Chapter 1

Kim's boots left heavy footsteps down the corridor as she made her way along the familiar route. She was aware of all eyes turning in her direction. Fuck, why were they all staring at her? The jeans had been a mistake, she knew it.

"Ma'am," Terry nodded his head as he walked by and Kim felt a little taken aback.

"Uh," she cleared her throat, "Hi."

She realised she was having difficulty imagining herself as DCI Kim Stringer of Fenchurch East. She'd been a detective chief inspector back in the real world, and over in the dark side of Fenchurch West, but now that she was back in 1990s Fenchurch East it was hard not to think of herself as the young DS who spent her early days awash with lager and glaring at the Guv.

"Morning, Ma'am," a smiley detective said, even though Kim didn't have a clue who she was.

"Morning," she said nervously. It felt as strange as anything to be back there; back in the station of old, back with friends. An amazing sense of nostalgia washed over her as she passed Simon's door and she smiled to herself. She still felt a little nauseous but her nerves were starting to fade a little.

"Kim," a warm smile and the reassuring voice sent a very different feeling through Kim's insides as she spun around and saw Alex stepping out of her office.

"Ma'am," the smile spread across her face as she found herself swept up in a welcoming, warm hug. Kim closed her eyes and relished the feeling of being at home. God, it had been so long since she'd felt that way. Between her last, troubled months in the real world after Robin's death and the dark times she'd faced in Fenchurch West the sensation of being in a place where she was loved, valued and safe was a precious one indeed.

"You can't call me that any more," Alex teased, "not now you're heading up the new unit."

"I can't retrain myself!" Kim protested as she stepped back, "not after all these years."

Alex couldn't stop herself from smiling broadly as she took a good look at Kim. The past few weeks and Robin's insistence of caring for her had started to make a real difference. There was colour back in her cheeks again, her bones had a little more meat on them and her hair was once again cropped, spiked and bleached to within an inch of its life. More than that the shirt she was wearing was one of Robin's. Alex recognised it. That was about the strongest sign of unity between a pair who were always supposed to be together that Alex could imagine.

"Ohh, you're looking so much better now," she told Kim with a smile, "you look like you again."

Kim tried to supress a smile and looked away momentarily.

"Not really a good thing" she said.

"Oh, it is," Alex smiled, aware that Kim was looking surprisingly bashful. Not a quality she ever associated with the sharp-tongued blonde. "That's not a blush is it?" she asked suspiciously.

"Don't be silly, it's just hot in here," Kim mumbled, trying to cover her face.

"Kim!"

Footsteps heading towards her distracted Kim from her awkwardness and she turned to see Simon lumbering somewhat excitedly in her direction. She found herself almost knocked to the ground by another hug, this one slightly less appreciated.

"Simon, fucking hell, why are you wearing that bloody jumper?" she protested as Simon gave her an over-exaggerated hug to humiliate and annoy her.

"I thought I might as well get it out of the way," he teased, "you can have five free insults."

"Make it five thousand and it might just about start to cover up my distress," she gagged. She felt her stomach lurch as she stepped back and took in the horror of it. "Oh god, ten years haven't erased the dread from my memory."

"Please don't let Gene see you in that," Alex groaned, "you haven't worn it in so long we thought you'd packed the jumper away for good!"

"Today's a special day," Simon said defensively.

"At least you haven't still got the leather jacket," Kim commented and Simon flinched.

"No," he said, "I haven't…" he hung his head, slight accident. Red crocodile. Think it thought it was avenging its mummy."

Kim decided not to ask. It wasn't even crocodile leather.

"Riiiiiight," she said warily, slightly aware that more footsteps were thundering towards them, "What –"

Robin shot down the corridor, an envelope in his hand.

"Kim!" he cried.

"Bloody hell, what now?" Kim was starting to feel a little overwhelmed as Robin thrust the envelope in her direction.

"It came! It came!" he cried.

"If it's a replacement Lister poster I don't want to know," Kim said cautiously but took the envelope regardless. As she tipped it up, a long wooden block fell into her hand. A little smile played on her lips as she turned it over and over. The words DCI Kim Stringer were engraved along its side. "Rob," she whispered.

"Like your old one," he said quietly, catching her at a weak moment as she looked for all the world like she might actually cry. Although she was as tough as always there was one thing about Kim that had really changed. She had a heart now.

"Thank you," she whispered. Myriad emotions flooded her veins. It felt like a world ago that she was given her title of DI after passing the hostage negotiation training and with it she was handed the name block that Robin had bought for her. The gesture made her feel nostalgic and hopeful for the future at the same time. Before she could wander into unfamiliar mushy territory she found herself enveloped in a surprise hug as Simon wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around Robin's.

"I am so happy," he sighed as Kim eyed him suspiciously.

"First of all, that's great," she said through gritted teeth, shaking off the sentimentality whilst trying to shake off Simon too, "but you don't have to demonstrate your happiness with physical affection."

"My best friend's back," Simon told her happily. Something had been missing from Simon's life ever since she went home. He'd lost his best friend and the woman he thought of as a sister all in one go.

"Yeah," she said warily, pulling his arm away from her shoulders, "you're just noticing. Not like you came round on Saturday for pizza or last week to watch videos or anything."

"The two people I care about most in the world are right here," Simon said cheerfully.

"Christ, Simon, have you been drinking?" Robin moaned as he offloaded the arm from around his shoulders.

"He's been drinking," Kim agreed but Simon shook his head.

"Not yet, but I will be," he said, "tonight. Me, you two, a night on the town." He watched both Robin and Kim exchanging a worried glance and mentally processing the best ways to get out of it, "I told you we were going to do this," he said, "you and me, a couple of pubs, a couple of bars, a couple of clubs…"

"Simon, no," Robin groaned.

"I'm not really up for that," Kim said reluctantly, "I'm not feeling great to be honest."

"You've had a month to prepare for this," Simon told her.

"You could give me a decade and I still wouldn't be ready."

"Yeah, Si, I think I've done my drinking for one lifetime," Robin cringed, remembering the terrible mistakes he made while apart from Kim.

"Yeah, and I don't know that it's a good idea if me and you go drinking,"" Kim said warily, "remember how much trouble we used to get into? Truth or dare? Gate-crashing Christmas?"

"Oh no ,don't mention the Worst Christmas Ever," Alex backed away, "I still have nightmares." She touched Kim gently on the shoulder. "I have to get back to work but I'll come and see how you're getting on later."

"Thanks ma'am, Kim smiled, rolling her eyes as Alex gave her a slightly accusing glance for still using the 'M' word. "I told you! Old habits!"

Simon sighed as Alex made her exit.

"I'm not taking no for an answer," he insisted, "tonight. Booze." He started to walk back towards his office, then glanced around. "By the way, do either of you know who threw a paper plane into my doorway about fifteen minutes ago?"

Kim and Robin glanced towards CID to see Bammo in the doorway looking shifty.

"Nope," said Robin.

"Not a clue," said Kim.

Simon shrugged and departed to his office, leaving Robin and Kim alone.

"You see?" Robin said quietly, "you've only been back ten minutes and look how everyone's treating you. It's like you've never been away."

Kim nodded and gave a distant smile.

"Yeah," she said quietly, "it feels good. It feels right." She was grateful for the hand on her arm that Robin gave her. It made her feel warm and relaxed. She knew that the day was strange for Robin too, he'd been given a month of compassionate leave to look after her while she recuperated and had a lot of odd looks upon his return. He'd disappeared without trace for four weeks.

"Look," he said, "I have to get back down to the canine unit but I'll see you for lunch, yeah?"

Kim nodded with a smile.

"You're still buying," she told him and he blew a raspberry at her.

"We'll see," her told her and she laughed as she watched him disappear towards the stairs.

Kim thrust her hands into her pockets and sighed. Yeah, she really felt like she was where she belonged. Slowly she turned around to the open door of the new Serious Sexual Crime unit and stared ahead. Beyond the open office with its couple of desks and cabinets was a door, on the window of which a name was emblazoned. DCI Kim Stringer. She glanced from it to the name block in her hands and felt a peculiar shiver travel down her spine as the door opened for her. It was more than just feeling like she belonged. It was a sense of coming home.

~xXx~

"They're all in here?"

The private detective nodded. As far as assignments went this had been one of the easiest and least invasive he'd ever had. He stirred his tea in the cracked mug and added one last sugar.

"Yup," he said, "photos from the past five days."

Evan's eyes ran across the plain, discreet envelope and then back to the slightly scruffy man.

"And there are close-ups?" he asked.

"Of the face, yeah."

Evan nodded and took a deep breath.

"How much do I owe you?" he asked. The detective supped his tea, reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper which Evan unfolded. Slightly surprised that the fee was as high as it was Even drew in breath then saw the detective looking somewhat annoyed. He decided he didn't want to tangle with a guy who didn't know how to grow a proper beard so he covered up his annoyance. "That's very reasonable," he mumbled and handed over the cash.

Counting the bundle of notes, the detective nodded and finished his tea in a little over one gulp, then he tucked away his money and got to his feet.

"Hope you've got everything you need," he said, "I'll leave you alone with your beard."

Evan nodded a goodbye and watched the detective leave. He closed his eyes and held the envelope though he knew what he was going to find inside the idea of opening it still terrified him. There was no going back once he did.

A deep breath. A moment of hesitation. Then he slid his finger beneath the flap of the envelope and opened it quickly. Sliding out a pack of photographs he could tell from the moment he laid eyes on the first one that it hadn't been all in his head. The woman on the top photo, smiling at something the camera hadn't seen, was as familiar to him as the one he'd said goodbye to that morning. He swallowed deeply and skimmed to the next picture and the next, one after another, some close up, some from a distance. There might have been an extra few years on the woman he was looking at but not too many to know that the resemblance went beyond a coincidence. They could have been sisters at the very least. He tried to drink the coffee he'd bought, to attempt to steady his nerves, but his hands were shaking so much that he spilled the hot liquid on the topmost image and quickly dried it off with a napkin, swearing as he did so.

A month had passed since the trial that had more or less ended his career. All he had now was the fledgling career in a niche modelling area and his family. Not blood relations of course, but as good as. Alex and little baby Molly, the lights of his life.

"Alex," he breathed as he closed his eyes, "Alex Drake." He took in a slow, deep breath and tried to work out what to do but his mind was as far from being clear and ordered as it could possibly be. Swallowing back a slight feeling of nausea he looked at the pictures in his hand. Coffee-stained or not, the similarity was shocking. DCI Alex Drake could have been his own Alex. He shook his head in fear. "Who are you?" he murmured.

~xXx~

"Stringer."

Kim glanced at the clock first and then at the doorway.

"I made it half an hour before you decided to come and unleash the metal jokes on me," she cringed, "not bad for my first day."

"The metal jokes can wait." Gene told her, "urgent case for you."

Kim scrambled to her feet.

"Guv?"

"A serious case of thirst," Gene told her, "Lattes. Ten. Stirrers too. Nothing like drinking all seven sugars in the bottom."

Kim closed her eyes and groaned.

"It's my first day!" she whimpered.

"Exactly," Gene nodded, "what better way to help the new girl settle in?"

"I'm not exactly the new girl," Kim scowled and Gene looked smug.

"Even better," he said, "You've no excuse not to get me latte order right then, have you?"

Kim growled crossly as Gene made a quick exit before she could make good on her promise of fetching her piercing stuff and giving him a reason not to sit down for a week.

"Bloody latte run," she mumbled, grabbing her jacket. She supposed she'd better do it, for old time's sake as much as anything. Times had changed in her absence but some things, it seemed, were never going to alter.

~xXx~

Robin whistled contentedly to himself as he entered the canine unit. He received a couple of funny looks from those who'd seen him arrive, pick up his post, yell excitedly and disappear again. He didn't even care. It was the first time that he felt truly happy in his work since the day he started. Kim was just a short walk away, not a world away or swallowed by darkness – she was closer than ever and he could feel it in his heart.

"Morning sir," a curious officer greeted him and Robin smirked.

"Morning" he said brightly.

The officer pursued him a few steps.

"Have you been on holiday, sir? He asked, "You haven't been here for a few weeks…"

"Well," Robin smiled, "not a holiday but definitely a well needed break." He continued on his way, humming this time until he stepped through the door to chaos. Dogs were barking, eating things they shouldn't be and generally attempting to behave worse than Nick Nailer. He flinched for a moment. Some fucking brilliant dog unit. Maybe he'd have better luck whipping them into shape now that Kim was there to do the same to him.

"Sir?"

Robin turned to see a PC and his dog close by.

"Morning, David," Robin smiled.

"Enjoy your break?"

Robin beamed.

"Very much," he smiled, "thank you. He paused to pet the dog by his feet. "So you all survived then? No one got eaten? No one got mauled."

"Nah," David half smiled, "Sergeant Granger did a good job in your absence."

"Good," Robin said, then an instance later he froze. "I'm… sorry?"

"Sergeant Granger," David said again, "she was great."

A deep, dark sinking feeling came over Robin, starting in his throat and filling his chest until finally it settled in his stomach like boulders. He swallowed and blinked a few times.

"That's…" he began but the horrible sensation grew even darker. Sergeant Granger… Gene hadn't mentioned Shaz… hadn't said… hadn't told them that everything would be OK. With Kim starting back the two were bound to meet before too long, and with Shaz still under the belief that Kim had died a year and a half ago – "Wh-where is she now?" he asked quickly.

"What? Who?"

"Shaz! Sergeant Granger!"

"Oh," David looked a little confused about Robin's sudden anxiety, "took the reports from some of the guys up to CID."

"What?"

"There was a raid on a warehouse last week –"

"How long ago did she go?"

"Well," David frowned, "Just before you got here. Why?"

"Shi-i-i-i-i-i-it.." Robin cried as he turned around and started to run. Everything was OK. He was sure of it. It had to be. Gene wouldn't make a mistake like that, would he? But then, Robin realised, these were completely unique circumstances. And there was a first time for everything.

~xXx~

Shaz knocked on the door but there was no response. She sighed and rolled her eyes as she heard a voice from behind her.

"Guv's not there."

"I know that now," Shaz turned around and saw Marci taking a seat with some kind of list in her hand. She smiled at Shaz as she shuffled her chair under the desk. "Where is he, babe?"

"Should be back soon," Marci smiled, "said something about getting a metal detector?" she shrugged, "I've given up asking what goes on around here."

"Can I leave these with you?" Shaz asked, setting her files on Marci's desk.

"Sure thing," Marci said before she turned around as she heard footsteps marching toward them. At first she expected to see Gene but unless he'd managed to grow a very horrible beard in the last half an hour she'd made an incorrect assumption. Both Marci and Shaz had been called as witnesses in Keats's trial and although Evan hadn't spoken to them at length they both remembered him. There was no forgetting that facial hair. Unfortunately. However, far from his smarmy court persona the man heading towards them looked flushed and flustered. Shaz felt a little concerned.

"Is everything alright sir?" she asked as Evan gripped the side of Marci's desk slightly out of breath. He tried to gulp in some air as he pulled one of the photographs from his pocket and held it toward the two young women.

"This woman," he panted, "You know her?"

Marci and Shaz exchanged a look.

"Of… course we do," Marci frowned.

"What's her name?" Evan demanded which confused them both considering they knew he'd seen her at the trial.

"That's the Ma'am," Marci shrugged, "DCI Drake."

"Her first name?"

Marci nervously twirled her hair around her finger and got to her feet.

"I thought you knew her already," she said, a little anxiously.

"Alex," Evan panted, "Is her name Alex Drake?"

Shaz started to move toward the phone.

"I think you should leave, Sir," she said anxiously, "you're getting upset."

"I just need confirmation of the identity of this woman!" Evan demanded as Shaz reached for the receiver.

"I'm calling security," she said, shaken, but before she had a chance the thump of Gene-sized footsteps arrived.

"Don't bother," he said, "they're already following this fuzzy-faced prick."

Evan spun around.

"DCI Hunt," he began darkly.

"This gentleman's been asking questions about DCI Drake," Shaz said pointedly, well aware that something wasn't right, and Gene's eyebrows rose.

"Oh he has, has he?" he demanded, lumbering forward, "funny that, since I just got a call from the front desk telling me the same thing. Used his status to persuade the poor lad on the desk to let him through. That bloke's going to need years of therapy after hearing the phrase "let me through and I'll show you the secret of growing a beard like mine.""

"I just have a few questions for her," Evan protested as Gene stepped forward, counting off some possible questions on his fingers, "no she's not single, yes she's seeing someone, no she's not going to go for a ride on the beardy rollercoaster ride that is a date with Evan White. Now kindly take her festering chin and shove it somewhere we don't have to take a second look at it."

"I need to speak to her," Evan insisted feebly.

"You need a bloody good shave and a lobotomy," Gene told him, "Out!"

"Gene!" Another flurry of footsteps made them turn as Robin barrelled through the doorway, "Gene, Shaz is on her way –"

"Erm, already made it, sir," Shaz piped up as Robin froze. He looked from Shaz to Gene, stricken, trying to think if something to say.

"Uh…" he swallowed, "Gene… do you… really think it's a good idea…"

Before he could continue how sentence a voice came towards them.

"What on earth is going on in here?" An angry Alex stomped towards the ruckus, "you sound like a school class whose teacher is late to the lesson!" just as a Rushing Kim blundered into the office, tray of lattes in hand.

"One word about me being late and I'm going to go and string up the twat who gave me espressos instead," she stormed, barely raising her head as she followed Alex through the door, only looking up as she heard Evan's voice gasping;

"Alex?"

A frozen Alex looked at him in shock. Through the trial she'd kept her distance as well as her disguise but there was no escaping him now.

"Evan?" she whispered in fear.

"What?" Kim cried, looking up and spotting the beard.

The instant her face rose, the world of a young brunette shattered.

"Kim?"

Kim's entire body froze as her heart beat hard.

"Sh-Shaz," she gasped.

A second of absolute silence descended.

Then reality exploded and everything went black.