A different sort of meltdown 1/?
Disclaimer:- Don't own them just borrowing!
Episode:- 03/03
Pairing:- Nicola/Ollie
Rating:- M
Achieve:- http(:/) . /group/rebeccafrontlewisffarchive/
Summary:- "No now I'm thinking about if you've lost your fucking mind."
Author's Note:- The usual warnings for The Thick Of It fics apply ridiculous amount of use of the F* word and also rated for sexual content in later chapters. Enjoy and reviews would be lovely!
"This is going to be a fucking disaster, fucking Malcolm fucking bastard couldn't just leave things alone." Nicola muttered pacing back and forward by the edge of the stage as the speaker before her reached the crescendo of their speech. As if it wasn't bad enough that she had to go out and give her first conference speech now she had to make one that was thrown together in half an hour in a shitty hotel room with Glen bleeding in one corner and Malcolm losing the rag in the other.
"Nicola stand still for one fucking minute will you?" Ollie snapped dropping the stilettos and bag she had thrown at him, before this particular melt down had started, on the ground and gripping her elbows stopping her mid stride. "You've had half a bottle of fucking rescue remedy I know it's herbal shit but I'm sure you can still OD on it. You need to calm down you are going to go out there and nail this we've worked too hard for you not to."
"Bollocks Ollie I have stumbled from one fucking disaster to another in this job and now I'm going to go out there onto that stage and prove to everyone else just the way I've proved to all of you that I'm shit at this just like Malcolm keeps telling me I am." She continued pulling away from him and resuming her pacing marathon as Ollie sighed heavily. She was right so far she'd given incompetence a bad name but she was slowly getting better and as far as Malcolm fucking Tucker was concerned for all he tried to beat her down she stood up to him in a way he'd never seen anyone else do, or get away with for that matter. Now she was seconds away from going out there and giving a speech that should have been a walk in the park she should have said what she had to say, introduced Julie the militant widow and come off in a blaze of glory so maybe she'd start believing in herself a bit. The complete fuck up that the whole people's champion thing had become had turned it all upside down and he was dealing with basket case Nicola again.
"Stop pacing the press is all over the place the last thing we need right now is a photo of you looking like you've lost it completely 3 minutes before you go on stage." He whispered firmly. "Now put your fucking heels on and go out there and show Malcolm fucking Tucker that he can screw with us as much as he wants we can still put on a fucking good show."
"Yeah….yeah you're right…yeah…." Nicola replied stopping and trying her best to look determined just as she was assaulted again with the image of 500 delegates all throwing bits of rotten fruit at her while jeering and gripped her stomach sure this time she really was going to lose the tiny amount of food she'd had that day all over Ollie's shoes. "Oh fuck I can't do this can't you do it? Can't you go up there and say sorry but the minister is a fucking wreck so I'm just going to step in or something? You could tell them I've been taken ill, something life threatening, a heart attack wouldn't be far off the fucking mark right now, you could…..I don't know just…do something anything, I know I can't so you're going to have to! You're going to have to I can't Ollie, I….."
"NICOLA! Shut up!" Ollie shouted back glancing around to ensure no one had heard his outburst before grabbing her again bringing his face level with hers and lowering his voice. "You are going to do this, you are, god help us all, the minister and as such you have no fucking choice now pull yourself together and get up there and make the fucking speech all you have to do it read it, stop where there's a full stop, take the applause and try not to fall on your ass on the way off the stage even you can do that!"
"I can't that's what I'm telling you I…" Nicola began trying to pull away from him as he gripped her a little tighter and stopped the words in her throat as his lips crashed into hers and she struggled for a second before the shock stopped her. "Ollie what the hell what was that? And what the hell where you thinking if that picture has been snapped by some passing press photographer Malcolm will kill us both then James will revive us to do it again!"
"Are you still panicking about the speech?" Ollie asked rooting through her bag and handing her a compact and lip stick feeling around in his pocket for a tissue and wiping away the smudge of red lipstick he could feel on his own lips.
"No now I'm thinking about if you've lost your fucking mind." She snapped back about to continue with her rant when she heard her own name called on stage and he grabbed the compact and thrust her shoes in her direction.
"No I haven't now go out there and knock this out of the park." He whispered smiling as her eyes narrowed and she slipped her shoes on handing him her trainers and mounting the steps. "Nicola?"
"What? You told me to go give the speech." She whispered pausing half way up and turning snatching the sheets of paper he held out. "Don't fucking say it!"
"I wouldn't dare." He smiled leaning against the wooden hand rail and focusing on the small screen that fed pictures from the stage as she walked on and took the podium praying that his distraction was going to be enough to get her through the speech before she melted down all over again.