Based on the episode "Undercover" Series 4, created by John Hugginson and John Banas. I hope that you like it.
Disclaimer: I do not own City Homicide or its characters.
4.
They slept well, comfortable in each other's presence. They had started off laying apart, frightened of getting too close, but Jen had eventually sidled up to him, needing to feel his arms around her, needing to feel safe.
In the morning, when Jen awoke, she was laying on her back, Nick on his side next to her, his head almost on her shoulder, his arm across her chest.
She placed her hand on his forearm, and lay still, wanting to stay like that. Being there with him, it was easy to forget what it was they needed to do. Jen wanted to stay like that always, and not move, not face the day. She thought about Hartono, and her heart sank. She wouldn't let Nick meet him on his own, again. They needed to stick together, she didn't want to be separated from him again.
He opened his eyes, sensing that she was awake, feeling the softness of her fingers on his arm. He smiled to himself. "Morning" he whispered into her ear.
She grinned widely. She loved to hear his voice, that soothing masculine tone that drove her crazy. God, how had she kept this under wraps for so long? How had she worked alongside him for the past year and not cracked?
She had great self-control, she knew that, but she was beginning to think that having self-control and exercising restraint was not all it was made out to be.
"Good morning, Wesley" she chuckled softly. He sat up, and once again, she admired the definition of his arms and chest. How she longed to trace her fingers along his chest, run her lips across it, tease him with her tongue...She sat up suddenly, and got out of bed. Her mind needed to stay focussed on Hartono and what they had to do; she had to stop fantasising about the man in bed next to her, and what she would rather be doing with him.
It wasn't like Jen to be like this, to be consumed by these sorts of thoughts, especially not when she was supposed to be working. It had been so long since she had been intimate with anyone, and the memories of what had transpired between her and Nick on their first undercover assignment, was fresh in her mind.
The way that he had made her feel had been incredible, and she longed to feel that way again. No man had ever had that affect on her, and it certainly was not conducive to working.
They sat eating breakfast, Jen sitting at the kitchen counter, eating her cereal, Nick sitting at the table with some toast.
Every now and again they would exchange brief glances, small smiles, both wondering what the other was thinking.
Nick's mobile beeped on the table. Hartono wanted to meet Nick later that afternoon, at his shop. Jen was adamant that she was going to go with him.
"Jen, I'd rather you didn't..."
Jen got up and placed her bowl in the kitchen sink. She glanced at Nick. "This is not open for discussion, Nick. I'm coming with you. I thought we talked about this last night?"
"Okay" he agreed quietly. "Okay." He sighed. He didn't like it. He didn't want her there. Nick had an uneasy feeling about this meeting with Hartono. He couldn't really explain it, but he knew that he would never forgive himself or SIS, if something happened to Jen.
He would rather face Hartono on his own, knowing that Jen was safe back at the house; but he knew how stubborn she was, and once she got an idea in her head, there was no talking her out of it. It was one of the things that had first attracted him to her, her strength; but he also knew that her strength, her toughness, had the potential to be her downfall.
That afternoon, as they walked through the suburban shopping mall towards Hartono's shop, Nick glanced around nervously, taking in the surroundings. He knew that SIS had them covered, but he still felt uneasy.
He grabbed hold of Jen's hand, and she clapsed his tightly.
They spied Hartono out the front of his shop. When he saw them, he smiled and gave a small wave. Jen did not think that was a good sign. Hartono was a serious, miserable sort of fellow, he never gave away what he was thinking, never displayed any emotion whatsoever.
The fact that he had smiled at them, concerned her greatly. He disappeared back inside his shop, and Nick felt a lump rising in his throat. It was too late now, they had come too far, but he knew that this wasn't good, and he didn't know how to keep Jen safe anymore. Something was wrong, and they were too exposed.
Suddenly, a shot rang through the air; a man went down next to them. As quickly as they turned to see what had happened, a second shot rang out, and Jen went down.
Nick screamed her name, and cradled her in his arms. There was blood, she was unconscious, and she was not responding.
Nick's chest was heavy, weighted down with the realisation that he could lose her, that she had been hurt, that he hadn't been able to protect her. "Jen!" he cried urgently, as he held her.
Within seconds, Burns and Dom appeared, and they tried to take Jen from Nick, to carry her to their vehicle.
"I've got her!" Nick shouted angrily at them. They had let this happen, they had allowed Jen to be shot. He was not going to let them touch her. He would carry her, himself.
He did not want those SIS bastards to lay their filthy hands on her.