Note: There's one f-bomb towards the end of the chapter, but it's entirely warranted. I would put money on you thinking the same...
There was, indeed, ice cream and ten minutes later they were curled up on the sofa, finishing a bowl each while watching the evening news. As he set his bowl down on the floor, Robbie theatrically lifted his arm and looked in her direction, his request clear. She smiled indulgently and slid over towards him, her body coming to rest against his chest. His arm was heavy around her shoulders, and she immediately snuggled down against him, her face pressing into his jumper. Yawning loudly he carefully put his feet up on the coffee table,
"I hope you aren't going to fall asleep on me, Robbie Lewis"
He chuckled softly, shifting slightly in the cushions, trying to get comfy,
"Would serve you right to have to carry me upstairs…"
She patted his stomach gently,
"Not after the dinner you've just had"
He grinned and sighed contentedly, his hand coming to rest over hers.
"So, what are your plans for this week?"
He was playing with her hair, teasing the soft strands through his fingers, only half listening to her,
"Nothing much, really…I'm off work until Friday now"
"It's alright for some!"
"Well not all of us got to go gallivanting to Suffolk at the weekend…"
"I did not gallivant…"
She looked genuinely irritated and he pressed an kiss to her forehead, trying not to laugh at how easy it was to rile her.
"So, in short, I am at your disposal, m'lady"
She raised an eyebrow and held his gaze for a moment longer than truly necessary, before replying as smoothly as possible,
"Wonderful, well…I have a pile of shirts that need ironing, the garden needs digging and I really had rather planned to get the back windows washed…"
Ignoring her sly grin, he kissed her again, before calmly adding a resigned,
"Yes, dear"
"But seriously, pet, I do have some time on my hands. Are you working all week?"
She was still snuggled against his chest, savouring the relaxation,
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm on call until tomorrow lunchtime, then normal 9-5 until Thursday. I think I'm on call overnight Thursday, but unless anything big happens, I should be able to take Friday off…"
Her voice trailed off, as she calculated her hours again,
"Yep, Friday should be fine, and then I'm off until Monday afternoon"
He rumbled his approval, and shifted slightly on the sofa,
"So would you like to come over for dinner on Thursday night?"
She hesitated, not because she didn't want to accept, rather that she wondered what would happen on the days in between. As they lay here, cuddled up in front of the fire, she simply couldn't imagine not spending her evenings with him.
"Laura?"
He sounded concerned, and she nodded quickly, turning to look at him, her eyes lighting up with a smile,
"Of course, that would be lovely"
"I can cook, you know…sort of"
She grinned, reaching up to press a soft kiss to his now-stubbly chin,
"Do I dare ask what, 'sort of' means?"
A small chuckle rumbled beneath her, and she raised an eyebrow,
"Oh ye of little faith…"
She kissed him teasingly on the lips, and settled back against him,
"You're going to ask James, aren't you?"
He chuckled again, squeezing her tight against him in a playful bear hug,
"Maybe… How did you know?"
She grinned into his jumper, wondering how much to tell him, not wanting to rake over old memories,
"He came and cooked for me a few times after I was attacked…he's amazing in the kitchen"
Robbie sighed, but didn't release her from his firm grip, his hand running once again through her hair.
"Aye, he's a good lad. Too smart for his own good, but he's a big softie really"
His voice was a little melancholy and she took the opportunity to change the subject,
"I think Jean Innocent fancies him…"
He guffawed loudly, choking slightly on the sip of wine he'd just taken, and looked at her in disbelief,
"You're kidding?"
Her eyes twinkled with mischief, but she shook her head sagely,
"Nope, I think it's pretty blatant…did you see the way she was looking at him earlier"
He looked genuinely puzzled, and shook his head,
"No…though I might have been distracted by the young lady sitting opposite me"
She shoved him playfully,
"Aw, you're rubbish… I'd put money on it"
He shook his head again, unsure of what to make of the turn of conversation,
"You're being serious, aren't you?"
She smiled knowingly, lifting her eyebrows in confirmation and kissed him on the cheek,
"It's not impossible, you know"
The weather report came on, and he sank into a thoughtful silence. Hathaway and Innocent, surely not? He shuddered slightly, shaking the idea from his brain. Laura must be winding him up. As the adverts started, she offered to make him a cup of tea which he accepted gratefully. She pottered off into the kitchen, and he took the opportunity to swing his legs up onto the sofa and stretch out his back. Last night's exertions, although extremely pleasant, had reawakened some muscles he seldom made use of, and a day sitting around in chairs and sofas was beginning to take its toll. He smiled to himself smugly, there's life in the old dog yet, though. And a few strained muscles along the way was a worthy price to pay. She padded back into the room with a mug in each hand, and a bar of expensive-looking dark chocolate between her lips. As she reached down to set his mug on a coaster, he retrieved the packet and inspected it,
"Got any Dairy Milk?"
She feigned disgust and unceremoniously lifted and slid herself under his stretched out legs. Not for the first time, he was surprised at her strength, and his expression revealed as much. She rolled her eyes and retrieved her chocolate,
"Nothing like heaving bodies all day to work a girl's biceps…"
He shook his head, smiling at how easily she read his thoughts. She had closed her eyes now, and was relaxing back against the embroidered fabric of the sofa and he took the opportunity to watch her unobserved. She really was quite exceptional. Intelligent, calm and methodical in her professional life…she never hurried at a crime scene, always taking her time to think through her actions. It had sometimes driven him mad over the years, but she was almost always unswayed by him, or anyone else for that matter. She was so controlled, so precise, and yet, underneath all that was a firecracker, full of energy and industry. It must be exhausting to be Laura Hobson, he thought, she never seems to stop. But here she was visibly relaxing, comfortable in his company, with his crap jokes and tired muscles. He reached out and ran his fingers over the hand that was resting on his upper thigh and she smiled, not even opening her eyes,
"So what are we going to do about Tuesday and Wednesday night?"
His fingers squeezed hers slightly and she rolled her head languorously along the cushion to look at him,
"What about Monty?"
He smiled reassuringly,
"I'll be home in the daytime, he'll be fine…to be honest, he's used to fending for himself"
She traced a lazy pattern on the back of his hand with her index finger,
"Then you'll stay here?"
He nodded, holding her gaze, instantly warmed by the grin that spread across her face. He tugged on her hand slightly and pulled her over to lie against his chest, his arm wrapping around her back.
"And then?"
He smiled to himself as predictably her mind cantered ahead, no doubt planning out their retirement…
"Then we'll have to come up with something else"
Not for the first time she marveled at his straightforward wisdom. No, he might not have a PhD or stupid letters after his name, but when it came to good old fashioned common sense, he trumped her every time. And he was right, there was no rush. This was enough. She snuggled into the soft wool of his jumper and closed her eyes. She could hear the steady beat of his heart against her ear, a strangely soothing sound that calmed her instantly…and the faint gurgle of his dinner made her smile. A kiss was pressed gently to the top of her head, and she was just beginning to truly relax when her phone began to buzz insistently on the desk behind the sofa,
"You have to be fucking kidding me…"
Startled and amused by the sudden, uncharacteristically frank outburst, Robbie sat up slightly,
"Just a sec…"
He reached out an arm towards the offending object and passed it over, still intrigued by the reaction it had provoked. She was still leaning against him, and as she pressed to accept the call, he saw the reason for her irritation. Dispatch.
"Hobson"
He couldn't hear the operator on the other end properly, just a steady stream of words, but he knew instantly what the call meant. She started to sit up, carefully discussing the details with the handler, gently but deliberately checking that her presence was absolutely required. She confirmed her attendance and quickly hung up, looking at the phone in her lap accusingly,
"There's been a shooting in Banbury, teenagers, one on his way to hospital now, one dead in a residential street, drugs on both of them."
She was still looking at the phone, her voice flat,
"They've already called ballistics, but I'll need to go now, they want it tidied up quickly." She smiled weakly, meeting his gaze, her hand coming to rest on his arm. "I'm sorry"
He smiled patiently, sitting up a bit so he could wrap an arm around her, kiss her cheek,
"Want me to drive you?"
The thought hadn't even occurred to her, and for a moment she dearly wished he could, but he'd had too much wine really. Besides, there was no point them both working. She ran her hand up his cheek until it came to rest against the back of his head, and leaned in to kiss him deliberately, slowly, taking her time. They might not now have the rest of the evening they had planned, but she was damned if she wouldn't make the most of what she did have. He teased her playfully, but reading her mood deepened the kiss, his arms pulling her closer to him, until they were both lying back against the sofa, her leg hooked around his waist. His body responded immediately, and she purred something unrepeatable in his ear, before claiming his lips again in a searing kiss. Eventually, reluctantly, Laura kissed him lightly on the cheek and began to extricate herself,
"I have to go, darling"
He smiled at the endearment, his hand still resting on the curve of her backside,
"I know"
"I'll probably be really late"
He nodded, understanding what she meant,
"Can I stay?"
She looked a little surprised, but nodded quickly,
"Of course. But I wouldn't wait up, you know how it is…"
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, and another to her forehead,
"Send me a text when you get there?"
She looked at him thoughtfully and shook her head,
"No, we can't start that…"
He raised an eyebrow, not understanding.
"If we do that every time one of us is called out, one day we'll forget, or get interrupted, and I'm not sure I could cope with the worry"
He smiled sadly, and nodded, knowing exactly how she felt. He brushed a stray bit of fringe out of her eyes and sighed contentedly.
"I'll be as quick as I can…"
"No, you'll just drive carefully, and concentrate, I'm not going anywhere"
"Yes, sir"
"Good girl"
For a moment he thought she might hit him for his condescension, but the fierce look in her eye was swiftly replaced with one of mischief. As she stood and turned towards the door she grabbed the tv remote and lobbed it gently into his lap,
"Here you go, old man…enjoy your rest while you can"
A/N - Thank you so much for your lovely reviews! They are so encouraging - and look, I managed two chapters in as many days! Definitely on the mend now, thanks for those of you who have asked. We're nearly there with this one now...a couple more chapters, and we'll be done. Thanks for sticking with me...and please, tell me what you think! :)