While everyone else was at work, Monty took a tour of Laura's house. He figured he must be allowed in any room with an open door. There were several pieces of furniture to try out downstairs and after testing them all he picked a favorite spot, a Sutton tufted beige arm chair with a cool linen fabric. This was a nice house; he could see himself and Robbie living here in the future. He went upstairs to check out the sleeping arrangements. Laura's bedroom had a very comfortable bed, with a feathery soft mattress, not rubbery like the orthopedic one Robbie had. The room smelled of lavender, just like Laura, and he followed the scent into the bathroom. Monty thought the bathtub was a bit small as he was used to Robbie's large one but he could overlook that. He went and found the spare bedroom and was pleased to find that it also had a very comfortable bed and a less feminine décor than Laura's room. Someday he hoped he might have to be discreet and retreat there.

All of a sudden Monty's ears perked up. His exceptional hearing detected someone prowling around outside the house. Monty let out a series of growls and snarls and raced around the house. Outside, Peter Faulkner heard the noises of an angry wild animal and decided that Laura's house was not the right place to get at her. She was too well protected here with her vigilant neighbors, police protection at night, and some sort of beast loose in the house. And Faulkner would be very careful not to set off her alarm again. His informant was going to pay dearly for incorrectly telling him that Laura's alarm code was 0000.

Satisfied that he scared away the potential home invader, Monty got into the bathtub to take a nap.

After her midmorning rendezvous with Robbie, Laura headed back to work. She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Satisfied that she was wide awake and the coffee break with Robbie really happened, Laura willed some strength into her spine and went back to the mortuary. Hoping to see Robbie again as soon as possible and knowing how inflexible his schedule would be in the middle of a murder investigation, she planned to keep herself ahead of her work commitments today, even delegating some tasks if she had to.

After his team found traces of crystal meth at the funeral parlor, Robbie went to see Louise Cornish to have another difficult conversation with her about her husband, to tell her that he was afraid Jack was involved with Peter Faulkner's drugs factory. Lou expressed some of the same emotions about the breakup of her marriage that Robbie experienced after the death of his wife. He remembered what it was like to wonder how to get used to being half a couple and believing he would never love anyone again. Even though he had a suspect in custody waiting to be interviewed, he called Laura. He needed to see her and it couldn't wait.

Laura had things well in hand at work and was able to go meet Robbie at the bridge when he called. This seemed to be a different kind of encounter from the one this morning as she could tell that he was upset about something and needed to confide in her.

"Jack Cornish didn't just fall into drugs, did he, through poverty or a chaotic life? He walked in with his eyes wide open, knowing people are going to die, lives are going to be ruined, and he just didn't care."

Laura remembered what Julie Lockhart had said about Robbie, he was someone you never wanted to disappoint. To counter his disappointment in Jack Cornish she would express her faith in him to take care of the situation to the best of his ability. She softened her usual tone of voice.

"Well, you'll put a stop to that."

"Well, we've closed the factory. Still got to nail Faulkner and his mates."

"You will."

The comfort of her voice erased the problems of the day and Robbie's mood and his priorities changed dramatically,

"And when I do…do you fancy a ride one night after work?"

Laura was taken aback by the change in course of the conversation. And she wasn't sure Robbie fully understood what he just asked her. She reverted back to the voice of Dr. Hobson.

"A 'ride'?"

Take Her For A Bike Ride

Puzzled at first, realization dawned on Robbie as to how she may have interpreted his question.

"What? I mean a bike ride. There's a bike hire shop…"

Robbie had visited the bike hire shop a few days ago after he figured out that Laura wanted a partner who could ride a bike.

"Oh, Robbie. You? On a bike?"

And then they both dissolved into laughter. Robbie put one arm around her waist, then the other, as she covered her face and laughed into his chest. Laura took her hands away from her face and put them on his shoulders. She looked up at him and he looked down at her and both came to the same conclusion. After years of believing this would never happen, after all the false starts and tiptoeing around each other, one innocent question removed all the barriers. Now they knew it was possible, that they were about to be lavishly rewarded for waiting so long for the right moment, that now was the time, and it was the best of times. Robbie felt Laura's silky hair on his cheek and it softly stirred his eagerness. He leaned down to kiss her and it happened, the most impossible thing on his list, the one he never thought he'd be able to accomplish. Robbie Lewis defied the laws of physics.

Make Time Stand Still

Time stood still so they could have their truest, most genuine moment ever, the one that would define who they were meant to be for the rest of their lives.

They were no longer two people standing on a bridge; Robbie and Laura were ensconced in the universe, the dimensions of time and space were suspended, as they experienced each other in a way they never had before. Nothing had ever tasted sweeter than the taste of each other.

This was a kiss of magnificent delight, a kiss that mattered, and a kiss that could launch a thousand ships and start endless new chapters.

The tastes and scents of lavender and coffee meshed with feelings of affection and desire. The tingling in their spines reached all the way to their toes. This was the kiss neither would ever forget, not tentative, not overly passionate, but theirs.

Robbie was overcome with intoxicating warmth that spread throughout his body. His initial surprise that this was actually happening was replaced with confidence that he could live and love again. He was no longer half a couple. The pressure he applied was both strong and gentle, conveying a mix of excitement and reverence.

Laura immediately knew that time was standing still, that Robbie's hold on her was so powerful that he was maintaining her position on earth relative to the sun. The raging hormones from the morning were now at a full boil.

Finally they had to break apart to consume something besides themselves. Their urgent intakes of air disturbed the stationary universe back to action and time marched on again.

They stood together breathing in unison, their hearts beating as one.

Robbie broke the silence,

"Laura, this is us now, this is who we are meant to be."

"Yes Robbie, this is our story."

Coming from a respectful distance away, the voice of DC Gray could be heard,

"Inspector Lewis, sorry to interrupt, sir!"