Thank you, again, for your wonderful reviews! Amelie, in answer to your question no, it wasn't their first time but that was the only chapter I felt flowed nicely into it so wanted to include it. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)


It was the morning after Jack had unintentionally proposed to Nikki, or did Nikki technically propose to Jack? I don't suppose they would argue about it much, they were engaged now and they weren't even living together yet. But, that was obviously about to change. Jack was the first to wake up, glancing over to Nikki who was sleeping soundly. Not a care in the world. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her left hand was resting on his chest. He looked down at it, staring at the ring that reflected the sunlight.

He could feel the adrenaline surge through his body, it was going to take a while for this whole situation to sink in. If he went back seven years ago and told himself that one day he would actually be - almost - living and engaged to Nikki, he would never have believed it. He reached out and ran his finger along hers, feeling it under his skin made his heart jump.

Goosebumps erupted over his body as he felt Nikki stir next to him. He snapped his head to look at her but she was yet to open her eyes but the smile that was spread across her face gave away the fact that she had woken up. Jack's face was quickly mirroring hers, his throat feeling tight as he drank in her features. He had finally got one of the things he'd always wanted, he was able to wake up to her beautiful face in the mornings.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, her voice croaky, making the grin on Jack's face spread even further.

"How much this ring suits you," he breathed. "And how lucky I am to have you lying next to me."

"Shut up," she chuckled, pushing her face into his chest.

"What? Am I not allowed to appreciate my fiance?" He retorted.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to you calling me that," she finally opened her eyes and leaned her chin onto Jack's chest, gazing up at him. "How long do you think it will take for Sam to notice the ring?"

He gave her a funny look, "She's a forensic pathologist Nikki, something tells me she's going to see it straight away. Besides, you can hardly miss it can you?" He picked her hand up in his and ran his finger over the ring again. "It is quite eye catching."

He watched as her face contorted, she was thinking about something else, "What else is on your mind?" He asked.

She sighed, "I don't know. I was just wondering what Leo would be saying right now. Do you think he would've been happy for us?"

Jack's arm that was still wrapped around her tightened, holding her closer to him, "Of course he would've been. He'd be over the moon to be able to walk you down the aisle. I hope you're not thinking otherwise?"

Nikki shook her head, "I never could be sure of what was going on in his head. He always seemed to be happy for me when things happened but he always had that look in his eye that I could never quite determine what it meant," she paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "When something happened between me and Harry, I think he approved of what was going on but, like I said, he had that look. It's like he knew it wasn't going to work out. He had that kind of look when you came onto the scene but it wasn't disapproving, do you get what I mean?" Jack simply nodded not wanting to interrupt her flow because she clearly hadn't finished making her point. "Did he know that you and I were going to end up together? Or did he just know that we were going to work well together?"

Jack shrugged, "I can't know that and neither can you. If you want to believe that he thought that to bring you some comfort then go ahead. You always said that Leo was like a father to you so it's not surprising that he would know what or even who was good for you," he stopped, watching her reaction. He couldn't quite judge it so carried on, "When did you have time to think about all of this?"

"I'm always thinking about Leo," she started. "He's always on my mind but it was just when I was lying here last night, I couldn't stop the thoughts running round my head. You were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up with my nightly thoughts. I suppose I just want to know what he'd say. Which is funny because I didn't think of my actual father. I rarely think of him."

"You never really talk about your parents," he pointed out, hoping that he wasn't crossing the line but she seemed to not mind so far. "What actually happened to them?" Nikki's face dropped and he could see the tears forming in her eyes, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I understand that it's a part of your life that you want to keep to yourself but sometimes it helps to get things off your chest."

"No," she interrupted him. "I want to talk about it. It's just hard for me sometimes, to come to terms with it all. I lost my mother when I was fourteen, not that much older than Daisy really. And it broke me. I was stuck with my father who I hated so much. He abused my mother for years and he tried to take our money and left us. Then when she died, I had to go to him and he brought me over here. As soon as I was old enough to get away from him and live my life I grabbed that opportunity with everything I had. I got myself a degree and made a name for myself, until he got himself arrested for fraud and tried to reach out to me. Then my grandmother died and that was it. He wouldn't leave me alone. All he ever talked about was wanting to rekindle our relationship. He said he was sorry but he wasn't, he just wanted me to free him of his guilt and I wouldn't do that, I couldn't do that," she tried her hardest to hold back the tears but a few escaped, resulting in Jack reaching out and wiping them away, keeping his hand on her cheek. Her hand came to rest on top of his.

"When I was told that he had passed away I felt nothing," she continued. "At first anyway. I felt something eventually but I could never forgive him for ruining my life and destroying my mother. I can't change what he did and deep down I suppose I do love him in some way. He'll always be my father but that doesn't make him any more of one. Leo was the father I never had and I will forever be grateful to him for providing me with the love that I never got. I just hope when we have kids, if we do, that I will be able to be there for them and love them better than my father 'loved' me."

Jack stayed silent, digesting all the information and trying to think of what the best thing was to say, "Woah," was all he could muster. His thumb circled her cheeks, wiping away her tears again. "Do you ever miss being in South Africa?" He questioned, wanting to distract her somewhat from what was clearly distressing her.

"Sometimes," she breathed. "It was a completely different way of life over there Jack. I'd go back and visit my old friends more often but every time I'm over there I'm just reminded of her. Everything over there just makes me think of my mother and it breaks my heart. I would do anything to bring her back, just to have her with me," she let the tears fall freely now, no point trying to keep them in by now.

Jack's hand travelled to the back of her head and gently pushed her in his direction, their lips connecting in the middle briefly. He pulled away, Nikki's head dropping and laying on top of his chest again. He engulfed her in his arms and held her tightly as the sobs wracked her body. His fingers caressed her skin under the jumper of his that she was wearing. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the silence.

"How about I go and make some breakfast for us? If I stay in this bed with you any longer I won't want to leave it and I don't fancy being the one to tell Professor Ryan why you and I haven't turned up for work today," he winked at her causing her to giggle. He smiled down at her, satisfied that he had cheered her up despite her pouring her heart out to him not half an hour ago.

"That sounds lovely," Nikki mumbled, her eyes drooping. Jack groaned as he pulled the blanket from over his legs and sat on the edge of the bed. He grabbed a pair of boxers from the drawer and set about putting them on. He looked over his shoulder at Nikki who had closed her eyes, a smirk on her face. Shaking his head, he stood up and headed to the kitchen.

After filling the kettle up he switched it on and placed two mugs on the counter, spooning a teaspoon of coffee in one and a teabag in the other. As he waited for the kettle to boil he sprayed a pan with oil and cracked two eggs. He then placed two pieces of bread in the toaster. By this time, the kettle had boiled and he poured the hot water into the mugs before topping them up with milk. He turned his attention back to the eggs that were ready to flip.

"You took your time," he called out,

feeling Nikki's presence in the room. "Can you butter the toast and grab two plates please?"

"Sure thing," she replied, following her orders and reaching up for two plates in the cupboard before placing the fresh toast on them and buttering them. Jack was quick behind her and set the eggs on top of the toast. He finished off their drinks and carried them to the table as Nikki carried the plates.

They ate their breakfast in silence before Jack gathered up the dishes and started washing them. He grinned as he felt Nikki come up behind him and wrap her arms around his waist. He felt himself shiver as her lips touched his skin. It wasn't long before he had finished washing the dishes and was turning around in her arms so he could face her.

"You know what you said earlier? Did you really mean that?" He pondered.

Nikki's eyebrows knitted together, not quite sure what he was getting at, "What are you talking about?"

"Me and you having kids together," he searched her eyes, wondering how she was taking it. "You mentioned it yesterday but I just thought you were caught up in the moment but then you said it again earlier and I just wanted to know if it was on your mind and if it was something you were seriously thinking about?"

"I'd never given it much thought until last year, when I had that scare with Matt," she frowned, getting the feeling that her and Jack weren't quite on the same page with this subject. "Ever since then I can't get it off my mind. I want a family Jack. I know what's between us is new and this is a massive step and I'm not saying right now but I don't exactly have much time left, do I?" She swallowed the lump in her throat, determined to not cry for the second time this morning.

He placed his hands on her arms, noticing that she was getting upset, "How about we give it at least a year? See where we go from there?"

Nikki's face relaxed, her lips twitching into a smile again, "So you're not opposed to the idea?"

"Of course I'm not," Jack chuckled, leaning down, his lips brushing hers. "I thought we've had this conversation before anyway? You know I want kids." His lips collided with hers once again. His hand reaching round to the back of her neck, bringing her closer to him, deepening the kiss. He pulled back from her before things got too carried away. "I love you."

Nikki reached up on her tip-toes, pecking him on the lips, "When are you going to tell your dad?"

"Tonight probably," Jack answered. "Come on, we best get ready for work."