Even though there was no arguing with her on the subject, and no positive answers could be given just yet, Nick still didn't like Kate being at work. Not that he didn't like having his partner at his side, but he'd rather feel confident in knowing she was at home resting.
In the year since they had declared themselves a couple, Carl had taken great pride and joy in tormenting Nick. On this particular day, as the gnome made his way towards the detectives desk, he sang a song to himself, one that could be heard throughout the underground station. "Nicky and Katie, sitting in a tree," his smile got wider as he saw O'Malley turn to look up at the Captain's office to see if he could hear the song. The Captain still wasn't pleased about his two finest detectives sharing an apartment, much less, a bed. Page sneered down at O'Malley in disapproval. Kate ignored the song until Carl reached the part about "than comes baby in the baby carriage." She froze for a second, catching a glimpse of Nick's face, which had become beet red. Nick took the song too personally, and wondered if everyone around the station could tell. When he went after the gnome, wheeling an office chair behind him, Kate looked away. It was better that way.
"Alright, people, debriefing. Now!" Page stiffly made his way down the stairs, determined to make his headquarters, which had turned into the LoveBoat because of Marnie and Jonathan, now O'Malley and Benson, a highly respected police station again. "I said now!" He bellered when bodies didn't start running at the sound of his booming voice. "Jonathan, begin."
Jonathan tore his eyes from the lab where his girlfriend had just entered. "Yes, Sir! Chicago has been under strain lately from a series of normal people who have lost something. Something so big, and so important in their day to day lives, that living without it is almost unbearable." Jonathan, proud of his opening statement, glanced over to the Captain, who didn't seem to share the same opinion. The young man rushed into an explanation. "Their memories!" He said, pointing to the air above him.
"Their memories?" Kate repeated. "Why would a link want to steal someones memories?"
Jonathan looked around the room aimlessly. His words started off slow. "Because it's a link and it likes humans memories?"
"Was that a comment or an answer?" Nick asked as he strolled into the meeting, taking his side next to Kate.
Jonathan looked discouraged. "Actually, we don't know why."
"Do we know what kind of people it steals from? Who's at risk?" Kate shot at him.
"No."
"How much of a persons memories it takes?"
"No."
"Where the link is?"
"Or how to kill it?" Nick added before Jonathan could answer no to Kate's previous question.
This time, Jonathan looked proud of himself again. "No and no!" He pointed to each detective as he answered them.
Nick looked at Kate. "It doesn't dawn on him that's not a victory." O'Malley shook his head in wonder at the young geek.
"Jonathan, do we know anything about this link?" Benson closed her notebook. No reason to take notes when there were none to write down.
"We know we know nothing. That nothing is all we know. So it's not nothing, since we know something." Jonathan crossed his arms, content in his riddle.
"What's the something?" Kate asked.
"The something is the nothing that we don't know."
The group of detectives stood for a moment, saying his words in their minds, becoming even more confused. Jonathan was doing the same, since he had long ago lost himself.
"I expect you, Carl, to help us find out whatever information you can dig up on this link so we can restore the citizens of Chicago to..." Page looked around the group of people. "Where is Carl?"
"Strapped upside down to a chair at the bottom of the stairs that I pushed him down." Nick said, grinning. He could see Kate's shoulders fall as she sighed. "A long flight of stairs."
A really long flight of stairs!" Echoed the gnomes voice from a far distant place.
"Carl! You've heard every word I've said, now get yourself unstrapped, walk up the stairs, and get to work!" When he was done with his verbal attack, the Captain stalked back to his office. The rest of the people went about their normal duties, noone bothering to answer the occasional call for help from Carl. Nick pulled Kate aside.
"Why don't you take the rest of the day off, Carl and I will do some hunting around on Mr. Memory Lane link. You don't need to be here. Besides, you look tired."
Kate smiled sweetly at Nick. "I'm fine. And I'm not tired." She walked away before he could object any further.
"Someone? Anyone? At least put the chair back on it's legs so I'm not on my head!" Carl struggled but O'Malley's knots were the work of a professional. With no locks to pick, Carl was at his mercy.
"Where's my watch?" Nick asked an hour later as he leaned over the gnome, still confined to the chair.
"What watch?" Carl asked innocently.
Nick smiled sarcastically down on him. "Ah, the watch you stole from me when Kate invited you for dinner the other night."
"I didn't steal your watch. Check your kitchen table. That's where some people toss theirs. Not that I would know."
"Nick! Let him up, all the bloods rushing to his head." Kate scolded. "And I told you to check on the kitchen table!"
"It's not there! I wouldn't put it there." Nick took a knife out of his pocket and started cutting through the rope. "Only on her orders do I do this."
"Why don't you go ahead and I'll meet you there, ok?" Kate tried her best to look like she wasn't about to be sick, but her sitting on the edge of the bathtub looking down at the toilet was a little inconsistant with being fine. "Really, just go."
Nick teetered at the bathroom door for a minute, feeling really guilty she was going through this when he was just fine. After all, it was and had been a two person game. He finally figured leaving her alone for a little bit was what she needed. He bent down, kissed her goodbye, and made his way out to the car, feeling like a jerk. Back in the bathroom, Kate stood up and splashed cold water on her face, telling herself to keep it together for tonight. She reapplyed her make up, threw on the pair of earrings she took off when she thought she was going to throw up, grabbed her keys, and was on her way to the resturant where she would meet Nick's brother for the first time. She knew they didn't get along well, but family was family, and she didn't want to be sick for this. Besides, Nick only saw his brother every four years. He worked for some company out of the country, and only made it to the US every four years or so.
O'Malley mustered a smile when he approached his brother at the bar. He shook his hand and made the hug between them end as fast as he could. "Nick! Good to see ya! Let me buy you a drink, little brother. What'll it be?"
Nick set his wallet on top the bar and ordered a Scotch. "I'll get the first round." He took a twenty out of his open billfold and set it on the bar. The photo of Kate inside the wallet caught his brothers eye.
"Is this her?" He asked, picking up the wallet.
"Yeah. And her name is Kate, not "her." Nick corrected.
"Sorry. No disrespect, man." Nick held his hand out to reclaim the wallet, but his brother inspected the photo carefully before handing it back. "Man, she's really something. Hot! Is she going to be here tonight?"
Nick stuffed the photo and it's holder back in his pocket. "Yeah, she should be here in a few minutes." When he saw Kate walking towards them, he waved her over. "In fact, here she is."
Lowering his voice so only she could hear, he asked if she was ok.
"I'm great, much better." She gave him a peck on the cheek before turning towards the man standing next to them. "This must be Wayne. It's so nice to meet you, finally." She shook the mans hand and smiled. "I give you credit, growing up with Nick couldn't have been easy." She joked.
"Beating him up made things tolerable." Wayne wasn't joking and Kate could see the irritance in Nick as his face tightened. "Kate, what can I get you to drink?"
"I think I can buy my own fiancee a drink, thanks." Nick flagged down the bartender and ordered her a diet pepsi.
Wayne laughed, getting in his dig. "Are you psycic or do you decide what she's drinking for her?"
"Thanks, honey." Kate accepted the glass from Nick, addressing the brother in a polite way that it was all she drank. An out and out lie, but a good way to smooth things over.
"So, Nick, going to walk the plank again, huh?" Kate could see Wayne and Nick shared almost the same smirk, but Nick's was far more flattering.
"Well when you have someone like my girl in your life, it's not a plank your walking."
"Whoa, don't get defensive, Nick, just using your words, remember?"
Kate wasn't sure which would be worse, a couple hours of this, or a couple hours of Nick and Carl going at it.
By the end of the night, Kate was on pins and needles, being the one who held the peace best she could between the two men, mainly by changing the subject when topics became too hot. Her head was killing her, and by the looks of things, so was Nick's.
"Four years." Nick said under his breath when he got into the car. "I won't have to see him for another four years." Nick glanced at his wrist for the time, and grimaced when he realized there was no watch to check. "I still haven't gotten my watch back from Carl." O'Malley grumbled.
"Check the kitchen table." Kate said as she held her head, leaning up against the passenger window, too tired to look to her left.