The Split

Author: Shirley

Email: sgoates2607@charter.net

Rating: NC-17

Summary: This storyline follows the events of “You Belong to Me”. A ‘what if’ 
story, if you will.


Disclaimer: The characters portrayed herein have been shamelessly taken directly 
from “The Guardian” – a CBS TV Series. The scenarios and storyline are strictly 
figments of my imagination; except where loosely based on the “You Belong to Me” 
episode. A scene excerpt has been included from that episode. 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.
 
~*~*~
 
Nick had returned to bed and was lying with his right arm behind his head when 
Kim came back into the room. 
 
“Sorry, Nick, for the interruption,” she said, as she stood beside the bed. 
 
“No, it’s okay,” he half whispered. 
 
She dropped her robe, revealing her incredible body, and slipped easily beneath 
the covers, reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp. The room was immediately 
bathed in moonlight, turning everything to shades of black and white. 
 
“Okay, now where were we,” she said, stretching out beside him. She nuzzled his 
neck while she ran her hand beneath his T-shirt. She found his nipple and softly 
teased it. 
 
Nick moved his arm from behind his head and pulled her close. She found his lips 
and kissed him, softly at first then more ardently. As a somewhat reluctant 
lover tonight, with Lulu just in the next room, he still couldn’t resist Kim’s 
advances. He pulled her to him and kissed her lips, her eyes and nuzzled her 
neck. She deftly removed his T-shirt. He felt her small breasts against his 
chest and closed his eyes as she slipped her hand inside his boxers and massaged 
him to a full erection. 
 
In the next room, Lulu could hear the muffled sounds of love-making coming from 
Kim’s room. She squeezed her eyes tight and tried to imagine what it would be 
like to have Nick make love to her. She curled into a fetal ball and prayed for 
sleep. 
 
Hours later, when sleep still refused to come, she found Matty’s junk food stash 
and settled down in front of the sofa to watch an old movie on TV. 
 
Nick wandered into the living room wearing a T-shirt and boxer shorts. 
 
“Oh, sorry. Too loud?” she asked, picking up the remote control, as she noticed 
him. 
 
“No. No. That’s okay. I couldn’t’ sleep.” He glanced at the TV. She was watching 
It Happened One Night. 
 
“Hmmm. You wanna sit? Unless she’s…?” 
 
“She’s asleep.” After a moment, he walked closer. Taking a pillow from the sofa, 
he placed it on the floor to use as a back rest. After he was situated beside 
her, Lulu handed him a corner of her blanket to cover his bare legs. 
 
“Thanks.” 
 
“Cookie?” she asked. 
 
He couldn’t believe she was sitting here in the middle of the night eating junk 
food. “No, thank you.” 
 
“Have you looked in Kim’s pantry?” She grinned. 
 
“No.” 
 
“One side’s all healthy stuff and the other side is all junk. She uses it to 
bribe Matty.” 
 
“Well, I can see what side you’ve been on.” 
 
Lulu giggled. “I just don’t know how she stays so skinny. She obviously has more 
self-control than I do.” 
 
“You think?” Nick smiled. 
 
Laughing, she playfully said, “Shut up.” She took a sip from a juice box. 
Giggling, she said, “If I ever have kids, I definitely will have to use 
something other than food as a motivational tool.” They smiled at each other. 
“Can I tell you something?” 
 
“Sure,” he said, softly, gazing into her eyes. 
 
“I ate Matty’s last Twinkie.” She laughed. “Does that make me a bad person?” 
 
“I think so.” 
 
“You think?” She laughed then exhaled a big sigh. 
 
Smiling, he turned slightly and rested his arm on the sofa directly behind her. 
“You know, if you need someone to watch over your house… or somewhere to stay…” 
 
“Where would I stay?” 
 
“Well, I have extra rooms.” 
 
“Oh, yeah? You have guests? You don’t strike me as…” 
 
“Sometimes.” 
 
“I think most of your guests end up in your bedroom.” 
 
“Sometimes.” 
 
They looked into each others eyes and he was leaning in to kiss her when the 
kitchen light suddenly came on. He quickly moved his arm. 
 
“Hey, you guys are up early,” Kim said, as she came around the corner. 
 
“Hey, Kim. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” 
 
“No, it’s fine. I think everyone’s having trouble sleeping.” 
 
“Yeah,” he whispered. 
 
~*~ 
 
Lulu pulled up and parked at the curb in front of her house. Every muscle in 
Nick’s body tensed when a cab pulled up beside her car and he saw a man get out. 
As the taxi pulled away, he slowly relaxed, realizing it was only Brian. Only 
Brian. What had happened to the break-up? He watched from his car, parked across 
the street, where he’d been watching her house to guard against intruders. They 
embraced and walked together up the walkway and into the house. 
 
His cell phone rang. He reached to grab it from his console. Glancing at the 
number, he recognized it as Kim’s cell phone. He placed the phone, unanswered, 
back on the console. A light came on in the room on the second floor, front—the 
master bedroom, while the rest of the house went dark. Nick started his car. As 
the bedroom light was extinguished he slowly drove away. 
 
~*~ 
 
“So, you’re closing the case?” Lulu seemed distressed. 
 
“Well, Lulu. We haven’t found anything and you said yourself, there have been no 
suspicious phone calls for over two weeks now. There’s not much else we can do.” 

 
“Oh. Okay.” 
 
“Besides, Brian’s back home so you probably won’t get any more break-ins. If you 
do, we can always open it back up.” 
 
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” 
 
“Okay. Well, Lulu. I gotta get back to work.” She turned to leave Lulu’s office. 

 
“Oh, Kim. Brian and I are going out tonight. Would you and Nick like to join 
us?” 
 
Kim stopped at the door and half-turned to face Lulu with her hand on the door 
knob. “We broke up.” 
 
“Oh.” Lulu was genuinely surprised. “What happened?” 
 
“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him.” She pulled the door open and was gone. 
 
On her way to the elevator, Kim saw Nick emerge from the conference room with a 
young client. For a painful moment, their eyes met. The elevator arrived and Kim 
disappeared behind closed doors. 
 
~*~ 
 
It was more than a week later when Nick learned that Brian was going to be out 
of town again. This time he was going to New York for a job interview. Work at 
Fallin had kept him so busy he hadn’t had a chance to talk with Lulu but Alvin 
had told him that the suspicious phone calls had ceased and the so-called 
stalker had ceased to be a threat. 
 
Nick pulled up outside Lulu’s house. He retrieved his cell phone from his breast 
pocket and dialed her number. There was no answer. He could see a light on in 
the master bedroom. And, he knew Brian was out of town. Why wasn’t she 
answering? What if something had happened? What if the stalker had waited until 
Brian was out of town again? He returned his cell phone to his pocket and 
climbed out of his car. 
 
He rang the door bell once and then again and waited what seemed like an 
unusually long period of time until the door finally opened. Lulu stood there in 
an over-sized terrycloth bathrobe, towel-drying her hair. 
 
“Nick? What are you doing here?” She was truly surprised to see him. 
 
“Uh… uh…” he stammered. “I was just passing by and I thought I saw something in 
the bushes. Since Brian’s out of town, I… uh… I tried to call and there was no 
answer.” 
 
“Oh. I was in the shower and I guess I didn’t hear the phone.” She smiled at his 
over-zealous attempt to protect her. “You wanna come in and look around? I mean, 
to satisfy yourself that there’s no one here?” 
 
“Well, Alvin said the police had closed their case.” About this time, he felt a 
little foolish. “I’ll just check the ground floor.” 
 
“Okay.” She curled up on the sofa with her robe tucked snuggly around her. She 
tossed the wet towel on the floor beside the sofa and ran her fingers through 
her damp hair to comb out the tangles. 
 
Nick returned to the living room after his walk-through of the ground floor 
rooms. His heart took a leap as he saw Lulu bundled up on the sofa, looking 
fresh from the shower. He walked closer to the sofa. “Well… looks like 
everything’s okay. I… I guess I should be going.” He started for the door. 
 
Lulu unfolded herself from the sofa and followed him. As he reached for the door 
knob she reached out and touched his sleeve. “Nick, thanks.” 
 
He turned to face her and got a whiff of the lingering fragrance from her bath 
soap and shampoo. His knees went weak. She had never been more desirable. He 
closed the distance between them. She didn’t move away. He reached out and 
touched her still-damp hair, tucking it behind her ear. She turned her face up 
to him and he leaned in for a tender kiss. She kissed him back. He couldn’t help 
himself. He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. He loosened the 
belt to her robe and it fell open to reveal her naked body. He held her close 
and she held him back. 
 
Moments later, she lay rigidly beside him. “Just relax,” he coached her. 
 
“I am,” she said, 
 
He gently caressed her but he could tell she was tense. Finally, he couldn’t 
wait any longer. He gently prised her legs apart with his knee and settled in 
between them. “Easy now,” he said, soothingly. He nibbled at her ear then 
covered her mouth with his and kissed her passionately. He kissed her neck and 
nibbled her breast. “You know how this works,” he whispered. “Just let it 
happen.” He eased inside her and, hearing her gasp, he asked. “You okay?” 
 
“Uh-huh.” She closed her eyes tight and winced. 
 
“You sure?” He carefully continued his thrusts—slowly, deeper, then faster. He 
couldn’t hold on much longer but Lulu didn’t seem to be anywhere near a climax. 
 
“Nick,” she cried, “You’re hurting me.” She pushed against his chest. 
 
He stopped immediately and raised up to look in her eyes. She squeezed her eyes 
shut and turned away, her hands still on his chest, keeping him at arms length. 
He withdrew and rolled over. Frustrated, he gazed up at the ceiling. Lulu curled 
up on her side of the bed and he thought he heard a sniffle. 
 
He rolled over and touched her gently on the arm. He felt her shudder at his 
touch. He fell back against the pillows and waited a few more moments then got 
up, quietly dressed and left without a word. 
 
In his car, he hammered his fist on the steering wheel in frustration. The 
moment he had waited so long for had been a disaster. 
 
~*~ 
 
The next several weeks, Nick immersed himself in his work. Fortunately, business 
had picked up at Fallin & Fallin and he was finding it almost impossible to keep 
up. He didn’t have time to ponder the sorry state of his love life. Kim had quit 
him and Lulu seemed to be avoiding him. 
 
Alvin was reviewing a file when Nick entered his office. “Oh, hi, Nick. Thanks 
for coming. I think Lulu’s trying to handle too much with the increase in case 
load and her Associate Director duties. Why don’t you get with her and see if 
you can’t take some of the cases off her hands.” 
 
Sarcastically, he said, “Sure, Alvin. I’ll see if I can work it into my 48-hour 
days.” He shrugged and stalked out of Alvin’s office. Alvin looked up. It was 
unusual for Nick to complain about workload. He usually thrived on an abundance 
of work. But, come to think of it, Nick did seem to be stressing a lot lately. 
Alvin wasn’t sure what exactly gave him that impression, but… Well… he just 
shook his head and returned his attention to the file on his desk. 
 
Nick knocked lightly on Lulu’s door and entered. 
 
“Alvin says you need some help—workload or something.” He stood with his hand on 
the door knob ready for a fast getaway if necessary. This was the first time, 
since that fateful night, that they had talked face-to-face. 
 
“Yeah, here’s a few files.” She said, nonchalantly, reaching for a stack on the 
corner of her desk. 
 
Nick stepped into the room to take them. He thought now might be a good time to 
apologize. “Lulu, I… uh…. I…” 
 
Lulu looked at him blankly. “Nick. Uh… Brian and I are trying to work things 
out.” 
 
Surprised by that information, he finally managed to say, “Right. Yeah. Well, 
I’m… “ 
 
“I know, Nick. Look…. I’ve got so much work…” She made a face and swept her hand 
over her desk to indicate her workload. 
 
“Yeah, sorry.” He backed out the door, pulling it to as he left. 
 
~*~ 
 
Burton checked his watch—8:30. He was exhausted. But it was a good feeling. The 
Firm was humming again. They had really more work than they could get to and in 
some ways that was a good thing. It just meant everyone had to work that much 
harder. He straightened up his desk then pulled his overcoat on and patted his 
fedora firmly into place on his bare head. He flicked off his desk lamp and, 
grabbing his briefcase, he started out the door. Light streamed in from the full 
moon illuminating the office and there were the night lights placed 
strategically around the main office to help him see his way to the front 
entrance. Looking around he noticed what appeared to be light coming from Nick’s 
office. Thinking that the cleaning crew had forgotten to turn it off, he opened 
the door and was surprised to find Nick with his head down on his desk. 
 
Nick raised up suddenly, rubbing his eyes and running his hands through his 
hair. “Oh, Dad. Hey,” he said, a bit groggy. 
 
“What are you still doing here, Nicholas?” He glanced at his watch. 
 
“I got a couple more hours on the Bender Steel project,” he lied. 
 
“I been meaning to talk to you, son. You’ve been looking pretty beat, lately. 
Maybe you should just go home and get some sleep. Or, better yet, maybe Jake can 
help you with that case.” 
 
“Yeah, well… Jake’s outta town. Remember his brother died—in Philly. He won’t be 
back for another couple days. The Bender deal won’t wait. I can do it.” 
 
“Nick, you fell asleep on your desk.” He laughed to cover his genuine concern. 
“Frankly, son… you look like crap.” 
 
“Thanks, Dad.” He just shook his head. “A couple more hours. I promise. Then 
I’ll go home and get some sleep.” 
 
“Okay. You know you’re no good to us if you’re exhausted.” 
 
“Yeah. Yeah. I’ve heard it. I’ll be fine,” he said, a little miffed that his dad 
felt the need to tell him how to do his job—or live his life. He could handle 
this. He’d been through worse. 
 
“All right. Well… See ya Monday. Just take the weekend to get rested.” 
 
He didn’t want to tell his dad that it would take the weekend to get the Bender 
Steel deal ready for presentation Monday afternoon. He was way behind, thanks to 
the increased load at LSoP and Jake’s family emergency. 
 
He listened for the closing of the front door. After a moment, he walked over to 
his locked file cabinet. In the bottom drawer, way in the back, he kept an 
envelope. He returned to his desk with the envelope and poured the contents out 
on his desk. There were at least ten tiny bags of ‘coke’. He told himself, all 
he needed was a little pick-me-up. That’s all. Just to get him through this 
night and the weekend. He pocketed four bags and left one on the desk. The 
others he returned to the envelope and stuffed them back in the drawer, making 
sure it was securely locked. 
 
He cleared a space on his desk and poured the contents of the one little bag out 
and with his credit card he arranged the powder in two narrow rows. Taking a 
crisp $100 bill from his pocket he rolled it tightly and snorted the two lines 
of coke. The sensation brought back memories. He leaned back in his chair 
waiting for the full effect to wash over him. 
 
It was almost midnight when he decided to stop for the night. He gathered up the 
remaining papers on his desk and stuffed them in his briefcase. 
 
As he walked to the parking lot at the corner of Grant and Forbes, he noticed 
the streets were damp from a recent rain. There were only two other cars in the 
lot besides his. Theatre goers had long since left the City for home. The only 
bar nearby, Common Pleas, closed at midnight; bar patrons preferring The Strip 
for late-night drinking and entertainment. He pulled out of the lot and started 
home. 
 
The lights were reflecting off the wet pavement. It seemed like all the lights; 
the street lights, headlights and stop lights were all converging in a 
kaleidoscope effect. He rubbed his eyes. Suddenly he glimpsed flashing blue 
lights in his rear-view mirror. 
 
“Oh, shit,” he said, under his breath. Fear suddenly gripped him. This could be 
it. He grasped the steering wheel tightly. What had he done? He was not 
speeding… or was he? What had he done? He pulled over and stopped clearly three 
feet from the curb. It was a moment before the officer appeared beside his car. 
All he could see was the flashlight in his face. He squinted and raised his hand 
to ward off the light. “What’d I do, Officer?” 
 
“You ran a red light and you’re all over the road. Get out of the car.” He 
recognized the voice. Or did he? 
 
“Kim?” 
 
“I said, get out of the car.” 
 
He struggled with his seatbelt, fiddled with the lock on the door and finally 
half-stumbled out of the car. 
 
“Stand over here.” She leaned him up against his left front fender then shined 
her flashlight around the front seat of his car. 
 
“Kim. It is you.” He smiled. Thank God. He’d caught a break. 
 
“Come with me.” She took him by the arm and led him, half-stumbling, to the 
passenger side of her squad car. “Get in and stay put.” 
 
She returned to his car and got in. A nearby parking lot would probably be safer 
than leaving the car on the street. She pulled the BMW into a parking space near 
the building, beneath a street lamp, and locked it securely, setting the alarm. 
 
Back in her car, she glanced over at Nick. His head was lolled to one side and 
he was out cold. She reached for her radio and told the dispatcher that the 
traffic stop had been a false alarm. 
 
~*~ 
 
It had been a struggle but she had managed to get him undressed and into bed. He 
appeared to be sleeping like a baby but she knew it was a drug-induced stupor. 
Nick had crashed. She had searched him and found four bags of cocaine in his 
coat pocket. She wondered just how long he had been using again. 
 
She gently touched his curls and placed a tender kiss on his cheek. He stirred 
but did not waken. He’d probably be fine until she could go back to the Station, 
turn in her squad car, and sign-off her shift. 
 
When she returned, she noticed Nick had barely moved. She made a bed on the sofa 
and was finally, mercifully, able to fall asleep. 
 
~*~ 
 
It was Saturday, midday. Kim, dressed in sweatpants and a snug fitting T-shirt, 
sat at the kitchen table with one leg pulled up on the chair, her chin resting 
on her knee, trying to organize her finances. She took a sip of coffee then she 
heard the toilet flush in the master bath. Nick was up. Fortunately, this was 
Matty’s weekend with his father so she didn’t have that to contend with and she 
had this weekend off. 
 
Nick appeared in the corner of her vision. Dressed only in a T-shirt and boxers 
he looked like a little boy, his hair all tousled. 
 
“Hey,” he said, sheepishly. 
 
“You want some coffee?” 
 
He ran his hands through his hair. “Yeah.” He sat down while she got his coffee. 
Wrapping his hands around the cup, he took a sip. He looked over the rim at Kim. 

 
“Why, Nick? Why?” she asked, her eyes full of pain. 
 
“You went through my coat.” 
 
“That’s right. I flushed it.” He bowed his head, ashamed. “I should have run you 
in.” She pinched back the tears welling-up in her eyes. 
 
“Thank you for not doing that,” he said, softly. 
 
She tried to focus on the check she was trying to write. Instead, she pushed 
away from the table and walked over to the sink. Nick set his coffee cup down 
and walked up behind her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her 
around to face him. She ducked her head, avoiding his gaze. With his forefinger 
beneath her chin, he gently turned her face up to his. Tenderly, he wiped the 
dampness from her cheeks. 
 
“I don’t deserve your kindness. But… thank you for what you did.” He bent to 
kiss her but she turned away. “Okay.” He rested his hands on his hips. “I guess 
I deserve that.” She moved away and back to her seat. 
 
“Nick, I can’t play your games anymore.” 
 
He thought about this for a moment then said the only thing he could think of to 
say. “Okay.” He returned to his seat. 
 
“I’m through being your bimbo while you wait for Lulu to dump Brian.” 
 
“What?” he was completely taken aback by the allegation. 
 
“Don’t play dumb with me, Nick. I’m not that stupid.” 
 
“Okay. Well… I… I didn’t think you were.” 
 
“Can I ask you one question?” 
 
“Sure.” 
 
“How long have you been using again?” 
 
He was surprised by the question, believing she was about to ask him about Lulu. 
“Last night… was the first time in over a year.” 
 
“You have more stashed somewhere? Your house, your car, your office?” 
 
He paused and then, looking away, he said, “No.” 
 
“I wish I could believe that. But, I guess if you want to ruin your life there’s 
nothing I can do about that.” 
 
He said, reflectively, “No. I guess there isn’t.” For a moment, their gazes 
locked. He would probably never know just how much pain he had caused. 
 
“Get dressed, Nick, and I’ll take you to your car.” She returned her attention 
to the papers on the table. 
 
He wanted to make amends. Finally, he said, “Kim…” 
 
She raised her hand to stop him. “Just get dressed, Nick.” He no longer saw any 
emotion in her face. She looked at him, blankly, resolutely. 
 
“Okay,” he managed to whisper. 
 
The drive to his car had been a quiet one. As he stepped out of her car, she 
said, “Nick. Just remember… if I pull you over again, you’re going to jail. So… 
I’d suggest you find some other way to handle whatever the hell it is that 
you’re having trouble dealing with.” 
 
He stood beside his car as she wheeled out of the parking lot. He would miss 
her. She turned a corner and was gone. 
 
She couldn’t hold back any longer. A torrent of tears streamed down her face, 
unabated. She finally had to pull over to the curb until the tearful convulsions 
had passed. She’d get over him. She had managed to get over heartache before. 
 
THE END