12.

The sky was a clear blue, the sun shining down on the busy hustle and bustle of city life. Parents dropped their children off at school, students headed to college for early morning lectures, friends met up for coffee and a jury sent a serial killer to prison for the rest of his life.

Nikki Alexander woke up with a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach, almost as if she'd eaten stones and they were dragging her body down. She rolled onto her side and looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table, watching as the little flashing numbers rolled lazily to 7.42. With a shaky sigh, she swung her legs out of bed and headed to the bathroom to wash and dress. She tugged on a pair of dark jeans and a grey blouse, but after assessing her reflection in the mirror she decided against dark colours.

One month ago Nikki had been attacked and stabbed in her own home by a serial killer who had been hunting her down. She had survived the attack, and she was thankful for every morning when she opened her eyes and was able to watch the sun come up. She strongly believed that each day was a blessing, and she wanted to make the most of every minute. She wasn't a victim, not in the same way that those girls were, and she refused to act like one. She blamed herself for their deaths, and she had made a promise to herself that she would not let her life crumble to pieces because of a sad, vengeful little man. She had to keep on living or he had won.

She folded the grey blouse and placed it back in the drawer before pulling on a cream floral vest. She shucked off her dark jeans and stepped into her favourite pair of pale pink ones instead, before turning to face the floor length mirror in her bedroom. She smiled at her reflection, feeling a little more positive about the day. She gently touched her torso just below her rib cage where the knife had penetrated her body. There was nothing but a scar there now, a permanent reminder of how close she had been to death.

Today was the day that Nikki had been both anticipating and dreading. Trial day. Her colleague, and close friend Jack Hodgson was picking her up at eleven and they were attending together. Although Nikki was a vital part of the trial, giving evidence against him, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the covers and sleep until it was all over and he was safely in his cell, never to see the light of day again.

When Jack knocked on the door at quarter to eleven, Nikki took a deep breath, grabbed her blazer and joined him outside. The day was beautiful, the sun warming her skin and the breeze blowing her hair gently away from her face. The beginnings of summer. The flower beds either side of Nikki's porch were starting to bloom, bursting with the colourful flowers of summertime.

"You ready?" Jack asked, flashing her a smile before leading the way off her steps and towards his car.

"As I'll ever be," she replied.

It was good to see Jack. His warm smile which always hinted at trouble did much to settle Nikki's nerves, and she was glad that he was beside her. He'd been to visit her numerous times when she had been in hospital and then he'd stopped by the house after she was released to bring her necessities before leaving her to recover in peace. He'd done more than was necessary and she was forever grateful for his support over the last several weeks.

As he pulled up outside the court, Nikki turned to face him with wide eyes, all colour drained from her face. Jack cut the engine and leaned closer, taking one of her cold hands in his. He could feel her trembling slightly, the realisation of who she was about to face suddenly hitting her with full force.

"Nikki, you can do this okay. After this is done, it will all be over and you can move on with your life. I promise you this is it. There's no way that scumbag is getting out of this, but you already have, and you're so strong. I know you can get through this, okay?" Jack said gently, his eyes burning into hers. She nodded vigorously and swallowed the lump in her throat. Her heart beat against her chest so fast that her ribcage complained at the pressure. Jack gave her fingers a tight squeeze and then swung out of the car. Nikki took a final deep breath and followed.

When Nikki and Jack stepped out of the court doors at one o'clock that same afternoon, the sun shone brighter and the sky seemed bluer. Nikki breathed in a lungful of the fresh air and couldn't help the smile on her face. The verdict had been reached within the hour, but court proceedings had taken place before and after, dragging out the process longer than Nikki could bear. Guilty. As the gavel came down to punctuate a life sentence without parole, Nikki had met his eyes across the room from the gallery and she had smiled. A gesture which said everything. A gesture which told him 'you lose.'

That evening Nikki met Jack in the underbelly of a local bar. She'd never been there before, but Jack had giving her instructions on how to get there, and then how to get past the doormen to get down stairs. She stood amongst a rowdy crowd who shouted and yelled the names of the two men fighting, watching him with gritted teeth and hands half covering her eyes. She watched as he danced back and forth on his bare feet, arms raised holding fists close to his head. He was light on his feet, striking out at his opponent before dropping back, landing every punch. On several occasions she had to look away when he took a blow to the face, sending blood spattering across the ground. She held her breath and shouted Jack's name in support, hating it every time the other man got the upper hand. Jack feigned right and then left, swinging his arms quickly and accurately at his opponent. The blonde man who was young, possibly only in his late twenties, staggered backwards and Jack took the opportunity to strike out again. This punch sent the man crashing down, his head connecting with the concrete with a sickening crack. Nikki held her breath but let out a sigh of relief when he groaned and rolled onto his side. Jack grinned and the crowd counted to three at the top of their voices before breaking out into cheers for Jack's victory. He held his arms up and shot Nikki a cocky smirk. As the crowd broke away, she made her way towards him. He spat out a mouthful of blood and wiped his arm across his mouth. Nikki bit her tongue to avoid a sarcastic comment about his masculine gesture, and instead congratulated him.

"So now you have witnessed 'The Cobra' in action, how do you feel?" he asked as Nikki handed him a towel. He wiped his face with it, staining the material red, and slung it over his shoulder. His bare chest was glistening with sweat and he bent forward to brace his hands on his knees while he caught his breath.

"The Cobra? Is that what you call yourself?" Nikki grinned.

"It will catch," he shot back, matching her smile.

"I thought it was horrible, why would you come and watch that?" she said, folding her arms across her chest. Jack straightened and cocked his head to one side, assessing Nikki's expression.

"Entertainment my sweet hearted friend. You're too soft," he laughed, bumping his knuckles gently against her shoulder.

"I see the aftermaths of violence every day, remember Jack. I don't need to entertain myself with it," she grinned.

"You know that feeling running through your blood? That's adrenalin. It means you were excited and you were entertained. You can't hide from me Nikki Alexander," Jack said, his smirk tilting higher. Nikki dropped her head back and laughed, shaking her head and nudging her shoulder against him playfully.

"Come on Mr Cobra, I'll buy you a drink upstairs. This place creeps me out. Put a shirt on would you," she said, gesturing to the ceiling. They could just about hear the sound of the music being played in the bar upstairs.

"I thought you might like me better this way," Jack teased, puffing out his chest. Nikki looked down at the hard flat muscles of his abs, tracing the faint defining lines with her eyes.

"Put a shirt on," she repeated with a grin.

"If you insist," he shrugged, "and it's theCobra."