Here's a little pre-series 16 treat before it airs and spoils our H/N dreams indefinitely. Somehow any decent fic ideas only fly my way when I'm supposed to be revising for my mocks (apologies to my gcse grades)!

Enjoy :)

Randomly, I was listening to this constantly when I was writing this and it just fits Harry and Nikki - I urge you to listen to it :)
"You're the only one I know like the back of my hand. And I can't breathe without you but I have to."
Breathe, Taylor Swift ft. Colbie Caillat

Instead of being awoken by her alarm, Nikki wakes with a lurch in her stomach telling her to run to the bathroom or she'll be sick in her bed. After returning from the bathroom feeling awful, she wonders how what she drank last night could have affected her so easily. If Harry could see her now she would immediately be labelled a lightweight and be given a hypocritical lecture by the man himself. Surely she only had one glass of red: not more. It was Harry who had a reason to drown his sorrows last night. Having just messed up a case and under unusual scrutiny from Leo, a takeaway and multiple bottles of alcohol was enough to take Harry's mind off work whilst relaxing at Nikki's comfortable flat.

Hardly surprisingly, Harry also felt pretty awful after waking up to find himself in Nikki's spare room whilst wondering what on earth he had done to deserve the mother of all hangovers. He stumbled out of the room to find Nikki huddled on the sofa in the lounge looking almost upset.

"Morning. What happened to you? And I thought I was the champion boozer? My friend, did you further intoxicate yourself while I passed out next door?"

Harry was his usual jovial self, which made Nikki feel even worse as she debated whether she should open up to Harry about what she feared.

Two months earlier

It was a cold night and Harry had chivalrously offered to drive her home. But she felt sleepy in the car so when he arrived, he jokingly swept her from her seat and carried her to her flat.

"I can't be doing this forever, you know. You weigh a bloody ton!" Harry had said.

"I didn't ask you to be my knight in shining armour! Although you are not a particularly gracious one! You're supposed to say I am as light as a feather. I imagine it's got something to do with the fact that you're a weakling with no muscles!" Nikki giggled.

After deciding it was too late for a takeaway, they had attempted to make some pasta but all Harry succeeded in doing was splash tomato sauce all over Nikki's blouse. Laughing, they had swatted each other with dishcloths until their fingers met and there was an undeniable wave of chemistry between them. They looked into each other's eyes deeply and Nikki stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed Harry on the mouth. This was exchanged for more passionate entwining of tongues until the moment became too hard to bear. They half stumbled to Nikki's bedroom, their skin sizzling with tension every time they touched.

The tomato-covered blouse was first to go as the pair began the process of making up for eight years of lost love between them. Soon any self-control went firmly out of the window as they became wrapped around each other in their new-found, exquisite love making.

It was Harry who awoke first, sensing something was not right but at the same time never feeling so wholly complete in his life.

"I love you, Nikki Alexander," Harry whispered softly. Nikki was sleeping and looked utterly beautiful and at peace.

When Nikki woke up, she instinctively reached for the warm body she knew had spent the night beside her, only to find Harry gone. She half stumbled to her kitchen where she was greeted with the smell of freshly made coffee.

"I got you some croissants too," Harry said giving her a shock as he grabbed her from behind. It made her laugh, the way he said 'croissants' more like 'quassants'. But when she turned around Hary's face was serious and she knew they could hardly carry on their loved-up appearance into work.

"I need to go, sorry. Erm enjoy breakfast. See you later."

The change in Harry was so abrupt that she barely had time to say thanks for breakfast, let alone talk about what happened last night.

All that day Harry was so busy they didn't even get a chance to see each other.

As a big case loomed, both Harry and Nikki brushed aside the events of the previous night to concentrate on doing multiple post mortems after a coach crash. This put a strain on things that may have otherwise worked out well and Leo in particular sensed there was something amiss.

Early one morning in the office, Leo approached Nikki, who as per usual was working at Harry's desk.

"Nikki, is Harry around?"

"No. He got called out to a crime scene earlier. Why?" Nikki turned to face her boss with inquisitive eyes.

"Well, err I was just wondering you know." Leo said vaguely as he began to search for an excuse for his simple curiosity.

"There is one thing though Nikki... Am I sensing something different between you and Harry?"

"What? Sorry Leo, I don't know what you mean. I've got to finish this report or the coroner will be chasing me into next week." Nikki's bluffing excuse confirmed Leo's fears that all was not well between his two pathologists.

It was one day since Nikki woke up feeling ill after the alcohol she and Harry had drunk the previous night, and Nikki suspected something was up with Harry. Obviously she had her own problems and did not even want to contemplate the possibility that she was pregnant, but she knew he was keeping something from her.

"Harry, I've been wanting to talk to you about something for a while now but just haven't had the chance..." Nikki tailed off, fearful of revealing the secret she was concerned would ruin their relationship.

"Actually Nikki, I've been meaning to tell you something too." Harry cleared his throat, looking apparently nervous.

"I've had a job offer from New York. A professorship."

Nikki's smile visibly weakened and her heart pounded ferociously in her chest. This was completely the opposite from what she'd expected. An out of the blue shock that left her trembling.

"A, err, what?" she was so upset that words jumbled in her head making her feel dizzy.

"Hang on Harry. I think I'm going to be sick!" Nikki grew paler as she lurched towards the locker room, stumbling blindly.

For Harry, this was hardly the reaction he had hoped for and was increasingly concerned that he had chosen the wrong moment for his revelation.

"Niks, are you okay? What's been wrong with you lately?" Harry's anxiety spiralled into anger as he began to almost shout at Nikki.

"Well, let me think Harry! Hmm... Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you have just announced you've got a job in America? Strange reaction from me I guess? I mean I've only known you and loved you for eight years!"

There. It was said. Nikki had finally admitted her love for the person who had just declared he was leaving. Suddenly, overwhelmed by her dramatic outburst, she stormed into the locker room. Harry's mind was numb with shock. He replayed her words over again in his head. Did she just tell me she loves me?

"Harry, you arrogant, ignorant pig! How could you be so immune to Nikki's feelings and not predict such a fierce reaction from her!" Harry thought, quietly scolding himself.

Finally as if he'd only just registered what was said, Harry dashed after Nikki.

"Hey, Niks! I'm sorry. Please! I didn't realise you felt that way. I guess I was immature not to think about how you would feel!

Please open the door!" Harry hammered on the locker room entrance, willing her to open it and appear with her beautiful, slightly unsure smile and a glint of laughter in her eyes. Yet the only response he got was Leo coming out of his office looking irritated.

Leo was usually pretty reasonable but somehow his presence and comment of "What have you done this time to upset her, Harry?" was just enough to set Harry over the edge.

"Oh piss off Leo!" and with that said, Harry gave a final tug at the door handle and to his surprise it opened. Nikki was curled up against the back corner, her body shaking violently with every sob.

"Let me deal with it please, Harry." Leo tried to say diplomatically.

"Sorry, no. It's my fault and I need to put it right." The door swung shut behind him, as Harry gingerly approached Nikki's small frame.

Nikki glanced up to see Harry kneeling down, his face full of concern.

"Nikki, I'm sorry. It was completely untactful of me to spring this upon you. Anyway, I didn't actually say I had accepted the job." Harry half-heartedly attempted a reconciliation.

Nikki looked up "Harry, I just can't believe this hasn't crossed your mind to tell me. I've got other things to worry about too you know."

Harry looked slightly shamefaced and tried to make up for his ungentlemanly behaviour by gently putting his arm around Nikki's shoulder.

"It's just I would have thought after that night we could have gone on together and now... Now you want to move away from me and I don't think I can take it. Everybody leaves me eventually." Harry felt racked with guilt after Nikki's raw emotion and he wondered how on earth he had managed to upset her in the first place.

Consequently this jolted Harry's memory as he is reminded Nikki had actually initiated the conversation before he dropped the bombshell that was New York on her.

"There was something you wanted to tell me?" Harry began hesitantly. "Before I took over."

"I don't know how to say this. Or what to do now you're probably not going to be here." Nikki took a sharp inhalation of breath, gearing herself up for her own revelation.

"Well, after that night we just sort of forgot what actually happened. I realised we can't brush over those events and pretend they don't mean anything. Because they do and will do for a long time after too. What I'm trying to say is... Harry, I'm pregnant."

She said it, finally. A mountain of worry dispersed from her body and relief flooded through her. It had taken almost a fortnight to summon up the strength to tell him.

But by the look of things, she needn't have worried about an over the top reaction from Harry because he had been quite literally rendered speechless.

"You're... What?" Disbelief cascaded through Harry's mind, altering his perspective on everything he thought he knew.

"Yes." Her voice was trembling, tears streaming from her eyes. "That's why I was nearly sick earlier. I wasn't over-emotional at what you had said, just pregnant!"

"So, I'd be a father? Shit. Sorry it's a lot to take in."

"Well, I'm not that much of a tart, contrary to what you think." Nikki replied coldly.

"Christ. No! I didn't mean that. I would never truly think that of you! Nikki, don't you understand that I love you with all my heart? I would do anything for you. I guess we've both been pretty blind to see it ourselves."

"Do you really mean it Harry? Cos I know that I love you too." Nikki buries her head in Harry's comforting shoulder, feeling warm and secure.

"I'm scared though, Nikki. Scared that I'll fuck it all up like my dad did. Because I don't want to lose you but I don't want to hurt you either. That's why I wanted to sound out this job in the States. To give you a chance to get on with your life. Especially if that night was a mistake for you, you'd have a chance to start afresh."

"So, you're not going to leave?" Nikki asked apprehensively.

"God, no! Anyway, Leo would kill me if he knew I left you behind and pregnant!" Harry half-joked.

And with that, he lightly pressed a kiss upon the top of her head and held her close to him, like he would always.

Hope you enjoyed it :) If a little review were to sail my way, it would brighten my day!