Disclaimer: I do not own City Homicide or its characters.

8.

After what seemed like the longest day in history, it was finally time to go home.

Nick and Jen had agreed to go to the pub around the corner from headquarters. Jen was nervous about talking to him, trying to explain herself, but she also couldn't help but feel excitement at the prospect of spending some time with him.

She stood and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair, easing herself into it, and grabbing her handbag from beneath her desk. She looked over at Nick. "You ready to go?"

He nodded and got up, grabbing his keys and phone.

They walked slowly together to the elevator.

"Hey guys! Wait up!"

Jen stopped and turned around. Matt came bounding after them. "What are you guys up to?"

"Ah, just going for a quick drink". As soon as she had said it, Jen knew that she had made a mistake.

"Great!" Matt exclaimed. "I could really use one after these last couple of days."

Jen looked over at Nick apologetically. He raised his eyebrow at her, and tilted his head slightly to the side What can we do?

They got into the lift. Jen leant against the inside wall, and closed her eyes. This day could not get any worse.

He came out of the bathroom wearing his boxer shorts and a t-shirt, shaving cream plastered on his face.

He entered the bedroom where she was sitting on the side of the bed, doing up the buttons on her blouse.

"Hey, where did you put that new packet of razors we got the other day?" he asked her.

She looked up at him. It was a credit to him that he could still manage to look totally hot, in daggy boxer shorts, and covered in shaving cream, she thought.

"In the bathroom cupboard."

"I looked in there. I couldn't see them anywhere."

She smiled. "Did you have a proper look or a man look?"

He cocked his head to the side and smirked at her.

"Come on Jen. You know I do things properly."

Jen got up, and started to walk out of the room. "Bet I find them straight away".

He smiled as he watched her walk down the hall towards the bathroom, admiring the sway of her hips.

"Baby, I just love to watch you move" he muttered under his breath.

Matt was onto his third beer, and looked as though he were settling in for the evening.

Jen sighed, feeling irritated by his presence. Couldn't he pick up on the fact that he was a third wheel? She had things that she needed to talk to Nick about.

Nick, who had remained relatively quiet throughout. Nick, who was still on his first beer, and who was looking decidedly bored, but was doing his best to appear sympathetic to Matt's ramblings about Emma.

"And then she said that we hadn't been getting on for ages. Can you believe it? Just like that. Wish she'd have told me, 'cos I had no idea that we weren't getting on. I thought things were okay."

Jen ran her finger around the rim of her glass. "Well, you know Matt. Sometimes things just don't work out the way that you expect. But everything happens for a reason. There'll be a silver lining somewhere..."

"You could not be more right, Jen. Because I am definitely going to sit the Sergeant's exams. I never did it before, because of Emma. But I'm bloody well going to do it now!"

"Yeah, well, why don't you do that Matt?" Nick got up.

"You getting another round, mate?" Matt asked hopefully.

"No, I'm off" Nick said. "Places to go, people to see..."

Jen looked up at him, her face full of apology and regret. She wanted to stop him from leaving, reach out and grab his hand, pull him back; but she couldn't. Not with Matt here. Matt, who had managed, in a short space of time, to ruin Jen's evening completely.

"You want another one, Jen?" Matt asked, getting up from the table.

"No, I should really think about going too."

"Oh come on," Matt whined. "I've got no-one to go home to...stay for one more."

Nick gave her a slight smile as he began to walk away; he knew how kind hearted she was, how much trouble she had saying no to others.

"Okay" she sighed. "Just a quick one, Matt. I really have to go."

She watched Matt walk to the bar. In a sudden movement, she jumped up from the table, and quickly made her way over to him. "Matty...I just need to catch Nick for second. Forgot to pass on a message for him from Dunny. I'll be back in a sec..."

Jen raced out of the pub, and looked wildly around outside. She spied him, a bit further up the laneway, and ran to try to catch up to him.

"Nick!" she called.

He stopped and turned to look at her.

"I'm so sorry about that" she exclaimed breathlessly. "I need to talk to you."

"I know."

"Can I come over later? When I'm finished here? I'll only be another half hour."

Nick chuckled softly. "Half an hour? With Matt crying into his beer, like that? Good luck."

"Well, I don't need to talk to Matt. But I do need to talk to you. I'll come over soon. Okay?" She was frightened that he would say no, that he didn't want her to come to him.

Instead, he reached out and took her hand in his. He rubbed her palm between his thumb and forefinger. She shuddered at his touch.

"See you soon, Jen." He let go of her hand, and began walking away.

He stood at the kitchen bench, chopping vegetables, while she was busily trimming the chicken breasts, ready to coat in the waiting marinade.

"You know" he said, leaning over to pop a piece of raw carrot into her mouth. "The only vegie I could never stand was squash. Hated it as a kid, still don't like it now."

She looked at him in amazement. "Me too! It has absolutely no taste. Why would you bother?"

"My thoughts exactly. Always liked pumpkin though."

"Mmmm. Pumpkin soup".

"Perfect comfort food."

She looked at him. "Do you cook much? For yourself? I mean, it's just that a lot of bachelors don't bother much with things like that..."

"I love cooking. Sometimes I can't be bothered, but if I get time, I like to play around a bit. You seem like you do a fair bit, though?"

She smiled, placing the chicken into the marinade, and tossing it, to coat it properly. "Yeah, I don't mind it. But you know...sometimes when I get back late from work, I don't really feel like doing much."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes it'd be nice to have someone there to do it all for you."

Jen laughed. "You need to get yourself a wife!"

Nick patted her playfully. "I have you, don't I, my dear?" He looked away. "When this is all over, I might just have to take you home with me..."

She turned to look at him. He wasn't smiling, his eyes instead full of contemplation and wistful longing.