As the sun began to rise, Laura was already awake and plodding through her emails. She knew that working in bed was a terrible habit, but one of the few perks of her relentless insomnia was clearing her emails before breakfast. Not that she actually ate breakfast very often, but never mind. For once, she had slept quite well, a busy day and some chamomile tea had meant she had fallen asleep quickly. But, of course, she had been woken again by nightmares. She sighed audibly, and tried to relax back into the large pile of pillows, knowing full well that the headache that was forming behind her eyes would only be relieved by a decent dose of painkillers and another strong coffee.

She hit send on the last of the emails, and checked the weather for the weekend. She'd promised Ellen that she would visit her in Suffolk, and although a part of her wondered if she should stay and try to spend some time with Robbie, she was well aware that the case might take up much of his weekend. Whatever this relationship was, or might be, it would only work if they both accepted the complexity of their lives. Last night had shown her that. She couldn't just expect him to be waiting on her doorstep, or keeping her bed warm. They both had busy lives and demanding, unsociable jobs and she needed to keep things in perspective. He was sweet, and kind, and there was certainly an attraction between them, but she had forced his hand the other night, and she knew he would be cautious. She hoped he hadn't gone out drinking last night, and yet simultaneously scolded herself for even thinking it. She couldn't let herself fall too hard, not until she knew how he felt. Not until she really knew how she felt.

The sound of her next door neighbour reversing his car out of the drive prompted her to look at the clock. Just gone seven…time to get going. As she gathered her clothes and a fresh towel, she noticed that her phone had switched off again, bloody thing. She was awful at charging it, especially when she wasn't on call, and it was always running out. She plugged it in quickly, and headed off to the shower.

The traffic into Oxford, while never good, was particularly awful this morning. A few new sets of roadworks, and a faulty traffic light system meant that Laura was still in her car at ten past nine. She crept forward another few yards, and then paused again, pulling on the handbrake and easing out of gear. Typical. She had two more reports to finish before lunchtime, and a seminar at 4. Today was already looking like it might be a late night…

The phone in her bag began to vibrate. Eyeing the traffic cautiously and deciding she wouldn't be going anywhere fast, she fished it out of the bag and without checking the ID answered,

"Hobson"

"Morning Laura, it's me"

In spite of all her earlier attempts at considering their relationship sensibly and rationally, her breath caught in her throat as she heard his familiar voice.

"Hi stranger, everything ok?"

"That kinda depends on who you're asking… I'm fine, but we've just had a call in from the Green Park Surgery and one of the doctors seems to have had a really bad morning"

She smiled to herself, knowing full well now why he was calling,

"Robbie, are you making fun of the dead?"

He laughed, and had the decency to sound a little contrite,

"Maybe…"

"And you want me to come and take a look?"

"Of course. You'll no doubt be getting the call through in a bit, but I just wanted to give you a head's up…and to take the opportunity to tell you in advance how beautiful you look today, just in case I don't have the chance later."

Now it was her turn to laugh,

"You have no idea what I look like this morning, you charmer. I might very well be wearing yesterday's makeup and an old tracksuit!"

"And I contend that you would still look beautiful, so categorically I'm right."

"Hmmm. Then I accept your compliment and we'll discuss this later. I'm in traffic at the moment…where did you say the surgery is? Might be better if I just head there now…"

"On a mobile phone while driving, Dr Hobson? You do realise that's a bookable offense…"

"Technically I'm sat in a very stationary queue…"

"Fair enough, I'll let you off this time."

"Why thank you officer…"

"That would be Detective Inspector, and it's 30 Cavendish Street. I'll be there in about an hour."

There was a pause, neither wanting to hang up,

"I have to go now Robbie, seems like we're finally moving"

"See you in a bit, pet"

As she disconnected the call, she noticed that she had a text message waiting. It must have come in overnight. The cars in front once again began to bunch, and soon they were stationary again. She reached for her phone again and opened the message. Robbie. It must have arrived last night when her phone was off. Oh God. As she read his simple words, she felt a lump rise in her throat, and to her horror tears pricked at her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, and putting the phone back in her bag, tried to concentrate on the traffic, which was moving again. Why am I upset? Carefully wiping her thumb under her eye, she checked her makeup in the rear view mirror. You know why. She had gone to bed desperately trying to be realistic about their relationship, trying to protect herself. She had felt disappointed and frustrated, for wanting too much, too soon. For overthinking things. And all she had needed to do was trust him. To listen to exactly what he had said. He wanted to be with her, and it was, just maybe, that simple. She wouldn't cry, not on the way to a crime scene. She took a deep breath, and tried to regroup. Everything is fine…he wants this as much as you do. She shivered, the relief almost tangible.

In the end, it was Lewis who arrived first at the crime scene, and as she bustled in with her kit, he let her concentrate on the task at hand. He couldn't, however, resist a quick jibe about it all being her fault that they had another mess to investigate. After a quick exchange, he decided to leave her to it - it was too distracting simply to stand there watching her work - and besides, he needed to start collecting statements.

He was nearly finished at the scene, and with the Faulkner lead looking strong, he knew he'd need to get cracking on the follow-up down at the station. Innocent would certainly want a full debrief, and given the Faulkner links, he knew she wouldn't be letting him loose without a proper outline of his lines of inquiry. Throwing a cautious glance at the lad, who was deep in conversation with one of the receptionists, Lewis stepped into the deceased's office and quietly pushed the door to.

"I'm off now, pet"

She smiled distractedly, and nodded, as she gathered the pills from the desk and finished the final residue swabs from the woodwork. The body was bagged and, although the room would be sealed for another day or two, she was almost finished too. He stepped closer, and brought his hand down gently on her shoulder, immediately starting to rub the tension out of the muscle.

"Everything ok, Laura?"

She straightened up, and smiled, their eyes meeting. She glanced quickly at the door, and seeing it pushed to, she visibly relaxed, and nodded slightly.

"I'm fine, just tired"

He smiled sympathetically, and brought his hand to her cheek, his thumb lightly stroking her. As her face tilted up, he was sure that he could see tears in her eyes, but he didn't say anything. Instead he pressed a firm kiss, first to her lips, then her forehead, before wrapping his arm around her, his hand caressing her back.

"Now who needs a restraining order….?"

He grinned, kissing her again,

"Have dinner with me?"

In the end, 'dinner' turned out to be a quick coffee and a sandwich in a cafe round the corner from the station. He had Innocent breathing down his neck to keep the momentum going, and she desperately needed a few extra hours to finish a report for the coroner. The cafe was quiet, and although they were nothing but professional in their demeanor, Robbie and Laura were both happy not to have an audience. They chatted about the case, and about Hathaway. She talked about her trip to Suffolk, and noted the slightly disappointed look in his eye; he mentioned that once this case was finished, he'd have a lot of overtime owed. Nothing concrete, just a subtle mention. An elderly lady on an adjacent table needed to use the bathroom, and Robbie had shifted his chair closer to Laura's, his leg brushing up against hers, to allow the lady to pass. As he'd moved to shift back he felt her delicate hand on his thigh, stilling his movement. They exchanged a shy smile, and returned to their food.

The time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was 6.30 and the cafe was closing. They both needed to be somewhere else, but they lingered nonetheless. He helped her on with her jacket and insisted on paying the bill, much to her amusement. As she stepped towards the door, it suddenly opened, as a stressed student barreled in, keen to grab a coffee before the place shut. Laura stepped quickly backwards, and was soon flush against Robbie's chest. His arm quickly wrapped around her, steadying her, holding her firm against him, his own body's reaction unmistakable. The lad apologised profusely for nearly knocking her over, and with a cheeky smile headed for the counter. Robbie released his grip, suddenly acutely aware of his predicament, and Laura stepped forward slowly, reaching again for the door. A small smile played across her lips, and she casually looked over her shoulder, catching his embarrassed eye,

"Come on you…back to work"

As they walked the few streets back to the station, a quiet awkwardness descended between them. There was something about being out in public that made it harder to be relaxed. Not for the first time, Laura wondered if they would really be able to do this. It wasn't that it was inappropriate for them to have a relationship…just that people would notice, and people would talk. Not that she particularly cared, but maybe he did. For all their playfulness and affection, she still didn't know what he really wanted from this relationship. They had fallen into step, and, as their arms swung alongside each other, she wanted desperately to take hold of his hand. But she couldn't. And it was distracting her beyond belief.

"Look Laura, I'm sorry about that…"

She was wrenched from her own thoughts so suddenly that she actually stopped and looked straight at him, her face clouded with confusion,

"Sorry about what?"

He grimaced, and ran his hand nervously over his forehead,

"…man-handling you like that"

For a moment she was genuinely confused, her mind was so caught up in the frustration of the present situation. But as the penny dropped, she found herself trying not to smirk. He looked so guilty, and so concerned that he might have upset her, and for a man of few words, he was really trying his best to apologise,

"…I know you want to take this slowly, and grabbing you like that was just inappropriate"

She bit her lip, her hand coming to rest on his chest, trying to still his words. A quick glance around reassured her that no one was indeed watching, and fixing him with a glare, she grabbed his wrist. She knew the street well, and in a couple of steps, she dragged him into a small alleyway, just behind a bicycle repair shop. The occupants had long packed up for the night, and the street was practically deserted.

He had barely had a chance to catch his breath when he felt her firm hands pushing him back against the wall, her lips curling with a smile, and her eyes burning with a desire he had only seen in movies. Her hand snaked up to cup his face, and she reached up, her body flush against him, and whispered in his ear,

"Firstly, this is being manhandled…and secondly, I've been wanting to do this for days"

Her breath was hot against his ear, and he actually shivered. Slowly, she kissed her way from his ear to his cheek, before capturing his lips in a searing kiss. His arms slid around her body, pulling her closer to him, as he returned the kiss without hesitation. For a few precious moments, they were lost in their own world, entirely focused upon each other.

The clattering noise of a skateboard and raised voices roused them from their embrace, and they separated, Laura stepping back slightly. He cupped her cheek, kissing her lips gently, teasingly. They shared a slightly embarrassed smile. He thought she might actually be blushing,

"Are you always like this, woman?"

She had the decency to look slightly sheepish, before fixing him with a sultry smile,

"I have my moments"

He smiled broadly, pulling her to him in a final bear hug, his chin resting on her head,

"I'll say… Not that I'm complaining, of course"

She pressed a kiss to his shirt, reveling in the warmth of his skin, not wanting to go,

"We should get back to work…"

"I know."

"Will it be a late one for you?"

"Mmm…we're starting to pull some threads together. What time's the PM tomorrow?"

"I've scheduled him for first thing…do you still think it's not going to be suicide?"

Her face was firmly pressed against his chest, and not for the first time, he was momentarily distracted by how natural it felt to hold her,

"I don't know…it just doesn't seem quite right. We'll know more tomorrow."

They were still unobserved, but the cautious side of Laura's personality was beginning to win and she pulled back, and began to smooth down her hair self-consciously. He smiled knowingly, reaching out to remove a non-existent smudge from her cheek,

"You look beautiful"

She blushed again, and straightened his jacket,

"Come on then, back to the grind"