Bona Fide Ardour
An All Saints Fan Fiction by Shan
Disclaimer: I do not own, hold copyright to or claim to have any association with the making/production/writing of the show, All Saints
Channel 7 Australia and its related companies own the show's products copyright, film and all other indicia involved with the making and producing of this TV series. Fan fiction is for personal use and for that only, and I claim no rights to the show itself. Thankyou.
Author's notes: This fan fiction has no central focus of character, I'm trying to include all while also having their own little dramas for themselves. The title "Bona Fide Ardour" means Genuine Passion. I should probably mention, in this version of scenario: Charlotte never slept with Jack, is not pregnant, and Nelson has only just stepped down from the N.U.M position, letting Terri take the job. Terri and Jack's relationship is the same as in the series, they broke up the same way, except he never went home with Charlotte in my version -- thus the current dilemma facing them in the series, isn't happening in this one. It is set just around Christmas time as well so expect a few seasonal surprises that come in later. Enjoy.
Chapter One
Closed Minds
Her delicate hand caressed the smooth, mahogany timber of the chair as her fingertips glided across the fine champagne glass in her other, the deep red wine, only half full now as she sat with her bare feet on the rocking chair, her knees pulled up to her body. Elegantly she moved her hand from the arm of the chair to her forehead, brushing the incandescent locks from her face. Her hair was almost shoulder-length and although a stunning dark brunette, it had a tinge of the blackest red.
Her eyes shone in a beautiful crystal blue as if the sun and moon themselves had merged to shape a new form in her eyes.
The chair was in front of the window, letting all of evening's sun warm her olive-skinned body and thawed her tired mind. She hadn't slept well the night before. Escapes of memory reminded her of last nights nightmare and flashes of images made her shiver – some things need to be forgotten in order to move on.
Putting down the now empty glass, a sigh escaped her lips. It had been a long day. In fact, she couldn't remember a time lately when most days hadn't ended like this: in a glass of wine, deep in thought, drowning yesterdays and the present sorrows of her mind. She couldn't help thinking that perhaps she analysed things too much…but it couldn't be helped.
Deep in thought and memory, she nearly didn't hear the phone ring in her room. Her mind snapped, and she almost jumped out of her late husband's rocking chair to get to it, as it went to the message bank.
"Uhh, hey, Terri, it's Nelson. Sorry to bother you, when you get this I was just wondering – "
He was cut-off as Terri picked up the phone, fumbling as she did.
"Sorry, I –uhh, didn't hear the phone," She said with a smile, "What is it?"
"Oh, hi Terri. Umm, look, I wasn't interrupting anything –" Nelson asked apologetically.
"Oh! No – no you weren't" She reassured, "I was just thinking"
"You must have been thinking pretty hard then, you let it ring about fifteen times," Nelson said with inquisitive amusement. Terri smiled and laughed in a cute sort of tone, as the smile lingered in the corner of her mouth. Hearing the adorable laugh, Nelson smiled too.
"I'm sorry, I was just lost in my own world for a moment there" Terri replied finally yet with a vagueness about it. Nelson laughed at this.
"Well, you reckon you could come to work and get lost over here?" He said with that same goofy smile that he always had when talking to Terri. Understanding, Terri frantically looked at her watch. 5:47 pm. "Oh, oh – sorry!" She exclaimed, realising that she was at least fifteen minutes late to her shift, " I'll be over there in just a sec" she added, brushing hair back from her face. Nelson chuckled a little.
"Take your time, were only short-staffed, overworked, underpaid with a few hundred patients coming in daily. No need to rush." He said teasing sarcastically. Smiling, Terri replied, "I bet you bullied all the kids at school too"
He smiled, stumbling some of his words "Hey, it was a good source of income, maybe you should give it a go sometime"
Laughing, Terri held the phone to her ear as she pulled her shirt off and threw it on her bed, baring her torso; her black-laced bra only complemented her already well-toned body. She grabbed her uniform shirt from her wardrobe and put it on over the top. "What's all the noise?" Nelson asked, still on the other line in the office.
"What? Oh! I'm just getting dressed for work – so you wanna go?" She replied, stopping to adjust the phone. Nelson smiled deviously "Is no an option?"
Terri put her hands on her hips with an exasperated sigh. "Maybe, but answering yes would be better for your own safety, Nelson."
Smiling at her tenacity, Nelson decided he'd pushed her enough for today.
"Yeah, all right. Umm, I'll let you go then. I'll cover for you till you get here." He said letting himself off gently, then adding "Be careful, Frank's on the prowl"
"Why – what's happened now?"
Nelson breathed in deeply before speaking. "Well…you'll see when you get here." Nelson said, leaving Terri confused but intrigued.
"Uhh- okay, I'll be there soon."
"Yeah"
"Okay, bye"
"Yeah, See you later."
He said slowly hanging up the phone on Frank's desk.
Nelson rubbed his hands over his unshaven face in an attempt to wake him up properly. It didn't work. Yawning, he got up from Frank's desk and moved towards the door before a particular photo on Terri's desk caught his attention – the wedding photo with her and Mitch. He looked at it with what looked like sympathy in his dark eyes, as he clung onto the door with one hand and the other rested loosely oh his hip.
He breathed in and then exhaled heavily, in, and then out. He looked at how happy she looked, and how beautiful. And for one split second he wished that Mitch had never of come back into her life – a selfish thought, yes, but one with meaning. He knew he could never be able to make her feel that same way. Yet in a strange way he understood why she couldn't be with him, but on the other – how cruel is it to love someone with passion and knowing full well they will never share that passion with you.
But on the bright side, he'd just had his first 'semi-nude-phone call' from her. An upside to her trusting him, he thought tilting his head slightly to the side in amusement. He stood there with a grin on his face thinking about what she might have been wearing…
…I always thought black was her colour, maybe…
"Hey Nelson, we have a –" Jess exclaimed bursting through the door before stopping mid-sentence, "What are you smiling about so early in the morning?" She continued, wierded out by his smiley-appearance.
Nervously, Nelson made an excuse "Uhhh—oh, um – I was just thinking about something Von said earlier."
…Not the best lie but it would do…
An odd, 'one-eyebrow-raised-look' appeared on Jess's face, she eyed him as though she'd just caught him smuggling baby pandas into the N.U.M's office.
"What?" Nelson said with one arm nervously behind his neck and the other hanging loosely.
"No-one else can be happy in this place with Frank around, so don't go around making everyone else jealous." Jess replied shaking the look from her face with her usual annoyed tone and a crease just above her forehead that she got every time she plastered that "whatever" look on her face.
"You…wanted something?" Nelson said folding his hand out in front of him in a gesture, trying to change the subject.
"Oh! Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that we've been put on alert forthree victims involved in an MVA that are on their way down here, last I heard they'd be in the E.D in a about – " She stopped and looked at her wrist watch, "25—30 minutes?"
"Thanks for letting me know"
"It's what I'm payed for" She said with her eyes on her clipboard
"Is that all?"
"Umm—yeah –you all right? You seem a little out of it today" She looked concerned
"Yeah –uh, yeah…I'm fine." He said shaking off her question, "Just tired"
She reluctantly backed away from her curiosity and decided to let him be.
"Okay, well I'm on duty in triage, Dan's covering for me so I should get back there and stop him from doing anything stupid." She said with a weak smile, "You should try and get some rest – you look like crap," She said with a grimace as she walked out, closing the door behind her.
"Thanks…" He replied with a hollow tone, opening the door again. Immediately the hush quietness of the office was bombarded with noise and clutter, people talking and rushing about. With a sigh, he reluctantly stepped out into the madness – ready to face 'Cranky-Frank' and the never-ending chaos that is the Emergency Department…
Well there's the first chapter, hope you enjoyed it - the other chapters are on their way:) Shan