Reconciliation – A Silent Witness Harry/Nikki fanfic
This is my version of the end of the episode 13.04 – Voids (2). Harry and Nikki have made up but is there more to it than just friendship? I think so!
Disclaimer: Silent Witness is owned by the BBC. I own nothing. The first part is what we saw in the episode, with thoughts of the characters added. Last bit is mine.
Enjoy!
Nikki was waiting for Harry at Heathrow. Sitting in her car, she couldn't believe how much she missed Harry. After their fight she'd been so mad at him she hadn't realised how big a part of her life she was and she hated that he'd run off to Prague without telling her, with this massive wall between them, to prove her wrong. But then that was Harry – always passionate about his work and what he believed was right. Talking to Tom Flannery after he'd turned himself in had made her realise that it wasn't worth fighting, and so, desperate to make things up with Harry, she'd not been able to wait a minute and so had come to the airport to pick him up.
She glanced into her wing mirror and saw Harry walking towards the car, looking tired, and opened the door. Harry looked relieved to see her and Nikki started to say, "Harry, I..." before realising she didn't have a clue what to say. Harry simply stated "I missed you." and pulled her into a crushing hug.
Nikki felt comforted in his embrace. The case against Flannery had made her feel so incredibly bad, as though it was happening to her, and Harry knew that, using it against her when he was angry. But surrounded by his arms, she knew it was fine. As long as Harry was there she could cope with anything.
She tried to pull away but Harry pulled her back, holding onto her for that bit longer. When they eventually broke apart Harry looked at Nikki with an affectionate smile.
Nikki felt a sudden feeling of love for Harry. In lack of knowing how to express it, she fell back to the jokey banter they'd always shared. "So what did you miss about me?" she asked playfully, getting back into the car.
Harry walked around to the passenger seat. He sighed. "Oh, you know, everything."
"Everything?"
"Even your cast-iron, pig-headed stubbornness." They surveyed each other affectionately and Harry grinned at Nikki, his smile saying the things he hadn't verbally communicated. He held her gaze. "I'm sorry."
Nikki nodded. "Ditto," she said quietly.
"Doesn't count," said Harry softly.
Nikki grinned and leaned back in her seat. "Okay, I'm really, really sorry," she said, putting her seatbelt on. They both laughed.
They were interrupted by Nikki's phone ringing. About to ignite the engine she looked at Dr Cunningham. "Can you get that for me?"
"Dr Alexander's phone," said Harry into the receiver in a sexy voice. He listened for a moment. "Anna Flannery?"
Nikki looked at him, understanding his tone. She'd failed another person.
During the post-mortem, Nikki was upset. Harry seemed to notice and, cutting out all his usual jokes, was sensitive to her mood.
Leo, watching from the viewing gallery, noticed the two of them working together and smiled. It was all about teamwork at the Lyell Centre and Harry and Nikki had that down to the max. Of course, the bond between them helped immensely but it was more than that – they always seemed to connect with each other and each's best qualities were brought out when the other was around.
After work that day, Nikki sat in her car in the pouring rain outside the office, wrapped up in Anna's post-mortem. She and Tom reminded Nikki so much of her and her father and as Tom's words "The truth's a lot like love, Nikki. Hold on or search too hard and it slips away" echoed in her head, she realised how true they were. It applied to her and Viktor, her and Harry... she just hadn't wanted to admit it.
Absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't notice Harry approach and jumped when he tapped on her window. She opened the door and he touched her arm. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Nikki didn't reply. Harry switched off the engine for her and she got out of the car onto jelly-like legs. After locking the car, Harry put his arm around her and guided her back into the now-empty office.
Cradling a cup of tea, Nikki sat next to Harry on the sofa in Leo's office, staring straight ahead. At Harry's questioning glance she began to talk.
"Harry, what you said about Tom being like my father, you were right."
Harry breathed out slowly. "I'm so sorry, Nikki, honestly. I was angry, I said stupid things, but the moment I said them I regretted them."
Nikki looked him in the eye for a minute. "But the reason they hurt was because it's true. I did get personally involved and it was because of my father. I just... I didn't want Anna to feel the same way about Tom. I've been through all of that and even now, I feel like I missed out on so much. I couldn't just stand by and watch all that happen to Tom. He needed my help."
Harry put his arms around Nikki and held her. She was warm, even in her sorrow, and Harry rested his cheek on her hair.
"It's okay," he whispered. "You and your dad are fine now and, contrary to your belief, Anna's hanging was not your fault. You're just too noble to be around us mortals!"
Nikki laughed into Harry's jacket and pulled away. "Aren't you just so lucky then!"
She looked at Harry, expecting him to make some crack, but he nodded slowly. "I am."
She blushed under his intense gaze. "So..." she started to say but trailed off. Harry was looking at her in a way he never had before and she felt quite overwhelmed by her strong feelings for him. "Harry –"
"I know," he said and leant forward to kiss her.
Although surprised, Nikki responded quickly, opening to his warmth. He pulled back and looked at her for a moment but she pushed her lips against his again and he was eager to reply, kissing her tenderly yet fiercely, showing her how he really felt about her. After a few moments they drew back and Nikki smiled. "And then she felt much better!"
Harry smiled too. "Good to hear." He tried to read her expression. "So, what now?"
Nikki tilted her head. "Do you want to come back to mine?"
"I do," said Harry, nodding. "Come on, I'll take you, you're in no fit state to drive." He gave her another kiss then held out his hand. Together they wandered out of the office, playfully kidding about Nikki's mental state.
As she sat in the front seat of Harry's car, laughing at his jokes, Nikki realised why she felt better. She and Harry had reconciled, and that made everything alright again.
