(A/N): Second and final part up now! So this is definitely AU after this week's episodes, but I like this more than the mentions of Matt we did get. I hope I made this believable enough. I still own nothing.

Surviving the Storm

Chapter 2

Nikki blinked in surprise as her phone lit up on the bedside table, glancing over to read the time as quarter past eleven. Harry had shown her the spare room in his grand tour, dumping her bags in there for her before they'd made a run out for some food for the evening. He hadn't complained when she'd refused to move more than arms' reach from him the entire time, nor when she'd warned him she might have the bedroom light on all night. She knew the night would bring nightmares, but she wouldn't be quite so scared on waking up if the lights were on. Much harder to convince herself she was back in that box if it was bright in the room. Sighing, Nikki rolled over and snagged the phone from the side, unsurprised to see Matt's number on the screen. So he'd finally noticed she wasn't there. It had only taken him about ten hours or so. She pressed the green button to answer it but didn't speak, lay waiting though she wasn't sure for what.

"Nikki? I thought you'd be at home, waiting for me like we said."

"I told Evelyn to tell you I wouldn't be doing that." She tried her best to keep her voice down so as to not wake Harry. At least one of them should be able to sleep.

"She did, but I thought you'd spend a few hours sightseeing before coming home."

"Sightseeing? Why on earth would I want to be sightseeing, Matt?" Nikki sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her ire rising with him instantly. She didn't wait patiently at home like the good little housewife for anybody. Especially not when her entire world was falling apart and she'd turned to him to make it better, only he'd been too absorbed by work to see it, to see her. "What I want is something I can't have: Thomas back."

"Oh Nikki, I'm sorry, I truly am. Where are you? I'll come and get you."

"I don't need picking up, thank you. And anyway, I'm in New York." She stood up and moved to gaze out of the small window in her room, eyes watching the still bustling streets below in the city that never sleeps. She apparently was destined to join them in that insomnia. "All I wanted was for you to be there for me Matt, is that so wrong?"

"I told you, I was busy Nikki. Unfortunately, my work doesn't stop. What on earth are you doing in New York? Just let me know where you are and I'll send a car to pick you up and bring you to DC tomorrow."

Nikki felt her irritation rising as well as her ire at being treated like a child that needed supervision, along with the assumption that his work somehow made it much more important than hers. She knew things hadn't been quite right since the plane crash, but she'd never felt this towards her boyfriend before. Maybe it was the grief, the shock of losing Thomas, but she doubted it. She'd bristle just the same way no matter who tried to treat her like that. "I am not a child Matt and I'll do what I like. You're too busy for me, that's fine. But I'm staying in New York now. I might have time to drop back into DC before I fly home but I wouldn't count on it. Goodnight." She hung up, staring down at her phone in mild disbelief at her actions and words. Had she really just done that?

Placing her phone back onto the bedside table, Nikki clambered back into the bed and pulled the duvet up around her, enveloped once more in the scent of fresh linen and something faint that was simply Harry. And despite her anger, despite her grief, she felt herself drift off before her head really hit her pillow.

...

Harry grinned as he led Nikki into the science building by the hand, their fingers intertwined. Most people would assume them a couple, but then people had assumed that ever since he and Nikki had first begun working together. Sunday had been spent showing the brunette woman round the area surrounding his apartment, including all the best takeaways he'd found in his eight year stint. She'd laughed and called him names, whilst he'd teased her for her new hair and habit of stealing his things, which this time was a hoodie to ward off the slight chill in the air so she didn't have to wear a coat. She'd told him a bit more about Thomas and Jack and Clarissa and he'd told her about some of his university colleagues in turn.

"So, poshest inappropriate, go." He murmured into her ear as he led her over to one of the lecture halls on the ground floor.

She glanced at him and he nearly groaned at the mischievous glint in her eye. He was definitely going to regret starting this line of conversation, he just knew it. "Well..." she drew out the torture with a laugh as he opened the door to the hall to let her in before him, both feeling the loss as they let go of the other's hand. "There was that time I dated a Lord."

"You didn't." Harry's jaw dropped as he took in her smug, almost daring features. He'd be tempted to call her a liar, but he'd seen that expression before and knew she was telling the truth. "Posh tart."

"He certainly thought so." Nikki grinned at him again before turning to take in the lecture hall. Nothing special, pretty similar to the ones at LSSE. Rows of staggered chairs and desks up towards the back of the room. "Introduced me to his father and everything."

"Bet he loved you, making his son so happy." Harry set his things down beside the desk the lecturer used.

"Nope, hated me." Nikki shrugged, hopping up to perch on top of the desk. "Thought I was a nosy pathologist. Personally, I blame Leo."

"Why's it Leo's fault?" Harry moved to sit beside her, thighs touching. They had a good twenty minutes before the students would show up for the lecture, so they had time. He'd squared it with his bosses, but he wanted Nikki's presence to be a surprise for his class. Hence why he'd dragged her in half an hour before he was due to teach.

"He made me go to a fundraising dinner instead of him, which was where I met up with James." Nikki shrugged again.

"So what happened? Other than the Lord's dad hating you." He really couldn't see how anyone could hate Nikki.

"The father had dumped a warhead full of uranium back in the sixties in the middle of a forest, but kids had found it not knowing what it was." Harry winced, knowing all too well what would have happened to most of those poor kids. "Leo was digging too deep at the behest of a grieving father and so a fixer of sorts framed Leo to get him discredited and sacked. I found out James was behind it and told him if I meant anything to him he'd fix what he did to Leo. He did fix it, one of the last things he did." Nikki sighed, moving to rest her head on his shoulder. "The dad planted some of the uranium in his office as an act of revenge on James' father. He and the fixer both died."

"I'm sorry." Harry rubbed the top of her head gently with his cheek. "You were right then, all those years ago."

"About what?"

"That you're attracted to the wrong sort of bloke." Harry dodged away as Nikki playfully swatted at him, both grinning. "Okay, I really do have to set up for the day now."

"Let me help. Unless your sorting system has changed dramatically in the time you've been gone."

"No, it's the same as ever. Thanks."

They worked in tandem to get everything sorted out in time, placing worksheets on the edge of benches and the plan placed out in order, plus the practical aspects set up and ready to use. Finishing with a minute or so to spare, Harry and Nikki high fived. Apparently, working together was just like riding a bike.

The students began to filter in, most not even glancing at the front of the room as they shuffled to their seats, but both Harry and Nikki noted the surprise on those that did, evidently wondering who the extra person was. The news made the rounds rapidly, a low hum filling the room as everyone wondered who their professor had dragged into the lecture with him. Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly at Nikki as he waited for them to quieten down. "Right, today's lecture is on facial reconstruction. By the end of the day you should all... yes, Darren?" Harry asked, motioning for a tall, broad-shouldered student who had his hand in the air to speak, resigned already to his lecture being nothing like expected.

"Who's your friend, professor?" He asked, the entire class watching Harry and Nikki expectantly.

Harry sighed, though the corner of his mouth twitched and he knew Nikki would understand what he was about to do. "All in good time. Now where was I?" He turned back to the lecture, ignoring Nikki's smirk and the disappointed groans of his class as he went through the objectives and the basic theory on facial reconstruction. He'd mentioned Dr Alexander a few times already; he'd not been lying when he'd said her name cropped up quite a bit. "So who can tell us what Dr Alexander's technique adds to overall identification?" He asked the class at large.

"Another method to use in case DNA isn't viable?" One student suggested.

Harry nodded. "Great. Anything else?"

"Who cares?" One particularly bored looking student asked, interrupting someone else who had been about to give a proper answer. "This Dr Alexander dude is probably a million years old in an office somewhere and hasn't seen a corpse in forever."

Harry bit his lip to keep his face straight, catching sight of Nikki doing the same from the corner of his eye. "Oh I wouldn't bet on that Matthew."

"I would." Matthew shot back mutinously.

"Would you?" Harry nodded, pursing his lips slightly. "So your bet is that Dr Alexander is an elderly man who is locked up in an office somewhere doing no practical work at all?"

"Yes." Matthew nodded, though he looked a little less certain of himself than before.

"Alright." Harry shrugged, ignoring the confused and slightly horrified sea of faces before him. Matthew tried to disrupt every lesson and usually Harry didn't indulge him, so to see him do so was worrying in itself. Harry turned to Nikki, motioning her to stand up beside him before the students. "I'd like to introduce you all to Dr Nikki Alexander of the Lyell Centre in London, home office certified pathologist who I assure you still works active cases even at her elderly age." He winced as she turned to glare at him over the crack on her age. "Sorry, very young age. Dr Alexander, if you please." Nikki smirked at him but duly fished her work ID from her bag and placed it under the magnifier that each lecturer desk in the science building had, showing the entire class that she was indeed Dr Nikki Alexander of the Lyell Centre, even if she was blonde in the tiny photo.

The entire class burst into noise, most of them laughing that Matthew had finally got his comeuppance and the rest wondering just how their professor had managed to bring in such an expert at the last minute. Harry resolutely ignored the few comments of disbelief that he knew anyone that hot. "Are they usually so... easily entertained?" Nikki asked as she reappeared back at his side.

"No, I blame you."

"I'll take it." She offered him a smirk. "You've just admitted you're boring."

"I did not."

"Did too."

Harry turned back to his class as the noise level settled down. "I mean, I dragged Nikki in today so you can all learn from an expert, but we can always just..." he didn't even get to finish as everyone protested the idea of not learning from Nikki. "Alright, alright. God knows how I'll get any sense from you lot if I don't let her stay."

"Is it the yellow scrubs day?" One brave student asked from near the front, the entire class looking exasperated with their professor.

Nikki instantly rounded on Harry, incredulity written all over her features. "No, tell me you didn't, Harry. Not those yellow scrubs. Haven't the poor students suffered enough with your teaching without inflicting those eyesores on them?" Her complaint drew titters from their audience, most of whom had already questioned their lecturer on why he wore yellow scrubs on occasion when teaching them practicals. His answer of 'fashion' hadn't been enough to satisfy any of them.

"The one and only." Harry confirmed with a grin. "I'll definitely need them now, to save me from you and pina coladas."

"It was a tiny splash."

"It wasn't the size, it was the location." Harry then noticed the entire class hanging on their every word and knew he'd have to explain at least a little for them. "I worked with Dr Alexander for seven years in London before I moved out here. There were a lot of faculty dinners we all had to attend."

"Which is when he bought those awful scrubs." Nikki added. "He'll blame me for that by the way. Now, shall we get started on the basics of facial reconstruction?"

...

The day passed fairly quickly, a practical session in the university's morgue taking up the majority of the day before Harry and Nikki finished up back in the lecture room, though both were still in scrubs and wellies, Harry's bright yellow as promised. They'd been the ones to actually go near the corpses and had had to be suitably attired, letting the students observe for a practical on computer modelling rather than physical modelling. Harry noticed the man from Saturday, the one Nikki had called Matt, appear at the back of the lecture hall, mostly hidden as he sat down right at the back. Pushing it deeper in his mind, Harry grinned at his assembled class. This would be the last lecture he gave this particular class, and he knew he'd miss it, though maybe not some of the more obnoxious students. He turned to Nikki, pretending to bow down to her. "All hail the queen of facial reconstruction."

Nikki laughed, shaking her head at his ridiculousness and blushing as the class burst into a round of applause. "Thank you, thank you. It was a pleasure to teach you all today, so I think you have your professor to thank for dragging me along at the last minute." It was Harry's turn to blush as the applause was then directed at him. "Any questions before we let you go?"

"Can't you both stay and teach us?" One girl asked from the middle of the room. "This has been so much more fun than most of our classes have been all year, and I mean in every class I've been taking, not just this one." Over half the class nodded their agreement.

"My home is London unfortunately and I have to return there." Nikki told them all sweetly, touched that they'd liked her and Harry's joint teaching so much. Leo had always made sure to never let them teach together, claiming that he wanted the students to live under the illusion she and Harry were adults for as long as possible. "However, if any of you have any questions for me in the future, my email address is on the Lyell Centre website."

"Come on professor, can't you convince her?" Another student pleaded.

Harry shook his head with a chuckle. "No one convinces Nikki of anything. Plus this is my last class teaching you lot as well. I wish you all well and hope you achieve great things."

"Very philosophical." Nikki replied.

"Shut up." Harry shook his head, turning back to his class. "Any questions on today's class?"

"Yes, just where was the pina colada spill?" Another student called out, the entirety of the students erupting with laughter as Harry flushed slightly and Nikki smirked.

"Here." Nikki reached out with one finger to poke Harry square in the stomach. Harry mock glared at her as the class' laughter doubled. "What? It was a perfectly reasonable question."

"Sure it was." Harry shook his head at her. "Alright everyone, go home, get drunk, have a nap, do whatever it is you want to do, just get lost." The class filtered out with excited chatter, many of them stopping to thank the pathologists on their way out. Once the last student had left, Nikki removed her apron with a sigh.

"I had fun today, thanks."

"Corpses and reconstructions. I'd forgotten how twisted your version of fun is." Harry grinned. "I'm glad you had fun Nikki. The rest of my classes are all going to be jealous they didn't get to be taught by the famous Dr Alexander, you know." He removed his own apron, not missing the grimace she made in the direction of his yellow scrubs. "I shall have you know these are the height of fashion."

"I still question your taste." Nikki laughed, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "Harry... thanks, you know. For listening to my ramblings and getting me out of my own head."

"I told you, payment in cuppa soup. That's three you owe me now." Harry nodded. "Hey, Niks, it won't be the first time I've dragged you out of your own head and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last. You've done the same for me, remember?" He motioned to the scar along his eyebrow.

"How could I forget? You nearly gave me a heart attack at that memorial."

"Nikki?"

Both pathologists turned in unison to find Matt halfway down the steps towards them, his face a mixture of confusion and concern. "Matt? What are you doing here?" Nikki's entire posture had stiffened, which Harry noted instantly. His Nikki radar hadn't gone rusty with his time away, he noted absently.

"I couldn't let it rest and then Evelyn told me the name of the man who carried you in on Saturday. A quick search showed where he worked and I showed up to ask him if he knew where you were. Finding you here too was coincidence." Matt explained quickly, hopping down the last few steps to the main lecture room floor.

Harry glanced at Nikki, who looked no easier for the explanation, placing a hand lightly on her lower back. With his other, he held his hand out to the dark haired man. "Harry Cunningham."

"Matt Garcia." Matt shook his hand rather reluctantly, turning back to Nikki. "Have you finished punishing me now?"

"I'm sorry?" Nikki asked, incredulous. Harry winced automatically. He'd rarely heard that tone from her and each time he had he felt sorry for whichever poor sod was going to get maimed. "Believe it or not Matt, my life does not revolve around you. Not even a bit. And I am most certainly not petty enough to punish you over being too busy to help me. I thought you knew me better than that."

"Nikki, come on, what was I supposed to think?" Matt threw his hands in the air slightly. "You show up and leave in this random guy's arms and next thing I know you're staying in New York with him and hanging up on me."

"He's not a random guy, he's one of my best friends." Nikki bit back, her hand moving to Harry's arm of its own volition. "It's not the first time he's carried me either, if you're really interested."

"Nikki, I don't think that's helping." Harry held his hands up in surrender as Nikki turned her glare on him for a moment. "Alright, alright. You're the boss."

"I can't do this." Nikki sighed, slumping in defeat, all the fight leaving her body. "You need to go, Matt."

"Not without you." Matt responded firmly, glancing distrustfully in Harry's direction, something neither pathologist missed.

"Yes, without me. This isn't working Matt, and I think you know that. It hasn't been right, hasn't been the same, not since Johnathan." Nikki bit back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. "It's been fun, but I think this is the end of the road for us."

"How long have you been sleeping with him?" Matt burst out bitterly, motioning to Harry. His eyes widened when neither of the ones dressed in scrubs appeared to react to the accusation. For their part, it wasn't the first time someone had accused Harry and Nikki of having an affair when they'd been breaking up with someone. "Or is it Jack?"

Nikki's face darkened dangerously at the mention of Jack. It was one thing to bring Harry into it considering their actions on Saturday, but quite another to bring Jack into it. "I've never slept with either Harry or Jack, but thank you for your faith in me. And Jack's in hospital right now, only just recovering from nerve agent exposure. Get lost Matt." She shuffled closer to Harry, who placed an arm round her shoulders supportively.

"Nikki…"

"No, Matt. I can't do this, not on top of everything else. This is it, done. Over." Tears spilled down her cheeks even though she remained remarkably composed otherwise as she turned to Harry. "I need to shower."

"Changing rooms are down the hallway from the morgue." Harry told her gently. "Come on, I'll show you." They both left the room silently, leaving a shell shocked, stunned man in their wake.

…

Nikki blinked in surprise as her laptop notification indicated that Jack wanted to video chat with her. She'd been at Harry's for four days and had spent most of her time since Monday in his apartment, trying to sort through her mind and emotions surrounding everything that had happened. Unfortunately though, she also had to deal with both her own and Thomas' emails and paperwork, even when in an entirely different country, so she spent a few hours each day working from Harry's sofa. The cleaning team were almost done with the deep clean and the directors of the Lyell Centre were asking her to be the permanent boss rather than just the temporary one.

Her brow furrowed at the notification for video chat. She'd left her obligatory voicemails each night for the forensic scientist with no response, unsurprisingly, so to see that he wanted to chat was completely out of the blue. Not that she didn't want to talk to him; he was still her best friend whether he was talking to her or not. Glancing at the clock, she made the mental calculation that he'd timed it to rest between the times she usually called him, so he knew she'd at least be near her phone. Sighing, Nikki clicked on the option to answer it and adjusted her laptop so her face could be seen better on the video.

Jack's worried, drawn features appeared after a moment, watching her in obvious concern from what was clearly his hospital bed. The doctors weren't taking any chances and had already told Nikki that they'd tell her before releasing him, so he could have the support he needed once he was no longer in their care. She'd fully agreed with them, as had Jack's dad when the doctors had informed him of their plan going forward. She didn't think anyone had told Jack of that plan, rightly guessing what his reaction would likely be to being monitored so closely from all sides.

"Jack? How are you doing?" Nikki asked quickly, her worry for him shining through as she minimised her emails in the background. Work could wait. "It's… it's good to see you." Her smile was genuine at the sight of him on her computer screen.

"Nikki." His voice sounded weaker than usual, but nowhere near as bad as the last time she heard it, she was relieved to note. "Doctors say I'm doing well. And no, I haven't been fighting."

"That's good." Nikki nodded, mentally noting that at least he'd been listening to the voicemails she'd left for him, even if he hadn't replied to them. "Have you spoken to Clarissa recently?"

"Earlier today. I got a half hour lecture on why I should avoid another brush with nerve agent. Like it's something I'm about to try again. Nikki… I heard your voicemails."

"Okay?"

"I… look, it's probably none of my business-"

"Nikki? I picked up some pizza for us on my way home." Harry unintentionally interrupted as he let himself into his flat, juggling his bag, keys and a couple of pizza boxes. Nikki, seeing his struggle, set down her laptop and rushed over, relieving him of the pizza boxes and his keys so he could close the door more easily. "Thanks Niks. Oh, I spoke to my boss and I've the day off tomorrow. We can spend it doing whatever you want."

"You didn't have to do that for me." Nikki placed the pizza boxes and keys on the kitchen counter before moving back in the direction of the sofa and her laptop.

"No, but I wanted to. Stop thinking you don't deserve it. I'm going for a shower."

"Have fun." Nikki dodged the pillow Harry threw at her from the direction of his room as she grabbed hold of her laptop. "Sorry about that Jack. What were you saying?"

Jack's face had only increased its concern, paired with wide eyes and a shocked demeanour. "You sound… different."

"Different how? It might just be a poor connection." Nikki settled herself back more comfortably, using Harry's pillow as an armrest. Something he'd no doubt complain at her later for. "I'm sorry, Jack. I tried to stop him, I did, but Thomas was hell bent on saving you, saving anyone else potentially exposed." Tears slipped down her cheeks unbidden. "I should've fought harder to save him."

"Nikki, Nikki no. None of this is your fault. I'm angry and grateful and a whole bunch of mixed things over what Thomas did for me, but really, none of what happened is your fault. There was absolutely nothing you could have done. Clarissa told me how much you both were trying to save him, to help. Thomas made his decision, no matter how much I might hate it." Jack took a deep breath. "I'm sorry too Nikki. I shouldn't have been ignoring your calls."

"It felt like Mexico all over again." Nikki confessed quietly. "I thought I'd lost you as well as Thomas, with Clarissa too as she's still leaving."

"Oh God. Shit. No, no, you haven't lost me, and I promise I'll try not to be such an idiot in future."

Nikki managed a watery giggle through her tears. "Don't make promises you can't keep Jack."

"Cheeky sod. So, where are you? Only I can see the window from my bed and it's dark here, but it looks suspiciously light in the room you're in. And don't even try to claim it's light there because you're in the room." She managed another laugh at that, shaking her head softly at him.

"I'm in America. I flew out a few days ago, but I should be home Saturday or Sunday." Nikki sighed, another couple of tears spilling down her face. "Jack, I… I ended things with Matt."

"What?! When?"

"Two days ago. Monday. I… things haven't been right for a while and when I came over here… everything just built up out of nowhere and I realised I just couldn't do it anymore. Of course, then he accused me of sleeping with you, so…" Nikki shrugged, missing out the parts about Harry without even thinking about it. As far as she was concerned, Jack only needed to know the parts relevant to him. Especially whilst he was recovering. "So much for having faith in me, eh? I told him to get lost and I blocked his number later that same night."

"Oh Nikki. I'm sorry. I really wanted him to be different for you this time." Jack's face scrunched up in sympathy for her. "Oh, here are my captors for more tests. I'm going to have to go, but I promise, I'll answer the next time you call unless you know, I'm sleeping or peeing or something. I promise, Nikki. This won't be like after Mexico, I swear."

"Listen to the doctors Jack, they know what they're doing." She managed a smile for the first time in her video call. "I'll speak to you soon, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Nikki."

"Bye." Nikki waved slightly as Jack smiled at her and ended the call. She didn't know what had prompted him to end his silence as far as she was concerned, but she was certainly glad he'd called her. She'd missed him.

Behind her, she heard the shower in the en-suite shut off. "Hurry up," she called out teasingly, the call having surprisingly put her in a better mood, "or I'll eat all the pizza myself."

Harry poked his head out of his bedroom, holding his towel tight to his waist. "Don't you dare, Nikki Alexander. Don't you dare."

…

"You should take it, you know." Harry commented idly as he fiddled with Nikki's hair later that night. Her head rested on his lap and her legs dangled over the arm of his sofa. They'd finished off the pizza and watched a random film that had been playing on the television before drifting off into a comfortable silence.

"What?" Nikki forced her eyes to open enough to watch his expression closely.

"The job, the professor position." He clarified softly. "Be the permanent boss and hire another pathologist you can train up."

"I don't want to be the boss though." Nikki sighed, rubbing her hands over her face, utterly exhausted. "Leo and Thomas were the ones who were good at all that politics and delegation and that, not me. I nearly tore my hair out being the boss for a few months last time."

"Nikki, you're probably the most level headed pathologist I've ever met. And let's face it, despite it officially being me in charge when Leo was recuperating, we ran that department together, both the bosses." Harry continued to play with strands of her hair. "You deal with Jack and his moods admirably and come on, you saved me from losing it with Mumford, didn't you? Not to mention countless other times."

"It's not the same thing, Harry." She could see the points he was making, she really could, but it didn't change the fact she'd never wanted to be the boss, temporary or otherwise. "It's like that chair was never meant for me. It was always Leo's chair, and it took an embarrassingly long time for me to finally accept that it was Thomas' chair as well. It just… doesn't feel right."

"I get it. They offered that job to me once you'd turned it down, after Leo…" Harry swallowed heavily. "I thought about it but I just couldn't do it. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that it would be good for you if I did, I couldn't bring myself to walk through those doors to fill Leo's shoes.

"But Nikki, I know you'd be a good boss and honestly, I think you got lucky with Thomas and how understanding he was. You'd be just as understanding and let's face it, this Jack sounds like he needs all the patience you have and then some." He sighed. "I'll drop it for now Nikki, just… think about it okay?"

"I'll think about it, but you won't change my mind Harry."

"Perish the very thought." Harry pressed a hand to his chest in mock horror. "Nikki Alexander changing her mind? Someone call the newspapers." He chuckled at the glare she levelled at him. "That look hasn't worked on me in a long time, and you know it."

"Prat."

"Tart."

"Drunk."

"Boil face."

"Idiot."

"Prune features." He laughed, leaning down to brush a stray strand of hair from her face. "I take it all back; you'd be a terrible boss with all that name calling."

…

Nikki smiled as she strolled through the park with Harry, wrapped up in another of his jumpers rather than digging through her own pile of hastily packed things, with her own jeans and boots. Harry was dressed similarly, though his jumper was a different colour, deep green to her navy blue. She'd had her brief conversation with Jack running through her head on a constant loop with her conversation with Harry the night before, keeping her up most of the night as she struggled to come to a definitive conclusion. It was no secret she'd never been vying for the top position in the Lyell, hadn't even thought of it if she was honest with herself. When she'd first joined, well, when she'd first been invited to stay as a locum for six months, her only thought had been that she could really enjoy herself working there. Over time, it had morphed until Leo and Harry were like family to her, moreso than her biological family was anyway. The number of times Harry had soothed her after her father had disrupted her life she'd rather not remember, or Leo had made sure she was alright after such an encounter. Leo had been more a father to her than Victor ever had. She would never have dreamed of trying to take the Professor position from Leo, not in a million years, and she knew Harry was the same, despite the disputes he sometimes had had with the older man. When Leo had died and she was handed the reins, she'd balked at the idea of taking over permanently. To her that was Leo's seat, and no one could ever fill it, least of all her.

Thomas hadn't been especially welcomed by her at first, Nikki could admit to herself, if no one else. But he'd grown on her, on all of them, until he'd made that spot his own. Carved out his own niche in their team, made it stronger. Her, Thomas, Jack and Clarissa. Her relationship with Thomas wasn't like her relationship with Leo, nowhere near, but she'd grown to like and respect him all the same, as she knew the others had too. Similarly to Leo though, she couldn't ever have imagined trying to take that job from him, no matter the circumstances. His death didn't change that, she didn't think. Both men had been something else, something she didn't think she contained, or could emulate no matter how hard she tried. Sure, she could boss Jack about, but she'd had years of practice with that, with first Leo leaving them to their own devices and then Thomas doing the same. Being the boss and training up someone new was something else entirely. It would change everything. Hadn't enough changed already?

"You're awfully quiet." Harry's voice broke her out of her thoughts, glancing up to find him watching her closely, a mixture of concern and curiosity covering his features. He moved a hand to gently remove her hair from her face, where the wind had blown it haphazardly. "Don't tell me; you're bored with my illustrious company."

Nikki smiled despite herself. "No, it's not that." She shook her head. "I was thinking about Leo. And Thomas."

"Ah."

"Ah?"

"Ah."

Nikki nudged him in the side with a roll of her eyes. "You know, you definitely got more annoying since you left."

Harry grinned, taking no offence at her words. "You were so lost in thought you didn't even notice me trip up five minutes ago, and that always makes you laugh. Talk to me, Nikki."

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders even as she linked arms with Harry, neither having broken stride and so still strolling leisurely through the park. "I was thinking about how different they were, and yet somehow, they both made that place work. I couldn't imagine the Lyell without Leo, and I'm having the same problem now with Thomas." She turned to look at his face, still concerned and curious for her. "Jack says I'm good at being the boss because I like bossing people around. I mean sure, I boss Jack about but that's because he has harebrained ideas like exploring sewers and getting his face bashed in for no reason."

"You know you're really selling this Jack to me here," Harry joked.

"No, Jack's… Jack's always there, you know, to back me up and help me out, no matter what. He's definitely not afraid to tell me when he thinks I'm being stupid. It just… it just works, somehow. I… I'm trying to think of what would be best for both of us, not just me. But I don't want anything more to change, is that so bad?"

Harry instantly shook his head. "No Nikki, of course it's not bad. And Jack sounds like a good guy, especially if he can get through your stubborn streak. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're not stubborn." Harry waved off her automatic protest. "You have to look at all the options before picking what's best for you, Niks. Jack will be fine with it no matter what you decide."

"I just… everything is already changing, and I hate it. I think back on when I first started and everything looked so simple, so easy. We were happy, weren't we?" She directed wide, pleading eyes to him.

Harry nodded, placing a gentle hand on her cheek and pulling them both to a stop. "Yes, yes we were happy. Of course we were. You, me and Leo, the three musketeers. And I'll always be here for you, I've promised you that. Change is unfortunately part of life, Nikki, and I know you know that." He smiled softly at her, sadness for her pain in his eyes. "Call Jack later; run through everything with him. Maybe he's got some ideas you haven't thought of yet. Either way he'll give you a different perspective."

"When did you get so level-headed, Professor Cunningham?" Nikki teased before falling into a solemn, thankful mien. "Seriously, thank you Harry. I don't know what I'd do without you right now."

"Oh no doubt weep uncontrollably and lament ever having met me." Harry waved the thanks off glibly. "Now, I know there's a deli round here that will have you moving across the Atlantic before you've even finished your sandwich."

"In your dreams."

"You're on."

…

"Hey Nikki."

"Hi Jack." Nikki sat herself down on the bed in Harry's spare room, glancing out of the window. It was late for Jack, but thankfully not too late. "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"According to these doctors, I'm disturbed enough all by myself." Jack's joke brought a small smile to her features. "You're never disturbing me Nikki, honest. What's up?"

"They want me to take over from Thomas. Permanently." Nikki blurted out quickly.

"…Alright. Well, you are very bossy."

"No, I can boss you around. There's a difference."

"Not much of one. What do you want to do Nikki?"

"I… I don't know. We got lucky with Thomas." She unintentionally quoted Harry's words down the phone as she played with her nails on her free hand. "I've never been after the top job Jack. I couldn't imagine it, not with Leo and not with Thomas either."

"I know. Leo acted more like your dad than your boss. I always half expected him to be all 'you look after my daughter' whenever I went anywhere with you. And Thomas… that place will not be the same without him. Or Clarissa, mind."

"Exactly. What do you think I should do, Jack?"

"I can't answer that for you Nikki, you know that. For what it's worth I reckon you'll be great as the boss and the job is what you make it. Either way we'll get through it, okay?"

"Okay, thanks Jack." Nikki wiped a few stray tears from her eyes that she hadn't realised she'd shedded. "Oh, did Rosie message you?"

"I got some sort of message from her. Why do teenagers never say things in complete sentences? She said that she'd organised something with you, I think, why?"

"We're all taking her kite flying once I'm back in the country and you're well enough."

"Sounds grand. I'll have to get well quickly then won't I? Oh, my captors are back. I swear, they're worse than when you patch me up after a fight."

"Listen to the doctors, Jack, they know what they're talking about. Get some rest, okay?"

"Yes Dr Alexander. Wait, that doesn't work when you're actually a doctor. Shit. Alright, night Nikki. See you soon."

"See you soon, Jack."

…

Nikki sat on the plane, tuning out the droning of the pilot giving out the usual advice and guidance that the cabin crew were demonstrating at intervals in the aisle. She felt calmer, more in control than she had when she'd boarded the plane to travel to America. And most of that was due to Harry, she could admit, the man who had made her promise to keep in touch with him this time, promising her they'd be friends no matter what happened. Jack's support also soothed her troubled mind a lot, as well as his resumed contact. True to his word, Jack had answered the phone every time she'd called, updating her on his progress and promising to meet her and Clarissa when they took Rosie kite flying. She still wasn't sure if she was taking Thomas' job or not, but she felt a lot more secure with the knowledge she had Jack's support no matter what decision she made. This was another storm she'd survive, with the help of those that meant the most to her.

The End