As he approached the scene, Laura glanced up at James. It was horribly early, and more than anything, Laura wanted her bed, a cup of tea and not to be in field in which she was stood in the pouring rain. Even with the scene of crime tent erected, it was a thoroughly miserable experience. "Are you quite alright, Dr. Hobson?" James enquired, frowning at Laura and she sighed wearily, putting her hands on her hips. He looked worried and she flashed him a quick smile. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked, glancing around them to check they weren't within earshot of any of their colleagues and James looked intrigued. "I'm telling you this because I trust you, James, wholeheartedly," Laura continued and James looked baffled. "Okay," he said "now I'm just plain confused." Laura smiled, resting her hand in the small of her back. "I'm pregnant, James, so I'm tired, hormonal and in need of my bed. Instead, I'm here, with you, in a field in the rain, at four o'clock in the morning, so cut me some slack, eh? And keep that to yourself. But god knows, Jim, I need some allies right now," Laura told him and he stared at her, disbelieving. "Laura!" he said quietly and she allowed her hand to rest over the bump he now realised was rather apparent. He looked up at her, then stared again at her. "Oh god," he muttered and Laura chuckled. "Now, I assume you wanted my opinion on this crime scene, and your senior officer seems rather conspicuous by his absence, so, shall we?" James took a step towards Laura and she smiled up at him. "Sorry, that was literally the last thing I was expecting you to say," he owned, scrubbing his hand over the back of his neck in a way Laura recognised as meaning he was on the verge of emotional. Laura quirked an eyebrow at him. "Well," she replied softly and he grinned. "I'm really pleased for you, Laura," James said quietly and Laura smiled to herself. "Shall we?" she enquired and he nodded.
Later that morning, there was a knock on Laura's door, and she frowned as she looked up. "Come in," she called, wondering who her visitor might be. The door swung open to review James carrying two mugs of coffee and a packet of biscuits precariously wedged into his jacket pocket. Laura smiled, surprised and he smiled back at her. "I thought," he began slightly awkwardly "that you might need mid-morning sustenance, given our early start." Laura gestured to the chair opposite her and he gingerly set the two mugs down, before closing the door behind him. "I thought you might prefer decaf? But I made one of each so I'll drink whichever, so…" James explained and Laura retrieved the mug of decaf. "I'm shattered," she confided "but yes, I'll have the decaf. Thank you." She sat back in her chair and took a long sip of the coffee. James pushed the opened packet of biscuits towards her, and Laura flashed him a smile before retrieving one from the packet. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?" she enquired kindly, and James considered her for a moment before he replied. "Well," he said "you shared some rather momentous news with me this morning, at some godforsaken hour, and I didn't react really. So I wanted to come and say congratulations properly." James met her gaze earnestly and Laura smiled broadly. "That's very sweet of you," Laura replied, taking another sip of her coffee "and thank you for my coffee. This is really very much appreciated. I have a full staff meeting in half an hour, and goodness knows I could do with the energy boost even if I am clocking off at midday and going home for a nap." Her eyes sparkled and he chuckled. Laura allowed her hand to cradle her bump gently and she yawned, shielding her mouth with her coffee mug. "Sorry," she said "I'm dreadful company at the moment. Robbie'll tell you, I'm sure…" James laughed loudly. "If you don't mind my asking, Laura, why didn't he tell me?" he enquired and Laura looked at him, trying to gauge his tone. "Well, principally, because when push came to shove, I saw you first," Laura replied levelly. "The majority of my team are going to find out later today, but we've not really told anyone, immediate family excepted, until now. We, or rather I, wanted to keep it quiet until we'd had various tests and scans so forth done. Robbie would have shouted it from the rooftops from the moment we found out if he'd had his way. But, I am what they so elegantly term, a rather elderly prima gravida, and you can't take everything being straightforward at my age." James snorted with laughter and Laura pursed her lips, amused. "What?" she enquired and James shook his head. "Sorry, I am struggling to imagine the level of gall one has to possess to inform a woman that she's "an elderly prima gravida"," he replied, clearly entertained. "Mmm, well, yes," Laura replied "it may be true, but it's even more galling when you're virtually old enough to be the mother of the doctor telling you! Think how Robbie feels if you think I was hard done by by that particular statement." James' eyes twinkled, and he reached for another biscuit. "The other reason we've been quite careful," Laura said "all things considered, is that I'm expecting twins, Jim, so it's even more of a high risk pregnancy, however hearty and hale I might be. You can't take anything for granted at my age." James' eyes widened and he stared at Laura. "Bloody hell," he muttered and Laura laughed. " That's more or less what Robbie said when we found out," she said jovially and James shook his head. "Wow," he muttered "Laura, I…" Laura leant forward and squeezed his hand. "James," she said kindly and he looked at her, eyes all clouded with emotion. "I have a sense this is something you've wanted for a long time," James said and Laura smiled to herself and nodded. "It was certainly something I hadn't ruled out," she replied "but I can't say I ever exactly planned that it would be Robbie I'd be doing this with." James laughed loudly. "The man, the enigma," he suggested and Laura chuckled. "Something like that," she said, visibly amused. "He's a lucky man, Laura," James said levelly and Laura smiled. "So I keep telling him," she replied and James laughed.
When Robbie came home that afternoon, he let himself in quietly, mindful of the fact that Laura had come home from her shift intending to take a nap and he didn't particularly want to wake her if she'd managed to fall asleep. In a moment of weakness, at 6am, I confessed all to James, Laura had messaged earlier. He was somewhat bemused by this confession. Laura could obviously tell whomsoever she liked about their pregnancy. James had come back into the office and held out his hand to an utterly bemused Robbie. "I hear congratulations are in order? Or so Laura tells me," James observed dryly and Robbie laughed. "Aye," he remarked wryly. "Thank you James. I was going to tell ye today but my beloved has beaten me to it, I see," Robbie replied warmly. "Oh, she certainly has," James remarked "pub for lunch and maybe we can continue the conversation?" In the pub, James had considered Robbie as he set two pints down onto the table. "So," Hathaway said, with a sardonic raise of his eyebrow and Robbie grinned. "So," he replied, raising the glass to his lips and taking a sip. Hathaway allowed the silence to sit between them for a few moments, intending that it would illicit disclosure. Robbie took another sip of his beer and considered the pub's menu. "I'm not one of yer interview subjects," he remarked, musing on the ploughmans as a potential lunch and Hathaway chuckled. "If ye want to ask me questions, and I'm sure you're dying to, you can just come out and do it," Robbie remarked, and Hathaway relaxed in his chair. "I'm just, well, somewhat surprised by your latest news," James said wryly and Robbie smirked. "I'm sure you are," he replied and James considered his Inspector. "You seem remarkably calm about it," James remarked and Robbie glanced at him. "Calm is an interesting choice of word," he replied and James raised an eyebrow. "I can't quite believe I'm, er, discussing this," Robbie said "and I'm not sure Laura'll thank me, but this wasn't a surprise to us. This is what Laura and I wanted." James opened his mouth as if to say something, and then clearly thought better of it, taking a large sip of his pint. "You're got grandchildren," James said baldly, and Robbie laughed loudly. "I know," he replied, amused. "What did your kids say?" James asked and Robbie considered him for a few moments. "I think they understand that, while this might be my second marriage, it's Laura's first, and we don't all meet the person we want to have a family with at 17. They don't begrudge Laura and I a bit of happiness," Robbie replied and James considered this answer for a few moments. "Fair enough," he replied, raising his pint to Robbie in a gesture of a toast and Robbie nodded. "I'll have the ploughmans, and a side of chips, if you're ordering," Robbie continued and James nodded. "Fine, alright," he said, shoving his chair back and heading over to the bar.
Robbie kicked off his shoes and tiptoed into the living room, finding Laura fast asleep on the sofa. He smiled at the sight. Hair slightly mussed, arm cradling her bump, she looked shattered and he grimaced as he realised this. Poor love, he thought, reaching for a throw and gently settling it over her, and then tiptoeing back into the hallway before heading upstairs to change. He hung his suit up carefully before selecting a pair of jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt and changing into them. He walked out of their bedroom and considered the box room which Laura had cleared out over the last month. It was empty now, and he planned to redecorate it before the twins arrived. The consultant had been quite frank with them at the last appointment. Anything past 32 weeks would be a bonus, and Laura would be induced at 37 weeks if she was still pregnant then. And there was a significant chance Laura would end up having a Caesarian. She'd grimaced at that. He knew her views on spinal anaesthetic and she really wasn't keen. The decisions about all of that he left to Laura. It was her body after all and as long as the babies and Laura were alright, he was remarkably unfussy as to the method of their arrival. However it happened, whenever it happened, he just wanted to be holding her hand. The nursery though, that was something he could sort out. Neutral, they'd decided. Obviously. Robbie had been delighted when the tests Laura had undergone had revealed not only two healthy babies, but that the twins were fraternal, a boy and a girl. He hadn't been at all bothered but he was so pleased to learn that they were expecting one of each. Children at all were just the most extraordinary bonus at his age. To think that he was able to experience this with Laura thrilled him. A second chance at happiness. Little ones to cherish and love and snuggle. He was quietly excited at the thought. He wondered idly if they'd look like Laura, or like him, or a mix. He loved the idea of a small blonde daughter, the image of her mother. But then, Lynne looked a lot like him, poor lass. Patrick was a fairer mix, but then Lynne had her mother's eyes. Val. What would she think of all this? He hoped she'd be happy for him. He missed her still. Thought about her every day. But the rawness had shifted. His grief was never going to go away but it had eased. Allowed him to move forward. And being with Laura was proving extraordinary. He loved her so much. He was looking forward to marrying her too. Not long now. They'd decided to keep it quiet and simple. They were going to meet a handful of their nearest and dearest at a pub they knew and liked on the outskirts of Oxford, which was licensed for civil weddings. Neither was religious, and it seemed the perfect place. Robbie grinned at the thought. Yes, it was going to be a lovely couple of months.
He made his way downstairs quietly, and padded into the living room. As he did so, Laura's eyes fluttered open and she sat up sleepily. "Hello," Robbie said kindly, coming to sit next to her and Laura smiled at him. "Hi, sorry, must have dozed off," she said and Robbie chuckled, taking her fingers into his and caressing them gently as Laura sat up. "What time is it?" Laura asked and Robbie shrugged easily. " About half four. I came straight back from my shift," he said. Laura grimaced, frowned and then cautiously brought her hand to her abdomen. "You alright?" Robbie asked cautiously, and Laura nodded slowly. "Give me your hand," she said and he frowned before obliging. Laura laid his hand flat on her stomach and frowned again. "There," she said, looking up at him, eyes wide. Robbie frowned again, before meeting Laura's eyes. "Was that…? he asked, spreading his fingers more widely and Laura nodded. "Pretty sure that's one of our little loves making their presence felt," she replied softly and Robbie grinned. He kept his palm resting on her bump for just a few more moments before leaning in to kiss Laura affectionately.