After the Rage

 AUTHOR: Shirley

 E-mail: sgoates2607@charter.net
 
 RATING: PG-14 (Sexual situations, language)

 CONTEXT: This NicFic follows the events of "All the Rage".

 DISCLAIMER: Some of the characters portrayed herein have been taken
 directly from The Guardian - a CBS TV Series. Others are strictly
 figments of my imagination. The resemblance to any person(s) living
 or dead is purely coincidental. Any similarity of events, dates, or
 characters or the portrayal of events, dates or characters depicted
 in any FanFic previously posted by other authors is totally
 unintentional. This is a work of FICTION.

 ~~~~~

 The ceiling fan circled languidly overhead, creating the slightest
 breeze, while the dulcet strains of Chris Botti's smooth jazz
 trumpet wafted in from another room. The couple on the bed below,
 writhing as one, seemed to be oblivious of their surroundings,
their skin glistening with the heat of their passion; grunts and moans
 uttered as they reached their respective climax.

 Nick rolled onto his back, draping his left forearm over his eyes,
 his breathing still elevated.

 "Wow," Claire said as she raised up on one elbow, placing her left
 arm across his chest, then snuggling cozily into the crook of his
 arm. "It's a rare man who can bring me to orgasm-on the first
 date," she said, nuzzling his neck.

 He moved his left arm from his eyes and trailed his hand down her
 back coming to rest on her slim, bare hips. "It's not our first
 date," he reminded her, gazing at the ceiling.

She raised up again to look him in the eyes. "You're not really
calling that night at The Incline a date, are you? As I recall…
you  were busy giving someone else an orgasm that night," she smiled,
coquettishly.

 Nick looked away, uncomfortable at the mention of `that' night.

 Claire gently took his chin and turned his face towards
 her. "You're not gonna get pouty on me now, are you, Nick?" She
 looked deep into his eyes, trying to fathom the meaning of his
 sudden change of expression. "I thought that was over."

`Yeah… yeah. It is," he said, a little too quickly-still trying to
convince himself that it was, indeed, over. It had been over a
month now since Lulu had taken the job at Berkeley Legal Center.
He hadn't heard a single word from her since she left. And `he'
refused to be the first one to break the silence.

 Claire recalled the warnings from her co-workers about getting
 involved with Nick. She had been invited to go with a bunch of the
 first year associates to The Incline one night for drinks along
with a couple of the paralegals. Somehow Nick's name came up and the
guys saw Claire raise her eyebrows. She remembered it was Wade
Tunney who had told her that Nick was a "screw `em and leave `em"
kinda guy. The guys had all laughed while the two paralegals just
looked sheepishly at each other and started to giggle. She had
told them all, point-blank, that she had no intentions of "going there"
with Nick. And now she had just had the most incredible 30 minutes
of sex that she could remember in a very long time. So much for a
promise she probably had no intentions of keeping in the first
place.

Grasping a handful of Claire's blonde locks, Nick gently pulled her
head back and covered her mouth with his own, probing the depths
with his tongue, his other hand caressing her firm, round breast.
She kissed him back, passionately, pulling his body into hers-her
breasts pressing into his chest. She put her leg between his and
felt his hardness against her thigh. She caught her breath,
slightly. Incredible-he was almost ready to go again. She
reminded herself to schedule more time at the gym. She would need a heavier
workout schedule if she was to get in shape to be able to satiate one Nick 
Fallin.

 Nick took it real slow. The way his hands touched her skin took
her breath away; so gentle-caressing-stimulating. She had never
experienced two orgasms in one evening-that is, until tonight.
Although the process took longer, it was even more satisfying than
the first. She was amazed at Nick's stamina. He could probably go
all night if he had to.

 Exhausted, they lay quietly, falling asleep almost instantly.

Nick suddenly awoke and glanced at the clock. It was nearly 2:00
in the morning. He dressed quietly and managed to slip out without
waking Claire.

Driving the deserted streets on his way home, he scolded himself-
silently, of course-for getting involved with Claire. He had had
no shortage of sexual partners to fill the gap left by Lulu's
departure, so why Claire? Well, she had been especially sexy
latelyand he'd let his guard down. They had been working on a special
project for Burton which required many hours of close contact and
it was a natural progression, he told himself. He hoped it wasn't
going to create a problem in the office. He remembered, with a
mischievous grin, the embarrassing situation at LSP, when Alvin had
learned of his and Lulu's affair-then broadcast it… like an ass.
It might be a good idea just to nip this in the bud.

 ~/~/~

 The next morning, Nick passed Claire coming out of his father's
 office as he was entering. They spoke but she didn't project any
 undue familiarity. He breathed a sigh of relief.

 He closed the door and walked over to one of the chairs in front of
 his father's desk, but remained standing. "You wanted to see me?"

 "Oh, yeah, Nicholas. Sit down."

 Nick sat down, as commanded, forearms resting on his knees.

 His father continued to thumb through a legal tome, then glanced
up,over his reading glasses, and said, "Gib Rollins called early this
 morning and pushed up the target date on that merger deal. Said he
 got wind of another bidder in the wings and wants to get the deal
 signed and sealed…" Burton paused for effect, then continued, "…
 before it gets back to Adler and he has to up the ante." He
 scribbled something on the legal pad in front of him and closed the
 law book. Nick was always amazed how his father could multi-task
 like that so effectively. Burton reached for a cigarette and his
 lighter.

 "Okay." Nick looked at his father, waiting for him to provide the
 date. He wondered why in the hell Rollins had called his father on
 this when he was the lead attorney.

 Burton touched the flame of his lighter to the Marlboro and took a
 long drag, then exhaled. As the plume of smoke drifted upward, it
 was caught up in the draft of air emanating from the air vent above
 and quickly dissipated.

 Finally, Nick said impatiently, "Well, when does he want it?"

 "Mid-week." Burton laid his cigarette in the ashtray and removed
 his glasses, tossing them on the desk and rubbing his hand across
 the top of his head. With a sigh, he said, "I know that doesn't
 give you boys much time to do the job right."

 "I think we can manage." Nick straightened up in the
 chair. "Jake's working on the due diligence. I've almost finished
 reviewing all the leases, contracts and the financials. It'll be
 close… but I think we can make the target."

 "Good. Good." Burton leaned back in his chair. "Get Claire to
 help if you need to."

 "No, Dad. That's not necessary. I think Jake and I can manage."
 Nick stood up and started for the door.

 "I want you to use her when you can. I think she's gonna be a big
 asset to the Firm."

 Nick turned to respond but his dad had already gone back to the
 project on his desk. He exited without further comment.

 Nick stopped at Jake's office and tapped on the door. Before
 getting a response, he poked his head in. He was surprised to see
 Jake and Claire huddled together over a file on the desk.

 They both flinched as Nick entered the room uninvited.

 "Whadaya need, Nick?" Jake asked, tersely.

 Nick looked curiously at Claire. "Uh… sorry," he finally
 sputtered. "Rollins has pushed up the date."

 "Damn!" Jake glanced at Claire. "Claire, can you excuse us for a
 sec?"

 "Sure, Jake." She gathered up her notebook and pen and eased past
 Nick, as he partially blocked her exit. "Morning, Nick," she said
 as she disappeared into the hallway.

 Nick shut the door and walked over to Jake's desk, a scowl on his
 face.

 "What's the new target date?" Jake asked, deflated by the news.

 "Next Wednesday." He was alarmed as Jake scowled and shook his
 head. "Why?" he pressed.

 Jake didn't immediately answer.

 Curious, Nick asked, "What are you and Claire working on?" He
 certainly didn't wanna be boffing Claire if Jake was, but he wasn't
 sure if he should ask him about it-outright.

 "Oh. Well… she said she could help with the due diligence." Jake
 was a little embarrassed to admit that he was running behind and
had actually asked for her help. "On the Rollins deal," he added.

 "What's the problem?" Nick stood, arms folded, legs slightly apart
 and knees locked.

 "Problem?" Jake looked wide-eyed at Nick. "Uh… nothing." Jake
saw Nick clench his jaw. "Okay… okay. I had those other two cases
 going… you know? That Hadley-Jones mess and then that sexual
 harassment lawsuit for Jenkins. I just… well, I just got a little
 behind. But… don't worry, Nick… I'll get it done in time if I have
 to work through the weekend."

 "You sure?" Nick loved to see Jake sweat. It kept him on his
 toes. "Maybe I should give the whole thing to Claire."

 "No… no. I said I'd get it handled, Nick. Okay?"

 After a long pause, Nick nodded and said, "Okay." He turned and
 walked to the door and with his hand on the handle, he said, "You
 and Claire…" He looked back over his shoulder. "You're not…?"

 Jake looked at Nick in stunned surprise. "Me?" He poked his chest
 with his thumb. "Me… and Claire?" Jake grinned. "It's not for
 lack of trying." He laughed.

 Nick nodded and exited the room.

 Jake sighed and leaned back in his chair. Under his breath, he
 muttered, "Fuck."

 ~/~/~

 Nick glanced at his watch as he laid the Federal Express envelope
on the reception counter. "Gretchen, see that this gets out today."
 He had ten minutes to make the luncheon appointment with
 Commissioner Willging to discuss a zoning issue in the Rollins
 matter. With briefcase in hand, he turned to make a quick exit and
 plowed right into Claire.

 "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, reaching out to steady her. "Guess I
 should watch where I'm going," he flashed an apologetic
smile. "You
 all right?"

 "I'm fine, Nick." She smiled sweetly, retrieving her handbag which
 had fallen on the floor. She straightened her jacket and then,
 after a nervous pause, she said, "Uh… excuse me. I was just on my
 way out."

 "Sure. Me, too." He hurried to open the door for her.

 They walked to the elevator together and rode down to the lobby, in
 silence.

 Nick watched as Claire got into a Jaguar parked illegally in front
 of the Frick Building. He couldn't make out who was driving. He
 waited until they had eased into traffic, then headed for The
 Incline and his meeting with the Commissioner.

 ~/~/~


 Monday morning. Ugh! It was promising to be a very busy week with
 the Rollins deal closing on Wednesday, meetings scheduled with at
 least three prospective new clients, and already eight pending LSP
 cases.

 Nick stepped off the elevator at LSP and made his way through the
 throng of people to his office. He tossed his briefcase on the
 desk. Grabbing his coffee mug he headed for the coffee station.

 For a second, he looked curiously at the espresso machine-Alvin's
 baby-then opted for the conventional Mr. Coffee. He poured a cup
 and took a cautious sip of the hot liquid, his first cup of the
 day.

 "Nick, how's it goin'?"

 Nick spun around at the familiar voice. He smiled broadly and
stuck out his hand. "James. You back?"

 "Yeah. The doc gave me a release for half-days." They shook
 hands.

 "That's great, man. Just great."

 Seeing James reminded Nick of that awful night in May. Lucky for
 James, the cleaning crew had come early to clean the offices and
 they were able to summon an ambulance in time to save his life.
 Larry Flood had not fared so well. He was pronounced dead at the
 scene. James had undergone two surgeries and a couple weeks of
 rehab. He looked good, though somewhat thinner from the ordeal.

 "I guess it's been pretty bad with Lulu gone and me out."

 The mere mention of Lulu's name made Nick uncomfortable. He
shifted
 his weight and looked away, taking another sip of his coffee.

 Quickly recovering, he flashed a smile at James and said, "It has
 been a bit busy… but it's good to have you back." With his free
 hand, he patted James on the shoulder then walked back to his
 office.

 The police were still looking for Taliek. It was as though he had
 vaporized into the night. They had a stakeout on his house and had
 questioned several known acquaintances. Still nothing-not a sign
of  him. Nick figured he must have left the State, if he was smart.

 Laurie stepped off the elevator and seeing James, she walked over
to him. "James, how are you feeling?" When Laurie asked how you were
 doing, she was sincere. Most people asked out of habit.

 "Fine, Laurie. Thanks."

 "It's so good to have you back. You're looking good."

 "Thanks." James took his cup of coffee and started for his
office.

 Nick looked up as Laurie rapped lightly on his open door. "You got
 a minute, Nick?"

 "Sure. Come on in. Take a seat." He leaned back in his chair.

 Laurie lowered herself into the chair and sighed heavily.

 Nick furrowed his brow and asked, "What is it, Laurie?"

 "Dante Allen is missing."

 "What?" He sat up straight in his chair. All he could think of
was Taliek.

 "Sharnell came to visit him at the Center and when the counselor
 turned her back, they were gone."

 "Have the police been called?"

 "Of course, Nick. But, she didn't go home. They don't know where
 she is."

 "Do you think Taliek had anything to do with this?"

 She just looked at him.

 He pursed his lips, scowled, then looked away. "So he hasn't left
 the State. I think James needs to know."

 "Do you think so? I'm afraid of what he might do."

 "He could be in danger, Laurie. He needs to know." He stood up
and went to the door. James was talking with another lawyer in the
 bullpen. Nick got his attention and motioned for him to come into
 his office. Nick returned to his seat.

 "What's up, guys?" James asked as he stepped into the office.

 Nick glanced at Laurie then back at James. "Dante Allen has been
 kidnapped. The police suspect Taliek may be involved."

 James' expression changed dramatically.

 "We thought you should know," Nick added.

 "Yeah… thanks." He sighed, then turned and walked out.

 Nick looked at Laurie and shrugged.

 ~/~/~

 The meeting had gone very well. Nick walked his new client, Vance
 Hayden, through the lobby to the main door where they shook hands.

 Walking back to his office, he was stopped by his father.

 "Nicholas. Congratulations on landing Hayden. Good job."

 "Thanks." Nick was always a little embarrassed by his father's
 praise, but he liked hearing it just the same. It made up for the
 times he got chewed out. He turned to walk away.

 "Nicholas." Nick turned to face him. "How's the Rollins deal
 coming?"

 "It's coming along fine. I still have two days," he said, tersely,
 and walked away.

 He sat down heavily in his chair. He would have to burn the
 midnight oil to get the Rollins project completed by Wednesday,
with everything else he had on his plate. He might even have to enlist
 Claire's help. Jake had finished the due diligence as promised by
 working through the weekend. Now it was in his lap.

 He was reaching for the phone just as it rang. He picked it
 up. "Nick Fallin." Nothing but silence on the other
 end. "Hello?" He waited. He listened carefully and thought he
 heard heavy breathing on the other end. "Who's there?" Suddenly
 the connection was broken.

 He looked askance at the phone then slowly returned it to its
 cradle.

 Shaking his head, he reached for the Rollins file and laid it open
 on his desk. He again reached for the phone and dialed Claire's
 extension.

 "Claire. Do you have a minute?"

 "Sure. What do you need?"

 "Could you come in here for a sec?"

 "I'll be right there."

 In a few minutes, Claire knocked and entered his office. She was
 wearing a blush pink suit with a single large button closure on the
 jacket and a crisp white blouse. Her hair was pulled back in a
tidy bun at the nape of her neck.

 Flashing a broad smile, she sat down and crossed her legs, tugging
 at her short skirt to cover as much leg as she could.

 Nick looked away and cleared his throat.

 "Would you have time to assist me on the Rollins deal?"

 "Sure. I'm already familiar with it since I did some work for
 Jake."

 "Right." Nick nodded his head. "Okay." He stood up abruptly and
 taking the file from his desk he handed it to her. The file was at
 least two inches thick and contained contracts, leases, financial
 statements along with all the reports that Jake had acquired.

 Claire took the file and opened it on her lap.

 "We have a meeting with Rollins and Adler to finalize this deal on
 Wednesday." He looked at his watch. "I have to be in court this
 afternoon. Do you think you can put the file in some kind of
 order? Make sure it's complete? Prepare any graphs, charts-needed
 to explain the documents. Well, you know what's necessary."

 "Sure. When did you want it?"

 "Well…" He reached for his briefcase and started for the
 door. "Sometime tomorrow is fine. I wanna look over the draft
 before you finalize it."

 "Good. I'll get right on it." She stood up and he followed her
 into the hallway.

 Nick passed his father on his way to the front door. "Son," Burton
 said, nodding.

 "Dad," Nick said in response but kept on walking.

 He looked over his shoulder as he heard his dad summon
 Claire. "Claire, can I see you in my office for a minute?"

 "Sure, Mr. Fallin."

 ~/~/~

 Nick passed Claire on his way in the next morning. "Do you have a
 minute to go over Rollins?"

 She made a grimace.

 "What?" Nick stopped and looked at her.

 "I didn't get a chance to finish it, Nick. Your father put me on a
 rush project and I worked late last night but couldn't get it
done. I'll have time this afternoon to work on Rollins, though. I
 promise. I will get it done by the deadline."

 Nick raised his eyebrows. "You sure?"

 She smiled back at him. "I'm sure," she said, apologetically.

 "Well, okay." He turned and walked briskly to his office.

 Claire breathed a sigh of relief. If she planned her day properly,
 she should be able to get both assignments completed in time. The
 pressure was mounting. The first few weeks with the Firm she
hadn't had that much to do and was quite bored… but, now… with two
projects for the Fallins and both due `yesterday'… well, she didn't get much
 sleep last night and probably wouldn't again tonight.

 Nick scurried between LSP and the courthouse with three custody
 hearings as well as one eviction case, which was scheduled mid-
 afternoon. Alvin was just going to have to suck it up and hire
 another lawyer. The workload was killing him. And combine that
 with the Rollins deal which was coming dangerously close to the
 deadline… well… He glanced quickly at his watch as he dashed up
the marble staircase in the Frick Building to the mezzanine where he
 caught the express elevator to the 16th Floor. It was almost
5:30. He had promised Claire that he'd look over the draft of the Rollins
 file before she finalized it. They were supposed to meet at 4:00.
 He had been waylaid in court and was running an hour and a half
 behind schedule.

 He strode into the lobby and picked up his messages.

 "Gretchen, can you call Claire and tell her I'll see her in my
 office?"

 "Sure, Mr. Fallin."

 Nick glanced through the several messages as he strode to his
 office.

 In a moment, Claire walked in with the Rollins file which she
handed
 to him.

 "Have a seat."

 Claire closed the door and took a seat.

 Nick opened the file on his desk. He went methodically through
 every page, placing a Post-it Note on several of the pages. "I've
 marked a few pages I think need some work."

 She walked around his desk and leaned over his shoulder as he
 pointed out the changes to be made on each page.

 "Go ahead and draft a cover letter-over my signature-with the
Firm's
 recommendations and I'll…"

 A knock came at his door. Nick looked up as his father peeked in.

 "Oh, excuse me, Nicholas. Could I see you for a minute?"

 "Can it wait, Dad?"

 "No, it can't." To Claire, he said, "Will you excuse us a minute?"
 then turned and walked back to his office.

 "Sure," she said, stepping back to allow Nick to get up from his
 desk.

 Nick stood, looked at Claire and shrugged. "Okay…" he said, as he
 started for the door. "I think you know where we're going with
this thing." Nick stood at the door and cleared his throat. "I have a
 dinner appointment with a client at 7:00. Do you think you can
have it ready by then?"

 "Oh, I don't know, Nick. I wanna be sure it's right. I could drop
 it off at your house on my way home, say around 9:00."

 "You sure? I mean, I could meet you back here."

 "No, that's all right. I don't know when I'll be finished and it
 gives me the creeps to be here at night, alone."

 "Okay. I should be home by 9:00."

 Claire gathered up the file and headed for her desk which was now
 located on the second floor. She shared a large room with a couple
 other first year associates.

 Nick walked in his father's office and closed the door.

 "Sit down, son." Burton sighed heavily as he looked out the window
 at the fading daylight. "Gretchen told me she received a
 threatening phone call today."

 "What?"

 "Yeah. The guy didn't identify himself and he really didn't tell
 her much. Just breathed heavy into the phone and said he was gonna
 get you."

 "Me?"

 "Well, he said, `I'm gonna get that Nick Fallin.' That's what he
 said."

 Nick walked over to the window, rubbing the back of his neck.

 "You have any idea who it could be?"

 He turned around. "No. No, I don't." He didn't want to alarm his
 father but he was almost certain it had to be Taliek. If he
 reported this to the police, what could they do? I mean, he
 couldn't be absolutely sure it was Taliek. Gretchen had not
 forwarded that particular call so he hadn't talked with the man.
 But, he did get that strange call the other day. A shiver went
down
 his spine.

 "You think it's somethin' to do with one of your LSP cases?"

 "I don't know."

 "I think we should report this to the police."

 "And tell them what? We don't know anything. Why didn't Gretchen
 give me the call?"

 "She was going to but he hung up."

 Nick glanced at his watch. "I've got that dinner appointment with
 Alex Wheeling. I gotta go." He started for the door.

 "Whadaya wanna do about this little problem?"

 "I'll think of something. Okay?"

 ~/~/~

 It was a little past 8:00 when he got home. He checked his
 messages. He had one from Claire.

 "Nick, I've finished the Rollins case. I think you're gonna like
 it. See you at 9:00."

 He bound up the stairs to his bedroom, two at a time, and quickly
 shed his work clothes, changing into a pair of sweats and a T-
 shirt. He had just enough time to run a few miles on the treadmill
 which he'd been shirking for several days now. And it might help
to relieve some of the tension he was feeling with all these deadlines
 and… yeah… and Taliek. What to do about Taliek? The cops had his
 place staked out but they hadn't caught him yet. He decided that
 after his meeting in the morning with Rollins and Adler… he would
 meet with the cops and see what they could do.

 He'd been running for probably 20 minutes when he heard the
 doorbell. He draped a towel around his neck and went to the door.

 "Hi," Claire said, sheepishly. "I know it's not 9:00 but I thought
 I'd take a chance that you might be home early. I saw your light
 on."

 "Yeah, come in." He wiped his face with the end of the towel.

 She held the Rollins booklet in her hand. Nick showed her to the
 living room.

 "Listen… uh… I really need to hop in the shower. Ten minutes, I
 promise."

 "Okay."

 "Help yourself to something cold to drink in the fridge. I don't
 keep alcohol here but there's spring water or juice… or I could
make some coffee."

 "No. No coffee. It's too late for that. I'd never get to sleep
 and I don't need any help in that department," she laughed. Nick
 realized that she, too, had been experiencing some stress. "I'll
 just get some water."

 "Okay. Back in a minute."

 Claire helped herself to a bottled water from the fridge. She
heard the water from the shower. It was the first time she'd been in
 Nick's house. Very modern, very Nick-like. She walked around the
 room admiring the art pieces. The sound of the shower stopped.
 Five minutes later she heard Nick descending the stairs.

 "That was fast," she said, as he came into the living room. She
 noticed he was wearing a pair of Ralph Lauren jeans with a light-
 weight heather-blue pull-over sweater. He had just slipped his
bare feet into a pair of leather deck shoes.

 Nick went immediately to the fridge for a bottled water and
returned to the living room. He twisted the top off and took a long gulp.

 "Okay… where were we?"

 He saw the Rollins file on the coffee table. He sat down on the
 couch and reached for the file, flipping it open on his lap.
Again, he went through each individual page. Claire picked up a law
 journal from the coffee table and thumbed through it, while Nick
 reviewed her work.

 "Claire… this is excellent work."

 "Well, I worked with what you and Jake already had. It's
nothing."

 "No, it's very impressive. Presentation is half the battle. Good
 work."

 "Thanks. I went ahead and made additional copies for the meeting
 tomorrow. They're in your office."

 "Great."

 She stood up and said, "Well, I guess I should be going."

 "Right. Right." Nick stood and followed her towards the front
 door. In the foyer, he stopped her. "Claire… I really do
 appreciate your helping out on this."

 "No, really. I was glad to do it." She turned to face him.

 He reached out and touched her face. Leaning forward he tenderly
 kissed her on the lips. She put her arms around him and kissed him
 back.

 He pulled back slightly and said, "It's still early."

 "Yes, it is."

 Nick backed her up to the wall and pressed his full body against
her
 as he kissed her again.

 "Are you sure about this, Nick?" Claire asked, anticipating the
 inevitable.

 "I'm sure. What about you? You seeing anyone?"

 "What? No."

 "I thought… well… the Jag."

 For a moment she didn't know what he was referring to then it
 registered. "Oh, yeah. That was just Wade."

 "Wade?"

 "Yeah, my brother. We're planning a 50th wedding anniversary
 surprise for our parents."

 "Aaah…" Nick nuzzled her neck as he opened her jacket and put his
 arm around her waist, drawing her to him. "Whadaya say we…" He
was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

 Who the hell could that be? He looked at his watch. It was almost
 10:00.

 He opened the door and immediately started stepping backwards.
 Claire saw him cast a furtive glance her way out of the corner of
 his eye. Then she saw the barrel of a gun appear from behind the
 door while the person holding it was still blocked from her view.

 "Taliek… why don't you put the gun down and we can talk." Nick
 stopped backing up before Taliek could see Claire behind the door.
 He had his hands in the air. Claire could see how terrified he
 was.

 "You a dead man, Fallin." He reached to shut the door. At that
 moment he saw Claire charge him from his right. He turned the gun
 to fire just as she careened into him, knocking him off balance.

 She fell to the floor with a scream. Nick lunged for the gun and
 grabbed it, trying to wrest it from Taliek's grasp. They struggled
 several minutes and the gun went off. Taliek slumped to the floor,
 his eyes glazed over. The gun had dropped to the floor beside
him. Nick kicked it across the foyer and then quickly checked for a
 pulse. Taliek was dead.

 He turned to Claire. She was unconscious and bleeding from her
 right shoulder. He pulled aside her jacket and opened her blouse.
 The bullet had gone through her shoulder. There was a lot of
blood, but it didn't appear to be life threatening. He rushed into the
 bathroom off the foyer and brought back a washcloth and towel. He
 pressed the washcloth against the wound, then folded the towel and
 placed it under her head.

 "Claire?" She slowly opened her eyes. She grimaced in pain. "I
 think you're gonna be okay. Lie still. I'm gonna call 9-1-1."

 ~/~/~

 At the emergency room, the doctors determined that the bullet had
 fractured the right clavicle bone; not life threatening but
painful, none the less. They admitted Claire for observation overnight.
 They dressed the bullet wound and she would be required to wear a
 sling for several days until the fracture healed.

 Once she was settled in her room, Nick was allowed to see her
 briefly. She appeared to be sleeping. He gently took her left
hand in his and squeezed it softly. He saw her eyes flutter open.

 "Oh, Nick. Hi," she said, weakly, through the fog of pain-killers
 and sedatives.

 "Hi," he said, pulling a chair up beside the bed. "You did a crazy
 thing."

 "It was kinda crazy, huh?" She laughed, lightly. "Who was that
 guy? Why did he wanna kill you?"

 Nick shrugged. It was much too complicated to tell her about-
 especially right now.

 "I didn't think being a lawyer was that dangerous," she laughed.
 The sedative was taking hold and she was having trouble keeping her
 eyes open.

 "You should get some sleep. Thanks again for the great work on
 Rollins. I owe you."

 "Yes… you do…" her voice trailed off and she was asleep.

 Nick leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the
 mouth. "Goodnight."

 As he left the hospital he noticed the clock-it was 1:10 in the
 morning.

 ~/~/~


 Burton had been impressed with Nick and the presentation on the
 Rollins/Adler merger. After the deal was signed, he insisted on
 taking him to lunch.

 Nick stabbed a leaf of lettuce and poked it in his mouth. He was
 eating just to keep body and soul together right now. He didn't
 really have an appetite.

 "Son… I think Gil was very impressed by the work you did on the
 merger."

 "Well, Dad, you know it wasn't just me. Jake and Claire helped
 out."

 "Oh, right. So you did use Claire?"

 "You were right. She is going to be an asset to the Firm."

 "Good. Uh, son… did you decide what you wanted to do about that
 threatening phone call?"

 Nick looked at his father, as he chewed and swallowed his last
 bite. "I don't think it's necessary to do anything now."

 "No?" Burton raised his eyebrows. "Threatening phone calls is a
 serious matter, Nicholas."

 "I know, Dad, but I think the caller is dead."

 "What?" Burton was clearly in the dark.

 "Last night a client came to the house and threatened me with a
 gun. Claire had brought the final Rollins file by for my
 approval. Well… there was a struggle…"

 Burton's expression changed to that of concern.

 "And… Claire was shot and when I tried to get the gun away from the
 guy, it went off and… he's dead."

 "Oh, God! Is Claire all right?"

 "Yeah, yeah. She's gonna be fine. They kept her overnight but
 she's gonna be released this afternoon."

 "Nicholas… I just don't like you working with those LSP clients.
 They're dangerous people."

 Nick furrowed his brow. "Most of them are just desperate people…
 needing help."

 "Right."

 "That guy… the dead guy… Taliek… Well, he was the one who shot
 James… and, uh… killed that other LSP lawyer. You know… that night
 we beat up the guy in the parking garage." He glanced
unflinchingly at his father to make a point … that it wasn't only the down-and-
out indigents at LSP who were dangerous. Even upper-middle-class
 lawyers could be dangerous, if provoked. It had taken him many
 sleepless nights after that incident before he finally came to
terms with it-if you could really call it that. He had managed to bury
 it, with all the other unpleasant things that had happened to him
in his life, deep in his psyche.

 Burton just looked dumbfounded at his son.

 Nick was sure his dad had had his own struggle with the events of
 that evening… but they had never talked about it. It was just
 easier to erase it from memory.

 Nick wiped his mouth with the napkin and took a long drink from his
 water glass. "Dad, I really need to get back to work."

 "But, Nicholas… you've hardly touched your food."

 "I gotta go." He placed a $20 bill on the table. "I'll see ya
 later."

 ~/~/~

 Nick rapped lightly on the door jamb and stepped into the room.
 Claire was seated in a chair by the window. She turned to
 acknowledge him.

 "Oh, hi, Nick."

 He walked over to her. She was seated in the only chair in the
room so Nick sat down on the corner of the bed. "How you feeling?"

 "Surprisingly well, thanks."

 "Thank you for the beautiful flowers, Nick. You shouldn't have
done that."

 "I shouldn't have risked your life."

 "That wasn't your fault."

 "I don't know. I'm a pretty dangerous guy to know," he smiled.

 "Hmmm," she said, with a twinkle in her eye. "I like the dangerous
 type."

 They both turned towards the door as a nurse's aide wheeled a
 wheelchair into the room. "Are you ready, Miss Stasiak?"

 "Thank you," Claire said and seated herself in her new transport.

 "I'll get that," Nick told the nurse as he took charge of wheeling
 Claire out to his car.

 ~/~/~

 "Nick? Did I thank you for driving me home?"

 "Hmm. I don't think you have," he flashed her a half-grin and
 raised his eyebrows.

 She glanced at him and smiled. "Oh… Well, you're gonna have to
give me a rain-check. But… I promise… I will thank you properly, when
 I'm back on my feet."

 "Deal." Nick pulled from the hospital parking lot into the flow of
 traffic and swiftly made his way to Claire's apartment, perched
high atop Mt. Washington and with a killer view of the confluence of the
 three rivers.

 He walked to the picture window which looked out at Point State
 Park. "Great view."

 "Yeah. I waited a year for a vacancy in this building and was
lucky enough to get an apartment with a view. Guess Lady Luck was on my
side that day." She walked up beside Nick.

 He took her left hand in his and squeezed it gently, then kissed
her palm. "Hmm," he said, his eyes closed. "Tastes good."

 She tugged her hand free. "Oh, Nick, don't get me started. You'd
 better go, now." She laughed. "I wouldn't be much good to you,
 right now."

 Nick threw his hands up in mock dismay. "Okay. I know a rejection
 when I hear it." He then leaned over and tenderly kissed her on
the lips. "Get well soon. Real soon."

 "I promise."

 "Seriously, is there anything I can get for you before I go?"

 "No, Nick. Thank you. Really, I'll be fine."

 "All right. I can take a hint." He started for the door.

 "Oh, Nick. You remember I told you my brother Wade and I are
 planning an anniversary party for my parents…?"

 "Yeah, you did mention that."

 "Well, it's two weeks from this coming Saturday. Would you like to
 go with me? Meet my family?"

 He paused for a second, registering the significance of meeting her
 parents. Finally, he said, "Yeah, sure." He nodded to punctuate
 his decision.

 She beamed. "Okay… Well, I'll remind you. Goodnight, Nick. And,
 thanks for bringing me home."

 "Sure. Goodnight."

 ~/~/~

 With James back, the workload at LSP eased a bit-and none too
soon. Nick had almost reached his breaking point.

 Claire had returned to work the Monday following the shooting. She
 was reveling in her heroine status. Because of her injury, she was
 somewhat limited in what she could do with her right arm still in a
 sling.

 They had gotten into the habit, most nights, of having a quiet
 dinner somewhere, together.

 Nick was consciously avoiding intimate situations until she had
 recovered to avoid hurting her. Sometimes, at night, he couldn't
 sleep for Claire crowding his thoughts. He would go to the
 treadmill and run and run until he was near collapse then take a
 cold shower. Only then could he free his mind enough to sleep.

 A knock came at his door and he was jolted to the present.

 "Yeah?"

 Claire opened his office door and stepped in. "I just wanted to
 remind you that this Saturday is the anniversary party for my
 parents. Do you still wanna go?"

 "Sure." He stood up and walked around his desk. "Come in." He
 eased the door closed behind her then stepped closer to her. She
 looked up at him. He put his hand gently on her left shoulder and
 peered into her eyes. "I've missed you."

 He leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the lips. At that
moment,
 the door opened abruptly and Burton peered in.

 Nick and Claire backed away from each other. Nick put his hands on
 his hips and looked at the floor.

 "Oh, sorry. Uh… Nicholas… when you get a minute, can I see you?"
 Burton pointed towards his office as he backed quickly out and
 pulled the door closed.

 Nick looked at Claire, then they both burst out laughing.

 "Well…" Nick pointed to the door. "I've been summoned." He leaned
 over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Dinner tonight?"

 "Sure," she said, smiling.

 Nick buttoned his jacket as he walked to his father's office. He
 rapped lightly and entered, closing the door behind him.

 Burton sat behind his desk. He looked at his son and his lips
 slowing turned up at the corners. "Is this serious, son?"

 Nick walked over to his father's desk shaking his head. "No. Uh…
I don't know."

 "She's a nice girl. Smart. Comes from a nice family. You could
do worse."

 "Dad." He shook his head. "Look… we've been out a few times.
 That's all."

 "Okay."

 "Now, what did you wanna see me about?"

 "Oh… right. I've been thinking…" He cleared his throat. "It's
 time you started running the partners' meetings, son."

 "Okay, sure." Nick nodded in agreement. He had conducted several
 of the meetings already.

 "I'm thinking about cutting back on my hours. You know… spending a
 little more time at the Club. Play a little tennis. Maybe refresh my golf 
game."

 "You mean retiring?" Nick said, incredulous.

 "No. I said cutting back, Nicholas." He laughed.

 Nick couldn't imagine the Firm without his father. The sudden
 realization that that day would come, sooner rather than later, was
 kind of frightening.

 "Okay." He folded his arms across his chest.

 "It's only a matter of time, now, before you take over the duties
of managing partner."

 Nick took a deep breath. "Right. Okay. I can do that. Is that
 all?"

 "That's all." Nick turned to leave. "Oh, son…"

 "Yes?" He turned back.

 "Try to be discreet in the office." Burton smiled.

 Nick nodded and reached for the door.

 ~/~/~

 Nick knocked and Claire answered. She was wearing a summery
 shirtwaist dress covered with a floral print in lavenders, pinks
and pale blues. She no longer wore the sling but you could tell she
was still favoring her right arm. He would have to remember to be
careful.

 "Come in, Nick. Let me just get my purse."

 He walked over to the living room window that looked out over the
 city. It was a crystal clear evening. The sun had set and the sky
 was transitioning from daylight to twilight. PNC stadium was lit
up for a Pirates' game. The street lights were beginning to come on
 all over the city.

 Claire walked up beside him. "You look handsome." He wore his
 black Armani with a crisp white shirt and the silver gray tie that
 she loved so much.

 He turned to her. `Well, you look beautiful." He leaned in for a
 kiss.

 "Hmm. That was nice," she said dreamily, with her eyes closed.

 He leaned in to kiss her again and she put her hand on his chest to
 stop him. "What?" He asked, smiling.

 "We need to be there before my parents get there." She pointed at
 her watch. "And you know how these things escalate." She tapped
 him on the nose then started for the door. "We can take up where
we left off… later." She licked her lips, sensuously.

 He moaned. "I'll try to be good," he said, as he followed her out
 the door.

 ~/~/~

 It was a 30 minute drive to the Chartiers Country Club where the
 Stasiaks were charter members. Nick pulled up in front of the main
 building and turned his car over to the valet. He escorted Claire
 inside.

 He saw a nice looking man approaching. Claire walked towards him
as Nick followed.

 "Nick, I want you to meet my brother, Wade. Wade, this is Nick
 Fallin."

 Wade extended his hand and they shook. "Claire's told me a lot
 about you."

 "Oh… really?" Nick was not sure if that was a good thing.

 "Is everything ready?" Claire asked Wade.

 "Everything is perfect. Many of the guests are already here.
Shall we?" He waved his hand towards the large dining room off to the
 left. "The band's getting set up now." Wade glanced at his
 watch. "Mom and Dad should be getting here in about 15 minutes."

 Claire looked at Nick. "Dad is nothing if not punctual. I wanna
 introduce you to some people."

 Nick rolled his eyes. He was not really comfortable in strange
 settings around strangers, but he would suffer through for Claire.

 At eight o'clock, the band began to play "At Last"; the words
 beautifully sung by their handsome singer, Danny Watts. Wade and
 Claire met their parents, Ruth and Joseph, at the door of the
dining
 room. This song had been `their' song since the day they met. It
 was clear that Ruth was becoming emotional. She hugged her
daughter then her son. A photographer, hired to record the occasion,
flashed several pictures.

 At last my love has come along
 My lonely days are over
 And life is like a song
 Ohh yeah
 At last the skies above are blue
 And my heart was wrapped in clover
 The night I looked at you

 I found a dream that I could speak to
 A dream that I could call my own
 I found a thrill to press my cheek to
 A thrill that I have never known
 Oh yeah yeah

 You smiled ohh and then the spell was cast
 And here we are in heaven
 For you are mine at last
 For you are mine at last


 Claire turned to Nick and motioned for him to come over to meet her
 parents.

 It was awkward, at first, being a stranger in the midst of this
 loving family gathering, but before the night was over, they had
 made Nick feel quite at home.

 It was 11:30 and guests were already starting to leave. On the
 dance floor, Nick and Claire swayed gently to the tune of "Only
 You". They looked into each other's eyes and shared a tender
kiss.

 "My father really likes you," she said, planting a kiss on his
 chin.

 "That's good, huh?" He said, smiling coyly.

 "That is a very good thing." She rested her head on his shoulder
as the music died down and the lights came up.

 They walked hand in hand over to where the Stasiaks were standing.
 They were getting final congratulations from family and friends as
 they each departed.

 Ruth Stasiak took Nick's arm and squeezed it fondly. "Nick, you
 simply must come with Claire up to our country house one of these
 days. Claire…?" She looked pleadingly at her daughter.

 "Well, Mother, Nick has been very busy at the Firm lately. But…
 maybe soon…" She looked at Nick. He smiled.

 "Well, it was just a wonderful party, my dear. And, Wade…" She
 took her son's hand. "So sorry that Angie couldn't be here
 tonight. Tell her we missed her."

 Wade kissed his mother on the cheek. "I will, Ma."

 Wade's wife was Vice President of Colonial Trust Bank and was
 attending a business conference in Toronto. Nick had learned that
 Wade owned the largest Jaguar dealership in the State of
 Pennsylvania. They had no kids, having opted to hold off on a
family until they were established in their careers. One thing led to
 another and the idea of a family was just put on the back burner.
 Wade was ten years older than Claire. Nick was surprised to learn
 that Claire had had an older brother, Pete, who had died tragically
 in a boating accident when he was only three, years before Claire
 was born.

 Ruth took her husband's arm. "Well, it's time for us old folks to
 turn in. We can only take so much excitement these days. Nick… we
 expect to see you at the country house one day soon, now."

 They all walked to the door except for Wade. He went over to talk
 with the event coordinator for the Club to thank him for an
 excellent party.

 ~/~/~

 Nick was very gentle with Claire as they made love. It had been so
 long since they'd been together that it didn't take him long.

 Afterwards, he touched the fading red scar gently with his fingers
 and then brushed it with his lips. She kissed the top of his head
 as he laid his head softly on her shoulder. In a moment they were
 both sleeping soundly.

 ~/~/~

 Nick exited the elevator at LSP and headed for his office as he
 always did. He pulled up and stopped as he noticed Lulu coming out
 of Alvin's office. She saw him about the same time.

 "Lulu," he said, softly.

 She walked over to him.

 "Hi, Nick. How have you been?"

 "Are you back?"

 "I had to see about the house. Uh… Nick… would you wanna have
 dinner later?"

 He couldn't help it. Lulu still had the same affect on him. It
 felt like a huge hand was squeezing his heart. "Uh… I don't
know."
 He squirmed. "What about lunch?"

 "Lunch is good. The Incline?" she asked.

 "Okay." Nick watched her walk to the elevator. She waved as the
 doors closed.

 ~/~/~

 Claire knocked and opened Nick's office door. He was not there.
 She pulled the door closed just as Jake walked by.

 "Jake, have you seen Nick?"

 "Uh… yeah. I just saw him go out the front door. Said he was
going
 to lunch."

 "Oh… okay."

 She must have misunderstood, because earlier he had said he wanted
 to talk to her about something and had asked about her lunch
plans.
 Oh, well. She went upstairs to get her purse. She'd just run by
 The Incline for a quick burger. She had plenty to keep her busy
 this afternoon anyway.

 ~/~/~

 Nick saw Lulu across the room. He walked over and slipped into the
 booth, opposite her.

 "Been here long?"

 "No. I just got here."

 They looked into each other's eyes. It was Nick who averted his
 first.

 "Lulu… I…" he struggled to say what he wanted to say.

 "Nick…" she reached across the table and touched his hand. She had
 missed the touch of those gentle hands on her skin.

 "So how's the job?" he asked.

 She pulled her hand back and took a sip of her water. "It's just a
 job."

 Nick was taken by surprise at her lack of enthusiasm. He raised
his
 eyebrows. "Just a job? What happened with…?"

 "Nick… can we just not talking about it?" she said tersely. She
 quickly softened her tone and continued. "How have you been?"

 "Good. Busy."

 "It was good to see James back at work," she said. "Alvin told me
 about Taliek. That must have been awful." She reached out again
 and took his hand in hers. "Nick…" she looked sadly into his
eyes.

 He looked away and was surprised to be staring into Claire's eyes.
 She had just entered The Incline and was being shown to a table
when she noticed him… sitting with that woman.

 Claire turned to the waitress and made a comment then quickly
turned and walked out.

 Outside the bar, Claire collapsed against the side of the building,
 trying to calm herself. She removed a tissue from her purse and
 dabbed at her eyes. She took a couple deep breaths then started
 down the street.

 Nick pulled his hand away and put it in his lap. "Lulu… I…" He
 reached in his pocket for his money clip and peeled off a $20
 bill. "I really have to be going." He started to slide out of the
 booth.

 "But, Nick…"

 He gave her a long look then slid out of the booth and was gone.

 Outside, he looked up and down the street but Claire was nowhere in
 sight.

 ~/~/~

 As Nick entered the lobby at Fallin & Fallin, he saw Claire
 descending the stairs. She cast a look his way then disappeared
 into his father's office. He peered through the window as he
passed by and saw them going over a file.

 In his office, he slumped in his chair and swiveled towards the
 window. After a second, he reached for his phone and dialed
Claire's extension, leaving a message on her voice mail.

 He had two law books open on his desk and was busily making
 notations when he sensed a presence in his office. He looked up to
 find Claire standing at his desk.

 "You wanted to see me?" she asked, matter-of-factly.

 "Yeah. Have a seat," he said, as he got up and walked around the
 desk to close the door. He returned to his seat.

 She sat rigidly in the chair, her hands clasped in her lap.

 "Claire… I wanted to explain…"

 "Please, Nick. Mr. Fallin," she corrected herself. "You don't owe
 me an explanation."

 "Then why this attitude?" He waved his hand in her direction.

 "What attitude?"

 "Ah, c'mon, Claire. You know what I mean. You're clearly…"

 She suddenly rose to her feet and started for the door. With her
 hand on the door handle and her back to him, she said, "If that's
 all, may I be excused?"

 After a long pause, Nick said, "Sure." He helplessly watched her
 leave, pulling the door closed behind her.

 He rubbed his temples. After a few moments, he stuffed some papers
 in his briefcase and headed for the courthouse and his 1:30
 appointment.

 ~/~/~

 It was almost six o'clock when he stepped off the elevator at LSP.
 He could see a light on his Alvin's office but everyone else had
gone for the day. He stopped by the coffee station and poured a
cup of thick, black coffee. He took a sip and wrinkled his nose, then
continued to his office.

 He was engrossed in the file he was reviewing when Alvin appeared
at his door.

 "Hey, Nick. I didn't hear you come in. Working late?"

 "Yeah," he said and turned back to the file on his desk.

 "Did you see Lulu today?"

 Nick pursed his lips then turned to face Alvin. "Yeah."

 "It's too bad she doesn't like her job, isn't it?"

 Nick frowned, then nodded.

 "She wanted her old job back but I had to tell her I just hired
 somebody. Oh, did I tell you that?"

 "No. No, you didn't." Nick was trying to digest the information
 that Alvin had just told him. Lulu wanted to move back to
 Pittsburgh? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. She'd walked
 out on him. Walked out on their relationship. And now… she had
 realized it was a mistake?

 "Yeah… Emma Sanders. She graduated from Pitt Law about two years
 ago. She's been working with Madison & Harper since then but
really wants to work more with people. She also has a Master's Degree in
 Psychology."

 "Good," is all that Nick could find to say

 "Okay… Well, I'll see ya tomorrow, Nick. I've got a date
 tonight."

 "Oh?"

 "Yeah. Wish me luck." He laughed and went out the door.

 In a moment, Nick heard the elevator `ding' and Alvin was gone.

 ~/~/~

 Through his car windshield, he looked up at her window and, seeing
a light on, he felt sure she would be home. He parked the car at the
 curb. Grabbing the large bouquet of flowers from his passenger
 seat, he set the alarm. He took a deep breath. He couldn't be
sure what kind of reception he would get.

 He knocked on the door turning his ear to listen for any movement
on the other side. He knocked again.

 The door opened almost immediately. Claire stood before him
dressed in a pair of white shorts, a baby blue pullover sleeveless top and
a pair of slides on her feet. Her hair was brushed and fluffed
around her face and she was wearing little, if any, makeup.

 She made no move to let him in.

 After a moment, he said, "Can I come in? These flowers are really
 thirsty."

 "Come in," she said, taking the flowers from him. He followed her
 to the kitchen where she found a crystal vase which she filled with
 water. He watched her as she deftly arranged the flowers in the
 vase. "They're beautiful, Nick."

 "Not nearly as beautiful as you." He swept her into his arms and
 kissed her passionately on the lips. She did not resist.

 She pushed back slightly to look him in the eye. "Nick… do you
 always get what you want?"

 He smiled. "Not always… but it's not for lack of trying." He
 kissed her again running his hands under her top. She was not
 wearing a bra.

 She started to loosen his tie. "Would you like something to
 drink?"

 "Not now. Maybe later. I'm busy right now." He nuzzled her ear
 and kissed her neck.

 "Oh, God, Nick. Why do you do this to me?" She panted.

 "What? You want me to go?" He stopped suddenly, a sly grin on his
 face.

 "Don't be silly. Tonight… you're all mine." She took hold of his
 tie and started for her bedroom. He followed obediently.

 THE END