"Nikki what's wrong?" Anne asked Nikki that evening as the two women sat in the living room, Nikki staring absentmindedly at Donovan and Gabriel who were lying on their play mat in the middle of the room playing quietly and giving their parents a bit of peace for a little while.

"Nothing" Nikki shook her head and turned away from her boys, smiling at Anne and running one hand through her lose hair. "I'm fine, I promise"

"You don't look it" Anne told the younger woman softly, placing one hand on Nikki's arm as the blonde woman's eyes filled with tears. "What's wrong?"

"Today at the open evening" Nikki started and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as Anne nodded "Dad turned up and..he..he threatened..he mentioned social workers" she took a deep breath as Anne sighed loudly and shook her head.

"He was just trying to scare you" Anne told Nikki as the younger woman wiped her face free of tears and nodded. "He's not going to do anything"

"That's what Harry said but.." Nikki trailed off and shook her head, looking down at her sons as Donovan let out a loud giggle and let one of the toys dangling from the frame above him ping back, making him jump and giggle again as the light caught the bright colours of the quietly rattling toy. "What if they do come? They can't take my babies can they?" Nikki then asked almost hysterically as she looked back at Anne who was shaking her head vigorously. "I don't..want them to..take my babies"

"No they can't and they won't" Anne assured her, placing one hand on Nikki's leg as the younger woman bit back her tears and nodded slightly, running one hand over her face and taking a deep breath to stop herself before she started crying again "Because you and Harry are brilliant parents and everyone can see that"

"I don't understand why he wants to hurt me. He keeps trying to scare me, what with the haemophilia and now this.." Nikki whispered, looking back at her boys and shaking her head "I keep wondering if it's me, something I did. I don't remember him hating me when I was a child"

"He doesn't..."

"Yes he does hate me. How can you do that to someone that you don't hate? How can you use children as a threat?" Nikki interrupted and nodded "He never hated me as a child. He left but I don't understand why, I never did.."

Nikki stopped talking as the living room door opened and Harry walked in with a smile on his face, a bag in his hand from where he had just come back from the shops. She then turned away from him and leant down to pick up Eos who was nuzzling her leg and purring loudly, settling the cat on her legs and stroking her gently.

"Sweetheart what's wrong?" he asked as soon as he saw that Nikki was upset but she just shook her head and turned away from him. Harry opened his mouth but Anne gave him a warning look and shook her head, her son nodding slightly before walking into the kitchen and closing the door to give them some more privacy and so he could put the food away without Eos and Artemis jumping up to see if he was going to feed them when he opened the cupboards.

"I was going to give him a second chance, but Harry made me see sense. I'm glad he did"

"So am I" Anne replied with a small smile and Nikki looked at the babies as Donovan began to cry loudly.

Nikki slipped onto the floor, leaving Eos on her chair, and crawled over to her crying son, kneeling in front of him she gently picked him up from the play mat and cradled him to her chest, kissing his forehead gently and cuddling him close to her, murmuring to him how much she loved him and his brother.

"Mummy isn't going to let anyone take you or your brother from me or your daddy" Nikki told Donovan, signing as she spoke and smiling lovingly at her son.

"Nikki's worrying about what her father said" Anne told Harry later on when Nikki was in the bath, the twins were upstairs asleep in the nursery and the two Cunninghams were in the kitchen talking.

"She told you"

"Hmm" Anne nodded and stirred her coffee as Harry sat down opposite her at the kitchen table.

"I don't know why he does it" Harry shook his head and ran one hand through his hair as he leant back on the chair, his eyes trained on the two cats who were eating greedily from their food bowls.

"She was really upset"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Harry asked his mother angrily and she frowned at him, her son just ignored this however and shook his head again "What sort of father does that to his child? Using a possible life threatening disease as well as social services to scare her"

"One that isn't as good as you are" Anne smiled but Harry just shrugged and looked down into his coffee.

"She doesn't need this mum" Harry told her quietly "She's got enough on her plate with the twins as well as school, exams, university. If he keeps doing what he is then she's not going to be able to cope, especially if he keeps planting ideas in her mind that get her so worked up and upset"

"Neither do you"

"No but I know that he's lying to her, I don't think Nikki can see that however much she dislikes him. Part of her still wants him to come back and be a dad to her and I think that part of her doesn't let the rest of her accept that he's lying to her"

"You should know how she feels" Anne told her son, a frown on her face "Wanting the father that you loved and loved you, you what it's like to want that back"

Harry just nodded and stared down at his mug with a dark frown on his face.

"Are you okay now?" Harry asked his lover as he knelt down next to the bath and rested his chin on his arms on the side. She looked more relaxed than earlier but there was still some hint of stress on her face.

"Yeah I'm fine" Nikki smiled slightly and nodded, Harry however could see that she wasn't.

"Nikki"

"I'm fine"

Harry shook his head and Nikki reached out of the bubbly water and took one of his hands gently in hers, stroking it with her thumb.

"Nothing will happen to our boys" Harry murmured and Nikki nodded, giving him another small smile as she did so. "I promise you, I won't let it"

"I know you won't" Nikki told him and Harry leant down to kiss her bubbly hand slowly, keeping his eyes trained on his lover's as she blushed slightly at the intense look of love in Harry's eyes. "How are they?"

"They're asleep and mum's gone home"

"Well in that case you can get in the bath with me" Nikki smiled and Harry laughed quietly as his fiancé as he stood up and began to undress, Nikki watching him avidly as he did so. She then sat forward and allowed Harry to climb into the bath behind her, Nikki turning on the hot tap to warm the already hot water up a bit more. She then settled back against Harry who wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "What happens if we go to different universities?"

"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it" Harry told her for what seemed like the hundredth time she had asked him that question since their sons had arrived.

"But.."

"No buts Nicola" Harry warned his lover who giggled slightly and nodded "Now relax"

Nikki did as she was told, leaning back into Harry some more and closing her eyes, letting out a small contented sigh as she did so. Harry smiled lovingly at his fiancé and continued to press small kisses down to her cheek and then down her neck and to her shoulder, Nikki chuckling slightly at his ministrations. Harry smiled against her shoulder as Nikki stroked both of his hands under the water and he bit down slightly on her shoulder, his lover letting out a small moan that made Harry bite back one of his own.

"Harry if you keep doing that you're going to have to take me to bed and make love to me" Nikki sighed and Harry tutted.

"Such a shame" he murmured and Nikki nodded.

"I know" she giggled quietly as she opened her eyes and turned slightly to look at him, seeing a smirk on his face that made heat pool in her stomach. She then leant up and kissed him, turning around in the bath and ignoring the water that splashed over the sides as she straddled him, Harry pulling her closer to him and kissing her back with as much love and passion as she was kissing him.

"What did I do to deserve someone like you?" Harry asked sometime later as they both lay naked on the bed, Harry pressing small kisses down Nikki's body as he spoke, his lover giggling at the tickling sensation as she squirmed under him. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by the sound of one of the babies crying through the baby monitor. They both sighed and Nikki looked at the time as Harry knelt up slightly to grab his clothes.

"At least they waited for a while" Nikki told him and Harry nodded, both glad that they had the time together before their children interrupted them. Nikki then glanced at the time again "He'll want feeding"

"Do you want me to give him a bottle?"

"No" Nikki shook her head as she sat up and grabbed some knickers and her pyjama bottoms from the chair next to the bed when she began to get a bit chilly, leaving her chest bare so she could easily feed their son.

"I'll get him" Harry smiled and stole a quick kiss from his lover before climbing off the bed and walking from the room to get the crying baby. Nikki sat up and moved so that she was under the duvet and ready for sleep as soon as she had fed her son.