This Chapter is Rated M for Some Strong Language and Explicit Sexual Situations

A month had come and gone, and the leaves on the trees were turning shades of orange and red as October was just around the corner. Nicole had finally gotten back into the swing of things at Titan. Surprisingly, Xander had been very patient their post make-out session and worked side by side with her bounching off ideas like they'd worked together forever, as well as becoming closer friends. With the workload they had had, there wasn't much time for fooling around anyway. By the time she left the office and headed home, it was dark outside and most everyone else in the office had gone home. All she had time for was food, shower, bed. It was hectic, very long hours and she loved every damn minute of it. She finally felt she belonged somewhere and had a purpose, and she was getting praise for her work already.

As far as if she was getting along with others at work, even the two uptight women from her first day on the job , Bitch 1 and Bitch 2, as she liked to call them for giving her dirty looks and whispering about her in the halls, had finally come around. Nicole decided if you can't beat 'em, bribe 'em. Nicole religiously stopped by to pick up a morning latte for herself and started bringing one for them. She figured it was smart business to get some of the women on her side in a predominantly male work environment..

Within a couple of weeks , Pam and Judy, f/k/a Bitch 1 and Bitch 2, were break room gossiping with Nicole during the lunch hour. It seems Pam was quite fond of Herman in the Accounting Department and was coming to Nicole for advice. Nicole was more than happy to help Pam spruce up her appearance. It might not have seemed like a big deal to most, but to Nicole being asked for man advice from another female was a treat for her. As for Judy, once Nicole talked her out of her crush on Xander (Nicole wasn't having any of that) and introduced her to Bob in Human Resources, she was forever Team Nicole and had been on cloud nine the last couple of weeks. Mission accomplished.

(Monday morning at Titan)

"Ms. Walker?" a voice suddenly rung out over the phone.

"Yes, George?"

"Brady Black is here to see you."

"Did you say Brady Black?"

"Yes, ma'am, Brady Black. But you might want to know he's -"

"Oh, don't make him wait. Send him right in. Oh, and hold my calls, please."

"Yes, Ms. Walker."

Nicole rose up from her chair and stood awaiting Brady's entrance. She hadn't seen Brady for months. He hadn't taken any of her calls and refused to see her when she went to the mansion to visit. All she knew is he had relapsed since his son passed and nobody could get through to him. She didn't know what to expect but she was very happy he had decided to come by to see her.

The door flung open against the wall and crashed against the doorstop, startling her. There stood Brady or the guy formerly known as Brady. His appearance was quite shocking to her. He had almost a full beard. He had deep, dark purple circles bordering his bloodshot eyes that were glaring at her from across the room. He was unsteady on his feet evidenced by the fact he was holding onto the doorframe with one hand to keep his balance. He looked sloppy and dirty probably from sleeping in the same clothes for days. He appeared like he was knocking on Death's door.

"Brady, it's so good to see you," she opted to say, ignoring the mess of a man she saw before her.

"I b – b- bet it is," he stuttered.

"How have you been," she asked as she rounded her desk and began walking at a steady pace toward him.

"Not as good as you, apparently," he responded as his hand slipped off the door frame resulting in his body falling sideways and hard against it.

Nicole ran over to him grabbing his arm to hold him up.

"My God, Brady, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" he yelled at her pulling his arm away roughly.

"You're not fine. Let me help you," she insisted.

"I said I don't need any - your help, damnit!" he yelled blasting her with the extreme odor of hard liquor on his breath as he stumbled forward a few feet.

"Are you seriously drunk right now?"

"Good guess, Ms. Waaaalker," he slurred as he tried to stand straight up and balance himself.

"Brady, why are you doing this to yourself? You can't be here like this."

"Well, I've got some sings – some things to pay - to say and I'm not leaving here till I do."

"Wow, you smell like a brewery."

"Oh, you used to love the way I smelled, Nicole, until you left me for - for - for BJ."

"EJ."

"Yeah, him. Just like everybody else leaves me too."

"Oh, Brady, come over here. Sit down on the couch with me."

"Wait, didn't this used to be my office?" he scanned the room curiously as they moved forward.

"Come on, let's talk for a while, okay, Brady?"

"Who took my name off the drawer?"

"Your name will be put back on the 'door' when you're able to come back to work."

"I demand to talk to my grandfather. Where the hell is he?"

Nicole helped Brady sit down on the couch and she sat down beside him.

"Brady, don't you remember? Victor is not well. He had a stroke a while back."

"What did you do to him?" he yelled out shocking Nicole. "Did you try to fucking kill him again?"

"Brady, calm down."

"Is everything okay, Ms. Walker?" George had apparently heard the ruckus and ran into the room.

"Yes, George, I'm fine. Would you mind getting Mr. Black a cup of coffee. Black, please."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And put a shot of Dack Janiels in that, will ya, Jeff?" he blurted out scrambling his words again.

"It's George, not Jeff."

"Whatever you say. And if it's all the same to you, hold the coffee, George Not Jeff."

George rolled his eyes over in Nicole's direction awaiting her reply.

"Just the coffee, please, George. And can you put a rush on that?" Nicole nodded emphatically.

"Yes, ma'am, right away."

"Brady, listen to me. You're going to drink some coffee and sober up and then we will talk rationally not incoherently."

"Why are you here, Nicole? What are you up to?"

"I work here, Brady. Philip hired me."

"Philip would never hire you. You're something up- you're up to something."

"Brady, look at me, it's me, Nicole. I'm your friend, remember?"

"I don't have any friends."

"You have me. Please stop doing this to yourself. Let me help you. You know I care about you," she said placing her hand on top of his and squeezing it trying to comfort him.

Brady grew quiet. He looked down at her hand on his and then looked back up at her. His mood seemed to shift suddenly and a drunken devious grin emerged. Abrupty and with no warning he lunged forward at her trying to kiss her and missed and fell forward on her instead. The sudden whiff of alcohol almost caused her to gag as she fell backwards a little.

"Brady, no, stop it, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he lunged at her again trying to kiss her. "I thought you wanted to help me."

"Brady, this isn't you. Get off of me!" she threw her arms straight out against his chest and held them there to block him from trying it again.

Before she knew what was happening, Brady was violently snatched up from the couch and thrown against the wall in front of her.

"What the fuck are you doing to her, you son of a bitch?"

Xander's forearm was pressed against Brady's neck pinning him against the wall.

"I asked you a question, motherfucker," Xander's anger increased.

"Xander, it's okay. I'm okay," Nicole jumped up and ran up behind him.

"It's not okay. He's drunk and he was all over you and I'm about to kick his fucking ass. I don't care if he's kin to me or not."

"That's right, Xander, he's drunk. He doesn't know what he's doing."

"Nicole, back away now," he warned her and then aimed his attention back to Brady.

"Stop it right now. Get off of him."

"She said no. Did you not hear that?" he scowled in Brady's face, still fuming with rage.

"You're hurting him, can't you see that?" she pleaded.

"I'm hurting HIM? What about what he was doing to you?"

"Please, Xander, let me handle this. Will you let go of him, please? PLEASE!" she repeated with more conviction.

Xander exhaled violently, but finally acknowledged Nicole's pleas and removed his arm from Brady's neck.

With perfect timing, George appeared with the coffee.

"Oh, thank God, George. I'll take that."

Nicole walked right around Xander ignoring him and straight to Brady, who was now holding his neck with his hand and gasping for air.

"Brady," Nicole grabbed him by the hand, "come sit back down and drink this."

"I'm sorry, Nicole. I don't know what I'm doing anymore," Brady apologized throwing his head down acting emotionally distraught.

"It's okay. It's okay. Come here." She guided him to the couch where he sat down looking a bit dazed. He threw his hands over his face in defeat.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." She immediately made a beeline back over to where a still very heated Xander stood.

"What the hell got into you?"

"He was attacking you, Nicole."

"It's Brady. He is just out of his mind with grief right now. He's seeking comfort in ways he normally wouldn't."

"So I'm supposed to just let him do that to you and do nothing, is that it?"

"You're supposed to trust me when I say I can handle it."

"It didn't look like you were handling it that well when I came in."

"Look, Xander -"

"I want him out of here, Nicole."

"This is my office. I want you out of here. I will talk to YOU later."

"Nicole, please..."

"Don't 'Nicole' me. You really could have hurt him."

"You're really throwing me out of your office?"

Nicole took a deep breath in and then out, calming herself down. "Look, Xander, I love that you ran in here to defend my honor, it's actually very sweet of you minus the almost killing Brady part, but Brady and I go way back and he's really hurting. He lost the woman he loved and his child within weeks of each other and he's lost. I can't abandon him. Do you understand that?"

"Nicole, he has no business putting his hands all over you like that against your wishes, no matter what he's going through."

"I know. I know. And if it was anyone else at all, I'd let you beat them within an inch of their life, trust me."

His impulsive fury began to decelerate rapidly after hearing her response.

"I'm sorry," he relented. "I told you I had a hot temper, especially with people hurting someone I care about. I just saw him all over you and you telling him to stop and I fucking lost it."

"Yeah, just a little," she finally managed to crack a smile.

"Please don't be mad at me for wanting to protect you."

"Oh, Xander, I'm not mad at you. I know what that must have looked like when you walked in. I just need you to let me deal with this, okay, on my own?"

"I would never let anyone hurt you, you know that, right?"

"Well, I do now."

"Are you sure you're going to be all right alone with him?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

"I hate leaving you like this when he's in that condition."

"He would never hurt me, Xander. I promise you. Look, he's drinking the coffee," she interjected as they simultaneously turned to look at Brady sipping the coffee.

"He was there for me during the worst experience of my life, losing my baby, and I owe him to be there for him losing his. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. He still doesn't deserve you, you know, but he's lucky to have you. I'll go, but I'm just down the hall if you need anything."

"I know where to find you, " she remarked sincerely.

"ANYTHING," he reiterated stressing the word.

She sensed the concern in his voice and saw the sweet desperation on his face and she leaned in to put him at ease and kissed him softly on his cheek, then turned her head slighty to whisper in his ear, "I'll be okay, I promise."

Xander took full advantage of her proximity and tilted his head toward her as she leaned in and took a deep breath in and out, catching the scent of her hair in the process.

As Nicole lifted her head back up, she turned to walk off and Xander grabbed her hand to stop her mid turn.

"You're killing me, you know that?" he said quietly as he shook his head back and forth at her with a million other thoughts of her in his head he obviously couldn't say to her at that moment.

"I don't mean to," she responded sweetly.

He paused momentarily, biting down on his lip hard. She could tell he wanted to say something more serious to her but he held it back.

"I won't hesitate to crack his skull for you, though, remember that. You just have to say the word," he winked at her as he turned to leave.

"Cracked skull, call Xander. I got it." Is it bad of me that I find that terribly romantic?

Nicole's head was spinning and aching. Her day wasn't at all what she expected. Brady crashing in like that, drunk and out of control. Xander crashing in, sober and out of control. She'd never seen Xander in protective mode and she couldn't get it out of her head. She'd never tell him this, but she found it extremely sexy and hot and a bunch of other adjectives that were keeping her up. She was sleepy but couldn't sleep. She was hungry but didn't want food. Her mind was on that image of him racing in, fists clinched, arms bulging, ready to kill someone just for touching her the wrong way.

She was lounging on her couch in the dark with her Martini in one hand and the remote in the other, but she never even turned on the TV. She just sat there completely still listening to the sound of heavy rain hitting against her window pane and watching from her open window the occasional bright flashes of lightning light up the night sky and parts of her living room. She replayed the events from earlier over and over in her head, a head that refused to get Xander out of it and she wasn't going to fight it.

Nicole's phone suddenly beeped from the coffee table, indicating she had an incoming text message. She picked it up immediately and looked down at her screen anxiously.

Xander 555-0328

I'm coming over.

Sent: 1:01 a.m.

"I'm coming over?" she read the message out loud, then questioned the meaning of it as she glanced toward her front door. "Like, coming over now?"

Unexpectedly, at that moment she heard a faint knock at her door.

Wow, that was fast.

Another text message suddenly came through.

Xander 555-0328

Open the door.

Sent: 1:02 a.m.

She didn't hesitate. She got up, walked over to the door, and leaned in to ask, "Who is it?"

"You know who it is."

"Xander?" she said coyly. "It's after midnight. What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

"It can't wait until the morning?"

"Nicole, open the door now."

Well, he's being bossy now, isn't he?

She unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door and saw a very drenched and intense-looking Xander standing there in the hallway with water dripping from his face down over his mouth onto the floor.

"What on earth have you been up to?" she asked.

Before she could say anything else, he whipped past her into her apartment.

"Well, come on in, why don't you? What is this all about? I was busy...busy watching TV." She could hardly believe how pathetic that sounded. Shut up, Nicole.

"Well, what's the emergency?" she asked impatiently while trying not to gawk at Xander's wet clothes clinging tightly to his toned physique. Sweet Jesus, save my soul.

He turned around toward her and silently looked at her up and down, tilting his head slightly, stopping only to admire certain areas as he soaked up every inch of her.

"Nice shirt," he commented while trying to imagine what she had or didn't have on under there.

Nicole looked down and realized she had answered the door only wearing a t-shirt that just covered her ass ever so slightly so she quickly tugged it from both sides with her hands and pulled it down and held it there.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I don't mean to interrupt whatever it is you're doing right now, Xander, but can you tell me what this is about?"

He ignored her questions and removed his wet jacket.

"Here, give that to me. I'll hang it up for you." She took the jacket out of his hands.

"Leave it," he demanded in a very direct but sexy way as he took a step toward her as she simultaneously took a step back, throwing his jacket to the ground beside her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she stood there anticipating what he was about to do.

"I'm coming over there."

"I see that, but -"

"Shh, shh, no buts, Nicole. I'm coming over there."

"Xander, why are you being so..."

"So what?" He took another step toward her.

Mysterious, sexy, fucking hot, take your pic. Goddamn.

"Are you scared of me, Nicole?" he whispered as he continued his slow approach.

"No, of course not."

"Then where are you going?" he whispered again.

"Nowhere," she said as she continued to back up. "And why are you whispering? No one is here."

Her body suddenly hit a hard object as she had backed up into the wall behind her.

"You're acting really strange," she said as her heart began to pound in her chest.

With her having nowhere to go, Xander bridged the gap and moved within a foot of her.

"What's got into you, Xander? Have you been drinking?"

Xander leaned in ever so closely, so close his lips were practically touching hers and whispered softly, "Do I smell like I've been drinking?"

Nicole inhaled him in on reflex and then exhaled loudly, only smelling the scent of his cologne. Jesus Christ, he smells good.

"Nicole?" he said lingering around her mouth and then licking his lips.

"Mm-hmm?" she mumbled completely seduced by his close proximity to her.

"I'm going to fuck you now."

"You are?" she swallowed hard as she felt her body turn to jello.

"I am."

"Right now?"

"Yes, and preferably against this wall."

"This here wall?" Her thumb pointed backwards touching the wall she had backed herself into.

"Any objections?" he seductively whispered in her ear as he placed one arm on the wall next to her head.

"Um," (gulp) "not that I - not that I can think of."

"Right answer."

His lips claimed hers aggressively as she stood trapped against the wall beneath him. If she wanted out, her only recourse was a swift kick right between his legs. But she wasn't a fool. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. Her response to him proved that to her. She kissed him back hard.

"I knew this is what you wanted," he said sensing the overwhelming reception she offered to his kiss.

He stopped only for a moment to look down at her white t-shirt that was completely drenched now and mostly see-through from his wet clothes coming into contact with hers.

"Do you know how much I fucking want you, Nicole?" His lifted up her shirt slightly as he held onto her bare hips, squeezing them harder as he kissed her. They were slick from the dampness of the water and that turned him on even more.

"You're all wet," he said breathlessly as he ran his hands down her outer thighs and teasingly around her inner thighs.

"Do you want me to stop what I'm doing?"

"No," she blurted out almost instantaneously.

"That's right. You want me inside of you, don't you?"

"Xander, please."

Without taking his eyes off of her, he slid his hands underneath the bottom of her t-shirt very slowly, tracing her body with his fingers slowly upward until he reached her breasts and cupped them in his hands, squeezing them playfully.

"Mmm, no bra. You were expecting me, weren't you?"

Nicole flung her head to the side with pleasure while biting down on her lip to keep from yelling out, which provided him an open invitation to devour her neck while he kept a tight clutch on her breasts. As Nicole's breathing increased, Xander's arousal increased.

"Mmm, you like that, don't you?"

Nicole turned her head back toward him, giving into the gratification that was being thrust upon her and tried to kiss him.

"Oh, no, baby, I'm in control here," he teased, jerking his face back away from her.

"Now, hold still for a second for me."

Hold still? Are you fucking kidding me right now?

Xander slid his hands down her stomach and clasped on to her panties and slipped them down to the floor as she stepped out of them. Then with one swift and sudden move, Xander grabbed her ass and lifted her off the ground, her straddling him as he carried her over to the couch.

As he sat down on the couch, Nicole came down on top of him still straddling him as she tried to catch her breath.

"What now?" she whispered seductively into his ear playing his little game.

"Whatever you want," he said with a sexy grin as if he wanted to devour her.

Nicole swallowed hard knowing exactly what that was.

"Show me want you want, Nicole. I'm waiting."

Nicole began unbuttoning his pants slowly until she had a clear view of what she wanted.

"Is that what you're looking for, baby?" he said egging her on.

Nicole licked her lips as she positioned herself above him.

"It drives me insane when you lick your lips, Nicole."

"Is that not allowed?" she teased, kissing his top lip ever so slowly with her tongue.

"Only if you want me to fuck you harder." Xander took control again and grabbed onto Nicole's wet shirt and she raised her hands up in the air as he slipped it off of her.

"Enough with the games. I want you now, Nicole." Without saying a word, he lifted her up gently as he let her slide down on him very slowly causing Nicole to moan loudly as she felt him push inside of her. "Oh, God, Xander."

Suddenly a ray of direct sunlight beamed straight into Nicole's face and she immediately opened her eyes. She was still on the couch, remote in one hand and Martini half spilled in the other. She put down the remote and glass and sat up, throwing a cushion into her stomach and holding it there.

"You have got to be kidding me? I was dreaming? No fucking way. No more alcohol before bed, Nicole," she reprimanded herself as she clutched the cushion and swung it up toward her face and held it over it in exasperation.

"What are you doing to me, Xander?"

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