I'm just going to apologise in advance for this one but I hope you enjoy it :) I know I say this all the time but thank you so so much for reading this and for all your reviews, they really keep me motivated. I'm really enjoying writing this and half the time what happens come as much as a surprise to me as it does you...anyway have fun x

Nikki arrived a couple of hours late to work, herself and Matt going for their first scan together. This really was going to be a long nine months. She couldn't even bring herself to smile during the process, Matt had been doing the whole doting father to be thing and she just wanted to be a million miles away. This wasn't how she wanted it to be. She wanted to be able to look at her baby on the screen or on the photo and feel excited and eager. But she couldn't bring herself to feel those things because the one person she wanted to be by her side throughout this whole thing, had absolutely no idea.

A few days had passed since Matt and Nikki had announced the pregnancy and Jack had barely spoken to her. Or at least he hadn't spoken to her properly. It was killing her. It was bad enough that Matt was forcing her to stay away from him and now even when she could speak to him, he didn't want to speak to her. She didn't think he was doing it on purpose, just doing everything he can to distract himself. And she couldn't exactly blame him, she had be the one to rub his nose into her and Matt's relationship. Even if it wasn't something she had wanted to do.

She was met by Thomas when she walked in, Jack and Clarissa were nowhere to be seen. She had grabbed his attention straight away as he was stood by her desk, flicking through some files. He looked up at her, a smile spreading across his face.

"Ah, how did it go?" He asked eagerly.

She shrugged her shoulders, "It was okay I think," she didn't really know what to say. She had wanted to be happy, she really did. But she just couldn't.

"Did you get a photo?" The smile on Thomas' face slowly dropping as he noticed that Nikki didn't seem to share his excitement, which really struck him as odd. If anything, she should be way more excited than he was. She was the one growing a new life inside her after all.

"Yes," Nikki popped her bag down on the table as she started rummaging through it. "I've put it in my bag somewhere. Ah, here it is," she pulled out the black and white photo and handed it to Thomas.

"Oh look at that," he exclaimed and took in all the details. "Isn't that just amazing? It really brings back all the memories of when Julia was pregnant with Rosie. I was on top of the world."

Hearing Thomas say that just made her feel worse, she shouldn't be feeling the way she was. She was meant to be pregnant and glowing. But she felt deflated and dull. She looked at the picture over Thomas' arm, this was the first time she was actually looking at it properly and she did feel somewhat of a flutter as she looked at the little blob in the middle of the picture.

"What are you two staring at?"

The Irish accent caused Nikki's stomach to drop and she moved away from Thomas so she could turn to face him.

"Jack have a look at this," Thomas said without even thinking. Now Nikki's heart was racing, that was the last thing she had wanted to happen. But she couldn't stop it because Thomas was already handing the photo to the man.

Jack took the photo tentatively, not quite sure if he actually wanted to see it. And he was starting to regret saying something in the first place. He felt his head go fuzzy as he looked at the thing sitting in the photo. It was tiny and didn't look like very much but he felt his heart sinking and his vision was blurring. He couldn't explain the feeling that was whirring around his body but as he looked at the image he couldn't help but feel he was looking at his child, as though this was his own flesh and blood.

All the thoughts he had tried to explain away since Nikki and Matt had announced it suddenly resurfaced again. He glanced over at Nikki briefly but she had turned away from him, she clearly didn't want to look at him. Or she couldn't. His eyes went back to the picture and he just knew, this baby was his. He tried to suppress the anger that was beginning to stir up inside him. Why had she lied to him? Or was he just being delusional? Or even hopeful? If only she would just tell him the truth about what was going on. She was holding something back and he would be damned to get to the bottom of it all.

But now wasn't the time for that. So he passed the photo back to Nikki who didn't make eye contact with him as she placed the photo back in her bag. He jumped as he felt Thomas place a hand on his shoulder, patting him.

"It'll be you next Jack," Thomas beamed. "As soon as you find someone who will put up with you and your moods."

Jack wasn't too sure of how to react to that when his fellow colleague knew exactly who it was that put up with him on a daily basis. And who it was that had put a smile on his face over the past couple of weeks. But then he supposed that Nikki had made her choice, and it wasn't him. Maybe he should just try to move on. Even if it was going to pain him to do that.

He just settled on giving Thomas an eye roll and shrugging him off. He didn't miss Nikki's reaction however and her face said a thousand words which he didn't think she even realised sometimes. She was lying to him and he needed to find our for definite that this baby she was carrying was actually Matt's. He needed to hear her say it.

He moved to sit down at his desk as Thomas left for his office and leaving just himself and Nikki behind. A couple of weeks ago he would've killed to steal these little moments when it was just the two of them, but now he dreaded it. Because, what was he meant to say? He wanted to have that conversation but he couldn't do it here. They needed to be totally alone for that, so no one could have the opportunity to interrupt and let Nikki get away with escaping the truth.

It was a couple of hours into her shift, Nikki had stayed sat at her desk, staring at the photos on her screen. That poor girl, she thought to herself. Her mother has just died, most likely at the fault of her father. And now her father's dead. And she would've seen it all happen. The abuse, the violence. Her heart ached for the poor girl, knowing how that felt way too much.

She knew what it was like to be pushed over the edge, even at such a young age. To see what her father was doing to her mother and wanting it to stop. She had remembered her mothers screams and the blood she left on her cheek. It didn't make a difference though, it didn't stop him from hurting her. If anything, it made him hide it more, hurt her in more discrete places where no one could find the bruises.

She was pulled from her thoughts and her flashbacks by Clarissa's voice asking if she could talk to her.

Nikki looked up to meet her eye, quite grateful for the distraction. No longer wanting to hear her mothers cries and reliving those moments all over again, "Isn't that what you're doing?" She relaxed, leaning onto her desk.

"Cute," Clarissa chuckled. "We have strong forensic evidence that points to Brian Collyer being the murderer of Robbie Shaw." Nikki stared blankly back at her, not quite sure what she was getting at so Clarissa continued. "This is where you say you agree."

"I agree," Nikki replied, not quite believing fully in what she was saying. She had doubts about this and she knew Clarissa had the same feeling as her, given her tone of voice.

"Brian has no alibi. He says he was at home, his wife says he was out. It's likely we'll get a conviction," she explained, gesturing for Nikki to say something that would support what she was saying right now.

"I agree it doesn't look good for him," Nikki confirmed.

"We are over-worrying this," Clarissa rounded the corner to her desk. "This is where you're meant to make me feel better. Feel confident that we've got the right person."

"If facts are the facts then, chances are we do," Nikki leaned back in her chair as her eyes moved to look at the photos on her screen once again.

"Have we found all the facts?" Clarissa interrupted.

"Well that's a different question isn't it?" She moved her head back in Clarissa's direction.

"Whoever came to the house had to be known to Robbie. There's no sign of a struggle. It was an unexpected blow to the head and Brian's fingerprints are all over the weapon," Clarissa carried on. "Who else could've done it? Who could've planted them?"

Nikki thought over it for a couple of seconds, her mind wandering again to when she took matters into her own hands to protect her mother. Without even fully realising it at the time, "Maybe she saw the violence," the tears were starting to blur her eyes. "Maybe she saw what he was doing to her mother." She had felt for this girl the first time she had heard about the woman having a daughter.

A daughter that would've been around the same age she was when she lost her own mother. She couldn't be sure if it was just her maternal instincts kicking in already or if it was just her ability to be able to relate to this poor girl. To understand exactly what she had been through, to know what she had seen. But she felt this need and this want to protect her. To take her under her wing and let her know that she's not alone. She hadn't even met her and she'd felt this connection to her.

"She?" Clarissa screwed her face up, not quite sure of what Nikki was getting at.

"Cat," Nikki raised her hand to her screen, the picture of the young girl staring back at her. "Their daughter. Her mother's dead, she's distraught."

"You think she's capable of it?" Clarissa chimed in.

"I'm always surprised by what children are capable of," Nikki answered, her own capabilities as a child on her mind. She shared a small look with Clarissa, the both of them remembering the conversation they had the other day. Clarissa coming to the realisation that maybe Nikki wasn't just referring to Cat's experience but her own as well. "Have we got DNA samples from their daughter?" She asked as she leaned forward on her desk again.

"Uh, yeah," Clarissa affirmed slowly painting a picture of what she was thinking. Although she knew there was wasn't much chance of that, given the lack of evidence to support Nikki's sudden theory.

"No matches?"

"No," Clarissa shook her head.

The silence that had just settled between the two women was quickly interrupted by Jack walking into the room, "Hi," he announced, a cardboard box in his hand. "A few things for you to go through," Jack placed the box down on Nikki's desk. "Can we look at Donna Collyer's medical records and any police reports she might've made?"

"Why?" Nikki questioned, confused and intrigued at Jack's suggestion.

"I saw bruising on her arms," Jack placed his hand over his arm. "Self defence bruises. Type you get when you're protecting your face," he looked over at Clarissa who was listening intently. He made to move towards his desk, gesturing his hand up to his eye. "She also had heavy make-up under her right eye."

"To cover a bruise," Nikki stated as Jack sat down to which he just nodded. The words coming out of her mouth making her think of her own bruises that still sat on her arms, still a bright purple colour. "Okay, yeah. I'll pull her records," Nikki stopped for a moment, looking over at Jack as he logged into his computer.

She had wanted to meet this Cat, the photo of her still sitting on her screen. And if there was anyone who would allow her that opportunity was the man sitting in front of her. There was still a sense of awkwardness between the two but surely she could still manage to persuade him to do this one thing for her.

"Have you met Cat, their daughter?" She queried.

"Cat?" Jack glanced up to Nikki briefly before looking back at his screen. "Yes."

"Can I go with you when you take a DNA sample from her?" Nikki dared to put forward.

"I've taken DNA," Jack was quick to answer her. He looked up to see Nikki raising an eyebrow at him, hinting without actually saying anything. His head turned to Clarissa to find her pulling a similar face. There was obviously a meaning behind this and usually when Nikki had an idea about something it ended up being right. So he went with it, "But, I'm worried they might've been contaminated. So, I should probably take them again?" There was a questioning tone to his voice, making sure that he had got the right end of the stick.

A small smile and a nod from Nikki was all the confirmation he needed. They didn't hesitate to pack up their stuff and head towards the police station to inform DI Clarke of what they were doing and then they made their way back towards Donna Collyer's house. Jack had noticed that Nikki had stayed fairly quiet in the car, in fact she had stayed quiet throughout this whole case. It was like it had got to her in some way. He knew some cases hit harder than other ones but this one was taking it's toll on Nikki in particular.

He hated that there was this distance between them now because normally he would be quizzing her and getting it out of her, finding out what really was getting her down. Now he felt that wasn't his place anymore, that he didn't have the right to do that. He almost wanted to laugh at how a few weeks ago they were closer than they had ever been before but now there was a whole sea between them. It broke his heart, even if they weren't meant to be together in the end, the least he wanted was for them to remain friends.

But there was no chance of that with this baby on the way. His mind wandered back to the scan picture he had seen that morning. He still couldn't put his finger on it. On how it had made him feel. There was something going on and there was something she was holding back from him. With everything with Matt and now this case, Nikki just wasn't being her usual self and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

They pulled up outside the house, Jack guiding the way as he knocked on the door. Donna had been the one to open the door, the bruises on her arm and her face much more obvious than before. He could feel Nikki shift behind him, she could see the bruises as well.

"Sorry to have to bother you Mrs Collyer," DI Clarke spoke.

"I'm afraid the DNA samples we took have been contaminated," Jack explained. He waited for Donna to say something but she remained silent, giving them a small nod instead. Jack moved aside allowing Nikki to pass, saying thanks as she went.

He watched after her as she made her way down the hall, following Cat into the kitchen. He was desperate to know why she had wanted to go see this little girl. But then if he thought about it, the girl wasn't that much younger than Nikki would've been when she lost her mother. She was obviously able to relate this girl and wanted to reach out to her. That and her maternal instincts were probably kicking in as well. But there was something else that Jack couldn't put his finger on.

He had seen this with Nikki before, when he had just started working at the Lyell. The young girl whose mother had been brutally murdered and her father who had been accused of the murder. Nikki had reached out to that girl then, doing what she could for her. But this time around it felt different, she felt even more determined. To the point of making an excuse just to get to see her.

He knew he shouldn't do it but he couldn't help walking down the hallway, stopping just in front of the kitchen door. It was open slightly and he could hear Nikki talking. His heart sank as she started to explain just what she had seen when she was younger, what she had experienced. And that was the key, that was why she had wanted to reach out, to let this girl know that she wasn't alone. That there was someone she could talk to that would actually understand and know what she was going through.

His heart broke as he heard Cat's reply. He hung his head, he didn't want to listen anymore, it was too much for him. He backed away from the door and made his way to the car. He sat himself down in the driver's seat as he waited for Nikki. His mind wandered to the day she had announced that she was pregnant, that her and Matt were going to have a child together. He could see Matt digging his fingers into her side, he could see Nikki wincing in pain.

He had no doubt that Matt could be controlling, he had seen that when she realised that he had been deleting messages. But he never thought he would be physical with her. And Nikki was a strong person, she would never normally stand for something like that. But, if he really thought about it, she hadn't been herself. Not since the accident, not since Matt had become this overbearing person in her life.

He thought back to when he had come out of Nikki's room to Matt shouting, he had seen his anger strike then. Jack almost flinched at the thought of Nikki being on the receiving end of that. It made his blood boil. He had seen how angry Matt had truly been that day and it scared even him. Matt had always struck Jack as being very placid and calm but you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

His thoughts were interrupted by Nikki opening the car door and settling down on the passengers side. She looked exhausted. Drained. And he could tell that she had been crying again.

"You alright?" He asked as he started the car up. She just nodded, swiping a hand under her eye.

They had been driving for a couple of minutes and Jack had to avoid the temptation to reach over the threshold and place his hand on her thigh. That wasn't his place to do that anymore, not that it was ever really his place anyway. She was never his and she probably never would be now. But he was going to get it out of her, he had a million questions on his mind. The one he had wanted to ask her desperately was one that he was still going to remain sitting on. He needed to ask her it but not when she was in this state, he needed to not upset her anymore.

"Please don't shout at me," he started, breaking the silence. "But I heard what you said to Cat back then. About what you seen when you were younger."

"What?" Nikki snapped her head towards him, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," he raised a hand in defence. "I just wanted to find out why this case was bothering you so much. Why you were so determined to reach out to Cat."

"And did you get your answer?" She wasn't happy. She had told Cat in confidence, she wanted to make the girl feel as though she had someone she could talk to. It wasn't meant for Jack to overhear.

"Nikki, I didn't," he trailed off, there was no way he could explain what he had done so he decided to move the conversation back to what he had wanted to say. "That couldn't have been easy. Growing up and seeing your parents like that."

He glanced over at her, gauging her reaction. He didn't miss how she had subtly played with the sleeves of her blazer, pulling them down so they fully covered up her arms. That told him everything he needed to know and he had to stop himself from pulling over there and then.

"It's not a good environment for a child," he continued. He could see that she was getting more nervous as he carried on speaking about this topic. "Nikki, if there's anything you want to talk to me about, I'm still here. I always will be. Whatever has happened between us, it doesn't change the fact that I'm still your friend. And if there is anything bothering you or that you want to get off your chest, please please talk to me."

Nikki stayed quiet, not finding the right words to say. She was grateful for Jack being there, she really was but she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. With everything going on it was just getting too much for her.

Jack was sat on his sofa back at his apartment. He had been staring at the ceiling for the best part of two hours, his mind whirring with thoughts of Nikki. He had wanted to ask her about the baby, he wanted to know if it was actually Matt's. But he couldn't ask her in the car, it didn't seem the right place or the right time. She had been so upset after talking to Cat, he couldn't add something else on top of that.

Then there was Matt and how she reacted when he mentioned how growing up in an abusive household can't be any good for a child. Although he could've just been reading too much into that, it was a sensitive topic for her after all. And he was yet to actually see any bruises on her.

But he couldn't stop his mind turning back to that baby and that scan photo. The feeling he had when he seen it was so strong, he had to know for sure that this baby wasn't his. He had to hear it from Nikki's lips. Only then would he believe it. And he couldn't wait any longer.

He stood up and grabbed his keys from the counter and dashed out to his car. He parked up on Nikki's street, a few doors down from her house. He sat in his car for a moment, mulling over whether or not this really was a good idea. She had been so upset today and he didn't want to be the one that made that worse but he needed to get answers otherwise he wouldn't be able to get it off his mind, that she just might be carrying his child after all. His flesh and blood.

Nikki jumped as she heard the knock on the door. She hadn't been expecting anyone. She waited for a moment, expecting Matt to answer it but then she quickly remembered that he had just gone into the shower. Standing up she made her way to the door. She knew who it was straight away, the shadow in the frosted window undeniably him.

Her heart sank as she wondered what it is he had wanted. She hadn't stopped thinking about what he had said earlier and she knew that he had caught on to what was going on. Then her mind reminded her that Jack really shouldn't be here at all, if Matt found out then she was dead. This conversation they were about to have was going to have to be a quick one, so that Matt didn't catch them. She moved to open the door, stepping outside and letting it shut behind her.

"Jack you can't be here," she spoke through gritted teeth.

"What?" Jack replied, almost breathless after having to work himself up to stand on her doorstep.

"What do you want? And make it quick," she snapped, her arms wrapping around herself as the cold wind nipped at her skin.

Well in a way that made things easier for Jack so he got straight to the point, "Is it mine?"

"What do you mean is it yours?" Nikki didn't need to ask that, he knew exactly what he was getting at.

"The baby," Jack affirmed. "Is it mine?"

"No," Nikki lied, bluntly. She had said it without even thinking, as though she had prepared herself for this question. He hadn't asked it at the time, in a way she had wanted him to, if he had then she probably would've told him. But now, she was so deep into it she couldn't go back.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," she wanted to tell him, she really did. She wanted to shout it from the rooftops, to tell him the truth. To tell him everything that was really going on. But she could hear Matt's voice in her head, screaming at her. This was the best thing for them, for her and Jack. As much as it was killing her.

Jack closed his eyes and bit down on his top lip, feeling stupid. He really had convinced himself that this was his baby. That picture really had made him feel as though he was looking at his child. But hearing Nikki say that it wasn't his, broke his heart all over again. He watched as Nikki glanced behind her, she was on edge. Like she was waiting for Matt to interrupt them.

"Nikki is there something going on?" Jack pushed, realising that he wasn't quite finished yet despite getting an answer to his question. Nikki looked back at him, an incredulous look on her face. "If Matt's hurting you Nikki tell me. I can help you."

"Matt isn't hurting me Jack," she sighed, she really didn't want to have this conversation, not when Matt was so close. He was going to kill her if he seen that Jack was outside.

"I've seen how angry he can get Nikki," Jack carried on. "That day in the hospital he…"

"And what about you Jack?" Nikki interrupted, suddenly feeling obliged to defend her relationship with Matt. "I've seen you get angry as well. I've seen you being tipped over the edge, nearly killing someone because you wouldn't stop punching them."

"This isn't about me," Jack exclaimed, not liking where this was going. She was hitting a nerve and he was struggling to understand why Nikki was saying all of this now, it wasn't as if she complained at those times since he was protecting her.

"You can't exactly talk Jack," she scoffed.

"What is going on?" He turned away from her, taking a deep breath. How had they come to this? They had been doing so well, they had managed to sort everything out after Mexico. They were in a really good place and now it felt as though their relationship was shattered on the ground in front of them. He was looking at her again, his voice soft. "I would never hurt you Nikki."

"Yeah?" Nikki continued, the adrenaline pumping around her body. "And what if I pushed you hard enough. Pressed the wrong button. Would you still say that then?" She didn't know why she was doing this, she didn't want to lose him but she could just feel herself drifting away from him. Like that was the only way she could protect him.

"Nikki I can't do this anymore," he breathed. "I love you. But this, it's killing me. I don't know what's going on and you clearly don't want to talk to me anymore so this is it. This is me walking away, giving up. I hope you're happy with Matt and I hope that by me leaving it will mean that Matt will stop hurting you. Unfortunately I don't think that will be the case because I'm not the problem and neither are you. But you're not ready to see that just yet. So, tomorrow, I'll start looking for another job."

Her heart dropped as the words fell from his mouth, this wasn't how she wanted it to go. This wasn't how she wanted it to be. But she couldn't find the words to speak for the lump forming in her throat and the tears welling up in her eyes.

"And I'll get out of your hair. I'll leave you alone," he stepped closer to her, his hands cupping her face with his hands. "But Nikki, know this. If I ever find out that you've lied to me about this baby I will never forgive you for that." The tears rolled down his cheeks as he dropped his hands and walked away from her.

Nikki urged her voice to call after him, for her feet to run but she stayed there. Glued to the floor. Her stomach dropping as she heard the door open behind her.

"Nikki," Matt spoke, his voice sending a chill down her spine. "I think you better get inside."