Leo had very nearly killed Erin when she walked through the door plastered in mud and soaked through to her skin.

"Stop right there," he said as she attempted to step off the door mat and onto Leo's cream coloured carpet

"Why are you covered in mud Erin?" Janet said, entering the hallway after hearing Leo's raised voice

"What mud?" she asked innocently

Leo ran a finger across her face "This mud," he sighed "Do I even want to know what you've been doing?"

Erin paused for a moment "No."

Leo shook his head "Take your shoes off, go upstairs and shower. If you even get one tiny bit of mud on the carpet you will be grounded for eternity,"

"You can't do that," Erin called as she ran up the stairs "You've already grounded me for life!"

Leo sighed loudly as he picked up the remains of Erin's school shoes, which had now turned to sodden, muddy lumps "I have no idea what's gotten into that girl," he said as Janet followed him into the kitchen

"It's nice to see her so happy," Janet tried

"I think I preferred her when she was sulking," Leo said "At least then she was clean,"

The two of the looked up towards the ceiling as they heard the shower turn on full blast, they could just about hear Erin crooning old love songs above the hiss of the water.

Erin and Nate kept up their secret meeting for the rest of the school term, balancing revision with sneaking out of the house and to the park. With Leo out at work for most of the day and Erin on study leave this was much easier than planned although she was careful not to push her luck too far so she made sure she was always back in plenty of time.

However, the exams had soon passed and for Erin and Nate the whole summer stretched ahead of them. Nate's mother still hadn't lifted the ban on seeing Erin and the relationship between mother and son had reached an all time low. Arguments raged in the Austen household but Nate knew that all he had to do was step outside of his front door and Erin would be there to take him back into the vibrant world once more.

"Are you okay?" she asked him one day after he had escaped from a particularly nasty argument

"I wish we could get away from here," Nate said glumly

"We're going to university soon," Erin told him, taking one of his hands in hers

"Do you think we'll stay together?" he asked her and she nodded

"Forever and always," she smiled "Nate you're the only one who understands me. Sure, Leo, Nikki and Harry have some idea of what's going on in my head but you always seem to know without even asking,"

"I guess we're just on the same wavelength," Nate told her and she made a noise of agreement.

Erin fell silent again as Nate looked across at her; he saw a look of sadness flutter across her grey irises. He squeezed her hand gently to tell her he would listen to her problems if she would let him.

"John's gone back out to Afghanistan," she told him and Nate nodded, remembering what she had told him about her fathers friend.

"He'll be back soon," he assured her

"I know," Erin said firmly but her voice quivered slightly.

The two of them walked through the park in silence, simply enjoying one another's presence.

"Hey Erin," Nate said after a while "What are we exactly?"

"Humans…" she said slowly, frowning at Nate

"No," Nate shook his head "I mean us,"

"Oh," Erin said finally realising what he meant, "Well we've kissed a couple of times so I guess we're more than just friends. On the other hand, we're not formal enough to be girlfriend and boyfriend. So I guess we're…"

"…very close friends and possibly something more that is yet to be determined." Nate finished for her and she nodded with a smile.

"Exactly," she said squeezing his hand, "We're basically Harry and Nikki, version two,"

Leo drummed at his steering wheel impatiently; he had been stuck in the traffic jam for a good half hour and was eager to get home. Glancing across at his surroundings to try to take his mind off of the roaring traffic, he caught sight of the entrance to the local park. The wide, green, open spaces did nothing to soothe a man stuck in a claustrophobic metal shell but something else made his smile.

A young girl and a boy strolled hand in hand out of the park, she rested her head on his shoulder and the young boy mumbled something to her that made her laugh. The girl looked so happy it took his a second to realise it was Erin. Leo watched in amazement as Erin and Nate walked down the road, oblivious to everything and everyone. The two of them looked closer than they had ever been and Leo wondered how long they had been meeting secretly. The parent part of Leo wanted to jump out of the car and break the pair up, but the happy, serene look on Erin's face stopped him. He was reminded of himself and Teresa when they had first met, just like Erin and Nate, in sixth form at school, both their parents had been reluctant for them to date but it hadn't stopped the pair.

Leo leant back in his seat as he watched Erin and Nate walk out of sight, the two youngsters were happy and clearly very much in love even if they didn't truly realise the extent of it yet. He groaned as a sudden realisation hit; he was probably going to have another 'Harry and Nikki' on his hands.

"Are you coming over for Erin's birthday tomorrow?" Leo asked Harry a few days later

"Woulsnt miss it for the world," Harry smiled as he flicked through the case file he was working on "Have you told her you know about her and Nate?"

Leo shook his head "I'm not going to ruin their fun,"

"But his mother…"

"…needs to loosen up a bit," Leo finished "They're young and in love. Erin and Nate aren't hurting anyone and quite frankly they're good for each other."

"I can't honestly remember a time when I've seen Erin so full of life," Harry admitted and Leo nodded

"I heard her laugh yesterday," he smiled at the memory "A real natural laugh. She hasn't done that since all this business with Nora started,"

"Have the buried her?" Harry asked

"A few weeks ago," Leo told him "Erin didn't want to attend the service and to be honest I don't blame her,"

Harry nodded, deep in thought, "What time do you want us round tomorrow?" he asked

"Around five," Leo said, "I'm taking Erin in the morning to see her father's grave,"

Author's note: Last chapter next!