Confrontation - Chapter 12
Title: Confrontation - Chapter 12
Author: hf_pocus
Pairing: Mike/Vicki
Rating : NC 17 - no sexual content but adult situations
Summary: Vicki stumbles upon Mike in local watering hole.
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters, don’t claim to and make no profit. This is done for fun. Enjoy :)
. All the way to the bar he had been battling with the urge to call Fitzroy. He thought coming here and having a few drinks might dilute the urge but each beer only made his longing worse.
Damn how he wanted to call, his thumb just itching to press the numbers. How he wanted to hear Henry asking, no - demanding him to come over but Mike held out and fought the urge. Now all he could do was just sit there, hand tensely wrapped around a bottle of beer, staring at the miniature phone hoping it would ring and Henry would be on the other end. But more than an hour had passed since he had been here and now it was pretty obvious that the his cell would sit there quiet. A million thoughts began to run through Mikes head, all about Henry, but the obvious thought kept forcing its way through and that fact was that- Henry Fitzroy was, after all, a vampire and he may very well be out doing those…vampire things vampires do. Man, the thought of that did not sit well with the damn cop in him was kicking in. But even with the well trained cop instincts, the lover in Mike could not stop the tinge of jealousy rising at the thought of Henry’s lips latched onto another throat besides his. Certainly Henry must have a taste for him by now? The image of Henry with another forced Mikes teeth to clench.
“Stop it.” Mike hissed through his teeth grasping the long neck beer bottle and bringing it to his lips.
“Stop what?” a voice came from behind him. Slowly Mike turned, slightly annoyed that someone may have overheard him or, for that matter, been close enough to hear him and he had been unaware of their presence.
There Vicki stood her mouth turned at the corners into that suspicious grin she always seemed to have. Her eyes sparkling slightly behind her glasses and, at the moment, Mike was not certain if the gleam in her eye was because she was happy to see him or that she had overheard him talking to himself.
“Stop what?” Vicki repeated seating herself on the barstool next to him. Mike sighed to himself, it was the latter.
“Nothing.” Mike chuckled, brushing the question away with a dismissive hand while bringing the beer bottle to his lips again with the other and taking a long swig.
“Tough day?” Vicki asked her eyes falling to the cell phone on the counter. “Waiting for a call?” she asked right on cue.
“Shit Vick, do you ever take a day off?” Mike huffed trying to hide his irritation behind a halfhearted grin, quickly he reached for the cell and slipped it into his coat pocket.
“Nope…and I may ask the same of you, Mr. Crabby and by the way it is nighttime.” she flashed a sarcastic smile at him.
“Day or night … always on the job.” Mike said flatly taking another swig, tipping the bottle at her. “Buy you one?” he asked placing the empty bottle back on the counter.
“Thought you’d never ask. “ Vicki nodded. As if hearing the hollow bottle hit the bar, the barkeep flashes a glance their way. Mike catching his eye raises two fingers. The bartender nods, tossing a towel over his shoulder, then immediately brings them two beers, taking the empty one and the cash Mike laid on the counter.
“So…. Funny meeting you here.” Vicki snickered her eyes discreetly studying him. Just what I expected she would do, Mike thinks to himself as he takes another swig struggling to keep his poker face and mind off Henry.
“What is it Mike?” Vicki asked swift and sharp. Instantly the word damn shoots through Mikes head like a bullet. He never did have a good poker face.
“What do you mean?” Mike asked, clearing his throat, keeping the look of puzzlement upon his face.
“Come on Celluci …” Vicki sighed. “If I didn’t know better I would say you were trying to keep secrets from me.” she grinned slapping him playfully on the knee. Mike gave a small grin back but annoyance was quickly taking the place of puzzlement. He was in no mood for any Vicki Nelson interrogation tonight
“Why or what would make you say that.” he said flatly taking another swig of his beer.
Vicki shook her head chuckling holding the opening of the bottle just before her mouth, her mouth slightly open, as if to take a drink, but instead she placed it back on the counter, turned her head and looked Mike squarely in the eye. The Nelson interrogation was on no doubt about it. A lump rose in Mike’s throat, this woman before him, this beautiful woman he had shared a bed with, a part of his life with, this woman that he could never seem to hide anything, emotion or otherwise from, was looking at him with the scrutiny of the expert cop and detective she was. Looking at him as if he were her latest case. Fine he thought, fine…should he seem surprised? No, he knew her and he knew she had an intuition that he had never encountered in any other woman but her. This uncanny ability she had to put two and two, three and three, together so swiftly was an attribute in her that he greatly envied, greatly admired but at the moment he was finding it far more than irritating and he did not know if he could manage for long from hiding his unease. Secrets, he smiled to himself, key word to unlock the door of his new found double life.
Jesus double life, Mike felt the cringe deep inside him. Did she use the word on purpose, did she? A typical trick of a seasoned cop. Throw a key word out, look for reaction - any reaction, from a twitch of an eye to a sudden line of moist sweat above the lip, to twiddling thumbs, or picking at the fingernails… Of course she did. Mikes mind raced as he quickly brought the bottle to his mouth and took another slug of beer, emptying the bottle in one swallow, then swiftly motioning for another the whole time trying to keep his composure offering no obvious reaction as Vicki’s eyes bore into him . He motioned with a raised brow and a glance at her beer if she needed another.
“Naw I am good.” she said softly. “Shit Mike…I never recall you ever being this quiet with me.”
Mike glanced at his watch, then at the door, his eyes scanning the shadowy bar, shifting his weight on the stool, the uneasiness he knew now was completely visible to her but he knew he may be able to use it as a means of his escaping her grilling.
“Alright Vicki, so I have been a little quiet lately, keeping to myself. I am entitled once in a while aren’t I?”
Vicki let out a heavy sigh. “Yes, you are entitled but not so much with me.”
“What is that suppose to mean?” Mike took another swig rolling his eyes.
“I know you Mike. That is what it means.” Vicki spat with a huff. “What the hell was going on in the club? Do you think I did not notice the look in your eyes, the annoyance on your face, the plain irritation with…well…you know.”
Mike laughed. “And that is new to you?”
Vicki smirked, her eyes flashing slightly behind her glasses. “Yes. Between you two certain things are normal and then…some things…oh damnit.”
The lump in Mikes throat became bigger. There it was, she had read something in his eyes that night. How stupid of him to show his emotions even slightly on his sleeve. Damn you Henry he thought to himself, damn this whole damn situation, damn this desire. What now? He thought to himself do I tell her, just come out and say “Oh yeah Henry and I crossed that bridge of jealousy over you and headed straight to his bedroom and you know what else…”
Mike let the thought of throwing in whom was better than whom in the bedroom department - not only would it have been cruel, there really was no comparison, Both were good - beyond good in that department. The truth be told, right here and now, he wanted them both but he knew Vicki wanted Fitzroy more and that her feelings toward him, now, were nothing more than sympathy and that hurt, it really did. Mike shifted in his seat. His desire had died away and now he felt more discomfort and unease with Vicki than he ever had. Jesus, what was Henry’s take on all of this, this mess that was so innocently created - or- was it? Doubt meant nothing to him when he was near Fitzroy, the desire to strip Henry from his clothes and lay with him, naked, limbs entangled in heated passion, meant everything, conversation and reasoning about what should they do never …
It had became an avoidance on both of their parts. How long was Mike going to be able to avoid her questions? This woman is far too intelligent and sharp on the draw to know when someone is dancing around the issue.
“You know Vick…” Mike looked broke her gaze by looking away for a moment, his jaw tensing as a small forced laugh came from him. “Nothing has been normal between us for quite sometime. The abnormal is beginning to feel normal.” Mike made a circle sweeping motion with his arms. “It’s all feeling abnormally
normal.”
Vicki’s brow knitted a sneer spreading on her lips “Pardon me?”
“You know what the hell I mean.” Mike shot back.
“Unfortunately…I do and that no matter what you fall back on this and…no Mike, no…I am not going to let you do this. I saw a reaction from you that I have not - wait let me rephrase - have never seen and this avoiding me.”
“Is that what you want to do Vicki? Argue with me? Grill me? Believe me I am in no mood.” Mike stood, throwing some cash on the bar and starting for the door.
“Oh so here you go Mike…” Vicki turned on the barstool to face him. “Running away, avoiding the issue - the issue being me.”
Mike paused, slowly turning to face her, the hard lines on his face softening, his eyes becoming almost sorrowful, teetering on the edge of guilt that Vicki suddenly felt a pain in her stomach for going after him when she was really so damn glad to see him. She knew him and now she could say nothing, she had begun to lay suspicions on the table although she could not exactly say what was eating at her. Yes, yes she could.
“Look Vick…I can’t do this right now.” Mike sighed, his expression pained. “I just can’t.” He turned, heading for the door. Vicki watched him, unable to move or speak, completely frozen upon the barstool
She fought the tears welling in her eyes, the ache in her heart. She knew what was eating away at her, she knew and although she wanted Mike to spill his guts, to bare his soul to her, right here in this barroom there was a bigger piece of her that didn’t want to hear it - didn’t want to believe it to be so. Breaking her stare on the closed door, she forced her rigid body to turn on the stool and face the bar.
The beer slid down her throat with a warm scratchy bitterness. How she hated warm beer but she forced herself to swallow, listening to the phrase repeating in her head. “Ignorance is bliss.”
Maybe…maybe…she thought but right now nothing about this felt blissful.
2 parts to this chapter - coming very soon
http://hf-pocus.livejournal.com/tag/blood+ties
(scroll all the way down to the first chapter.)