A/N: Hello? Anyone still out there? My apologies for the long delay, but season three messed up a lot of the ideas I had in mind for this story. There were going to be more chapters, but I decided to just skip to the end. There will be one more chapter after this one. Enjoy!
Keira Lestrade hummed to herself as she walked up the stairs to her parents' flat. She knocked twice before she opened the door and let herself in.
"Mum? Dad?"
"In here," Kate Watson Lestrade answered from the kitchen. "How are you, sweetheart?"
Keira kissed her mother on the cheek before hoisting herself on to one of the stools at the kitchen counter.
"I'm fine, Mum. Just had a little free time and thought I'd stop by. Dad home?"
"He had a couple of errands to run; he should be back shortly."
"That's okay; I actually wanted to talk to you alone for a bit."
"Oh?" Kate turned from the dishwasher she was unloading to give her daughter a concerned look. "Everything okay?"
"Yes, I just needed some advice about Scott and I," Keira answered, referring to the young Detective Sergeant she'd been dating for almost a year.
"Problems?"
"No, just the opposite. I think this is it; he's the one for me. At the very least, I see this relationship lasting for a good while."
"So what's the problem?" Kate asked. "His job?"
"Let's just say I never realized you were such a good actress, Mum."
Kate laughed. "Thank you. And you're right, I was always careful not to let you pick up on my worry and fear."
"I mean, that's not to say I didn't worry about Dad, but this is . . .different." Keira sighed, brushing a lock of her dark brown hair back.
"I understand. Is there some particular incident that's gotten you to thinking about all of this?"
"No, not really. I was just thinking that our one year anniversary is coming up, and that even though we haven't discussed marriage or anything, things have definitely gotten serious."
"Have you talked to Scott about any of this?" Kate passed a steaming cup of tea across the counter.
"Thanks," Keira sipped slowly before answering her mother's question. "Sort of. He knows I worry, and he's very understanding about it."
Kate cut to the heart of the matter. "Would you want him to quit? If he offered to go into a safer profession, would you take him up on it?"
The dark eyes widened and Keira shook her head. "No, I couldn't do that!"
"Exactly," Kate nodded, having already known what her daughter's answer would be. "I'm not going to lie and say it gets easier, but you learn to cope. Just part and parcel of loving a cop."
Keira smiled. "Having a good role model helps, too."
"I once had a cop's widow tell me to focus on the good times, that they made it all worthwhile. She was right."
Drinking the last of her tea, Keira stood and rounded the counter to kiss her mother on the cheek. "I do feel a lot better, Mum. Thanks for the advice and the tea."
"Anytime, sweetheart."
Kate went back to her chores, only to be interrupted five minutes later, this time by her husband's entrance.
"Saw Keira on my way in," he commented as he came over to greet her with a kiss. "Everything all right?"
"She just needed some relationship advice."
Gabriel lifted his eyebrows. "Relationship advice? That's interesting."
"How so?"
"I just got off the phone with Scott not half an hour ago. He wanted to know if he could come by after dinner tonight. Said he needed to discuss something important."
A slow smile spread across Kate's face. "You don't say?"
"He didn't come right out and say he plans to propose, but that was the feeling I got."
"Wonderful!"
Gabriel chuckled. "You're already planning the wedding in your head, aren't you?"
She winked. "Just chalk it up to a female thing."
