Chapter Seven: The Cow Jumped Over the Moon

"It's weird though, isn't it?" Nikki asked Harry as they drove to the Lyell Centre, where they were meeting Harlow.

"What is?"

"Agnes' sudden dementia."

"Nikki, she was ninety-something. It's a miracle she didn't get it sooner," Harry reasoned, slowing down at a set of traffic lights and turning to give her a reassuring smile.

"Yes, but the onset of the symptoms was so acute, according to Edie. One minute she was fine, and then she wasn't," she persisted.

"It's horrible, but it happens," he countered.

"What if someone was … easing the process along a bit?" she suggested slowly, biting her lip.

"What do you mean?"

"Well … there are plenty of drugs that can produce dementia-like symptoms if consumed at toxic levels," Nikki said quickly, not giving Harry an opportunity to interrupt. "Cardiovascular drugs, antidepressants, antihistamines, corticosteroids-"

"Nikki," Harry said placatingly as they pulled into the lab car park and he killed the engine. She ignored him.

"I bet they stock everything in the pharmacy at Lakeview. There are so many drugs that would do it. Even things like Valium. And Pramipexole – how many residents do you think are getting treatment for Parkinson's disease? Pramipexole and Tolcapone would be in ample supply."

"All right," Harry conceded. "It's plausible, I'll give you that. But why would anyone want to do that to an old lady?"

"Agnes would start displaying, what? Confusion, memory loss, paranoia? The perfect excuse for if she were to accidentally let something slip…" Nikki said meaningfully, and then waited for Harry to get it. Eventually, she saw understanding light up his eyes.

"She saw something that she shouldn't have. Something that might be related to Anne Liu's murder!" he said excitedly. "Someone was trying to stop her from saying anything."

"Or at least stop anyone from believing her," Nikki nodded. "Come on, let's go and run this by Harlow."

It was very peculiar walking into the Lyell Centre. Although she'd only been away for three days, it felt like an awful lot longer. In a way it was like returning home after a holiday. The offices were silent as they walked through them. It wasn't until they peeked round the door of the cutting room that they saw Leo, absorbed in the Smart Boards at the front. Pressing a finger to his lips, Harry quietly stepped into the room. Nikki followed on tiptoes so as to avoid the sound of her heels. A moment later and Harry said loudly, "Morning!"

Leo spun around, initially startled. When he saw it was them he relaxed, a big grin catching on his lips. "What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"We've got the morning off," Nikki explained with a smile. "We're meeting Harlow in a few minutes."

"Yes, he said he was coming," Leo nodded. "But he didn't say either of you would turn up! I thought he just wanted to go through the physical evidence with me again. So? How's it going?"

"It could be worse," Harry shrugged. "I miss home, we both do, but we've got each other."

Leo's eyes flicked between the pair of them. A small, knowing smile crept onto his face. "You've made up, I see. What's it like being married?"

Both Harry and Nikki rolled their eyes. "It's fine," Nikki tutted. "Not much different to normal. We only act married around other people."

Leo chuckled. "Well, I hope Harry's at least being chivalrous enough to take the sofa."

The pair exchanged a look. Leo frowned at Nikki. "You're on the sofa?" When they didn't answer he shook his head, clearly amused. "Neither of you are on the sofa."

"It's nothing dodgy, don't worry," Harry said quickly. "The sofa gave me a bad back, that's all."

Leo was about to reply, but Nikki cut across him. "Hang on! How do you know that we only have one bedroom?"

Harry mock-gasped. "You did this! I knew it!"

"No," Leo said, but it was clear that he didn't mean it, "I just … helped Josh choose a place for you."

"If this is some elaborate plan to…" Harry started, but trailed off.

"To what?" Leo prompted, knowing full well what Harry meant. All three of them knew the rest of that sentence: some elaborate plan to make us get together. But, of course, none of them could say it, because that would mean facing something that had remained hidden for years.

"Where's Harlow?" Nikki asked hastily, trying to cover up the slightly awkward silence.

"He's here," came a voice from the doorway and Nikki turned to see Josh Harlow smiling at her. "How are you two getting on? I assume you've found something, which is why you're here and not there?"

"Sort of," Harry said. "Nothing concrete yet though."

They proceeded to give Harlow and Leo and slightly watered-down version of events, including every significant detail from their time so far at Lakeview, but leaving out the majority of their 'home life'. Nikki told them of her theory that someone was killing these people to cover their tracks, and then Harry supplied the details about why Agnes could have suddenly developed dementia. When they were finished, Leo looked thoughtful and Harlow looked impressed.

"Okay, guys," the detective mused. "It's a good theory, I like it. It explains how two seemingly different murders are, in fact, related. Get me some concrete evidence."

"Well, we'll try," Nikki said with a strained smile.

"Right, I have to dash," Josh said, "Sorry. What can I say; I'm a much demanded man." He departed with a grin.

Harry turned to Leo. "We'd better be going as well," he said regretfully.

"So soon?"

"We start work again at one," Nikki explained, crossing the room to give their boss a brief hug. "I'll see you soon."

"Be careful, won't you?" Leo said as they headed towards the door. "Don't go looking for trouble."

Harry rolled his eyes. "We'll be fine. But … thanks, anyway."

They all exchanged a smile before Harry and Nikki exited, a pang of sadness in the pit of Nikki's stomach as they walked through the Lyell Centre and she realised just how much she missed it. Harry obviously sensed her mood because as they crossed the car park he said, "Let's go out for lunch."

"Do we have time?"

"Yeah. We'll have an early lunch. It's only eleven now, we've got two hours," he said, pausing to unlock the car.

Smiling, Nikki climbed into the passenger seat. As she pulled the seatbelt across her, she said, "All right then. Where?"

"Not the usual place. Somewhere different. My treat," he told her, pulling out of the car park.

"What's brought this on?" she frowned.

"No reason. Can't a husband treat his wife every now and again?" he winked.

Laughing, Nikki let the topic go despite knowing him well enough to recognise that he wasn't telling her everything. But she wasn't going to push it, not when they were both in such high spirits.

"It was good to see Leo again, wasn't it?" she smiled.

"It's only been three days, not three weeks," Harry pointed out, amused.

"I know, but I'm so used to seeing or at least speaking to him every day that it's weird when I don't. It's like when you go on conferences. I hate that."

"That's why we should propose to Leo that in the future we attend all conferences together," he said.

"I agree. Even if you are a bad influence," she giggled.

He gasped in mock-offence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Skipping lectures to go to the pub…" she reminded him.

Harry took his eyes off the road for a second to look at her. "We have fun at the pub," he said with a small smile, before returning his attention to the road ahead. The memories behind his words didn't escape either of them. Grinning, Nikki turned her head to look out of the window.

They ate lunch in a quiet restaurant just a five-minute drive from Lakeview. The food was enjoyable, the atmosphere relaxed and comfortable, and Nikki was truly having a good time. She'd forgotten, what with their argument and then going undercover, just how much fun she had when she was out with Harry. His teasing, as well as the quips and jokes he made, somehow always put a smile on her face. But, before she knew it, it was time for them to leave and return to their pretend life. Not for the first time, Nikki wished that they could just stay in that restaurant forever.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked as he swung the car into a parking spot at Lakeview.

"I'm fine," she told him with a forced smile.

"No you're not. What is it?" he pressed, concern etched on his face.

"I just miss reality," she shrugged.

Harry gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, we're getting somewhere with this case now. Hopefully it won't take too much longer to work it all out. Then we can go back to how we were."

A look passed between them, no more than a millisecond long, yet neither of them missed it. Nikki couldn't quite place what it was, but before she'd had a chance to analyse it, Harry was climbing from the car. As she also got out and followed him to the front of the bonnet, she spotted a few of the staff outside in the smoking area on the other side of the car park, eyeing her and Harry beadily.

"They're watching us," she muttered. "Probably discussing our fake marriage and our fake babies that Edie has been telling everyone we're fake having."

Harry grabbed her hand and held her back as she tried to walk away. "So let's give them something to talk about," he said quickly, and before she'd had time to process what he was doing, he'd pulled her flush against him from knee to chest and crashed his lips into hers.

It wasn't until that moment that Nikki realised just how much she'd been waiting for and wanting that moment to happen. She felt so lightheaded that she could hardly think; a crackle of electricity tickled her spine that sent a shiver throughout her entire body. One of her hands – of its own volition, she was sure – was lightly playing with the hairs on the nape of his neck. The other was gripping his shoulder tightly. From the burning sensation on her skin, she realised that his hands must be on her waist. Never before had she been so completely lost in someone else, so absorbed and invested in them, that she'd completely forgotten about everything going on around her. As he deepened the kiss and she moaned into his mouth, she knew that World War Three could have broken out around them and she wouldn't have even noticed, let alone cared. It was like they were flying, and she had no desire whatsoever to return to Earth.

But then it was all over, as suddenly as it had begun. Breathless, they stood and looked at each other for a minute. She noticed that Harry's lips were slightly swollen, and she could feel how flushed her cheeks were.

"That … that …" was all she managed before giving up and resigning herself to incoherence.

"We've got to keep up the act, haven't we?" Harry said gruffly. "That should keep them off our backs for a while."

He was brushing it off as casual, as if it didn't matter or wasn't even real … and it hit Nikki that it wasn't. They weren't Harry Cunningham and Nikki Alexander in that moment, they were Mr and Mrs Toulson. The realisation, therefore, that it really didn't mean anything to Harry – well, that was heart-breaking.

So Nikki may be beginning to realise something. ;)

Sorry it took a while to get this chapter up, I had a bit of a mental block on whether I should actually put a kiss in there or not. But you've all been so wonderful and lovely in your reviews that I thought I'd treat you to a bit of fluff. :)

You guys are awesome, as I've said many times. Thanks for sticking with this.

xxx