The Once Future King
Part Two: Hidden Truths
An Evenstar Story
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Other Pairings

A/N: Thank you all for waiting, I'm sorry this took longer than expected, I hope you enjoy the second installment. I also want to note, that Greg's part is minimal in this, but his role in this part is very important. you will see... I hope you enjoy please, take the time to reply. -EVENSTAR

Chapter One: Officer Down

--

Nick groaned something inaudible in his sleep. His legs were flailing around as his body twisted in his sleep. Moans grew louder and more distinct as the name, 'Greg' clearly escaped his lips. This was the fourth time in three nights that he has been caught in this familiar dream.

"Nick," Adrianna whispered. She was desperate to wake him from the tormenting dream. "Nick," she called louder. He didn't respond. His hands clutched his head, as the ear-shattering scream escaped his lips. In a flash, he sprang from the bed and scurried to the bathroom to puke.

He heaved painfully into the toilet emptying the last of his stomach contents. Nick hated this. Defeated and exhausted, Nick sat there on the cold tile floor with his knees drawn to his chest. He popped three pills in his mouth chewing them as if they were food.

His breath was strained, his head continued to throb. Through his ailments, he noticed a trashed pregnancy test. Nick crawled on all fours to the wastebasket to get a closer look. It was negative again.

Another wave of nausea hit him, and again he found himself bent over the toilet puking his guts out. Briefly, he wondered, 'Why me God?'

The disappointment from the failed pregnancy test hurt almost worse than the pounding of his head. They had been trying for years now to get pregnant. He had always wanted to be a father.

That was just a dream now. Nick had hoped that it wasn't true when the doctor told him he had an incomplete 'Y' chromosome. The news made him feel like lesser of a man than he already did. He looked at himself in the mirror and he didn't see any of the signs of his disorder. The doctor did tell him he was only one sequence short from normal. It may not show from the outside, but it was enough to prevent him from fathering a child.

At first, Nick denied it. He didn't think it was possible. However, no matter how hard he tried, what kind of enhancers he could buy, or what position he used, he just could not get the job done. Nick told himself, if he didn't get Adrianna pregnant this time, he would stop trying. He didn't mean just fathering a child, but sex in general. For a while now, Nick had been bored with their sex life for a while now. He had no explanation for the lack of interest. All he knew was that he'd rather sleep in peace and quiet over making love to her. The truth of the matter Nick found that he just wasn't sexually attracted to Adrianna as a good husband should be.

"Honey, are you all right?" Adrianna asked concerned.

"Yeah," Nick lied. He wasn't really all right. It had been a long time since he was truly all right. The last time he was 'all right' was a time before these mind splitting, gut puking headaches. That was if there was a time before them. If there was Nick certainly couldn't recall it.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure," he answered regretfully. Awkward silence ensued between the two. "Why didn't you tell me about the unfavorable result?"

"I didn't want to upset you."

Her eyes were downcast, knowing how much being a father meant to her husband. It disheartened her to know that he will never experience the joy of holding his baby for the first time. The light she could imagine in his eyes and the smile that spread across his face. Adrianna found that she wanted to see Nick with his child so much that she even considered cheating with a person with similar characteristics as Nick.

"You should have told me anyways. Damn it, I know that I will never be a biological father. I'm just not properly equipped."

"So what do you want to do, Nicky?"

"I don't know, Adrianna. What I want I can't have. The way I see it the ball's in your court. Do you want to stay with a man who can never father your baby, or…"

"Or leave you for someone else," she finished his sentence.

"I wouldn't blame you for just leaving."

"Nick, you know I want a baby."

"I know. That's why I am not going to force you to stay with me. I have the same odds of being struck by the finger of God as I do of fathering your child… If you chose to leave me, I understand."

"I don't want to leave you Nicky."

"I know. But it's not fair to keep you with me when I can't give you what you want. I'm sorry."

"We'll figure out a way, Nicky. We will."

"I don't think there is, Adrianna. There's nothing they can do about my gimpy chromosome."

"So, we just get a divorce?"

"Yeah," Nick reluctantly agreed.

"You're upset, why don't we wait until tomorrow before we make any final decision."

"If it will make you feel better."

"It will." She gave a weak smile. "You coming back to bed?"

"Nah, I think I am going to stay up for a while longer."

"I'll be here if you need me. Good night," she pecked him on the cheek and disappeared back into the bedroom.

--

Leaned over the balcony railing, he stared off to the brightly glistening stars deep in thought. Who was the man that frequently invaded his dreams? Did he really exist, or was he just a figment of his imagination.

"Who are you?" Nick whispered to the stars above.

The night air was cool and crisp as he stood there watching the world in darkness. He pulled the cigarette to his lips and inhaled the tobacco fumes deep into his lungs. His nerves dulled with every breath he took. Nick hated to smoke, but on nights like this, it was the only thing that took the edge off.

His eyes stared off into the distance, reflecting on his life. He thought about his wife, Adrianna. Nick recalled all the wonderful moments that he had with her. He hated the idea of a divorce, but it wasn't like him to keep someone away from something they really wanted. Adrianna really wanted a child of her own and Nick couldn't give her that.

Sure, they briefly discussed adoption. But Adrianna did not want to deal with the red tape. From Nick's position, a divorce was the only option.

Magnificent reds, pinks, and purples of the sunrise were not enough to lift Nick's spirits. He watched the gorgeous sunrise and saw another day to torment him.

His life was hanging off the last rung of the ladder. Each day that went by another finger seemed to slip off. Nick's life was spiraling out of control a little at the time. He couldn't put his finger on what it was. Something was patronizing him every day silently as if a man was sticking his tongue out at him and that was supposed to mean something.

It was nearly as if he lost something of importance and he couldn't remember where he placed it. Whatever the object is, it was always just out of his reach. No matter how hard he tried to find it, the object just eluded him and yet another man stuck his tongue out at him with that glint in his eyes. Once, Nick had compared his life to a jigsaw puzzle with two or three pieces missing. He had no idea how accurate that analogy was.

Around eight o'clock, Adrianna appeared at the French door with the phone clinched in her hands. "Police chief Stefan Coufal's on the phone."

"Can it wait?" Nick answered bitterly.

"He says it's urgent."

Enragement briefly overtook Nick. He took three deep breaths and shut his eyes to regain his composure before talking to the ill-timed phone call.

"Yeah," he spoke into the device.

"Nick, I'm sorry to call you on your off day, but there is a domestic dispute in Oak Cliff. Some druggie is getting into it bad with his wife…"

"You couldn't have called Clinton or Freeman to handle this?"

"Sorry man, you and Rezak are the only ones we can spare. All the rest are on pursuit of a stolen vehicle."

"Great," Nick rolled his eyes. "They really know when to ruin my day."

"I'm sorry to inconvenience you. Nick, but I could use your help."

"Not a problem." He threw the phone back on the hook. Steam spouted from his ears. Nick was pissed. It was his first day off in seven months. His fist slammed hard into the dresser and he didn't even flinch at the pain.

With a change of attire and a slam of the door, Nick was gone.

--

"What's goin' on?" Nick approached his partner.

"Typical lover's quarrel," answered his partner, Brandon Rezak. "According to dispatch, drugs were involved."

"Great," Nick sighed. Domestic disputes were the calls he hated the most. He never knew what to expect when he barged through those doors. There was no way for Nick to know if the person on the other side of that door was armed or just really ticked off.

"Let's get this over with," Nick sighed and headed for the house.

"Dallas P.D., open up," Brandon knocked on the door. Moments passed without an answer. He called out to them one last time before kicking the door in.

The place was a dive, covered in layers of filth from floor to ceiling. Nick inwardly wondered how people could live like this.

They continued to search the crumbling house with their guns at the ready. An unexpected clank of a falling pot startled the two men aimed at the emaciated cat rounding the corner.

"Relax man, it's just a cat." Brandon tried to reassure his jumpy partner.

"It's not the cat I'm worried about," Nick replied and turned the corner.

The hall was covered in family pictures. They looked nice enough, dressed in their Sunday best wearing cheesy smiles upon their faces.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" cried a distressed woman from the back room. They rushed to the door and entered with a crash. Seconds after they entered, they stood frozen to their spots stunned by the sight upon them.

"Sir, there's no reason to shoot anyone. Put that gun down," Nick stated as calm as he could. His heart beat rapidly. The scene was tense. The wife hid behind the armoire crying, as the man stood fast with the gun pointed directly at her.

The tension escalated with their abrupt appearance and now they were included at the business end of the gun.

"You fucking called the cops, you bitch," Bubba Watson continued to shout.

"Bubba, don't do this," his wife whimpered crouched down behind the fallen armoire.

"I will do whatever I fucking like, you whore."

"It's not what you think," she cried out trying to get him to see reason.

Bubba wasn't hearing a word of it. A vital chord had snapped within him. His eyes closed and pulled the trigger. The woman fell to the ground with a bullet wound to her head. Brandon rushed to her aid.

Nick watched helplessly as his partner was gunned down in cold blood. It was like a horrible motion picture that played out before his eyes. His partner was shot. He raised his gun, but Bubba was faster. The bullet struck him hard in the gut. Excruciating pain seared through his body, and he crumbled to the floor. With his last remaining strength, he radioed, "Stokes, officers down, officers down, request immediate back up."

To Be Continued...