Caught
A/N: Okay, I'll admit it. The end of this is nothing but pointless smut. Back when I wrote it, I was just in a mood to write a sex scene and it happened. I considered cutting it out since most of my readers don't like this type of writing…But it's not the same without it. Nick and Niamh are a modern-day couple and not above random sex every once in a while. Also, I needed an interlude to show how everyone else in chambers starts finding out about Nick and Niamh's previously secret relationship. And, I know Clive might be out-of-character here, but it's just the shock and maybe a hint of jealously…
I'd also like to send out a note to the anonymous readers I know are out there: Don't hesitate to drop me a review or two. I know this is not everyone's favourite story in this archive (in fact, I'm sure it's actually hated. Heavily. Why? Because it's far from canon and not about Martha and Clive…) But, some critique would be nice. I accept all types of critiques and don't mind answering questions if you have any. Please and Thank You.
Timeline: Late January 2012, about two weeks after Niamh's hospitalization
"You wanted to see me?" Clive asked as he stepped into the clerks' room.
"Ah, yes," Billy said, picking up a binder. "Just got this in and you're the only one free."
"Drug mule?"
Billy nodded. "You'll be co-defending with Miss Cranitch."
"Niamh?!" Clive gave him a look, wondering how he could give a case like this to a baby barrister. While she was good, she wasn't sure if she was good enough to handle such a thing.
"What other Cranitch is there in chambers?" Billy said as he picked up a ringing phone.
Clive sighed and headed back to his room to begin looking it over, thinking that he'd talk to Niamh later when she returned from her current trial.
As soon as he got settled at his desk, Niamh arrived with Nick in tow, both having come from the same trial, one as a prosecutor, the other the defense.
"You're far better at that then I am," Nick said, holding open the door to their room.
"Far better at what?"
"Prosecution. I just…fumble through it."
"I don't like doing it," Niamh admitted. "I prefer to defend, but I figure it's best to try my hand at both. You did well too."
"After a lot of practice. I was up half the night preparing my defense."
"It paid off. You managed to get a light sentence for the client," Niamh said, sitting on the small sofa in the room. It was usually used for talking with clients, but she found it more comfortable than her desk and set her new brief on the table in front of it.
"What are you doing now?"
"Drug mule. There's two clients, but I haven't been told who my codefendant is." She quickly removed the ribbon and began to spread papers around as Nick leaned against an armchair watching her.
After a few minutes she looked up, "What?" She asked.
"Nothing. I just like watching you work. It's kind of…hot actually."
"What?" Niamh said again, this time with a laugh.
"This environment suits you, it's your element and I love how you get so into it," Nick said, slowly approaching until he stood directly in front of her. He put a hand to her face and made her look up at him. "In fact, I thought you looked very sexy in court today. I like it when you're fired up like that."
Niamh blushed a bit, and before she could say anything, Nick's lips met hers in a soft kiss, followed by another, then another.
He tangled a hand in her hair, trying his best not to muss her ponytail as their kisses deepened. And, before they knew it, they couldn't stop. It was as if the moment they did, the whole world would come crashing down.
Niamh set her hands on his chest, gasping as he began to fumble with the buttons on her dark, violet blouse. "What are you doing?" She gasped in between kisses.
"I want to touch you," He whispered, tempted to simply rip the blouse and the rest of her clothes away. However, he knew he couldn't-not in chambers, but that minor restriction wasn't going to stop him from getting to some of her skin.
"Nick! What if we get caught?"
"We won't," He assured her, pulling her back for another kiss and he flipped another button open. He then let his hand wander over her bare shoulder and down to the cups of her lacy, lavender bra. His lips, however, stayed on hers, only straying to her neck once or twice.
Though Niamh knew the whole situation was wrong, she couldn't stop herself from being sucked into it and tugged on his tie. If he was going to touch her, she wanted to return the favor. She then stopped for a moment and gasped when she felt his hand travel underneath her bra to caress her bare breast. She moaned against his lips and pulled him closer, soon letting out a small squeal when he gently pinched her nipple.
'God…I want you…' Nick thought, extremely tempted to give into his earlier thoughts to rip her clothes off as he tugged at one of her bra straps, ultimately deciding to leave it alone in favour of kissing her more as he switched hands, putting the one that was on her chest into her hair and vice versa.
They go so into each other that neither noticed the door open. "Niamh, about this case. I was thinking that if we…" Clive stepped into the room, stopping dead in his tracks and promptly dropping the papers in his hands. Nick and Niamh's recent closeness had made him suspicious, but he never once imagined them doing what he was seeing. For God's sake! They were practically fucking in chambers. Finally, he spoke, saying, "What the hell?!"
Breaking their kiss, they both turned to him, Niamh gasping in embarrassment and mortification as she quickly tried to adjust her top.
"Clive! T…This…Isn't what it looks like!" She said, fumbling with buttons as she spoke.
"Not what it looks like, my arse," Clive snapped. "You were practically fucking!"
"Look, I can explain!" Niamh insisted as he turned and walked out. "Clive!" She called after him and then turned to Nick with a worried expression.
Clive made his way down the hall, unsure of where he wanted to go, but, he ultimately decided on Martha's room.
"You are not going to believe what I just saw!" He said as he threw the door open.
"What?" Martha sighed, looking up from her brief.
"Nick…and Niamh! They were all over each other! Kissing and touching and…practically fucking!" Clive snapped.
Martha ignored him and went on working, knowing she'd have to speak to them about engaging in such behaviour in chambers.
"You're not surprised?"
"No. I know," She said flatly, flipping a page in her brief.
"Know what?!"
"They're dating," Martha shrugged and picked up a highlighter.
"How long have you known?!"
"Three…Maybe four months."
"Does anyone else know?"
"No one as far as I know. They have no need to know anyway. It's Nick and Niamh's business, no one else's."
"It is when they're practically fucking in chambers!"
"I didn't see you complaining when it was you showing Niamh affection within chambers."
"This is different! This is a conflict of interest."
"I fail to see why. I think they're smart enough to keep their personal and professional lives separate. They have been doing so for a few months."
At that, Clive gave up and stomped out, frustrated by both the new revelation and Martha's nonexistent reaction. He didn't understand how she could be so calm about it! Even a hint of surprise would've been nice.
"Something wrong, sir?" Billy asked. He had been on his way to see Martha when Clive crossed his path.
"Yes, actually, can we speak in private?" Clive asked.
Billy nodded, figuring the message from the Solicitor could wait and led him into an empty room as Martha stepped into Nick and Niamh's.
"I need to speak with you," She said. "Both of you."
"Clive told you," Niamh guessed.
"What the hell are you two thinking?! You're in chambers not your bedroom!"
"We weren't doing anything like that," Nick insisted.
"You were practically fucking, Clive says."
"We were just kissing!" Niamh said.
"Don't lie."
"Don't look at me! He was the one who opened my blouse!"
Martha raised an eyebrow and glanced at Nick.
"I just wanted to touch you! And you didn't resist, Miss Cranitch!"
Martha sighed and proceeded to explain to them that, regardless of who was at fault, such behaviour was far from acceptable in chambers. It was a professional place and nothing else.
"Now, personally, I find nothing wrong with a small kiss here and there, but you crossed the line this time and I would advise you not to so again. If you're not careful you're going to be kicked out!"
Both Nick and Niamh nodded in response and Martha left, needing to go back to her own work.
Meanwhile, after being interrupted by two phone calls, Billy finally turned to Clive.
"Sorry about that," He said.
Clive shrugged, knowing the calls were important to chambers.
"What was it you wanted to speak about?"
"It's about Nick and Niamh," Clive said calmly.
"What about them?"
"They're…together."
"Together?"
"As in boyfriend and girlfriend. They're dating."
Billy stopped a moment. He knew they had been getting closer and suspected something from their outing a two months ago. Unfortunately no one would tell him anything, so he gave up, hoping they'd slip up and apparently, they did. "I knew it!" He said.
"What?"
"I knew something was happening behind my back." His proud expression quickly turned suspicious, "Wait…How long have you known?"
Clive looked at his watch, "About ten minutes. Martha's known for months."
"So, she is in on it? No wonder she wouldn't say anything. Did she tell you?"
"No. I…I went to speak to Niamh about a case and I saw them kissing and…he was touching her. It's completely inappropriate behaviour for chambers! What would everyone think if they knew, because one day, I know they're going to be caught by someone who's not us and far less understanding."
"You're right. I'll speak with them. Thank you." At that, Billy left and, forgetting what he was supposed to speak to Martha about, he headed to Nick and Niamh's room, where they were busy packing up for the day.
"Mr. Slade and Miss Cranitch, I need to speak with you. Now," He said once he opened the door, not bothering to knock.
Nick and Niamh exchanged a confused glance, knowing they had no choice.
"You lied to me," Billy started.
"About what?" Niamh asked.
"Don't play stupid. You lied about yourselves. You said there was nothing going on between you two and now I hear stories of you practically fucking in chambers!"
"Clive told you?" Nick guessed, giving up any hope of them lying their way out of it.
"Of course he told me. Nothing happens here without my knowledge, but you somehow outsmarted me. But, that's not what I'm here about. What gave you the idea that such behaviour was acceptable in chambers?! What if it hadn't been Clive? What if it was the head of chambers? Or worse, a solicitor?! Do you know how bad I'd…I mean, chambers would look?"
"Martha already gave us this lecture, so can we skip to the part where we get punished?" Nick asked, only to be elbowed by Niamh.
"I don't care what Ms. Costello told you. She's not in charge, I am. Aside from being inappropriate, it's a conflict of interest!"
"How?!" Niamh snapped. "Just because we're together doesn't mean we're stupid enough to let our feelings affect our work! We battle it out in court all the time and think nothing of it! It's just part of the job. You don't have a problem with us going up against anyone else in chambers!"
"You're not dating everyone else!" Billy snapped back.
"Niamh!" Nick hissed, tugging on her sleeve. "You might want to stop, now."
"No!" She snapped, slapping his hand away. "I'm not finished! Why do you care if we're together, anyway?! It doesn't affect your life nor is it a threat to chambers! You're just worried about your stupid reputation! I don't think any of our solicitors would care and we do not need to tell them! It's our business-Nick's and mine-no one else's!" She stood, arms crossed, waiting for him to challenge her while Nick stood in the background.
He had no problem going up in front of judges or even, Martha as he had done once, but Billy was another matter. He held their careers in his hands and he felt that it was better to stay on his good side. Part of him told her to stop her before she got kicked out, but the other part overruled him-the part that said she was right and looked damn sexy when she was fired up. He loved seeing her rise to challenges, and thought her boldness was hot, he just hoped she'd never use it against him.
"Alright. I'll keep it between us as long as you promise that it won't interfere with your work in anyway. If it starts to, I won't hesitate to kick either of you out."
"Then you'll have to kick both of us out," Nick said. "If she goes, I go."
"Same here," Niamh nodded.
"Fine. You just remember that for later." At that, Billy left and decided to see Martha, suddenly remembering the message from the solicitor. 'Let's see how long they last when it actually happens…' He thought with a smirk.
As soon as he was gone, Niamh slipped on her coat and threw Nick his. "Come on. We have to get started on our briefs."
Nick nodded and slipped on his own jacket as Niamh picked up her handbag and briefcase.
"Are we still going to your flat?" She asked as they stepped out the door.
"Sure," Nick shrugged and Niamh grabbed his hand as they walked off. They decided to walk the whole way rather than taking the bus or the underground, despite the cold. The walk took a half hour, and once they stepped into his flat, Niamh dropped her bags on the table and threw her coat off, while Nick simply dropped everything in the doorway.
"Since your case is minor, can you help with mine?" Niamh asked, stepping away from the table to slip her shoes off.
"I've got a better idea," Nick said, stepping toward her. "Why don't we finish what we started in chambers?"
Before she could protest, Nick pulled her towards him and captured her with a deep, hard kiss that she eagerly returned. She gently bit at his lower lip, hoping to deepen it when he suddenly stopped. "Wait," He said, grabbing his briefcase. After some quick searching, he found what he was looking for and threw a condom on his end table. Then, he grabbed Niamh and kissed her again.
"You always keep that with you?" She whispered in between kisses as she boosted herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist.
"Just in case," Nick replied as he carried and lowered her to the sofa, pulling of her blazer moments before he did so. He then captured her in a series of kisses that grew deeper with each passing second as he tugged at and pulled out her hair clip, letting her hair fall free against her shoulders.
Once again, she bit at his lip, gently at first and then harder, finally getting what she wanted as their tongues met, both of them trying to gain dominance. Ultimately, Nick won and took control of the kiss as he took his hands to her blouse, tugging at the buttons just as he had done before and resisting the urge to simply rip it off.
Niamh took her own hands to his clothes, first tugging at and pulling off his blazer and then tie. She too, had to resist the urge to rip his shirt off as she fumbled with the buttons. She had already ruined two of his good shirts that way and wasn't interested in adding more to that number.
Unlike earlier, there was no holding back and all of the buttons came undone.
Niamh moaned as he moved down her neck, pulling her blouse off as he did so and soon throwing it aside as she managed to finally get the last button of his shirt undone. He helped by throwing it off himself and then kissed her again, discreetly moving his hand up one of her legs.
"Are these stockings or tights?" He asked.
"Stockings…why?" She responded in between kisses and gasps.
"Just wondering," He said teasingly, then, he kissed her again found the hem of one of the stockings and eased it off of her. He then did the same with the other and then found himself being pulled back as Niamh took control of their next kiss.
She wanted desperately to flip him over and take charge, but knew that it wasn't possible while they were on the sofa due to a lack of room, so she settled for this. She took her hands to his chest and ran them up and down his body, gently raking him with her nails and relishing in the groans she received in response. When she took her hands to his back, he broke away and moved back down her neck.
He slid a hand under her back as she arched against him in delight and found and unhooked her bra, which was carelessly thrown to the side once he eased the straps off her shoulders, finally revealing her to him. He was quick to claim her, drawing the nipple on her right breast into his mouth to suck on it as he fondled the other, teasing that nipple with his thumb.
Niamh moaned in response and then gasped at the tiny, intimate kisses he placed on her breast before moving onto the next, giving it the same treatment as the first.
Nick then came back up to kiss her lips and took his hands to her skirt. After a bit of fumbling, he managed to find the zipper and practically ripped the garment from her, then used his hands to tease the edges of lavender-coloured lace that made up her panties.
"No…Not yet," She gasped, taking her hands to his trousers. "I want you naked first."
"And if I say no?" Nick teased, ending with a light kiss.
"You don't have a choice," Niamh hissed as she quickly undid his belt.
'God, I love it when you talk like that…' He thought, not wanting to say it out loud. He helped her with her task of stripping him and proceeded to pull the last, small garment from her body, throwing it with the rest of their clothes.
They both wished they had a bit more room to do what they liked.
'But, since we don't….this will do,' Nick thought as he kissed her again, his right hand slipping between her legs.
She let out a long, breathy moan in response as he slid two fingers inside of her while using his thumb to stimulate her.
He smiled at her reactions, desperately wanting to see her break for him.
"Now. Now, now, now," Niamh gasped, urgently pressing herself against him demandingly before letting out a small cry as the orgasm hit her. Hard. She clawed at his back, enticing and begging him with her actions and a series of small, sensual gasps.
He couldn't resist, and, with another kiss reached over her. Two seconds later, he had the condom in hand, and three seconds later, he was sheathed and ready.
When he entered her, she came again, just as hard as the first time. She cried out again, only to be cut off by a kiss, his way of telling her to be quiet. He struggled to do the same as the sensations grew more intense. He could see the pleasure in her eyes and relished it, knowing he was the cause and groaned at the feel of her nails on his back once more, of her legs winding around his waist.
She gave as good as she got, and wanted to tell him…something, anything, but all that would form was his name.
The deeper he went, the higher she rose and, when his mobile rang, the only thing they heard was the frantic beating of each other's hearts.
It wasn't long before they reached a hot, heavy climax, his first, followed by her third.
Niamh turned her head once he collapsed on top of her, and once their breathing steadied a bit, she pushed him off and sat up.
"You can't know how you look," Nick said with a small laugh.
"I would assume that I look like a woman who just had sex on a sofa."
"A very hot woman who just had sex on a sofa," He said, leaning in to kiss her again.
"Answer your mobile," She ordered. "I have to get to work."
"Or, you could leave the brief there and we could take this into the bedroom."
"Do I have a choice?"
"No!" Nick said as he picked her up and carried her off.
They didn't get to their work until after six, leaving Niamh little time to prepare, as, her trial was at ten the next morning.
"This is all your fault." She muttered as she took notes.
"I don't remember you resisting," He replied, setting a sandwich plate in front of her.
"Thanks."
"I hope you don't mind peanut butter and jam. I'm overdue for shopping and don't have much."
"What kind of jam?"
"Strawberry."
Niamh shrugged and picked up half of the sandwich, not caring about manners as she alternated between eating and working at Nick's coffee table.
He did the same on the floor, and they worked for an hour or so before Niamh decided to leave.
"Would you like me to walk with you?" Nick asked.
"You've wasted enough time and I can handle myself. Thank you though," Niamh said, nodding as she left.
Nick shook his head as she left, wondering what the hell he was going to do with her and hoping that his procrastination was not part of the whole not letting his personal life affect his work deal.
'I don't think so…I'm just behind…It doesn't mean I'm not going to do it,' He decided as he flipped another page, knowing it was going to be a long night.