Nikki had been silent for a few minutes in which Leo had decided to give his young co-workers some time alone and went to get them all drinks. Harry clutched Nikki close to him and lay his cheek on the top of her head. She sighed and moved her head slightly so it was laying on his chest and bit her lip to stop herself crying again.

"Are you angry with me?" Nikki asked quietly and Harry looked down at her and frowned

"Why would I be angry at you Nikki?" he enquired softly and gently ran one hand over her hair

"Because I lied to you and didn't tell you the truth" Nikki whispered and wiped her cheeks free of the tears that had fallen down her face. Harry moved her so he was looking directly into her eyes, she tried to move her head away but he gripped her chin gently in his hand and turned her head so she was looking at him. Her eyes were glazed over with tears but she didn't let them fall as Harry spoke.

"Nikki I do not hate you" Harry told her forcibly his own eyes suddenly cloudy as he looked at the broken woman in front of him, the one he loved above anything else "I could never hate you okay"

Nikki let out a loud sob as she nodded and let the tears slip down her face, Harry did the same but kept talking through them.

"I love you" he whispered and Nikki shook her head

"You can't Harry" she choked out "You can't because I haven't told you everything"

"I don't care Nikki, I love you" Harry cried, he hadn't cried this much in years, "So so much and nothing you can say will change that"

Nikki just started to cry louder before launching herself into Harry's arms and sobbed into his chest as he pressed kisses onto the top of her head and her forehead.

"It's alright" he whispered repeatedly "It's alright, everything will be fine, I promise you"

Leo walked back in five minutes later, none of them commenting on the fact that it took him half an hour to make three mugs of coffee. He handed Harry and Nikki their mugs and noted that both of them were shaking, Nikki more than Harry, and that both had tear stains on their cheeks.

"Nikki I have to ask, who was Dr John Goldman?" Leo asked and Nikki's reaction was instantaneous. Her hands shook even more and Harry had to take the mug from her to stop her spilling the scalding liquid. Her breathing became erratic and she looked behind her and out of Leo's office as if expecting someone to be standing there spying on them.

"He was..he..he was a murderer" Nikki whispered "he used to treat us after the Greggorys had been at us, he was as bad as them"

"What do you mean he was a murderer?" Leo asked suspiciously and Nikki tensed up and shook her head. They knew that was all they were getting out of her at that moment and both men didn't want to push her. Leo just nodded and stood up, he squeezed Nikki's shoulder gently and gave her a small smile which she returned then turned to Harry.

"Take her home please Harry" he said before turning and walking out of the room without another word.

"He's taken it badly as well" Harry told her "You're like a daughter to him"

"It's nice to be someone's daughter" Nikki whispered almost to herself and Harry felt his heart break even more at her dejected tone.

"I love you" Harry whispered as he leant down and pressed a tentative kiss onto her lips not sure how she would react. Instead of pulling away like he thought she would she placed one hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer to her. Harry went to deepen the kiss but stopped and drew back quickly. Nikki frowned and shook her head in confusion.

"What's wrong Harry?" she asked quietly "Don't you...am I not.." he swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat "You don't want me because..."

"No Nikki stop it" Harry said forcibly and placed one hand on her cheek and kissed her gently again "I do want you and I do love you, don't think for a second that I don't just because of what you just told me. I just don't want you..." he stopped and was suddenly conscious of what Nikki would think "I just don't want you to think I am taking advantage of your current state"

"Oh Harry" Nikki giggled tearfully "You are such a gentleman. I wouldn't think that because you wouldn't do that to me"

---------

Harry decided to take Nikki to her own house rather than his, Leo had given them both the rest of the day off and both adults were secretly pleased by that. Harry sat on the edge of Nikki's double bed as his lover showered. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him and wondered how he could have missed all the signs Nikki had, how he couldn't have known that his best friend had grown up in a place like that. Biting his lip slightly he knew that if the men who had caused them, the other children but especially Nikki, weren't already dead he would make them pay for causing so much pain to them. He knew Nikki hadn't told them everything about what had happened but wasn't going to push her. There was a slight intake of breath from somewhere next to him and he turned to see Nikki standing in the doorway of her room dressed only in a towel, her blonde hair was wet and draped down past her shoulders. There was a look of terror on Nikki's face and Harry frowned and stood up.

"You shouldn't be here" Nikki whispered and Harry hung his head slightly.

"I'm sorry you said I could sit..."

"No I mean here, in my life" Nikki interrupted Harry who looked up at her. He slowly walked over to her but she backed away so her back hit her dressing table shaking her head "Don't look at me Harry I'm disgusting" she muttered as tears streamed down her face "Please" she sobbed and Harry's heart shattered when he heard her dejected tone and the fact she thought she was disgusting.

"Nikki you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met" he told her and leant down to kiss her on the cheek, feeling her flinch slightly "Don't you ever say you are disgusting because you are not"

"My scars" Nikki sobbed and Harry gently pulled her into his arms, oblivious to the damp towel "And they just made me feel so...disgusting and dirty"

"They are gone Nikki" Harry whispered into her ear as he rubbed the top of her back gently, the part that wasn't covered by a towel, and could feel the faint lines of scars under his fingertips. He then leant down and pressed light kisses onto her exposed neck and shoulder before undoing the towel from around her body and letting it drop to the floor. Nikki tried to clutch at it but failed as it pooled around her feet and she blushed under Harry's intense gaze as he looked her up and down.

"Absolutely beautiful" he muttered and Nikki let out a quiet sob as he leant down and kissed her.

"Take me to bed Harry" Nikki whispered into Harry's ear as he kissed her neck lazily and Harry was happy to comply as he took her hand in his and led her to the bed.

Later on they lay in bed wrapped around each other, Nikki with one arm draped over Harry's stomach her head on his chest, Harry with one arm around Nikki's waist while he absentmindedly played with her still damp hair with the other hand. He glanced down at her back when she wasn't looking at him and his heart pounded in his chest when he saw, the now obvious to him, scars on her back. He moved his hand from her hair and gently ran his fingers over some of the scars, this caused Nikki to move away from his hand quickly but Harry soothed her and she relaxed quickly.

"You know you can tell me anything" Harry stated as he continued to run his hand over her back and Nikki sighed and nodded. She traced random patterns on his chest and stomach as she did so then turned her head to look at him.

"I can't continue yet Harry. Please"

"Okay" Harry nodded "I'm not going to push you, promise"

"Thank you Harry" Nikki sighed "What would I do without you?"

"Have a normal boring life with no-one to tease?" Harry suggested and Nikki giggled and shrugged before kissing him on the lips.

"Probably"

"I love you" Harry whispered into her lips and pulled her closer as she lay down close to him again and sighed sleepily.

"I love you" she muttered before she fell asleep in his arms. Harry's face split into a grin as he heard Nikki utter those three words he had always wanted to hear her say, he pressed a kiss onto her forehead then pulled the duvet further up their bodies and closed his eyes as well.


Some Harry/Nikki fluff for you all. :D

xxx