He crept into the gallery, leaving the lights off and stood in the shadows watching her close up the third body. He loved watching her work. The expression of complete concentration on her face. The subtle changes when she found something unusual. Something interesting. Today all those expressions were still there but she looked pale, tired...sad. Her eyes were red rimmed, the faint black circles showing through defying her best efforts with makeup. Her blonde hair was pulled off her face in a messy bun and if possible she looked smaller. Her posture weighted with defeat. Guilt prickled at him and an image of her when they first met flashed into his mind. She had been so vibrant, with an enthusiasm which was almost childlike. She was young. He pressed his lips together and studied her. She had bounded into their lives a pretty, fun girl. She had definitely transformed over the years. The enthusiasm had been curbed somewhat into simple methodical curiousity. She was slightly more cynical now, but then age does that anyway. The nature of their profession made it almost unavoidable. But really what pulled at him was that this pretty girl had progressed into an astoundingly beautiful woman. The death of her father had been mutely pressing them towards the threshold of a relationship. He had been silently resisting. She hadn't been pushing. Hadn't pushed at all, in fact if he was to admit it they had both pulled away slightly. Her biological clock ticked loudly in his head. This wasn't fair he concluded. There was a stalemate and he dug his heels in from being dragged to a predestined point, an unspoken simple understanding; 'You're always really mine, you always have been and always will be''. At times he felt angry with her, unreasonably so and would assert his autonomy by having angry anonymous sex with tall over-confident brunettes, her diametric opposition. They were an antedote to her sweetness, to the care and concern she showed him. He would never have to worry about hurting them. About destroying them. They could never push him enough that he might strike them. She snapped the latex gloves off and deposited them in the biological hazard bin. She threw her head back to free her hair from its bun and saw him. They simply stared at each other for several long moments. Harry eventually moved and made his way down towards her. He entered the room but maintained a distance of several feet. He didn't deem it prudent to get any closer.

"Hi"
"Hi"
"Did you get my messages?"
"No, I've literally been up to my neck in bodies all day"
He sighed "I wish you'd seen them. Been trying to call you too"
She nodded once. Harry could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead. She eventually walked past him, out of the cutting room and made her way towards the locker room. He stood rooted to the spot, he wanted to follow her but was paralysed. Nikki opened her locker to retrieve a towel. Her phone was sitting on top of it. She picked it up and opened the inbox to the messages. She became suddenly aware that he was behind her.

"You sent me a very naughty text message" she said without a trace of humour in her voice.
"I did"
"You did" she turned to face him. "Why did you leave me last night?"
"I told you, I didn't want us to begin like that"
"It doesn't have to be candles and rose petals Harry, sometimes it just is what it is". Her voice developed an irritated edge and she started to think they shouldn't be having this conversation when she was so tired and hungover.
"Well I'm sorry Nikki he began "I'm sorry if I thought you deserved something more than a quick finger fuck in the back of a black cab! Maybe I should have just bent you over Leo's desk?!".
Weighted silence.
She slammed the locker door shut and stormed off to the shower area. Hot tears began steaming down her face as she striped her scrubs off. He was in front of her in an instant, his expression furious.
"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded, pulling the towel to her chest.
"Don't bother, I've seen it all anyway" he said roughly pulling the towel out of her grasp.
"Harry!-"
She was cut off by his lips crashing into hers, he forced her mouth open and his tongue slid against hers. He pulled away and opened his belt buckle.
"Harry-"
"What? This is what you want isn't it?"
She turned away from him and sat on the bench, pulling the towel around her shoulders. She buried her face in her hands, her body shaking with sobs. His finger tips touched the tops of her shoulders.
"I'm sorry" he whispered "I'm sorry...you...I just have no idea how to deal with this...it's overwhelming...I mean...it's us"'.
He bent down in front of her and pulled her into his arms. She sobbed against his chest as he smoothed her hair. They heard footsteps and Leo humming 'Driving home for Christmas'. Nikki sat back and wiped her face on the towel. Harry began quickly buckling his belt buckle as Leo entered the locker room. Harry then rounded the corner to meet him.
"Hi Leo" he said as nonchantly as he could muster, sure he was looking like a naughty schoolboy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Thought you'd be on the road by now".
"Hello Harry' he said looking slightly confused as to why he was coming out of the shower area fully dressed with completely dry hair. He then heard water running. Harry swallowed.

"So you not off to Sussex then?" His voice sounding like a squeak.

"Eh I am now shortly. I got delayed a bit this morning...where's Nikki? Is that her in the shower?".

Of course it was, who else would it be? It was Christmas Eve and they had let the hung over techs off early but all Harry managed was "Erm...I think so" his hand flying to the back of his neck.
Leo had sat in on enough police interviews to read this sign and his eyes narrowed as he regarded Harry suspiciously.

"What's going on?"
"Nothing. Look we were having a slight disagreement?"
"In the shower?"
"No course not...look we are sorting it out dont worry".
Leo put his hands on his hips. "Are you sleeping together?"
"I really don't think that's any of your business Leo"
"So you are? If you weren't you would have just denied it".
"We're not...we haven't...Leo look I really think you should keep your nose out of it"
"I'm your boss. You are obligated to tell me if the two of you are in an intimate relationship"'.
"I told her I loved her alright! Happy?!"
Leo looked aghast. Then worried. Then slightly more relaxed. "Right".
Harry blew out a breath in frustration and ignored his bosses stare. He wasn't divulging anymore than that. Leo stood looking at him expectantly. Harry ignored him and began changing into his scrubs.
"I've a post mortem to do" he said impatiently and left the room.