Disclaimer: Anything you recognise belongs to the BBC/Kudos. Anything else, including mistakes are mine!

Big thanks to warbs1981 for beta duties.

(Prompt – Heart)

Advice For The Young At Heart

Date: Sunday 14th February 1982

Her heart was pounding as she looked into the mirror once more. The woman staring back at her looked the same as she always did…But not.

It was a subtle change, something she was sure that only she could see, but then, she was the only one who mattered really. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the wallet in her hand before raising it out in front of her.

"DC Granger," she said to her reflection, the quirk of her lips not spoiling the no nonsense tone that she'd spoken in. "Okay Shaz, you're ready…I think. And no matter what, remember that DCI Hunt's got your back, even if it might seem otherwise."

She knew that for as long as she lived, she would always remember what had just happened and hoped that he knew how much it had, and always would mean to her. She smiled at her reflection and headed out to Luigi's.

Half an hour earlier...

Alex walked into Gene's office without knocking. She knew that was pushing her luck, but they'd been getting on so well lately. She really felt that the two of them and the team were the strongest they'd ever been.

She placed the thick stack of files on his desk with a smirk. "All done, Guv, as requested, I am now completely up to date on my paperwork!"

He didn't even look up from his newspaper when she walked in. "What do you want Bolly? A medal? I'm not going to praise you for doing your job."

"No of course not, whatever was I thinking," replied Alex dryly, before biting her bottom lip for a moment. "Guv…Gene, I was just wondering, tonight, maybe if you'd want to…"

"Come on Bols, spit it out, I haven't got all day!"

Alex sighed. "Do you want to, me and you I mean, possibly, get a bite…"

"You coming, Guv? First round's on Viv after he ballsed up that tackle this morning and got himself sent off!" Ray said as he popped his head around the office door.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a bit, Raymondo. Got some bits to do here first." Gene lit a cigar and looked up at Alex who was in her usual place, perched on the edge of his desk.

"Go on then, Drakey, off you pop; make sure Luigi hasn't sat anyone down at our table like yesterday."

Alex rolled her eyes. Damn bloody Ray. "Y'no, Guv, it is a restaurant and Luigi is entitled to seat people wherever he wants." She would never show it but she felt a little thrill at his use of 'our table', even if he had completely ignored her question.

"Mmm, well restaurant might be pushing it bit, don't you think?"

Alex smiled and stood. "Fine, I'll see you over there in a while. I'll be the one sitting at 'our table'."

Gene watched her leave, the rest of the team beginning to file out for the day, Chris waving Ray on as he waited back for Shaz. Getting to his feet, Gene walked to the door of his office.

"Granger, a word," he said, ignoring the look of confusion that passed between the young couple. "No need to wait, Chris, I'll make sure she gets across the road safely."

Shaz had been just about to go and get changed, and wished that she had done so sooner. She always found it easier to speak to her superior officer when she was in her own clothes. In uniform, she always felt like she was going to get into trouble.

She walked into the office and waited until Gene closed the door. "Guv?"

He walked behind his desk, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Her eyebrows rose as she watched him pour two hefty measures out, and hand her one. This was the first time she had ever shared a drink with him in his office and her confusion grew.

"Right, Granger…Shaz, sit down and drink up." He waited until she'd done as she was told before reaching into his top drawer and pulling out a folder. He dropped it on the desk in front of her. "You'll need to sign those. And I'll need your warrant card."

Shaz looked up sharply, her eyes wide. "My…My warrant card, Guv? Why? What have I done?" She tried to stop the tears pricking her eyes; anger, fear and confusion clear in them.

"Your card." He replied, waiting as she reached into her handbag and placed the folded wallet on the desk. He picked it up and opened it, pulling the card out.

Shaz couldn't help but flinch as he did so; feeling like it had been physically torn from her. Her eyes followed its path as he dropped it into his desk drawer.

"You won't be needing it…You'll be needing this one instead, he said pulling another out and sliding it into place, putting it down in front of her.

She looked down at the card and back up at him, her eyes still wide but this time filled with gratitude and happiness.

He lifted the glass. "Welcome to the team, Detective Constable Granger," he said, knocking back his whiskey and refilling his glass.

"Guv…I don't know what to say," she whispered, picking up the wallet and tracing her fingers over her new rank.

"Say you won't let me down, Shaz, say you'll keep that plonker you're engaged to in line, say you'll make me and DI Drake proud and not regret making this decision."

Shaz nodded very fast, and gulped her drink down, so her throat didn't close up with the tears that were still hovering there. "I will, Guv, I promise! You won't regret it, not for a minute!"

Gene nodded giving her a small, rare smile. "It won't be easy, Shaz. Despite how it might look to you. You'll have just as much paperwork, if not more, longer hours with not much more money to show for it and the danger increases as well. But you're young, enthusiastic, smart, and adaptable to the changes going on in the Met and if you carry on to the standard that you work now then you'll end up bypassing me and Bolly in no time."

He took a drag of his cigar. "But if anyone asks I'll deny I said it."

"Thank you, Guv," she replied, almost speechless that her gruff, no nonsense boss thought so highly of her.

"Don't thank me yet, Shaz. You'll get no special treatment from me just because you're a woman, and especially not because you're a feminist. Screw this up and I'll have you back in uniform so fast it'll make your head spin."

"I understand, Guv," she said with a grin, holding the warrant card against her.

"Right, well go and get changed then and you can go and celebrate." He watched her leave, the file under one arm, her warrant card still clutched tightly in her hand and smiled, thinking his team just got that much better.

Alex waved from the bar as Gene and Shaz walked in and he frowned, seeing a couple sitting very close together at their table.

He shook his head and cleared his throat as Luigi put a pint down in front of it, banging his keys against the side of his glass. The team all turned and looked at him. "Fenchurch east CID, meet your new colleague, DC Sharon Granger, you'll all have to make your own tea from now on, but she'll still be making mine."

A cheer went up around the long table where CID were all sitting and they got their feet congratulating Shaz. Gene walked around to where Alex was sitting on a bar stool, noting the smile on her face as she watched Shaz and thinking that it had almost been worth doing just to see that.

Alex turned back to face him, the smile still on her face. "You're quite something Gene Hunt, you know that?"

"I have been told that before, Bolly, yes. Now what the bloody hell is Luigi playing at?" He gestured around the restaurant, which was garishly decorated with red crepe hearts everywhere he looked.

"It's Valentines Day, Gene," replied Alex, her smile softening, "you know, a day for lovers."

Gene shook him head. "And why exactly do lovers need a day? Wait, don't answer that, they don't. It's just an excuse for a woman to want flowers or chocolates or a stupid card from a secret admirer. What a load of old bollocks."

"You're such a romantic, Gene," she replied, sipping her wine. "How you don't have women falling at your feet I'll never know."

"Who says I don't." He looked over in the corner again. "I asked you to do one thing, Bolly, just get our table, and you couldn't even do that" He gave her a pointed look. "Still I suppose it doesn't matter, seeing as how we're not staying."

Alex frowned. "We're not staying? Why are we not staying?"

"Well, I was under the impression from your whittering earlier, that you were taking me out to dinner! Although why you'd want to take me out on a day that's supposedly for lovers, I don't know." He leaned on the bar and turned his head to look at her.

She returned his gaze for a moment, before giving him a wry smile. "Indian okay for you?" She asked.

"It'll do for now, Bolly."