Thanks to all you lovely people who review and make my day, you have been very generous.
Sorry to air all my dirty laundry but here's another little scene that bothered me, and so far you seem to have quite liked my take on things. Did they suddenly run out of money? Where was Janet? Why was Harry wearing such a dreadful suit? Had the costume department got bored of disguising the baby bump? Maybe this will help you as it helps me. This whole story has been twice as long as I anticipated, how the epilogue stretched itself to two chapters is entirely beyond me… but here we go. Sorry. It is kind of in a 6 weeks later style (but hopefully not as deeply unsatisfying as 'Shadows 6 weeks later debacle (don't get me started.)) Only this is 6 months later and a little vignette on functional dysfunctionality.
Fifty-Three
Epilogue: The final scene from 'The Prodigal,' where Leo receives his MBE, the following spring (for my purposes.)
"There he is,"
"Yes there he Is, look I can see him"
"Woo Photo Yeah!"
"And one more"
"And another, come on hold it up,"
"How's that?"
"Very good"
They all laugh
"Ah Lunch?"
"I'm glad that's over with"
"Well done, I'm very very proud of you",
"Thank you Thank you"
"So what do we do now? Do we bow, or curtsey?"
"She bows, you curtsey."
"What did she say to you?"
"She said she hoped she wouldn't see me again for a very very long time."
Harry, Leo and Nikki walked together towards the restaurant; Leo had promised he was buying so they had everything to celebrate. Nothing was going to spoil the happiness of the day, not Janet's untimely migraine, not the impending anniversary of their trip the year before to Hungary and not the threat of yet more and more budget cuts and increased tuition fees. Today was to be special, after months of waiting they had found a ceremony date when they could all be together to celebrate Leo's MBE.
As Harry walked along his arm around his friend's shoulder he couldn't help but be grateful for his friendship and support. It had been a difficult year for all of them, but without Leo he would never have made it back to work successfully. He smiled to himself, without Nikki he wouldn't even have made it out of Hungary!
What a year.
He would like to have said that looking back he could feel at peace, contented that even though the events had been horrific that he had grown stronger and become a better person because of them. But that was bullshit, he couldn't. If he had the chance he would erase that week from his life, erase the memories and the effect that they still had on him. The way he still couldn't refill the car with petrol without feeling physically sick, or how listening to someone with an Eastern European accent made him feel hollow and the ever growing sense that he had just been used.
But in the time since his return, there had been good things. He listened as Nikki laughed at another joke Leo had made. He loved hearing her laugh. He loved her. It was amazingly simple when stripped down to the nuts and bolts. He suspected that their relationship was deeper, stronger because of all that had gone on, but it still didn't seem like enough to counter balance all the pain.
They had reached the restaurant now; Leo had done them proud; it was fancy, just as he had promised. Harry pulled out Nikki's chair for her.
"Why, thank you," she said sarcastically.
"A pleasure," he replied pretending he was about to pull it further back as she went to sit. He leant forwards and stole a kiss instead.
"You look beautiful," he whispered.
They had been together for over six months or so now. It was a record for both of them. It had taken them a while to sort out their relationship he mused, but it was worth every minute.
"Steady on, you two, I thought I'd warned you about that," said Leo from the other side of the table and they all laughed again.
Leo still despaired of both of them, the fighting, the practical jokes, the invasion of personal space. He had thought that the atmosphere at work would settle when the two of them finally settled their differences, but he had been wrong. Somehow the air was even more charged than before. He wondered how they could stand it sometimes. But they both seemed to be thriving. The light had returned to both his colleague's eyes. They approached their work with the dedication they had always shown, but now the passion was back as was the creativity and the leaps of knowledge that made them the best at what they did. He couldn't ask for a better team and for once he could rest in the knowledge that he wasn't going to lose one of them to the highest bidder or to a broken heart.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked as he felt Leo staring at them.
"Oh, I was just thinking about the team, what we have is very rare," Leo said sagely.
"Team?" Harry spluttered.
"You wouldn't be saying what a fine working team we are, if you'd have heard Nikki this morning!" Harry proclaimed.
"Why, what did she say?" Leo asked.
Nikki was opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish, but Harry continued before she could formulate the words.
"You're team player was saying dreadfully hurtful things, about a member of this uber squad so watch out!"
"Nikki!" Leo said in a shocked voice. "I can't believe you would have political objections about me receiving this award."
Nikki finally regained the power of speech, "I didn't say anything about you Leo!" she cried.
Leo looked towards Harry. He was wearing one of those expressions that Leo knew meant trouble.
"You should have heard her this morning," Harry cried again. "She accused me of looking like a Colombian drug lord, in this suit. I ask you. This is a classy suit,"
"It is not, Harry, it's as ridiculous as those yellow scrubs you had that time," Nikki replied through her laughter.
"She has got a point," agreed Leo, who too was laughing.
Harry now had his hands on his chest, feigning his heartbreak at the insults.
"It wasn't just me with the insults this morning, I seem to recall," Nikki said, daring to match Harry at his own game.
"I did not insult you, I was trying to look after you," Harry explained.
"Oh yes," said Leo pressing Nikki on to reveal more. They had no work to do this afternoon, he could take the liberty of enjoying one of their little spectacles for once instead of worrying that they would never settle down and get anything done.
"He told me that these shoes made me waddle," Nikki confessed.
"I did not say it was the shoes!" countered Harry immediately.
"Oh you tell it then," Nikki laughed.
"I said, that you might be more comfortable, in some flatter shoes..."
"You said SENSIBLE!" shouted Nikki, interrupting Harry's explanation.
"I said," reiterated Harry and speaking very slowly. "That we would be spending a lot of time on our feet, and you might like to reconsider your choice of shoes, and that I didn't want every man in London staring at your backside, as you waddled down the street in them." Harry finished the last bit off very quickly.
"I do not waddle," Nikki insisted.
"Oh, my darling but you do," laughed Harry and placed another kiss on her cheek. Harry rarely used these little epithets. After seven years they had imbued so much emotion into the way they said each other's names, so much meaning it seemed silly to retreat to cliché's but just occasionally one slipped out.
She looked across at Leo and he nodded his head slowly.
"Actually, my feet are killing me," she laughed kicking her shoes off under the table.
"Justice," declared Harry.
"You are never wearing that suit again," she replied.
"Children!" declared Leo. "Come on, let's order."
