Fic: Surviving Life [1/?]
Title: Surviving Life
Fandom: Silent Witness
Rating: T
Warning: It'll get quite dark in later chapters
Summary: Nikki always knew that arguments would have consequences, but she had never thought that a disagreement over a case could lead to… this. Hopefully the fic is more interesting than the summary!
Prologue
Nikki stared up at the ceiling, her troubled mind picking through a complicated case that had not let her sleep for nearly three nights now. Everyone was saying that it was the brother, but there was something screaming at her, telling her that it wasn’t him.
“Was it you?” she whispered, “Did you kill your sisters before turning the gun on yourself? It wasn’t you, was it?” she sighed, “I really need some sleep.”
“You really do Niks.”
Nikki nearly jumped out of her skin, “Harry! Don’t do that to me!”
“You do know that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness? I guess the second must be talking to dead people…” he smirked
“Shut up Harry.” She yawned, slowly lifting herself off the sofa, “What time is it?”
“Nearly half seven.” He opened the blinds, laughing at the sight of Nikki wincing.
She glared at him, “You sadistic bastard.”
“I love you too Nikki.” He grinned, “You’ve been here all night then?” he asked, picking her laptop up from the floor’ he stopped grinning; “You’re not still fixating on the Flanagan case are you?”
“A triple murderer is out there somewhere Harry; I need to prove that to the police.” She told him whilst inspecting the state of her make up by looking into the screen of her mobile phone. She decided that she’d do.
“Nikki, we’ve proved that he shot himself and that he died after his sisters did.” He said, sighing, trying not to smile; this had always been one of those things that he really loved about her, her convictions and how she would stand by them no matter what. At times it had really annoyed him (he had the feeling that now would be one of those times), but it was just something that made Nikki, well, Nikki!
“He had no reason to kill them, no history of mental problems, he was close to his sisters… we need to start looking at the step father.” Nikki picked up Jacob Flanagan’s medical notes.
“There is absolutely no evidence of anyone else being there at the time of the murder!” he said, willing the conversation to be over.
“Then how do you explain the unidentified finger prints on the gun, the blood on the door handle?” she argued angrily.
“That was Marie Flanagan’s blood.” He left Leo’s office, “Would you like some coffee?”
She followed him, “No thank you. Harry, the blood was found on the outside of the door! We found Marie inside; we know that she was killed inside!”
“Jacob had her blood on his hands; he went outside after killing his sist-”
“Why would he do that Harry? To pop outside for a cigarette after killing his sisters and before killing himself? Do you really believe that?” she stormed off, “I’m going home, tell Leo I’ll be back in at about nine.”
He ran down the corridor after her, “Nikki!”
She spun around, “Why won’t you support me Harry?” she snapped, “You know it makes sense!”
“There’s no evidence tha-”
“Oh shut up Harry! You just don’t want to admit that you were wrong”
Why was she so angry about this? “Niks, he shot himself.”
“So that automatically means that he shot his sister? Harry! Are you so bone headed that you won’t consider-”
“What have I done?!” he asked, his arms open and his eyes wide.
She couldn’t think of a decent answer; she was angry with him because she was sleep deprived and she knew it, but she wouldn’t admit it to him, “Just leave me alone!” she stormed down the corridor. When she reached the door, she heard a whisper of the word “Women!” Again she span around, “Oh piss off Harry!”
He didn’t attempt to go after her.
*****
She sat in her car, watching her knuckles glow white as she clutched onto the steering wheel, trying to vent out some of her anger. She knew that she was being silly and irrational, and she knew that she normally wouldn’t get worked up like this, but that didn’t make her any less angry.
She saw Leo approaching, “Nikki, are you all right?”
And with that, she was gone.
*****
“Harry? I’ve just seen Nikki in the car park… is she okay? Have you done something to upset her.
Harry bit his lip, “I might have…” Leo gave him that disapproving look, “I don’t think she’s slept for a couple of nights… we had a bit of an argument, I refused to agree with her on the Flanagan case… and then I might have called her a woman…”
Leo winced, “Oh Harry! Do you have any idea whether she’s coming back?”
He shrugged, “She said that she’d be back at about nine, but that was before… you know.”
Leo grinned, “Yeah, I know. She’ll just need to cool off and get some sleep, I’m sure she’ll be fine in a few hours.”
Harry leaned back into Leo’s sofa, getting a whiff of Nikki’s perfume, “I’ve not seen her that angry in a while Leo.”
“You know Nikki, she’ll be fine.”
Fandom: Silent Witness
Rating: T
Warning: It'll get quite dark in later chapters
Summary: Nikki always knew that arguments would have consequences, but she had never thought that a disagreement over a case could lead to… this. Hopefully the fic is more interesting than the summary!
Prologue
Nikki stared up at the ceiling, her troubled mind picking through a complicated case that had not let her sleep for nearly three nights now. Everyone was saying that it was the brother, but there was something screaming at her, telling her that it wasn’t him.
“Was it you?” she whispered, “Did you kill your sisters before turning the gun on yourself? It wasn’t you, was it?” she sighed, “I really need some sleep.”
“You really do Niks.”
Nikki nearly jumped out of her skin, “Harry! Don’t do that to me!”
“You do know that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness? I guess the second must be talking to dead people…” he smirked
“Shut up Harry.” She yawned, slowly lifting herself off the sofa, “What time is it?”
“Nearly half seven.” He opened the blinds, laughing at the sight of Nikki wincing.
She glared at him, “You sadistic bastard.”
“I love you too Nikki.” He grinned, “You’ve been here all night then?” he asked, picking her laptop up from the floor’ he stopped grinning; “You’re not still fixating on the Flanagan case are you?”
“A triple murderer is out there somewhere Harry; I need to prove that to the police.” She told him whilst inspecting the state of her make up by looking into the screen of her mobile phone. She decided that she’d do.
“Nikki, we’ve proved that he shot himself and that he died after his sisters did.” He said, sighing, trying not to smile; this had always been one of those things that he really loved about her, her convictions and how she would stand by them no matter what. At times it had really annoyed him (he had the feeling that now would be one of those times), but it was just something that made Nikki, well, Nikki!
“He had no reason to kill them, no history of mental problems, he was close to his sisters… we need to start looking at the step father.” Nikki picked up Jacob Flanagan’s medical notes.
“There is absolutely no evidence of anyone else being there at the time of the murder!” he said, willing the conversation to be over.
“Then how do you explain the unidentified finger prints on the gun, the blood on the door handle?” she argued angrily.
“That was Marie Flanagan’s blood.” He left Leo’s office, “Would you like some coffee?”
She followed him, “No thank you. Harry, the blood was found on the outside of the door! We found Marie inside; we know that she was killed inside!”
“Jacob had her blood on his hands; he went outside after killing his sist-”
“Why would he do that Harry? To pop outside for a cigarette after killing his sisters and before killing himself? Do you really believe that?” she stormed off, “I’m going home, tell Leo I’ll be back in at about nine.”
He ran down the corridor after her, “Nikki!”
She spun around, “Why won’t you support me Harry?” she snapped, “You know it makes sense!”
“There’s no evidence tha-”
“Oh shut up Harry! You just don’t want to admit that you were wrong”
Why was she so angry about this? “Niks, he shot himself.”
“So that automatically means that he shot his sister? Harry! Are you so bone headed that you won’t consider-”
“What have I done?!” he asked, his arms open and his eyes wide.
She couldn’t think of a decent answer; she was angry with him because she was sleep deprived and she knew it, but she wouldn’t admit it to him, “Just leave me alone!” she stormed down the corridor. When she reached the door, she heard a whisper of the word “Women!” Again she span around, “Oh piss off Harry!”
He didn’t attempt to go after her.
*****
She sat in her car, watching her knuckles glow white as she clutched onto the steering wheel, trying to vent out some of her anger. She knew that she was being silly and irrational, and she knew that she normally wouldn’t get worked up like this, but that didn’t make her any less angry.
She saw Leo approaching, “Nikki, are you all right?”
And with that, she was gone.
*****
“Harry? I’ve just seen Nikki in the car park… is she okay? Have you done something to upset her.
Harry bit his lip, “I might have…” Leo gave him that disapproving look, “I don’t think she’s slept for a couple of nights… we had a bit of an argument, I refused to agree with her on the Flanagan case… and then I might have called her a woman…”
Leo winced, “Oh Harry! Do you have any idea whether she’s coming back?”
He shrugged, “She said that she’d be back at about nine, but that was before… you know.”
Leo grinned, “Yeah, I know. She’ll just need to cool off and get some sleep, I’m sure she’ll be fine in a few hours.”
Harry leaned back into Leo’s sofa, getting a whiff of Nikki’s perfume, “I’ve not seen her that angry in a while Leo.”
“You know Nikki, she’ll be fine.”