleared to return to full duty for a couple more weeks,” with that, she gave Alex a hard kiss, “I’ll be back later on tonight or early morning.”

 

[BeachBum25]

"Yes, can you believe it, I remained calm. It was all thanks to you. Well, it was because I did not want to wake you. I was angry when she told me they weren't going to use it, but I feel really good about it now. It will give me some time off to spend with you, since I won't start right away. We can be together while you heal."

He looked as she lifted her shirt. Her skin was black and blue and purple in places. He touched her bruises gently. "Oh babe."

When her phone rang, a deep chill ran up his spine. He could only think of two phone calls she would receive at this time of night' Work and Tami. Well, Nicole and Tami had a blow up and Tami was travelling. She would call tomorrow when she got home. It had to be work calling Nicole, and that had a lot of raw emotions running through Alex.

The way she answered the call told him he was right. He watched her facial expressions as she engaged in the first conversation. Then the second call came in and Alex started to get angry.

He followed her into the guest room where she had left her uniform very early this morning. "What is going on Nicole? You were supposed to be getting time off. You can't be expected to do anything in your condition babe."

Alex got angrier as he talked... not at Nicole. His anger was generated by fear. He was afraid for Nicole. He was afraid something might happen to her. He needed... yes needed... her to be with him.

He listened as Nicole told him that it could be paperwork or they needed her to clarify something. She was not convincing. Something was up here.

"Nicole, you cannot disappear on me. I need to know what is going on." He felt his anger growing and stopped. This wasn't the time or place for it, and there was no reason to direct it at her.

"I will wait up for you. I will be sitting right here. I don't care how long it takes, I want you back here with me." He kissed her, pulling her close to him.. hugging her harder than he had since she had been back.

When she left, he walked out onto the balcony. "FUCK" he screamed at the top of his lungs. With that, he leaned on the railing and looked over the lights of the city. His mind was on Nicole and only Nicole, and at times he worried that he would not see her again. He knew it wasn't a rational thought, but it was a thought that ran through his head.

"Stop Alex, you are being ridiculous. She is with the military. It is a government organization. They always do things ass backwards." Then he thought about the time. Do they do things at this time of day though. "What the fuck is going on?"

 

[zydrate]

It was around 3AM when Nicole was finally on her way back to Alex's place. She had been staring out the window, not really focusing on the scenary as they entered the city. She had messaged Alex 40 minutes ago telling him she was on the way back.

Her head was pounding and all she wanted to do was crawl under the covers and stay there for a week. She had been half tempted with telling Alex she was going to not come back for a couple of days because she needed time to think... but no, that wouldn't be fair. He had stuck with her so far in her crazy career and with the way things were going after tonight, she knew it wouldn't be right to push him away. Especially after how he was upset when she left.

And Nicole knew he wasn't upset directly at her, but over her leaving, especially since she was injured, but she had no choice...

He was still up when she got back but she didn't say anything to him as she walked to the bedroom and changed. He was there with her as she changed out of her uniform and into a t-shirt and shorts...nothing fancy but it was what she liked to sleep in.

She lay down on the bed, still not saying anything. But she wasn't mad at him, she was just...lost...

Finally, she felt him lay behind her and take her in his arms, pulling her close.

"I got fired." she said, not sure how to say it any other way.

She then proceeded to tell him that she was called there by Senator McKinsey. In a nutshell, he personally blamed Nicole for his daughter's death. And unfortunately, he had a lot of pull and power in the military sector and gave Nicole an ultimatum, be dishonorably discharged or be charged with murder.

He had given her 3 days to decide. Short of killing Nicole himself, he was going to make her life a living hell.

"It didn't matter what my report said that no matter what, there was no way to stop what happened. Had she not stepped into the line of fire, she would still be alive... And I'm not blaming her but had she just listened..."

Of course, Nicole's boys, the other guys in her squad came to her defense but they were escorted out of the conference room at gunpoint.

It wasn't often she was backed into a corner she couldn't fight her way out of, but this time... she was done. She knew she didn't have anything to do with the Senator's daughter and her choices. Sometimes, things happened that can't be prevented.

"Shit." She said, turning around in bed and pushing herself into Alex's arms, burying her head into his neck. She didn't cry. Why should she? But fuck, she felt like shit. What choice did she have?

Nicole fell asleep after a few minutes, mostly from pure exhaustion. Her body was going through too much as was her mind and so, she finally succumb to it... falling in a deep, but restless sleep.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex watched Nicole walk back into the penthouse. She looked like a zombie. Alex was confused as he watched Nicole walk past him and into the bedroom. He waited for a few minutes to give her some space. Maybe she was just changing.

After several minutes of waiting without Nicole coming back out of the bedroom, Alex quietly entered the room and saw Nicole laying in bed. He crawled onto the bed behind her and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her back to him. He didn't say anything. He just wanted her to know that he was there for her no matter what was going on.

When she said she was fired, she said it so matter-of-factly. There was no emotion. It was surprising to Alex. Nicole's career meant so much to her, yet, she didn't really seem upset that it was coming to an end.

Alex was angry for her. Although there was a part of him that was happy that Nicole would not be placed in any danger, he was angry with what they were doing to her. It was wrong, and he hurt deep inside for her.

When she rolled over to him, he kissed the top of her head, but he just let her be. She fell asleep, and he could feel her body go limp. Alex didn't sleep much, if at all. His mind was in high gear. He wanted to figure out what he could do to help her. But what? He was just an out-of-work newscaster. What could he do to fight the government, especially a high powered senator?

When the sun came up, Alex slipped out of bed. He changed into a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt and went out to make breakfast for Nicole; no tacos this time... fruit, coffee, orange juice, toast. While he waited for Nicole to get up, he sat quietly at the kitchen counter sipping his coffee.

He jumped when his phone rang. He looked at the phone and saw that it was the network president. He didn't want to answer it. He was afraid that he would get angry, raise his voice, and awaken Nicole. However, he did the right thing, the professional thing and answered. He was surprised that she was calling to try to work things out. Alex told her that he had already scheduled an interview for next week and he wasn't sure that it would be right to go back on that. She asked him to come in and meet with the Board of Directors. many of them were not happy to find out he was leaving, but they wanted to explain the reason for not airing his special.

"I can't come in for a meeting. I have something very important I have to take care of here. I can't leave." The president asked if he would be willing to do the meeting on zoom. "Okay, but I am not getting all dressed up for the meeting. For me, it will be a come as I am meeting." She agreed, and they scheduled the meeting for 10 am.

After hanging up, Alex was even more confused. What was the network up to? Last night she didn't make any attempt to talk him out of resigning. Now, she wanted him back. That, on top of the shit that the government was dumping on Nicole.

Nicole was waking up as Alex was getting on the zoom call. He told her he would be with her in a minute and that breakfast was in the kitchen.

On the zoom call it was revealed to Alex that the network was getting pressure not to air the special. When the network execs reached out to find out why, they were told it was coming from higher ups.... politicians. The hair on the back of Alex's neck stood up. "Could it be McKinsey?" he thought.

Suddenly an idea popped into Alex's head. "Here is the deal... take it or leave it. I want to do some digging on who it is that is putting the pressure on to kill the special and why they want it dead. If there is a story there, I want to run with it. Agree to that and I will forget the special, and I will stay onboard"

 

[zydrate]

Nicole was slowly waking up after she felt Alex get up out of bed. She had lay there for a while longer as thought about what happened to her over the course of the week. Man, so much shit went wrong lately, she wondered what was going to happen next.

She stared at the ceiling; not sure how much time had passed. Gut instinct told her it was OK to cry about this. But again, what would that solve? Nothing. Besides, she wasn’t a crier at minor inconveniences. Sometimes, she wished she was. Not like Tami. Tami was the one that cried at everything… a happy part of a movie… a sad commercial… when a guy didn’t call her back…

Nicole sat up in bed, brushing her hair back and out of her face. She touched where her stitches were and remembered she’d need to get them out in a few days. Luckily, it wasn’t as tender as it had been so at least something was healing well.

Alex had poked his head in the bedroom and told Nicole he’d be with her in a minute and disappeared toward his office. She never bothered him when he was working and after what he said last night, she just assumed it was something about him getting another job.

Nicole got up and out of bed, fixing it as best she could before changing into a pair of leggings and a matching sports bra. She looked down at her middle and saw the bruising still prominent, so she threw on her shirt she had slept in just to cover it up. After carefully putting her hair up in a ponytail, she headed to the kitchen, where she found breakfast waiting. She quickly downed the juice and then a glass of ice water. As much as she appreciated the fruit and toast, she put the fruit back in the refrigerator, which she’d work on later.

As she nibbled at her toast, Nicole was thinking about what to do next. She needed a plan about it all. The ‘options’ given to her sucked. Her record with the military had been explementary up till she was taken hostage. She was leader a team to which they all respected one another.

A dishonorable discharge would mean, she would lose everything she had worked for so far in her career. That wasn’t the bulk of it... but if she went with that, she wouldn’t be able to vote and would, in the civilian sector, be seen as someone with a felony conviction.

Now, if she were to go with a trial, then she’d be locked up until the trial… and that could take months. And even then, if the Senator had as much pull as she heard about, then the trial wouldn’t be fair… besides, those in her team could also face some sort of harassment or even similar charges.

Perhaps she could have fought the issue a little more but with the way she was feeling, she didn’t. Besides, she felt that no matter what she said, the Senator wasn’t going to listen to her. Hell, look what happened when Jesse and the team tried to stand up for Nicole, they were escorted out by gunpoint.

“How long have you been standing there?” Nicole asked as she looked over at Alex who was standing at the entry way. She gave him a sincere smile, “Is everything OK?”

 

[BeachBum25]

After disconnecting from the zoom call, Alex sat at his desk. He knew that what he was doing was risky, but he didn't care. He texted Stephanie and Lisa. "New assignment. I will be reaching out to you soon. Think of an aggressive young investigative reporter we can add to the team. "

Alex thought to himself, "Are you really going to go after a sitting Senator? On top of that, the Senator you are thinking of going after is one of the most powerful on the Hill." He nodded his head. He was going to do it. As much as he did not like that Nicole put her life in danger on the missions she went on (and he knew that she hid a lot from him) she risked her life for others. She had risked her life for that Senator's kid, she almost dies, and now the Senator was going after her. Yes, Alex decided, he was going after the Senator.

Sending a text to the other network administrator, Alex put that interview on hold. "I am going to have to put next week's meeting on hold. I have some personal things to deal with. I will be in touch."

Walking out of his office, he saw Nicole sitting at the kitchen counter with a glass of water and a glass of juice in front of her. Also, there was the plate with a couple of little nibbles out of one of the pieces of toast. She was, obviously, deep in thought. Alex watched her, and smiled. She was so beautiful. For a moment his mind went to the fact that he had blown up on her when she shared what she really did for a living. "God, you are a real idiot, you almost lost her," he thought. While he watched her, Alex could see Nicole wince every once in a while when she moved.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was here with him; right where he wanted her, and he was about to embark on a private investigative mission that he hoped would allow Nicole to go back to doing what he was worried about her doing. He had to. The decision to leave had to be Nicole's, and Nicole's alone. There could be nobody exerting outside influence on her.

"Good morning beautiful." He smiled at her. "I don't know how long I have been standing there. I lose track of time around you." Yes, it was corny, but it was also true. When he was with Nicole, Alex had only one focus... her. He walked over and kissed her deeply; cupping her cheek in the palm of his hand. Then, he sat down next to her. "Everything is fine Nicole." He took her hand.

Alex then proceeded to explain to Nicole what he was planning on doing. All night he was awake, and all he could think about was getting back at those who were hurting Nicole. He told her that he was staying with the network... for now. He had sold them on doing an investigative report on who was putting pressure to kill his special, but what he was really going to do was focus on McKinsey for going after Nicole. Alex had a feeling that McKinsey was also the reason for the special not airing.

As he told Nicole what he was doing, he watched her closely. "I don't have much time to get on this, because you only have three days to make your decision. I am going to put some pressure on the military brass and the Senator. I am going to out them for what they have done. I want to find out why McKinsey feels he can run the military the way he wants it run."

"I have an online call with Stephanie and Lisa in a little while. We are going to bring on a young investigative reporter... one who is a hound dog and is willing to do whatever is necessary... just wants to make a name for himself." He squeezed Nicole's hand tightly. He sensed that she was not thrilled with what he just told her.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole listened intently to what Alex was telling her. Yes, of course, she had wanted to blow up at him for saying what he was going to do. Investigate the Senator. But she stopped and was quiet for a moment more. She knew Alex would kill this whole idea if she had asked him to… except, if what he was saying was true, then the Senator was meddling in his affairs also.

She gave his hand a squeeze back, before standing in front of him and wrapping her arms around his neck, “I don’t like it Alex… but… just be careful, OK? If he is involved, there’s no telling what he will do.”

Pulling back a little, she looked into his eyes, holding his gaze, “If what I’ve heard about this guy, he doesn’t mess around. Last night was proof of that.” They stayed in each other’s arms for a few more minutes before he needed to meet with his colleges.

Yesterday, Nicole had slept the day away, but she didn’t want to do that today. She had wanted to work on her recovery and knew it was probably too early but what else was she going to do while Alex was in meetings today? She had just wanted to get her mind off all this… Nicole hadn’t wanted to disturb his meeting so as she was leaving, she sent Alex a text, telling him she was going to go out for a bit and would be back shortly.

***
Her first stop had been Tami’s apartment where Nicole needed to grab some more clothes. She didn’t have much but what she did have were still in the one drawer her sister had ‘kindly’ given her. Afterward, she stopped by a small drug store to pick up some OTC meds.

As she was walking out of the store, she noticed someone following her… and doing a bad job at it. She walked into the next store, a small coffee shop which was quite crowded and work to her advantage as she walked to the back to exit the shop. She was in the alley and near the entrance of the alley when the man walked by, not even looking into the alley. He stopped in front of the coffee shop and peered inside. Then he looked back to where he came from.

By the time he realized what happened, Nicole was gone.

Fucking amateurs… she thought as she walked through the busy street crowd and hailed a taxi and once she was inside, she sent a text to Alex, asking him if he was OK and wanted anything while she was out. The text was just a way to make sure he was OK.

Now, why the fuck was she being followed? Goddamn it…

It could be nothing? Yet, after what happened last night with the Senator, Nicole couldn’t take any chances… besides, if she was in danger, then that would mean whomever she was with was also in danger. At first, she thought of running. Running and hiding but then, Alex. That would leave Alex vulnerable… his penthouse had good security…

OK, so, she wouldn’t say anything to Alex just yet… not until she knew what the hell was going on. This was getting old. If the Senator wanted to play games, then so could Nicole.

***
Nicole had the taxi let her off several blocks from Alex's place. She needed to make sure she wasn't being followed. Once she arrived, she calmed herself down and tried to exude calm as she walked in. It sort of worked because at the same time, she was in pain. She called to Alex and he answered from his office.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." She said, "How did your meetings go?"

 

[BeachBum25]

The meeting with Stephanie and Lisa went better than he could have ever expected. Alex thought that when he told the ladies what his plan was, that they would be unsure and would beg off of the assignment. If they had, Alex would have respected that and would have found replacements for them. Both ladies were completely onboard with the assignment. Of course, Alex only gave them part of what the assignment was about. He did not share with them the part about Nicole. He only said they were going to do some digging on why the special was cancelled and that he wanted to find out about the political influence that may have been put on the military that put pressure on the network.

Lisa and Stephanie had obviously spoken before the zoom call, because they said that they were in agreement that Ted Phillips would be a great person to be the investigative reporter. They said he was a real bulldog. "That's great, because I want the digging to start immediately, and I want to go right to the top. I want him to got to Senator McKinsey. I want him to wait outside chambers and I want him to ask a direct question.... Senator, why is it that the military is putting pressure on a news network to not air a special that focuses on our men and women in the military and what they endure each and every day." Alex knew this would be met with some surprise from the Senator.

"I want to make sure we get his face on camera when the question is asked. He will be pissed because I am certain that he expected the network to just fall in line and do what they were told. At first they did, but I was able to convince them that what was happening was a form of censorship and needed to be pushed back on. I think McKinsey is behind it in some way. Maybe because of what happened to his daughter he doesn't want the military painted in a positive way."

The ladies loved the idea. They said they would reach out to Ted and get him on board. "Here is the other thing I would like Ted to do. Once the Senator has finished trying to gloss over the issue with the special, I want Ted to throw this out there.... Senator, is it true that members of Congress are making personnel decisions with our military?"

Alex knew that would set off an alarm with McKinsey. His interaction with Nicole had happened less than 24 hours ago. Maybe McKinsey didn't know about the relationship between Alex and Nicole. Maybe McKinsey just thought Nicole would just go away quietly. Alex knew that Nichole was trying to figure out how to fight the power. Alex was deciding to fire the first shot in this battle. He knew it would get ugly. It was a battle that he was willing to fight... even if it cost him his career.

**************

"There is nothing to be sorry about baby." He gave Nicole a kiss on the cheek. "The meeting went very well. The first steps in our new special are being taken right now." Alex received a text from Lisa that Ted loved the idea, and was more than happy to get right on it. They were at the capitol building already.

"Nicole, I have to tell you what is going on, because it is, in part, about you. We are going after McKinsey. I think he is the one that is responsible for killing our special report. I don't think he wants the military to have something positive aired about them right now after what happened." He paused for a second waiting for Nicole's explosion.

The explosion didn't come. "The follow up question after McKinsey stumbles over his answer about why the military would kill a special that made them look good will be to ask him if it is true that members of Congress were directly intervening in personnel decisions on military personnel." Alex knew she would blow up when hearing that.

 

[zydrate]

“Involves me?” Nicole questioned as she listed to Alex explain what he had planned. “I’m sorry… what?” Nicole said, trying her best to stay calm. Yes, about 99% of the time, she was able to remain calm in any situation but this time… she was being tested.

“Alex, it’s bad enough that this… man is coming after me for basically no reason… but I don’t think doing this will come out in the way you think… He has targeted me! If he finds out that you’re involved… he will ruin your life. He will—,” she stopped and got up, “When McKinsey puts two and two together and he will, he’ll— You know what, forget it. I don't even want to think about it... this isn't your fight.”

Nicole stormed off to the room and grabbed her coat, she needed to get out and think… she… she stopped in the bedroom and just stood here, her breathing heavy… how did her life take a turn for the worst in just a couple of weeks?! No, she wasn’t blaming Alex… meeting him was the best thing to happen to her. She was thinking more of her career because it was all she had in her life… then she met Alex and things seemed to shift. She felt she had a different purpose. Of course, she wasn’t going to do this forever, but she never had expected it all to be yanked from her grasp.

If she had just stayed with Alex and his team after he left with the recon team... No… it felt like this was all her fault and well, it was. Had she done things differently, things would have come out differently. Alex deserved better.

She picked up her bag she had brought with her from Tami’s and decided what she was doing was the right thing. She didn’t look at Alex as she walked out of the bedroom. She ignored what he was saying.

This was for the best. He needed better in his life. It was better this way... right?

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex knew that she would blow up. He also knew that he was probably overstepping when he went after McKinsey for what he was doing to Nicole. He didn't care about McKinsey, or what he would try to do to his career. All he cared about was Nicole. He had almost messed it up once before.

He watched her go into the bedroom. He did not follow her. Alex decided it was best to give Nicole a little space. Let her calm down a little, and then they could talk.

"What?" Alex could not believe that she was carrying her bag and heading for the door. Nicole did not even look at him. This can't be happening.

"NO." Alex beat Nicole to the door and stood in front of it. "You are not going to do this Nicole. You are not going to walk out of here without talking to me. Actually, you are not walking out of here at all."

Alex's mind was racing at Mach 2. He could not believe this was Nicole's reaction. Yes, he knew she would be pissed. He knew that she would explode. He was prepared for her to yell and scream and curse at him. He was not prepared for Nicole to just walk out on him. Alex could not understand why Nicole would be so upset with him. She had nothing to lose. McKinsey was already taking her career and threatening to have her charged criminally for what happened to his daughter. Calling him out for meddling would not have any effect on Nicole

"Baby, take a breath. You know I would never do anything to hurt you. I want to expose that piece of shit for what he is doing. Please slow down. Stay here with me. Please."

Alex could tell that Nicole was barely, if at all, listening to him. "I am not moving Nicole. I will not let you leave here. I will not let you leave me. I feel part of this is my fault. If I had not gone out with that recon team, we would have still been out on that assignment when you went out on the one for his daughter. You would have been with me and you would not be in this shit."

He had to get through to her, but he wasn't sure he would. He stopped talking and stood against the door; looking at her... hoping.

 

[zydrate]

“Alex…” Nicole stopped, ready to make him move. And she knew that he was aware she could do so. Instead… she stopped, looked up at him and tried to say something. But she couldn’t. She was too flustered with everything; she didn’t know where to start. Instead, she threw her bag down and turned away from him.

She sat down on the floor. She just sat there. Not sure what to do. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. Hell, if she could, she wanted to shoot someone.

Her breathing increased again as she buried her head in her hands. Almost immediately, she felt herself in Alex’s arms as he lifted her to him. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed. “I hate all this Alex. I hate being out of control… this fuck face wants to ruin me for what?! Just because he can!”

“I hate you having to think you need to defend me and risking your career because of me. This all didn’t happen because of your wanting to do a story overseas. This happened because he’s been out to get our squad for so long. He thought he had a better group of soldiers who could do the same thing we do but in a faster time… but they were all killed on their first mission because… because they were stupid about it. You can’t rush into anything. It takes planning upon planning…” she knew she was talking too much but she had to get it out…

“God… it’s just I don’t want you to ruin your life because of me… and even when he gets his way, you’re going to be in a relationship with someone who has nothing… no career, no future to build another one…”

Nicole stopped and wiped away a few tears that escaped. She was beyond frustrated, it hurt. It hurt more than when she was captured and beat up. “This sucks… I have nothing to give you.” She knew all this was building but she hadn’t realized how much until now… “I’m sorry…”

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex watched as Nicole practically collapsed to the floor. He saw her put her head in her hands. Moving around in front of her, Alex picked Nicole up and held her. He remained quiet, he let Nicole vent. She needed to get it all out, then he would respond to her. Interrupting her while she was venting would be counterproductive.

"Nicole, there is nothing for you to be sorry about. You have done nothing wrong.... nothing. You have done nothing to me for you to say you are sorry. The only thing you did was your job, and you did it well."

He caressed her back and kissed Nicole's nose while maintaining eye contact with her. "How can you say you have nothing to offer me? Do you think I am with you because of what you do? You seem to forget that for most of our time together I thought you were a flight attendant on an international route. I had no idea that you risked your life everyday you went to work."

Watching for a reaction, all Alex got from Nicole was a blank stare. "Babe, for you to say that you have nothing to offer me makes me seem rather shallow. It actually hurts me to hear you say that. I don't want you to offer me anything but your company, your friendship and your love. That is what I want from you."

Still no reaction from Nicole. Alex started to wonder if her military career meant more to Nicole than he did. "McKinsey can come after me all he wants. There is a big difference between him coming after you and him coming after me. When he comes after you, he can do it in the shadows and nobody will know what he is doing. If..... when he comes after me, he will have to do it in public. Everything will be recorded.. .everything will be out there. Even if my network gets pressure not to air something, there is always a news outlet that will. McKinsey will have to come out of his comfort zone which is working in the back rooms and do it out in front of the people. I am not sure he is going to be up to that. You see Nicole. It is an election year for him, and if too much of this gets out, it could hurt him. The opposition party would love to have him in the news with negative reports."

Alex kissed Nicole's lips but got no reaction. He took his arms from around her and stood in front of her. "I guess I am not going to be able to change your mind. Just know this. You leaving is not going to change my mind. I am going after him. He messed with the woman I love and he is going to have to answer for that."

He stepped back. He knew how stubborn Nicole could be. What happened between them was up to her.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole was quiet for a moment. She didn’t look at Alex. She was just thinking… thinking about her career. Yes, she loved what she did. It was all she knew. She just didn’t want to go out like this… But she loved Alex more… she was doing this for him… It was a losing battle, at least in Nicole’s mind. She could take it. But she didn’t want to drag Alex down with her…

*** 1 year later – Las Vegas, NV ***

“How do I look?” Tami asked as she did over dramatic pose in front of the mirror. Her full-length wedding gown was of course, over the top, like her. But hell, she was marrying some millionaire who, of course, Nicole didn’t care for. But, as the saying goes, as long as he made her happy, then why should Nicole argue?

“You know how you look, Tami…” Nicole replied to her sister.

“Can’t you just be happy for me?”

Nicole sighed, “I am happy for you, Tami, I’m just tired, OK? This new job is kicking my ass.” Their sisterly bickering went on for quite a while. Deep down, Nicole was happy for her sister and wasn’t it written down somewhere she had to give her a hard time on her wedding day? Probably not.

“Have you heard from Alex?” Tami asked out of nowhere.

Nicole did her best not to react, she just shook her head, “No… I screwed that up, remember?”

“Well, yeah…but you were resolved of everything.”

“I know, I was there.”

“But—“

“Tami, stop, OK?” Even thought it had been a little over a year, it was really too painful to talk or think about Alex. Yes, Nicole knew she fucked up. Instead of staying with him and letting things play out, she left… and she left only because, at the time, she thought by leaving, she’d save him any embarrassment from her downfall…which she was sure was going to happen.

“OK. We’re not going to argue over this now... but we will soon.”

“Nope, because in a couple of hours, you’ll be on your honeymoon, so there.”

Before they could continue, the room filled with the rest of Tami’s bridal party…. It was time.

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex watched quietly as Nicole picked up her bag and walked out of the penthouse. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that he wasn't surprised. Once she made up her mind on something, there was very little chance of changing it. When they had first started going out, he didn't understand it. Once he found out about her real job, the military, it explained a lot to him.

He thought they had been able to work through issues. Yes, he had almost blown it when he stormed out of the restaurant when he found out about her military career, but with the help of Tami, they got back together, had an incredible time in Italy, and seemed to be back on the right track.

That was until Nicole got the assignment with McKinsey's daughter. That really screwed things up. No, his daughter did not deserve to die, but she didn't listen when the team told her what to do. So, combining that with McKinsey's desire to have his own team work the details that Nicole's team worked led to McKinsey going after Nicole..... and Alex going after McKinsey.

Lisa and Stephanie had not tried to talk Alex out of the report on McKinsey. They pointed out the danger in it, but they were journalists also, so they supported him in his plan. Ted Phillips was onboard as being the front man asking the questions, He knew it could lead to bigger and better things for him.

**************

The story went better than Alex could have imagined. Ted's bulldog style and his ability to ask McKinsey questions at the right time, caught McKinsey off guard. McKinsey stumbled and stuttered, and then glared at the young reporter. When McKinsey got back to his office there was a message from Alex. He just wanted to follow up on questions that the Senator had been asked outside of his office earlier in the day but did not seem to answer.

McKinsey thought he could handle anything and anyone, so, he returned Alex's call. "Those allegations are pure bullshit. You people in the media want to make shit up just because it is a slow news day." Alex let the Senator vent for a while. He was recording everything the Senator said. Then Alex followed up with, "So, Senator, for the record, what you are saying is that you played no part at all in the threat to have a member of the military charged with murder for your daughter's death unless that person agreed to take a dishonorable discharge. Is that what you are saying?"

The Senator was quiet for several minutes. "Senator, would you care to respond to that, because I have several sources in the military who have told me that they were present when that threat was made." There was still silence on the other end of the line. Alex knew he had McKinsey. "Senator, here is what is going to happen. You are going to back off on that military member. You are going to give that military member two new options. That well decorated member of our military will be able to return to duty, immediately, or will be able to leave the military with an HONORABLE discharge. If that happens, this tape never goes public, but I will keep it handy to make sure you uphold your end of the bargain. Sound like a plan Senator?"

McKinsey grunted. "No, Senator, you need to tell me that you agree to give that person the 2 new options. You need to say, "She will be given the option of returning to duty or an honorable discharge." That is what I want to hear Senator." The Senator finally repeated those words. Then he finished with, "what the fuck do you care? Who is she to you? she your girlfriend or just some piece of ass you are fucking?" then he disconnected the call.

Alex thought about the question the Senator asked him and said out loud, "No, she isn't any of them to me. She is ....." He didn't finish the statement, even to himself.

**************

Alex hoped that he would hear from Nicole, even just to know that she was alright. It never happened. He didn't have any clue which option Nicole took, and he never called her to ask. If she wanted him to know, she would have called him.

Things were not the same around the penthouse. He could not stand to be there alone. There was too much history with Nicole there, so, Alex moved out and found a realtor and told her to sell it. He stayed in a hotel for a while and put all of his belongings that weren't sold with the penthouse in storage.

The network started asking him about his report on congressional input on having his special quashed. Alex told them it wasn't going anywhere. Lisa, Stephanie and Ted weren't happy that the story with McKinsey didn't go any further, and apparently had told management that Alex was the one who had stopped pushing the story. The network was on his case. Alex decided he had enough. He needed to get away. He called a network executive about a position that they said Alex could always have. All he had to do was say so. Oh, and he would have to move to LA. Well, there was nothing keeping him here now, so, it was off to LA for Alex.

**************

He looked at the caller id on his phone when he heard it ring. It was Tami. Alex shook his head and ignored the call. She called 5 more times before Alex finally answered. "Hello Tami. How are you?" Tami started yelling. "Did you just ignore my call a bunch of times. After all I did for you before. After all I set-up for you in Italy?" Alex held the phone away from his ear as she yelled. "Yes Tami, I did. In case you don't know, what you set up for me in Italy did not last very long. Nicole and I are not together.. haven't been for a year."

Tami said she knew that. Then she proceeded to tell Alex she was getting married. "That's great Tami. I will have to send you a gift. I will just need to get your address at some point." Alex's tone was matter of fact, bordering on bored. Tami told him that she was getting married in Vegas. Alex wanted to say something about a shotgun wedding, but decided against it.

"Alex, I want you to come to the wedding. Nicole will be there. It will give you two a chance to talk and iron things out. Please say you will come." Alex did not hesitate in his response. "Tami, if your sister calls me and invites me to accompany her to your wedding, I will attend. However, if she does not, I will not be there. What you did in Florence to help me surprise her was great, but that was a one-time deal. No surprise this time. Good luck Tami... with your marriage." Alex hung up the call.

****************

Alex sat at a table outside the hotel where Tami was getting married. He had driven to Vegas from LA, because he wanted, no, he needed, to see Nicole just to make sure she was okay. He had no intention of making contact with her, so, he sat where he could see the entrance, but people coming and going would not be looking in his direction.

When he saw her, he had to smile. She looked amazing. But then his shoulders slumped. He saw her walking with her arm linked in a guy's arm. As they walked into the hotel, Alex motioned to the waitress and ordered a margarita. "Well, I am happy she has moved on. I guess now I really can."

 

[zydrate]

The wedding ceremony was OK, Nicole supposed. It was a long ceremony only to be made longer by the couple doing their own vows. Nicole was part of a 7-woman bridal party, and she kept getting double takes from different guests. Apparently, Tami didn’t tell many people her sister was her twin sister, just like Nicole did. They were twins but their worlds and social circles were so different.

Nearing the early evening, the wedding reception had ended when Nicole and the rest of the bridal party were outside, talking amongst each other. The girls wanted to go out and party and, of course, had invited Nicole. She did think about it and said she’d let them know later tonight. It was only Friday evening, and she wasn’t scheduled to fly back to North Carolina until Sunday evening.

“Nicole Mason, is that you?”

Nicole stopped talking to the girls and peered out from the crowd. She saw James, Detective for the Las Vegas PD. They pair had met at a training a couple of months prior and hit it off. More friendship rather than anything else. But she knew he wanted something else, but she wasn’t ready. She knew she’d never be ready.

“What are you doing back?” He said, giving her an awkward hug, “You look good… and different… this is really different.” Nicole looked down at what she was wearing, of course it was the bridesmaid dress, a green slip dress. It was simple and from what Tami had said, it was simple because she wanted attention on her wedding dress.

“Oh well, thanks… this is—was my sister’s wedding so we’re just wrapping things up.” The other girls stopped talking and watch the two as they talked.

James looked at them and gave a wink to the ladies before turning his attention back to Nicole, “How about we go inside? Let’s talk.”

“Let’s talk? Am I in trouble?” She asked, trying to make light of the situation as he seemed extremely serious suddenly.

He held his arm out and she took it, not wanting to be rude. “No… but… I have an offer for you.”

“Something tells me that you knew I’d be here…” They each took a seat in the bar of the hotel and ordered some drinks, a vodka soda for Nicole. She wasn’t at all patient as she waited for him, “Well?”

“Why aren’t you working here? In Vegas?”

Nicole had to laugh, “Why? I interviewed and you… well, your department said thanks but no thanks.”

“So now you’re stuck in NC? I think that’s a waste—”

“Not my call, like I said, I interviewed here, and no one liked my candidness on what was wrong with the entire department. I said I wasn’t going to lie and more importantly, I’m not going to be bribed to lie. That’s it.”

“I know but, what if I were to offer you triple what you’re making and have you on the payroll but not in an official capacity…?”

“No.”

“Wait you—”

“No, you wait. I said what I did. If I’m going to be paid under the table, then anything and everything could go wrong, and I don’t want that in my life. I’ve had enough of it dealing with my last job. Consulting on internal affairs is something I’m not going to be bought on. You know this.”

“OK, I get it. But can you just think about it? In case things don’t work out now, I mean, come on… it’s North Carolina for fuck’s sake, what could they be doing wrong?”

“You’d be surprised.” Nicole said as she finished her drink and stood, holding out her hand, “Thanks for the offer, James, but I can’t do it.”

James was reluctant but he stood also, “OK, fine… but its open if you ever change your mind.” He shook her hand before paying the tab and walking out.

Nicole sighed and watched him. He must have been in a tough spot but again, Nicole wasn’t going to put herself in another situation like before.

Her phone notification sounded…she looked at the text and saw it was the one of the girls, asking if she was still going with them. She had almost wanted to say no but hell, why not? She sent a reply saying she’d be ready in 15 minutes.

 

[BeachBum25]

After his second margarita, Alex decided that he should not think about trying to drive home, so, he paid his bill and walked over to the MGM and went up to the front desk and inquired about a room. He laughed out loud when the clerk said the only room they had available was the honeymoon suite. "Isn't that just fitting." He stopped. "Sorry, you didn't deserve that. Thanks, but I will try someplace else."

He turned and walked down the strip. He saw the fountains going off and decided he would try there. He walked into the incredible lobby and was fortunate to find that they had a suite, no, not the honeymoon suite, available. It was more than he needed, but it was what was available. He walked through a couple of the shops and bought a change of clothes. He had come to Vegas on a whim, not really planning anything.

He went up to his suite, and went to the bar and poured himself a drink. Then, he went in and showered. The whole time he was in there, he kept asking himself why he had bothered to even show up. He was pissed at Tami for telling him about the wedding. He was really pissed at himself though. He had told Tami he wasn't going to the wedding unless Nicole asked him. He knew that Tami would say something to Nicole, so, when he didn't hear from Nicole, he should have known that she didn't want to see him. Now he knew why, or he thought he did.

After getting out of the shower and getting dressed, he decided to go down and have something to eat. He hadn't eaten all day, but he had a few drinks. He needed to get some food in him. Alex chose the first restaurant that he came to, and was able to get a seat at the bar. He asked for a club soda and a menu. After ordering, he looked around the bar, it was fairly empty. That was good, he really didn't feel like being around a lot of people right now. He was making small talk with the bartender when there was a lot of noise coming from the entrance. They both looked over. All Alex could say was, "damn it."

The bartender had a similar response. He said that contrary to popular belief, a large group of women out together did not mean big tips. He said that usually guys bought drinks for the women, but did not leave bigger tips when they did so. The bartender asked why Alex was pissed to see them. "Well, my ex was in that wedding, and I am not really looking forward to interacting with her."

Alex looked over at the group and saw that Nicole wasn't with them. The women made their way to the bar and started ordering drinks. As the bartender made their drinks, he said to Alex, "you watch, this will be the only drink they have to pay for. You can already see the guys focusing on them. Soon they will be moving in and hoping for a hook-up by buying their drinks." Alex nodded at him. Yes, the guys in the room were focusing on the group of ladies.

After the bartender served the ladies' drinks, Alex called him over. Eating at the bar was not going to be very enjoyable, even if it was only a sandwich. "Listen, can I get that sandwich to go. I'll just take it upstairs and avoid all of the craziness you are going to experience." The bartender told him he would take care of it. After all, Alex was going to be the last one to be able to eat at the bar. It pretty much turns into a nightclub after 8.

While waiting for his sandwich and his bill, Alex thought about how lucky he was that he didn't know any of the other women that were in the wedding party and that Nicole wasn't there. It would have been awkward. He just wanted to get out of there, get upstairs and then tomorrow morning get out of Vegas and get on with his life.

After settling his check and picking up the container with his sandwich in it, Alex headed out into the lobby. He was walking toward the elevators. "Shit." He froze for a second. He looked right at her. It seemed like they made eye contact. He hoped not. Then, he turned around and walked over to the reception desk. He hoped that she did not see him. He did not want an interaction with Nicole in the lobby of the hotel. Not that it would be bad, he just wanted to avoid the contact. He told the woman at the reception desk he had locked his key in his room. After producing id, he was given a new key, which he put in his pocket with the other key.

He took a deep breath and turned around to go to the elevator.

 

[zydrate]

"You told him what?!"

If Nicole could see Tami shrugging nonchalantly right now, she'd probably reach through the phone and strangle her little sister, "I told him that I was getting married and that you were going to be there AND that he was invited."

Nicole muttered a few curses at her sister, "I cannot believe you did that... wait, no, I can believe it. What the actual hell Tam..."

"Shut up Nicole."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, shut the fuck up. It's obvious you still love him."

Nicole was quiet. All that could be heard was the thudding of the music from the nightclub at one end of the hall she was in... God, she didn't want to go back to that stupid nightclub.

"See!! I knew it!! Go to him Nicole. At least... at the VERY least, you both need to lay it all out."

Goddamnit, she was right.

"But what if he doesn't want me back?"

"Well then at least you'll know, right?"

Nicole sighed and closed her eyes, slumping against the wall... muttering, "Shit..."

"He's in room 2809."

"Oh God... do I even want to know how you found that out."

"Well, after you yelled at me via text, I just called the hotel and told them I was from the airline and said we have his lost luggage and needed to confirm his room number so we could have it delivered."

"Oh my God.." Nicole said, exasperated.

"You're welcome... now I have to go, it is my honeymoon night after all. Good night dummy."

Nicole didn't move for another minute or so as she thought about it all... how she had seen him earlier tonight and although she wanted to go to him, she hesitated... that and she was helping one of the other girls she was with from the bridal party, who had celebrated way too much too soon.

Yeah, she was the baby-sitter again. After an hour, she had given up as she couldn't focus on the conversation the others were having. They did quickly learned that just because Nicole and Tami were twins, it didn't mean they were the same sort of 'fun' on a girls night out. Nicole was ever watchful for their safety.

But the loud music was too much after a while and she had to leave.

Nicole paced in the hall. Thinking about what Tami said. Thinking of seeing Alex... she really wasn't expecting him and it threw off her... but in the end, she had to admit (mentally) that Tami was right. She needed to talk to Alex and get things out in the open.

A few minutes later, Nicole found herself in front of Alex's room.... what if he had company?! What if he was there with someone?

Only one way to find out. Nicole stopped stalling and made sure she looked OK. She had changed from her bridesmaid dress to a black sleeveless dress and white sneakers. Nicole knocked on the door and then waited a second before saying, "Alex... it's Nicole... can we talk?"

 

[BeachBum25]

When Alex turned around, he saw Nicole walking into the bar. He felt relieved that Nicole had not seen him. That would have set off a situation in the lobby of the hotel. Nicole no doubt would be upset that he was there. After all, Alex had told Tami that he would only attend if Nicole asked him, and, obviously he never got the invitation from Nicole, so, she didn't want him there. Then, he had seen her walking with that guy, so, it was good that there was no interaction between them.

Alex went up to his room and put the sandwich he had ordered at the bar onto the table. He wasn't hungry. All he wanted to do was go to sleep and then get up the next morning and go back to LA. He took a bottle of water out of the mini bar and opened it. After drinking half of the bottle, he undressed and got into bed. He reached over for the remote for the television and turned it on. He chose some reality television show about people getting to know someone without seeing them. Well, the drone of the television would surely put him to sleep.

He closed his eyes and was asleep pretty quickly. He wasn't sure how long he was asleep for when he heard a knock on the door. At least he thought it was a knock on the door. Maybe it was a knock on the door of one of the other rooms in the hallway. Or, maybe it was something in the dream he was having, but he didn't even remember what he was dreaming; if he was dreaming at all.

Then he heard the knock again.... and he heard the voice. She didn't have to say who it was. He knew that voice. It was Nicole. "How the fuck did she know I was here? How did she find out what room I am in? What could she want?" These were some of the many questions that went flying through Alex's head as he got up from the bed. He grabbed his pants and put them on.

Walking over to the door, he was still confused about what was going on. Now, fully awake, he got to the door and looked through the peep hole. He knew it was her from the voice, he just needed to see it was her to clear up that it hadn't been part of a dream.

Opening the door, he looked at Nicole with a straight face; trying not to show any emotion. "Hi Nicole. What's up? How did you know I was here?" He stood in front of the doorway and did not invite Nicole in. If she was going to go off on him, she would have to do it in the hallway; that way he could close the door and end it

Alex saw the look on Nicole's face. It was not a happy look. He didn't know if she was mad that he was in Vegas, or she was mad that he was leaving her stand in the hallway... or both. He just knew that she was pissed at him. Alex stood his ground for the moment. He was not interested in any confrontations. He did not want a scene. He had already decided to move on with his life starting the moment he got up in the morning. Suddenly, there was a monkey wrench thrown into his plans. Maybe it was just a momentary set back, though.

He could tell from the look on her face that she was not going to talk to him while standing in the hallway. Alex also knew that Nicole wasn't just going to walk away. "Okay, come on in, but I don't want a scene. I will let you say what you want to say, but I do not want an argument. Okay?"

Stepping back from the door, Alex let Nicole into his room. After closing the door, Alex stayed near it; not following her into the room. He watched her, and waited.

 

[zydrate]

"I'm not going to make a scene," Nicole said quietly, "first off... and I'm tired of saying this but, I'm sorry about Tami getting involved. I have talked to her and she did say she talked to you earlier this week. She's good at getting into other peoples' business. In a way, that was your fault for talking to her in the first place way back when..."

Nicole stayed in the entry way after accessing the situation and his demeanor. She knew he wasn't going to be cordial and ask if she wanted a seat. And Nicole didn't blame him one bit. She remained calm as she continued, "Second..." she took a deep breath, her arms crossed casually in front of her but she never broke eye contact with him, "I am sorry."

There, it was out.

"I'm sorry for the way things... ended back... there..." Nicole's gaze fell to the floor as she thought of the proper way to say it, "It took a lot of time to figure out... I was broken. The stress was more than I could take and more than I could hide. And I'm not just talking about the mess with the Senator but with... being taken hostage-- no, it wasn't that, it was more of the point of failing at a mission. I'm not used to failing."

"I had thought I deserved what had happened by getting caught. After that, I believed every word the Senator had said to me and I--" another deep breath, "I didn't want to bring you down with me... I thought it was my way of saving you once more by leaving."

"So, again, I'm sorry." She reached out and ran her hand on his arm as she walked to the door before stopping, "And I'll talk to Tami. She's a pain but she think she's doing good."

 

[BeachBum25]

Alex listened as Nicole apologized. It upset him a little because he had told her that he was not worried about what would happen to him. Then he listened to her apology for her sister again as she was walking toward the door. He looked down at his arm as Nicole ran her hand over it.

"So, that is all you came up here for? You just wanted to say pretty much the same thing that you said before you walked out on me?" He paused, trying to control his anger. He thought about what Nicole had just shared with him... about being broken by the capture, torture, and her perceived failure. He needed to be a little more understanding.

"Nicole, I have to be honest with you; I came here to Vegas to see you. However, when I saw you walk into the hotel with your arm in the guy's arm, I knew that I shouldn't have come. I am sorry that I was not there to support you when you needed it. I really wanted to be."

He stayed in front of the door; not wanting her to leave, but knowing that her saying the word would move him out of her way. "No need to talk to Tami. She was just trying to help her sister. She invited me to the wedding. I told her no, I wasn't going to come to it unless you invited me. I never heard from you, so, I should have known you didn't want to see me. I was a fool for making the drive out here."

Alex stepped away from the door. "I have missed you Nicole. I have worried about you. Please know this.... I just want you to be happy. You deserve it. You gave up a lot and all you were doing was protecting people. What they did was wrong. I hoped that my intervention would help, but obviously it did not. I hope that things work out for you."

 

[zydrate]

It surprised her when he mentioned seeing her earlier in the day... perhaps she should have been upset that he was watching her beforehand? But she wasn't. She thought of what he saw and she sighed, shaking her head, "The man you saw me with is just a colleague I befriended in some training seminar a couple of months ago. He was here to offer me a job because my current contract is ending in a week," she shrugged, "He wanted me to come work for him but I had turned him down."

"Tami didn't tell me she had called you... not until tonight after seeing you downstairs..." Nicole again, wanted to strangle her sister for not saying anything.

Nicole nodded, listening to him and not saying anything, her arms still crossed. She wasn't looking at him and smiled when he said his intervention didn't help, "But it did. Everything was dropped. But, I still left despite all that. I guess I just couldn't do it anymore and that was a lot to deal with. Because even though you did what you did, and to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what you did or said, I felt I had failed you a second time... the first, obviously for walking out and the second because of all you had done for me... and never saying thank you."

She was reaching for the door, not sure how this was going in a good direction or what... she stopped at what he had said about being happy... Was she happy? Well... not really. She was just going day to day, living her life, trying to keep busy. There were a lot of times her mind drifted to Alex and wondering what he was doing but again, she never contacted him because of how things ended.

"I missed you too Alex... I was happy with you, just know that."