Richard Book is Innocent (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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tweedandtinsel2010-12-04 05:35 pm
oxfordtweed) wrote in tweedandtinsel2010-12-04 05:35 pm
Entry tags:
Nicky Angel (7/7)
Title: Nicky Angel
Fandom: Hot Fuzz
Character/s:Like in the film, + one or two
Word Count (chapter/total): 2,800
Rating: PG, for swearing
Summary/Warnings: Like everything, it ends on a bittersweet note
I'd meant to post this some time ago, but as I was going over it before posting it, I'd noticed quite a big fuck-up, and almost completely wound up re-writing this chapter. Overall, I'm happy with how it ended. Nicholas probably didn't handle the situation as well as he could have, but it still seems right, to me.
I'm totally done with this. I'm exhausted with it, much in the way that my last big project left me feeling a bit drained. I didn't expect this to get quite as intense.
“Oh, you fucker,” Nicholas snarled, trying very hard to pretend that he was not playing one of the racing games that Danny had sent home with Nicky. And he most certainly was not playing the game in his office, with far more important things to be done.
He nearly jumped out of his seat when the phone on his desk rang. Putting the game down, he answered the phone, ready to look like he was actually being productive, in case someone needed to see him.
“Angel,” he answered.
“Someone from London wants to talk to you,” Kyle Turner said tiredly on the other end.
“Well, put him through,” Nicholas responded simply.
“Fine,” Kyle muttered. “Just doing my damn job. Don’t get no—”
The line went silent, and then clicked a few times.
“Angel,” Nicholas repeated.
“Who was that?”
Nicholas recognised the voice at once. “Afternoon, Sergeant,” he said, trying to remain friendly.
“Actually, it’s inspector, now,” Travis said.
“Oh. Congratulations,” Nicholas said, picking up the PSP from his desk. It was easy to see why Danny had several of them. “Did you just call to gloat, or is this our quarterly ‘come back to London’ talk?”
Travis went silent for a few moments. “There’s... something I do need to talk to you about,” he said slowly. “Social services reported a missing child to us, this morning.”
Nicholas tried to talk and race at the same time, and found it stupidly difficult. “That’s CID,” he pointed out as he turned off the game and put it in his desk drawer.
“Yeah.” Nicholas could hear Travis fiddling with some papers. “But I wanted to call you about it personally.” He paused again, leaving Nicholas to wonder where all this was going. “You see, the kid has a very unusual name. And... I’m looking at some documentation that a young boy, the same age and name, was registered to Sandford Primary over the summer.”
Nicholas meditated on his words for a few moments. “Hang on,” he said. “When children are kidnapped, they aren’t typically registered in school, let alone under the same name.”
“Which is why I’m calling you, and not CID, Nicholas,” Travis said heavily. “You’re lucky Kenneth spotted the forms, or else you’d be talking to internal affairs right now, and not over the phone.”
Nicholas blinked a few times. “Ostensibly, this is a ‘come back to London’ talk,” Nicholas said quietly.
Travis was silent for another few moments. “Cooperate, and it will only be for the weekend,” he said finally.
“Of course,” Nicholas said instantly. “I, uhm... I don’t have a car, but I’m sure Danny will let me borrow his.” He looked at the clock, noting that it was still another hour until school let out. “Who...”
“The boy’s grandparents,” Travis said simply. “His mother’s gone missing, as well, but I was hoping you’d have some information to share before turning that much over to CID?”
Nicholas faltered for a moment. “No,” he said slowly. “I mean... She said she was going to Italy, so--”
“Don’t,” Travis said. “I can’t take statements over the phone.”
Nicholas nodded slightly. “Right,” he said. “I’ll... er... let you know when I get to London.”
“Please don’t make me look like a prick, Nicholas,” Travis said, sounding like he was trying not to beg. “I’m doing you a huge favour. Please don’t fuck everything up.”
“Of course not,” Nicholas assured. “I just have to take care of some things, and it’s a long drive. I won’t be in until this evening.”
Travis sighed. “You have until eight,” he said. “After that, it goes to CID and internal.”
“Of course,” Nicholas said numbly. He hung up, staring at the telephone on his desk. He wasn’t sure if he felt anything. Even feeling numb, there’s a feeling of something, but even that was missing.
After a few minutes, he slid his desk drawer open, retrieving the game system and sliding it into his pocket. He slowly got to his feet and pushed his office door open. “Danny,” he said quietly. “Can I have a word?”
Tony and Danny exchanged nervous glances as the younger man made his way into Nicholas’ office, shutting the door quietly.
“All right, Nicholas?” he asked cautiously.
Nicholas sighed and leaned against his desk, visibly struggling with words. “Can I borrow your car?” he settled on. “I need to be to London by eight. Something’s just come up.”
Danny nodded lightly, handing over his keys. “Sure,” he said. “You all right to drive? Last time I saw you like this, you hit a Range Rover.”
Nicholas inhaled deeply. “Yeah,” he said.
“Need me to watch after the little one while you’re gone?” Danny offered.
For a brief moment, Nicholas almost looked horrified. “No,” he said quickly. “I’ll, uhm... I’ll take him with.”
He opened the office door as Danny nodded at him and made his way to Tony’s desk on his way out.
“I’ll be out for a few days,” he said quietly. “Try to keep everything under control for me.”
Before Tony could respond, Nicholas straightened himself up and left the station. Even as he started the engine to Danny’s Mini and drove to the school, he still felt that same overwhelming nothingness, which he supposed made everything that much easier. By the time he’d finished talking to the headmaster, Nicky was waiting for him in the corridor.
“I thought Danny was getting me,” the boy said, following Nicholas out to the car.
“There’s been a change of plans,” he said, getting Nicky settled in the back. “We’re gonna take a little trip.”
“Where?”
Nicholas inhaled deeply. “A friend of mine from London wants to talk to me,” he said, feeling bad for telling such a blatant lie. “We need to fetch some things from home, first, though.”
Nicky nodded, watching as the scenery passed by the window. “Is it an overnight trip?” Nicky asked.
Nicholas considered that, fearing the fallout that could occur if he said this early what the reason for going to London was. “Probably,” he said. “We’ll pack our bags just in case.”
“Okay.”
Inside the cottage, Nicholas helped pack, trying to send the boy off with more than what he’d shown up, making sure to pack the games and DVDs given to him by Danny, as he didn’t see much point in keeping them around. He packed a small bag for himself, to keep up appearances, grabbed a few CDs for the drive, and quickly ushered Nicky back out to the car.
“Got everything?” he asked, putting the bags into the boot.
Nicky nodded, holding up his stuffed dog.
“Good.” Nicholas helped get Nicky situated back in the car before handing over the PSP. “It’s a long drive. You want any other games?”
Nicky shook his head. “No,” he said quietly.
“Right.”
He found the M4 easily enough, grateful for the second-hand game system keeping Nicky quiet and distracted through most of the ride. Until they got onto the A roads in Chiswick, at least. Nicky bounced in his seat, pressing his finger against the window. “Hey are we going to mum’s?” he practically squealed.
Nicholas sighed and shook his head. “No,” he said simply. “I’m sorry.”
“Why not?” Nicky demanded. “I wanna see my mum!”
“Because I...” he stalled slightly, hoping to keep the boy calm long enough to get them to the station. “I don’t know where she is right now,” he said honestly. “We’re here to see someone else, anyway.”
Nicky kicked the back of Nicholas’ seat. “Stupid,” he muttered.
“Hey, now,” Nicholas warned. He turned in at the station, and finding a suitable place to park, stopped the engine. “You have to be good for me in here, okay?” he said, turning in his seat to face Nicky. “I’m serious. It’s really important that you not yell and shout.”
“Why?” Nicky demanded. “I don’t want to be here. I want to see my mum.”
“I can’t take you to see her,” Nicholas said. “I would if I could, but it’s not an option right now. We just have to go in here and talk with some people, okay?”
He took the boy’s silence as some form of convoluted agreement and got out of the car, pushing the seat forward to let Nicky out. Confident that Nicky would stay put, Nicholas pulled the book bag from the boot, and slung it over his shoulder before leading Nicky inside.
As they walked into the building, a uniformed officer held out his hand. “Sir, can I...”
Nicholas showed the officer his badge, and walked straight past him without pausing. He led Nicky upstairs to Travis’ office, knocking on the door lightly. Seconds later, the door opened, revealing a very relieved looking Travis.
“Can you wait for me out here a minute?” Nicholas asked Nicky, putting the book bag down on the floor.
Nicky shrugged. “Fine,” he said.
“I mean it,” Nicholas warned. “Don’t leave from this spot.”
Nicky nodded and sat down on the floor. Satisfied that he wouldn’t move, Nicholas walked into Travis’ office, leaving the door open just wide enough to be able to keep an eye on the boy.
“What were you thinking?” Travis demanded, sitting behind his desk.
Nicholas sighed, and sat opposite him. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “The way it was explained to me, there was no other family.” He looked down at his hands, traces of blackberry jam still stuck in under his nails. “You said it was his grandparents that are looking for him?”
Travis nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “They’ve been trying to get hold of...” he opened one of the folders on his desk.
“Tricia?” Nicholas offered.
“Yeah.” Travis looked at Nicholas sceptically for a moment. “I guess she was never in the habit of answering her phone, but when they finally went round to her flat, it was empty.”
“Italy,” Nicholas filled in. “With her fiancé. I don’t remember his name. But that was a month ago, and she said they expected to be moving around quite a bit.”
Travis sat quietly for a moment. “She didn’t give you a contact number, or anything?”
Nicholas shook his head. “She was there long enough to drop him off, and then left,” he said desperately. “As I said, it was presented to me as the only option, and I didn’t want to see him stuck in foster care his whole life. I honestly was just trying to do what was best. ”
Finally, Travis relaxed a bit. “Right,” he said, sounding like he was talking to a fellow officer again, and not a criminal suspect. “There’s a social worker off bothering someone else right now, but she’ll want to have a look at the boy. Standard procedure, you know.”
Nicholas nodded, inhaling deeply. “Of course,” he said.
Suddenly, the door was pushed wide open, Nicky letting himself into the office. “Nick, my game broke,” he said sulkily.
“Oh, no.” Nicholas took the handheld from Nicky, and tried to turn it on. “Did you have it on the car the whole time? Maybe the battery’s flat.”
“Well,” Travis said awkwardly, picking up his phone. He frowned lightly. “I’ll ring the, uh, case worker up here.”
Nicholas nodded absently, still trying to figure out why the game wouldn’t turn on.
It was nearly ten by the time the social worker had decided she was satisfied, and internal affairs had decided that there was no point in pursuing a case against the matter. Nicholas took Nicky up to the canteen, and found a spot where they could recharge his game while they each picked at stale muffins. He could hear the rhythm of Travis’ speech somewhere in the distance, taking a few moments to realise that he was the one being talked about.
“I can assure you, he’s fine,” Travis rattled on. “We got lucky, this. He was with a personal friend of mine.”
Nicholas sighed. At least he was being stood up for by somebody, even if when that somebody didn’t think Nicholas could hear. He put his head down on the table, still not able to figure out what he was meant to tell the boy, and knowing that at this point, it was probably too late to say anything at all.
He looked back up in time to see Travis standing above him, and offered an uneasy smile as he got to his feet. The older couple, who Nicholas could only assume were Nicky’s grandparents, with Travis didn’t seem interested at all in any sort of greeting, and Nicholas couldn’t really say that he blamed them.
“Nicky, let’s go,” the woman said, holding out her hand.
“Nick, where we going?” Nicky asked.
Nicholas tried very hard not to cringe. “You’re gonna go... stay with your grandparents right now,” he said, picking up the book bag from the floor.
“No!” Nicky shouted, turning several heads in the canteen. “You promised! You said I don’t have to stay with nobody else!”
Wanting to avoid exactly this, Nicholas sighed deeply. “Nicky, come on,” he warned. “People are starting to talk. Stop it.”
“No, you!” He kicked blindly, but Nicholas stepped out of the way. “They’re stupid! I don’t like them!”
“Nicky, stop it!” His grandmother demanded, stepping in and taking the boy by the arm.
As Nicky wailed in protest, Nicholas sighed and handed the book bag over the man who, quite frankly, seemed less than thrilled at the prospect of having a child around again, grandson or not. “His stuff is all in here,” he said, before quickly fetching up the game and power cord from the table, tucking them into a side pocket. “He’s got some new clothes for school in there, and there’s more that I can send up, if needed. I do intend to help out, if you’ll let me.”
“That’s not necessary,” the man’s wife interjected, wrestling Nicky into her arms. After taking several whacks to the face with the stuffed dog, she pried it from the boy’s hands and gave it to her husband before making her way to the doors leading to the hall.
Sighing, Nicky’s granddad looked down at the book bag in his hand. “We’ll get in touch in a few days,” he assured, before turning to leave.
“You all right?” Travis asked quietly once the commotion had settled down.
Nicholas nodded, pulling his mobile from his pocket. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I need to... make a call.”
“Staying in town tonight?”
Nicholas shook his head. “No,” he said simply.
Nodding lightly, Travis waited for a few moments before leaving Nicholas to make his call. At first, he feared he was going to get voice mail, but a very out-of-breath Danny answered at the last minute.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Nicholas said, hearing something going on in the background. “Are you... do you have company?”
There was a pause. “Everything all right?” Danny asked.
Nicholas sighed. “I’m still in London,” he said. “Getting ready to head back. I’ll bring the car around and put the keys in the mail slot, or... something.”
Danny hummed sceptically. “You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Nicholas said, before hanging up.
Nicholas pulled up outside Danny’s, surprised to find him waiting outside in his pyjamas, sitting on the front step. Sighing, Nicholas got out of the car and made his way up to Danny.
“Where’s the little one?” Danny asked. “He at home already?”
Nicholas sat down beside Danny on the step. “Something like that,” he said, sighing lightly.
Nicholas sighed, looking at the box placed before him. “You’re kidding?” he asked.
Danny shrugged. “What?”
“I’m not letting you send that,” Nicholas said. “How’s it going to look, next to what I sent?”
Danny shrugged. “S’money I’d have just spent at the pub,” he said, pushing the very heavy Sony box across Nicholas’ desk. “You’re allowed to send something small, because you give ‘em a third of your pay as well.”
Nicholas glared up at Danny before letting out a resigned sigh. “Fine,” he said, stacking a small, pre-addressed box on top of the one Danny brought into his office. “But you’re taking it to the post office. And if it doesn’t go over well, I’m blaming you.”
Danny picked up the stack. “Not every year you turn seven,” he said. “And you shouldda seen what Tony sent.”
Nicholas sighed. “I did,” he said, wondering how big of a comic collection the man had if an entire box was just ‘some things he had lying around.’
Fandom: Hot Fuzz
Character/s:Like in the film, + one or two
Word Count (chapter/total): 2,800
Rating: PG, for swearing
Summary/Warnings: Like everything, it ends on a bittersweet note
I'd meant to post this some time ago, but as I was going over it before posting it, I'd noticed quite a big fuck-up, and almost completely wound up re-writing this chapter. Overall, I'm happy with how it ended. Nicholas probably didn't handle the situation as well as he could have, but it still seems right, to me.
I'm totally done with this. I'm exhausted with it, much in the way that my last big project left me feeling a bit drained. I didn't expect this to get quite as intense.
“Oh, you fucker,” Nicholas snarled, trying very hard to pretend that he was not playing one of the racing games that Danny had sent home with Nicky. And he most certainly was not playing the game in his office, with far more important things to be done.
He nearly jumped out of his seat when the phone on his desk rang. Putting the game down, he answered the phone, ready to look like he was actually being productive, in case someone needed to see him.
“Angel,” he answered.
“Someone from London wants to talk to you,” Kyle Turner said tiredly on the other end.
“Well, put him through,” Nicholas responded simply.
“Fine,” Kyle muttered. “Just doing my damn job. Don’t get no—”
The line went silent, and then clicked a few times.
“Angel,” Nicholas repeated.
“Who was that?”
Nicholas recognised the voice at once. “Afternoon, Sergeant,” he said, trying to remain friendly.
“Actually, it’s inspector, now,” Travis said.
“Oh. Congratulations,” Nicholas said, picking up the PSP from his desk. It was easy to see why Danny had several of them. “Did you just call to gloat, or is this our quarterly ‘come back to London’ talk?”
Travis went silent for a few moments. “There’s... something I do need to talk to you about,” he said slowly. “Social services reported a missing child to us, this morning.”
Nicholas tried to talk and race at the same time, and found it stupidly difficult. “That’s CID,” he pointed out as he turned off the game and put it in his desk drawer.
“Yeah.” Nicholas could hear Travis fiddling with some papers. “But I wanted to call you about it personally.” He paused again, leaving Nicholas to wonder where all this was going. “You see, the kid has a very unusual name. And... I’m looking at some documentation that a young boy, the same age and name, was registered to Sandford Primary over the summer.”
Nicholas meditated on his words for a few moments. “Hang on,” he said. “When children are kidnapped, they aren’t typically registered in school, let alone under the same name.”
“Which is why I’m calling you, and not CID, Nicholas,” Travis said heavily. “You’re lucky Kenneth spotted the forms, or else you’d be talking to internal affairs right now, and not over the phone.”
Nicholas blinked a few times. “Ostensibly, this is a ‘come back to London’ talk,” Nicholas said quietly.
Travis was silent for another few moments. “Cooperate, and it will only be for the weekend,” he said finally.
“Of course,” Nicholas said instantly. “I, uhm... I don’t have a car, but I’m sure Danny will let me borrow his.” He looked at the clock, noting that it was still another hour until school let out. “Who...”
“The boy’s grandparents,” Travis said simply. “His mother’s gone missing, as well, but I was hoping you’d have some information to share before turning that much over to CID?”
Nicholas faltered for a moment. “No,” he said slowly. “I mean... She said she was going to Italy, so--”
“Don’t,” Travis said. “I can’t take statements over the phone.”
Nicholas nodded slightly. “Right,” he said. “I’ll... er... let you know when I get to London.”
“Please don’t make me look like a prick, Nicholas,” Travis said, sounding like he was trying not to beg. “I’m doing you a huge favour. Please don’t fuck everything up.”
“Of course not,” Nicholas assured. “I just have to take care of some things, and it’s a long drive. I won’t be in until this evening.”
Travis sighed. “You have until eight,” he said. “After that, it goes to CID and internal.”
“Of course,” Nicholas said numbly. He hung up, staring at the telephone on his desk. He wasn’t sure if he felt anything. Even feeling numb, there’s a feeling of something, but even that was missing.
After a few minutes, he slid his desk drawer open, retrieving the game system and sliding it into his pocket. He slowly got to his feet and pushed his office door open. “Danny,” he said quietly. “Can I have a word?”
Tony and Danny exchanged nervous glances as the younger man made his way into Nicholas’ office, shutting the door quietly.
“All right, Nicholas?” he asked cautiously.
Nicholas sighed and leaned against his desk, visibly struggling with words. “Can I borrow your car?” he settled on. “I need to be to London by eight. Something’s just come up.”
Danny nodded lightly, handing over his keys. “Sure,” he said. “You all right to drive? Last time I saw you like this, you hit a Range Rover.”
Nicholas inhaled deeply. “Yeah,” he said.
“Need me to watch after the little one while you’re gone?” Danny offered.
For a brief moment, Nicholas almost looked horrified. “No,” he said quickly. “I’ll, uhm... I’ll take him with.”
He opened the office door as Danny nodded at him and made his way to Tony’s desk on his way out.
“I’ll be out for a few days,” he said quietly. “Try to keep everything under control for me.”
Before Tony could respond, Nicholas straightened himself up and left the station. Even as he started the engine to Danny’s Mini and drove to the school, he still felt that same overwhelming nothingness, which he supposed made everything that much easier. By the time he’d finished talking to the headmaster, Nicky was waiting for him in the corridor.
“I thought Danny was getting me,” the boy said, following Nicholas out to the car.
“There’s been a change of plans,” he said, getting Nicky settled in the back. “We’re gonna take a little trip.”
“Where?”
Nicholas inhaled deeply. “A friend of mine from London wants to talk to me,” he said, feeling bad for telling such a blatant lie. “We need to fetch some things from home, first, though.”
Nicky nodded, watching as the scenery passed by the window. “Is it an overnight trip?” Nicky asked.
Nicholas considered that, fearing the fallout that could occur if he said this early what the reason for going to London was. “Probably,” he said. “We’ll pack our bags just in case.”
“Okay.”
Inside the cottage, Nicholas helped pack, trying to send the boy off with more than what he’d shown up, making sure to pack the games and DVDs given to him by Danny, as he didn’t see much point in keeping them around. He packed a small bag for himself, to keep up appearances, grabbed a few CDs for the drive, and quickly ushered Nicky back out to the car.
“Got everything?” he asked, putting the bags into the boot.
Nicky nodded, holding up his stuffed dog.
“Good.” Nicholas helped get Nicky situated back in the car before handing over the PSP. “It’s a long drive. You want any other games?”
Nicky shook his head. “No,” he said quietly.
“Right.”
He found the M4 easily enough, grateful for the second-hand game system keeping Nicky quiet and distracted through most of the ride. Until they got onto the A roads in Chiswick, at least. Nicky bounced in his seat, pressing his finger against the window. “Hey are we going to mum’s?” he practically squealed.
Nicholas sighed and shook his head. “No,” he said simply. “I’m sorry.”
“Why not?” Nicky demanded. “I wanna see my mum!”
“Because I...” he stalled slightly, hoping to keep the boy calm long enough to get them to the station. “I don’t know where she is right now,” he said honestly. “We’re here to see someone else, anyway.”
Nicky kicked the back of Nicholas’ seat. “Stupid,” he muttered.
“Hey, now,” Nicholas warned. He turned in at the station, and finding a suitable place to park, stopped the engine. “You have to be good for me in here, okay?” he said, turning in his seat to face Nicky. “I’m serious. It’s really important that you not yell and shout.”
“Why?” Nicky demanded. “I don’t want to be here. I want to see my mum.”
“I can’t take you to see her,” Nicholas said. “I would if I could, but it’s not an option right now. We just have to go in here and talk with some people, okay?”
He took the boy’s silence as some form of convoluted agreement and got out of the car, pushing the seat forward to let Nicky out. Confident that Nicky would stay put, Nicholas pulled the book bag from the boot, and slung it over his shoulder before leading Nicky inside.
As they walked into the building, a uniformed officer held out his hand. “Sir, can I...”
Nicholas showed the officer his badge, and walked straight past him without pausing. He led Nicky upstairs to Travis’ office, knocking on the door lightly. Seconds later, the door opened, revealing a very relieved looking Travis.
“Can you wait for me out here a minute?” Nicholas asked Nicky, putting the book bag down on the floor.
Nicky shrugged. “Fine,” he said.
“I mean it,” Nicholas warned. “Don’t leave from this spot.”
Nicky nodded and sat down on the floor. Satisfied that he wouldn’t move, Nicholas walked into Travis’ office, leaving the door open just wide enough to be able to keep an eye on the boy.
“What were you thinking?” Travis demanded, sitting behind his desk.
Nicholas sighed, and sat opposite him. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “The way it was explained to me, there was no other family.” He looked down at his hands, traces of blackberry jam still stuck in under his nails. “You said it was his grandparents that are looking for him?”
Travis nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “They’ve been trying to get hold of...” he opened one of the folders on his desk.
“Tricia?” Nicholas offered.
“Yeah.” Travis looked at Nicholas sceptically for a moment. “I guess she was never in the habit of answering her phone, but when they finally went round to her flat, it was empty.”
“Italy,” Nicholas filled in. “With her fiancé. I don’t remember his name. But that was a month ago, and she said they expected to be moving around quite a bit.”
Travis sat quietly for a moment. “She didn’t give you a contact number, or anything?”
Nicholas shook his head. “She was there long enough to drop him off, and then left,” he said desperately. “As I said, it was presented to me as the only option, and I didn’t want to see him stuck in foster care his whole life. I honestly was just trying to do what was best. ”
Finally, Travis relaxed a bit. “Right,” he said, sounding like he was talking to a fellow officer again, and not a criminal suspect. “There’s a social worker off bothering someone else right now, but she’ll want to have a look at the boy. Standard procedure, you know.”
Nicholas nodded, inhaling deeply. “Of course,” he said.
Suddenly, the door was pushed wide open, Nicky letting himself into the office. “Nick, my game broke,” he said sulkily.
“Oh, no.” Nicholas took the handheld from Nicky, and tried to turn it on. “Did you have it on the car the whole time? Maybe the battery’s flat.”
“Well,” Travis said awkwardly, picking up his phone. He frowned lightly. “I’ll ring the, uh, case worker up here.”
Nicholas nodded absently, still trying to figure out why the game wouldn’t turn on.
It was nearly ten by the time the social worker had decided she was satisfied, and internal affairs had decided that there was no point in pursuing a case against the matter. Nicholas took Nicky up to the canteen, and found a spot where they could recharge his game while they each picked at stale muffins. He could hear the rhythm of Travis’ speech somewhere in the distance, taking a few moments to realise that he was the one being talked about.
“I can assure you, he’s fine,” Travis rattled on. “We got lucky, this. He was with a personal friend of mine.”
Nicholas sighed. At least he was being stood up for by somebody, even if when that somebody didn’t think Nicholas could hear. He put his head down on the table, still not able to figure out what he was meant to tell the boy, and knowing that at this point, it was probably too late to say anything at all.
He looked back up in time to see Travis standing above him, and offered an uneasy smile as he got to his feet. The older couple, who Nicholas could only assume were Nicky’s grandparents, with Travis didn’t seem interested at all in any sort of greeting, and Nicholas couldn’t really say that he blamed them.
“Nicky, let’s go,” the woman said, holding out her hand.
“Nick, where we going?” Nicky asked.
Nicholas tried very hard not to cringe. “You’re gonna go... stay with your grandparents right now,” he said, picking up the book bag from the floor.
“No!” Nicky shouted, turning several heads in the canteen. “You promised! You said I don’t have to stay with nobody else!”
Wanting to avoid exactly this, Nicholas sighed deeply. “Nicky, come on,” he warned. “People are starting to talk. Stop it.”
“No, you!” He kicked blindly, but Nicholas stepped out of the way. “They’re stupid! I don’t like them!”
“Nicky, stop it!” His grandmother demanded, stepping in and taking the boy by the arm.
As Nicky wailed in protest, Nicholas sighed and handed the book bag over the man who, quite frankly, seemed less than thrilled at the prospect of having a child around again, grandson or not. “His stuff is all in here,” he said, before quickly fetching up the game and power cord from the table, tucking them into a side pocket. “He’s got some new clothes for school in there, and there’s more that I can send up, if needed. I do intend to help out, if you’ll let me.”
“That’s not necessary,” the man’s wife interjected, wrestling Nicky into her arms. After taking several whacks to the face with the stuffed dog, she pried it from the boy’s hands and gave it to her husband before making her way to the doors leading to the hall.
Sighing, Nicky’s granddad looked down at the book bag in his hand. “We’ll get in touch in a few days,” he assured, before turning to leave.
“You all right?” Travis asked quietly once the commotion had settled down.
Nicholas nodded, pulling his mobile from his pocket. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I need to... make a call.”
“Staying in town tonight?”
Nicholas shook his head. “No,” he said simply.
Nodding lightly, Travis waited for a few moments before leaving Nicholas to make his call. At first, he feared he was going to get voice mail, but a very out-of-breath Danny answered at the last minute.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Nicholas said, hearing something going on in the background. “Are you... do you have company?”
There was a pause. “Everything all right?” Danny asked.
Nicholas sighed. “I’m still in London,” he said. “Getting ready to head back. I’ll bring the car around and put the keys in the mail slot, or... something.”
Danny hummed sceptically. “You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Nicholas said, before hanging up.
Nicholas pulled up outside Danny’s, surprised to find him waiting outside in his pyjamas, sitting on the front step. Sighing, Nicholas got out of the car and made his way up to Danny.
“Where’s the little one?” Danny asked. “He at home already?”
Nicholas sat down beside Danny on the step. “Something like that,” he said, sighing lightly.
Nicholas sighed, looking at the box placed before him. “You’re kidding?” he asked.
Danny shrugged. “What?”
“I’m not letting you send that,” Nicholas said. “How’s it going to look, next to what I sent?”
Danny shrugged. “S’money I’d have just spent at the pub,” he said, pushing the very heavy Sony box across Nicholas’ desk. “You’re allowed to send something small, because you give ‘em a third of your pay as well.”
Nicholas glared up at Danny before letting out a resigned sigh. “Fine,” he said, stacking a small, pre-addressed box on top of the one Danny brought into his office. “But you’re taking it to the post office. And if it doesn’t go over well, I’m blaming you.”
Danny picked up the stack. “Not every year you turn seven,” he said. “And you shouldda seen what Tony sent.”
Nicholas sighed. “I did,” he said, wondering how big of a comic collection the man had if an entire box was just ‘some things he had lying around.’