[A/N: Just a quick one...but gets us from a to b! Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews!]
Much to her satisfaction, Laura managed to blaze through her work far more quickly than she anticipated, and by 2pm she was back home, packing her things for her weekend away. Small piles of clothing were laid out neatly on her bed, and she stood back, one hand over her mouth, carefully deliberating. Bloody hell. She never knew what to take to Ellen's… It was only a weekend cottage, and she knew that Ellen had gone up this morning, so the fires wouldn't have been on long and it would still be chilly. But then again, it was unseasonably warm for the time of year… She sighed, opting, as she always did, for a larger bag and a bigger selection of clothes.
She sat down for a moment, smoothing her hand over the duvet. It was only a week… How much had happened? She smiled to herself, shaking her head a little, only a week. Somehow the fact that it had been several years in coming made little difference. She lay back, her head coming to rest on the pillow. It smelled unmistakably of him, as she'd known it would, and the memory of the morning flooded back. She had been surprised by his confidence, but more than that, she had been equally struck by how very natural it had all felt. It wasn't as if she were entirely inexperienced, but she had never felt so at ease with another man. It was funny, she'd assumed that their normal easy familiarity would translate into awkwardness, at least to begin with…but this morning only an alarm clock and the finest threads of her restraint had kept them from… She smiled again, sighing loudly. It was going to be a long weekend.
She'd parked her car round the back of the Pharmacology department - one of the perks of a part-time teaching role - and had walked to meet him in the University parks. The sun was shining again, and not for the first time, she wished that she would be staying to enjoy the weekend. She waited on the bridge for a few moments, resting her elbows on the rough stone, watching a couple of kids out on a punt. Those were the days. She had vague recollections of the last time she had gone out on one…it was mid-way through her last exam term, some Pinot Grigio had definitely been involved, and Alec had certainly fallen in. Several times if she remembered correctly. She was still smiling at the memory when a now-familiar arm spread lazily across her shoulders, and she felt a soft press of lips against her hair.
"Dare I ask?"
She shook her head, and smirked,
"Probably best if you don't…"
He smiled patiently, and sighed deeply,
"So, are you all packed up, like?"
"Yep…all sorted. Car's over at Pathology. How did James get on? Still looking like Cornish is in on all this?"
He sighed again, and leaned heavily against the bridge next to her,
"Aw…it just gets worse and worse, Laura… You think you know a bloke…but anyway, looks very much like he's a big part of it. We'll get him when he comes crawling home…"
"You couldn't have known, Robbie"
He looked at her, surprised, not for the first time, how quickly she read his mind,
"I know…it's just…"
He ran his hand through his hair, exasperated, tired of it all. She leant against him, her hand coming to rest on his wrist,
"Louise"
He nodded, his hand finding hers,
"I've just come from hers. She's in a bad way. She was a good friend of Val's…I feel like I should help her…you know, do something"
Laura nodded, squeezing his fingers,
"Just be there, Robbie…it's all you can do"
He sighed again,
"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 were gonna die, lives were gonna be ruined…and he just didn't care."
She paused, beginning to realise just how deeply this was affecting him, concerned she didn't know how to help,
"Well you'll put a stop to that"
"Well, we'll close the factory…still got to nail Faulkner and his mates"
"You will"
She couldn't do more than reassure him, she knew that. Perhaps it was all he needed though, as he straightened up and changed the subject,
"And when I do, d'you fancy a ride one night after work?"
"A ride?"
"What?"
She looked at him incredulously, completely flummoxed how he'd gone from crystal meth to horses…
"I mean a bike ride…there's a bike hire shop.."
She shook her head slightly…oh the bizarre things that men think of,
"Robbie…you? On a bike?"
He grinned broadly now, realising the faint ridiculousness of his suggestion, but not entirely regretting the mirth in her eyes at his expense…nor the warmth of her body pressed against him in a tight hug. She narrowed her eyes mischievously, and kissed him playfully on the cheek, before lowering her voice seductively,
"You know Robbie, I can think of plenty of other things I'd like to do when the case is over…if that's ok with you?"
Her arms were now looped lazily around his neck, and reaching up she brushed a kiss over his lips. He chuckled, before pressing his lips more insistently against hers,
"Yeah…that'll be fine with me too"
She pulled back a little and grinned conspiratorially,
"Walk me to my car, before half the force catches me 'wasting police time'?"