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It had just gone 9pm and Jack and Nikki were curled up on the sofa, an old movie Jack liked playing on the TV. Nikki was laid with her back resting against Jacks chest, one of his arms wrapped around her and the other gently playing with her hair absent-mindedly. If she was honest she wasn't paying any attention to the storyline more so watching the screen change as she focussed on the feeling of his hands in her hair.
With the case finished, all notes written up and no reason to be at work any longer, the two has gotten away relatively early (for their standard of working hours) so gone out for diner at a restaurant that had recently opened near Jack’s house. After diner they had gone back to his house, opened a bottle of wine and ended up collapsed on the sofa together with a fluffy blanket draped over them.
They were snatched from their perfect reverie however by a harsh and repetitive knock at the door.
“Ah can’t we just have some peace and quiet” Groaned Jack.
“Stay here old man, I’ll get it,” Nikki replied, throwing the blanket to the side and reluctantly leaving the warmth of his arms.
She could make out a silhouette as she got closer the door but she couldn’t recognise who it was, especially considering it was now into the evening. Grabbing the key from the sideboard and unlocking the door, she opened it and was surprised to see a face that took her a few seconds to recognise but was undoubtedly who she thought it was. He looked her up and down.
“Uh Jack, can you come out here?”
Peering out from around the corner of the lounge, he started to ask who it was before he instantly recognised the man at his door.
“Hi brother,”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
Jack made no effort to move or speak so Nikki shifted and motioned with her hand for Ryan to come into the house. Shutting the door behind him Nikki watched as he stepped into the living room. Still in the same spot, she walked over to Jack and placed her hand on his back which seemed to bring him back to life and he followed Ryan. Walling in after them, she was met by a tense silence.
“Ryan, can I get you a drink?” Asked Nikki. She was met by silence and he once again just looked her up and down with no comment. Twitching at his brother disrespect, Jack spoke up.
“Niks, darlin’ why don’t you give us a minute,”
She didn’t quite know what to expect from this encounter, she knew how pissed off Jack was with Ryan, she had listened to every drunk and angry rant from him and after never hearing one nice word in regard to his brother, she couldn’t help but want the man as far from them both as possible. Sending Jack a concerned look he gave her a half smile in return and she walked into the kitchen, close enough that she was there if he needed her.
“What the fuck do you want?” Hissed Jack.
“Look I need some money ok,” Jack just laughed. “You don’t know what its like ok, I just need a bit to get by for now and that's it,”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” He scoffed.
“Don’t fucking laugh at me,”
“You come into my house and demand money, you have to be joking Ryan,”
“You owe me Jack,”
“No, no I don’t. I paid my debt to you alright? I gave you a chance, a place to live and a way to move forward but you fucked it up and you proved you deserve nothing. Your a waste of space,”
“Don’t talk to me all high and mighty, we have the same blood. You’ve screwed up to Jack, god only knows why Nikki sticks around, she deserves better than you could ever give her. Does she even know what you've done huh?
“Shut the fuck up Ryan and get out. Your getting nothing here.”
Ducking just in time, Jack missed the shards of flying glass that came from the empty wine glass launched by Ryan. It smashed on the wall behind him and the loud crash caused Nikki to jump and rush into the living room from the kitchen. She stood in the doorway as Ryan came towards her, grabbed her wrist harshly and shoved her out the way and into the wall then took off up the stairs. Jumping up form his crouched position on the floor, Jack ran towards Nikki who had been knocked to the floor by the force of Ryan’s tug. He put his arms to her shoulders, anger filled his eyes but they softened as he looked at her.
“I’m fine Jack,” She said, her voice shaky.
Taking one more look over her for any major damage, he took off up the stairs and was met by Ryan trashing his office. Opening draws, he was throwing papers and files over the floor digging for anything of value. Coming up behind him, Jack grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backwards so that they faced each other. Ryan threw the first punch landing on Jacks stomach, it knocked him back but only fuelled his rage. Retaliating Jack put his weight into it and landed a punch on the right side of Ryans jaw. They each threw a few punches, the pain spurring each of the brothers on.
Coming up the stairs, Nikki saw the fight and took in a sharp breath. “Jack!” She shouted.
He didn’t respond so she reached forward for him, scared he was about to be beaten within an inch of life. She grabbed his shoulder trying to pull him back but in getting closer to Jack she was in perfect range of Ryan who shot a wide left hook and hit Nikki square in the cheek causing her to fall back and collapse on the floor. She felt the skin rip and reached up to feel blood under her right eye. As if broken from a rage filled trance Jack dropped the floor and gently cradled Nikki's head in his hands, tears in her eyes. He didn’t take his eyes off her but heard Ryan bound down the stairs and slam the front door behind his as he ran.
“Darlin’ I’m so sorry,” He said, tears filling his own eyes.
“It’s ok, I’m ok Jack its fine,”
She took one of his hands in her own and moved it from the side of her face and held it in her lap before slowly standing up. His arm was around her waist in an instant making sure she stayed upright. Ryan clearly hit her pretty hard. Together they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, Jack making a move to lock the door so there was no way Ryan could get back in if he tried. Gently, he picked Nikki up and placed her on the kitchen counter. Without taking his hand off her, he reached into the cabinet and pulled out a first aid kit. He cleaned and used steri strips to make sure it didn’t get infected and felt a lump in his throat as he watched her flinch throughout the process.
“This doesn’t normally happen this way around” Nikki said lightly, trying to take away some of the weight of the situation. The only response she got was a pause in his actions. Reaching for his hand and putting them in her lap again she spoke softly.
“Look at me Jack,” He reluctantly met her eye. “This isn’t your fault, you…”
“He’s my brother and I’m the reason he went to prison which caused this whole mess so yeah Nikki it is my fault. It’s my fault that you are hurt and that's not okay. You don’t deserve to be put in danger and exposed to all this, it’s not right.” He interrupted. She didn’t stop him but let me get out all his feelings so she could one by one try and take away his pain.
“Yes he’s your brother but you cannot be held responsible for his actions, that's not fair. I’ve told you before and I will tell you a million times until you really listen- it’s not your fault that he went to prison and is now doing things like this. His actions meant that he needed to go to prison and you did the right thing by making his pay for it. I promise you I’m ok, we both know I’ve had worse than a bruised and cut cheek and I made it out alive of all of that.”
She reached forward gently and wiped the tears that adorned his face before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss to his lips. Sat on the counter, they were about the same height so pulling back from the kiss, Nikki gently pulled him into her arm. He stood between her legs arms around her waist, one of her arms around his shoulders, the other on the back of his head while she held him. She could feel a few tears fall on her shirt but she didn’t mind. After a few minutes passed she leaned back.
“How about we go up the bed, we can sort everything out tomorrow,” She said softly.
“Thank you. I love you, you know that right,”
“I love you too Jack, more than you'll ever know,”