I own nothing but Nicki. Ten points if anyone remembers who Clyde was on the show.

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Though she be but little, she is fierce."

"Clyde?" Nicki exclaimed with a friendly demeanor, acting as if it were some happy accident that she was seeing him here. The boy turned to look at her and his eyes immediately grew as wide as saucers.

"Nick!" He said, mimicking her greeting. A nervous laugh escaped him as he struggled to keep his cool. "Fancy seeing you here-"

"You too," she replied coldly, her eyes hard and hostile, but the friendly smile still playing across her lips. "And just what brings you here, Clyde." She spat his name like it was an insult.

"I was just-"

"Let's step outside," she cut in, her grin getting tighter by the second. "I think we need to have a talk and you know how much I hate to make a scene."

Clyde dropped all pretenses, seeming to realize just how angry she was. She saw the look of daring pass across his eyes and she willed him with her mind. Don't do this. But she saw that the cornered boy had made up his mind. With a look of absolute defiance he leaned back against the bar and gave her a stone-faced look. "I'll stay right here thanks." He retorted.

The smile dropped from her face and nothing but anger remained. She saw regret flash across his face as she took hold of his worn jacket and began dragging him towards the door. Once they reached the alley beside the club she slammed him into the brick wall. Clyde was almost a head taller than her so she had to glare up at him, but her height didn't seem to be relevant to either parties involved. Clyde threw his hands up in surrender and began babbling an apology, fear shining in his eyes now that the two were alone. "Ok look I'm sorry," he spoke low and quick. "I just thought, you know, what's the harm in one night?"

"Give me the money." She demanded coldly. Not acknowledging his apology.

"C'mon, I-" He stopped short as she flicked a butterfly knife from a hidden strap on her thigh and pointed it at his chest.

"I didn't spend hardly any of it," he grumbled, taking out his wallet. "Look. Here, take it back ok?"

She didn't lower the knife but snatched the folded money from him. She barely cast it a glance before waving it in his face. "This is it? How much did you spend here?" Before he could reply she had him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to eye-level. "This money is for FOOD. Not for you to buy booze with. All of the starving kids at the Flea are more important than you're night life."

His eyes suddenly narrowed and he shoved her hands off of him, only to have her hook her leg into the back of his knee, bringing him down hard on the pavement. The knife was now level with his cheek and pressing cold against his skin. "Look, look! Me and the boys, we do this every time and there's always plenty left for food and blankets. The works!"

"You've done this before?" She growled.

"We've been doing this and it hasn't been an issue. You just don't know because-"

"You purposefully go outside my territory to have your fun." She completed. "The issue darling, is that I don't pay for you to go drink yourselves away. I pay for you to have your needs met so you can maybe make something of yourselves."

The fear and pleading were gone. Clyde was staring daggers at the face hovering over him. "You're just like the rest of these rich Gothamites, you know that? We need to make something of ourselves? You think just because you got adopted into money and got it to throw at us now your better than us?" He rose to his feet as Nicki dropped her arms, her face riddled with shock. "You're trash just like the rest of us and all these fancy gifts from your new Daddy don't change that."

For a moment she just stood there staring at him, floored. And then, she struck. Before Clyde knew what was happening, her fist had struck the side of his face, sending him stumbling back. He glanced up just in time to see the next blow before it connected with his cheek. The knife was against his throat once more and her face was only an inch away from his. "Do you know," she hissed, "what I have gone through for you? For all of you? So you didn't have to spend all your time stealing and making seedy connections? So you don't have to live as criminals?" She shoved him backwards against the wall. "Get out of my sight." She spat. Panting, Clyde rushed past her and out of the alley, stumbling away from the club.

Oswald, who had been hiding at the edge of the alley had to duck behind a dumpster to keep from being run over. The dark-haired man was in sheer shock. The girl he had just witnessed was almost unrecognizable as the soft thing that had just been dancing with him. The images of her holding the tall boy at knifepoint and beating him were burned into his mind's eye and he could barely remember what the smiling, sweet Nicki he had come to know looked like. He could feel his blood running hot at this new image of her. To see her so dangerous, so angry…it was oddly thrilling. He pictured her looking at him that way. The two of them meeting with rough hands and rough lips, feeling her wildness and trying to harness it himself.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. Mooney's warning flashed in his head. You don't want to get mixed up with our little Nicki. Is this why? Was it because she was some sort of dangerous, street kid hustling, vixen? A fair warning if he was right, but oh, maybe…maybe that was exactly the kind of daring little mouse he wanted to get mixed up with. So small and delicate, easily manipulated, but with such a fearsome bite. His frail little baby bird definitely had a set of talons on her, he thought with throaty chuckle. As he peered at her in the darkness, however, he could see the version of her that was much more familiar starting to return as she struggled to compose herself.

Nicki pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned against the brick wall. She could feel the sobs welling up inside of her but she fought to keep her breathing steady. Finally collecting herself, she began to make her way back towards the club.

As she reached the end of the alley, however, she found her way blocked. Five men in suits stood in front of her, Neeko at the front, leering. "We meet again," he drawled, flashing her, a wolf-ish grin. Her eyes narrowed as he took a step towards her but she didn't back down. "How unfortunate," she muttered.

Is that what Fish meant? How will Nicki handle her second encounter with Neeko? What was Nicki's beef with Clyde anyways? Stick with me dear reader and all will be revealed. Thanks for reading!