** For authors notes, disclaimer etc. see chapter 1

Puppy Love 25/?

"James I'm going to Sainsbury's on the way home will you sort Archie out when you get in and then I'll cook us something for dinner when I get back from shopping." Jean asked putting her head round the door of James and Robbie's office as she put her coat on and realised neither of them were there. Signing heavily she pulled out her phone and dialled James's mobile as she headed for the car.

"You've reached the voice mail of Detective Sargent James Hathaway please leave your message after the tone." The robotic voice of the answer phone said in her ear as she put her seat belt on and connected her phone to the car's Bluetooth hands free system before dialling again and pulling out into traffic.

"Laura Hobson." Her friend's voice filled the car as she answered the morgue phone.

"Laura it's me are the boys over there? I've lost them." She asked hearing Laura laugh softly on the other end of the line,

"You need to have those two implanted with tracking devices." Laura laughed switching off her computer ready for home. "No they were here just after lunch for Mrs Flynn's PM results I haven't seen them since. Robbie should be at home or heading that way though because we have plans tonight the orchestra is throwing a surprise party for our conductor for his 60th birthday."

"Yeah I thought they would be in the office finishing up ready to head home but they aren't. I tried James's phone but it went straight to voice mail."

"I'll call Robbie he better not have forgotten about it it's the first event we've gone to as a couple and it's taken me all week to convince him it won't be a load of people standing around talking about Mozart."

"I'm sure he'll have remembered." Jean smiled hoping that she sounded more confident than she felt. They both knew if Robbie and James had their teeth into something it was very easy for them to forget about anything and she really hoped that wasn't the case now. "If you do get him and he knows where James is can you tell him I'm going shopping and he needs to go home and let Archie out?"

"Will do and if you get hold of them first remind Robbie he better not be late or this might be the shortest relationship in history." Laura laughed before handing up. Staring out the windscreen of the car as she stopped at traffic lights she ran over the day in her head. She'd seen them since they'd been to the morgue based on the time Laura had said they were there. They'd briefed her at 2 before she went to her meeting with the PR department about the new "face of policing" campaign along with a dozen other senior officers. Try as she might she couldn't think of anything they had said they were going to do that warranted them both being AWOL at almost six.

"I don't know where you two are." She said on James's voice mail a few minutes later after ringing again as she pulled into Sainsbury's car park. "But tell Robbie he needs to make sure he's home in time to get ready for Laura's orchestra party or he's in serious trouble. AS for you get home ASAP Archie has been on his own since I went home for lunch at 12 he'll be desperate to get out by now."

Pulling the car into the first parking space she saw she grabbed disconnected her phone from the Bluetooth again and threw it into her bag before grabbing a trolley and heading into the supermarket.

Walking back out almost an hour later with a trolley heaving with everything they would need for the next couple of weeks she was loading it into the car when her phone rang.

"James where the…oh sorry Laura I thought you were James did you find them?"

"No I didn't I was hoping you had. Have you heard from James at all?" Laura replied the irritation in her voice obvious as Jean sighed heavily.

"No I'm hoping he'll be back at home when I get there I'm getting in the car now I'll ring you from home maybe they are both there."

"They better be if he messes this up I'm going to kill him Jean he needs to remember I know how to get away with it."

"He won't Laura if he knows that it's important to you he'll be there sit tight and I'll call you from home."

Making the short drive from the supermarket to home Jean felt her heart sink as she pulled into the driveway and realised James's car wasn't there. Now she knew Archie would be going mad and when she told Laura they weren't there she was going to go completely off the deep end.

"James are you home?" She called opening the front door and calling out in one final last ditch attempt but being greeted with nothing but the loud barking from Archie as he ran toward her. Scooping him and letting him expel his hyperactivity as he wriggled in her arms and licked her frantically she headed for the kitchen.

"Where's daddy and Robbie Archie? Do you know?" She smiled before opening the back door and watching as the puppy ran out of it and excitedly dashed around the lawn. With him happy now all she had to do was bring in the shopping, put it away, make dinner and locate her wayward partner. Before she could do any of that though she had to ring Laura and tell her she'd once again drawn a blank and all they could hope was that they would turn up in time for Robbie to attend the party or she had a feeling all the hard work she'd put in to getting him and Laura together would have been for nothing.