Usual Disclamers Apply: Shed owns the BG characters. This story is not for profit, just my fan-fic/analysis on how life may be for N&H now that they're free to be together as well as a boost to get myself back into writing again.
In other words, I'm getting myself into position to finally put my $80,000 college degree to use after almost ten years. I supposse my parents would (finally) be proud. May they rest in peace.
Many thanks to aussiebadgirl for being my beta reader.
Constructive Feedback is encouraged.
It All Comes Out
Chapter One
“I suppose we shouldn’t be standing out here snoggin’ forever should we?” Helen asked coyly after sharing the longest, intimate kiss with Nikki. “You are after all the guest of honor.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Nikki replied half-heartedly. “Right now it doesn’t matter where I am as long as you’re here.”
Helen could read the slightly pained look on Nikki’s face, “Nikki, listen to me. It’s not a dream. It’s all real and I’m right here, I won’t leave you; I won’t leave us ever again.”
“You know I’m going to hold you to that,” Nikki replied, a slight smile lighting up her face again.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Helen replied kissing Nikki softly on the lips. Flashing her trademark smile, by placing the tip of her tongue slightly between her teeth, she said, “Now let’s go back inside. It is your do after all.”
“Okay, okay,” Nikki replied childishly, returning Helen’s kiss with one of her own on Helen’s cheek. “I’m just going to to have a hard time keeping my hands off you, that’s all.” she added. Nikki gently placed Helen’s hand into hers and led her back inside Chix, the club Nikki co-owned with her ex-partner Trisha. They walked directly over to where Trisha was sitting- still drinking from the champagne bottle she and Nikki had uncorked earlier. Trisha stared almost coldly at Helen and then back at Nikki. Nikki knew she would have to break the ice immediately.
“Look. I know you two know of each other; however, I want to introduce you two…properly. Trisha, meet Helen Stewart. Helen, meet Trisha Harris.”
“You must be an amazing woman for Nik to give a speech like that at her press conference,” Trisha responded now more resolved. Then she leaned forward and half whispered in Helen’s ear, due to the loudness of the music, “Be good to her and take care of her.”
Helen then leaned forward towards Trisha and replied into her ear, “I will.” She then stood back up and looked directly at Trisha, “Thank you, Trisha. I also know you’re one amazing woman. Nikki did the right thing trying to defend you, even though she paid the price for it. But now, let’s look ahead and move forward.” Nikki stood gob smacked at the exchange that had just taken place between her ex and Helen. She was determined to find out from the both of them what had been said between them; however, she knew she would have to corner them individually.
“Shouldn’t Claire be here by now? I invited her and she graciously accepted- although she said that she normally doesn’t accept personal invites from clients,” Nikki stated, willing herself out of her bewilderment. Talking mainly for her own benefit she added out loud, “I wonder if she decided to back out.”
“Oh, sorry. She told me to tell you that she had to wrap up some paperwork for another client first. She said it had to be done today and that she didn’t trust anyone else in the office to do it,” Helen replied. “She’ll be here in an hour or so,” Helen paused, slightly flushed as if she were embarrassed. “That was probably about half an hour ago.” After disclosing her almost forgotten information, Helen regained her composure and continued, “Knowing Claire, she’s probably finished now and on her way here. She’s one of the most efficient people I know. She saved my arse quite a few times at Uni.”
“Well, I hope she gets here soon so we can open another bottle of champagne,” Trisha replied gleefully. Her mood had changed, a complete 180 from only a few minutes ago, when Helen and Nikki had come back into the club. “I finished this bottle while you two were outside snogging for the whole world to see.” Nikki had forgotten how blunt Trisha could be when she was drunk. “Besides, I want to toast the two people instrumental in you release, Nik.”
Nikki looked a bit unsure…as well as flushed from embarrassment…at Trisha, who was now acting a bit tipsy. Nikki then replied, “Trisha, are you sure you need another drink?”
“I’m okay Nik,” she replied with a slight, aggravated slur, knowing full well Nikki’s innuendo…the night of Gossard’s attempting to rape Trisha and Nikki subsequently stabbing him in the neck with a broken bottle, then her arrest thereafter, the night where every sure thing was suddenly thrown into chaos. Trisha then added, “Besides,” she paused. “We’ve been quite rude not offering your girlfriend here a drink.”
Helen let out a slight smile at being referred to as Nikki’s girlfriend. “Nikki’s girlfriend, Helen. Aye, that’s music to my ears,” Helen thought to herself.
“So Helen, what would you like?” Trisha asked; her tone completely uplifted from the previous coldness, when Helen and Nikki had walked into the club together.
“Stoly tonic please,” Helen replied politely. Before Trisha could go behind the bar, Nikki stopped her.
“I’ll get it, Trish. You’re in no condition to be behind that bar.” Nikki instantly flashed back to the night she killed Gossard. Before Trisha could respond, Nikki quickly added, “Besides, it’s time I start dusting off my now rusty bartending skills.”
Totally unaware what this particular date was, it being the horrid night Trisha and Nikki shared four years earlier. Helen began to flirt with Nikki, telling her, “Nikki Wade. I learn more about you all the time.” ‘What an irony I should be released this day’ Nikki thought to herself. She was behind the bar making the simple drink Helen requested.
Snapping herself back to reality, Nikki retorted Helen’s flirt. “Well you know I own this place with Trisha. What kind of owner would I be if I didn’t know how to make the drinks I’m supposed to be serving?”
“Well, you have a point.” As Helen took her drink from Nikki, she brushed Nikki’s hand with her own. She was amazed, as well as instinctively surprised, at how easy it was for her to be so openly affectionate with Nikki. She was never so open with any of the men she had dated, even after she had gotten serious with some of them, including Sean Parr and the good doctor, Thomas Waugh. In fact, she felt trapped with the aforementioned last two. Snapping out of her reverie, Helen’s best friend from university, Claire, walked in, spotting the three women at the bar right away.
“Claire, I’m glad you made it,” Nikki shouted, motioning her over. Once Claire came up to them, Nikki asked her, “What can I get you to drink?”
Before Claire could answer, Trisha interrupted, “Pull out a bottle of the club’s best champagne and bring four fresh flutes.” It brought great pride for Trisha to say Chix served some of Europe’s most high-powered lesbians. Most of the big names frequented the place when they were in town as well as the young, well-dressed, average crowd. Now it was mostly the latter. This she knew was due to Nikki’s arrest as that brought the popular nightclub a fair amount of infamy. Before the arrest, Chix was the lesbian European equivalent of New York’s Studio 54. Trisha added after her moment of gleeful pride, “Claire, I’ve been waiting for you to get here so we can make a proper toast on Nik’s freedom.”
“Trish, I really don’t think…”
“Nik, I know what I’m doing,” Trisha interrupted, gritting her teeth then adding; “I’ll slow down after this toast and have some water as well as coffee.”
“All right then,” Nikki sullenly replied. “I just don’t want you being plastered right before going to dinner.” Nikki then went behind the bar to fetch the champagne and Claire excused herself to go to the toilet, leaving Helen and Trisha at the bar by themselves. At that moment, Helen looked pained, now knowing for sure she had uninvitingly dashed Trisha’s plans to reconcile with Nikki. Trisha sensed Helen’s uneasiness and assured her.
“This is just a get-together. We’ll be doing the real celebrating afterwards.” Helen was still unconvinced. “All three of us, Claire, myself, Nikki as well as Marion are going out for celebratory dinner at Nikki’s favorite restaurant, Nobu. I’ll just call the place and tell them we’ve had another join us.” Trisha then took Helen’s hand and gently added, “”I know Nikki wouldn’t have it any other way.” Helen still didn’t feel reassured. Again sensing this, Trisha added, “Look, Helen. I don’t know you but I know Nikki. I was with her for nine years, remember. Did you see the news this afternoon?” Trisha paused, contemplating Helen’s response.
“Yes, I did,” Helen replied, suspecting, yet somewhat unsure what Trisha was getting at.
“That speech she gave about you; especially the part about Nik saying that she owes you her life; was something I have never, ever, heard from her.” Trisha then looked Helen straight into her green eyes. “Helen, she doesn’t make speeches like that for just anybody. Nikki really loves you,” Trisha paused once again, making sure the words she was saying had any impact. “Nikki really loves you,” Trisha repeated, “and I know you feel the same way about her,” she paused again, double checking to make sure what she was saying was having an impact. “I saw the look on your face when you first came in. I didn’t have to see Nikki’s. I already knew how she feels. You thought Nik and I had gotten back together. I saw the light drain from your face. I no longer saw the light in Nikki’s face; it was gone long before the appeal hearing. The light in her face left the night she killed Gossard. I knew mine left that night too. Only after you walked in half an hour ago did Nikki’s light come back.” Trisha barely had the strength to muster what she was about to say next. “Helen, I’m part of Nikki’s past. You’re her future. It’s wrong for me to stand in the way, as much as I want her back.”
‘I…I don’t know what to say,” Helen stammered, a tear drop starting to roll down her face.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Trisha replied calmly, still looking straight into Helen’s eyes. “Just show Nikki you love her.” Not having heard Trisha’s speech to Helen, Nikki returned to where they were sitting. She took a little longer than she would have liked due to having to re-familiarize herself with where things were. Claire also arrived right after Nikki, apologizing for taking so long due to the line at the toilets. Without either Nikki or Claire seeing her, Helen quickly wiped away the shed tears on her face.
“So what were you two talking about?” Nikki asked; her curiosity even more piqued from earlier.
“Just how well your appeal turned out,” Trisha replied. She knew she would never hear the end of it from Nikki if she told her the truth.
“Yeah,” Helen chimed in, following Trisha’s lead, all the evidence of her crying gone. “I really wish I could have been there,” Helen paused, looking slightly lamentful as if she were about to start crying again, something she normally didn’t do in the presence of her close friends, much less in public. “I’m sorry Fenner was one of the officers escorting you to court. That’s why I didn’t go. I couldn’t take the risk,” her voice trailed off and she looked down at the floor.
Nikki gently raised Helen’s chin and replied, “Helen, I know. There’s no need to apologize. In fact I should be the one apologizing to you for costing you your job, your career.” Realizing what she had just said, Nikki then looked over at Claire who remained unfazed. “Can we please move on from here?” Nikki asked firmly.
In response, Trisha uncorked the champagne bottle and poured four glasses, not losing much of the bubbly in the process. “To Claire, for pulling together everything, for Marion also for convincing the judges they had no choice but to set Nikki free,” Trisha proposed.
“Well, really the person to toast is Helen,” Claire replied, and then added, “had it not been for her, I would have never gotten my hands on the biggest lifers’ case in all of Britain.”
“Well I had to convince Nikki to agree to appeal,” Helen responded; her mood now completely uplifted after what Trisha had told her while they were alone. “Believe me, that was no easy task.”
“How about a toast to ‘life after Larkhall’ and new beginnings all around.” Nikki added, having to put her two pence in.
“New beginnings all around,” the other three women chimed at once and drank to Nikki’s toast.
“We should probably get going soon. Things are starting to die down,” Trisha observed.
“The reservation’s at 7:00 right?” Claire asked. She then turned to Helen. “I assume you’ll be joining us.”
Before Helen could reply, Trisha stated, “Of course she is. I’ll call the restaurant right now.” She then pulled out her mobile, dialed the number, told the person on the other end that Helen was joining them, and that they now needed a table for five instead of four.
“Look, I really don’t want to intrude,” Helen started.
“Nonsense,” Nikki interrupted. She then took Helen’s hand. “I want you there. I want you here. You’ve made my day absolutely perfect. I couldn’t ask for much more.”
“Nicola Wade, you’re getting all soppy on me,” Trisha ribbed. She then looked at Helen. “Helen, you really are something else. She was never like this with me.”
“You had better not let this one get away,” Claire chimed in and added, “If I hadn’t been Nikki’s solicitor, I’d have gone after her myself.”
“Claire Walker!” Helen exclaimed. “You’re supposed to be my best friend!” Her Scottish accent was now thick; it always became stronger when she was really angry and about to lose her temper, happily drunk, joking around, or affectionate with a lover.
“Before you told me everything; which by the way, I thank you for waiting until after the proceedings to tell me, I had a sneaking suspicion that your interest in Nikki was more than professional,” Claire retorted, then added with a wink and a sly look, “I know you Helen Stewart.”
Nikki was now more than intrigued due to the look that Claire gave her best friend. She was now determined to find out more by the end of the night, even if it was the last thing she did tonight. “All right Claire, I’m going to have to corner you before the end of the night,” Nikki piped in. She then looked right at Helen. “To get all the dirt you can dish out; on the former number one.”