I own nothing but some merchandise, the plot, and any characters you don't recognise from the show.

Also, if violence bothers you I'd find something else to read, this isn't rated for smut.

When Alex saw the corpse of the young woman she went cold, seeing, just for a second, her own face superimposed over that of the victim's, almost as pale and grey as the concrete floor on which she lay. She. Not it; not the 'vic', stiff, maggot farm or any other offensive synonym CID might use when she was out of earshot.

She'd profiled enough victims in the search for their killers to leave herself completely incapable of viewing a body as simply the decaying remains of an organism or a set of clues to be deciphered by experts like herself.

The job hurt, every day. Sometimes she hated it, wanted to quit. If a copper could go to work with a smile every day and go home still wearing it then they weren't doing the job properly, they didn't care enough.

Alex blinked and the resemblance didn't disappear. The young woman under the white bed sheet still looked like her.

"Blimey."

"Bloody 'ell." She can't have been seeing things, not if Ray and Chris noticed too. Alex heard Gene walk up and stand beside her, a solid black presence in her peripheral vision.

"You got a sister you never told me about Bolly?" Ok definitely not seeing things.

"No Guv. I'm an only child."

"Doesn't surprise me." His comment wasn't even worth an eye roll, so she ignored it. "You two, witness statements." Alex didn't see Ray and Chris leave, her gaze was still fixed on the victim, Jane Doe...until she was identified. "Well Bolly?" Despite not looking at Gene's face when she took the Dictaphone out of her pocket, Alex could feel his disapproval. For reasons it did no good to dwell on, Gene wasn't a fan of the machines in general, and her using them in particular. She pressed record before sharing her observations.

"Female victim, around twenty-five."

"Do you 'av to do that?"

"Pen and paper would take longer."

"Fine. Just tell me what I need to catch this bastard."

"The excessive damage to the face may indicate a personal motive. The variety of colours in the bruises suggests they happened over a period of time, so she was either in an abusive relationship, held against her will or exposed to regular violence in her job."

"Doesn't look like a boxer to me. My money's on the boyfriend."

"It's a strong possibility but without her name you aren't going to get very far."

"Anything else?"

"If she was held captive it won't have been here. This could be a secondary crime scene, a body dump. The best forensic evidence might be somewhere else."

"Marvelous. I'm going to see if the Dum Dum Boys have got anything. Comin?"

"No, I'm not done here."

"Suit yourself." The sound of Gene's boots faded away as she crouched down near Jane's head.

"Jane Doe has severe facial bruising, colour suggests a beating a day or so post-mortem. Peri-mortem injuries are comparatively less severe although the bruising will take time to develop. There's an impression on her right temple, possibly left by a ring. If the blow was hard enough it could have been the cause of death." Alex paused as the implications registered. "The fact that she was covered up to her neck by a sheet could indicate remorse. Potential of death not being premeditated murder. Whoever is responsible might not have meant to kill her."

"I didn't."