Chapter XI: Chasing Demons
There were times that Nicholas hated his job. He liked helping but it's the pain of helping that gets to him. Rarely does he get emotional towards the ones he helps. He was taught to have an open mind so that he could give the best counsel he could. He usually gives advice but he rarely does meaningful talks.
The first and only heart to heart he had given and listened to was with Ron Stoppable. Ron was a different case. He could see the deep sorrow within but also could see the great determination of his soul. Despite the devil may care attitude, Ron was a deep and sensitive person. When he wasn't too dense, that was.
There were times that Ron was so dense that Nicholas thought of checking if light could bend around him. Like a while ago, he didn't notice that there were two beautiful women trying to get comfort from him. Though automatically he did give them assurance, he didn't know the significance of it. Or did he?
Nicholas cleared his mind of that thought. There would be a time for it later but now… now he had to find Shego.
Nicholas walked aimlessly through the corridors of Global Justice headquarters. Not really aimlessly. He was trying to follow Shego but she had disappeared in the endless corridors of the facility.
Nicholas also hated high tech facilities. He had brushed with one to many facilities with robot sentries all asking for his identification. In short, he distrusts computerized technology. In Gunsmoke, computers that still ran were rare. Most of them were used in Plants, the energy source of a town.
Nicholas sighed as he turned to another corner. Looking for Shego was like looking for water in the desert. Sure, it's there but where exactly? Suddenly, Nicholas remembered what the twins told him about the communicators. Smiling, he took his out and tried it.
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Shego was in the last place anyone would find her. In the past four years it had been kind of her sanctuary, a place to think. A place that she could bury herself in her sorrows.
Cell Block D.
No one comes to Cell Block D anymore. Ever since they had renovated Cell Blocks A and B to be more secure, Cell Block D was all but forgotten. Until Shego had found it. It was he own personal Hideaway. The irony hadn't escaped her. A former felon finding sanctuary in a jail cell made he smirk. But that day, she was not smirking. No. She was crying.
The tears were flowing as soon as she reached her sanctuary. She did cry for the scientist though she felt sorry for him, she cried because of her own failure. She had a chance to end it all four years ago but didn't take it. Was she losing it?
Shego was quiet as her tears died down. No one knew the pain she had. She had hidden it from the others but she knew that one day one of them would figure it out. Taking a deep breath, she knew that one of them had figured it out.
Since he was standing by the cell door.
Despite her sorrow, she was glad that it was him who had come. She had felt a connection with him since he had appeared with that cross and weird confessional. A smiling Preacher with sad eyes and tired soul.
"How did you find me?" Shego asked as she smiled at him sadly. Nicholas was leaning on the cell door, waving his communicator at her. "I should have known," she said as she looked at him pocketing the device. For a while, the silence stretched, each one waiting for the other to start. After a few minutes, it was clear to her that she was the one who would make the first move.
"You must be wondering why I left the office," Shego started lamely. Nicholas smiled as entered the cell.
"The thought had crossed my mind," he said, looking around. "Nice hiding place."
"It's the last place they would look," Shego said as she offered him a seat beside her on the cot. "Tell me, have you regretted anything?"
"There's a lot of things I regretted," Nicholas said, sitting on the cot, leaning on the wall. He propped his foot up on the edge of the cot and sighed. "Just like others, we all did something that we regretted. But it is unhealthy to dwell upon it. Thinking what ifs and it should have been. We must learn to live with it and do something about it. But we must also think of the consequences of out actions." He turned to look at her with an encouraging smile. "Was it something to do with this Drakken?"
"Dr. Drakken," Shego smirked at the name. "Drew Lipsky. Never in a million years would I have guessed that he would be the most dangerous man in the world today. He wasn't always like that. He was a bumbling fool who thinks he could rule the world. I helped, by the way. He could be annoying but that's what endeared him to me."
Shego felt Nicholas stiffen. Risking a glance, she found that he was still silently sitting there, listening to her story. But why did it seem like his heart rate dropped?
"Four years ago, he made me steal this machine that would remove his good side and make him pure evil. The damn thing worked. Nick, you didn't see his eyes then. It was like he was the devil incarnate. He had no soul, no compassion… no love." Shego felt Nicholas's hand squeezing hers, telling her that he's right there beside her.
Drawing strength from him, she continued. "But his evil was not enough. He had me tied down to a table and he drew most of the evil from me with that damnable machine. He would have gotten all me evil but the thing was full. He merged my evil with his and now he had become demented. The Dr. Drakken I used to know was gone. Nikki?" there was a plea in her voice that he could not ignore. Something else had happened to her. Something she did not wish to say.
It took a while for Nicholas to calm down. Shego could feel his hand shake in rage when he figured out what else the Doctor did to her. He silently vowed that he cut out the man's balls and shove them down his throat with a hand grenade.
Shego didn't know how she had gotten her arms around Nicholas. She found herself sitting on his lap while her arms encircled his neck. She had her head on the soft of his shoulder, smelling the cologne her used. He was soothing her, his hand caressing her hair and the other wrapped around her waist.
Shego was surprised at the strength of Nicholas. It wasn't just his physical strength but the strength of his soul. She already felt better than she did a few minutes ago. But she knew she had to continue the story.
"I was able to get away. I had learned that he was trying to summon some very nasty creatures to help him destroy the world. His mind had been corrupted. Merely leading was not enough but to destroy the world? He had to be stopped and I knew only one team that could stop him."
"Team Possible," Nicholas murmured in her hair, tickling her in the process. Nicholas's touch was too nice, too comfortable. She was losing herself in the embrace.
"Yes. I knew Kimmie could stop him. But as it turned out, it was Ron who stopped his plans. There were times that I wished that Drakken was sucked into the vortex as well," she felt Nicholas straightened and looked at her incredulously.
"Great," he said. "Dump all your problems on me." At first, Shego thought that he was complaining that he was being used as a sounding board but then she realized that Nicholas was from the world where the vortex had opened. Shego giggled at his incredulous face and after a while, he laughed as well.
"For the past four years, I hid that fact from everyone," Shego said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I tried to act like I did before the siphoning. It was easy since there was a little of the bad girl I had once in me. The good thing, or bad depending on the view, was that I had regained my conscience. Or rather, it became prominent
"So with Kim's help, I joined Global Justice. With Drakken behind bars, I thought that I could get over it."
"How did he escape?" Nicholas asked.
"While being transported, he attacked his escort. He's been trying to get his revenge on the three of us but since Ron wasn't here…"
"He decided that you two would do," Nicholas finished for her. He was no stranger to vengeance. Half of his life all he wanted to do was satisfy his need for revenge. In the end, it was not worth it.
"When Drakken became vicious, we needed help. Fortunately, Yori came and asked to become one of us. Kim, knowing her potential, said that it would be her honor for her to join us. Though the first few months were kinda awkward since Yori believed that I had something to do with Ron's disappearance."
"Technically she's right," Nicholas said, earning him a smack at the back of the head. "Ouch," he said, taking his hand from her hair and rubbing his own where she had struck. "By The way, what's with them? I thought Kim had the only rights to Ron."
"Oh, that," Shego waved a hand like it was nothing. "Kimmie was too upset one night and said that she would not care if she would have to share Ron only to have him back."
"Poor Ron," Nicholas grimaced. "So Kim and Yori had an agreement of sorts?" he asked as he continued stroking her hair.
"It wasn't just the two of them," Shego said, making Nicholas stop stroking her hair.
"Aiyaiyai," Nicholas said as he buried his face on her hair. Though he was confused as hell at Ron's situation with the girls, he took comfort in breathing in Shego's hair. "You're hair smells good," he said through her hair, tickling her in the process.
Shego smiled. She never knew that seduction was so fun. Especially when the one she was seducing was someone she liked. The problem was, she wasn't even trying.
"If you're distracting me from my sorrow, you're succeeding," Shego whispered into his ear, tickling him in return. "Want to help me cure my sorrow and loneliness?" she said with a smile.
"By telling me your woes you are bale to lift the burden you have been carrying around," Nicholas said, taking a deep breath. "As for your loneliness… I don't think you would want someone like me."
"You're male. You're hot. You're breathing! Trust me. I know what kind of man I want," she looked at him and smiled seductively. Though he could feel some of her sorrow, what he was feeling more was the heat she was giving off. But Nicholas smiled sadly and shook his head.
"You need to know something," Nicholas started sullenly. Shego noticed his reluctance and drew in the wrong conclusions.
"Don't tell me it's another woman. Not another woman. Not another woman…." Shego chanted, surprised that she was hoping that she had him all for herself. Then, she stiffened when a thought crossed her mind. "No," she said in horror as she leaned back and looked at him in the eyes. "Not another man! Another woman I could handle. Tell me you're not playing for the other team!" Nicholas was shocked. What was she talking about…. Then it clicked.
"No!" Nicholas shouted his embarrassment. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. "Shego. This may seem like an embarrassing question, but do you feel what you are sitting on?" She blinked in confusion at the question. She then wriggled her bottom rather seductively and then smiled mischievously. "Does that answer your question?"
"The second, but not the first," Shego said as she moved her bottom, liking what she felt.
"No," Nicholas groaned. "There's no one."
"Since I could surmise that you find me extremely attractive, what's stopping you?" she asked, worried that there was much more. "What is it?" now their roles were reversed. She was the one who as going to listen.
"I have to tell you something. But after this, you might not want to be near me," Nicholas said as he let go of her and leaned on the wall. Shego stayed where she was, straddling him and looking at him expectantly.
"I'll be the judge of that," Shego said, waiting for him to continue.
"Very well," Nicholas took a deep breath and removed his coat. He then tossed it towards a chair that was nearby. It landed with a resounding thunk. Shego looked at the chair in time to see it crack and collapse from the sheer weight of the coat. Looking back at Nicholas, she saw one of his trade secrets. She knew he had guns but this was far from sane.
Nicholas wore double shoulder holsters with .45s in each holster. Hanging from them were a row of magazines for the said pistols. He removed them and tossed them with his coat. His fore arms bore the two automatics that he had used the day before. But what she saw surprised her. On his forearms were twin-barreled shotguns. He removed his forearm weaponries and set them at the foot of the bed. He then removed the vest he had on and tossed it with his coat. Shego blinked as she heard the vest clink.
"How could you carry that much?" she asked. "Better yet, how could you move at all?"
"I'm more maneuverable without them," Nicholas said as he removed a gunbelt that held two 9mms. When he tossed them to the pile, he sighed.
"What about the pants?" Shego smiled seductively as her hands went to his belt. Nicholas held her hands gently and looked at her sullenly.
"Listen first," Nicholas said making Shego pouted.
"Fine," she sighed but her hands stayed where they were.
"I wasn't always a Preacher. No, Shego. Let me finish without the sass. As I was saying, I was one of the most wanted men in Gunsmoke. Not because I robbed, or stole. But because I took the law into my own hands.
"It all started with a girl…"
"Doesn't it always?" Shego smirked but he continued.
"I was seventeen at the time. I was helping with the orphanage I told you about. It was me, my mom, Aunt Meryl and Uncle Vash. Anyway, I met this girl…"
"The sassy type?" Shego raised her eyebrows, making him smirk.
"Actually, she was the country girl type. You know, hard working, could manage a house. Anyway, she was the type that you get settled with, have kids, that kind." Nicholas saw the hurt expression in her face. Smiling, he caressed her cheek, rewarding him with a sad smile. "I was a fool to fall for her but I was a kid. I didn't know any better. I thought that she was Godsend. With her sandy blond hair and sky blue eyes, it was hard not to fall for her.
"Then she showed her true colors. One day while the kinds and I were working these men came, looking for Vash the Stampede. He wasn't there but they didn't believe us. After beating some of the kids, they trashed the orphanage. I tried to stop them but they were too strong and too many. They overpowered me," Nicholas opened his sleeves and let the light shine on it. Shego's eyes widened when she saw the circular scars on his wrists. It was almost if…
"Ironic, isn't it? I also have a pair on my feet. Their idea of a joke," he sighed as she looked at him with sad eyes. "I was… decorated on the front of the chapel near the orphanage. I couldn't…" tears came unexpectedly. It was Shego's turn to comfort him. There wasn't anything in her mind but his comfort. Compared to what he'd been through, her woes were insignificant. She laid his head on her shoulder, stroking his back. Whispering sweet words into his ear.
"They torched the orphanage," he said while the tears poured. "Everyone was in there. The bloody bastards torched the orphanage while everyone was in there!" Shego gasped. What kind of monster could do such a thing?
"Then she appeared," Nicholas almost growled in anger. "The sweetness suddenly disappeared. It was like she was a different person. It was a while before I found out that she was known as the Black Widow. She and her gang were the most ruthless bunch in the world. They were after Uncle Vash all this time. She used me. And she used me one final time. She used me as a message to Uncle Vash and left me a little souvenir." He opened his shirt to reveal a nasty scar beneath the ribs. "As I said. They had a weird sense of humor."
"What happened?" Shego asked.
"Uncle Vash, Aunt Meryl and mom found me a few days later, feverish and dehydrated. It took me months to recover. There were times when I wanted to end it all. But I owed it to the kids to carry on. To find justice for their deaths. My mom disagreed that I should take a life but my mind was made up. As soon as I was able, I have been learning the ways of the gun.
"Uncle Vash tried to stop me but still, he taught me everything. But he didn't approve. He said that every life is precious. I couldn't understand. My anger clouded my mind. I took on a name that was once feared in Gunsmoke. I took the name my father used when he was a member of the Gung-ho gang, they were more ruthless than Black Widow's so it served my purpose.
"I went by the name Chapel the Evergreen.
"Two years after the incident, I wandered around. Trying to find clues to the whereabouts of the Black Widows. Needless to say, I found them. And one by one, they disappeared. Until there was only one."
"Her?" Shego asked, her heart going to him. Nicholas nodded as he sighed.
"When I found her, I found out that I still loved her. Despite what she did, I loved her. But she used that against me. When I turned my back, she struck me with her knife. Though I loved her, I had to stop her. So I shot her," he tapped the middle of his forehead. "Right here. She felt no pain."
Shego growled. If the bh was still alive, she would know the meaning of the word pain.
"Though the look on her face was priceless. She never thought that I would actually shoot her. I proved her wrong." Nicholas looked at Shego's face, trying to find any sign of disgust or repulsion. He was surprised to see the one thing he didn't expect. Exasperation.
"Is that all?" Shego asked, waiting for him to tell more.
"Well…" he hesitated as he wiped his eyes. "There was the method how… I said goodbye."
"I'm waiting," Shego said impatiently. Nicholas blinked at the woman. Was she for real?
"Since I had expended all my usual ammo, there was only one thing left in all my arsenal," Nicholas said. Shego had her hands on her hips, starting to get real impatient. Seeing that she wouldn't give up, he decided to tell her. "I used her own dagger to kill her. The same dagger that she stuck on my all those years ago."
"What's do bad about that?" Shego huffed.
"It was attached to a micro missile," he said in a deadpan tone that all she could do was look at him incredulously. And she surprised him again when she did the one thing he did not expect; she laughed.
Shego never laughed like that before. A laugh full of mirth, full of life, a laugh that brightened her soul. Though, in Nicholas's perspective, he thought she was losing her mind.
"That's rich," she continued to laugh, holding her sides as she did. Looking at her laughing like that, he couldn't help but feel miffed at her.
"It's nice to know that I could contribute to your amusement," he said testily but she still was laughing.
"Felt no pain my ass," she snorted as she pictured what went on that woman's face in her final moments.
"It was the only thing I had left!" Nicholas threw his hands up in frustration.
"But obviously you planned to use it, hence the dagger in the missile," Shego smiled almost lovingly at him.
"But I changed my mind," Nicholas sighed. "I thought I was in love with her." Shego suddenly grabbed his collar and drew him close, his eyes were gazing in the deep emerald orbs, telling him to shut up.
"She's not the woman for you," she said, her face calm and her tone serious. "She never was. You're in love with the idea of a peaceful life, with a woman like that as your partner. You haven't really looked."
"Oh, I have looked," he said sadly. "There's no one for me in Gunsmoke."
"Is that why you came here?" Shego released his collar and looked at him curiously. Why had he come?
"I came here to retire," he smirked. "I was tired of it all. The bounties, the threats, the roughness. Ronald gave me an out, so to speak."
"Couldn't you just retire to someplace secluded?" Nicholas could see that she was indeed interested, which game him some hope.
"If it wasn't the gunmen who were trying to kill you it's something else," he said cryptically. "I came here to live my remaining days and I haven't regretted it." Something was off with that last sentence. But Shego couldn't point out what.
"Anyway, was that your big secret?" Shego grinned almost cat-like.
"Well…" he sighed. "My point was supposed to be if I could kill a loved one, what would stop me from killing another loved one? But you pointed out that I was in love with the idea, not the person." He suddenly smiled mischievously. "Now to find the right woman…" Shego grinned and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. It was more of a caress than a kiss but the effect was electrifying.
Both of them felt the shock that coursed through their bodies. It was like each sense was heightened by the touch of their lips. A feeling of euphoria. Shego suddenly blushed, out of character. She never felt anything like it. Not with her past boyfriends, not with anyone.
"I don't know how to say this," Nicholas felt hot all of a sudden. "But could we take this slow? I don't think we could handle the overload." Shego smiled serenely, still unable to speak from the kiss. "Could you stand? I need to get my communicator. They're worried about you." But she only shook her head. "Come on. What do you want me to do? Carry you?" he asked but immediately knew hit was a mistake. By the mischievous gleam on Shego's eyes told him that's exactly what she wanted him to do.
Sighing, he gave her a small smile and conceded. "All right," he said. Shego had her arms around his neck and was still straddling him, her legs wrapped his waist, holding on. His eyes widened in shock. Surely she didn't want him to carry her in that position?
"You've got to be kidding?" he asked but she still smiled. Sighing, he stood up, but there was a problem with that position. There was only one place where he could hold her. With a smirk, he placed his hands where most men only dream of putting. When he did, she emitted a small gasp.
"This position is perfect," Shego said, finding her voice. :"We must try this one."
"Have you been eating?" Nicholas ignored what he was feeling by asking her a question.
"Doi! You saw me eat. And I'm not bulimic," she said curiously. "Why?"
"You hardly weight anything," he said. Shego smiled brightly at the compliment. She then took pity on him and stood but still wrapped her arms around his neck. "Um, this would be difficult considering I need to bend to get my communi… oh, the hell with it!" Nicholas bent over, bringing Shego with him in a dip. He rummaged for a second for his communicator and when he found it, pressed the call button. Ron's worried face immediately came through.
"C.T.!" Ron said expectantly. "You found her?
"Yeah," Nicholas said as he straightened up. "You three better go without us. We'll get home safe."
"Is she okay?" Kim asked in concern. Nicholas looked at her in askance and she nodded.
"She is," Nicholas said. "Listen, we'll be out doing lunch. We'll meet you guys later."
"If you say so," Rom smiled as he shook his head. "Be at KP's home before dinner. Mrs. Dr. P's cooking."
"Later," Nicholas nodded and ended the call. When he looked up, he met Shego's questioning eyes.
"Lunch?" she raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were strapped for cash hence the argument on the bounty."
"I borrowed a few from Ron," Nicholas said sheepishly. "So, technically it's his treat."
"So… you're asking me on a date?" she asked. After the Black Widow, Nicholas had been wary of women. He never took a chance with them ever again. There was a saying: Once burned, twice shy. But since she met Shego, he decided the one thing he vowed not to do.
He decided to take a risk for a woman's affections. For his own affections was at risk as well.
"One final strike," Nicholas said softly, but she heard it. Before she could question him about the phrase, he smiled.
"Would you go out with me?" he said. "Since we confessed your deepest fears, there's only one thing left to find out about each other."
"What's that?" she asked playfully.
"To find out each other's embarrassing moments," he smiled. Shego laughed as she let go off him.
"You'll never find out anything from me," she giggled. "But yes, I will go out with you. She took his and pulled him towards the door. "Come on, I know where to spend Stoppable's money."
"Not much, I hope," he said with a suddenly smile of mischief. "You promised me to model something earlier." Shego's smile matched his.
"Trust me," she promised. "You'd wish we'd forgone the whole date process."
All Nicholas did, was whimper.
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A/n: I hope I didn't over did it. I poured what I had into this chapter, I hope you liked it. And I hope that it didn't sway from the rating I gave it.