Women are from Venus. Or Andromeda.

I'm sorry, Darling, for using this fanart of Daniel, but it was the closest related illustration I could come up with.

***

It had not been going too well. Audrye was pissed off at him and he had little clue as to why. He had been sent to sleep on the couch, where he had stayed up all night, working. Finding him sleep-deprived in the morning had not uplifted her mood one bit. And it had been the same story ever since. She had stayed cold and damn if he was going to beg to know what was wrong with her. He was too busy for that. He might have found an exit. Or an even deeper pit, but it might be worth the risk.

The review reports on the London unit had not been flattering lately. Their success rate was low, they hadn't done in any new cultist finds after the Pyro mess and they had used up a year's budget by burning their mansion down. Nigel just needed a make a little push, make the reports appear on the top of the stacks on certain tables, make certain people become interested and... Well, he felt sorry for the Boss, but this was a matter of survival.



Only thing to get an archangel off his back would be another archangel. And it was said that lord Zaphikel was the most efficient and level-headed of the seven – or six, if you asked them now – lords. He was in charge of the White Knights' internal affairs and bureaucracy and just the person who Nigel could sell his intel to. Zaphikel didn't outrank Michael, but Nigel hoped he wouldn't be that important to the Lord of War and would be important enough for the Lord of Dispute.

The London unit could use some efficiency. And level-headedness. The Scotsman was not following orders and starting to go rogue. The Mexican had been shady to begin with and wasn't much use in anything. The Snob was more interested in banging the second lieutenant than killing off cultists. The Secretary probably wanted them all dead. And the Thief... Don't even start with the Thief...

But Emma did enjoy the company and saw potential in it. Nigel had been careful not to involve himself directly with any Knights – more than necessary – but in order to rid himself from Michael he could be tied more closely to this London group. Hell, he was already living here, it was only rational to try to make it a safer place to live in. And first step to do it was to ruffle up the group of so-called-saviours who were supposed to be protecting its citizens.

"Well, I'm leaving now, for work!" he heard Audrye shout at the door.

"All right, have a nice day", he said. She snorted and banged the door unnecessarily loud.

What really was her problem? What was wrong about a nice day?! This had been going on for a few days now and it was getting on his nerves. It was like she was expecting something of him but no matter how well he behaved it didn't change anything. He had even told the robot to clean up the whole place. He had asked her if there was something wrong and only got 'it's nothing' as a reply. He suspected that this statement was not supposed to be taken at face value.

He was trying to reconcentrate on the job at hand but had no luck with it. In stead he found himself surfing on meaningless forums and web-pages. His thoughts went in circles, around Audrye, Zaphikel and the Knights. A knock on the door kicked his attention off the screen.

"See who it is", he ordered the robot. With a 'nuu' of acceptance it walked to the door.

"Hiya! Oh, it's you. Is V here? Oh, there you are!" Emma seemed mighty cheerful as she showed herself in. The soldier was not a fan of the robot and her vacation in Normandy hadn't changed that. She had went there to get an upgrade on her hand and dragged the snob with her for moral support or something. Quentin had reported that Weston-Pryce had done the job right, no more suicide attempts from Emma. Which was excellent news. If Nigel could trust the snob to keep her safe, he could deactivate the spy program for good.

"I got you souvenirs!" she exclaimed while shoving a wrapped-up, bottle-shaped gift to his lap.

"Cognac?" he verified as he tore off the wrapping, "Emma, you know I don't drink."

"That's the good part, no? So I can be sure that there's always a drink here when I visit", she winked.

"Sure you could put it that way."

He uncorked the bottle as Emma came with a glass in her hand. After inhaling the obnoxious fumes from the liquor she set herself down on the couch with a relaxed smile on her face.

"So, what have you been up to while I was away?" she asked as her gaze drifted towards Rei's screen. He quickly snapped it shut. He didn't want any whiff of his plans out before it was certain. He needed a distraction. And there was only one thing that Emma could talk endlessly of, even though it would be insufferable to him.

"So how was your trip to France? I assume your company was pleasurable, considering your mood." This indeed got a smirk out of her.

"Oh it was... good. After I got off Q's bench, the few days we spent there were... good." Nigel would have assumed her grin would have gotten more lecherous, but actually her expression got softer as she spoke. What the hell had the snob done with her?

"Oh we went to le Havre, had a nice dinner – which he paid for, I would never get such an expensive appetiser, but it makes him happy to be frivolous – ate dessert in front of the fireplace back at the HQ – what they got as a guest room is a suite I tell you! - went for a walk on the beach... You know, regular stuff."

Regular relationship stuff for honeymooners, Nigel almost said out loud but held his tongue. He couldn't help shaking his head though. Emma wasn't like this. He could easily picture her covered in blood spatter, cutting through ranks of enemies with her knife, but walking on the beach, no doubt with the bloody sun setting behind them.

"Well, it was evening", she said, now with a more familiar grin, "Yeah, I haven't done this kind of shit in a long time... But I haven't always been a hardcore hired gun, V. It's just... Ever since I quit the Navy I've kept things casual. As casual as it can get. I don't really even remember their names. Hell, I don't think I even asked a few of them."

She was now in a territory that wasn't written in her online files. She seemed hesitant to continue, her eyes wandering back to Rei, as it was the sole point of interest in vicinity.

"So what makes the snob so different?" Nigel quickly asked, even without any real interest in the matter. Without taking his eyes of the woman he slowly grabbed the laptop to safety.

"I dunno. I feel safe around him. D... He accepts me. I never thought anyone could."

"I accept you, and you don't see us walking hand in hand into the sunset."

"Oh, V, I'm so sorry, but I really think of you more like a little brother", her sneer betrayed her joke, "Have you even ever been to the beach?"

"Mother dragged me there one summer when I was 12. I got sunburns after two minutes and was bored of looking at nothing but sand and the sea in half of that."

"Where would you go for a vacation then?"

He had never really thought of having a vacation.

"Tokyo." The answer came quite easily.

"So when are you going?"

Nigel looked baffled, but she seemed serious.

"I... I don't think we're going travelling much."

"Why not? Don't tell me you're afraid of flying or something."

"I am not", he said, almost irritated, "We are a bit preoccupied here, that's all."

"I'm sure you can get a bit of time off, if you just ask. You should check it with B, or perhaps that Heartfelt", she suggested, her voice trailing off on the thought of the Secretary who had forcefully outed her as a cyborg, "And I'm not saying you should leave right away, but it's good to have plans for the future, that's all."

"Really? I always saw you as more of an improvising type", he snorted.

"Like I said, V, I wasn't always a drifter like this. Actually, before I joined the Corps I had never even left Liverpool. It was going to be my final years of freedom, until I got back home, settled down and... Well, it was all screwed up after the... accident." A cloud of pain blew across her face, as always when that incident was brought up. She quickly shrug it off.

"But now, I feel like I could start over. Have a life with purpose. I've heard of worse purposes than saving innocents."

"Yes, Knighthood suits you", he had to admit.

"A Knight suits me", she smiled as she toppled over to land her head on his lap. He quickly raised Rei out of the way. He wasn't used to this kind of physical proximity and he wasn't quite sure how to react. So he just stared at the gently smiling woman who looked like a cat who had her belly full of fish and warm milk.

"You know what, V, I think I l-", she was saying, but was interrupted by a click of the door. Emma started to wave at the entering woman, but froze midway, seeing the menacing expression of the incomer. Audrye was looking more cross than ever.

"Now what do we have here?" she asked quietly, almost purring. Chills went down Nigel's spine. Somehow her calm voice made him even more nervous than her yelling last night.

"Oh I just came to visit, and to bring souvenirs", Emma tried to sound cheerful.

"Found them from his crotch, did you?" It was amazing how she got a Welsh accent when she was pissed. While Nigel could do nothing but observe in this semi-paralysed state of his, Emma lifted herself up. It was like a rock had been taken off his lap.

"What's up with you?" she asked, frowning.

"What's up with me?!" Hell broke loose, again.

"All the time it's Emma this, Emma that, Emma-Emma-Emma. And now that I get home, what do I find? You, friggin' close and personal with him. Nikki, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Nigel could merely open and close his mouth like a drowning fish.

"Look", said Emma in his rescue, "I don't know what exactly it is that you're thinking, but it sure as hell isn't what you think. It's purely friendzone with him, I swear."

"I asked Nikki", she spat.

"What should I say for myself? She came onto me!" Now that didn't come out right...

"So you need a boytoy to go with the hunk, is that it? Isn't Daniel enough for you, huh?"

Anger glared in Emma's hazel eyes. Her earlier colleagues and enemies would have known to back off at that point, but Audrye was without self-preservation and Emma wouldn't harm her anyway. Most likely.

"You leave D out of this. But yes, he is very much enough."

"They even go on walks on the beach!" Nigel cut in, trying to implement some use to the information he had been forced to hear earlier. Sadly, it didn't have the effect he had hoped for, which was to ensure Audrye that Emma was involved with Weston-Pryce only.

"They do?! They're not even a formal couple, and not even living together-"

"Well, technically we do live in the same place, if only in separate rooms", Emma tried to interrupt, but with no avail.

"-and they go on walks on the beach? I bet there was sunset, wasn't there?" Nigel didn't dare to answer and fortunately neither did Emma.

"We never do anything together any more. We don't go on dates, we don't even talk. You do all your talking with her, not me. But I'm supposed to be your girlfriend", Audrye blurted this all in one go so fast that Nigel couldn't process it, "And you never tell me I look nice, or say anything nice, actually."

Emma coughed uneasily.

"I... think you and V better talk this through with each other. I'll just see myself out, hm? Oh, and here's your souvenir", she said, while offering an oblong item to Audrye.

"What's this now?"

"It's a lace parasol, I thought you'd like it", the soldier replied while withdrawing to the door, "It's pink!"

With a soft bang of the door they were alone. Nigel was holding Rei as a shield between him and Audrye, who held the parasol like a sword in one hand.

"I mean it. You spend more time with Ems than with me."

He couldn't deny it. Emma arranged time to meet him, whereas when she was not working, Audrye was hanging out with her non-Knight-friends, the Mexican and all these other people. He had thought that this was a natural thing, considering that she was outgoing and social, which were qualities he didn't possess. Empathy was also one of his least used skills, but he had a hunch from what all of this originated. Jealousy was the oldest of sins.

"It doesn't mean I like her in that way. Emma and I are just friends. Or close acquaintances. Business partners. I don't know", he ended with a shrug.

"I know that, but see, I want to be your friend as well. Like old times." Audrye looked crestfallen. Her parasol was now pointing at the floor and he felt confident enough to lower his laptop a bit.

"Like when we only communicated through emails and letters", he replied snarling. He much preferred seeing her face-to-face, even if it was just for a few hours each day. He tried a sarcastic approach, to lighten the mood:

"Sure, we could go back to that, if it's what you wish for."

She didn't seem to get the joke. Not even a hint of a smile.

"Nikki, do you even want this?"

"Now you ask me that?" Nigel exasperated, "You drag my ass here all the way from Wales, move in, hold parties in my apartment... and now you ask if I want it?"

Audrye looked like he had hit her. That's not what he had meant. He had allowed her to do all that. Surely she understood that if this wasn't what he would have wanted, he would have denied her at some point.

"You get my point, don't you?" he asked softly.

"Oh, I get your point, all right."

She turned on her heels and marched upstairs. He heard the bedroom door bang more loudly than it was necessary to close it. He had an inkling feeling that he had somehow managed to screw things up even more.