Chapter 23: The End Where I Begin

Nikki yawned but didn't open her eyes, instead she just snuggled up in her warm duvet further. Using one arm she sleepily reached behind her for Harry, but her hand hit cold sheets and her eyes snapped open. Recalling the events of the previous evening, a wide smile spread graced Nikki's features. She'd done it. She'd actually managed to spend the entire night alone in her house without freaking out.

Sitting up in bed, Nikki couldn't help but let out a joyous laugh when she spotted snow falling outside through the crack in the curtains. Getting up had seemed like a rather unappealing task a few minutes ago, but Nikki was in such a good mood that she practically jumped out of bed.

It didn't take her long to get ready for work. Nikki then sat down at her breakfast bar and munched on her toast. As she did so, her thoughts strayed to last night. It had been hard, knowing that she really was alone, but Nikki had also known that nothing was going to hurt her. The night had been mostly spent watching rubbish on the television and then she'd gone to bed by nine-thirty, but Nikki couldn't believe that she'd gone to sleep so quickly. A month ago she was dangerously close to becoming addicted to sleeping pills, and now she slept better without them.

As Nikki picked up her bag she headed to the phone to call a taxi, as she did every morning. However, then she spotted her car keys lying on the table from where Harry hadn't put them back in their rightful place, and she had an idea. If she could spend the night in her house alone, surely she could drive to work? It was a big gamble, because if she wasn't able to do it then it might turn into a case of 'one step forward, two steps back', but on the other hand if she managed it then everything would be okay again. Work would become an integral part of her life once more, and her independence would finally be back. No longer would she have to rely on Harry for lifts everywhere.

Making a decision, Nikki grabbed the keys and left her house before she could change her mind. Outside was bitterly cold, and there was a light sprinkling of snow on the ground that made Nikki smile for the millionth time that morning. With the cheery thought that it was only a couple of weeks until Christmas, Nikki unlocked her car. Realising that thinking of something else made the whole thing easier, Nikki began to dwell on what Harry and Leo's faces would look like when she arrived at work in her car.

After releasing a nervous breath, she turned the keys in the ignition. The cold engine spluttered into life. Nikki gulped. This wasn't going to be as easy as she hoped. But it was only ten minutes to the lab, and most of that time would spent being stuck in stationary traffic.

It was with shaking hands and unsteady movements that Nikki eventually mustered up the courage to pull out of her driveway. Okay, she'd made it that far, only another three miles to go. Her driving was jerky and twice Nikki stalled the engine – before she'd even reached the bottom of her road – because of her lack of practice. It felt strange being in the driver's seat again after spending so long as the passenger, but Nikki only realised then just how much she'd missed it.

The elation at what she'd achieved the previous night, and the thought about how proud everyone would be of her, was what kept Nikki going as she steadily made her way to work. Eventually she made it to the car park of the lab, greeting the cold and miserable looking security guard enthusiastically as he let her through. Parking her car in its usual spot, Nikki couldn't lie and say that she wasn't happy to be able to get out of it, but that was to be expected. She wouldn't just be able to pick it all up again immediately, it was going to take time. Bit as far as it was, Nikki thought she'd done quite well.

She trod the familiar route up to their office in what seemed like no time. When she reached the doors she was practically bursting to tell Harry and Leo her successes of the previous twenty-four hours. However, when she buzzed the doors open and entered, there was no one to be seen anywhere. Sighing in disappointment, Nikki knew where they'd both be. But she didn't particularly want to tell them both while they were elbow deep in a dead body. Harry's absence the night before had left Nikki feeling particularly lonely, and she quite wanted a hug from him. Of course, she'd never openly admit that either.

Luckily, when Nikki entered the cutting room, it was to find Leo and Harry had just finished a PM, so were no longer wearing a bloody apron or gloves. Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked towards them a bit more.

"Good morning," she said casually. Both Harry and Leo spun around.

"Nikki!" Harry exclaimed, giving her a relieved smile.

"How did you get on last night?" Leo asked her. "It can't have been easy."

"Oh, last night was fine, but never mind about that," Nikki said, brushing it aside. "Guess what?"

Harry frowned at her, obviously curious as to why she was so quick to dismiss her achievement of spending the night alone. But to Nikki, that was no where near as important as driving herself to work.

"What?" asked Leo in answer to her earlier question.

"You have to guess!" she insisted and both men sighed.

"You... bought a ticket to go to the moon?" Harry said sarcastically. "You're a Olympic gold medal winner on the spacehopper?" Nikki tutted so Harry laughed and added, "How are we supposed to know? You'll have to narrow it down a bit, Nikki."

"Fine. Guess how I got here this morning," she said, barely containing her excitement.

"Taxi?" Leo guessed. Nikki shook her head. "Umm... Bus?"

"No, I drove," she burst out, unable to keep it to herself any longer. "I actually drove myself to work!"

A laugh escaped Nikki's lips at Leo's reaction. His mouth fell open and he eventually spluttered out, "Nikki, that's fantastic!"

Nikki's gaze travelled to Harry, who had remained scarily quiet. His eyes were widened in shock, but when they connected with hers his face broke into a broad smile. "I can't believe..." he muttered, trailing off. "I am so, so proud of you."

Nikki smiled at him, but it was a minute before Harry held out his arms and said, "Oh come here." She giggled and ran at him, flinging her arms around his neck as Harry hugged her so tightly that he lifted her off the ground. When he put her down he was smiling at her but shook his head and sighed.

"It's so typical of you," he said happily. "To be able to just overcome two fears at once. You're such an amazing woman, and I really do marvel at how strong you are."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Harry," Nikki mumbled, well aware that Leo was listening. "You're the one who's got me through this in one piece; without you I don't know where I'd be right now. I love you."

Harry didn't say anything, but pressed his lips to hers. Nikki decided that a kiss said more than any words, but the words that Harry did say when he pulled away were not what she was expecting.

"Marry me."

"What?" Leo exclaimed from somewhere nearby, while Nikki stared at Harry.

After swallowing hard she managed to croak out, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Marry me, Nikki. Be my wife," Harry repeated, and Nikki knew him well enough to hear the nervous tone to his voice. She looked him right in the eyes from her position only a few inches from him, just to make sure that he was being serious. He was. A grin spread across her lips.

"Okay," she said shakily.

"Okay?" Harry asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Yes, I'll marry you," she smiled. Harry laughed and hugged her again, but this time spun them both round so that Nikki giggled loudly.

"Oh my god, I love you so much," he breathed when he put her down. Nikki placed her hands either side of his face.

"Good, because it looks like you're stuck with me," she grinned before gently kissing Harry. His hands went to her waist automatically, but Nikki knew that they couldn't go any further than a kiss with Leo stood watching them. Pressing another quick kiss to Harry's cheek, she stepped away from him and turned to look at Leo. He was laughing, yet looked like he was going to cry at the same time.

"Am I living in some sort of dream world, where everything good that can happen is happening?" he smiled. Nikki laughed and walked over to her boss, pulling him into a hug. "Congratulations," he told her, patting her on the back. "I'm really happy for you." He then pulled away from Nikki and walked over to Harry. "Both of you," he grinned, embracing Harry and slapping him on the bag.

"I bet you thought the day would never come," Harry chuckled.

"I certainly didn't," Leo replied happily. "But I'm bloody glad it has."

Nikki chuckled before walking over to Harry again. He put an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss into her hair. "I have another autopsy to do," he told her. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay," she said. "I'll wait upstairs for you."

"I'll come with you," Leo smiled.

The pair of them then made their way back to Nikki's desk together, Leo talking the whole time about how they should go out for lunch to celebrate. However, just as she'd sat down and started up her computer, Leo suddenly asked if they could talk in his office. Feeling slightly apprehensive all of a sudden, Nikki followed him and sat in the chair facing his desk.

"What's wrong?" she asked Leo after he had shut the door and sat down himself.

"Oh nothing bad, don't worry," he smiled, and Nikki immediately relaxed.

"So what then?"

"I don't know, I just..." He trailed off and it was a few moments before he spoke again. "The day that I first met you, when you so spectacularly invaded our lab, I knew you had the potential to be a good pathologist. Now I can say, with some certainty, that you're not just a good one. You're a great one."

"Leo..." Nikki smiled modestly.

"Let me finish," he told her, and Nikki nodded. "I have watched you grow – physically and emotionally – into a beautiful, amazing, intelligent young woman. You've never given up, no matter how hard things have got, and you're not afraid to ask for help when you really need it. You're such a strong woman Nikki, you only have to look at you've been through to know that. That helicopter crash... Harry crumbled, but you didn't. You looked forward, you kept Harry looking forward. That's when I knew that one day you would become this amazing couple. I mean, it had to happen, neither of you could function properly without the other. Look at you now! Engaged to be married! I couldn't be happier for either of you, I really couldn't. Anyway, I'm rambling now," he added quickly, before taking a deep breath and saying, "What I really called you in here to say was... I am so proud of you. Of everything you are and of everything you've overcome. It's the sort of proud that I thought I'd never feel again after Cassie died. But I'm telling you now, if Cassie had grown up to be half the woman you are, I'd be the happiest father alive."

Tears were prickling at the corners of Nikki's eyes and she swallowed hard, unable to think what to say to Leo. Instead she just walked around the desk towards him. Leo stood up and readily embraced her in a hug. Nikki rested her cheek on his shoulder and a tear slipped out of her eye and down his back.

"I love you, Leo," she choked out.

"I love you too," he chuckled, stroking her hair. When they broke away a few minutes later Nikki wasn't surprised to see that his eyes were looking distinctly red and watery. Leo cleared his throat and said, "Right, what do you say we go and give Harry a hand so that we can all go to lunch sooner rather than later?"

Nikki giggled and followed Leo from his office, linking her arm through his as they walked down to the cutting room together.

*

It was nearly nine o'clock by the time Harry and Nikki got back to his apartment later that night. They'd had a fantastic lunch, followed by an even better afternoon when Nikki had driven her car to and from her first crime scene in over a month. Her spirits were high despite her being exhausted from the last twenty-four hours' events. Nikki flopped onto the sofa, and it wasn't long before Harry joined her.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he muttered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Blimey, first Leo and now you," Nikki grinned. "This whole 'nearly dying and being mentally scarred' thing does wonders for your ego when you get over it, I'll have to do it more often."

Harry laughed and said, "I still can't believe you're going to be my wife."

"Nor can I," she said happily. "I don't know what came over me."

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Nikki Alexander," Harry smiled. Nikki gave him a proper, genuine smile in return.

"I really love you, Harry," she said, edging closer to him and placing a hand on his cheek. "I really really do."

Harry leant forwards and their lips connected with such passion that goosebumps erupted on Nikki's arms. Her fingers automatically buried themselves in Harry's hair in an attempt to pull him even closer. Harry's arms tightened around her waist and he pulled them both up off the sofa. He then deepened the kiss, causing Nikki to moan into his mouth and Harry to stagger over to the doorway, still with her attached to his lips. Pressing them both against the wall, Harry trailed kisses along Nikki's jaw and down to her neck as she frantically started working on the buttons of his shirt. It was eventually thrown to the floor, and Nikki's hands were immediately running across Harry's toned chest. However, he broke the kiss and muttered, "Your hands are cold."

Nikki grinned. "Oh shut up," she whispered, kissing him again.

The pair of them eventually found their way into the bedroom, and collapsed onto the bed in a heap of tangled limbs.

*

Nikki was lying in Harry's arms some time later, wide awake and smiling to herself. Harry was asleep, she was sure of that, but something was stopping her from doing so as well. It could have been the elation that everything had gone back to normal, it could have been the sudden rush of affection the she had for Leo, but Nikki knew what was keeping her awake. She knew that every night for the rest of her life would be spent like this one, with Harry's arms wrapped around her protectively, and it was the best feeling in the world. Her whole life had been spent being let down by people, but she knew Harry would never do that to her. He was her person. Like Leo had said earlier, neither one of them could function without the other.

This was it now, this was the beginning of the rest of her life.

That's all, folks! :) I can't believe it's over, I'm really going to miss this story! But I wanted to quit while I was ahead, I didn't want this story to get boring by me dragging it out. I hope I did this last chapter justice, anyway. Do you think you could manage on last review for me? Pretty please? :D
I have a new story in the pipeline as well, and it shouldn't be too long before I start that, so watch this space!
Charlotte xx
P.S. A huuuuuge thank you to all my loyal readers and reviewers! I couldn't have done it without you.