It's an early Wednesday morning and Nikki is in early. The Lyell is so quiet when nobody is around. Well... when your boss has been in his office with the door shut for the past half an hour and hasn't said good morning to you yet. It's going to be silent.
Finally the attractive Doctor Chamberlain opens the door and walks over to Nikki Alexander.
"Hey Nikki." Thomas says walking to her. "Can you do me a favour?"
"Yeah. What's up?" She asks and he looks very uncomfortable.
"Can you drive me home?" He asks and she looks up from her work.
"Is everything okay?" She asks and Thomas doesn't say anything. She notices how un comfortable he his and gets up. She notices the bruise forming on his face. "What the fuck happened?" She asks.
"Come to my office." He says quietly and goes to his office. She notices how he keeps rubbing his wrists and neck. He's hurt. He's in discomfort with whatever it is. Nikki shuts the door. "Can you shut the blinds too?" He asks and she does it. "Lock the door. I don't want people seeing this." He leans against his desk.
She does as he asks. "Now will you please tell me what happened?" She asks walking over to him. Thomas, with great struggle takes off his blazer. Nikki goes to help him but decides against it. She notices the marks on his arms, due to his shirt sleeves being rolled up. "Thomas... what the?" She says.
"Do you remember the comment Superintendent Hart made?" He asks and Nikki nods. "Well... after his comments we played squash together and things got heated."
"Hart did this to you." She says. "Did you go anywhere?"
"Hart...He mentioned you though... well I think he did."
"What do you mean?" She asks and Thomas looks down at his almost shaky hands. She takes one of his hands and runs her hand over the grazed knuckles. "You hit him."
"Once. After he... After what he said I couldn't hold myself back and punched him." He says and she looks at him.
"You never get angry. What did he say? Was it what he said about me?" She asks and Thomas doesn't reply. "Tom... please."
"I did something stupid a few years ago. If it got out it would implicate you too as you were the only other person working that case from the team. Do you remember the case that Hart brought us to in Manchester?" He asks.
"Yeah I do. The inspector was all over you." She replies. The memory sends a shiver down Nikki's spine.
"What I am about to tell you can't leave us. Okay?" He asks and Nikki nods.
"Of course." She says quietly.
"There was a piece of evidence that I handled that implicated Hart in a drug scandal at the second crime location. I told Hart that the results would stay on the database. Hart got rid of the results and I got... i got rid of the drugs with his fingerprints on them." He says and Nikki looks at him. "I did it because I knew what would have happened."
"So what happened last night?" She asks and Thomas runs his hand over hers before taking a breath and looking up into her dark chocolate eyes. She deserves the truth and Thomas is going to give it to her.
"Hart invited me to play squash. It was sort of his way of telling me he needed to talk. We played a few rounds as we talked. During the last round I said something about the case and how he should have been investigated and he caught the ball and through it to the side. We got into a fairly heated discussion and he ended up saying some stuff about the Lyell and us as a team. I told him that I have my best team for every case and he made a comment about each of the team. Started with Jack. Then Clarissa. Then he said stuff about me. Before he could mention you he hit me, to see if I would react. He kept hitting and talking. Then he pulled on my shirt so I couldn't move and he said what he said about you and pushed me back. I was just going to leave and then he did it again... so I punched him." He stops talking and Nikki looks up to see him visibly shaken and upset by what Superintendent Hart said to him. She gave him a smile put a hand on his arm. Her hand moved up and down his arm as he spoke. "It was enough to make him stumble but then he realised I was trying to leave the squash court so he tackled me to the ground and kept punching and digging into my face and my chest. Then he stopped. He got up, I got up and he got his back. He told me that he could do whatever he wanted to the Lyell. He said he would come after what I cared about more than my job and then he walked away." Thomas says and Nikki looks from her arm to his face. "I shouldn't have done it. I know that." He says and she smiles before nodding.
"What did Hart call me?" She asks looking into his stormy eyes. He looks down and shakes his head softly before looking up at her. "It's okay. Tell me." She whispers and he rests his arms around her waist. She places her head onto his chest and they stay like that for a few moments.
There had been a spark between them for a long time. They cared about each other more than they should. She had fallen in love with Thomas. He was kind, caring, he stuck his neck out for her and she did the same for him. He wouldn't have punched Hart if he didn't care about he. They did the candlelight dinners at tables for 2 at the more expensive restaurants and Nikki would always try and impress him, and it worked. They did the hand carresses and the holds from time to time. It never got personal in the office unless they knew they were alone and out of sight, like today Nikki guesses.
"I don't want to say." He replied and she looks at him.
"Thomas it's okay." She says. "I need to know... no... I want to know." She says looking into his sad, hurt, anger filled eyes.
"He..." Thomas takes a shaky breath and rubs his sore neck once again. "He called you a stupid slut who I only kept around because i wanted a piece of the action." He says quietly. "I'm sorry." He says looking up into her rage filled eyes.
"I'm not. Thomas you did what you did to protect us. I'm glad you did it. Heck I wish you hit him more than once. I wish I could have too." She says. She places a hand to his face and runs her thumb on the marks forming on his face. "You have nothing to be sorry for." She whispers. She leans closer to him and places a kiss on his lips. She moves back slightly before lifting her head fully away.
"Don't go." He says quietly.
"I shouldn't have done that." She replies, looking down.
"Maybe not, but I'm glad you did. There's been something between us for a while Nikki, I know you know." He says and she just nods. "The door is locked. The blinds are shut. There's not a camera in here, I checked." He says and she looks up before chuckling.
"You checked?" She inquires and he smiles.
"Well... I needed to tell you what happened. I don't trust Hart. That's what I was doing earlier today." He says and she smiles. His arms goes back around her waist like it was before she moves away and she moves closer to him once more.
"Before we do this, shall I take you home?" She asks and Thomas smiles.
"You know my neck and back are bad, right?" He says with a smirk. She gives him a very quick kiss to the cheek before laughing.
"Never stopped you from eating breakfast in bed before, has it?" She asks.
"Don't cook... I'd prefer to have you in bed with me." He replies with a soft smile.
"Who said I was cooking?" She asks and Thomas smirks.
"Doctor Alexander are you thinking about me eating..." He stops talking as she laughs and leans closer to his ear.
"Yes. Yes I am." She responds.