disclaimer - i don't own these guys, just having a bit of fun. It's a shame really...
notes: just thought i'd mention that this is a completely AU story, the characters and timelines have been adjusted for my own purposes and its not really set in Larkhall prison. if you're not into that kinda stuff and prefer more traditional stories then you prob shouldn't read this. if you don't like FEMSLASH then you defo shouldn't read this - consider yourself warned!!
Was a little bit confused about the ratings system so this would prob be a 15 if it was just for the UK.
Any questions or suggestions just ask :)
Pairings: Nikki/Helen, Pat/Sheena
reviews would be much appreciated - this is my first fic so i'm a little scared what folks will think of it!
Thanks to my cuz for beta reading this for me - i know you have better things to do!!
Loyalty and Complications:
Perhaps it was the sound of the door slamming that made Nikki turn around. whatever it was it did not prepare her for the sight that greeted her. A man in her home, a knife buried in his chest and Ritchie Atkins begging for her help. At that moment Nikki cursed the day she studied medicine...
Nikki had left home at the age of sixteen, disowned by parents not worth knowing because of who she was. At that age she was too young to realise it and was devastated by their rejection, her illusions shattered in an instant. She knew she was truly alone. Starting a new life in London with a tenner to your name was hard. Her parents had been cruel enough to stop her bank account and even if they hadn't it was doubtful Nikki would use it. That was their money. Not hers. Her older brother, an eighteen year old rugby playing university student also turned away from her. Her younger sister was too young to understand.
So it was that Nikki found herself alone on the streets of London. She barely scraped by, sleeping wherever she could. Constantly hounded by alcoholics and drug addicts hopelessly alone. Until the night that changed everything.
Nikki was walking through a narrow side street trying to avoid sleep for as long as possible. It was late November and the weather was starting to turn. She knew if it got much colder she would be in serious trouble. Without warning two men burst out of the rear door of a nearby club with a girl around Nikki's age held at gun point. Nikki dared not breathe for fear. but she knew she had to do something. The girl was young but she hid her fear well. one of the men spoke in a deep raspy voice
'Tough little bitch aren't ya?'
'Your daddy's gona pay a nice sum for you darlin'
The girl spoke with surprising clarity and a certain amount of bravery
'You two bastards will pay for this. Nobody crosses an Atkins'
The bigger of the two men laughed before slapping her unceremoniously across the face. Blood trickled down her face but the girl did not make a sound she stared unflinchingly at the man. Nikki meanwhile had ducked behind a large bin and was biding her time, trying to figure out what to do. Finding a metal pipe on the ground she took her chance and lunged from behind the bin hitting the larger man in the back of the knee sending him sprawling to the ground. The other man turned in surprise loosening his grip on the girl who took the chance to escape and ran as fast as she could. The two men turned on Nikki. They were angry and they knew the other girl was long gone. all Nikki could do was shield her face as they rained blows around her causing her to fall to the ground she was soon unconscious. The men ran but they didn't get far. The Atkins gang were hot on their trail...
A week later Nikki had awakened in hospital with the girl - Lauren Atkins by her bedside. Soon after she met Yvonne and Charlie Atkins who treated her like a daughter and Ritchie the older brother she had always wanted. They accepted her as she was and paid for her education even going so far as to pay her tuition fees when she went to medical school. Nikki had everything she ever wanted; even if the family's lucrative business was more trouble to her than it was worth sometimes!
Ritchie paced the room frantically. Nikki checked the man, his pulse was very weak. She did not need this right now.
'Nik you have to help him!'
'I know. I'll do what I can but he might not make it.'
Ritchie looked even more distraught at that. He helped her place him on the kitchen table then sat in silence. Praying he would not die because of him.
When Nikki had graduated she got a job at a private hospital secretly owned by Yvonne as a means of laundering her share of the business. By day Nikki was a normal doctor, treating the ailments of normal people. People who treated hospitals and medicine like a consumer product. Upper class toffs and aging rock stars desperate for the most expensive treatment and surgery. People Nikki could care less about. Not that she was without compassion, she reserved that for the real patients those who were genuinely ill. She cared for them and they got the best of her. She was a good doctor.
By night however things changed. Nikki was no longer a nameless, faceless doctor in an ordinary hospital. She was the best chance of survival for injured men and women unable to go to a hospital for fear of arrest. Or worse. In the underworld she was known as the 'surgeon' and she was the best. She was also a trusted member of the Atkins gang, though not normally involved with the general goings on; she was there to pick up the pieces. That was how it came to be that on a cold evening Ritchie Atkins turned up at her flat with his dying best friend Adam Tyler. He was thirty years old.
'Nik?'
'I'm sorry Ritchie he lost a lot of blood. There was nothing I could do for him'
For the first time since she had known him she saw Ritchie Atkins cry...
Nikki walked to the kitchen and returned with a half empty bottle of vodka, sitting on the sofa next to Ritchie she took a large gulp of the vodka passing it to Ritchie as she felt the burning liquid in her throat. Ritchie took the bottle and downed as much as he could trying to ease the pain.
'What happened out there tonight?'
Ritchie stared into space for the longest time. Unsure how to respond, he was afraid of the reaction. He knew they had been stupid.
'Ritchie. What happened?'
'Adam started chattin' up this woman in town, she was well fit, Scottish and stunning. Anyway turns out she weren't there alone. Some floppy haired bloke took exception to us - said we were 'harassing' his girlfriend so he and Adam had words…'
'How could you be so stupid?'
'We just underestimated him Nik that's all. Never thought he'd carry you know?'
'So basically Adams dead because he couldn't take no for an answer. Hell Ritchie you know better than that!' Nikki was furious 'what are you going to do when your old man finds out?'
'We can't tell him Nik. Not until I get this sorted he'll kill me'
'Yea, you and everyone that's ever known that guy. Adam was Charlie's godson after all. For all we know he might even go after that woman just as a warning. You're right we have to deal with this alone'
Ritchie looked at Nikki incredulous that she would even consider getting involved. This was his score to settle not hers. Nikki sighed deeply. She loved Ritchie like a brother but sometimes he infuriated her.
'You can't do this alone Ritch, you need me.'
'I guess…' clearly he wasn't convinced.
'What was his name?'
'Parr, Sean Parr.'
'And the woman?'
'Helen something didn't pay too much attention'
'We leave in ten minutes'
With that Nikki strolled away and went to get changed. She made a phone call to a friend at the hospital where she worked asking them to collect Adam's body. The guy was on the pay roll she knew he would be discreet. Exactly ten minutes later she appeared in the doorway wearing jeans, a blue shirt and a black leather jacket. She signalled to Ritchie to get moving.
'We don't even know where he is…'
'That's easily solved. We're going to Kerrigans'
Pat Kerrigan was Nikki's best friend. A philosophical, charismatic woman with nerves of steel. A woman in the know. She wasn't officially a member of the Atkins gang but she was a reliable ally with a personal code of conduct that granted her an amount of respect. Pat Kerrigan made it her business to know things and when people needed information there was no-one better. That was the reason that when her ex boyfriend ended up stabbed in their home after years of abuse Pat was never convicted. She was owed favours by the right people and her loyalty to those people was not an issue.
Ritchie gave Nikki a puzzled look as they continued the drive to Pat Kerrigan's flat. it was raining now and Nikki had to keep the heater on in order to prevent the windows steaming up. The two were silent. The only sound in the car coming from the heater and the whirring of the window wipers. They pulled up outside Kerrigan's flat. The street was incredibly dark, the streetlights having gone out months before without any hope of repair. Nikki could not understand why her friend chose to live here she could afford to be more affluent. But that was not Kerrigan's style. As they pulled up outside the flats Nikki hoped they hadn't gotten into something they couldn't handle. Or rather she hoped Ritchie hadn't gotten them into something they couldn't handle. The guy could be anyone, one of the Williams gang, a copper or worse. Nikki wasn't sure what would be worse but she had this feeling in the pit of her stomach she couldn't explain.
They walked the two flights of stairs to Kerrigan's flat and knocked the door. Pat Kerrigan answered the door cautiously but upon realising who it was she welcomed them in before locking the door swiftly.
'You alright mate?' Nikki asked her friend concerned. She had never seen Pat so nervous.
'Sure I'm fine. Just have to be careful in this line of work you know?'
'Fair enough' Nikki knew there was more to it but left it for the moment.
'So why the interest in Parr?'
'Tyler's dead. Parr killed him.'
'For Gods sake Nikki! Do you have any idea who you're taking on?' Pat was scared. She was never scared.
Nikki and Ritchie stared at Pat stunned. Obviously this guy was more than some jealous boyfriend in a restaurant. But then the fact he had a knife on him told them that. Nikki broke the tense silence first.
'Who is he?'
'He's Renee Williams's nephew.'
Suddenly Nikki needed to sit down she felt sick. Ritchie had paled visibly at the revelation. They were in so deep and it hit them both hard. Pat handed them both drinks which they took gratefully.
'What did you do to him?'
As Ritchie explained the situation it quickly became apparent that Pat was not impressed. She could not believe their stupidity. No wonder Atkins was training Lauren to take over the family business. Despite the fact she thought they had been a couple of idiots she did like them. Adam Tyler had been a good friend. Now he was dead. They were both good guys, arrogant but that came with the territory.
'If he's Williams's nephew how come I don't know him?'
'Been away for a while. Went to Uni in Scotland. Lives there with his girlfriend Helen Stewart'
'Why they here now?'
'Parr's business ain't doing so well up North. Looking to move I reckon.'
'They here long?'
'Leaving tomorrow for Glasgow.'
'Got an address?'
'I'll have one tomorrow morning. But believe me this is not worth the risk.'
'Just have it for tomorrow ok?'
'You're the boss Atkins. Whatever you say goes'
With that Nikki and Ritchie left and drove back to Nikki's flat. she had a very bad feeling about this, beating the hell out of the nephew of one of London's most notorious gangsters was not a good plan. She knew she should phone Yvonne, if not Charlie but she trusted Yvonne more, somehow she thought that would make the situation worse. Whatever happened she knew she would be going up to Glasgow with Ritchie, if for no other reason than to save him from himself. He could be incredibly foolhardy at times. She even considered this woman, this Helen Stewart that had caused all of this. She had a feeling this trip would change everything.
'Nik can I use your car tomorrow?'
'Sure. But I'm driving.'
'You're not coming to Scotland with me…'
'I'm driving. End of discussion'
Nikki opened her front door and they went in. Ritchie knew better than to argue with Nikki, her temper was legendary, so meekly he made his way to the spare bedroom.
