Never Ending Fun
 
Author: Steph
 
Email: redfreddie3@___________
 
Rating: PG-13
 
Summary: This picks up at the end of Chinese Wall. After Burton
tells Nick he made a deal with the Senator, and Nick storms out of
the office.

Author's Notes: In my dog loving brain Nick kept Bart. He has a
deal with a neighborhood kid (whose parents won't let him have a
dog)so Bart has someone to play with and walk him during the day.
Everything in Italics is supposed to be Nick's thoughts, since
Italics don't seem to show up in the preview I'm putting the thoughts
between the *thoughts*. Thanks so much to all who helped edit this
first fanfic of mine.

Spoilers: Chinese Wall and previous episodes

Author's Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of a
character in this story to any person living or dead is purely
coincidental.

--+--

Nick wiped the emotion off his face and quickly made his way to his
office. He could feel their eyes on him the minute he opened
Burton's door. No one questioned him, knowing from past experience that he
would not welcome it. Nicholas Fallin was not a man to be questioned;
on top of being the boss's kid, this guy was a first-class shark.
They knew better than to get in his way; if he didn't take care
of you, his father would. Those who forgot didn't usually last long.
The instant he reached his desk, Nick began packing up his things for the
night…tossing his Palm Pilot back in his briefcase, followed
closely by some paperwork regarding the latest Meyers deal. A small huff
broke his internal silence.

*Stupid Jake, did he really think I would just let him play me like
that? It's not bad enough he steals MY client, but then he tried
to cut me out completely?*

*No hard feelings, my ass. Hey, Jake, no hard feelings if you want to
have a consolation beer with Bitchell, maybe you can pick up a few
pointers on kissing up to Senator Dickhead. Jake should have known
better –what- we've only been working together for five years
now, but then Jake never really was the sharpest crayon in the box.*

Briefcase packed and keys in hand, Nick leaves his office, pausing to
lock the door. Making his way past reception to the main office door,
he nods in response to Gretchen's polite "Good night, Mr. Fallin". He drives 
home on autopilot, taking a mental detour through his ultra-
fun day.

*Well, good old Dad not only lied to me, but he's leaving me to
deal with Sen. Fuck-up. One more thing to add to my father's list of
accomplishments; I'd probably rank this just below the "sorry
about your mom, son…hey I found a great boarding school" day. Yeah,
classic Dad move. I should never have believed him in the first place. The
old man is never gonna give me the firm.*

*Lost a million-dollar client, but I got rid of Bitchell, and took
Meyers back.*

*Lulu's wearing down. A mistake? Sure didn't feel like a
mistake to me. Too bad her grandmother's roommate couldn't give a
credible statement; I could have helped her out with some cash. At least
Nanna's in a better place. Kind, well, that's progress from
Community Service Jerk-off, she's definitely been sticking to the Teflon
man lately. Just need to keep under control for a little longer,
just `til she is ready to admit what a doof Brian is. God, that
woman is gonna kill me.*

Shutting off the engine, he's finally home. Nick unlocks the back
door and steps into the kitchen. Bart makes a speedy entry slipping a
little when his paws hit the tile floor. The tail stops wagging the
minute Nick is in full view. The "not now, Bart" vibe is
coming off Nick in waves. Bart sits and waits to be acknowledged. Nick pats his
head once as he walks past Bart to set his briefcase and keys on the
counter. Reaching into the refrigerator, Nick takes a soda and heads
for the table, pausing to grab the Meyers paperwork. Bart lies down
under the table near Nick's feet. A small bitter laugh escapes
Nick.

*Sane and sober, right. I could really use something about now. Not
like that would go unnoticed. The new probation officer must be
pleased to read about how I may or may not have been involved in
Dale's murder. This is going to be a long night.*

Nick gets up and starts undressing as he walks upstairs to his room.
Bart follows him quietly and waits in the doorway. He sets his suit
jacket, tie and shirt on the bench at the foot of the bed. Nick sits
down and unlaces his boots. Just as he has them off, he hears a knock
at the door.

*Great, probably some kids trying to sell something.*

Nick trudges down the steps to the front door where Bart is eagerly
waiting. Nick starts to unbolt the door, but hesitates to check out
the window. He quickly unlocks the door and barely manages to keep
from ripping it open. Lulu, who has been studying her feet for the
last few seconds, looks up wearily, makes quick eye contact, then
looks down again.

*She looks like hell. Slow down, Fallin, find out what's going on
before you make an ass of yourself again.*

"Hey," Nick says softly

*God, it was good to see her.*

"I didn't mean to just stop by like this but…but I really
needed to talk to you and I didn't want to wait until morning at the clinic
because…" Lulu doesn't get to finish her thought before Nick
interrupts…

"Don't worry about it, it's fine, come in." Nick is
trying to push the excitement from his voice.

He opens the door wider, and allows Lulu to step into his house. Nick
isn't the only one barely contained, Bart is going full wag and
has planted himself right in front of Lulu. Lulu gives Bart a small smile
and scratches behind his ears. Nick lights up a bit.

*I knew it was a good idea to keep him around.*

Nick motions towards the living room.

"Come in. Sit down. Would you like something to drink?" Nick
nervously asks.

"Water would be good," Lulu says, looking at Nick briefly.

"Sure, I'll be back in a sec."

As Nick leaves the room Lulu looks around, taking in the place.
It's kept neat, uncluttered, she'd expected that much. On the mantel
sit pictures of a woman, a slight woman with straight dark brown hair.
Lulu's appraisal of the place was cut short when Nick returned
with a glass of water. She took it from him, barely glancing at him, before
returning her attention to her feet.

"Thanks," She says quietly, taking a sip.

"Are you alright?" Nick asks with genuine concern.

"No, not really," Lulu mutters softly.

She let Nick guide her to the sofa. Nick takes a seat across from
her, anxiously waiting for her to continue.

"Brian and I…we…well, I…broke off the engagement," she stammers nervously.

"What happened?" Nick asks, using his practiced negotiating
voice, hoping that she can't see how happy this news makes him.

Lulu looks up, making direct eye contact, narrowing her eyes briefly,
before looking down again.

*Shit, that wasn't good. Just stay calm and listen. That's it
calm, concerned and not at all happy.*

Lulu starts again, her eyes downcast, avoiding eye contact. "He
was in town for the weekend and we were at the house and I just keep
thinking about those kids, and my grandmother, the way you look at
me, and…and… the other day. I've just been so confused,
and nothing is working out like I thought it would and everything seems so
rushed," Lulu pauses.

She takes a small drink. Nick's eyes have not left her face for
even an instant.

*Just be patient, she's obviously had a rough night. She seems so
timid, so reserved and, well so un-Lulu…brace for tears.*

"I told him that I wasn't sure about any of this anymore. I
told him I wanted to take some time to think about things," Lulu went on.

"Well, that's understandable, perfectly reasonable, I mean,
if you aren't sure, then you should wait," Nick replies, making his
best attempt to be supportive.

Lulu continues "He said that this…these doubts… were all
your doing. He was really angry, and I didn't know what to say…I
mean… I have feelings for you, but that's not the only reason…I mean this
is all just moving a lot…faster…I mean we just got engaged…and
now everything has to be done right now…planning the
wedding…dealing with Nanna…with you…

"I just don't want to…mess this up…I mean my mother… she didn't...well, have the 
best… I just…. Her voice trailed off as she pauses, trying put into words what 
is buzzing through her head. "I just found out my grandmother was in love with 
another man…and I, I just don't want to be married with a house and kids and realize I
made a mistake."

Lulu puts her hand out to stop Nick as he moves towards her.

"He was s-o- angry…I mean, he's usually so calm and under
control," she begins

"Did he hurt you?" Nick interrupts, his voice stressed, his
worry evident.

"No! No…not like that…he was just so loud and he said
`What did he tell you, because nothing happened…it was all just a stupid
misunderstanding.' He said you were just trying to make trouble
between us. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about
and I asked him what he meant…what had happened." She takes a
breath. "He said he was at a bar and a woman tried to pick him up and he
told her to go away, but she persisted and he offered her money to just
leave him alone…and then he said he was arrested for offering
money to a prostitute, and he got scared and couldn't reach me…and
since he didn't know anyone else in town he called you…and you got him
out of jail…he said you told him I didn't have to know, that it
would be better for me if I didn't know."

"That's not what happened! That bastard!" Nick
interrupts, raising his voice as he stands up..

Lulu cringes and draws back into herself. Nick immediately regrets
his emotional outburst…

*Great, now I scared her, and she thinks I engineered this whole
mess. I'm going to kill him.*

Nick sits back down, his face softens as he begins, "I'm
sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that. I just, well, that's not the
way it happened at all."

It is Lulu's turn to interrupt, "So you didn't get Brian
out of jail and help him keep it from me?" she demanded abruptly.

"Lulu, Brian called me…he was in jail, arrested for
solicitation and needed help, he didn't want to call you. I told him he needed a
criminal attorney, but he asked if I could just try and see what I
could do. I talked to the DA and was able to get him out of jail with
just a fine and some classes. He was the one who didn't want to
tell you. Since I was acting as his counsel, this was all covered by
privilege and I couldn't tell you." Nick explains.

"Privilege?!?" Lulu spits with obvious distaste.

"You know as well as I do that legally I couldn't tell you
about what happened," Nick quickly offers.

"Since when do you follow the rules?" Lulu asks with more
spirit than she's shown all night.

"Lulu, that isn't fair. I know you're angry and hurt, but
I didn't cheat on you…I didn't…" Nick is cut short…

"No, you just lied, you protected him." Lulu is clearly
becoming more and more angry.

"I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you. I figured you
would find out," Nick attempts to defend himself, hanging his head.

"NO!" Lulu stands up.

"No! You lied, all this time, you pretended to be my friend, to
be helping me but you...you were lying the whole time. This must have
been fun for you…really…not only do you get to make me look
stupid, but you get to make yourself look better in the process. Here I
thought you were actually a decent guy…that I was wrong about all
those things I said when we first met. Turns out you are worse then I
ever imagined. I could have married him, been married to a man who
cheats on me before we are even married. You know…I could
understand you wanting to make me look bad…but this…this is beyond low.
I could have some disease. I could have AIDS. Do you really hate me that
much? Was this fun for you? I mean kissing me and pretending to
actually care, that must have been great! Well, congratulations,
Nicholas Fallin you've truly outdone yourself!" Lulu is
nearly shouting as she finishes.

Lulu storms towards the door to leave with her hand on the knob
before Nick recovers enough to speak.

"Lulu, wait!" Nick yells after her.

Lulu slams the door behind her and runs down the sidewalk to her car.
Nick opens the door and calls after her again "Lulu!"
…but it was useless, she was gone. Nick closes the door quietly, and retreats,
dumbfounded, to the couch. He sits down with his head in his hands.
Bart moves across the hardwood floor to sit near Nick, resting his
head gently on Nick's knee.

The End