A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating, the first week of college has been hectic! Updates will be a lot slower from now on.

Thanks to oldmagik for help with this chapter, turns out I didn't stick to our plan, but I hope you like it anyway. Thanks for everything!

"Shaz?"

The young woman turned to face Gene with a startled jump at being addressed directly by a superior. Gene himself was shocked by the name that left his lips; one that used to be so familiar to him. She was exactly as he remembered her: young, and pretty in an odd sort of way. He found it strange that Chris wasn't close by, maybe laughing and joking in the corner with Ray and-... He shook himself out of it before he could go any further and realised that Shaz was still looking at him in shock.

"Erm- Sharon Granger right?"

"Y-yes sir?"

It was at this point that Gene realised he had no idea where he was going with this: he had spoken her name out of the shock of seeing her there.

"Heard good things about you from the Superintendent… promising young cop like you," he smiled, desperately improvising. "Who knows, you could be joining me in CID soon."

Shaz simply smiled nervously, not knowing what Hunt was referring to.

"Um, out on yer first beat are yer?"

"Yes sir."

He nodded, pursing his lips together briefly. He knew he couldn't say too much, give anything away, as much for her as for his DI who was observing the exchange intently.

"Well, erm, good luck anyway," he managed to call out gruffly before she disappeared through the door.

Gene ran his hand briefly across his chin, rubbing his jawbone slightly.

"Who was she?" Dan asked quietly, and Gene noticed the implication of the word 'was'. Dan had seen something in his superior's expression that meant he perceptively changed the word 'is'.

"A friend," Gene managed. "I knew her in 1981."

Dan nodded, his shock changing to confusion. "So she's here, but she went back in time right? Like me? So that means…"

"Yeah," Gene managed. "She was stabbed in the stomach by a car thief on her first beat…" he trailed off as he noticed the shock on Dan's face.

He turned towards the door that Shaz had just walked out of, a look of wild panic on his face. "But we could save her! If we stop her leaving she won't get stabbed and-"

"Keep yer bloody voice down!" Gene hissed.

Dan at least had the good sense to look slightly sheepish as he turned back to Gene. "So we're not going to do anything right? We're just gonna stand here and let her leave. Let her die."

Gene could only nod and watch as his DI stormed out of the room. He could sense that Dan wasn't going to drag Shaz back and so he simply let him leave. Let him cool down, he'll be back tomorrow.

Dan pelted down the street, away from CID as fast as he could. He was angry with Gene and he didn't really know why. Shaz'd be fine. Well not fine, he amended, but she builds a life in '81, just like I had to do in '88. The only problem he had was just letting someone so innocent walk towards that unknowingly. She was so young, too young, and it wasn't fair.

His feet were now carrying him absentmindedly down a quiet side street, the silence punctuated only by the distant shrill blare of sirens. Dan was struck by a sudden thought as he made his way unconsciously towards the noise.

If Gene could meet Shaz in '81, in his lifetime, and then again where she was supposed be... Does that mean, say, in another twenty years I'll meet back up with the team I left in 2010? Could I, theoretically, witness my stabbing and then seize Malone? I mean I will have lived out my time since '88, so I can't really go back again can I? He paused, screwing up his eyes in confusion. But it's not as if my body will have disappeared will it? It's not magic, not like I've time travelled from one place to another. I can hardly step over my own body and arrest him can I? It'd be a bit difficult to explain to the ambulance crew and the rest of my office: "Yes, I know it looks like there's two of me, but really, I can explain..." Nah, that'd hardly wash.

Dan was brought out of his reverie by the sounds of shouting and a car alarm bleating shrilly, just around the corner on which he found himself. He wheeled towards the source of the noise, and discovered the sight he knew in his heart that he'd find there.

The hooded man turned and sprinted away from the young woman lying on the floor, clutching her stomach in pain. The robber hardly expected anyone to be hurtling around the corner, unannounced and unarmed so when Dan's fist came seemingly out of nowhere, the man had no time to defend himself, resulting in him falling to the ground, out cold with the impact of the blow. Dan didn't even look back.

Rushing towards the girl, he dropped quickly to the floor and cradled her in his arms. She was losing blood fast. Dan had no radio with him as he was off duty; there was nothing he could do. He rocked her gently as she sobbed, slipping in and out of consciousness. He was tempted to try the thing that Gene had done on Woodall all those years ago, but he wondered if it'd have the effect he wanted: he needed to send her to '81, not… onwards.

"Shaz? Can you hear me?" he tried after a brief spell of silence.

She made a gurgling noise somewhere in the back of her throat, her back convulsing with the agony.

"I'm here, it's Dan, Dan-"

"Dad?" she croaked.

"No, no. Dan, Daniel Hartley," he managed, dispelling thoughts of that word. "It's okay, you'll be okay, I promise..."

She simply managed a crooked smile. Her breathing quickened and she shook in Dan's arms. Her last shuddering breath came in a brief rasp before the light left her eyes, her body sagging.

A single tear dropped onto her face unchecked before Dan wiped his eyes furiously with the back of his hand. There was nothing he could have done.