AN: This is the twelfth installment of my personal challenge to write a tag for every episode. This is a tag to episode 1x12, Screwdriver. To write this tag, I watched the episode for first time since seeing it when it aired. Despite the fact that there are some great scenes in it, I hate this episode, mainly for Nikki's "innocence" and Thornton's "guilt". I would love to go into more details about it, but here isn't really the place. However, you can find me on Tumblr under the username bands-space-and-monsters-oh-my! Please come and talk to me! I will be marking this as complete, but I would love to come back later and make it a full length fic one day if I can. Technically, this is an AU, because it has Nikki as really being the bad guy and Thornton as having been framed. The title comes from the meaning of the name Nikki. I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!
Nikki smiled as she walked away, making sure to sway her hips just enough. Mac was once again firmly under her spell, and under her grip. Thornton had been expertly framed, and would be put away for the rest of her life, if not put on death row and eventually executed. She won. Of course, she would miss Mac's perfect body and the way he let her take control on their nights together, but it was a small price to pay for her freedom. Besides, she could get any guy she wanted anyway. Nikki let out a small chuckle, remembering the times when she had tried to get Mac to be the one truly in control. He was never any good at it anyway. Still, at least Mac was good for something. For such a smart kid, she couldn't believe how stupid he could be. He just ate up everything she said. All that about her being unable to fake not loving him? That was just to firmly secure her place in his pretty little head, and he took the bait. She didn't love anyone, least of all a pretty blond boy who was far too kind and trusting for his own good, which made him an idiot. Of course, there were people that it occasionally paid off to slightly care about, but none that it would cause her to lose any sleep over their deaths. That's what Murdoc had been about anyway, to get them out of her way. He had failed at that, but Nikki didn't think it mattered anymore now that they thought she was a deep cover CIA agent.
Now it was just time to plan, and bide her time until she could take down the Phoenix Foundation once and for all. She would have to be more careful this time. The Organization had questioned her loyalty enough that they were willing to kill her, but hopefully framing Thornton, her old boss, as the mole had been enough to assure them she was on their side.
Nikki just couldn't believe it had worked. They honestly believed that Thornton was the traitor. Being one herself, Nikki knew that it was something Thornton just never would have been capable of. Nikki was surprised they bought that Thornton was the traitor, given that Murdoc had a contract to kill her as well, but as long as they weren't questioning it, she wouldn't either. She felt no remorse for the woman who had been her mentor. That ruthlessness was what it took to get Nikki to where she was, and she was happy to be ruthless.
Mac sat on the edge of his bed, in shock. Everything had happened so quickly that he hadn't really gotten a chance to process it until now, but Nikki was a CIA operative the whole time, and she still loved him - at least, she claimed she did. But he knew that there wasn't really a chance of them having a future together. After everything that had happened, he still didn't know if he could ever truly trust her again, despite the fact that she turned out to be one of the good guys.
But Thornton? How could she have done it? It just didn't make sense to Mac that the woman and mentor he'd known for three years would betray them all, try to kill them all. Thornton, who had wept over the loss of Agent Bannister, who had personally traveled to the home of Bannister's parents to tell them what happened. Thornton, who had terror in her eyes while Jack was standing on the pressure plate above a bomb, pleading with him to remain calm. Thornton, who had tried everything in her power to keep him safe while Murdoc was hunting him, who had taken a bullet during the whole ordeal and had a hit out on her. It just didn't add up. None of it did. Yeah, maybe the evidence pointed to her being the mole, but it just didn't make sense. How could the woman who had treated him so warmly, almost like a son, have done this?
She couldn't have. She wouldn't have. It was impossible. The more Mac thought about it, the more sure he was that Thornton had been framed. But how could he prove it? Mac sighed. He had no idea where to even begin. All of his own evidence that she was innocent was simply based on gut instincts and years of knowing the woman. That would never hold up in court. He needed something more concrete. Maybe he would contact Sarah again, or even Nikki...
But no one could find out. If they did, Mac, and anyone else involved could be arrested for treason as well. He knew he could get Jack on board, and probably Riley too. Having Riley automatically meant having Bozer, so that was the four of them at least. But Sarah and Nikki? Technically it was her op in the first place, but Sarah may not want to be a part of it anymore, plus the whole thing with her and Jack. As for Nikki, Mac just didn't know. She had told him that she would work to completely take down the Organization, but the mole wasn't necessarily a part of that directly, so he didn't know if he could get her on board or not. If he was being honest with himself, Mac wasn't sure if it was a good idea to have her with them anyway. Maybe it was for the best that their ways stayed parted.
Sighing, Mac stood up and adjusted his suit. Jack would be there to pick him up any minute for Sarah's wedding. He was worried about him. Mac knew how much Jack still loved Sarah, but there wasn't anything he would do about it. As much as they both had maybe regretted it, Sarah had chosen Jeff, and Jack knew that. The man would never try to break up a marriage and destroy the track of their lives.
There was enough going on tonight that Mac knew it wasn't a good idea to bring up the Thornton situation. That could wait until tomorrow, and then they would get a plan in motion. For now, he had to be the one who could be there for his partner.
Thornton sat in her cell, unmoving. She still couldn't believe it had all happened. She was in prison, awaiting trial for treason, which she hadn't committed. But the only one who knew she was innocent was herself. She had been framed perfectly. What could she do? Nothing. Her only option was to hope that someone would figure it out in time, and save her from death row, where a guilty verdict on a treason case in the state of California would certainly send her.
She had trusted, and even confided, in both Mac and Jack for years. If anyone could save her, it was them.
She only hoped that they would.