Something's gotta give

Disclaimer:- Don't own them just borrowing!

Episode:- None

Pairing:- Nicola/Ollie

Rating:- T

Achieve:- http(:/) . /group/rebeccafrontlewisffarchive/

Summary:- She knew she could make it through this with him by her side and the knowledge that when she had those "something's gotta give" moments there was always the roof were no one would ever think to look for her. No one but him.

Author's Note:- In answer to the "Numbers" challenge to use the following numbers in a fic 154, 26, 876, 4, 5. Rated for the usual levels of TTOI language! Enjoy and reviews would be fantastic!

Staring at the two ringing phones on her desk while trying to listen to Malcolm rant about yet another cock up and trying to keep one eye on the whispered discussion between Ollie and Glen in the outer office Nicola realised she wasn't actually hearing any of it. The previous few days had been a blur of manic briefings, screaming matches with both Malcolm and James not to mention the fact that she felt like she was being given 5 pieces of information a second that she was supposed to remember. Her head felt like at any minute it would explode and leave a bloody mess all over the perfectly decorated office and she knew she had to get out, move even if it was only for half an hour, be somewhere they couldn't find her and she might just be able to clear her head enough to carry on.

"Where the fuck are you going I haven't finished talking to you yet." Her brain registered the sound and the tone of Malcolm's angry shout but her body worked on auto pilot as she left the office reaching the stair case and instead of going left to go down to the lobby found herself climbing the stairs in the direction of the roof.

154 stairs that was how many she counted as she finally reached the maintenance door at the top pushing it open and feeling the cold air take her breath away for a second. For all her eccentricities and phobias the one thing she'd never had a problem with was heights and right now the freedom of standing leaning against the wall of the heating ducts letting the wind clear her mind while she stared out at the London skyline was exactly what she needed. In the months since she'd stupidly jumped at the DoSAC job when it was offered to her she'd lost count of the number of times she'd wished she'd missed Malcolm's call, or just said no when he offered her the job and today was one of those days. Today she would give anything to be back in her constituency listening to pensioners complain about paving stones or mother's moan that their 4 year old didn't get into the school they wanted. She'd take that over the stress and tension and general state of panic that seemed to be normal for her now.

"Nicola what are you doing up here, you realise Malcolm has everybody in the building looking for you he'd convinced you've disappeared to throw yourself under a number 26 bus." The familiar voice made her smile the tender amusement in it reminding her that there was one good thing that had come from accepting the job, without it she'd never have met him.

"You knew I would be here why didn't you just tell him?" She already knew the answer, her fondness for escaping to the roof was a secret only he knew and one she knew he would keep because there were times when it was also the only place they got to be alone.

"Because he'd have been convinced you were going to throw yourself off then there'd have been a suicide negotiation team and 876 tabloid reporters down on the ground outside the building before you could say "Malc you're a dick head" besides this is our place as much as yours now maybe I don't want everyone to knowing that heights is not one of your many phobias right now they wouldn't come up here to look for you in a million years." The way he pulled her into his arms, the gentle way he kissed her relieving the last of the tension still her body, reminded her why she could never give up on the job any more than she could give up on him. There would always be moments when she felt like turning left not right when she came out of the office, walking down the stairs and out the door never to return. There would always be moments like the one there had just been when it all felt too much and she really believed that something had to give and that something was going to be what was left of her sanity. There would always be times when she felt that pang of regret for what she'd lost the second she walked into the office for the first time but so long as he knew where to find her, so long as he held her like he was right now, so long as she felt like he would always be there to catch her if she fell she knew it would be fine, better than fine, she knew she could make it through this with him by her side and the knowledge that when she had those "something's gotta give" moments there was always the roof were no one would ever think to look for her. No one but him.