Richard Book is Innocent (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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tweedandtinsel2010-12-04 05:05 pm
oxfordtweed) wrote in tweedandtinsel2010-12-04 05:05 pm
Lamp Light (5/10)
Title: Lamp Light
Fandom: Hot Fuzz
Character/s: Like in the film
Word Count (chapter/total): 5,900 / 47,100
Rating: NC-17
Summary/Warnings: A few more things about Nicholas are revealed, and we see a bit more into his relationship with Janine.
Nicholas was vaguely aware of Janine entering the room as he carefully dug through what was now the third box.
"Nick, leave it," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "We can finish in the morning."
"Not unpacking," Nicholas said, sighing and moving onto the last unpacked box. "Looking for something."
"Your toothbrush is in the bathroom."
Nicholas laughed lightly. "It's not that," he said. "Something else."
"Oh," Janine cooed, getting under the covers. "Does ickle Nicky need his teddy bear?"
Nicholas shook his head. "No love," he said.
Janine giggled as she picked up Nicholas' alarm clock from the night stand, pressing random buttons to see what they did. She was startled by Nicholas' sudden bark of triumph as he jumped to his feet and pushed a box to the side.
"I must know what was so bloody important," Janine said, replacing Nicholas' alarm clock. She watched as he knelt down by the door, fiddling with a wall socket. He ran a cable up to the top of the desk, situating a small blue lamp against the wall.
"Oh, you are not going to leave that on all night, are you?" Janine asked.
Nicholas shrugged, getting to his feet. "Yeah," he said. "Why not?"
"Because it's really bright," Janine pointed out.
"I like to be able to get up at night and not run into things," Nicholas said.
"I like to be able to sleep," Janine replied simply.
Nicholas sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'll tell you what," he said. "We'll try it tonight, and if for any reason, you don't like it, I'll get rid of it. I'll put it in another room; sell it if you want me to."
Janine looked up at him blankly. "You'll sell it?" she asked. "And get 50p for it?"
Nicholas shrugged. "If you want me to, yeah," he said. "And I'll give you half. So that's 25p for you."
Janine smiled lightly. "We'll try it," she agreed finally. "And if it doesn't work out, go ahead and put it in another room. You don't have to sell it."
Nicholas smiled lightly, kissing her on the forehead. "I promise," he said. "Moaning will be kept to a minimum."
He got up and shut out the lights, leaving only the soft blue wash over the room.
"You can actually sleep like this?" Janine asked, looking around the room. "I feel like I'm in an episode of My Family."
Nicholas laughed as he climbed into bed. "I've had it since university," he said. "I just got in the habit of keeping it around."
"I didn't realize my boyfriend was afraid of the dark," Janine said. "Do you want me to get you a teddy bear and a cuddle blanket, too?"
Nicholas picked up a pillow and tossed it at Janine. "I can sleep on the sofa, you know," he said, unable to contain his laugh.
"I wouldn't," Janine said, situating the pillows again. "I think the cat pissed on it when you were unpacking."
"You're serious?" Nicholas asked, wondering if he'd missed something vitally important.
Janine laughed. "Of course not. Have you ever seen a cat in here?"
"Maybe it's an outdoor cat?" Nicholas tried.
"Or an imaginary cat."
Nicholas tried not to think too hard about it as he rolled over, holding himself up with his elbow. "Is there anything else you're gonna make me find out for myself?"
Nicholas was startled by the knock on his door, wondering if he should call somebody. And then he realized that the call would be re-routed to him, anyway, so he gave up on the idea and decided to just be a man and answer the door, despite being nine o'clock, and no one had expressed intent to stop by. He slowly pulled open the door, finding Andrew standing outside with his son, Michael, in tow.
"Got a few minutes, Nick?" Andrew asked.
Nicholas stepped aside, letting them enter. "Yeah," he said. "What do you need?"
Andrew let go of Michael's hand, letting the child wander as the two men walked into the kitchen. Andrew dropped a folder down on the counter and opened it, handing some papers off to Nicholas. "I know it's your weekend and all, but this came back today. Thought you'd want to see."
Nicholas took the forms and read them over. Various forensics reports from new discoveries under the castle. Some were matches from missing persons reports that had either been long ignored, or recently filed after Nicholas was installed as Chief Inspector. Most were dead ends; DNA profiles and dental records that were meaningless without someone to match them up with. Nicholas sighed and put the reports back down on the counter.
"These things don't work unless people step forward," Nicholas said. "I haven't a clue who any of these people were supposed to be. They could be anybody."
Andrew nodded. "You don't think we got 'em all?" he asked.
Nicholas shook his head. "Part of me thinks half the damn village was completely aware about what was going on," he said. "And the rest of me knows that everybody's too scared of being suspect, or being killed by any remaining members of Frank's psychotic little club."
Andrew sighed. "Things ain't ever gonna be right, again, are they?" he asked.
Nicholas shook his head. "I'm sure things will sort themselves out, given time," he said.
Andrew nodded in response. "Andy told me they offered him a transfer," he mentioned. "They offer you one?"
Nicholas nodded.
"Then why you still here?" Andrew asked. "You ain't like Andy. You don't have any reason to stay."
"Because, Andrew," Nicholas said with a sigh. "Despite everything, I do kinda like it here."
"I think I'm gonna split if they offer me transfer," Andrew said simply. "I only got the Missus, and Michael. And she doesn't want to stay here at all."
Nicholas nodded. "Good luck," he said honestly. "They're giving you first pick of station, if you do accept the offer."
"You ain't mad?" Andrew asked nervously.
Nicholas shook his head. "Why should I be?" he asked. "Most people don't want to stay here. They'll settle you some place like Dover, likely, and bring me someone new." He looked up and Andrew, a hint of a smile touching his lips. "Maybe I'll get lucky enough to get someone who doesn't smoke in the building."
Andrew pulled out his cigarettes and pressed one between his lips. "Prick," he said gruffly.
Nicholas let his smile fade as he picked up Andrew's folder, looking through it a bit longer. "Did anyone ever get back with Mrs. Thatcher?" he asked.
Andrew shook his head, but did not get a chance to respond before Michael wandered into the room, holding a small stuffed lemur. "Papa, look!" he said, holding up the toy.
"No!" Nicholas barked, jumping forward and carefully pulling the stuffed animal from Andrew's son. "This is not for playing with!" Nicholas instructed, doing his best not to raise his voice.
Andrew frowned as he picked Michael up, holding his son in his arms. "Why not?" he asked.
Nicholas inspected the lemur, making sure there were no stains or damage done to the toy. "Because it's just not," he said, running his fingers over the fur.
Andrew thought about that, and then decided that any thinking done about Nicholas Angel would likely end in a brain hemorrhage, and instead made sure that Nicholas hadn't frightened Michael into a fit of tears, but by that point, the boy had already been distracted by a pan hanging from the wall.
"Never took you as the type to keep your old toys around," Andrew mused. Nicholas looked up at him, but said nothing. "But, listen," Andrew continued. "I'll go ahead and get back with Mrs. Thatcher first thing tomorrow. You'll have your report on your desk when you get back.
Nicholas nodded. "Right," he said, picking the folder back up and handing it to the detective. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to yell at him."
Andrew shook his head. "No worries," he said. "Shouldn't have let him wander. I forgot you got swords and shit in here, anyway. Your house isn't very child proof."
Nicholas shrugged. "Yes, well..."
Andrew bit back on another homophobic remark, knowing it would not be wise to get snappy in the inspector's personal home. "You'll have that stuff on Monday," he settled on as he put Michael back on the floor. "Enjoy the rest of your weekend."
Nicholas nodded. He stayed in the kitchen until he heard Andrew shut the front door, before making his way upstairs to his bedroom. He had expected to see things knocked from shelves and all over the floor, but the stuffed lemur had been the only thing that had attracted Michael. Once more stroking the acrylic fur with his fingers, Nicholas sat it back on the nightstand next to his alarm, letting its cold, glass eyes watch over the bedroom.
Everything was going to be perfect. He had it all planned out; exactly where she'd stand, what he was going to say. Perfect. For reasons unknown to himself, he'd thought it had been a good idea to ring Travis and ask for any sort of tips or pointers, and found himself very disappointed to hear a detailed rundown of Love Actually. He let Travis ramble as he fussed about the flat, straightening everything up for the tenth time.
Candles.
Girls like that kind of stuff. Nicholas started looking through closets, finding nothing of the sort. Apparently Janine was one of those girls that wasn't really into candles. Or maybe she just hadn't been shopping lately.
"Wait," Nicholas said to Travis, getting hung up on whatever he was rambling about. "Wasted heart?"
"Maybe you should watch this film before doing this, mate," he said. "You don't sound like you know what you're doing at all."
"I do!" Nicholas insisted.
Travis laughed in his ear. "Whatever. Listen, I gotta go. Good luck."
Nicholas grinned to himself. "Thanks, man."
He put the telephone down, and rushed round the flat a bit more. Flowers, maybe? No, too obvious. Too over done. He should keep it simple. But definitely not T-shirt simple. He grimaced at what he was wearing and rushed to the bedroom. Khakis would be fine, but no T-shirts. He pulled the tight cotton shirt over his head and tossed it into the hamper before pulling a light-coloured collared shirt from the wardrobe. He still looked casual, but it was better than some ugly band shirt he'd inherited from Travis by accident.
He jumped slightly when he heard the front door shut, and Janine shuffling into the flat. Trying to keep himself from looking eager, he refrained from rushing out of the bedroom to meet her. Keep it steady. Steady steady steady.
"How--"
"Oh! Nick!" Janine interrupted. "We need to talk."
Nicholas frowned slightly. This was not how it was supposed to go. Was it too late for a re-write? "Oh?" he asked. "Can it wait?"
Janine took him by the hand and pulled him to the sofa. "No," she said, her face turning slightly red. "This is... very important."
Nicholas let his hand slip into his pocket. "How...important?" he asked.
Janine inhaled deeply. "Well," she started. "I stopped by Denise's after shift for a bit, but you already knew that."
Nicholas nodded nervously. "Yeah..." Was it too late to scrub the mission?
"We... we got to talking. About us," Janine started. "Me and you, that is. And how I've just been so stressed lately."
"Janine," Nicholas said, realizing he didn't have any where to go with that start.
"I don't know how..." Janine took another deep breath. "Nick, I'm pregnant."
"You...what?" Nicholas blinked a few times. "When?"
Janine laughed. "Well, right now," she said, pulling him into a tight hug.
"No, I mean," Nicholas started, never thinking it was possible to feel completely relieved and absolutely terrified at once. "When'd you find out?"
"Denise is a nurse," Janine said. "She made me take about three tests."
Nicholas laughed and kissed her on the neck. "That's...that's wonderful!" he managed finally, bringing himself to a laugh. "There's something I meant to talk to you about, but now I just feel like I'm doing it because I have to."
Janine pulled away from Nicholas, looking him in the face. "And what's that?" she asked.
Nicholas smiled as he slipped his hand back into his trouser pocket, pulling a small black velvet box out and opening it carefully. "Will you?" he asked, holding it out in front of Janine.
"Oh, god," Janine said. She took the ring from Nicholas and slid it over her finger before pulling him into another tight embrace. "Of course!"
Nicholas kissed her on the neck again before pulling away to kiss her properly. "If you want to go clean up, I've got reservations for tonight," he said, unable to keep himself from grinning like a loon. "For That Place that Does all the Fish."
Janine wrapped her arms around Nicholas' neck, leaning into him heavily. "I'd love to," she said after a few moments. "I'll go get changed."
"It just ain't here."
Nicholas stared at his notebook, 14:29 being the only thing actually written on the lined page.
"Have you checked with the neighbours?" he offered unevenly.
"Of course!" the man wailed. Nicholas winced. "How fucking far can a goddamned tractor go without somebody seeing?"
Nicholas sighed. "Right," he said. "Could you describe it for us?"
Danny cleared his throat. "Er, Nick," he said. "Mr. Acer's got the only working tractor in Sandford."
Nicholas nodded. "Of course," he said. "How could I forget?"
Mr. Acer frowned at Nicholas. "You damn city cops don't take nothing seriously, do you?" he asked. "Same thing, every time they bring one of you lot out here. We was perfectly fine before you showed up."
Nicholas arched his eyebrows, trying very, very hard to ignore the man's statement. "Yes, well," he said. "We'll put out an APW for your tractor. If anything turns up, we'll be sure to give you a ring."
"Sure you will," Mr. Acer grumbled before walking off toward his barn, muttering profane ramblings to himself.
Nicholas waited for the man to round the corner behind the barn before making his way to the patrol car. He just needed to sit down; rest a bit. That would do him better. He made it to the bonnet, leaning heavily against it. Just a few more steps. He lifted his head in an effort to continue, realizing at once that hit had been a stupid idea. The sudden rush felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, causing him to involuntarily sick all over the driver's side tyre.
"Nic'las!" Danny called, rushing over to the inspector. "Christ, Nick, why didn't you say nothing?" he asked, trying not to step in the mess Nicholas had made on the grass. He leaned into the open window and pulled the lever to pop the boot. They kept towels and blankets back there for various emergencies, but Danny never thought that his partner might be having one of those emergencies. He gave the towel to Nicholas to clean himself off, waiting for him to steady himself before taking it back and tossing it into a plastic bag in the boot.
"Your stuff at the...er...in your office?" he asked lightly, putting a hand on Nicholas' shoulder.
Nicholas only nodded.
"Right," Danny said, tightening his grip. "Come on, then." He led Nicholas around the patrol car, helping him get settled into the passenger seat. Making sure that Nicholas wasn't going to sick all over the inside of the patrol car, Danny slid into the driver's seat, and started the car, taking them back to the station.
Andrew let himself into the office, startled to find Danny digging through Nicholas' desk drawers.
"Now wot the fuck you up to, Batterbomb?" he demanded, stepping up to the desk.
Danny shrugged. "Nick's sick," he said simply.
Andrew frowned. "Taking him home?" he asked.
Danny nodded, finally finding Nicholas' prescription. "Yeah," he said flatly.
Andrew sighed and leaned against the door frame. "Came back too early," he said. "So did you, if you ask me, but least you're taking breaks when you should."
Danny sighed right back. "Yeah, well," he started as he walked past the detective. "You know Nick." He made his way to the water cooler, drawing a small paper cup to go with Nicholas' medication before going back out to the patrol car. "How you feelin'?" he asked lightly, handing over the cup and bottle. He shut the door, doing his best not to slam it.
"Like I'm gonna die," Nicholas croaked.
Danny gripped the steering wheel tightly, looking away as Nicholas swallowed the tablet dry before drinking the water. Nicholas Angel was not supposed to rely on prescription drugs to be awesome. Nicholas Angel should have been awesome all on his own. "I been thinking," Danny said after a moment. "Maybe you should go see your doctor again." He kept his gaze out the windscreen as he spoke, feeling the heavy weight of guilt in his stomach for bringing up these things when he knew Nicholas couldn't well argue with him. "You're supposed to be taking those things less often... not more."
"I have," Nicholas said weakly.
"You've seen him to follow up?" Danny asked.
Nicholas was silent for a long moment, Danny unable to tell if it was because he was about to be sick again, or it was his way of arguing when his skull was about to explode. "I'll go see him tomorrow," Nicholas said finally.
Danny nodded, finally starting the ignition. "Good," he said as he pulled the car out to the road.
Nicholas didn't make it up the steps. He didn't even make it to the steps; instead dropping his belt near the door and deciding that the sofa was a good place to pass out. He was conscious enough to hear Danny bumping around in the kitchen, making tea and fixing a sandwich for himself. Eventually, the noise quieted, and Danny walked through the cottage, going up to Nicholas' room to fetch the blanket from the bed. He brought it back down, gently draping it over the inspector.
"You want some tea?" he asked quietly.
Nicholas did his best to shake his head. "No," he said quietly. "Could you turn out the lights?"
Danny smiled weakly. "Course," he said. He did as Nicholas asked, and drew the shades, making everything in the room look purple. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," he said. "Least for a little bit, any way."
"Thanks," Nicholas said. He pulled the blanket over his head, and tried to go to sleep.
The cottage was empty when Nicholas finally poked his head out from under the blanket, what little hair he had all pushed in the wrong direction. He sat up slowly and looked around, noticing that it was quite dark. Too dark, really.
Confused, Nicholas slowly got to his feet, every joint in his back snapping painfully. Making a mental note that no matter how much his head felt like there was a Tyrannosaurus Rex trying to burst through his skull, the sofa was not an acceptable place for a nap, he shuffled to the nearest window, peeking out the shades. Somehow, the day had skipped from two-thirty in the afternoon to sometime in the late evening, and nobody bothered to inform him.
For lack of anything else to do, he made his way to the kitchen, finding a tea kettle ready to be heated, and a note on the counter. Nicholas turned on the stove burner and read the note, hastily ripped from Danny's notebook, the large, round print informing him that there was another call, and that he and Tony were going to take care of it. Sighing, Nicholas crumpled the note and threw it into the rubbish bin, leaning against the counter as he waited for the kettle to heat. He still felt a mild buzzing in the back of his head, but he decided to wait it out, testing a theory that it was just bits of his brain trying to wake up after having slept all day. It had, on several occasions, occurred to him that there was the very real possibility that his prescription wasn't for making his headaches go away, but rather for knocking him unconscious long enough for them to sort themselves out and leave on their own.
As he waited for his tea to heat up, he hunted down his mobile and headed up to the bedroom, finding a thin folder full of various telephone and fax numbers. Flipping through the pages, he eventually found the contact sheet he'd typed up for the clinic in Bufford Abbey. He dialled the number and made his way back downstairs, surprised when he actually got an answer.
At least the nurse didn't make him get undressed. He didn't even have to point out how horribly pointless taking off his clothes would be when trying to figure out why he was still getting headaches. Instead she took his blood pressure and then left him in a cold room with a picture of a frightened looking cat on the wall. Nicholas sat up on the examination table, his knees bouncing slightly from nerves. Would they tell him that he needed a stronger medication? Or worse, some sort of procedure done?
No, that was stupid. What sort of procedure would they be able to do, short of drilling holes in his skull? Nicholas sighed, trying to calm himself down. Deep breaths. Suddenly, the door swung open, nearly startling Nicholas right off of the examination table.
"Oh, sorry there," the doctor said as he slowly shut the door. "Didn't mean to startle you."
Nicholas shook his head. "It's fine," he said.
The doctor looked over Nicholas' charts, taking a long moment to read everything written down."So, what seems to be going on, Sergeant?" he asked, flipping through the pages.
"Inspector," Nicholas corrected.
"Promoted?" the doctor asked. "Congratulations."
Nicholas smiled politely. "Thank you," he said uneasily. Given the current circumstances, he felt more like he had been failing upwards than promoted, but he chose to remain quiet on the matter.
"So, Nurse Hyne tells me you've still been having migraines?" he asked.
"If anything, I think they've been getting worse," Nicholas admitted. "It's effecting my work."
The doctor nodded. "How are you doing otherwise?" he asked.
Nicholas shrugged. "I've been told I'll tend to get unreasonably angry," he said.
"Well," the doctor started heavily. "We did finally get your records send in from London. I think we should discuss some options."
Nicholas carefully cleared his office of old cups and paperwork, ignoring the officers outside that clearly needed a course on stealth operations. Sighing, he shut down his computer and reached for a stack of papers.
"Tony, could you come in here, please?" he asked, knowing the sergeant was hiding along the wall out in the corridor with everybody else.
"Wot?" Tony asked, immediately answered by harsh shushing.
"I know you're out there," Nicholas told them. "I saw you follow me."
Tony nervously stepped into view. "Yeah?"
"Come in and shut the door," Nicholas said quietly.
Tony did as he was told, staying near the door after it latched shut. "You're transferring," he said flatly. "Andy said you would."
"No," Nicholas said simply, shaking his head. "But I am taking an extended absence, which leaves you in command."
"Why me?" Tony asked. "Danny's a sergeant, too."
"You've tenure," Nicholas pointed out. "Danny's not had his stripes a full month, yet."
"Oh," Tony said stupidly.
"I don't want you to feel like you've got to do this on your own," Nichols said. "I will have my mobile with me, even when I'm in London. Don't hesitate to call." He handed a small stack of papers to Tony. "If I don't answer, just leave a message."
"Uhm, Nick," Tony said nervously. "I don't know what I'm doing."
Nicholas picked up the few things he felt he should take home with him as he looked up at the sergeant.
"Yes you do," he said simply. "You'll do fine."
He patted Tony on the shoulder lightly as he walked past, ignoring the officers that failed to scatter as he opened the door. He made his way outside, finding Danny waiting for him in the car park.
"Need a lift?" he asked, keys ready.
Not one to disappoint, Nicholas shrugged. "If you're offering," he said. He made his way to the Mini, letting Danny unlock the door for him.
"You're place, or mine?" he asked as he buckled his seat belt and started the engine.
Again, Nicholas shrugged. "Whatever," he said. "I'm open to suggestions."
"My side hurts," Danny said unconvincingly. "Don't want to do steps."
"Well, if you're in pain, then I won't make you strain yourself," Nicholas said simply, missing the grin on Danny's face. He rested his head back against the window, liking the cool glass against his skin and the light vibration that went straight down his spine. It was almost relaxing, somehow. Danny cautiously flipped on the radio, casting a nervous glance in Nicholas' direction, as though the volume might set him off. "It's fine, Danny," Nicholas said, noticing Danny from the corner of his eye. "The radio's not gonna kill me."
Danny nodded, debating with himself whether he wanted to try turning it louder, but he decided not to. Best not to press his luck. "Do you want to do something for dinner?" he asked. "Get some take away?"
Nicholas shook his head. "I've stuff at home that should probably be used," he said.
Danny nodded as he rounded a corner, coming to Nicholas' cottage. He'd often wondered why Nicholas wanted to live on the edge of the village, but that was before he'd learned that Nicholas was nothing more than a cranky old hermit at times. Then again, that revelation came before he took into account that the inspector might, like Danny himself, still be recovering from that time the station went boom, and wanted to stay away from the noise that the centre of the village attracted.
Nicholas liked sitting next to Danny. Though, he wasn't so much sitting next to him, as half-way sitting on him. Not that Danny seemed to mind; he seemed to enjoy it just as much as Nicholas did. They put in Twin Dragons on Nicholas' DVD, and predictably, Nicholas had begun to drift off to sleep at the quarter-through mark. There was a time, after their first night when Nicholas had been genuinely curious enough to stay away through at least one full film, that Danny would feel hurt and disappointed when Nicholas would fall asleep during their time, but he slowly realized that Nicholas was falling asleep because he was comfortable enough with Danny to get close and relax. And, like everything else he does, when Nicholas Angel sets out to relax, he's going to go all the way with it, and might even start snoring if he's extra comfortable.
Nicholas was jarred from his nap, and Danny's suspension of disbelief temporarily suspended when Nicholas' boring old default ring tone cut through the cottage. Grumbling, Nicholas sat up and reached for his mobile on the table by their feet.
"S'Tony," he mumbled.
"He burnt the station down," Danny predicted.
Nicholas shook his head. "Have some faith in the man," he said before answering Tony's call. "Yeah?" he said.
There was silence for a few moments.
"Tony?" Nicholas waited a bit longer before turning to Danny. "Maybe he rung accidentally?"
"Oh!" he could hear Tony saying. "Nick, I can't do this!"
Nicholas sighed. "What's going on, Tony?"
Nicholas had a feeling he'd been here before. He was almost certain of it, in fact, as he stood next to Danny, staring down at what was left of a rubbish bin, the tin edges scorched and the room smelling like charred copier paper.
At least it smelled better this time.
Tony," Nicholas said flatly. "Why am I looking at what's left of a camp fire?"
"Weren't a camp fire," Tony insisted. "One of the Andes."
Nicholas rolled his eyes. "Which one?" he asked.
"How am I supposed to know that?" Tony demanded.
Nicholas turned to face the sergeant. "As acting inspector, it's your responsibility to find out," he said. "It's not that I don't want to be here. I'm not supposed to be here."
Tony took a few moments to sulk. "They ain't gonna tell me which one did it," he said bitterly.
Nicholas sighed. "So punish them both," he said tiredly. "I've given them plenty of warning, and if you punish them both, you'll know you've got the right one."
"Doesn't seem fair," Danny pointed out.
Nicholas shook his head. "No," he agreed. "But they've both been warned, so maybe they'll both be stopped." He sighed and looked at his watch. "I'm supposed to be avoiding this place. I'm going home." He walked out of the room, Danny following behind.
"Wot's his problem?" Tony asked when Nicholas was out of the room. Danny stopped.
"I'll tell ya tomorrow," he said.
"No, I am." Nicholas lie stretched out on the bed, his free hand playing with a small stuffed lemur he'd brought home. "Mum, I was already planing on it."
"Nicky..." Katherine's voice sounded strained over the phone. "You really should know better, but..."
"But what?" Nicholas asked. "You're going to tell me that you're just going to be angry with me?"
"I'm not angry," Katherine insisted. "I'm just...Nicholas..."
Nicholas sighed. "I thought you'd be happy to be welcoming your first grand child," he said.
There was a bit of a pause. "I thought my first grand child would have a last name," she admitted.
"Mum," Nicholas said patiently. "If it's bothering you that badly, just ring your not-adopted son, and he'll tell you that I was planning on marrying her anyway."
"I think that boy's being a band influence on you," Katherine said. "He's Church of England, isn't he?"
Nicholas couldn't help but laugh. "I thought you liked Travis," he said, putting the stuffed toy back on his pillow. "He's my best mate."
There was another pause on the other line. "Have you decided on a name yet, at least?" Katherine asked finally.
"Not yet," Nicholas said, sitting up. "We've been discussing it, but can't quite agree on anything." He got up and made his way toward the kitchen. "The doctors say it's going to be a boy, so it's making it a little easier."
"When should I expect the wedding?" Katherine asked simply.
Nicholas shook his head. "Janine wants to wait until after things have settled down, and she's had the baby."
"I see."
"It was her decision," Nicholas insisted. "I'm not about to force anything on her."
"Of course not," Katherine said. "Sounds like you've done enough of that, already."
"Mum!"
"I knew moving in with her was a bad idea," she continued. "Your father and I didn't live together until after we were married."
"Right," Nicholas said. "And then nine months later, I was born?"
"I don't think that's appropriate," Katherine said.
"Mum, I can do maths," Nicholas pointed out. "I am a grown man. I can handle these things."
Katherine sighed. "Nicky," she started. "You're my oldest boy. Don't think I haven't forgotten that."
"I'm your only boy," Nicholas pointed out. "I think I should get special treatment, after all the dolls I was forced to play with as a kid."
Finally, Katherine laughed. "I recall a certain blond boy that liked playing with his sisters," she said.
Nicholas smiled and leaned against the counter. "Have you heard from the girls lately?"
Fandom: Hot Fuzz
Character/s: Like in the film
Word Count (chapter/total): 5,900 / 47,100
Rating: NC-17
Summary/Warnings: A few more things about Nicholas are revealed, and we see a bit more into his relationship with Janine.
Nicholas was vaguely aware of Janine entering the room as he carefully dug through what was now the third box.
"Nick, leave it," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "We can finish in the morning."
"Not unpacking," Nicholas said, sighing and moving onto the last unpacked box. "Looking for something."
"Your toothbrush is in the bathroom."
Nicholas laughed lightly. "It's not that," he said. "Something else."
"Oh," Janine cooed, getting under the covers. "Does ickle Nicky need his teddy bear?"
Nicholas shook his head. "No love," he said.
Janine giggled as she picked up Nicholas' alarm clock from the night stand, pressing random buttons to see what they did. She was startled by Nicholas' sudden bark of triumph as he jumped to his feet and pushed a box to the side.
"I must know what was so bloody important," Janine said, replacing Nicholas' alarm clock. She watched as he knelt down by the door, fiddling with a wall socket. He ran a cable up to the top of the desk, situating a small blue lamp against the wall.
"Oh, you are not going to leave that on all night, are you?" Janine asked.
Nicholas shrugged, getting to his feet. "Yeah," he said. "Why not?"
"Because it's really bright," Janine pointed out.
"I like to be able to get up at night and not run into things," Nicholas said.
"I like to be able to sleep," Janine replied simply.
Nicholas sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'll tell you what," he said. "We'll try it tonight, and if for any reason, you don't like it, I'll get rid of it. I'll put it in another room; sell it if you want me to."
Janine looked up at him blankly. "You'll sell it?" she asked. "And get 50p for it?"
Nicholas shrugged. "If you want me to, yeah," he said. "And I'll give you half. So that's 25p for you."
Janine smiled lightly. "We'll try it," she agreed finally. "And if it doesn't work out, go ahead and put it in another room. You don't have to sell it."
Nicholas smiled lightly, kissing her on the forehead. "I promise," he said. "Moaning will be kept to a minimum."
He got up and shut out the lights, leaving only the soft blue wash over the room.
"You can actually sleep like this?" Janine asked, looking around the room. "I feel like I'm in an episode of My Family."
Nicholas laughed as he climbed into bed. "I've had it since university," he said. "I just got in the habit of keeping it around."
"I didn't realize my boyfriend was afraid of the dark," Janine said. "Do you want me to get you a teddy bear and a cuddle blanket, too?"
Nicholas picked up a pillow and tossed it at Janine. "I can sleep on the sofa, you know," he said, unable to contain his laugh.
"I wouldn't," Janine said, situating the pillows again. "I think the cat pissed on it when you were unpacking."
"You're serious?" Nicholas asked, wondering if he'd missed something vitally important.
Janine laughed. "Of course not. Have you ever seen a cat in here?"
"Maybe it's an outdoor cat?" Nicholas tried.
"Or an imaginary cat."
Nicholas tried not to think too hard about it as he rolled over, holding himself up with his elbow. "Is there anything else you're gonna make me find out for myself?"
Nicholas was startled by the knock on his door, wondering if he should call somebody. And then he realized that the call would be re-routed to him, anyway, so he gave up on the idea and decided to just be a man and answer the door, despite being nine o'clock, and no one had expressed intent to stop by. He slowly pulled open the door, finding Andrew standing outside with his son, Michael, in tow.
"Got a few minutes, Nick?" Andrew asked.
Nicholas stepped aside, letting them enter. "Yeah," he said. "What do you need?"
Andrew let go of Michael's hand, letting the child wander as the two men walked into the kitchen. Andrew dropped a folder down on the counter and opened it, handing some papers off to Nicholas. "I know it's your weekend and all, but this came back today. Thought you'd want to see."
Nicholas took the forms and read them over. Various forensics reports from new discoveries under the castle. Some were matches from missing persons reports that had either been long ignored, or recently filed after Nicholas was installed as Chief Inspector. Most were dead ends; DNA profiles and dental records that were meaningless without someone to match them up with. Nicholas sighed and put the reports back down on the counter.
"These things don't work unless people step forward," Nicholas said. "I haven't a clue who any of these people were supposed to be. They could be anybody."
Andrew nodded. "You don't think we got 'em all?" he asked.
Nicholas shook his head. "Part of me thinks half the damn village was completely aware about what was going on," he said. "And the rest of me knows that everybody's too scared of being suspect, or being killed by any remaining members of Frank's psychotic little club."
Andrew sighed. "Things ain't ever gonna be right, again, are they?" he asked.
Nicholas shook his head. "I'm sure things will sort themselves out, given time," he said.
Andrew nodded in response. "Andy told me they offered him a transfer," he mentioned. "They offer you one?"
Nicholas nodded.
"Then why you still here?" Andrew asked. "You ain't like Andy. You don't have any reason to stay."
"Because, Andrew," Nicholas said with a sigh. "Despite everything, I do kinda like it here."
"I think I'm gonna split if they offer me transfer," Andrew said simply. "I only got the Missus, and Michael. And she doesn't want to stay here at all."
Nicholas nodded. "Good luck," he said honestly. "They're giving you first pick of station, if you do accept the offer."
"You ain't mad?" Andrew asked nervously.
Nicholas shook his head. "Why should I be?" he asked. "Most people don't want to stay here. They'll settle you some place like Dover, likely, and bring me someone new." He looked up and Andrew, a hint of a smile touching his lips. "Maybe I'll get lucky enough to get someone who doesn't smoke in the building."
Andrew pulled out his cigarettes and pressed one between his lips. "Prick," he said gruffly.
Nicholas let his smile fade as he picked up Andrew's folder, looking through it a bit longer. "Did anyone ever get back with Mrs. Thatcher?" he asked.
Andrew shook his head, but did not get a chance to respond before Michael wandered into the room, holding a small stuffed lemur. "Papa, look!" he said, holding up the toy.
"No!" Nicholas barked, jumping forward and carefully pulling the stuffed animal from Andrew's son. "This is not for playing with!" Nicholas instructed, doing his best not to raise his voice.
Andrew frowned as he picked Michael up, holding his son in his arms. "Why not?" he asked.
Nicholas inspected the lemur, making sure there were no stains or damage done to the toy. "Because it's just not," he said, running his fingers over the fur.
Andrew thought about that, and then decided that any thinking done about Nicholas Angel would likely end in a brain hemorrhage, and instead made sure that Nicholas hadn't frightened Michael into a fit of tears, but by that point, the boy had already been distracted by a pan hanging from the wall.
"Never took you as the type to keep your old toys around," Andrew mused. Nicholas looked up at him, but said nothing. "But, listen," Andrew continued. "I'll go ahead and get back with Mrs. Thatcher first thing tomorrow. You'll have your report on your desk when you get back.
Nicholas nodded. "Right," he said, picking the folder back up and handing it to the detective. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to yell at him."
Andrew shook his head. "No worries," he said. "Shouldn't have let him wander. I forgot you got swords and shit in here, anyway. Your house isn't very child proof."
Nicholas shrugged. "Yes, well..."
Andrew bit back on another homophobic remark, knowing it would not be wise to get snappy in the inspector's personal home. "You'll have that stuff on Monday," he settled on as he put Michael back on the floor. "Enjoy the rest of your weekend."
Nicholas nodded. He stayed in the kitchen until he heard Andrew shut the front door, before making his way upstairs to his bedroom. He had expected to see things knocked from shelves and all over the floor, but the stuffed lemur had been the only thing that had attracted Michael. Once more stroking the acrylic fur with his fingers, Nicholas sat it back on the nightstand next to his alarm, letting its cold, glass eyes watch over the bedroom.
Everything was going to be perfect. He had it all planned out; exactly where she'd stand, what he was going to say. Perfect. For reasons unknown to himself, he'd thought it had been a good idea to ring Travis and ask for any sort of tips or pointers, and found himself very disappointed to hear a detailed rundown of Love Actually. He let Travis ramble as he fussed about the flat, straightening everything up for the tenth time.
Candles.
Girls like that kind of stuff. Nicholas started looking through closets, finding nothing of the sort. Apparently Janine was one of those girls that wasn't really into candles. Or maybe she just hadn't been shopping lately.
"Wait," Nicholas said to Travis, getting hung up on whatever he was rambling about. "Wasted heart?"
"Maybe you should watch this film before doing this, mate," he said. "You don't sound like you know what you're doing at all."
"I do!" Nicholas insisted.
Travis laughed in his ear. "Whatever. Listen, I gotta go. Good luck."
Nicholas grinned to himself. "Thanks, man."
He put the telephone down, and rushed round the flat a bit more. Flowers, maybe? No, too obvious. Too over done. He should keep it simple. But definitely not T-shirt simple. He grimaced at what he was wearing and rushed to the bedroom. Khakis would be fine, but no T-shirts. He pulled the tight cotton shirt over his head and tossed it into the hamper before pulling a light-coloured collared shirt from the wardrobe. He still looked casual, but it was better than some ugly band shirt he'd inherited from Travis by accident.
He jumped slightly when he heard the front door shut, and Janine shuffling into the flat. Trying to keep himself from looking eager, he refrained from rushing out of the bedroom to meet her. Keep it steady. Steady steady steady.
"How--"
"Oh! Nick!" Janine interrupted. "We need to talk."
Nicholas frowned slightly. This was not how it was supposed to go. Was it too late for a re-write? "Oh?" he asked. "Can it wait?"
Janine took him by the hand and pulled him to the sofa. "No," she said, her face turning slightly red. "This is... very important."
Nicholas let his hand slip into his pocket. "How...important?" he asked.
Janine inhaled deeply. "Well," she started. "I stopped by Denise's after shift for a bit, but you already knew that."
Nicholas nodded nervously. "Yeah..." Was it too late to scrub the mission?
"We... we got to talking. About us," Janine started. "Me and you, that is. And how I've just been so stressed lately."
"Janine," Nicholas said, realizing he didn't have any where to go with that start.
"I don't know how..." Janine took another deep breath. "Nick, I'm pregnant."
"You...what?" Nicholas blinked a few times. "When?"
Janine laughed. "Well, right now," she said, pulling him into a tight hug.
"No, I mean," Nicholas started, never thinking it was possible to feel completely relieved and absolutely terrified at once. "When'd you find out?"
"Denise is a nurse," Janine said. "She made me take about three tests."
Nicholas laughed and kissed her on the neck. "That's...that's wonderful!" he managed finally, bringing himself to a laugh. "There's something I meant to talk to you about, but now I just feel like I'm doing it because I have to."
Janine pulled away from Nicholas, looking him in the face. "And what's that?" she asked.
Nicholas smiled as he slipped his hand back into his trouser pocket, pulling a small black velvet box out and opening it carefully. "Will you?" he asked, holding it out in front of Janine.
"Oh, god," Janine said. She took the ring from Nicholas and slid it over her finger before pulling him into another tight embrace. "Of course!"
Nicholas kissed her on the neck again before pulling away to kiss her properly. "If you want to go clean up, I've got reservations for tonight," he said, unable to keep himself from grinning like a loon. "For That Place that Does all the Fish."
Janine wrapped her arms around Nicholas' neck, leaning into him heavily. "I'd love to," she said after a few moments. "I'll go get changed."
"It just ain't here."
Nicholas stared at his notebook, 14:29 being the only thing actually written on the lined page.
"Have you checked with the neighbours?" he offered unevenly.
"Of course!" the man wailed. Nicholas winced. "How fucking far can a goddamned tractor go without somebody seeing?"
Nicholas sighed. "Right," he said. "Could you describe it for us?"
Danny cleared his throat. "Er, Nick," he said. "Mr. Acer's got the only working tractor in Sandford."
Nicholas nodded. "Of course," he said. "How could I forget?"
Mr. Acer frowned at Nicholas. "You damn city cops don't take nothing seriously, do you?" he asked. "Same thing, every time they bring one of you lot out here. We was perfectly fine before you showed up."
Nicholas arched his eyebrows, trying very, very hard to ignore the man's statement. "Yes, well," he said. "We'll put out an APW for your tractor. If anything turns up, we'll be sure to give you a ring."
"Sure you will," Mr. Acer grumbled before walking off toward his barn, muttering profane ramblings to himself.
Nicholas waited for the man to round the corner behind the barn before making his way to the patrol car. He just needed to sit down; rest a bit. That would do him better. He made it to the bonnet, leaning heavily against it. Just a few more steps. He lifted his head in an effort to continue, realizing at once that hit had been a stupid idea. The sudden rush felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, causing him to involuntarily sick all over the driver's side tyre.
"Nic'las!" Danny called, rushing over to the inspector. "Christ, Nick, why didn't you say nothing?" he asked, trying not to step in the mess Nicholas had made on the grass. He leaned into the open window and pulled the lever to pop the boot. They kept towels and blankets back there for various emergencies, but Danny never thought that his partner might be having one of those emergencies. He gave the towel to Nicholas to clean himself off, waiting for him to steady himself before taking it back and tossing it into a plastic bag in the boot.
"Your stuff at the...er...in your office?" he asked lightly, putting a hand on Nicholas' shoulder.
Nicholas only nodded.
"Right," Danny said, tightening his grip. "Come on, then." He led Nicholas around the patrol car, helping him get settled into the passenger seat. Making sure that Nicholas wasn't going to sick all over the inside of the patrol car, Danny slid into the driver's seat, and started the car, taking them back to the station.
Andrew let himself into the office, startled to find Danny digging through Nicholas' desk drawers.
"Now wot the fuck you up to, Batterbomb?" he demanded, stepping up to the desk.
Danny shrugged. "Nick's sick," he said simply.
Andrew frowned. "Taking him home?" he asked.
Danny nodded, finally finding Nicholas' prescription. "Yeah," he said flatly.
Andrew sighed and leaned against the door frame. "Came back too early," he said. "So did you, if you ask me, but least you're taking breaks when you should."
Danny sighed right back. "Yeah, well," he started as he walked past the detective. "You know Nick." He made his way to the water cooler, drawing a small paper cup to go with Nicholas' medication before going back out to the patrol car. "How you feelin'?" he asked lightly, handing over the cup and bottle. He shut the door, doing his best not to slam it.
"Like I'm gonna die," Nicholas croaked.
Danny gripped the steering wheel tightly, looking away as Nicholas swallowed the tablet dry before drinking the water. Nicholas Angel was not supposed to rely on prescription drugs to be awesome. Nicholas Angel should have been awesome all on his own. "I been thinking," Danny said after a moment. "Maybe you should go see your doctor again." He kept his gaze out the windscreen as he spoke, feeling the heavy weight of guilt in his stomach for bringing up these things when he knew Nicholas couldn't well argue with him. "You're supposed to be taking those things less often... not more."
"I have," Nicholas said weakly.
"You've seen him to follow up?" Danny asked.
Nicholas was silent for a long moment, Danny unable to tell if it was because he was about to be sick again, or it was his way of arguing when his skull was about to explode. "I'll go see him tomorrow," Nicholas said finally.
Danny nodded, finally starting the ignition. "Good," he said as he pulled the car out to the road.
Nicholas didn't make it up the steps. He didn't even make it to the steps; instead dropping his belt near the door and deciding that the sofa was a good place to pass out. He was conscious enough to hear Danny bumping around in the kitchen, making tea and fixing a sandwich for himself. Eventually, the noise quieted, and Danny walked through the cottage, going up to Nicholas' room to fetch the blanket from the bed. He brought it back down, gently draping it over the inspector.
"You want some tea?" he asked quietly.
Nicholas did his best to shake his head. "No," he said quietly. "Could you turn out the lights?"
Danny smiled weakly. "Course," he said. He did as Nicholas asked, and drew the shades, making everything in the room look purple. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," he said. "Least for a little bit, any way."
"Thanks," Nicholas said. He pulled the blanket over his head, and tried to go to sleep.
The cottage was empty when Nicholas finally poked his head out from under the blanket, what little hair he had all pushed in the wrong direction. He sat up slowly and looked around, noticing that it was quite dark. Too dark, really.
Confused, Nicholas slowly got to his feet, every joint in his back snapping painfully. Making a mental note that no matter how much his head felt like there was a Tyrannosaurus Rex trying to burst through his skull, the sofa was not an acceptable place for a nap, he shuffled to the nearest window, peeking out the shades. Somehow, the day had skipped from two-thirty in the afternoon to sometime in the late evening, and nobody bothered to inform him.
For lack of anything else to do, he made his way to the kitchen, finding a tea kettle ready to be heated, and a note on the counter. Nicholas turned on the stove burner and read the note, hastily ripped from Danny's notebook, the large, round print informing him that there was another call, and that he and Tony were going to take care of it. Sighing, Nicholas crumpled the note and threw it into the rubbish bin, leaning against the counter as he waited for the kettle to heat. He still felt a mild buzzing in the back of his head, but he decided to wait it out, testing a theory that it was just bits of his brain trying to wake up after having slept all day. It had, on several occasions, occurred to him that there was the very real possibility that his prescription wasn't for making his headaches go away, but rather for knocking him unconscious long enough for them to sort themselves out and leave on their own.
As he waited for his tea to heat up, he hunted down his mobile and headed up to the bedroom, finding a thin folder full of various telephone and fax numbers. Flipping through the pages, he eventually found the contact sheet he'd typed up for the clinic in Bufford Abbey. He dialled the number and made his way back downstairs, surprised when he actually got an answer.
At least the nurse didn't make him get undressed. He didn't even have to point out how horribly pointless taking off his clothes would be when trying to figure out why he was still getting headaches. Instead she took his blood pressure and then left him in a cold room with a picture of a frightened looking cat on the wall. Nicholas sat up on the examination table, his knees bouncing slightly from nerves. Would they tell him that he needed a stronger medication? Or worse, some sort of procedure done?
No, that was stupid. What sort of procedure would they be able to do, short of drilling holes in his skull? Nicholas sighed, trying to calm himself down. Deep breaths. Suddenly, the door swung open, nearly startling Nicholas right off of the examination table.
"Oh, sorry there," the doctor said as he slowly shut the door. "Didn't mean to startle you."
Nicholas shook his head. "It's fine," he said.
The doctor looked over Nicholas' charts, taking a long moment to read everything written down."So, what seems to be going on, Sergeant?" he asked, flipping through the pages.
"Inspector," Nicholas corrected.
"Promoted?" the doctor asked. "Congratulations."
Nicholas smiled politely. "Thank you," he said uneasily. Given the current circumstances, he felt more like he had been failing upwards than promoted, but he chose to remain quiet on the matter.
"So, Nurse Hyne tells me you've still been having migraines?" he asked.
"If anything, I think they've been getting worse," Nicholas admitted. "It's effecting my work."
The doctor nodded. "How are you doing otherwise?" he asked.
Nicholas shrugged. "I've been told I'll tend to get unreasonably angry," he said.
"Well," the doctor started heavily. "We did finally get your records send in from London. I think we should discuss some options."
Nicholas carefully cleared his office of old cups and paperwork, ignoring the officers outside that clearly needed a course on stealth operations. Sighing, he shut down his computer and reached for a stack of papers.
"Tony, could you come in here, please?" he asked, knowing the sergeant was hiding along the wall out in the corridor with everybody else.
"Wot?" Tony asked, immediately answered by harsh shushing.
"I know you're out there," Nicholas told them. "I saw you follow me."
Tony nervously stepped into view. "Yeah?"
"Come in and shut the door," Nicholas said quietly.
Tony did as he was told, staying near the door after it latched shut. "You're transferring," he said flatly. "Andy said you would."
"No," Nicholas said simply, shaking his head. "But I am taking an extended absence, which leaves you in command."
"Why me?" Tony asked. "Danny's a sergeant, too."
"You've tenure," Nicholas pointed out. "Danny's not had his stripes a full month, yet."
"Oh," Tony said stupidly.
"I don't want you to feel like you've got to do this on your own," Nichols said. "I will have my mobile with me, even when I'm in London. Don't hesitate to call." He handed a small stack of papers to Tony. "If I don't answer, just leave a message."
"Uhm, Nick," Tony said nervously. "I don't know what I'm doing."
Nicholas picked up the few things he felt he should take home with him as he looked up at the sergeant.
"Yes you do," he said simply. "You'll do fine."
He patted Tony on the shoulder lightly as he walked past, ignoring the officers that failed to scatter as he opened the door. He made his way outside, finding Danny waiting for him in the car park.
"Need a lift?" he asked, keys ready.
Not one to disappoint, Nicholas shrugged. "If you're offering," he said. He made his way to the Mini, letting Danny unlock the door for him.
"You're place, or mine?" he asked as he buckled his seat belt and started the engine.
Again, Nicholas shrugged. "Whatever," he said. "I'm open to suggestions."
"My side hurts," Danny said unconvincingly. "Don't want to do steps."
"Well, if you're in pain, then I won't make you strain yourself," Nicholas said simply, missing the grin on Danny's face. He rested his head back against the window, liking the cool glass against his skin and the light vibration that went straight down his spine. It was almost relaxing, somehow. Danny cautiously flipped on the radio, casting a nervous glance in Nicholas' direction, as though the volume might set him off. "It's fine, Danny," Nicholas said, noticing Danny from the corner of his eye. "The radio's not gonna kill me."
Danny nodded, debating with himself whether he wanted to try turning it louder, but he decided not to. Best not to press his luck. "Do you want to do something for dinner?" he asked. "Get some take away?"
Nicholas shook his head. "I've stuff at home that should probably be used," he said.
Danny nodded as he rounded a corner, coming to Nicholas' cottage. He'd often wondered why Nicholas wanted to live on the edge of the village, but that was before he'd learned that Nicholas was nothing more than a cranky old hermit at times. Then again, that revelation came before he took into account that the inspector might, like Danny himself, still be recovering from that time the station went boom, and wanted to stay away from the noise that the centre of the village attracted.
Nicholas liked sitting next to Danny. Though, he wasn't so much sitting next to him, as half-way sitting on him. Not that Danny seemed to mind; he seemed to enjoy it just as much as Nicholas did. They put in Twin Dragons on Nicholas' DVD, and predictably, Nicholas had begun to drift off to sleep at the quarter-through mark. There was a time, after their first night when Nicholas had been genuinely curious enough to stay away through at least one full film, that Danny would feel hurt and disappointed when Nicholas would fall asleep during their time, but he slowly realized that Nicholas was falling asleep because he was comfortable enough with Danny to get close and relax. And, like everything else he does, when Nicholas Angel sets out to relax, he's going to go all the way with it, and might even start snoring if he's extra comfortable.
Nicholas was jarred from his nap, and Danny's suspension of disbelief temporarily suspended when Nicholas' boring old default ring tone cut through the cottage. Grumbling, Nicholas sat up and reached for his mobile on the table by their feet.
"S'Tony," he mumbled.
"He burnt the station down," Danny predicted.
Nicholas shook his head. "Have some faith in the man," he said before answering Tony's call. "Yeah?" he said.
There was silence for a few moments.
"Tony?" Nicholas waited a bit longer before turning to Danny. "Maybe he rung accidentally?"
"Oh!" he could hear Tony saying. "Nick, I can't do this!"
Nicholas sighed. "What's going on, Tony?"
Nicholas had a feeling he'd been here before. He was almost certain of it, in fact, as he stood next to Danny, staring down at what was left of a rubbish bin, the tin edges scorched and the room smelling like charred copier paper.
At least it smelled better this time.
Tony," Nicholas said flatly. "Why am I looking at what's left of a camp fire?"
"Weren't a camp fire," Tony insisted. "One of the Andes."
Nicholas rolled his eyes. "Which one?" he asked.
"How am I supposed to know that?" Tony demanded.
Nicholas turned to face the sergeant. "As acting inspector, it's your responsibility to find out," he said. "It's not that I don't want to be here. I'm not supposed to be here."
Tony took a few moments to sulk. "They ain't gonna tell me which one did it," he said bitterly.
Nicholas sighed. "So punish them both," he said tiredly. "I've given them plenty of warning, and if you punish them both, you'll know you've got the right one."
"Doesn't seem fair," Danny pointed out.
Nicholas shook his head. "No," he agreed. "But they've both been warned, so maybe they'll both be stopped." He sighed and looked at his watch. "I'm supposed to be avoiding this place. I'm going home." He walked out of the room, Danny following behind.
"Wot's his problem?" Tony asked when Nicholas was out of the room. Danny stopped.
"I'll tell ya tomorrow," he said.
"No, I am." Nicholas lie stretched out on the bed, his free hand playing with a small stuffed lemur he'd brought home. "Mum, I was already planing on it."
"Nicky..." Katherine's voice sounded strained over the phone. "You really should know better, but..."
"But what?" Nicholas asked. "You're going to tell me that you're just going to be angry with me?"
"I'm not angry," Katherine insisted. "I'm just...Nicholas..."
Nicholas sighed. "I thought you'd be happy to be welcoming your first grand child," he said.
There was a bit of a pause. "I thought my first grand child would have a last name," she admitted.
"Mum," Nicholas said patiently. "If it's bothering you that badly, just ring your not-adopted son, and he'll tell you that I was planning on marrying her anyway."
"I think that boy's being a band influence on you," Katherine said. "He's Church of England, isn't he?"
Nicholas couldn't help but laugh. "I thought you liked Travis," he said, putting the stuffed toy back on his pillow. "He's my best mate."
There was another pause on the other line. "Have you decided on a name yet, at least?" Katherine asked finally.
"Not yet," Nicholas said, sitting up. "We've been discussing it, but can't quite agree on anything." He got up and made his way toward the kitchen. "The doctors say it's going to be a boy, so it's making it a little easier."
"When should I expect the wedding?" Katherine asked simply.
Nicholas shook his head. "Janine wants to wait until after things have settled down, and she's had the baby."
"I see."
"It was her decision," Nicholas insisted. "I'm not about to force anything on her."
"Of course not," Katherine said. "Sounds like you've done enough of that, already."
"Mum!"
"I knew moving in with her was a bad idea," she continued. "Your father and I didn't live together until after we were married."
"Right," Nicholas said. "And then nine months later, I was born?"
"I don't think that's appropriate," Katherine said.
"Mum, I can do maths," Nicholas pointed out. "I am a grown man. I can handle these things."
Katherine sighed. "Nicky," she started. "You're my oldest boy. Don't think I haven't forgotten that."
"I'm your only boy," Nicholas pointed out. "I think I should get special treatment, after all the dolls I was forced to play with as a kid."
Finally, Katherine laughed. "I recall a certain blond boy that liked playing with his sisters," she said.
Nicholas smiled and leaned against the counter. "Have you heard from the girls lately?"