When Duty Isn't Enough
Author: Firebird
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Neither Hot Fuzz nor its characters, settings etc. are mine. Original characters are, as the name would imply, original and belong to me.
**
Several hours later, Lily collapsed onto her sofa with a sigh.
"Well, that's the kitchen and living room done. I normally get takeaway on moving day, if you'd like to stay? It's the least I can do."
"Actually," Nick replied, "I was going to ask you if you'd like to have dinner with me, since you don't have anything fresh on hand to cook with."
"Are you sure?" she asked. "You've already done so much for me I feel kind of bad putting you to more trouble."
"It's no trouble at all," he smiled.
She smiled back. "In that case, let me go and give the cat some dinner, and I'll be right over."
"Perfect. I'll see you in ten?"
She glanced at the window. "Make it fifteen? I'd like to grab a jacket in case it gets cool later, and I'm not too sure where they've ended up."
He nodded. "See you then."
As soon as her front door closed behind him he bolted for his own. It was only as he reached it that he realised he'd left it unlocked all this time. He mentally kicked himself, particularly after the mini-lecture he had given Lily on the subject, but had more important things to worry about.
Racing upstairs he turned on the shower and ripped off his clothes, dumping them on the bathroom floor and jumping under the water before it had a chance to properly warm up. He clenched his teeth against the cold and grabbed the shampoo. Three and a half minutes later he was in his bedroom, rummaging through his drawers in search of clean jeans and a t-shirt. Down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he opened a bottle of red wine and left it to breathe before grabbing a fresh baguette and a knife. He poured olive oil into a bowl and set a dish of dukkah beside it, belatedly hoping that she liked the Mediterranean-style snack, especially given that he didn't have a heck of a lot else to offer. He pulled on an apron, and had just begun assembling ingredients for a pasta sauce when he heard a knock at the door.
He drew a deep breath. 'Steady, Angel,' he muttered to himself. 'If you keep this up you'll scare her off. It's bad enough being seen as 'hero cop' instead of 'Nick Angel'; you really, really don't need to become 'obsessed stalker neighbour'.'
"Lily, hi. Come on in."
"Thanks." She moved past him into his cottage, gazing around curiously. "Not exactly your stereotypical bachelor pad," she commented approvingly. "It's cosy."
"Thank you." He led her down to the kitchen. "Glass of wine?" he offered. "I should have asked if you drink."
"I drink," she assured him. "In a moderate and responsible way," she added, with a humorous twist to her mouth. "Ooh dukkah." She helped herself to a piece of bread.
"I hope you like pasta. I'm making a variation on primavera, with a little chilli to liven it up," he informed her, moving towards the bench.
"Pasta is good. Can I help with anything?"
He passed her a chopping-board, knife and courgette and went back to dicing onion.
"I take it you've moved around a lot?" he asked.
"Mmm," she agreed around a mouthful of wine. "I'm from Oxfordshire originally, but I did my degree in York and spent several years overseas. Graduate diploma down in Bournemouth, then I took a job up in Leeds."
"And what brought you to Sandford?"
"They were advertising for a librarian with a background in archives, so I thought I'd apply, since it's close to home and all. I didn't even make the connection between the location and what happened until I was down for my interview."
"Think you'll stick around?"
She shrugged. "I haven't really decided yet. It's a two year contract, with the possibility of renewal after that, so I guess I'll see. What about you? What made you transfer here from London?"
He cocked his head on one side, deciding how much he wanted to tell her. "Well, it's a funny story..."
**
They ate their meal sitting at the small dining table in the kitchen. Nick found himself falling silent as he caught Lily's eye on several occasions, and noticed that she blushed when she realised, and broke eye contact almost shyly. She had a lively sense of humour and a seemingly endless series of anecdotes, mainly about her travels, which had apparently been extensive.
"So," he asked at last, feeling the conversation lagging. "Lily Birch. That's a slightly unusual name."
She made a face. "My parents would have been hippies, if they'd been born in the right decade. They figured, hey, our last name sounds like a tree, so why not give our daughters floral first names? I got Tigerlily: my sisters are Primrose and Myrtle."
"And do you have a middle name?"
"Sunbeam."
In spite of himself, he choked on his wine.
"So, I rebelled the only way I could. Started going to church, got a degree, and became a librarian. Naturally, I'm a huge disappointment."
"You're a Christian?" Nick asked, although he reflected that the small gold crucifix she wore really should have tipped him off.
"Going on a decade now. And you?"
"Ah, well, I guess I'm an agnostic. I'm open to the concept of religion, but some of the things you see in this job..." he trailed off, hoping that she wasn't the kind of christian who didn't date 'unbelievers'.
"I guess it must be hard. Me, I see all the suffering in the world and I'm just glad I believe that this isn't all there is... but change the subject before I start a sermon!" she suggested with a laugh.
"Okay. What about your sisters?"
"Rose – she's the eldest – is living with a musician in London. She's the lead singer in their band, in between temping gigs. Myrr is currently living on a kibbutz in Israel. I'm the black sheep of the family." She grinned to show she wasn't serious, and Nick guessed that in fact she had a close relationship with all of them. "What about you?"
He shrugged. "Not much to tell, really. I was born and raised in London. My parents still live there, and my brother works in the City. Like yourself, I'm something of a disappointment. I protect the innocent and ensure that the guilty face justice, but Rob has a corner office and a six-figure income."
"But you're a hero!" Lily protested. "Doesn't that count for something?"
He gave a wry grin. "Not as much as you might think. I don't see much of them since I moved away: Sandford's a bit out of the way, so they can't get up here often, and I tend to be too busy with work to get down there."
"I guess that'll change though?"
He frowned slightly, not following.
"The trials? They're going to be held in London, right, so I guess you'll be headed back down there to testify."
**
They washed the dishes, and Nicholas fixed them both a cup of herbal tea. At last Lily rose, yawning slightly.
"Well, I'd better get home. Bed isn't even made up, and I'm tired out. You couldn't give me directions to the nearest supermarket, could you? I need to go shopping tomorrow."
"Of course." He grabbed a pen and paper from the sideboard and began to sketch her a map. "Tesco's is nearest, and they should have everything you need." He hesitated. "Listen, if you're free tomorrow afternoon, maybe I could show you around the village."
She smiled. "I'd like that."
She took the proffered paper and let him show her out.
"Thanks again," she told him. "I've really appreciated everything." And with that she leaned over and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before she turned swiftly and headed down his front path. "'Night," she called back, oblivious to the stunned expression on his face.