Chapter Twenty Six - Little moments

The flames in the fireplace were blazing as Victor and Nikki were still standing there, kissing passionately in what seemed to be an endless kiss, her hands were wrapped around his neck, playing with his hair with her fingers

Victor’s hands just traveled on her back, sending a shiver down her spine as the only thing separating between his warm hands and her skin was the thin fabric of her dress.... that caused her to tremble and to him to just pull her closer in return.

Their kiss ended abruptly as Victor pulled away, almost gasping for air, looked passionately into her eyes and pulled her again for another kiss, less explosive yet deeper and more intimate...

Nikki responded in the same amount of desire as she let out a soft sigh as her mouth crushed against his with great passion.

They finally pulled back, very slowly, both breathing hard, Nikki let out the air she was holding with a somewhat shocked sound from in intensity of the kiss..."Oh...Wow..." She blurted out without even thinking...

Victor sent his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her to him and told her with a smile "It’s getting a little too warn in here...don’t you think?"

Nikki whispered back "Yea..., it does... and it’s all your fault..."

Victor brushed his lips teasingly on hers and commented in a hoarse voice, affected by her presence so close to him "Oh... I think you hold at least part of the blame..."

Nikki responded, as their lips just barely touching each other’s "Oh really? Well.. hmmm.. okay..." she responded as she got distracted by his warm breath tickling her ear...

Victor started to laugh at her quick admission and Nikki couldn’t help but to join him.

They pulled away a bit, and Nikki sent a hand to Victor’s lips, cleaning away the leftovers of her lipstick that remained on his lips after the intense kiss as they shared a silent smile...

Victor said "I highly suspect that if Victoria would have seen that kiss it would have answered any questions she might have..."

Nikki commented "Oh, I’m sure she would have"

Victor eyed her and said "Are you sure you don’t want to tell them about us?"

Nikki frowned and said "Yes, Victor... I am adamant about it"

Victor nodded "Okay, Okay, fine... you’re probably right too, I just think it would take a big part of the pressure off us if we wouldn’t have to deal with keeping the secret from the children"

Nikki shook her head "Victor, it would only add to it"

Victor touched her cheek gently "Fine, I’m not arguing with you, okay? It’s your call"

Nikki smiled and said "Thank you"

Victor looked at her and said quietly "It had been a long day, hasn’t it?"

Nikki nodded "Yes it has, but it turned to be a much better day than I ever thought it would be..."

Victor said "Yes until Brad showed up..."

Nikki asked quietly "It’s still really bothering you doesn’t it?"

Victor answered her truthfully "Yes it does and  I didn’t get the impression he was going to give up any time soon, and to be honest with you, I just don’t know how long I can go on without saying something to him"

Nikki pleaded "Not even if I am really asking you not to?"

Victor sighed deeply and said "Nikki, you asked me not to tell anything to the children and I said it’s up to you, but the situation with Brad is something completely different, and tonight he made it everything within his power to get to me, not that I am about to give him the satisfaction..."

He paused and continued "You don’t have to tell him you are seeing me if you don’t want to deal with his reaction to it, just tell him you are involved with someone else right now!"

Nikki became slightly irritated "Victor, we’ve been through this, he will know instantly it is you that I’m seeing... and the children would know very quickly after that... and I am just not ready for that"

Her voice turned softer "I am not saying it would be that way forever, I know it’s not easy for you, just for a little while longer..."

Victor sighed and didn’t reply, he really didn’t want to upset her tonight, but he knew that any promise he might make to her at this point might be an idle one as he wasn’t sure he would be able to control himself if he would witness Brad courting Nikki one more time...

He looked at her, as she was waiting for his answer and asked her "Can I think about it over night?"

Nikki didn’t looked pleased as she said "Do I have any choice?"

Victor told her "We have had a good Christmas, despite of the circumstances we managed to make the most of tonight, I’m not at peace with what you’re asking of me, but we promised to end tonight with a good note.. that’s why I want to wait till tomorrow to talk about it"

He looked at his watch "It’s getting late, I better go.."

Nikki smiled halfheartedly "Yea, it is...

Victor asked her "You’re not angry are you?"

Nikki said quietly "No... not angry, just disappointed... I think"

Victor said "I don’t want you to be"

Nikki said sadly "Well, that makes both of us"

Victor sighed, no really knowing what to say, he had a very hard time going along with her on that particular point so he said "Goodnight... sleep well..." and turned to leave.

Nikki remained standing there, even more upset as he did even kissed her goodnight, she turned away, holding back tears.

Victor noticed that as he turned backwards when he was standing next to the door and came back into the room, hugged her tightly and then looked at her, and kissed her on the forehead for the longest

time and told her "We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?"

Nikki just nodded in response and tried to smile at him, her lips quivering.

Victor kissed her on the cheek softly, tasting the salty taste of her tears, wiped them away and told her "Get some sleep"

Nikki smiled tearfully "You too..."

Victor kissed her ever so lightly on the lips and walked away.

In his way to the car he looked through the window to see Nikki sitting down on the couch, twirling her bracelet...
 

"Mom?! Mom where are you??" Victoria was calling out as she entered the main house...

Nikki was sitting at the table, drinking her morning coffee, deep in thought, she smiled to her daughter as she entered "Good morning angel, what’s going on?"

Vicki set down and eyed her mother with curiosity "I was going to ask you that"

Nikki didn’t understand "What are you talking about sweetheart?"

"You and Dad!" Victoria exclaimed and asked her mother "What happened after I left?"

Nikki got up and walked around the room, avoiding eye contact with her daughter "Nothing much"

Victoria didn’t believe her "Don’t tell me nothing happened, the nerve of Brad showing up here on
Christmas, I thought dad was gonna lose it with him... you want to tell me you two didn’t talk about it?"

Nikki turned back to her daughter and said "I never said that"

Victoria, exasperated said "Well? Did you two get into a fight"

Nikki said, empathizing the word "Noooo... we didn’t"

Vicki said "You want to tell me Dad didn't’ get upset that Brad, your ex boyfriend showed up in the
middle of a family dinner and pretty much declared his love for you, please!"

Nikki shook her head  as she said with what she hoped to be a relaxed expression "Your father has
nothing to get upset about, Brad and I are not together, and that’s what I told him"

Victoria smiled at her mother "Oh, come on, don’t tell me Dad wasn’t jealous because he clearly was,
you know how he gets about you sometimes, it’s really obvious lately..."

Nikki couldn’t help but smile a little bit, and seeing Victoria’s smile, for a moment she considered telling her everything, just to see her happy smile.

But she came to her senses quickly, it was too soon, and she didn’t need her daughter’s pressure so she said quickly "I have no idea what you’re talking about, Victoria..."

Victoria insisted "Oh mother, please!... Ever since Nicholas got into jail you two have become really close, I can see that with the way you are with each other, and Dad had a very interesting shade of  green last night when Brad came by...kinda like the one you get every time you were around Hope"

Nikki sent  a sharp look toward her daughter and asked "Your point?"

She looked at her mother "Are you sure you’re not hiding anything from me?"

Nikki looked away "Like what?"

Victoria rolled her eyes "Oh, why do you have to answer every question I have with another?"

Nikki told her with a little smile "Maybe because you’re asking way too many questions!"

Victoria shrugged with a smile "Mom, I’m just curious,  and beside you know I worry about you too... I
don’t want to see you fight, it is so nice to see you get along, and kiss...."

Nikki rolled her eyes "It is tradition to ask under the mistletoe on Christmas, and your father and I get along fine these days"

Victoria cried out with a smile "That was not a friendly kiss, you could feel the sizzle to the other side of the room, and if I felt it you and dad sure di..."

She paused and looked at her mother, whose eyes suddenly filled up with tears "Mom, what’s wrong?"

Nikki herself didn’t even know why she suddenly started to get teary eyes, perhaps it was hearing her daughter describing what she always felt got to her, and caused her to swallow the big lump in her throat....

Victoria read her mother’s tears differently and backed off instantly, she knew how much her mother cared for her father, and didn’t want to cause her pain "Mom, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you...."

Nikki asked her daughter "Could we just, change the subject please?"

Nikki knew well that her daughter read her tears wrong, and she really didn’t want to worry her, but she really didn't’ want her to know, her description of the kiss got to her, Victoria wanted her parents together so much, and she and Victor had to many obstacles to overcome, especailly one that was weighting heavily on her.

If she told Victoria now... she would never be able to explain her soul searching and conflict to her daughter, who for years was one of the few people who knew, or at least suspected of  how much she still loved Victor...

She could never make her realize that it’s not reassurance of their love she was seeking, but a sense of more stability and trust and communication, all the things that Victor and her always struggled with.

It wasn’t just Victor, it was her problem too... Victoria would never understand why she won’t just go for it and let whatever happens - happens... she didn’t even know how she was going to explain that to Victor, she didn’t even know how she’s going to make herself go through with her decision to take things slow, her body as well as her heart were betraying her every time she was around him and...

Nikki was deep in thought as Victoria answered gently "Sure....Mom... if I hurt you..."

Nikki turned to her daughter, distracted and told her with a smile, though tears still stood in her eyes "You didn’t, you really didn’t..."

A phone call interrupted them, Nikki, wiping her tears away, answered "Hello Mom"

A smile spread on Nikki’s lips "Nicholas!"

Victoria’s face lit up as she sat closer to her mother.

Nicholas said "Told you I’ll call"

Nikki wiped her tears "I know, I know you did baby... I guess I just had a hard time believing that.."

Nicholas said "I know, mom... I was a real jerk for not calling"

Nikki shook her head "No, no you weren’t, and I’m not angry and I don’t want us to talk about that
anymore... how are you?"

Nicholas replied bravely "I’m fine, hanging in there"

Nikki inquired "Do you really?"

Nicholas answered her "Mom, it’s not exactly fun, but I’m surviving, taking it every day at a time"

Nikki sniffed and said sadly "I know baby, I’m so sorry...you don’t deserve this, you don’t.."

Nicholas said to his mother firmly "You have nothing to be sorry for mom, you’re not the one who framed me"

Nikki cried "I just wish there is something else I could have done..."

Nicholas said "I know Dad is probably doing everything to try to get me out of there... the only thing I
want from you is to look after him"

Nikki was concerned "After your father, why?"

Nicholas said "Because I get the feeling he blames himself for the fact I’m in jail, and I don’t like it one damn but, he’s not superman, he can’t control everything"

Nikki said "That’s very true... your father doesn’t fail at something often, Nicholas, and when he feels
he failed, however wrong it might be, and that he failed in getting you out of jail... I just not sure there is anything I can say that would make him feel better... I think that just makes him more determinate to free you"

Nicholas said "Just try okay, he listens to you"

Nikki nodded "I promise"

Vicki nudged Nikki to get the phone and Nikki handed it to Nicholas "Hey Nicholas"

Nicholas smiled "Hey Vicky"

Vicki said "I’m really glad to hear from you... I miss you"

Nicholas said "So am I... I actually called for my gifts report"

Vicki laughed and said "A CD, Shirt and tickets for a mets game"

Nicholas smiled "Cool, a Met’s game, when’s the game"

Victoria quietly replied "A week...."

Nicholas smile faded away "A week, what’s the chances I will be out of here in a week?"

Vicki didn’t know what to say to him, she whispered "We’re trying Nick, we’re really trying..."

Nicholas said "I know you do... listen Vic, I gotta go, Laundry duty, tell mom I love her okay?"

Vicki nodded "I will, bye Nicholas"

Nicholas replied "Bye Vicki..."

And hung up.

Vicki turned to Nikki "He asked me to tell you that he loves you, what was that you talked about dad?"

Nikki replied thoughtfully "He asked me to look after your father..."

Vicki commented "You should, you know..."

Nikki just looked at her, thinking about her phone call withNicholas.

Vicki leaned down and kissed her on the cheek "I’m off to work, take care..."

Nikki caressed her daughter’s cheek and watched her take off, and then got up, took her coat and headed outside.