The Reason

Lighter

Nikola put herself in a shady corner again as the others talked about plans and ways in. She was stewing about Teresa and Thomas seemed set on avoiding her altogether. Nikola didn't know anything about the city and was absolute rubbish at strategy, so she remained quiet, willing to go along with whatever they came up with.

"No, there's got to be another way in," Thomas said causing Gally to give a shrug that bordered on dramatic for him, his knuckles knocking against the table top.

"Like what?" he asked. "You've seen the building; she is our only way in."

"You really think she's gonna help us?"

"I don't plan on asking for her permission," Gally replied, causing the smallest of smirks to tug the corner of Nikola's lips.

"Am I missing something here?" Brenda piped up. "This is the same girl who betrayed us, correct? Same dick?"

"I like her," Gally nodded, erasing the smirk from Nikola's face and making her reach for her shoulder.

Thomas was pacing nervously a few feet away from everyone.

"What's going on?" Brenda asked him softly, a silence stretching out as he didn't answer or look anyone in the eye.

"What? Are you afraid your little girlfriend's gonna get hurt?" Newt asked him, the sharpness in his tone making Nikola push herself off the wall. Thomas just stared at him in surprise as well. "Hmm? This has obviously never been just about rescuing Minho."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Thomas may have been dumb but he wasn't that stupid, Nikola could always spot his fibs a mile away.

"Teresa," Newt spat as he stood up. "She's the only reason that Minho's even missing in the first place and now we finally have an opportunity to get him back and you-" Newt's voice was catching on emotions as he backed Thomas up toward the far wall. "-and now you don't want to because of her?" The way he said it broke Nikola's heart and she started to walk over to him slowly. "Because deep down inside you still care about her, just admit it."

"Newt, I-" Thomas began to say before Newt had grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him against the wall.

"Don't lie to me!" Newt yelled with an anger she'd never heard from him before. "Don't. Lie. To. Me."

And then he let go and backed up a step as if his senses had returned to him. "I'm sorry," he whispered to Thomas before looking over the others until his eyes landed on Nikola who'd stopped just behind him when he'd started yelling. "I'm sorry." And then he was walking out of the room.

Thomas shared a look with her, both of them stunned and worried. "Let me handle this," Thomas told her before going after Newt.

"Well, as much as I love talking about Teresa and breaking back into Wicked," Fry spoke up. "I think I need a nap."

"Come on, I'll take you," Gally nodded.

Nikola went to follow, not knowing what else to do, but Gally turned to her at the doorway.

"Can you wait here a minute?" He asked her, reminding her they had an appointment to talk one on one.

She just nodded, catching Brenda's tired eye behind Gally for a second. He nodded and led the others away. Nikola hugged herself and strayed back over to the table. She was worried. Worried about so many things she couldn't even count them all, but the biggest one in that very moment was what Gally wanted to talk to her about.

'Maybe about how you ruined your friendship,' she thought as she sat down at the table. 'Or how you left him behind. Or how you didn't help him. Or how you left him for dead.'