Chapter Eighteen – Falling

'Greg!' Nick burst through the break room door.

Greg's hand dropped immediately from her face and he spun around almost as fast, spilling coffee on the floor. Harriet turned her head away and looked at her son. There was no doubt about what had just nearly happened and she couldn't get it out of her head. She took a deep breath and turned to listen to what Nick was saying.

'We've got a hit from trace, we need to go bring in Salvatore now,' Nick was saying, excitedly.

'Yeah sure,' Greg said, jumping up and putting his coffee cup on the table.

He dashed towards the door to follow Nick, then stopped for a second and turned to look back at Harriet. His face was unreadable like he wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed or regretful.

Greg's heart was beating like a samba drummer on speed but not because he was about to kiss anyone. Nick had scared the life out of him, both because he had come bursting through the door and because he wasn't sure how much Nick had seen. He took in what the CSI said and quickly followed him, turning briefly to look at Harriet. He realised now that he had seriously wanted to kiss her and wished that he hadn't been interrupted but was also unsure of what the repercussions might be later.

A few days later…

Harriet kept looking at him as he slept beside her. She was exhausted, hadn't had much sleep but she didn't mind. Watching as he breathed in and out in the depths of sleep, her heart skipped a beat. He was wonderful, so perfect. She couldn't imagine what her life had been like before this. They had only been together properly for a few days but she had fallen in love with him at last. How could she have ever doubted her feelings for him?

She stroked his hair as he slept and whispered 'I love you.'

He stirred a little and opened his beautiful brown eyes, looking tiredly at her. He smiled in his childish way.

'Mummy, I need the toilet,' he said.

'O.k., but be quiet you don't want to wake Greg up,' Harriet said as the little boy jumped out of bed.

She got up, put her dressing gown on and followed him to Greg's room. Carefully, she opened the door and they both tiptoed in. It was extremely dark as the curtains were drawn probably to keep the light out whilst he tried to sleep during the day. If only he'd done that the day he got a flash of me, Harriet thought, now amused by the embarrassing memory.

Jake giggled, obviously finding it funny that they were having to tiptoe. Harriet glanced at the bed and saw a Greg shaped lump in the blankets. He was still sleeping.

'Shh, Jake,' she said as quietly as possible.

Jake clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from giggling and they continued their silent ballet style walk to the bathroom. Harriet turned the handle and opened the door, walking in with Jake in front.

'Aaaaah!' Harriet squealed in surprise.

'Aaaaah!' was the simultaneous response from Greg who appeared to have been getting dried in the bathroom following his shower.

'Get out the way I need a wee!' Jake ordered as Greg quickly covered himself back up with his towel.

Jake pushed past Greg, totally unfazed by his the nakedness of the man and proceeded to lift the lid and take a pee. Harriet blushed and looked away from Greg for a moment. The Greg shaped lump in the blankets must have just been the blankets. Then, realising how much fun she could have at work with this, she turned back to him, a sly grin creeping across her face. Greg seemed to realise what she was thinking and if his face could have looked anymore dismayed than it already did then it probably would have done.

'Mummy, mummy, can I have something to eat now?' Jake was tugging on the leg of her pyjama bottoms.

Harriet crouched down to him and ruffled his hair affectionately. She couldn't believe how quickly it had taken her to bond with him although she wasn't ready to admit it to anyone else yet. She had freaked herself out earlier when she had woken up and told him she loved him even though he was asleep and couldn't hear her. It was scary and she was still afraid to admit any feelings for him although she realised she had crossed a line now that would be impossible to return over.

'Of course you can, what will it be today sweetie pie?' she asked, smiling at her son.

'I want bacon and fruit loops!' he squealed.

'In the same bowl?' Harriet asked, pulling a face.

'Yeah!' Jake jumped up and down, laughing.

'Come on you idiot let's see what we can find,' she said, laughing at him.

She grabbed him quickly and picked him up doing a mock evil genius laugh.

'Ha ha, I've got you now, and you can't escape,' she said, carrying him out of the room with him protesting and trying to get free.

Greg could not believe what had just happened. He was quite happily in the middle of getting dried when they had to come bursting into the room. He couldn't remember a time when he had been more embarrassed, even Sara telling Mia how old he was when he lost his virginity wasn't as embarrassing as being caught stark naked in his bathroom. Jake hadn't been bothered but he swore Harriet had got a good flash of everything. And then she had given him that look which could only mean she was plotting a perhaps well deserved revenge on him when they got to work.

He had been worrying immensely about it until he saw the interaction between Harriet and Jake. Five days ago, that would never have happened. In the daytime after work she had been staying up and spending time with him, going to bed later so she wasn't getting much sleep but she had seemed happier, had even taken him out to the diner round the corner from the lab.

Once or twice, Greg had stayed up for a bit with them but he didn't find a lack of sleep as easy to cope with as Harriet and by the second day, he had started to leave her and Jake to do their own thing whilst he slept.

Harriet hadn't really talked about what they did during the day but sometimes Jake would fill him in. He was only three years old but seemed to find it so easy to talk to Greg despite only knowing him for a short time and he was quite articulate for his age too. Must get that from his mother, Greg had thought.

He hadn't mentioned the near-kiss to Harriet and likewise she hadn't said a word about it either. Maybe he had been mistaken in thinking that she had known what he had nearly done. Just because he knew he was about to kiss her, didn't mean she had thought that. She could have just thought he was being weird.

Not that he minded not having to talk about it and it was a bit of a relief that she didn't know how he felt. Besides he was glad that she was bonding with her son and he could see the difference in the way she acted towards Jake, like she was enjoying spending time with him. She looked proud of him, perhaps even loved him. It was certainly clear by the way she had taken Jake to get some food. She had seemed oblivious to Greg as she scooped her son into her arms, playfully, and left the bathroom. If he was honest, he was ever so slightly jealous that he wasn't getting as much time with her. But maybe that was just his disappointment at the realisation that she probably felt nothing more than friendship for him.

A/N - I thought it was time for a little bit more humour judging by how angsty things got in the previous few chapters. Hope that was entertaining for everyone reading this. Also, I thoughtI would be a little mean by trying to make everyone think Harriet was talking to Greg at the beginning and not Jake. I just hope it worked. Onwards and upwards...