Price of Denial.
"Why, how you hate being contradicted!" Rushing up from her chair she felt victory getting closer. Bobby Goren would lose. It was a addicting feeling. Being this close to him she wanted... she didn't know actually.
The detective pulled back, glared at her but still looking sorrowful. Nicole looked back as she sat down again. Why stand? She was winning. Goren pulled a chair around the table so he could sit next to her.
"I believe that there is a part of you... that loves Gavin." He said while sitting down, she looked down on the floor before meeting his eyes again. "The decent part of Nicole, that hidden inside the bunker that you call a heart." The smell of victory faded. She had to fight somewhat to keep her face neutral but she knew she was failing. It hurt. His words hurt, his disbelief in her and her feelings hurt.
"Remember the last time you sat here?" How could she not? It was burned into her memory forever, he had beaten her back then. "You confronted the truth... it hurt." He said softly but still harshly. "So you had to shoot the messenger. Hm? If I could be wrong about Dan Croydon then how could I be right about you?" Well, he had been wrong about Croydon, right? "Well, you blew it, Nicole! You're once chance for happiness with Gavin!" Keeping on her mask became harder for every word he said. "One chance. And you had to come back to me? You couldn't leave well enough alone " He leaned slightly closer "That's the price of denial."
One chance... Her eyes searched his face for something she could use against him. Something, anything! He was winning again! She hadn't come back to him! She just wanted to push him off his high horse! She... she wanted to prove him wrong... wanted to deny. Deny everything, every last word that he had said. He had been wrong once, it would happen again.
"Look. It's positive for anthrax." He switch subject too fast for her, she felt like she moved in slow motion while fast forwarding. It even took a while before she understood what he was talking about. Anthrax. Test. Looking at the white plastic thing it slowly came back to her. "You don't seem concerned. Maybe you didn't hear me? You-"
"I heard." She managed to get out, far too weakly in her opinion.
"-have been exposed to anthrax." Trying to gather her wits she turned to him.
"No cause of alarm, detective. I've been vaccinated for anthrax along with million of my fellow Australians." She had barely finished talking before he smiled. Not a happy smile that she had seen him give to his partner whenever she said something amusing. It was a cold smile... a winning smile. Wits somewhat gathered she smiled back, trying to get back some ground.
"Including Nicole Wallace?" He asked after a laugh. "Yeah, she was vaccinated in 1996 in Bendigo." Her smile fell. "One year before she met Dan Croydon. And her record show that her last buster was over two years ago." He opened to file on the table, showing her. Breathing became a little harder while the universe collapsed around her. "On the other hand. There is no record that shows that Elizabeth Hitchens ever been vaccinated so if in fact you are Elizabeth you would be... alarmed." He took too much pleasure in this. "You would be screaming for medical help."
Looking into those dark eyes she knew he had won once again. She hated that feeling, defeat. Loosing. It was overwhelming.
"You might still have enough time to put on a convincing performance." The distaste was clear in his voice, along with victory.
Price of Denial? It's high, alright. It takes whatever it can. She knew what denial had taken from her. But thanks to it she got to see him one more time.
It may have been worth it or maybe not.
But it's not the end. Not yet. She still had more cards up her sleeve.