It figured Nicholas would be at the flower shop. He had skipped out on Danny's birthday party to go to the flower shop. It made so much sense it was almost funny. Perhaps 'Lily' had needed a new pot. That plant had ruined Nicholas' last relationship and now he could see why. Danny had only been joking earlier when he had suggested the reason Nicholas and Janine had split up was because he had done 'it' with the plant. At least Nicholas had cared enough about her to be in a relationship with her before the plant had ruined it. Danny couldn't even get that far. What did a bloke have to do to get Nicholas' attention? Sure, there were shining moments like the fair and this morning, which were just enough to give him hope but then the perfect idiot would go and do something like this. And, of course, something exciting had to happen while he was out choosing Lily over Danny because action followed Sergeant Nicholas Angel wherever he went. Life wasn't fair. Then Tony had to go and put Nicholas in a foul mood by assuming Leslie's death was just another terrible accident.
Back at the station, Nicholas' patience, which had been waning for weeks, was finally gone.
"Leslie Tiller was FUCKING MURDERED!" He practically screamed at the room at large. Unfazed by the battle cry, the Andes rallied for the argument, looking downright predatory as they fought with Nicholas. One would think they were enjoying themselves. There was lots of bellowing and fighting and at least four pounds were given to the swear box with Danny and Andy's assistance. Nicholas was larger than life as always as he (passionately) insisted that these were not a string of accidents but he may as well have been shouting at a brick wall for all the good it was doing. No one was willing to even consider what he was trying to say. Instead, they all picked away at him, bit by bit, slowly driving him mad. It hurt Danny to watch. He was used to people not taking him seriously but to dismiss Nicholas so easily, that wasn't right. He knew more about police work than all of them put together. Even if he couldn't see what Nicholas saw, it wasn't because there was nothing there. It was because he wasn't good enough to see it for himself.
Nicholas continued to hold his own against the other policemen(officers) like a bright light keeping away the circling shadows, until Andy asked him why he had been at the flower shop in the first place.
"Because ... I was buying Constable Butterman a Japanese Peace Lily for his birthday," Nicholas looked at the floor losing steam for the first time since he began his tirade. The fight had changed direction so quickly Danny about got whiplash. Nicholas hadn't been skipping his party but had been buying him a gift when this had all happened? And not just a gift but a lily of his own to tend? Danny looked up at Nicholas to stare with wide eyes. He was looking almost as vulnerable and fragile as he had the other night on the couch, but this time there was no one to protect him. The Andes took immediate advantage of his vulnerability and moved in for the kill.
"Maybe, you did it," Wainwright hissed as they advanced on Nicholas who wilted little by little under the onslaught.
"Ya, seein' as you're such a big fan o murder," Cartwright followed-up. That set him off again. Cause remembered, he was back to shouting only this time right in the Andes collective faces. He doesn't get more than three words in before Frank cut him off mid explosion and beckoned him into his office; the relative quiet that followed Nicholas' abrupt departure rang in Danny's ears.
Nicholas' confrontation with Skinner was one of the most brilliant things Danny had ever seen. He knew Nicholas would figure it all out and he was certain that he was right, no matter what everyone else thought. All the 'accidents' definitely weren't and Skinner was their man. But he was a slippery man. Watching him worm his way out of Nicholas' carefully constructed noose was as heartbreaking as it was infuriating, mostly because everyone believed Skinner even if they didn't say it outright. Danny wasn't too worried about it all. Nicholas would prove it was him.
They sat together for hours scanning tape after tape of security footage looking for a point when Skinner wasn't flashing his carefully constructed smile at the cameras. The others left, one by one, as the stack of watched tapes grew higher and still there wasn't one moment where Skinner wasn't visible. This Danny did find a little odd. He had known Skinner almost his entire life. He was friendly enough with his customers but Danny had never known him to spend so much time out on the sales floor. Seemed to Danny that he usually spent most of his time holed up in his manager's office. It felt like there should be something to that but he didn't know what. No matter. Nicholas was on the case and he would find something soon that proved Skinner was behind it all. The hero always wins in the end.
It was getting late. The final rays of the dying sun filtered through the blinds of the Somerfield office window and they were still watching tape after tape, searching for a second without Skinner's oily smile. Only Frank patting Nicholas' shoulder on his way out broke the spell cast on him, at least enough for him to tear his eyes away from the screen and address Danny for the first time since he left for the flower shop.
"I can handle the rest of this here Danny. You might as well go back and enjoy the rest of your birthday," Nicholas said, rubbing his weary face as he did. Danny didn't want to leave him alone but he had to admit this was boring. There wasn't anything else going on and he wasn't actually helping Nicholas other than providing moral support. He had been hoping he would join him in the pub later for a proper celebration of his birthday. Fat chance of that now. Most likely, Nicholas would be here all night.
"Did you really get me that plant?" He asked, not because he didn't believe Nicholas but he wasn't ready to leave just yet. And it was nice hearing him say it again.
"Yes, yes I did," Nicholas answered with a small but true smile, his eyes twinkling with affection. Smiling really did wonders for Nicholas. "But it's been impounded as evidence," The smile faded as he continued, replaced far too quickly with bitter irony.
"Well, maybe dad'll still let me water it," Danny offered, trying to lighten the mood and distract himself as much as Nicholas from the suffocating feeling of defeat waiting patiently to smother them both. His reward was a light chuckle of agreement from Nicholas that held no real mirth. He was wilting before Danny's eyes and it squeezed his heart to know there was nothing he could do to stop it. He got up to leave and gave Nicholas a firm, reassuring pat on the shoulder. It wasn't much but it felt like all he could do.