In my elusive quest to write a oneshot, I give you this… In my mind there is more to come; now I have Leo in a trouble making mood, it's hard to get him to stop. But this will do for now. Summer holidays are fast approaching so writing time rapidly diminishing but review and say nice things and maybe I'll get inspired to do the rest.

All Silent Witness Characters and situations belong to the BBC

Health and Safety

"That's enough!" Leo's voice rang out, startling the rowing occupants of the conference room.

"Both of you, in my office!"

"Now!"

Leo's tone left no room for non-compliance and so mouths still open, and hands raised, they meekly followed him towards the office. He left them standing in front of his desk whilst he slowly and deliberately closed the blinds. There was no question about it; he was treating them like misbehaving school children. Nikki chewed her lip and Harry stared defiantly ahead; through Leo, through the wall and through the whole stupid week. He'd been here enough times in his life, standing, waiting for the judgement to be delivered and his punishment to be pronounced. But he was not going to apologise first this time, not this time, absolutely not.

"Who wants to go first?" asked Leo.

Harry remained staring not even acknowledging Leo's question.

Nikki flicked a look at Harry from the corner of her eye and back to Leo.

"Is there a problem?" she asked innocently.

Leo refrained from growling, but only just.

"For the last week, we have all been assaulted by the sound of the two of you banging on about this case. I know you don't agree on the picture the evidence paints, we all have times that we disagree, it's what keeps us sharp but can you please agree to disagree and get over this!" Leo smoothed the hair over his ear, he really had lost patience with the two of them recently.

"Are you saying the evidence is not important," Harry hissed; affronted that his boss had dared to dismiss the very core of their profession.

"Of course not Harry," Leo muttered.

"But" he continued raising his voice and addressing them both sternly, "In relation to the Symonds case actually maybe the evidence doesn't matter. The CPS are not taking this further so it doesn't matter how long the two of you argue over whether it was accidental or not. The case is over. You have to drop it."

"There's lots of evidence in the journals to support the theory that this was a staircase fa.."

"I said DROP IT!" Leo shouted, interrupting one of Nikki's expositions, they'd all heard the staircase fall one, and more than once and that was only in the last couple of days.

"Look," Leo stated, beginning to pace up and down in front of them.

"I know it's been a difficult year for all of us, in all kinds of ways. But the summer is nearly over. The new students will arrive in a couple of weeks. I am not starting off a new batch of them with the two of you poisoning the atmosphere in here with your toxic disagreements. Am I making myself clear?" Leo asked.

"Yes sir," mumbled Harry insolently.

Leo rewarded him with a glare, and realised that his speech had had absolutely no impact on them whatsoever.

Leo leaned in towards his colleagues.

"Right," he stated. "I really didn't want to have to do this, but if you can't apologise and get past this, I'll have no option."

"You can't suspend us, for disagreeing over a case!" Nikki exclaimed.

"She's the one, who's happy to let a murderer roam free, with all the motive and opportunity to kill again. I am not apologising for sticking to my interpretation of the evidence. If you didn't want us to disagree, you shouldn't have let her in on my case in the first place," declared Harry.

"Enough!" called Leo, his hand raised to silence them before the next round kicked off.

"I am not suspending either of you," Leo stated calmly.

"After the two of you kiss and make up, you can leave here with new assignments. There is to be no more mention of the Symonds case unless the police reopen that enquiry. Nikki, you are going to go and spend the next week working with a colleague of mine at the Anglia Ruskin University and you," Leo jabbed his finger towards Harry.

"You are going to prepare and deliver the first round of orientation information for the new students, all the health and safety stuff, university policies, bio-safety, complaints procedures etc."

Leo stepped back to observe the effect his little speech had had. Harry was no longer staring through his office wall but regarding him with undisguised revulsion. Nikki was looking rather pleased with herself in comparison, but she wouldn't be soon, Leo thought to himself. Dr. Fox might have been an old colleague of his but he was one of the most insufferable men he'd ever had the misfortune to work alongside. His pedantry and stubbornness would give even Nikki a run for her money.

"Well?" Leo asked.

"Oh, so now you're speechless!" Leo crowed.

"Leo, you can't make me..." Harry began, his voice low and earnest.

"What?" Leo asked innocently. "Write those introductory seminars or kiss and make up?"

"Come on, hurry up, some of us have work to do, I wasn't speaking figuratively you know," he chided.

Harry half turned to look at Nikki, she seemed to have acquired his stare now he had ceased using it. Harry pulled a face and lifted his shoulder in a gesture that Leo interpreted as to having to mean something to the pair of them in the crazy non-verbal language that they shared.

Harry lent forward and flamboyantly air-kissed the space near her right cheek, muttering.

"Have a lovely time in Harlow!"

Nikki's eyes grew round and sought out Harry's half smiling ones.

"Harlow?" she questioned.

"Oh yes, You'll love it. Didn't you know that's where the pathology department of Anglia Ruskin University is?" Harry's eye's glinting with pleasure at her distaste.

Leo saw Nikki's eyes darken and felt the beginnings of yet another outburst, it was time to intervene.

"I'm waiting," he insisted. "And that" he said gesturing towards Harry's air-kissing, "did not count!"

Nikki suddenly realised that Leo's chosen assignment for her was going to be every bit as onerous as Harry's and decided to accept her fate and get on with it. She turned fully to face Harry, looked into his eyes and said sincerely.

"I'm sorry for fighting about this again."

Harry couldn't help but return her gaze.

"I'm sorry t…" he began but was interrupted by Nikki's lips. She kissed him too passionately for an apology, too generously for a colleague and too fleetingly not to leave Harry wanting more. Then turned and marched out of the office, picked up her bag and walked out of the lab. The eyes of both men following her every move, their mouths hanging slightly open as they watched her go.

Did make a discovery the other day, if you google BBC writersroom they have original BBC scripts to read and have Bloodlines and Schism up if you fancy some extra reading. Apologies to anyone from Harlow, it just seemed a good location, but no pathology department: sports science but no pathology.

PS I love reviews :)