Hmmm... my updating sooner thing didn't really work, did it? I'm sorry! Been trying to get everything sorted for a Summer placement I start next week, then went to see Harry Potter on Friday (which is A-MAZ-ING and really doesn't help my obsession), then went camping yesterday, and was my mum's birthday today (Thank you Flossie for her 'happy birthday' - I forgot to say in my review :D)...

I'll stop my excuses now :p Thank you to everyone patient enough to still read and especially review. Pinkswallowsun, Ann1119, gem.S, EmmaJ1996, Starr123, Thyqua, dinabar, freitazal and wow - you make my day :D

There's only a couple more chapters and then the big thing that I've had planned for this will happen. Hopefully :D

xXx

Chapter 37 – Medical Box

"Ten minutes Harry," Leo shouted from his office as Nikki and Harry entered through the security doors. "I specifically remember you telling me you were going out for ten minutes. Since when does ten minutes turn into two hours?"

Harry entered the office, handing over a steaming cup of coffee in a take-away container.

"Later," Harry said, glancing towards the doorway where Nikki was shrugging off her coat. "Is the medical kit still in the locker room?"

"Yeah," Leo nodded, his eyes narrowed in concern. "Is everything ok?"

"It will be," Harry said, turning back to leave the office.

"Harry. Later, yeah?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded slowly, giving Leo a reassuring smile. He knew that he would need to explain everything to Leo, otherwise he'd just worry. He was like the dad that both Harry and Nikki needed, there to keep them on track despite the fact that they were both supposed to be old enough to look after themselves.

Taking Nikki gently by the elbow, Harry led her in the direction of the locker room, silently opening the door and guiding her to the bench, before retrieving the medical box that was secured to the wall.

"Sit," Harry announced, glancing from Nikki to the bench.

Nikki hesitated briefly, before sighing and doing as she was instructed, if only for a second.

"I have work to do Harry," she was back on her feet and heading to the door, yet Harry caught her by the elbow again, stopping her in her tracks.

"Sit. Calm down. Let me have a look at your hand, and then you can go back to work. And I won't ask you if you're alright for the rest of the day. Deal?"

"Fine," Nikki muttered, sitting down again and tucking her feet up on the bench.

They sat in silence, Harry applying a small layer of cream along the graze on Nikki's knuckles, muttering his apologies as she flinched away at the contact on her split skin.

"I spoke to Julia again," Harry said quietly, breaking the silence. "Asked her about her sister. She still believes that Ray had something to do with her death."

"Before he stabbed himself in the back," Nikki almost laughed.

"I know, I know," Harry sighed. "I agree with all of that. But then I had a look at the DNA samples. The ones from under the finger nails."

"Hmmm."

"Julia has nothing to do with it Nikki. The samples were completely different to Jennifer's. If the DNA was Julia's, then there would have been similarities between them. They were sisters," Harry spoke quickly, as if he wanted to explain everything before Nikki interrupted.

"Harry," Nikki said, eyes wide. "I never meant that I thought Julia actually murdered Jennifer and Ray. I just thought that she might have known something that we didn't."

"I just wanted to prove that Julia wasn't involved, that's all," Harry smiled weakly. "I trust her."

"But you still checked," Nikki stated, her eyes locking on Harry's.

"That's because I trust you more," Harry sighed, lifting her hand up to his eye level. "Well, I don't think you've broken anything."

"I could have told you that."

"Smart arse."

Nikki flexed her fingers, narrowing her eyebrows as the pain shot through her knuckles.

"I asked her a few other questions too," Harry admitted. "You were right, I didn't really know her. She's a vet, part time. That's why she has to leave in a hurry sometimes, she's on call. Kind of an emergency doctor when they're short staffed."

"So you used all your 'I'm a doctor' chat up lines on her then," Nikki smiled. "And all this time she was a doctor too. Not very impressive on your part Harry."

"Hey, at least my 'patient' are human."

"At least Julia's are alive."

"You may have a point there," Harry chuckled.

The silence settled between them again as Harry packed up the medical kit, securing it back onto the wall. Nikki seemed to be staring into space, lost in her thoughts as she picked at her fingernails. Harry sat back down beside her, pulling her in close and hearing her sigh slightly.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked simply, watching her closely.

Nikki shook her head, her attention still on her fingernails.

"I know you better than that," Harry laughed. "You know I do. Come on, spill. It can't be that bad."

"It's nothing," Nikki shook her head again. "It's just- well- Shaw."

"Shaw!" Harry scoffed, louder than he was expecting. "What's he done? Wasn't it Maddox you punched? I thought it was him that had upset you."

"Shaw's done nothing wrong," Nikki said quickly. "Honestly Harry, will you stop thinking badly of him. It's- he- he asked me out for a drink tonight."

"Oh," Harry said. "I know. He mentioned earlier."

"That was before I punched his boss thought, wasn't it?"

"And you think that he's going to change his mind?" Harry laughed, realising her worries. "Personally, I think that everyone at the station will love you Nikki. Well, more than they do already. It was only a matter of time before someone punched him. Now, are you going to some work today before your date, or are you going to sit and mope."

"It's not a date."

"Whatever. Come on, or Leo will start looking for us."

Harry held out his hand to Nikki, who took it as he pulled her from the bench, noticing the fact that she squeezed it a little tighter than necessary.

"We have a problem," the officer stated, cautiously entering Maddox's office.

"Then fix it."

"It's not that easy I'm afraid," the officer stuttered. "It's Farrow. I think you need to sort this out personally."

Sighing loudly, Maddox pushed himself from his desk and threw the door open wider. Farrow was standing at the filing cabinet in the corner of the communal office, throwing files and papers in every direction, only stopping to scan a document before it was launched across the office after the others.

"Farrow!" Maddox barked. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Looking for every file on the case," Farrow answered matter-of-factly. "Every one."

"You have all the information that we know, there's nothing else."

"There has to be!" Farrow shouted, spinning around to face Maddox. "There has to be something else that we've missed. We need to find who's responsible before it's too late!"

"Too late?" Maddox narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean too late?"

"I mean before she's murdered! Before I lose her," Farrow was now shaking, his hands clenched and his eyes watering, the tears threatening to spill over. "Before they take away my little girl forever."

Farrow seemed to completely break down, falling to his knees, his head in his hands.

"She's missing," he whispered. "My daughter, Jessica. She didn't come home last night, her phone's off, no one has seen her…"

"Are you sure she's not just at a boyfriend's-"

"She doesn't have a boyfriend! She's only seventeen. Seventeen! And they're going to make her- and the guy will think that she wants to- and then they'll- they'll…"

The rest of his sentence was lost in the sobs that caught his breath, the tears now running freely down his cheeks. Maddox stepped towards Farrow, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him to his feet.

"Pull yourself together Farrow. You are no use to your daughter when you're like this. Why are you so sure that she's been taken?"

"Because she's slim, and blonde, and we've heard nothing from her, nothing at all. She's just like the other girls that have disappeared. That have been murdered!" Farrow seemed to have regained some of him composure, her breathing having steadied.

"We're doing everything we can to find who's responsible," Maddox stated, turning away from Farrow and back towards his office. "Clean up the files and go home. You're no good to us if your mind is elsewhere."

"You know something Maddox!" Farrow shouted across the office. "I know that you know something, and you're keeping it from us. You spoke to him, the suspect, and you won't tell anyone what he said. You're going to let her die!"

Slamming the door shut, drowning out the sound of Farrow's protesting, Maddox glanced at the clock. One minute to four. Just in time. He could see Shaw leaning on the edge of the desk through the glass in his office, as if trying to calm Farrow down. There was no surprise there. Shaw always did like to be seen as 'good cop' after all.

Taking out his mobile, he hit speed dial just as the second hand ticked to four o'clock.

"I'm sorry," Shaw panted as he ran into the Lyell Centre, noticing Nikki sitting at her desk in the lamp light, her blonde curls pinned back neatly. "There was a problem at the office. Another possible victim I'm afraid. Well, a disappearance. But everything fits in with descriptions of the other victims."

"No problem," Nikki smiled. "I know what it's like. That's not good news thought. The family must be terrified."

"They are," Shaw nodded. "It's an officer's daughter that's missing. Things have been a little tense at the office as you can imagine."

Nikki nodded slowly, pulling together all the scattered notes that lined her desk.

"Well Leo and Harry went home about an hour ago so there's nothing to finish up here. You still up for a drink?"

"To be honest, my head's all over the place today. You got coffee?"

"Sure," Nikki nodded, smiling slightly. "No problem."

After almost an hour, Nikki and Shaw had gone through every scrap of evidence, two mugs of coffee each, and had eventually decided that there was no reason for them to be there any more.

Shaw had offered to take Nikki home as her car was still parked at the station, and so they were now both sitting outside Nikki's apartment block, the engine of Shaw's car humming in the darkness.

"See you around then," Shaw smiled as Nikki put her hand on the door. "It was nice seeing you again, even if things didn't really go to plan."

"It was," Nikki agreed. "Pub next time, yeah?"

"Yeah," Shaw nodded. "If you haven't punched me by then."

"You heard about that," Nikki muttered, glancing at her knuckles.

"Everyone has," Shaw laughed. "It was brilliant, Maddox is a prat! He must have asked for it."

Nikki blushed, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

"Oh he did," Nikki giggled. "Well, I better go. Early start in the morning."

"Unless you want another coffee?" Shaw asked, a slight grin on his lips.

"Not tonight," Nikki smiled. "Like I said, early start. Maybe another time."

"Sure," Shaw nodded, leaning over towards Nikki and softly kissing her on the cheek.

Nikki could feel the stubble of his chin as she closed her eyes, yet even with her eyes closed, she could find every microscopic difference between Shaw and Harry. And there was no question as to whose lips she'd rather have on her skin.

"Night," Nikki blushed again, quickly opening her door against the wind.

"Hang on," Shaw added. "You'll need a lift to get your car tomorrow, won't you? Which apartments yours? I can pick you up."

"Up the right hand set of stairs, first door you come to on the second floor," Nikki explained. "It's fine though, I'll get Harry to pick me up. See you soon."

"Night," Nikki head Shaw call as she closed the door, before running up the steps and keying in the password to her apartment block.

By the time she had stepped through the door and turned around to wave to Shaw, he had gone.