Chapter Seven: Bloody Mary, Full Of Grace

Marie cringed as she opened her eyes slowly looking around the room her head feeling like a million pounds. She slowly begrudgingly got up seeing that she was merely in a tiny tank top and her underwear. She grabbed a pair of jeans from her bag and a cream v-neck sweater before going down the stairs slowly her hands clutching the railing as the world spun around her.

"Morning sunshine..." She heard from in the kitchen where Nick was leaning against the counter, two mugs of steaming hot coffee in front of him. She gave him a petulant glance and cringed as his laughter rang out irritating the pounding migraine that was just behind her left eye. He slid the mug over to her and she nodded appreciatively inhaling the aroma of the French roast. He let her drink in silence for a few moments watching as her eyes fluttered closed and took a big sigh of relief after she felt the caffeine surging through her system. It shocked him really, to see her, no make up on like their first meeting, and her hair in a messy bun. It was a simple look, comfortable even but he really liked seeing her this way...just after waking up. The mere thought of that alone shocked him to no end. She opened her eyes holding onto the mug one hand on the handle, the other gently cupping the bottom as she glanced at him watching her, a blush filling her cheeks at his open gaze. "Feel better?" He asked.

She smiled a little, "Yeah a little, just still I don't think I've ever drank that much in my entire life...How much did I drink?" She asked turning from him and walking over to the dining table for a moment before turning back to him.

He grinned and nodded, "I don't think anyone has ever drank that much...well okay I know people who have but still you can pack away your alcohol." He said with a silly grin on his face. True he'd drank a lot himself but she'd far surpassed him in that department, both of them having Howie drive them back to her place so he could make sure that she'd get inside okay.

She turned for a moment, seeing her black lacy strapless bra hanging on one of the chairs and cringed. "Oh...God..." She said grabbing the offending material and hiding it behind her back her blush worsening every moment. "I took this off...in front of you?"

"You did..." He replied amusedly. He had to admit at the time it was rather comical to see her attempt to be sexy when she was so inebriated and clumsy, but at the same time it was a rather humorous turn on. That even when she was so drunk she was still appealing to him. "It's okay...no big deal though." He said trying to ease her internal torment.

"No, but you were here when I did..." She said her brow furrowing in embarrassment. It wasn't that she was prude or anything really but she was always taught certain decorum when she was in the presence of the opposite sex and drunkenly taking her bra off was definitely not part of that upbringing.

"I was..."

"Did we...?" She asked not remembering if they had done anything sexual. She wasn't sure, but she did remember inviting him up to the bedroom that night. Everything was very fuzzy and was coming back to her in bits and pieces here and there. He shook his head ‘no' and she gave him a perplexed look. "We didn't?"

He smirked and looked at his coffee for a moment then back at her as he began to speak. "Call me old fashioned but I prefer to have sex with women who are actually conscious." He quipped making her eyes bulge in further shock and embarrassment making him chuckle lightly.

She rolled her eyes and turned her body, one hand flying to her forehead pinching the bridge of her nose, as she moved into the laundry area dropping the bra into the hamper. "Oh now that's attractive..." She retorted sarcastically looking at the washer as the memory dawned on her... "Did I beg at one point?" She asked as she turned and looked at him from her changed position from over at the washer.

He chewed on his lip to keep himself from laughing. He glanced at her, an idea forming in his head. "Do you want to get some breakfast? I know a diner not far from here...has the best pancakes and hash browns in the city."

She gave him a sideways glance cocking her head to the side just so almost studying him for a moment. She was hungry and maybe getting some breakfast would allow her to enjoy his company for just that much longer. "I'd love to..." She replied returning his smile.

---

"Does it ever get weird for you? The whole fame thing?" Marie asked as she lightly salted her scrambled eggs. She'd found it rather amusing that on their short walk to the diner he'd been stopped for autographs and pictures three different times by 20-something fans. Of course he'd handled each situation with the utmost class and respect smiling at the girls, signing their things and taking pictures with them. Marie had even volunteered to take pictures so that she wouldn't get asked about whom she was or even get her picture taken either.

It had definitely been an experience. She'd never really saw what happens to a celebrity when they met a fan. The few times she'd seen famous people anywhere close to her was when she would be walking down the street only to find it was closed off for a movie shoot for the day, or seeing them get out of fancy limousines in haute couture on the way to some fancy red carpet event. But this was certainly different. The change he made from being the normal guy she was growing accustomed to being around had made her almost do a double take.

One minute he was talking about the Clippers and the need for a solid backcourt defense and the next he was all smiles and professionally cordial answering questions fully equipped with pearly white smile and sharpie pen.

He shrugged as he chewed on his piece of sourdough toast. He took a sip of his orange juice and sighed, "I don't know I guess I'm really just used to flipping over into that side of myself. I mean I've been doing this since I was 12 years old, and even before that I was into acting and all sorts of performance stuff like that. It's something you just get so used to switching on and off that you don't even realize it after a while." He explained studying how she was looking at him. The curious look on her face made him smile at her innocent curiosity. "Was it weird for you? I've had that situation happen before, it's been a long time but you handled it beautifully."

"How would I have handled it? I mean I'm not the ‘important' one they want to see, so I just stand in the background. And I think that girl actually keeled over when you put your arm around her when I took the picture for her...the look on her face was absolutely priceless." She replied chuckling at the girl's star struck surprise.

"Yeah they kind of do that sometimes. The fans are pretty protective of the others and me after all these years we've gone through quite a bit of drama."

"I can imagine that's why you're still single then? I mean it'd be hard to find a woman who'd be able to be secure enough in herself to put up with the attention let alone to share their man with the world." She said remarking at the public nature to which his love life must have been in the past. She saw the glimmer in his eyes and felt immediately stupid for mentioning the type of scrutiny he must go through with every girlfriend he's ever had. "I didn't mean..." She began to say but he shook his head understanding her original thought process fully.

He played with the fork in his right hand and averted his eyes momentarily as he began to explain, "Last time I even really had to think about it was years ago. I've kind of been a bachelor for a long time, the others found their soul mates and I'm just kind of here."

"What was your last relationship like? If you don't mind me asking..." She posed making him look at her with a pensive glance.

He didn't want to get into specifics that was for sure, he wanted to break his past to her gently and not as one big sweeping explanation. "I thought it was going to last forever..."

"But it didn't?" She asked getting an even more curious look to her face. He loved how her eyes seemed to give so many clues to her emotions, and her almost school-girl curiosity to his past made his heart feel more at ease. While he may not want to share the specifics of what happened he knew that it was okay to let her in on at least something. He still did not want to get into the fact that he'd been married, or even that he was a father. Especially this early on, it almost seemed like he would be possibly jinxing any potential for something later on if he gave full disclosure now.

"It didn't, and it's taken me two years to even get back on the dating scene. And that in itself has been a trial. All the blind dates my friends and family have been setting me up on have been insane. So that's kind of why this whole experience, hanging out with you has been nice for me. To actually have an intelligent conversation with someone of the opposite sex that doesn't revolve around superficial things is a nice change of pace for me."

She smiled at him for a moment, their eyes connecting at that moment. The chemistry between them that she had described as palpable to Becca was back in full force. Apparently someone had hurt him very much in his past and she felt extreme empathy for that. Then again she figured almost anyone would be able to empathize. Getting hurt romantically was all a part of the human experience now wasn't it? However there was something different in his eyes, something mysterious as to what exactly his specific situation had entailed. She decided at that moment not to press the issue and let him come out with it in his own time figuring that would be the best course of action for him. "So...you haven't dated for two years?"

"No I haven't..."

"So the last time you had sex was...?"

"A little over two years ago...just before it ended."

"Two years?!" She marveled almost astonished at his monk like celibacy. "It's only been six months for me and it's been excruciating...How do you do it?"

Nick shrugged, "I've been too busy with my life and career to deal with any sort of intimacy with a woman I suppose."

"But don't you miss it? Sometimes you just crave contact...to touch and be touched..." She said her face showing the thoughts beneath the surface. He snickered slightly at her openness. He definitely did miss the intimacy and feeling of warmth and satisfaction that come afterwards but at the same time he knew that his life was more important that some stupid one night stand. He'd find it hard to have casual sex with a girl that meant nothing to him and then go home to his daughter's faces and face them. After all ever woman had a father somewhere and in another time in his life he'd be completely up for anything that this bachelorhood held for him but the process of becoming a husband and a father had changed him so completely.

"I miss it yeah, I'd be crazy to say that I don't. But just there are more important things in life that I've dealt with in the meantime that pushed that part of myself aside." He replied glossing effortlessly over the grieving process he'd gone through and the fact that he was indeed a single parent.

She looked at him studying his face once more and smiled. "I think I'm kind of crushing on you right now..." She admitted making him blush slightly and grin back at her. It had been a long time since any girl had ever expressed that she was crushing on him and wasn't holding a copy of Tiger Beat or the Enquirer with his picture plastered all over it. Yeah, definitely the most interesting girl I've ever encountered... He thought to himself smiling at her.

---

    Nick sighed into her mouth as she tangled her fingers into his hair. For what was the past hour and a half they'd spent on the couch of Angel's condo, making out like teenagers in the back of a car at lover's lane.  The day they'd spent together again was even more enjoyable than the first. They'd talked, walked around town a bit and had decided on renting movies and vegging in front of the television ordering in Thai food for dinner. The situation had started out casual enough. Both lounging on the couch exchanging banter about the movie they had been watching, but it soon escalated, a grazing of their hands here. Then he'd pulled her to sit next to him his arm around her shoulders as they made ridiculous commentary about the plotline, characters, anything to keep the conversation from heading down the road they knew it was going to eventually. Inevitable silence had grown over them and Marie had soon turned to him and had been the aggressor for once gently, almost hesitantly pressing her lips to his. And now that lip lock had sparked something between them, almost lowering their inhibitions completely.

    He held her sides in front of him resisting pulling her body into his lap. He knew if he did so he wouldn't be able to hide how much his body was reacting from her touch, and not just the obvious physical manifestation either. His pulse was racing and he wondered it she could feel it as one hand gently glided over his neck. He wanted her, that he knew was for certain but at the same time, he didn't want to complicate things between them by moving too fast too soon. He'd come to enjoy just being around her, their personalities among many other things meshing perfectly to make anytime time spent in each other's presence a welcome joy he hadn't known in a long time.

    Marie scooted herself closer but felt his arms tense slightly in hesitation and made her stop breaking the kiss looking at him in curiosity. "Is everything all right?" She asked breathlessly unable to keep their mouths much more than just a few inches apart. It was like a crazy magnetic pull almost she thought. It made her stomach flutter, her breathing ragged and labored.

    "Just...I like you...a lot and I just don't want to...push..." Nick replied gathering his thoughts as best as he could. He couldn't quite place his finger on what was clouding his judgment so much. He knew that it was her to a point, maybe even two years of self-imposed sexual repression as well but whatever it was he didn't want it to stop. At the same time though, he didn't want to make a rash decision that he would regret later.

    She gave him a warm smile her eyes darting between his eyes and his mouth. "You're not pushing...believe me...I want this." She said as he grinned their lips meeting again with renewed fervor. This time he pulled her towards him and she moved her legs around him crossing her calves around his back, as the kisses between them grew more and more intense. He laid her down on the sofa one hand firmly on her hip and the other moving over her shoulder and down her arm before going to her waist.

He felt himself begin to lose the internal struggle within himself. He was torn between what his body and heart were screaming at him to do and what his mind and conscience were saying. However the voice of his mind was slowly wavering, his mind becoming more and more clouded by her simple intoxicating scent. Just then across from them on the coffee table, where their two cell phones were situated, his cell phone began to ring. Mistaking it for her own she grabbed it looking at the caller id seeing 'Joanna'. She blushed, "Sorry it's yours I didn't...." She began as he sat up slightly and took the phone from her dismissing her apology, knowing it wasn't necessary.

He answered it quickly and his face changed from flustered desire to a furrowed brow of concern. He moved away from her momentarily making her look down at herself consciously. Livie...Joanna...Marie...Busy guy... She thought to herself figuring that she was slowly becoming just another notch on his bedpost. Maybe after all he was lying about not being with anyone for two years. It was a great line after all, play the pitiful jilted lover and get tons of pity sex from unknowing women. She shook her head at herself and sighed not willing to go there. She didn't want to sully the few good days they had by her obsessive need to analyze every second to have some hidden meaning when she didn't even know the full story.

"What happened?" He asked as he listened on the other end. "Okay... Where are you?" Another pause. She watched him as he stood going over to where his wallet and keys were. "Don't do anything I'll be there soon. Thanks for calling." He said before ringing off. He sighed and looked over at Marie who'd changed her position to sit on the couch, a worried expression on her face. "I'm sorry...I have an emergency..." He stated getting her to look at him.

"Oh..." She said standing placing her hands in her back pocket and walking over to him. She immediately felt stupid for questioning him if only in her mind. "Is there anything I can do?" She asked hoping that she could do something to help him out.

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her taking a large breath. "Just sit tight here. I don't know if I'll make it back actually..." He paused looking at his watch, "I probably won't...can we see each other tomorrow?" He asked wondering, hoping even.

She broke away from him and nodded. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and see him again. She knew that letting herself go against her better judgment despite her own concerns and fears was probably not the best course of action. But she couldn't deny the way she felt in the moment, and had to follow that, as if by some strange compulsion to do so was compelling her. He smiled and kissed her sweetly but quickly then walked out of the apartment. She closed the door behind him and leaned against it sighing loudly as she felt all of the emotions hit her at once. She didn't want to admit it, and knew she would probably pay for it later but one thing was certain...she was falling for him...hard and fast.

---

Nick rushed through the hospital emergency room stopping at the charge nurse's desk. "Name?"

"I'm here to see Joanna Carter...she's my daughter..." He said simply as the woman gave him a look. He was worried sick about her. He didn't know exactly what had happened only that she was playing and had gotten hurt.

The woman smiled at him sympathetically and clicked through the digital charts on her computer screen. "She just got back from X-ray about 20 minutes ago and is in triage 6." She replied as he nodded his gratitude and took off around the corner.

He found the room quickly seeing Aaron standing outside of it. "Dude what are you...?"

"I was with her when it happened. I kind of showed her how to jump off the swings and she fell kind of weird. I don't think it's more than just a sprain." He said making Nick's eyes bulge and nostrils flare in anger.

"You what?!" He exclaimed quietly as possible. "How on earth did you decide that would be a responsible thing to do?"

"She's fine...go and see for yourself man. She's totally okay." Aaron assured and Nick took a breath and walked in seeing her small body sitting on the gurney. He smiled at her as he saw her look over to him.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed happy to see him. He looked around the room seeing his in-laws, Livie was curled up against her grandfather fast asleep; exhaustion had overtaken her not long before Nick had arrived.

Nick came over to the bed and leaned down pressing his lips to the top of Jo's head. "Are you okay? Your Uncle told me all about what happened...What made you decide to jump off the swings?"

She shrugged and sighed, "I don't know..." She replied in typical five-year-old fashion. He sighed and hugged her as he sat next to her on the gurney holding her. He saw what he presumed was the doctor come into the room and sighed.

"You must be her father?" He nodded in the affirmative and the doctor smiled. "She's only got a severe sprain of her wrist, as long as she doesn't put too much weight on it, it should heal in a couple of weeks. Alternate ice and heat to keep swelling at a minimum I wouldn't wrap it either, that will actually prohibit any healing." Nick sighed as he took it all in his mind not really all that there. He looked around afterwards getting her discharged and on her way back to her grandparents' house

"But Daddy can't I go home with you?" She asked as he buckled her into her booster seat. He wanted to take her home and tuck her into bed more than almost anything in the world but he knew that she should finish up the week with them. If he always let her come home whenever she felt homesick or was afraid he knew she'd never really grow to be the self-sufficient woman he knew she was going to be one day. And even though it seemed insignificant now he knew that it was the best course of action.

Nick sighed and kissed her forehead. "Sweetie I want you to have fun at your grandparents for the last few days you're there, and then it'll be Christmas. Besides if I take you home whose Liv going to play with tomorrow?" He grinned as she seemed to accept his answer and kissed her goodnight. He turned to Meredith who hugged him. "Make sure she takes it easy." He requested making Meredith grin at him. He watched them leave as he and Aaron then went to their cars.

"Dude, you seem different. Normally you would have been raging for hours about this..." Aaron stated as they reached the cars parked about 20 feet from each other. He studied the look on his face almost sedate in a way. "Did you get laid?"

Nick snickered and shrugged as he finished the distance to his car. "Almost..."

Aaron's eyes bulged making Nick crack up in laughter. "Are you fucking shitting me? Was it with the girl I hooked you up with, you know the red-head with the rack?" He asked making Nick pound his hand lightly against the hood of his car.

"No she was a disaster. Let's just say Angel hooked us up...she's nice. I think you've met her once...she designed your birthday cake a couple years ago." He said finally being able to reign in his laughter. He definitely needed the laughter at the moment. He'd been so worried about his daughter, but now that she was going to be okay he felt a weight lift off of him for the time being and then Aaron's reaction to his almost copulation was just the proverbial icing on the cake.

"Marie? As in NYC cake lady Marie? Oh you're just fucking with me now...she's in LA?"

"Yeah house-sitting for our dear sister. Thanks for telling me to go over and feed the dogs. That's how I met her." He explained much to Aaron's amusement.

"So that's where you're headed right now? Back to finish what you started...?"

"Actually I don't think I should...I told her I'd see her tomorrow and I don't want to come off desperate or anything. I mean hell she knows I've gone two years without sex...I'm pretty sure she knows the first time out is going to be a little short..."

Aaron guffawed at him and sighed. "Nick you're my brother and I love you man...but please for once think with your dick and not your head okay? Just go back there, shag your brains out and then dish all the details to me, you know like you used to back before..." He trailed off giving Nick a knowing glance. "You know you want to man..." He cajoled making Nick laugh and shrug him off bidding him farewell for the night.

---

Marie sighed as she lathered up her arms with her lotion, getting ready to go to bed, alone yet again. She thought about him, what he was doing if everything was okay with his emergency. She cursed under her breath slightly figuring that she'd ask him about it tomorrow when she saw him. Everything was happening so fast, although it could have happened faster. She could have slept with him after that first day and completely ruined everything, cheapening it by being easy.

In a way she was kind of grateful for their interruptions when they were getting somewhere. It allowed them both to take a step back, at least on her end and decide that yeah she really did want this to happen. Even if it only ended up being a simple casual affair it would be an experience. An adventure even, something she'd been longing for longer than she could remember. She made her way down into the living room smiling at Romeo and Jada who were curled up on the couch together both looking over at her as she had made her entrance. She sighed hearing the teapot go off on the stove. She pulled it off the heat and poured herself a mug putting in her favorite tea, Chamomile.

Just as she disposed of the bag there was a knock at the door. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she made her way over to the door looking out the peep hole stopping for a moment smiling to herself as she opened the door seeing Nick on the other side leaning on the door frame. "Hi...."

"Hi..." He said back mirroring her greeting. He looked at her, wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a black spaghetti strap tank top, her hair up in a messy bun exposing her neck and shoulders to him.

"I didn't think you'd be here until tomorrow...is everything all right?" She asked genuine concern showing on her face. It surprised him that she was concerned for him, about his situation, hoping that everything turned out all right when she didn't even know the story, who's emergency it really was or that it was him being the concerned parent he was.

"Neither did I, yeah everything's fine actually..." He replied thinking for a moment at how he was so glad that his daughter was okay, that it was really a very minor accident when it could have been so much worse. It made his decision to come back to her that night seem to make even more sense than what his brother had put into simple crude words for him. He wanted this; she wanted this...so why couldn't they? They were consenting adults after all. He took a breath smelling the vanilla orchid and cherry blossom scent of her lotion wafting towards him and smiled lightly at her.

"So then what are you doing here?" She asked giving him a sideways glance. She knew exactly why he was there. And the thought of it made a thrill run through her sending chills down her spine.

He smirked playfully at her his eyes roaming her face and neck. "I don't know what am I doing here?" He asked flirtatiously but clandestinely kept a completely straight face, as if to challenge her to make the first move.

She smiled one hand on the door as the other, instinctually reached for him wrapping around the back of his neck pulling him into a fevered kiss as she yanked him into the condo, slamming the door behind them both, her cup of tea on the counter completely forgotten in the heat of the moment between them.