That night back at the hotel they were staying at, Nick and AJ were watching TV. Although, really, AJ was watching TV while Nick sat there, strangely quiet considering he was... well, Nick. AJ had tried turning on a show that was similar to Don't Forget the Lyrics, only - of course - in French, just to piss Nick off, but Nick hadn't even noticed. Nor had he noticed when AJ turned the volume up to near deafening decibels during the I Will Always Love You score of The Bodyguard - also in French. AJ raised an eyebrow at him, studying the way he was laying. Nick had his legs up over the back of the sofa, his head hanging over the edge of the seat, and his face scrunched up, deep in thought.. or something like it, anyway. AJ kicked him. "Hey, dumbass," he said, "You're gonna get all your blood rushed up to your head if you don't sit up."
Nick glanced up. "What?"
"Your head," AJ repeated shortly, "It's gonna explode. Sit up."
Nick sat up. "Nawh, it won't explode..." He paused. "Damn, it does kind of hurt, though." He laughed, "Actually it kinda feels like I'm high or something."
AJ rolled his eyes, turning back to the TV. "So what the hell is the matter with you?"
"I guess I'm dizzy cos of the head thing," Nick answered, rubbing his eyes.
"No, I mean overall tonight," AJ responded, flicking the channel away from Whitney Houston.
"I dunno," Nick replied, sighing, "Stuff. I guess I'm kinda confused."
"About what?" AJ asked.
Nick shrugged, "Well, like... Yanno that Lorriane chick?"
AJ nodded, "Yeah..."
"Well she locked the doors right?" AJ nodded. Nick continued, "So that means the Murderer was let in, cos nobody could've broke in those locks without breaking stuff and the door was fine.
"Probably," AJ nodded, figuring what Nick had said sounded logical for once. "So?"
"Sooo..." Nick paused, taking a deep breath, then exhaled the sentence, "What if we found out who she came back to the hotel with that night, if anyone?"
AJ shrugged, "The cops already did that."
"Probably," Nick answered. He thought about it a second, "What if they didn't, though?"
"So tell Agent Bryant," AJ suggested, turning back to the TV yet again. He was already sick of the whole secret agent shit.
"I think I'll tell Agent Bryant," Nick said, as though it were his original idea. AJ rolled his eyes. "Plus, too, AJ," Nick restarted the conversation, "If the Masquerade Murderer went down the fire escape, wouldn't the people in the courtyard have kind of noticed?"
AJ paused, looking at Nick a second, thinking. "I dunno. Was there people even in the courtyard?"
"Yeah," Nick replied, "There was, cos there was people who saw her head come flying out of the window."
AJ shrugged, "Then yeah I guess someone would've seen the murderer coming out." He raised an eyebrow at Nick, "Why?"
Nick shrugged, too. "I dunno. It just seems kinda fishy I guess. I don't know why, but something doesn't add up to me."
"So tell Agent Bryant," AJ reiterated. He flicked the channel back to The Bodyguard and turned it up, deciding it was the best thing on TV in the end, and ignored Nick.
"I think I will," Nick decided, standing up. He looked at AJ. "Well?"
"What?" AJ asked, looking up.
Nick shrugged, "You're gonna let me go all the way down to Bryant's room alone?"
AJ paused, looking at the TV then up at Nick, "Yeah, sure why not... You're almost thirty."
"Well, I haven't been allowed to do anything else in forever," Nick answered.
"So cherish the moment," AJ replied.
Nick smiled, "I might even go to a vending machine before I go to Bryant's room."
"You rebel you," AJ said dryly, turning away.
Nick walked out of the hotel room, feeling macho and important for the first time in a few days. AJ sighed, relieved to be rid of him, and stretched out on the couch. He'd no longer got comfortable and interested in the movie than the hotel room phone rang. He groaned and struggled to get up to his knees and reached for the phone on the table behind the sofa. "Hello, Nick and AJ's room," he said, hitting the mute button on the remote.
"Hello AJ," came Ivana's voice.
AJ blinked in surprise, and tossed the remote to one side. "Hey Agent Focque, 'sup? Nick's just gone downstairs to talk to Bryant."
"I called for you, actually, AJ..." she paused, "And off duty, you can call me Ivana."
AJ grinned, please. "Okay then, Ivana... How can I be of your service?"
There was a long pause and for a split second, AJ wondered if she had hung up. Finally she answered, "I'm lonely, and..."
"Come over," he said, cutting her off, "I've got The Bodyguard on TV, I mean it'll probably be over before you get here, but I'm sure there's other shit on we could watch... and some popcorn in the other room and, well, I don't drink but I know how to make a killer mocktail."
"A killer mocktail, huh?" she asked, "No puns intended, I hope?"
"No puns," AJ laughed.
She paused. "Will Nick be back to join us?"
AJ glanced at the door. "I'm sure he can find some place else to be for awhile..."
"Good. I'll be there in a half an hour.... See you then."
AJ hung up the phone and looked at the muted TV. "Well," he mused, "I wonder where Nick can go for a bit." He stood up and decided the best way to pull this off was to piss Nick off and make him WANT to go somewhere. He jumped up, and rushed into the hall. Nick couldn't have gotten too far, the way he waddled about. AJ ran down the hallway towards the elevators, but stopped halfway when he heard humming in the vending machine room. He stopped and backed up, then stepped in and around the corner to where the machines stood. There, humming and rocking on his feet before the machine, was Nick, already holding several snacks and drinks in his hands. "Yo," AJ said, leaning against the door jam.
Nick looked up, "What're you doin' here?" He asked, clutching to his stuff protectively.
"Brian called," AJ lied, "And wigged out when I told him I let you go off through the hotel alone."
Nick's eyes widened, "What the fuck? Does he think I'm twelve? Jesus.." he rolled his eyes, "Thank you very much, but no thank you. I'm not a kid, I'm an ADULT!" Nick paused, looking at the vending machine, an angry pout on his face. Suddenly his eyes lit up, "Ooh! Strawberry poptarts!!" he struggled to reach for his wallet.
AJ raised an eyebrow, then pulled his own wallet out of his pocket, took out a bill and stuck it into the machine, pressing the poptart code. He tossed it on top of Nick's pile of stuff. "You were saying?"
Nick blinked, "What? It's poptarts. They rock. Adults like poptarts, too."
"Not usually," AJ answered.
"I didn't even go see Agent Bryant yet," Nick whined.
AJ shrugged, "So see him tomorrow, then, I'm missing The Bodyguard."
"So buy it on DVD," Nick snapped.
"I'm not buying it," AJ answered, "When it's on TV right now. You can tell Bryant your stupid idea tomorrow."
"STUPID IDEA?" Nick shouted, "It's NOT stupid!"
AJ shook his head, "Whatever, Nick. We're going back to the hotel room."
"No we aren't," Nick replied, "We're going to Agent Bryant's room."
"Nick. I am NOT missing the end of this movie."
Nick rolled his eyes, "So treat me like my fucking AGE instead of your IQ size. Let me go by myself, I'm not an idiot, AJ."
Clearly this wasn't working quite the way AJ had meant for it to. He looked at his watch and decided to try another tactic. "Okay, fine. Let's go downstairs, then get back upstairs. Quickly." He turned and marched out of the vending machine room, Nick following along behind with his arms stacked high with his provisions. AJ looked around the hallway, searching for an idea, and that's when he saw inspiration. "Hey Nick, c'mere a second," he said.
"I can't see you over my shit, dawg," Nick mumbled from behind the pile of junk food.
AJ grabbed his elbow, "C'mere..." he pulled him down the hall a little way to the propped opened door of a janitor's closet. "C'mere.." he pulled him inside and stopped when he was standing in the middle of the room.
"What smells like Clorox?" Nick asked, stretching his neck to look around his stuff. His brow furrowed, "Why the hell are we in a janitor's closet?"
AJ backed out of the closet slowly, "Well.. see.. Nick... it's like this... I wanna be alone for a little bit, but BRok would pretty much kill me if I made you stay out of the hotel room all night without knowing where you were at least and... well..." AJ kicked the wooden thing out of the way of the door, "This is the only way I can think of to know that since I'm in a time crunch..." he glanced at his watch, "I got like five minutes to find and pop popcorn and make mocktails."
"Popcorn?" Nick dropped his stuff, "Mocktails? Do you got a girl comin' over?" He dropped his stuff on the floor, and it scattered everywhere.
"Of course," AJ paused, spotting a bag of microwavable popcorn on the floor by his feet. "Hey, look at that." He smirked. "Thanks, Nick." And with that, he closed the door, and rushed back to their hotel room to wait for Ivana to arrive.
Saving the Day for Blondes 2: The Amazing Story of How Nick Apprehended The Infamous Masquerade Murderer Without ANY Caffeine In His Body! by Pengi
