Short filler about a couple of days later, (because I have just been savaged by the evil plot bunny (yet again))... perhaps love changes everything? (Apologies to Lord Lloyd-Webber)

Stuart sat at his desk, aimlessly going through paper, making busy whenever someone came through the door. Most of the rest of the team were out, and he was relieved about that. It was difficult to handle just the sheer amount of sympathy. He wasn't given to showing his feelings in public, in fact he was usually pretty successful at hiding them behind some quick quip. But he was coming up empty on that one right now.

And for some reason he felt shy around Jo, which was really stupid. He couldn't put his finger on why and that bothered him, Stuart liked to be in control of things, shy simply wasn't his thing. The fact that she'd cared enough to stay when his whole world seemed to be burning down around him, and she'd seen him with all his defences down, both thrilled and appalled him. Even now, if he closed his eyes, he could remember the smell of her perfume and the feeling of belonging in her arms...belonging? He quickly slammed the door on that memory, that was something he definitely did not want to get into here and now. Unbidden, the memory of her fingers gently stroking his hair as he cried his heart out, came back to bite him. He clamped down fast on the flush of strange pleasure that gave him. She cared... SHIT, Stuart, mate, pull yourself together. DC Jo Masters is a card carrying lesbian who is proud of being a lesbian and she is NEVER going to look at YOU twice. You have no chance, so pull yourself together...

He bent over the report again, she cared about me...

This was no good, he wasn't getting anywhere, and obsessing about how much Jo might or might not care about him personally was winding him up into a fit. He pushed his chair back and got to his feet, he needed to get out of here before he made a complete idiot of himself.

Jo Masters was having a bad ten minutes. She'd seen Stuart come in, he'd looked at her, blushed slightly, acknowledged her presence and then dived at his desk like a hunted deer caught in the headlights. Now he was watching her, thinking that I haven't noticed him watching me. For some weird reason, and she wasn't really prepared to try and fathom it out, she was noticing things about him that hadn't really occurred to her before. She paused and tried to analyze what was going on in her head before it drove her completely crazy. True, he's matinee idol handsome, very Rudolph Valentino, and those brown eyes...

It's the brown eyes, those beautiful expressive eyes, full of pain and fear, like a whipped pup. Jo, you're losing it, Stuart Turner is a man... you don't get interested in men... okay, there was that one time... that was years ago... I'm immune... you're not immune, or the memory of beautiful brown eyes ravaged by fear and pain wouldn't be turning you into a jelly right now.

Dammit. This is no good. She pushed her chair back and reached for her bag.

Stuart had been so intent on getting out the door, without being noticed, that it was inevitable that they should collide with each other.

"Jo." his voice squeaked slightly, but he stuck out his hand trying to cover. "Thank you, for being so kind the other night." To his own ears his voice sounded rushed and a bit breathy.

"Anytime, Stuart." Her voice sounded so cool, so neutral. He felt so disappointed.

They reached for the same door handle at once, and their fingers brushed. The tingle was unmistakeable. Whatever their differences, a paradigm shift had taken place.