I do apologise for the gap in updating, I've been busy graduating (!) and whatnot so fic fell to the way side. I have sort of worked my way through the next few chapters and I know how I want this story to end but we shall see what happens along the way. I can say it's not going to be an easy ride, but Harry has Nikki and Nikki has Harry. X

May 1st 2010 Cambridge, UK

'Who da man?' Patrick thrust the door open, wafting a letter in his hand. 'Who da man?' Aubrey stifled a giggle, silently agreeing he was awesome.

'You got your internship then?' Patrick nodded, scooping his girlfriend up and spinning her round.

'Oh yeah baby. Lets go out to dinner, celebrate you and I being awesome' Aubrey giggled; she did need an excuse to wear the new dress she'd purchased in London.

'We da people?'

'We DA PEOPLE' Patrick agreed, re-reading the letter just to confirm once more that he was going to be spending the summer at MI5 as an intern for a bioterrorism lab.

'New dress or hot dress?' Patrick looked up; Aubrey was holding two equally beautiful, figure-enhancing dresses in hazy summer shades.

'New dress, I can't take the hot dress off easily.' She eyed him mischievously. 'What? I'm male, I have needs and you are one awesomely sexy, fantastically amazing woman. If I want to undress you after a scrumptious meal I'd rather we didn't need to do the Macarena.'

'Did I tell you how much I love you?'

May 1st 2010 Harry's Apartment, London

The news had been theirs to cherish for the past few days. Entranced by the idea of fatherhood Harry had resisted his usual laziness. His rights to parenthood would be guaranteed, that much they'd agreed on. But earning Nikki's trust and love would give him a family, instead of a child and mother. 'I've been looking at property' he leapt over the sofa with vigour, landing across from Nikki hidden under a blanket. Her hormones had been raging throughout the day, leaving her too drained to care.

'Harry I'm tired. Can't it wait.'

'Yeah, I know you've not made a decision yet and that's completely fine but I'm moving out of here, our child will need space to run around'

'Plenty here' Nikki mumbled drifting to sleep 'they won't be big for a few years anyway. Comfy sofa' Harry wanted nothing more than to press a loving kiss on her forehead, that in-between stage was endearing, she was caught somewhere between being his and not being anyone's. For that moment of required protection he could pretend that she was his to love and care for, adore and make slow, heated love to. They already had that part down. Unwittingly her belongings had started to litter his lofty apartment. Her clothes hung in solitary outfits, aired from an overnight bag each evening, cast off on her return from work in disgust at the bump beginning to form. He'd read about the changes her body would go through, the pelvic bone remodelling to accommodate the bub, shifting her gait. She already had the pregnant walk down, even in four-inch heels. He wouldn't dare suggest more appropriate footwear without back up from her doctor, an extremely pleasant ex-university friend of Leo's.

He'd already bought a onesie, a tiny little thing he saw at the supermarket of all places. Sure that Nikki would refuse to clad their child in such a cheap garment he'd stuffed it at the back of his underwear drawer, an odd sort of metaphor for his current parenthood, omnipresent like a comfort blanket but concealed beneath her inability to commit.

Harry lifted her slumbering form close, loosing the warm blanket and gaining a pained whimper from her dream. He hated that the day still haunted her, but he could at least be there for each and every nightmare. 'Shhh, Niks' he laid her on his oversized bed, slipping the covers over her and sitting for a moment drinking in her form, once curled hair hung in mussed bundles echoing her turmoil.

2nd May 2010 Cambridge, UK

Aubrey punched the numbers into her phone excitedly. 'Geek?'

'Aub's, is everything ok? Are you hurt again? It's 7:30 am what on earth are you doing up.' Nikki was barely awake, struggling to find her robe for modesty's sake.

'I'm fine, I wanted to catch you before work. Patrick got his job; we're both London bound. Is that a boy's grumble I can hear?' Aubrey shuffled her books into a backpack listening intently to Harry's snoring. Today's fine weather would be wasted on her, dusty stacks of research articles awaited.

'Yeah, listen. I actually needed to talk to you. Can we Skype this evening? When you're finished studying.' Getting concerned Aubrey quickly agreed, lining up her first and by no means last caffeine hit of the day.

Nikki had explained her idea to Harry, Aubrey was Nikki's daughter in a manner of speaking and telling her would be the first step to making things public. Grateful of his offer to use the computer at his apartment for it's impressive webcam Nikki had been lost in thought all day. Umm don't be mad. I may possibly be having Harry's child. No, that wouldn't work she'd pondered I'm just as careless as your mother, only some kind of vintage version? The image of a cobwebbed child floated across her subconscious with a shudder.

'Aubrey.' Nikki had clicked onto the programme early, herbal tea in hand. Of late she had taken to changing into joggers in lieu of her tightening jeans.

'Geek is everything ok? I've been freaking out all day long.' Aubrey's new bedroom filled in the pixelated background.

'Yeah, listen I wanted you to be the 4th person to know. I'm, well no easy way to put it. I'm pregnant' Nikki's news was meant with overwhelming squeals of happiness.

'Knew it, Harry?' Mishearing the conversation as a summons Harry's face flopped into view of the webcam.

'Yes…. And you are too smart for your own good.' Harry quipped, moving to perch on the desk chair's armrest

'Woman's intuition.' Aubrey countered, grinning excitedly. 'How far along?'

'3 months' Nikki blushed. Harry watched Aubrey do the maths, working out dates and concluding just how involved they'd been since her accident.

The conversation hadn't lasted long on account of a dodgy Internet connection. Harry set up a DVD and beckoned Nikki to the sofa, trying to gauge her mood. It was a well-known fact that men were poorly schooled in such psychology, however Harry tried and failed as she set her mug down.

'Harry?' His attention focussed in on the beautiful woman sat next to him. 'How would you feel if I said that perhaps, given the fact my vivacious God daughter is moving to London for the summer, I could stay here on a more semi-permanent basis?'

'Are you sure about this?' Harry's face rivalled the Blackpool illuminations.

'Yes, it's another step right? I'll still hold onto my place and if it gets too much we can always work out something else but I'm keen for Aubs to get a decent start in London. She'll have a court case to deal with eventually. That isn't easy to cope with and if having a place sorted helps then we'll do that.' Harry hoped that such maternal concern would be extended to their child. So far they were beating the odds, their baby was fighting the uphill battle to be born healthy.

'Ok, that's a perfectly reasonable concern. Semi-permanent it is. Though I'm still going to get myself sorted out with a house, if only because I want to.' Nikki beamed, she knew Harry wouldn't underestimate a child but she hadn't really accounted for the intensity of love he harboured for their unborn baby already.

'We should probably tell Leo tomorrow then.'

'If he hasn't worked it out already. I'm moving like a beached whale already' Nikki grumbled, shuffling into Harry's embrace without invite.

'Hmm, we'll tell him anyway.'

3rd May 2010 Lyle Center, London

'Leo?' Nikki was already perched at her desk shuffling toxicology reports according to priority.

'Good morning, didn't realise you'd be in so early.' It was barely 8 am, with technicians due to start at nine it was commonplace for the pathologist to rally early if they wanted to avoid the gossip mill.

'Me either' Harry chuckled, swinging through the door with coffee cups in hand. 'Coffee, on me.' Leo took the cup with suspicion, watching Harry set a cup of tea on Nikki's desk.

'Can we talk to you?' Nikki watched Leo grin, knowing that he had already guessed.

'Of course' Leo motioned towards his bright office.

'It's about time for you to know that I'm pregnant and it's definitely Harry's baby.' Leo failed to hide his surprise and relief mixed up in the squint smile that endeared him to so many.

'Are you moving in together? You have seen a doctor? I mean are congratulations in order?'

Clocking the questions one by one Nikki bit her lip from the happy grin growing. 'Sort of, yes and I think so.' Leo stood up and embraced the blonde doctor, whispering that he was genuinely happy for them both.

'You know that I'll be stopping your field work soon?' Nikki groaned whilst Harry found camaraderie in Leo. Nikki's personality dictated a propensity to over stretch and over work, two things that would detrimental for their impending arrival.

'Oh come on Nikki, you knew that was coming' Harry smirked and took the playful punch like a man. 'We're actually seeing Dr Conway, an old medic friend of yours?'

'Florence Conway? Yes, she's quite a titan in her field I gather…. Working out of the Haddlington if I remember correctly.'

'Yeah, I was seeing a private specialist for the follow up MRI I agreed on in South Africa when we found out.'

'Well I really am pleased you two have sussed something out. Mind if I tell Janet?'

'Not at all…and thank you for being so understanding Leo.' They agreed that drinks had become the unofficial code for breaking news in the lab. Upon Leo's excuse to attend a crime scene Harry had insisted on letting him book a weekend away to see his mother and a stay in the Cotswolds as some kind of unnecessary treat for letting the world know of their child.