A New Beginning? AUTHOR: Shirley E-mail: sgoates2607@charter.net RATING: PG-13 (Sexual situations-language) CONTEXT: This storyline follows the events of “The Living” episode. DISCLAIMER: Some of the characters portrayed herein have been shamelessly 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. ~~~~~ It had been over two weeks since Lulu had confessed that she didn’t love her husband, yet she continued to live with him. Nick had tried, on a number of occasions, to ask her about the situation but had been rebuffed each time. He exited the elevator and glanced around for Lulu, as was his habit, then strode towards his office. “Nick. Nick.” He stopped and turned to find Lulu coming out of Alvin’s office carrying a stack of files. He glanced at her ring finger and noticed she was still wearing her wedding rings. “What?” he responded, suddenly, a bit annoyed. “Can you tell me the status of the Mills case?” She avoided eye contact, choosing to gaze past him, waiting for his response. “Yeah. The Mills case. Judge Damsen is gonna rule on that this afternoon—two o’clock.” “Good. Good.” “Nick”. Nick turned to find Kim walking towards them. She was dressed in her uniform, which always made him a little uncomfortable. He didn’t know why. “Oh, hi, Kim. What are you doin’ here?” He stole a quick glance at Lulu. “I have some information that Lulu asked for.” She indicated the large envelope in her hand. “Are we still on for tonight?” Nick looked at the floor as he said, “Yeah. Sure.” He looked quickly at Lulu for her reaction. Lulu looked at him, guardedly. “Well… I’ve got work to do.” He looked at Kim and turned to retreat to his office. “See ya tonight.” Kim turned to Lulu. “I have that information you wanted, Lulu.” “Yeah. Come with me.” Kim followed her to her office. Lulu settled into the chair behind her desk and tried to regroup. It came as a surprise that Nick was still seeing Kim. Why did that bother her so much? Right now she was really angry with herself for being so… What? Well, she didn’t know what. Kim laid the large manila envelope on the desk. Sensing something was wrong, she asked, “Is everything all right, Lulu?” “Sure. Sure. Why do you ask?” “Well, you just seem… pre-occupied.” “Yeah, well. It’s work. Just busy, I guess.” She picked up the envelope and opened the end, pulling out the contents. “Is this all you could find?” “Yeah.” She set the papers on the desk, without looking at them, and leaned back in her chair. Looking off, blankly, she said, “So… you’re still seeing Nick.” “Yeah.” Kim smiled broadly. “We both know there’s no future in it, but the sex is great.” “Right,” Lulu answered, absently. “Oh. Kim. I’ll look over these papers and see if there’s anything else I need. And, thanks.” “Sure. Okay. Hey, Lulu. We should go out together, again, sometime. You know, you and Brian and me and Nick.” “Yeah. We’ll have to do that. Well…” This was Kim’s cue. They were done. “Yeah, um… I’ll see ya later.” She turned to leave. As she passed the open door to Nick’s office, she raised her hand in a wave and smiled. He smiled back, weakly. Nick waited until Kim disappeared into the elevator, then he walked into Lulu’s office. “Lulu…” She looked up, frowning. “Yeah?” “I… Uh… Kim…” he fumbled for words. “Nick. I don’t need to hear about that. I-I’m really busy. Can you close the door for me?” “Sure.” “Thanks.” He pulled the door closed and stood outside for a moment. He hadn’t handled that very well. ~/~/~/~ One last thrust and his body shuddered to climax, releasing all the pent-up sexual tension that had been building for weeks. For a moment, he lay exhausted on top of Kim, and then rolled over onto his back, staring at the ceiling, his breathing still slightly elevated. Kim turned on her side, facing him, and raised herself to one elbow. “What’s wrong?” “What?” he asked, slightly agitated with the question. “For one thing, you haven’t called in weeks. And… I can tell there’s something bothering you. ” He tucked her head beneath his chin, laying her head on his chest. “Well, there isn’t.” She rose up again to look him in the eye. “I’ve been with you enough to know, Nick.” He looked away and nervously sucked in his bottom lip. Finally, he said, “It’s just work. There’s a lot going on at the Firm.” “Right.” If there was one thing Kim knew, it was not ‘work’ that was bothering Nick. She also knew that he wasn’t about to share his most intimate feelings with her. Not now. Maybe not ever. ~/~/~/~ Nick reviewed the resume before him along with the glowing Letter of Recommendation. “Miss Lempke. You come highly recommended. Do you mind if I ask why you decided to leave Solomon & Slater?” Tanner Lempke sat confidently across the conference table from Nick. She was in her mid-thirties. Single. Attractive, in a classic sort of way. She had blonde, shoulder-length hair, smoothly turned under in a stylish pageboy cut and neatly tucked behind her ears. She hesitated, searching for just the right response. “Miss Lempke?” Nick smiled to put her at ease. “Do I have your confidence, Mr. Fallin?” “Of course,” he assured her. “One of the longtime partners with Solomon & Slater made unwarranted advances towards me and we mutually agreed that it would be in the best interest of everyone concerned, if I left the Firm—with a handsome severance package, I might add. I didn’t see how I could continue my employment with them, under the circumstances.” She tried to gauge Nick’s reaction—nothing. She quickly added, “I want to assure you, Mr. Fallin, that the overtures were totally unsolicited and unrequited.” “Okay.” Nick admired her honesty. “Well, what I’m looking for is someone with a good paralegal background as well as clerical skills; a girl Friday, if you will. This position will require a lot of hours and there will be times when you will have to make decisions on your own. Do you think you’re up to the task, Miss Lempke?” “Honestly? Yes, I do. As you can see by my work history, I have done similar work at other firms.” “Okay.” Nick had already reviewed the extensive background check on all the applicants and had basically settled on Miss Lempke, subject to this final interview. “Can you start Monday?” Miss Lempke smiled broadly and said, “Yes.” “All right.” Nick stood and extended his hand across the table. “Very nice to have you with us, Miss Lempke.” She extended her hand and said, “If you like, you can call me Tanner, Mr. Fallin.” “Only if you call me Nick. By the way, Tanner is rather an unusual name for a girl.” He raised his eyebrows. She laughed, lightly. “It’s my paternal grandfather’s name. I think my father secretly wanted a boy, which he never got. So, I grew up trying to be my mother’s daughter and my father’s son. Not an easy task, if you know what I mean. I sometimes wonder why children feel so compelled to please their parents.” “Yeah.” Nick reflected on her last statement. Why indeed. “Well, I will see you, then, bright and early Monday morning…Nick.” “Great.” Nick showed her out of the conference room. He turned and headed for his new office—his dad’s old corner office. Burton had insisted that he move into the larger space, since Nick was taking over the managing partner responsibilities. At the same time, Burton had an old office on the main floor redone to suit his needs; which office had last been used by Chilton Evers, an ex-partner who had decided not to sign on with the fledgling Fallin & Fallin, opting to go instead with Kirk & McGee. “Oh, Nicholas.” Nick turned to find his dad coming down the hall toward him. “Yeah, Dad?” Burton fell into stride with Nick. “You still interviewing for your assistant?” “Well, I finally decided on somebody.” “Oh. That girl who just left?” “That’s right.” “Well, Nicholas.” They halted just outside Nick’s office door. “I just learned, through the grapevine, that Drew Denton is unhappy at Mallory, Sellers & Kane. Do you know him?” “Yeah. I can’t imagine Old Man Sellers letting him get away. From what I understand, he has a huge client base.” “He can probably write his own ticket. If you’re interested, I’d get in touch with him right away.” “I will. Thanks.” “By the way, Nicholas, what are you doing for dinner?” “Tonight?” “That’s right. Tonight.” “I… I’ve got plans, Dad. Maybe some other time.” “Okay. Sure. Well, guess I’d better get going. I’ve got a tennis date with Judge Connors. Gotta keep the judges happy.” He laughed and started for the door. “Does that mean you’re gonna let Sam win for a change?” Nick raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Not that happy, son,” he flashed a sly grin. “See ya.” Nick shook his head, grinning, and went into his office. ~/~/~/~ As good as this thing was with Kim, Nick realized that he was going to have to end it, and soon. The relationship was just a temporary thing and they both knew it. And his workload at Fallin & Fallin had roughly doubled since he took over the managing partner duties leaving less and less time for a personal life. “Nick.” Kim lay cozily next to him. The sex had been good. One thing about Kim, she was willing to try anything and she was good at anything she tried. If they weren’t compatible out of bed, they were surely compatible in bed. “Uh huh?” Nick was struggling to stay awake. His bones were even weary. “Why don’t we double-date with Lulu and Brian sometime? You know, an official date. That would be fun, don’t you think?” “Oh… I don’t know.” “Oh, c’mon. We never go out any more.” “Since when do you wanna go out? I thought you just preferred to stay in and… you know…” he laughed and turned her face up to his, kissing her on the forehead. “You’re ashamed of me, aren’t you?” “What?” He tried to look her in the eye but she turned away. “Look at me.” He turned her face to him. She looked at him and smiled. “I’m kidding. I know we don’t have anything in common… outside of sex. And that’s good enough for me. Is it good enough for you?” He pulled her to him and kissed her. She felt his hardness return as he kissed her neck and ran his hands down her naked body. He quickly mounted her and they spent the next thirty minutes hotly gratifying each other’s needs. ~/~/~/~ Tanner Lempke was working out very well. She had taken possession of Sheila’s old desk, just outside Nick’s new office, and she had, thus far, been everything Nick had hoped for in an assistant. Nick spoke into the speakerphone. “Tanner. Do you mind bringing in the contract for Mr. Denton to sign?” “Not at all, Mr. Fallin.” She grabbed Mr. Denton’s folder from her desk and, knocking lightly, entered. Handing the folder to Nick, she said, “Mr. Denton. Will you need a copy of the signed document for your records?” “Yes. That would be nice.” Tanner stepped back and waited for the document to be executed. “Okay, Drew. I think you’ll find this in order with our agreement.” Nick briefly glanced over the contract, and then handed the document to Drew for his signature. Drew reviewed the salient points of the partnership document, then signed it, handing it back to Nick, who noted the signature. Nick then signed as Managing Partner and handed it to Tanner to copy. “I’ll just be a moment.” Tanner left to copy the signed document for Denton. “We are very pleased that you have decided to come to work with us, Drew. Work has been coming in steadily and with your book of business, our first year should be a good one. By the way, what is Maryanne doing these days?” Nick had dated Maryanne, Drew’s sister, briefly right after moving back to Pittsburgh. “She married a doctor. Has one kid and one on the way. She’s turned out to be a real homebody.” He laughed. “Oh. I thought she was really keen on a career—investment banking, or some such nonsense.” “Yeah. Go figure.” They both had a good laugh. Tanner knocked lightly and entered the room, handing the Xeroxed copy to Drew and the original back to Nick for the file. “Thank you, Miss Lempke,” Drew said, taking his copy. “My pleasure, Mr. Denton. Will that be all, Mr. Fallin?” “Yes, Tanner, thank you.” She made her exit. Denton followed her with his eyes. The action was not lost on Nick. That reminded him; he was going to have to reiterate to the employees of the Firm that fraternization was strictly prohibited and that any violation would be met with immediate termination. Nick stood, to signal the end of the meeting, and walked Drew to the door. “I’ll see that an office is set up for you and we’ll see you first thing Monday morning.” They shook hands. “Great, Nick. Your dad still working here?” Nick laughed. “Well, he gets a lick in now and then.” ~/~/~/~ Nick was suddenly awakened. For a moment, he didn’t know what had roused him. Then the doorbell rang and he recognized the disturbance. He raised his head from the pillow and reached to turn on the bedside lamp. The clock read 12:43 AM. He had only been asleep, maybe 30 minutes. Who could it be at his door, this time of night? He sat up on the side of the bed and ran his hands through his hair as he slipped his feet into a pair of suede moccasin-style slippers. He had on a T-shirt and his Ralph Lauren pajama bottoms. He sleepily grabbed the matching silk robe from the back of a nearby chair and pulled it on, tying it securely around him. There was sufficient light from the skylight and the open door to his bedroom at the top of the landing, to illuminate the foyer, making it unnecessary to turn on a light. The doorbell sounded again as he made his way slowly down the stairs, still groggy with sleep. He flipped on the porch light and cautiously opened the door. Lulu had already given up and started down the steps. When the porch light came on, she turned back to find Nick framed in the open doorway. “Lulu.” Nick was clearly surprised to find her at his place in the middle of the night. “What are you doing here?” She turned and walked slowly back up the stairs, stopping at the landing. The porch light reflected off her tear-stained face. “Lulu. What is it?” He reached out, tenderly touching her on the shoulder. “Can I come in?” “Oh. Yeah. Come in.” He stepped aside to allow her entry. “Come in here.” He steered her to the living room where he turned on a lamp on a nearby console table. “Here. Sit here.” She sat stiffly on the edge of the sofa, her hands in her lap. Nick stood before her and nervously ran his hand down the back of his head then crossed his arms across his chest. Lulu looked up at him, brushing the tears from her cheeks. “My marriage is over.” “Okay.” Nick didn’t find this an earth-shaking pronouncement. He had expected it would happen eventually. “Where’s Brian?” “At the house.” She started sobbing. “I can’t believe this is happening. What did I do wrong?” “You don’t have to beat yourself up about this, Lulu. Brian is the one who betrayed you.” He started pacing. “What do you wanna do?” “I don’t know. I guess file for divorce. Would you help me?” She looked at him, pleadingly. “Okay. Well, you can’t stay here. I mean… I guess it’s too late tonight to do anything about that, but tomorrow… we’ll have to find you some place else to stay. Did you bring anything?” She had seemingly come empty-handed to his door. “I packed some things to get by for a few days. My bag is in the trunk of the car.” She buried her face in her hands. Nick sat down on the edge of the coffee table and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Is there someone you can stay with until we get this thing resolved?” “I…I’m sure I can stay with Kate,” she sputtered. “Give me your keys. I’ll get your bag.” Nick settled Lulu in the guestroom. He found it difficult to get back to sleep knowing Lulu was sleeping a few feet down the hallway. ~/~/~/~ Brian opened the door. “Nick. What are you doin’ here? Lulu’s not in.” “I know. Can I come in?” Nick asked, as he shouldered his way past Brian. He stood with his hands on his hips looking around. Not exactly how he would have restored it. “What do you want?” Brian demanded. Nick turned to face him. He pulled a sheaf of papers from his inside coat pocket and handed them to Brian. Brian opened the papers. “Divorce papers?” “That’s right. Lulu wants you out of here by tomorrow night.” Defiantly, Brian responded. “Well, you can tell her it’s not gonna be that easy. I’m gonna fight her on this.” After a momentary pause, he added, “It’s you, isn’t it Nick?” “What? What the hell are you talking about?” “I know Lulu’s seeing another man. I figure it’s gotta be you.” Brian stood smugly waiting for Nick’s response. Nick turned away to rein in his temper before speaking, rubbing the back of his head. “Brian…” He turned back to face him and menacingly, delivered his ultimatum. “I suggest you do exactly what is outlined in those papers, or… I promise you, I will drag your fucking worthless name through so much mud you’ll not be able to show your face again in this town.” He stood, hands on hips, jaw set, glaring at Brian. Brian stared, speechless, in disbelief. He had never seen Nick so angry. “Tomorrow night.” Nick reiterated, with emphasis. “I… I’d like to talk to Louisa.” “Well… I’m sure it won’t come as any big surprise but… she doesn’t want to talk to you. If there’s anything you want to say to her, I’ll pass it on.” “No… I guess there’s nothing,” he said, totally defeated. “Good, then.” Nick turned to leave. Over his shoulder, he said, “And, Brian… Stick to what’s outlined in the papers…nothing more—nothing less.” ~/~/~/~ “I am pleased to introduce Drew Denton as our newest partner. He brings ten of his best clients with him from Mallory, Sellers & Kane.” Nick addressed the partnership in a quickly called meeting. “I am sure you will all strive to make Drew welcome and, as quickly as possible, I want each of you to introduce yourselves individually so he can get to know you better. Are there any questions?” Nick glanced around the room. “Fine. Well, let’s get back to work.” “Tanner, may I see you in my office?” Nick stood to leave. “Gentlemen.” Tanner followed him into his office. Once seated behind his desk, he addressed Tanner. “Can you draft a memo outlining the usual rules barring fraternization amongst the employees—all employees; the penalty being immediate termination. I would like to have that done today. Oh, and allow room for a signature.” “I’ll get right on it, Mr. Fallin.” Nick looked at her. “Tanner. When it’s just the two of us, it is fine to call me Nick. That will be all.” Moments later Tanner produced a draft of the memo for approval. Nick reviewed it and said, “Very good. Now if you would, distribute this, office-wide, today and put a signed copy in each employee’s personnel folder. Make sure this document becomes a permanent part of any hiring package.” Nick leaned back in his chair. “How is it going, so far?” “I believe I’ve met everyone and I think I remember most everyone’s name. Once I familiarize myself with your operation, I can take on more responsibility.” “That’s the idea. Thank you, Tanner.” Nick opened a file in front of him and began reading. Tanner quietly made her exit. ~/~/~/~ “Mr. Fallin, there’s a Dr. Olsen to see you.” “Send him in, Tanner. Thank you.” Nick stood up and walked to the window. He turned as Brian was shown into the room. “Nick.” “Brian. Have a seat.” Nick leaned back against the window ledge, arms crossed. He waited for Brian to start the conversation. Brian reached into his inside coat pocket and removed the divorce papers. “I talked with my attorney about the papers, here. He says this is probably the best I can do under the circumstances.” When Nick made no move to take the papers, he placed them on the edge of the desk. “It seems fair.” He stared at the floor then put his head in his hands. He sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “I made a mistake.” He looked up at Nick with red-rimmed eyes. “You know how that is, don’t you Nick?” Nick stood glaring at Brian, his hands now in his pockets. He waited for Brian to continue. When he didn’t, Nick moved to the desk and picked up the papers, checking to make sure they had been properly signed. He crossed back over to the window and folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve decided to move back to New York. That’s where my family is. There’s nothing here for me now.” He waited and when he got no response from Nick, he continued, “Can you tell Lulu that I love her? What I did… it was never about her. It’s a sickness.” Staring out the window, Nick asked, “When are you leaving?” “I’m already out of the house. I’ve moved my personal things to storage. I should be gone by Friday.” Nick turned back to face Brian. If he had been anyone else, Nick might have felt a little sympathy for him. “Fine. I’ll tell her. Where are you staying? In case we need to get in touch with you before you leave.” “I’m at the Hilton.” “Okay.” Brian rose to leave. He extended his hand. “Nick…” Nick shoved his hands in his pockets and gave Brian an icy glare. Dejected, Brian made his way to the door and let himself out. Nick watched him leave, without a word. ~/~/~/~ It was almost 5:30 when Nick arrived at Legal Services. There were only a handful of people who hadn’t left for the day. He was hoping to speak with Lulu and luckily found her in her office. “Oh, hi, Nick. It’s a little late to be starting work, isn’t it?” She flashed her dimples at him. “Uh… you got a minute?” “Sure. Come on in.” Nick ducked into her office and shut the door. He removed the signed divorce papers from his pocket. “Brian brought these by the office today.” He handed the papers to her. She reached to take them. Nick noticed that she was no longer wearing her wedding rings. Slowly she opened them, realizing the finality of it. “Well, I guess that’s that.” “Yeah.” “Thanks, Nick, for your help. I see he didn’t make any changes in the settlement agreement.” “No. He has moved out of the house but will be in town until Friday. I think you should check the place out and make sure everything is okay before he leaves town.” “Well, I’m almost done here. Would you come over there with me tonight?” “Sure. Yeah. I can do that.” “Good. I’ll just be a minute.” “I’ll be in my office.” ~/~/~/~ Nick followed Lulu, in his car. It had been almost two weeks since Lulu had left her house in the middle of the night. She had been staying with Kate but she was very anxious to get back into her own house. Inside, they went room by room on the ground floor and found nothing amiss. Nick followed Lulu upstairs and they checked the bathroom and the spare rooms. Again everything was in order. The final room was the master bedroom. Nick had never seen this room before. As he stood in the doorway, images of Lulu and Brian, locked in the throes of passion, flashed through his mind. He blinked to chase the images away. He waited, while Lulu checked the master bath, opened the closet doors and checked the bureau drawers. She walked up next to him. “Everything looks okay.” She turned to look him in the eye. He looked back and for a moment their gazes were locked. He reached out to touch the side of her face and ran his thumb across her soft lips. Lulu took his hand and pressed his palm against her lips. He stepped closer. “Lulu,” he whispered. “Yes?” she whispered back. “I…” he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. She responded. He moved to take her in his arms. She turned, ever so slightly, aside. “What is it?” She turned away. “Nick. I… I’m just not ready.” She turned back to face him. “I’m just so confused. I… I just don’t want to make another mistake.” It couldn’t have hurt any worse if she had slapped him across the face. For a moment he was stunned to silence. Finally, in barely a whisper, he said, “Right. A mistake.” He ran his right hand through his hair and shook his head then rested his hands on his hips. He quickly glanced at his watch and said, “Lulu. Uh… I really need to be going.” He pointed at his watch for emphasis. “Oh... Yeah, sure.” He turned to leave. “Oh, Nick. Thanks for everything.” Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “Sure,” then made a quick exit. In the car, he leaned his head back against the headrest, eyes tightly closed, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Finally, he shook it off and started the car. ~/~/~/~ He knocked and waited patiently for an answer. “Nick.” Kim was surprised to see him as she opened the door. “I thought you said something came up and you couldn’t come tonight.” “I did say that.” He shrugged. “Now I’m here.” Kim smiled broadly. “Yeah. I see that. Come in.” She reached to take his arm. Immediately inside the door, Nick took her in his arms and kissed her, passionately, pressing his body against hers. She could clearly tell he was aroused. She liked him like this. The last few times they had been together, she had sensed he was becoming bored with her. She kissed him back while she tugged at his belt. He removed his jacket, tossing it aside then quickly tackled his tie, all the while kissing her. She didn’t remember how they managed to get to the bed, but they had. The sex had been especially satisfying. She rolled over to face Nick, throwing her leg across his body. Their bodies were slick with perspiration. She kissed his chest. He ran his hands along her leg and thigh. She still tingled at his touch. “Hmmm. That was really good, Nick.” She found his mouth and they kissed. “Whatever it was got you fired up, I like it.” He kissed her forehead and stared off into space. Kim could relieve the stress in his body but she could not relieve the pain in his heart. Continued in "Forsaken"