Disclaimer: I don't own Red Dwarf.

Author's note: This moves the story along a lot, now. I had quite a bit of trouble writing this chapter and the next, as originally they were going to be one chapter, but as it ran into its sixth page I thought I'd better split it up, which was very annoying as some of the lines in the next chapter could so easily have been used in this one and had a really good effect (and vice versa).

Lister stormed angrily down the corridor in the direction of his room. He knew Rimmer would be there; at least, he hoped Rimmer would be there. He couldn't quite believe that that weasel of a smeghead of a man was in love with his, Dave Lister's, girlfriend. What was even more unbelievable was that she seemed to have to think about it. What was there to think about!? Wasn't he loving and devoted and caring and sweet and tender and altogether better than Rimmer? He was so filled with rage; he didn't think he'd ever been as angry in his entire 26 years. He knew there wasn't much of a chance of Rimmer actually doing anything about his feelings - he'd seen arachnophobics less scared of spiders than Rimmer was of commitment - but he had to make certain it didn't happen; even if there wasn't much of a chance, it didn't mean there wasn't a chance at all.
Rimmer walked uneasily down the corridor in the direction of Binary Star, a little used bar. He knew that Lister would be there; at least, he hoped Lister would be there. After much battling with his conscience he had decided to tell him how he felt about Nicole. He had come up with plenty of reasons not to tell him - the possibility of erasure being one of the worst - but felt that the arguments in support of telling him were much stronger: if he didn't tell him he'd probably find out some other way; it would take away the pressure that had been grinding him down for far too long now; and who knew, maybe he would even step down and let Rimmer have her (he accepted that this was extremely unlikely).

But before either of them reached their destination they ran into each other in the corridor. They were both a little surprised and it took them a while to start talking. Lister spoke first:
"What do you think you're doing going and falling in love with me girlfriend?"
Rimmer began his plea, "Please just let me..." but then realised what Lister had just said, "What?"
"You heard me!"
Rimmer was overwhelmed by confusion, "Did I already tell you?"
"So it is true..." Lister drifted off. First he had been mad at Rimmer because Nikki believed he was in love with her. Now he was shocked from the confirmation. The whole thing had gone so swiftly, yet so much had been confessed and it mutually scared them. Both of them stood frozen to the spot, staring at the floor, neither daring to move. Lister was, again, first to act when he realised he hadn't taken a breath for a frightening length of time. He drew in air quickly and shakily. Rimmer glanced nervously at him and felt an enormous amount of anxiety hit him.
"I'm...gonna go," he said. Lister just nodded slowly, not looking up. Rimmer turned and went back to his room. Lister turned and went back to Binary Star.

Nicole waited for two and a half hours before giving up. She pulled out her earrings and tossed them aside; she pulled the three hairclips out of her hair and let it hang loose; she pulled the incredibly tight and uncomfortable heels off her feet and threw them to the other side of the room. She lay on her bed. She'd only ever had one fifth date before with her second ever boyfriend, Terry Worth. She had really thought he was the one, until she caught him making out with her, supposed, best friend. It had really hurt her. Thanks to her bitchy sister Judith, who was always putting her down and sapping away her confidence, people who Nicole could count as friends were few and far between. True, she had been away from home for seven months at that time, but that underlying distrust was still present and she firmly believed that was what had turned Terry away from her. Now it was happening again. Dave was now three hours late for their fifth date.
Another long hour passed before she heard a knock at the door.
"Holly?"
"Yes?"
"Who is it outside my door?"
Holly's image dissolved away to reappear a second later, "Dave."
Nicole sighed and pulled herself onto her bare feet. She went to the door and opened it and was instantly hit by the smell of alcohol. She shielded her nose with her hand.
"God! No need to ask where you've been!"
"I've been at the Binary Shtar," he slurred, "for a couple of drinkies with the Cat. Except Cat wasn't there. So I drank his drinks!" he doubled up as he descended into a fit of giggles. Nicole remained stony faced.
"You said you'd take me to the arboretum tonight," she said impatiently.
"The arboretriaminum...what?" Lister was very drunk.
"Forget it. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Why put off 'til tomorrow," he said wavering as he straightened up and threw out his arms, "what you can have now?"
"Because it's pissed."
"Whassat s'posed to mean?" Lister became defensive.
"Dave, you're completely wasted!"
"Am not!"
"Yes, you are," she assured him.
"Am not!"
"You are!"
"Not, not, not!"
"OK, I am not going to be brought down to this level," she said and took his arm, "just go back to your room, sober up, and I'll see you in the morning." She put extra emphasis on the last six words. He shook off her grip.
"But I don't wanna go!" he whinged.
"Sorry, Dave, but that's not your choice," she said trying to control his flailing arm.
"If you really can't stand to be around me," Lister continued childishly, "Then why don't you leave?"
"Because it's my room!"

"So? As far as I can see," which wasn't more than four feet in front if him according to Nicole's reckoning, "the only thing that's stopping you leaving is my incredibly charming and seductive sexual magnetism." He started giggling again. In his opinion, his best chat-up lines were spoken when he was completely trashed, "Face it, bitch, you can't get enough of me!" This came out a little more brusquely than he had hoped for, but he was too inebriated to notice.

"Dave, you're actually starting to offend me now. Please just go."
"Why don't you go?" he challenged. She was beginning to consider it. "Why don't you go see lover boy?"
"If you mean Rimmer, I think I just might!"
And with that she stormed out of the room. She strode to Rimmer's quarters, not even knowing if she was going the right way. She wiped away the hot tears streaming down her face. She finally located the familiar door and rapped on it.

A/n: Poor Nikki. Let's hope Rimmer can cheer her up......