Madeline smiled at herself after applying her lipstick and admired herself in her vanity mirror.
"You look absolutely stunning," Penelope said as she stood behind her daughter.
"Thank you mother," Madeline said looking up at her mother's reflection.
"You're such a beautiful young woman I don't understand why you're so stuck on that man."
"I told you already, it's because he's the one," Madeline said as she stood up and smoothed her emerald green dress with a thigh-high split. Her brunette hair done up in an intricate bun.
"I feel like tonight is going to be the night." She said almost squealing with excitement.
"What makes you so sure?" Penelope asked as she took her daughter's place on the chair.
"Well, I will have you to know that Nick isn't very happy with his current....situation."
"Really?"
"Yes, Stewart told me that while he was in New York, he looked absolutely miserable."
"He is probably just tired from all of the traveling."
"No, I'm telling you he's miserable. He should have never gotten married to that-that woman, if you can even call her that." She spat out.
"She is just making his life miserable, and those little brats don't help. If only he listened to me and came here with me." She said as she strapped on her gold stilettos.
"Everything is such a mess." She said softly as tears stung her eyes.
"Don't cry you will ruin your make-up," Penelope said as Madeline grabbed a tissue from her vanity table and dabbed her eyes.
"I just want him back already; I should have never left without him."
"You really love him don't you?" her mother asked as she looked at her daughter with compassion filled eyes.
"I do, more than anything. It's hard knowing that he chose someone else over me and Gabrielle at that. That woman is such a pain in my ass."
"I know sweetheart, but you should really think about if this is what you want. He comes with baggage sweetheart."
"I know what to do with baggage don't worry about that, by the time I get finished with Nick he'll forget all about his family." Penelope opened her mouth to speak again, but she knew that there was no changing her daughter's mind.
"Have fun tonight darling," Penelope said before leaving the room. Madeline was grateful for her hasty exit; she needed the time to go over her plan for seduction. If tonight went her way, she would have Nick eating out of the palm of her hands.
When her limo arrive she tried hard to contain her giddiness, the doorbell rang and Madeline dashed to the mirror in the hallway and looked over herself before opening the door and was greeted by Nick's smiling face. Madeline notice his reaction as he looked her over, he was practically drooling over her.
"You look amazing," Nick said smiling at her.
"Thank you, and you look handsome." She said as she admired Nick in his tux, his face clean shaven, and hair freshly cut.
"Thanks," Nick said as he offered her his arm as they walked down the stairs.
"You don't know how happy I am that you made it back in time for the gala, the place is going to be packed with important people."
"I know," Nick said as he helped her into the limo.
"I have been to hundreds of these things, but I still get nervous."
"You'll do fine, just like usual." Nick said taking her hand into his and giving it gentle squeeze. Madeline had to keep herself from pouting when he let go. When they arrived at the venue Nick presented their invitations to security before entering the grand ballroom and Madeline pulled him towards the dance floor.
******
"Where the hell have you been, I've been worried sick." Gaby fussed as Nick walked through the door.
"I went out for a drive," Nick said as he tossed his keys onto the mail table.
"You we're driving for almost twelve hours?"
"For the most part." He said with a shrug as he walked over to kiss her, but Gaby turned her face away.
"What did I do now," Gaby narrowed her eyes at him and frowned.
"You're drunk that's what you did."
"Only a little bit." He said, and Gabrielle rolled her eyes and pushed him away from her.
"Wait a minute where are you going; I'm trying to apologize."
"I'm not talking to you while you're drunk, you're a total douche-bag whenever you're drunk, so you might as well go sleep it off." Gaby said as she walked into the kitchen and Nick followed behind her.
"Gaby stop being so difficult, if you would stop being such a nagging bitch every time I come home, I'd probably stay longer." Even in his drunken stupor Nick knew he had said the wrong thing.
"Gaby I'm sorry I didn't mean that."
"Yes, you did." She snapped
"No, I didn't I don't know why I said that I'm sorry," Nick said as he grabbed by the wrist and pulled her into him.
"I'm sorry." He said as he placed a kiss on both of her cheeks before kissing her lips. Gaby struggled to push him away.
"Nick stop it." She said as she tried to break his grasp, but Nick held on to her as he picked her up and sat her on the kitchen table.
"Gaby stop fighting me, I'm so tired of fighting with you." He said resting his head on her shoulder as he held her hands at her sides.
"Let me go."
"I'll never let you go, Gaby, I love you." He said as he pulled lazily at the hem of her t-shirt. "I wanna make love to you Gaby."
"Not tonight." She said as she tried to slide off of the table, but Nick used his body to block her. Nick wrapped her leg around his waist and tried to kiss her.
"Nick I said no!" she yelled as her hand came into contact with his cheek, the loud smack seemed to echo throughout the house. Gaby's eyes grew wide, and she covered her mouth with both of her hands as she realized what she had done. Nick's eyes blinked furiously and his breathing became ragged as his cheek burned, his skin had turned red and was beginning to welt.
"Getting married was the biggest mistake we've ever made," Gaby said with tears falling down her face as she ran out of the kitchen.
Nick downed the last of his scotch and gave himself a quick mental shake as he tried to erase the fight from his mind. Nick regretted leaving like he did but he knew that if he had stayed that the fighting would just continue. Madeline made her way back over to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked as she handed him a glass of champagne.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"The Mayor is here; I want to introduce you to him."
"You know the mayor, and you still get nervous at these things."
"I know I'm weird like that." She said giving him a sheepish grin.
"How about one more dance to shake the nerves away?" Nick asked holding out his hand to her.
"Why not," Madeline said taking his hand as he led her to the dance floor. Madeline tried to keep from going limp as Nick wrapped her arm around her waist and they began to sway to the music. Madeline couldn't help but think how right it felt to be in his arms.
****
Gaby bounced a screaming Elijah on her lap as she called her mother; she was in desperate need for her motherly advice. A groggy Isabelle answered on the fourth ring.
"Gaby, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry I know its late mom, but he won't stop crying mom I don't know what to do, I've tried everything," Gaby said almost in tears.
"Is it his stomach again?"
"Yes, I don't understand the doctor said it wasn't colic, but he keeps having these fits."
Isabelle could hear the panic in Gaby's voice and felt bad that she couldn't be there to help her.
"Okay, Gaby have Nick take the baby for a while so you can get yourself together and run Elijah a bath."
"Nick isn't here."
"Where did he go?"
"He had to go back to Chicago." Gaby said neglecting to tell her mother about the fight not wanting to worry her. "I got stung by a bee today." Gaby said trying to change the subject.
"What! Are you okay, did you have your pen with you?" Gaby rolled her eyes at her frantic mother as she laid Elijah onto his stomach and rubbed his back.
"Yes I had my Epi-pen, but I didn't need it, I told you I grew out of my bee allergy."
"I hope so," Isabelle said let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay Gaby, you have to put him in his crib for a while. Run a bath for him and make sure the water is warm, put him in and rub his stomach for a while, then take him out give him a little bit of peppermint tea, and that should help."
"Okay."
Gaby followed her mother's instructions after the bath and tea Elijah finally calmed down and went to sleep. Gabrielle walked into the bathroom and prepared her shower, while undressing Gaby checked on the bee sting. The injection site was the size of a quarter but Gaby was glad that she didn't break out in hives or have any of the symptoms she usually had when she got stung by a bee. When she finally slid into bed she picked up the phone and called Nick, it had been four days since she spoke to him and after the day she had Gaby needed to hear his voice. The call went straight to voicemail and Gaby hung up the phone, as she tried not to think about what he was doing and who he was doing it with.
*****
Madeline slid clumsily into the limo, leaning into Nick and laughed.
"Sorry I guess I had one too many." She said with a giggle.
"I think you and I both had quite a bit to drink; it's not every day you get to meet the mayor and gain five prospective clients all in one night," Nick said his words a little slurred.
"You got that right," Madeline said as she unpinned her hair letting her loose curls fall down her back before she rested her head on Nick's shoulder with a sigh.
"I can't remember the last time I had so much fun." She said
"Me too,"
"It almost felt like old times." Madeline said with a yawn. "I told you we make a good team."
"I never doubted that for a minute," Nick said as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. Madeline let out a sigh of content.
"You don't mind if I take a little nap do you?"
"Of course not," Madeline fell asleep and didn't wake up until she Nick gently nudged her awake.
"What's up?"
"You're home, come on sleeping beauty," Nick said holding his hand out for her to take. Madeline grabbed his hand and Nick escorted her to her front door.
"Next time you talk to Stewart tell him he missed one hell of a shindig," Nick said making Madeline laughed.
"Don't even mention that lazy bum to me." She said rolling her eyes. "We could have blown up the place and he wouldn't care as long as it brought him money." She said folding her arms across her chest. And Nick shook his head in agreement.
"Ms. Breck it's been one heck of an evening, I did enjoy myself. You made me forget about my troubles."
"Trouble in paradise?"
"Something like that," he said with a shrug. Madeline wrapped her arms around Nick and gave him a gentle squeeze before kissing him lightly on the lips.
"You're an amazing man Nick, and you deserve to be happy. If Gabrielle can't support you right now when things are a little rough, then she doesn't deserve you." Madeline said as she let him go.
"Good night Nick," Madeline said as she walked into the house before Nick could say anything else.
When Nick got back to his hotel room, he fell onto the bed face first as his mind replayed his fight with Gaby again. Every time he thought about it the more he felt like dirt, one half of him felt like giving up would be the best thing for them but the other half loved Gaby too much to give her up, but Nick wasn't sure which half was going to win.