After Mexico, and after the aftermath of Mexico, it became very clear to Nikki that Jack was the person who meant the most to her. Even after they'd made up, she found herself in constant fear of losing him; every time he left the room she felt a tugging somewhere deep inside her, as though the connection they shared had become physical. It wasn't until the two ended up stuck in a lift in the Lyell together, however, that she realised that she had actually gone and fallen for this scary-looking, broken softie – that he meant so much to her because she was totally and utterly in love with him.

Unfortunately, this revelation was rather overshadowed by the circumstances for it – in short, the fact that she was, once again, trapped in a tiny, dark space. As soon as she had heard the tell-tale clunk of the machine malfunctioning, she began to hyperventilate; by the time the emergency lights flickered on, she was crouched on the floor, shaking.

"Nikki," Jack murmured, voice warm, comforting. His features swam before her – he too was bent down on the floor, looking worriedly into her face. "It's okay, I'm here, Nikki."

She felt comfort and fear clash within her, her heart racing chaotically in response to both; she knew, really, that Jack was right there, in front of her, holding her, now – but she could feel the sweltering heat from before, the insects crawling across her, the sinking in her stomach as she watched the battery of the phone glimmer into nothingness, engulfed by darkness, all alone, always alone...

Except she wasn't alone, now. She wouldn't have been alone then, either, if Jack could've helped it, and she knew that self-hatred still burned in him for , as he saw it, failing to protect her. Not that she blamed him in the slightest. But he cared for her in a way that haunted her – the panic in his voice when he thought that she was gone echoed around her head even now, on bad days.

"They were meant to have fixed this bloody thing," she heard him mutter angrily as she started to zone back into the world around her. Jack was kicking at the floor with his heel in frustration. "I'm sorry, Nikki-"

"Not your fault," she gasped, interrupting him, and trying to steady her breathing. "I'm sorry, for, you know – all this -" Her voice cracked and she cradled herself tighter than before. Jack felt something in him break at the sight of her, curled up into herself, tears streaming down her face.

"No need to be sorry," he mumbled into her hair, holding her tighter. "You're okay, you're doing so well. Just try to breathe, with me, okay?"

Nikki tried, and, eventually, it seemed to work. In, out, in, out. She did the five senses exercise that her therapist had recommended; her breathing slowed considerably. She picked at the hem of Jack's checked shirt in an attempt to ground herself.

"I'm here, okay? And the maintenance people will have this sorted in half an hour tops."

She nodded, then pulled away from him slightly, wiping her eyes. "I think I got mascara on your shirt."

Jack grinned wolfishly. "I'd rather have your lipstick on m-."

"I'm not wearing any," she laughed, interrupting him, prodding his arm jokingly. Jack chuckled too, and thought privately that he'd never seen a woman with a prettier smile than hers.

After a moment of silence, she said a quiet "thank you", and looked up at him, properly, to see him looking at her with such tenderness that she was forced into the startling realisation of why Jack meant so much to her. There was no one else she'd rather see when she was feeling like this – no one she'd rather see, ever. Despite everything they'd been through, he was her safe space, her best friend, the person she cared about the most – the person she loved.

It hit her all at once and she thought for a second that she might start crying again, but with a deep breath, she reached forward, cupped Jack's surprised face in her hand, and pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to his lips.

Jack froze. Nikki froze, too, then pulled back, blushing furiously. "Sorry, I thought-"

"No." A pause. "I mean, yes."

Nikki looked at him questioningly.

"Yes, but – are you okay? I don't want to take advantage, Nikki, there's no rush." he took her hand from where it rested on his shoulder and pressed it between his own two. The sincerity in his eyes made her heart flutter.

"You're too good," she smiled. "Far too good."

"I try."

Another shared smile. Then, Nikki looked at him seriously, and leaned forward to kiss him again, harder this time; when they broke apart, she whispered in his ear that she'd never been more sure of anything in her life, and in return, he said the three little words that in her insecurity she never thought she'd hear from anyone, much less from Jack:

"I love you."