Max, Jack and Thomas were all keen footballers – at least when they were watching a match. There was a big match on that night and Max had invited them over to watch it on his wide-screen. Nikki had tagged along to keep Clarissa company.

"We can have a good natter." The older woman had told her.

"As long as you don't disturb us!" Max retorted loudly in response to his wife.

Jack spent much of the match in a highly emotional state – either depressed or very excited, depending on which team was ahead. He yelled euphorically every time their team scored. The teams were drawing by half-time and afterwards, things continued in a similar manner. Both teams were close to scoring and both teams were good at defending. During the final five minutes however, the team the men were supporting scored again, therefore sealing the end result.

Jack leapt to his feet and yelled with elation. "YESSSS!"

Nikki and Clarissa looked over from the dining room in amusement as Thomas and also Max leapt to their feet, pointing at the chair Jack had just jumped out of.

"Sit. Down!" They shouted impatiently.

"Sorry." Jack mumbled, subdued and sat down, staring at the floor like a scolded child.

The next morning...

"You sure got told off last night, didn't you Jack!" Clarissa commented, winking at Nikki, as the latter filled the kettle for their morning drinks.

"I don't want to talk about it." Jack muttered miserably, leaning on the coffee counter in his and Nikki's office. Nikki squeezed his shoulder affectionately and giggled, before she and Clarissa went back into the lab.

"Bless! He's like a sulky little boy!" Clarissa chuckled, before the two women continued their conversation from the previous night.

"Nikki!" Jack suddenly yelled urgently from their office. "Nikki, help!"

Nikki rolled her eyes at Clarissa and sighed irritably at their interrupted conversation. "Yes, Jack – what is it?"

"I'm hot – I'm so fucking hot and clammy...I think something awful is happening to me...my temperature has rocketed..." Nikki and Thomas rushed into the office as he collapsed on the floor, hyperventilating.

"Jack." Nikki stopped at the doorway abruptly and sighed, eyeing the counter behind him. "You've been standing next to the kettle and it's just boiled!"

Clarissa came up behind her and sniggered.

"Jack, honestly!" Thomas retorted, hugely unimpressed, as Jack scrambled back to his feet, looking highly embarrassed.

During lunch break...

Thomas came out of his office. "Jack, do you want a sandwich? - I'm ringing the canteen."

"Yeah."

"White bread, Jack?" Thomas continued.

"Yeah."

"Ham, cheese or tuna?" Thomas added.

"Yeah."

"Jack! That's not an answer I can understand!" Thomas was getting annoyed now.

"Ham!"

Thomas sighed in exasperation, shaking his head at Nikki as she turned to make tea and coffee. He went back into his office to make the call.

Nikki turned back around from the coffee counter in her and Jack's office. "Coffee, Jack?"

"Yeah."

"God, Jack, you're so bloody rude at the moment! Thomas and I are trying to do something nice for you – seriously, what's wrong with you!" She retorted, crossly.

"What?!"

" 'Yeah, I'd like some coffee, what?' " she responded cuttingly, turning to looking at Clarissa who had just come up behind her.

"Forget it, Nikki!" The older woman sighed. "He's just managing one-word answers at the moment!"

Nikki spun back around, her eyes flashing angrily at Jack. "Well, he can 'just manage' to be polite!" she snapped at him. "Jack, you either ask me nicely or you can make your own bloody coffee for the rest of your life!"

Seeing the angry fire in her eyes and hearing the sharpness in her voice, Jack bit his lip. Nikki rarely got this angry with him and he knew he'd gone to far. She was definitely stubborn enough to carry out her threat of never making him coffee again and he couldn't risk it – Nikki made the best coffee!

"Please?" Jack asked in the politest voice he could muster.

Nikki remained where she was, her eyes still flashing, dangerously. He was still giving one-word answers and she'd had enough!

Jack cleared his throat nervously and tried again. "Nikki, please will you make me a cup of coffee, darling?"

"Hm-mm. That's better – and?" She raised her eyes towards Thomas's office pointedly and waited.

Jack sighed.

He would have to eat humble pie to ensure he continued to get his daily 'coffee ration' from Nikki.

"Thomas, I would love a ham sandwich on white bread. Please will you make the call?" He shouted through Thomas's open door.

"Yes, Jack. Thank you for asking nicely!" Thomas shouted back.

Nikki gave Jack a satisfied smile and turned back to make his coffee. "There you go, sweetheart6." She said handing it to him. "That wasn't so hard now, was it!" She whispered in his ear, giving him a peck on the cheek and ruffling his hair affectionately.

Late afternoon...

Nikki, Clarissa and Thomas were engaged deep in conversation in the lab, when once again, Jack started yelled urgently.

"Nikki! Nikki! Help! I need help!"

Nikki sighed again irritably. "Oh what now?!"

"I'm stuck! I'm fucking stuck! I can't get out! Nikki!" He yelled hysterically. "It's so bloody hot!"

Clarissa chuckled. "Are you standing next to the kettle, Jack?"

"No, I'm bloody not! Please Nikki, help!"

Nikki sighed again – though her earlier irritation at him had all but faded. "Alright, love, don't panic. I'll be there in a sec."

In actual fact, the sight that met them was quite comical and although Nikki was sympathetic towards her best friend, only she was able to refrain from laughing.

"Oh, Jack – you're a legend!" She sighed.

Jack was staggering around their office, blindly – his jumper stuck over his head. He'd clearly been in the process of taking it off when he'd found there were buttons he'd forgotten about. Having got it past his mouth, he'd discovered that not only would the jumper not go any further but it wouldn't go back down either.

"Alright, sweetheart. I know you're freaking out a bit, but..." Nikki started.

"A bit?!" Clarissa interrupted, chuckling heartily.

Nikki glared at her before placing her hands comfortingly on Jack's arms and continuing. "...but you need to try and calm down. I can't help when you're moving about so much."

Having Nikki's hands on his arms seemed to do the trick. Jack calmed down immediately and Nikki was able to free him from his jumper without too much trouble.

Having escaped from his jumper, Thomas presented the much happier Jack with a hot drink.

"Thank you, Thomas." He said politely – but spat it back into the cup after taking a mouthful."

"Urgh, Jack!" Nikki groaned, apalled by his behaviour – not for the first time that day.

"Sorry. But it took me by surprise! It's tea – I was expecting for coffee!" he complained.

"Yes." Thomas explained. "Well, I thought that maybe drinking so much coffee was not helping with your...problems!"

"It's not the coffee, Thomas!" Clarissa retorted loudly. "Jack has just decided to rebel against adulthood!"