Chapter 5: A Troubled Past, An Uncertain Future

Nikki sat at the bar in Sullivan's later that night, thinking about everything that revolved around her life. She knew Danny would probably still be at the lab, working on the evidence, and looking for a break. She pictured Flack sitting at a table having dinner with a blond woman. Damn him, Nikki thought.

Nikki couldn't trust herself with men, actually it was the other way around, she couldn't trust men with her. The only guy she could trust was Danny, of course, because he was her brother. She thought about Don Flack again, " This is not the time or place, Nikki. What the hell is wrong with you?", Nikki asked herself.

She wouldn't answer herself though, she knew that people would look at her strangely. Although, even though she'd already had three beers, and working on a fourth, she didn't feel drunk, but she even more, she didn't feel numb, which is the way she wanted to feel right now. She thought about why she left this city for Chicago. She never actually knew the reason, she needed change, she supposed.

When she looked up from her beer, she spotted Flack and Danny. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't just hallucinating it. They spotted Nikki, and walked over to her.

" Hey", they both chimed.

" Hi, guys", Nikki answered softly, not wanting to look at Don, even though she knew he was watching her.

" You don't look so good, Nikki. Have you been here all this time?", Danny asked.

" Why would you wanna know? Are you gonna yell at me again?, Nikki asked fiercely.

" Whoa, Nikki. No, I'm not. Are you ok? I think you've had a little too much to drink", Danny replied, trying to grasp Nikki's arm.

" Don't touch me, Danny. I mean it", Nikki exclaimed, trying to get off the chair and falling. Flack leaned in just enough that he caught her.

" You have very handsome eyes, Detective", Nikki said with a smile on her face.

" Ok, yeah, you've definitely had too much to drink. Come on, let's get you out of here", Don replied, ignoring the compliment.

" No, Don. I don't wanna go. Not unless you plan on taking me home with you", Nikki smiled. Don wanted so much to take her home with him, but only when she wasn't drunk. Flack wanted her willing and sober. Goodness, gracious. Where on Earth did that come from?, Don thought.

As Nikki looked into Flack's eyes, she felt something. It was powerful, and undeniable. She wondered if Flack felt it too.

" Ok, Nikki, come on. Let's get you home. You could use a good night's sleep, you'll feel better in the morning", Don replied, as she looked into his eyes. So pleading and innocent. Something wonderful curled up inside his chest. It was something he'd never felt before in his life.

" Umm, hey, Flack! Can we please just get Nikki home", Danny pleaded.

Nikki wrapped her arms around Flack's neck, so he picked her up. He had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to walk on her own. He liked holding her, it was something he could get used to. " Yes, Danny, we can get her back to your place", Don replied.

Before long, Nikki was fast asleep in Don's arms. He felt her breathing deeply. Her arms were locked around his neck. He didn't mind it either.

A few minutes later, Don said, " She's asleep. Her arms are still locked around my neck."

" Ok, what are you suggesting Flack?", Danny asked suspiciously.

" Well, do you really want to disturb Lindsay? I mean, she's probably sleeping, right?", Don asked.

" Well, I guess you have a point. I don't think Lindsay would mind, though. So, then, where do we go? You know what, take her home with you, Flack", Danny suggested.

" What? Are you serious, Danny? I couldn't do that", Flack replied, pretending that he didn't want to take her home.

" No, Flack. Take her home, it's alright", Danny reassured Don. So, Don turned around and Danny flagged a cab for him and Nikki.

When Flack got to his apartment, he set Nikki down on the couch and went to go take a shower. After he got out, he looked at Nikki, who was sleeping peacefully on his couch. He walked over to her, and removed a piece of hair from her face. She was an angel. He decided he liked this, it was a start anyways. So, Flack turned out the lights and went to bed.

The next morning, Nikki got up and looked around the room. It wasn't Danny's living room, that's for sure. She sat up to find Flack sitting at a table reading the paper, and drinking a cup of coffee.

" Morning", Flack chimed.

" Morning", Nikki managed, " Where am I, Don?"

" Oh, you're at my apartment, Nikki. Don't worry, you're perfectly safe", Don reassured her.

" Ok", Nikki smiled weakly, " Can I have a cup of coffee?"

" Oh yes, sure", Don laughed as he got up to get her a cup of coffee.

She got up and walked over to the table. She had a headache, nothing much but it was still enough to keep her still on the chair.

" So, do you remember much about last night?", Don asked, as he set her coffee down in front of her. She looked into his eyes, he felt so helpless around her.

" Yeah, I remember. Umm… about what I said last night…well, I've always heard that when you're drunk, you reveal truths…"Don cut her off.

" Yeah, I've always heard that, too. So, what are you getting at Nikki?", Don asked.

" Well, what I said last night, umm… I did have four beers. Ok, well, what I'm getting at is, that what I said might have been true in my drunken state. I was drunk though, so, you can't really blame me, can you?", Nikki said trying not to hurt him. It was too late though. Truth was, she had meant what she said the night before.

" Nope, I guess I can't. Alright then", Don lied. He felt very disappointed. " Well, I guess we better get ready for work, Danny dropped off some clothes for you", Flack continued.

" Ok, thanks, I appreciate it. I really do, you're a good friend", Nikki replied. Don nodded briefly, then took off to take a shower. He couldn't face her, not now.

As Nikki got ready, her thoughts kept dwelling on Flack. She remembered what she said about his eyes, they were very beautiful and handsome. He had the most interesting eyes. His eyes held all of his emotions. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he was disappointed after she lied and told him that she was just drunk.

Later that day, Nikki was heading out for a coffee. She was tired of looking at the evidence in those bags. She felt guilty about lying to Flack that morning, but she couldn't tell him the truth. Although, she was beginning to wonder if she should.

Back inside the lab, Flack had just missed Nikki as he stepped out of the elevator. He went looking for Danny, someone he could talk to. He found him inside his and Nikki's office.

" Hey", Danny chimed as he looked up.

" Hey, Danny", Flack pressed through.

" Why so blue, Flack? What's wrong?", Danny asked.

" Oh, Nikki's been avoiding me all day. She won't return my calls, and she's staying away from the precinct", Flack recalled.

" Well, what happened that would make her do that?", Danny asked, although he was pretty sure he already knew.

" Well, she remembers what she said to me last night. But, I didn't know that what she said was so bad", Flack wondered.

" It doesn't seem like her. It was just a few words, besides, she was drunk", Danny replied. Great, so he blames it on the alcohol, too, Don thought, So, he doesn't think that it came from her heart, does he?

" Yeah, she was. She also gave a speech about how when you're drunk, you say some things, things that are the truth", Flack retold.

" It doesn't seem like her, it just doesn't seem like her. But, then again, I haven't seen her for the past five years, so I could be out of date", Danny laughed. Flack didn't think it was so funny, though. Apparently Danny wasn't gonna be much help on this.

Flack walked out of there feeling worse than he did before he walked into Danny's office. " Great, now I'm not sure who to talk to. There's Stella, nope, too close of a friend to Nikki. Lindsay…nope, it's her sister-in-law, and her best friend. Mac, why would I even suggest that? Then there's Danny, why would I think that? I'm such an idiot, Danny's her brother, why would I even consider that?", Flack told himself as he walked down the hallway. One way or another, I need to talk to someone, I need to figure out what's going on with me, Don thought. Flack laughed in spite of himself.

As Nikki was nursing her cup of coffee, she had a thought about the killer. So, she ran into the lab, she had to tell Danny.

She got out of the elevator, and headed for hers and Danny's office. She walked into their office and exclaimed, " I have an idea!"

" What do you mean, Nikki? About what?", Danny asked excitedly.

" Ok, well, this guy kills in three's, right? I think it's his lucky number or his favourite number. That would explain the string of three's in this case, he kidnaps three people over a three day period, which explains the three day break. Then, all the victims are killed the day that they're found", Nikki explained.

" Nikki, you're a genius!", Danny exclaimed, as he ran over and picked her up and hugged her.

" Hey, guys, what's with the excitement?", Lindsay asked, smiling.

" I think we got a really big break in the case, thanks to Nikki", Danny replied, as he ran over to Lindsay and picked her up, swung her around, and exclaimed, " I love you so much!"

Lindsay laughed, " So, you didn't love me before?"

" Oh, I did! So much, and now, more than ever!", Danny exclaimed. Danny put Lindsay down and exclaimed, " I need a coffee!" He walked off to get a coffee and left Nikki and Lindsay to ponder what just happened.

" So, you guys finally got a break?", Lindsay asked.

" Yeah, it was a pattern", explained Nikki.

" Well, maybe this will lead to the capture of that jerk", huffed Lindsay.

" Yeah, maybe", contemplated Nikki, " I have to find Flack and explain it to him, I don't know how much it will help trying to find this guy, all I know is, he's going to have a obsession for the number three, it be nothing or it could lead us straight to him." Nikki walked away feeling like she was going to need Danny before she found Flack. She was sure that she couldn't face Flack alone.