Disclaimer: All characters belong to the BBC.

" Harry?"

Nikki sat bolt upright in her bed.

No response.

She threw the covers back and ran to the hallway to retrieve her phone which was buzzing across the hall table.

DI Masood greeted her quickly and gave her a postcode which she scribbled on a yellow pad as she wiped sleep from her eyes and stifled a yawn. Nikki hung up the phone and shivered. She noticed the door to her spare room was wide open and peered in. The bed was unmade and empty.

"Harry?" she called and again received no answer.

Nikki frowned and returned to her room where she dressed quickly. It was Harry's last night in her house and he had been acting strange all day. He had been quiet and distant and on more than one occasion she had caught him staring at her in a funny way.

Earlier that evening she had cooked them a meal, insisting that she couldn't face yet another take out, no matter how tired she was. She had felt his eyes boring into her back as she chopped vegetables. She had tried to engage him in light conversation, in banter, in innuendo loaded remarks about huge carrots but all she received in return was either silence or a half hearted chuckle.

Eventually she threw a dish towel at him.

"Here make yourself useful, I'll get some housework out of you before you abandon me" she joked and he looked like he was about to throw up as the towel hit him in the face before landing on his feet which were rooted to the floor.

"Harry are you alright?" she had asked turning towards him, her eyes narrowing in concern.

She had felt him looking at her- he appeared to be studying her. Noting the wisps of hair which had come loose from a messy bun, the stained crumpled apron draped over her slight frame which declared "'Kiss the Cook!", the smudge of mashed potato on her lower lip. He had taken a tentative step towards her and wet his thumb in his mouth before wiping her lip clean. Harry's fingers had remained on her face as they locked eyes. The heat from the stove warming her back, the contents of the saucepan beginning to boil furiously. The angry, spitting sound distracted Nikki long enough to look away and she quickly turned her back on him and turned the gas down. When she turned back around he was the other side of the room with a face like thunder. She remembered her confusion and her unease and her relief that she had the cooking to distract her from whatever was going on.

The tension, usually so playful and downright enjoyable had taken on a menacing edge which was beginning to unnerve her slightly. He was only moving back to his flat, what was going on with him?. Yes she was going to miss him, so much she didn't really want to think about it there and then - shit she had forgotten to add the peas - but they would still see each other every day - maybe even see each other more on their days off given how nice their time was together - how long should that simmer for?.

"Harry? Harry are you going to do those dishes for me? I need that saucepan - Harry?".

He had picked the dish towel off the floor and brushed past her to move to the sink. The energy radiating off him made her unusually self conscious around him and she apologised softly every time they had to move around each other to stir something, to put away something.

"For God's sake!" he had shouted suddenly and grabbed her roughly before throwing her against the fridge "Can't you just stay still for five minutes!". He was holding her wrist so tightly in his hand she was sure her bones were going to snap.

When she regained her breath and composed herself somewhat she raised her chin to him in defiance and refused to look away from his wild stare. He smirked. She smirked right back.

"You're having a very tough day aren't you darling?" she whispered provokingly and she felt the fingers around her wrist tighten.

"I'm just not used to sharing my space with you all the time" he whispered back.

"Well it's not for much longer, you'll be back in your batchelor pad in no time. Surely you can put up with me for a few more hours?".

A strange expression had fallen over his features and she felt the fingers slacken before they fell away. Nikki didn't want to acknowledge the sense of loss that filled her chest when he let her go and moved away. Hands on hips. Eyes on the ceiling.

Harry had felt a small, soft hand on his back as she pushed him towards the living room.

"Get out of my kitchen. Go have a drink" she fought to make her tone somewhat light hearted as she took a bottle of wine from the fridge and poured them both a glass. He had taken it from her without looking at her and flopped onto the couch in the living room.

She had left him to it.

Now it was almost morning and she shrugged into her jacket, wondering why on earth the house was so bloody cold. A gust of wind hit her as she made her way down the hall. The back door was open. The smell of smoke filled her nose. Cigarette smoke.

She half jogged into kitchen. The lights were off but she saw him standing in the back garden, clad only in a tee shirt and lounge pants. She saw the small light in his hand before he drew the cigarette to his mouth, taking a long drag into his lungs before blowing smoke violently out his nose.

"Harry! What on earth are you doing?!"

Harry maintained his gaze on the stars and didn't face her.

"Do you think that's the big dipper?"

"Are you drunk?"

"Are you my mother?"

"You are drunk"

"Are you my wife? No you're bloody well not!" he spat.

"Harry what the hell is going on? You're scaring me now"

"I'd like to know what's going on too, I really would. Just what the hell is going on here Nikki. What is going on?. Do you know because I don't!".

She took his hand and attempted to pull him back towards the house but he didn't budge. He finally turned to face her. His eyes were red rimmed - had he been crying?.

He took in her appearance. She was dressed, car keys in her hand, jacket on, eyes wide with shock and worry, hair down and unbrushed. Harry quenched the cigarette in the grass and put it in his pocket before turning on her and slipping both hands onto her neck and into her hair.

Nikki jumped back slightly, his hands like ice, his breath like an ashtray. The smirk on his face did it and she caught him hard across the face with the palm of her hand. Both stopped breathing such was the shock. The wind rattled the trees around her garden and tossed an iron bucket across the lawn. The blood thudded in her ears as tears fell from her eyes.

"What was that for?" he eventually asked, grasping his jaw.

"I don't know. I've got to go. There's a scene. What the hell is going on Harry? I'll speak to you when I get back. In the meantime have a coffee, seven maybe, brush your teeth then take a bloody shower. And flush those fags!".

In an instant she was gone, striding quickly across the lawn and out the side gate. Eyes watering in anger, worry and confusion.

"Bye Sweetheart!" he yelled after her and a light came on in an upstairs room next door. A rather large, bald head appeared out the window above.

"Will you kindly shut up? Its 4 in the bloody morning!" the man hissed as his Jack Russell began yapping obnoxiously, setting all the dogs on Nikki's road into a tit for tat yelping session.

Harry fumbled in his pocket for the cigarette, struggled with the lighter, lit the cigarette and blew smoke in the man's direction.

Nikki reappeared and poked him in the back angrily "Get back inside this instant! and put that out!".

"I love it when you're angry. God Nikki you drive me crazy-"

"Oh for Christ sake - you sure can pick em love - I'm giving you two 30 seconds before I call the Police!"

"I'm so sorry Mr...Mr...Mr...I'm so sorry. I promise no more noise" Nikki called as she shoved Harry in the back door.

"Stupid old fart, he could give Victor-"

"Shut up Harry! Just Shut up!" she screamed, her hands shaking.

"Are you going to hit me again?" he asked as he ran the cigarette under the tap "Because I think I quite enjoyed it"

Nikki scrubbed her face with her hands as her mobile sounded in her pocket. She ignored it and stepped towards him.

"Are you ill? Is that it? Have you gotten bad news?".

He laughed incredulously and pulled his tee shirt over his head, dropping it to the floor before opening the fridge and putting a carton of milk to his lips.

Nikki pulled out her phone and read the text hurriedly. She blew out a breath in frustration and headed for the door.

"You better be fucking dying" she said through gritted teeth as she passed Harry.