When Duty Isn't Enough

Author: Firebird

Rating: T (language)

Disclaimer: Neither Hot Fuzz nor its characters, settings etc. are mine. Original characters are, as the name would imply, original and belong to me.

Author's Note: There's just enough swearing in the upcoming chapters that I've changed the rating. Thanks to Enyara for taking the time to review this fic. Reviews bring the happy and increase the chance of updates.

**

He was still fast asleep when his alarm rang the next morning, and sore enough from the previous day's hard labour to consider foregoing his usual run. In the end it was the ache in his muscles which decided him: he was a police officer, and if he couldn't handle lifting a few boxes and walking up and down a few flights of stairs then he needed to do something about it.

Lily's curtains were still drawn as he headed out the gate and down the road. He realised he was checking each window and deliberately turned his head away. Much more of this and he really would be turning into the crazed stalker neighbour.

They were open by the time he completed his run, and Lily herself waved cheerily to him from the living-room. He waved back but didn't stop, the words 'crazy stalker neighbour' replaying in his head like a warning.

Although he did technically have that day off as well, he had already decided that he would spend the morning, at least, at work. There was still the paperwork that he had been in the middle of when Doris had tried to kill his computer, and it was the nature of the job that crime was no respecter of the Inspector's personal time.

**

"So, Chief, which do you think is the best course of action?" Sergeant Tony Fisher asked him several hours later.

"Huh?" Nick had been miles away, deciding where in Sandford he would take Lily, and only caught the tail end of Tony's question. "Oh, uh, either will be fine. I'll leave it to your discretion, Sergeant."

Tony nodded, picked up his papers and headed off. Doris, however, regarded him with a critical eye.

"So, who is she?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Oh, come on Chief, you didn't hear a word Tony just said. You were miles away, and from the look on your face it was somewhere nice. So, who is she?"

"Who's who?" Danny asked, walking in.

"Nick's met someone," Doris informed him, her tone of voice leaving no doubt as to what she meant.

"Really?" Danny looked thrilled. "Cor, that was fast. Who is she then?"

"Look, I don't know what you two are talking about."

"Ye-e-ah, look at his smile," Danny nodded gleefully, stepping right up into Nick's personal space and pointing at the corner of his mouth. "That definitely weren't there yesterday."

"We're police officers Nick, you can't keep anything from us," Doris grinned.

Nick sighed and glanced after Tony. "Do you think he noticed?"

"Tony? Nah, he's a bloke, and blokes are generally pretty oblivious in my experience. Danny wouldn't have gotten it either if I hadn't said something."

"Oi!" Danny objected.

"Well, you wouldn't have."

Nick tried to use their bickering as cover to slip away to his office. It didn't work.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Doris demanded, catching him by the arm.

"What are you thinking, Doris?" Danny asked. "Pub?"

"No!" Nick exclaimed, alarmed. As long as no-one else walked in he might be able to retain at least some semblance of privacy in the short-term: allow these two to drag him to the pub for interrogation and word of his interest in Lily would be all over the village before she even stepped out of her front door that afternoon. "Okay you two, I'll talk. But in my office, okay?"

The pair grinned at each other, and Nick had the sinking feeling that he'd just walked right into their trap. They didn't give him a chance for further thought though, steering him immediately through the door, which Danny then closed behind him.

"There." Doris folded her arms across her chest. "Now spill."

He sighed. "There isn't much to say. Her name's Lily; she just moved in next door yesterday. I helped her unpack-"

Danny and Doris nodded approval.

"- and cooked her dinner-"

"You're keen."

"- and offered to show her around the village this afternoon."

"This afternoon? When you could be... working?" Danny asked, disbelief written all over his face.

"Yeah, well, like you've both said, if I want a relationship that has a hope of lasting then I need to be ready to make some changes."

"So, do you know how she feels about you?" Danny asked.

He shook his head. "I'm not sure. For all I know, it's all in my head, and she's just being polite." He brightened slightly. "She did kiss me goodbye last night, though. On the cheek."

"OoOOoh!" Doris nodded. "She's interested alright, Chief. Just try not to blow it." She paused, seeing the spasm of anxiety that passed over his features. "You're scared you're going to blow it, aren't ya?"

He nodded miserably.

"Aw, you won't blow it," Danny reassured him. "You should have heard him yesterday, Doris. He was talking about what he wanted in a relationship, and it was all 'eyes meeting across a crowded room,' and 'butterflies in the stomach,' and 'sweaty hands,' and stuff."

Doris grinned. "Maybe not that last one," she suggested.

"What do I do?" he asked them. "How do I find out if she's interested?"

"Well, you're going for a tour of the village, right?" Doris asked. "Take her somewhere where you'll need to help her down from something – over a stile or something. Then, don't let go of her hand."

Danny nodded enthusiastically. "Then, you'll know whether she wants to hold your hand or not, because if she's not interested she'll pull away. Then, when the time's right, you pull her 'round to face you and you kiss her."

"How will I know when the time's right? And what if she slaps me."

"You'll know," Doris assured him. "And if she slaps you, you'll know she's not interested."

Nick groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I can't do this," he told them.

"Well, if you're scared of girls, there's always boys," she suggested cheekily.

He raised his head slightly. "Don't start."

Danny glanced at the clock. "When did you tell her you'd meet her?" he asked.

"One thirty."

"Well, you'd better get going then; it's almost one now."

"What?! Shit. I'll, uh, see you two later."

He could hear them laughing as he left.