"Let the rain fall down, and wake my dreams. Let it wash away my sanity. I want to feel the thunder, I want to scream. Let the rain fall down, I'm coming clean." ~Hilary Duff
Nick's P.O.V.
I walked along the sidewalk, feeling nearly as light as the leaves that the wind blew across the sidewalk. Rain began pelting me, but I could care less. Spending yesterday afternoon with Claudia after finding out I may pull through was enough to bring a smile to my face in spite of the weather. After we'd arrived back at her flat, she'd looked like she had wanted to say something, but then just told me goodnight and went into her flat. I'd intended on staying with her again, but I'd had some back paperwork to take care of at the University.
I had a chance of surviving the cancer, Claudia had let me kiss her twice now, and I was feeling well enough to maybe even swing by the Home Office and deck Lester again. Today was a good day already. Not to mention the fact I had another appointment with Dr. Noir again in three days and he was going to run some tests so he could give the results to Lester. Once Lester had the proof in his hands that I wasn't officially terminally ill, he should by all means reinstate my position in the Anomaly Operation.
As I walked, I ran into someone and looked up to apologize. I found Joseph standing there, looking like a drowned rat. His white lab coat clung to his slender frame, his unruly black hair was soaked, and raindrops ran down the lenses of his glasses. He stuttered out an apology before he realized it was me.
"Oh, hi Mister Cutter," he greeted, taking off his glasses and tucking them into his pocket.
"Please, it's Nick. So why are you wearing your lab coat, anyways? You're not in the office," I said.
"I always wear this," he shrugged with a laugh.
"You are one interesting little man," I said, shaking my head but still smiling.
"Ah, 'little' doesn't exactly apply. I'm actually six feet tall," he said.
"I'll be sure to remember that. So, what brings you onto the sidewalk in the middle of the pouring rain?" I asked, blinking away the drops of rain clinging to my eyelashes.
"I was actually just walking. I was bored," he explained.
"Ah," I nodded. I was growing to like the strange young man, but he was still quite confusing.
"Would you like to come back to my apartment with me and have some tea? I was just on my way home," he offered. I could tell he hadn't been in London long, given he still said apartment instead of flat.
"That would be wonderful," I nodded, eager to get out of the rain.
I was already soaked to the bone, and while it would take a lot to get me out of my good mood, a cold was the last thing I needed. The team could barely handle my pronounced Scottish accent as it was, lord knows they wouldn't be able to put up with it if I was all stuffy. I could have slapped myself upside the back of the head for thinking such silly, trivial thoughts, but the good mood I'd had since leaving the doctor's office yesterday was still present. Mostly because I couldn't fully push Claudia's image from my mind in spite of my efforts to concentrate.
"Nice place," I said when we arrived at Joseph's flat and I looked around.
It was clean to the point of being pristine, and the books lining the bookshelves were all extremely well kept hardcover editions. Nothing seemed out of place at all, as if Joseph possessed OCD. Judging from the way he fussily straightened a framed photograph on the wall, he probably did.
"Feel free to make yourself comfortable while I fix tea," he said, motioning to the couch before disappearing into the kitchen.
While he was gone, I continued to study the spacious flat. Everything from the large window that took up most of one wall to the bookcases that took up most of the other walls made the place look every inch Joseph's. I looked up at the picture he'd been straightening and saw it was of a man strikingly similar to Joseph, a tall redheaded woman, and a young black haired boy with blue eyes. I could only assume that the little boy had been Joseph years ago.
"That my father, my mother, and me," he explained when he came back and noticed me looking at the picture.
"I wasn't try to snoop around, I just couldn't help but notice how much the two of you look alike," I said, taking a sip of the tea and letting the warm liquid coat my throat.
"Looked alike," he corrected. "They're both dead," he said flatly, looking distanced and closed off but not self pitying.
"I'm very sorry," I said with a sympathetic nod. I knew where he was coming from, both of my parents were also passed on. It was just sad that he was so young and without parents.
"So, how have you been doing? Has your spine been acting up?" he asked, deliberately changing the subject. His family was a sore topic, apparently.
"Actually, aside from aching a little this morning, I haven't felt a thing. I'm pretty sure that surgery did its job," I said, and he nodded in relief.
I couldn't help but notice as he sat curled up in an armchair, with his soaked clothing molded against him, how fragile and vulnerable he looked. Something about the man triggered the same paternal instinct Connor did. They were definitely two different people, that much was obvious, but the obvious strength that laid under the surface was a common trait between them.
"So, tell me about Claudia," he began with a smile.
"How do you know about Claudia?" I asked immediately.
"She called me this morning to ask how quickly I could get those tests run so you could get back to work. She didn't say what you needed to get back to work on, but she sounded awfully impatient," he said.
"That's my Claudia for you," I laughed, taking another sip of tea.
"Your Claudia?" he repeated amusedly.
I hadn't even realized I'd called her "my" Claudia until he brought it to my attention, and then I blushed like a total fool. Good grief, you're acting like a lovesick teenager, I scolded myself.
"I take it she's your girlfriend then," Joseph said when he noticed the faint blush painting my face.
"I don't have any earthly idea," I admitted. "I've kissed her a couple times and she let me take her out to lunch yesterday, but I don't have any idea if we're even technically dating. I really should talk to her about it," I said, surprising myself with how easy it was to talk to someone I barely knew. Something about the doctor made him seem oddly approachable.
"You're in love with her," he said. It was a statement, not a question. "It's written all over your face," he added upon seeing my puzzled look.
"Yeah. I do love her," I murmured, half to him and half to myself.
Claudia's P.O.V.
"So, what brings you by?" Abby asked as she waved me in.
"I was actually just hoping we could talk. I know you don't really know me that well, but-"
"Claudia it's fine," she laughed, walking into the kitchen and then returning with a cup of tea.
"Thank you. Actually, I was hoping you might give me some advice," I said, picking at the hem of my blouse.
"Is this about Nick?" she asked, leaning forwards. I shifted uncomfortably in the armchair I'd situated myself in, and a slow grin spread across her face.
"This is about Nick," she said if my sudden discomfort was all the answer she needed.
"Alright fine, it's about Nick," I said, taking a drink of tea to stall.
"Well, what's going on with you two?" she asked.
"That's the thing. I have no idea," I said.
"Have the two of you kissed?"
"Twice."
"Well then I'd say the two of you are official," she said, raising her eyebrows.
"He's still technically married to Helen, and we don't even know where that woman is," I sighed.
"I think we can safely assume he's over her," Abby said. Seeing my hesitation to continue, she added, "You love him, don't you?"
"Yes. I have no doubt in my mind about that, I just don't know how he feels about me," I said.
"I would have to be blind not to see how he looks at you. He loves you, Claudia," she assured me, but doubt still ate away at me.
"For once, I wish love didn't have to be so complicated," I said.
She laughed. "Since when has love ever been easy?"
I smiled as well. "True enough."
"It's so hard to tell what's in your heart. What you keep to yourself is tearing me apart. And should I be afraid to dream about you? And if you feel the same, what you gonna do?" ~Alexz Johnson
Author's Note:
This was pretty much just a filler chapter, sorry for any boringness. I will do my best to update soon, but I also need to write a chapter for my Vampire Diaries story, Bleeding Love.
Thanks for reading and reviewing :-)
