Chapter two

Jack and Connor were playing cards when there was a loud crash from the kitchen, followed by the unusual sound of Nikki swearing. Connor's eyes met Jack's as Jack's eyebrows raised.

'There goes my favourite dish...' he joked, before dropping his cards on the coffee table and pushing himself off the sofa. 'Better go and see what's going down. Do you want a drink, Da?'

'I'm fine thanks, son.' Connor replied. 'You go and help Nikki.'

Jack nodded, before heading into the kitchen. He found Nikki crouching, scooping up broken pieces of ceramic dish and parsnips off the floor.

'What are you doing to my kitchen?' Jack joked, but his smile quickly faded when he saw that Nikki looked a little upset. 'Hey! It's alright. It's only a dish.'

'I'm sorry, Jack...' Nikki mumbled, standing to place the pieces in the bin. 'I'll replace it.'

'Don't worry about it! I was only joking. I never liked that dish anyway.'

'You use it all the time,' Nikki said sadly. 'And that was all the parsnips... what's a Christmas dinner without parsnips?'

Jack reached for her shoulders and gently squeezed them. She was tense in his grip, and his face folded into a frown.

'Hey, Nikki... Christmas is supposed to be fun. Go and take a seat on the sofa with my Da and I'll sort this out.'

'I promised to cook you both Christmas dinner! I wanted everything to be perfect.'

Jack pulled her into his arms, feeling her body relax slightly against his. 'Nikki...' he sighed. 'It's already perfect, just because you're here. I couldn't care less about the bloody parsnips.'

Nikki sighed, closing her eyes as she breathed in his reassuring scent. His wooly Christmas jumper tickled her face and she couldn't help but smile.

'What's going on with you today? Why are you putting so much pressure on yourself?' Jack pulled away from her and cupped her entire face with his palm. 'It's just us. You don't have to impress anyone.'

'It's not just you and your dad... I can't think of anyone that matters more. I want you to have a nice day. A perfect day.'

Jack planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. 'We are having a nice day. Now stop worrying. There's no need.'

He reached into the cupboard and pulled out a wine glass, then filled it to the top. Nikki needed to relax. She was always a perfectionist, but he didn't want her to feel this way on Christmas Day. It was her day to relax too.

'Here. Take this and go relax in the lounge with my Da. I'll sort this out.'

Nikki opened her mouth to protest, but he pressed his index finger to her lips.

'No arguments, ok? He's probably bored of me anyway, he'd appreciate some more interesting company for a bit. If he's still awake that is... if he's not, maybe you could have a nap too. But don't dribble on my cushions.'

Nikki giggled, his words evoking the memory of yet another time he'd had her back. He always had, ever since the day they'd met. If only she'd admitted how she felt about him sooner. Maybe if she had, they'd have had lots of Christmases together already.

On tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his. 'I love you, Jack.'

'I love you too,' he gripped her waist and firmly steered her out of the kitchen, before she had the chance to protest again. 'Now go, relax.'

For once, Nikki did as she was told. She walked through to the living room, where Connor was, just as Jack predicted, lying back against the chair, a scatter of cards at his feet and his mouth half open as he gently snored. After placing her wine glass on the coffee table, Nikki picked up one of the blankets casually thrown across the back of the sofa and gently tucked it over Connor. He was dead to the world. She was fond of him, he was lovely to her and she knew he meant the world to Jack.

She thought about putting on a Christmas film while she waited for Jack to return, but decided not to in case she woke Connor. Instead, she grabbed a pink fudge from the Quality Street tin on the table and put it in her mouth, savouring the sweet taste. Then she grabbed another blanket and curled up under it on the sofa, pulling it right up to her chin. Now she came to think of it, she was quite tired. She'd not slept very well last night, restlessly turning over for half the night anxious about today. Perhaps a nap before lunch was just what she needed.

Once Jack got the situation under control and everything was cooking away, he returned to the living room to find Nikki curled up on the sofa, just like she had been when he'd returned from the care home to find her there. He felt a pang of love deep inside him as he studied her perfect features. He'd never tire of watching her sleep, especially in his bed or on his sofa. He'd dreamed of finding her like that for so many years, and now it was his reality.

Carefully, he lowered himself onto the opposite end of the sofa, lifting her legs onto his lap. Nikki stirred, settling her body comfortably around his. They were the perfect fit.

Some time later, Nikki woke to the delicious smell of a roast almost done. Connor was no longer in his chair and she jolted upright, pushing the blanket back. How long had she been asleep?

'Jack?' She called, her voice still crackly from sleep. She smoothed her hair and wiped her face, just as Jack walked in from the kitchen. He was wearing a very mucky apron and he had a dusting of flour in his hair. Clearly, he'd been working hard in there.

'Hey, sleeping beauty,' he grinned playfully. 'I wondered when you'd wake up.'

'I didn't mean to sleep for so long, you should have woken me...'

'Ah. What's Christmas if it's not for lounging about, hey? Anyway, Da and I have got it all under control in here. Turns out he makes a mean Yorkshire pudding. It'll be ready in fifteen minutes.'

'I'll lay the table then...' Nikki padded through to the dining room in her fluffy socks.

She felt guilty for leaving Jack and Connor to do all the work, when she'd promised to cook dinner for them! Still, they didn't seem to mind at all - she watched them for a bit from a distance. They were working together, talking about Christmases many years ago when Jack and Ryan's mum was still alive. Nikki's mind wandered to the few memories she had of Christmases with her own mum. It was on days like these that she missed her even more. She wondered what her mum would make of Connor; he was so different to her own father. Not that Jack's childhood had been plain sailing by any means.

Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she got to work setting the places, putting the crackers and decorations she'd bought on the table. She knew that Jack wouldn't remember to get them, and one of the things she enjoyed most about Christmas was the decorating part. Even when she'd spent Christmas alone, she always made sure she had a pretty tree to come home to every day in December. This year, she'd had double the fun with Jack, decorating both of their trees. They did spend more time at Jack's because he liked to be around for Connor, but occasionally he slept over at hers too. Even Connor had joined in with the decorating, and had been very amused when Jack had to get up on a ladder to hang Christmas lights on the front of his house, at Nikki's insistence.

The table was done just in time, and Nikki felt her stomach grumble as the delicious smell of roast dinner hit her nostrils. She was starving. Jack brought the turkey in, which she had to admit looked fantastic.

'Is this another thing you're secretly good at?!' Nikki teased.

'I'll have you know, I'm a man of many hidden talents!' Jack grinned, puffing his chest up comically.

Nikki elbowed him playfully. 'You certainly are.'

He wrapped his arm around her and steered her to the kitchen, where they worked together to take all the other dishes to the table. Connor took his favourite seat at the table, and before long they were all tucking into a feast which would have been enough for twenty.

'It's a shame Cara couldn't make it,' Nikki spooned some crispy roast potatoes onto her plate.

'Yeah,' Jack passed the broccoli to Connor. 'But she'll be here in a couple of days. She's looking forward to getting to know you.'

'I'm looking forward to getting to know her, she seems like a lovely girl.'

Jack took her hand on top of the table and squeezed it. He'd kept in touch with his niece since she'd gone to Ireland, and he couldn't wait to catch up properly now she was back. He was also really looking forward to watching her get to know Nikki. Cara had delighted in saying 'I told you so' when he told her that he and Nikki were together - she'd known from the first time she met the pathologist that her uncle was hopelessly in love with her, especially when he'd immediately tried to change the subject.

'And Ryan. It's a shame Ryan couldn't make it,' Connor mumbled, before tucking into his dinner.

'Mmm.' Jack exhaled, unable to bring himself to say anything else.

Ryan was no longer welcome in Jack's house. Not after what he'd done to his own father, nor what he'd tried to do to Cara. He'd put them both in danger, and that was unforgivable in Jack's eyes. Nikki could see that he'd tensed up; her hand crept under the table to rest on his leg. She gave it a reassuring squeeze. He turned to her and their eyes connected; any anger in Jack's melted away under her loving gaze.

'Merry Christmas,' Connor raised his glass. 'And a happy new year. Here's to new beginnings.'

'To new beginnings,' Nikki and Jack echoed, smiling at each other as their glasses clinked with Connor's. Connor couldn't have chosen a more apt toast, thought Nikki to herself.