Fast forward a few days to the afternoon of December 31st

"So, another year is about over." Robbie meant to say more than that but as usual reading between the lines was required to get the full depth of his emotion. He was leaning against a tree and Laura was leaning against him. He had his arm around her neck. To an outsider it may have appeared he was preparing to strangle her. In reality it was just a position that was comfortable to both of them, Robbie anchoring Laura as they gazed out over the river.

After a few moments Robbie tried again to dig a little deeper. "We don't have a baby anymore."

Laura turned to face him. There were no tears, had there been she would have kept staring at the river. She put on her best Dr. Hobson matter of fact expression and replied, "We didn't have a baby when the year began."

It was an unusually sunny and mild day for the last day of the year. All Laura needed to stay warm was Robbie and her leather jacket, the one James secretly called 'her cloak of hotness'. She tugged the jacket tighter around her shoulders. Still trying to keep any emotion out of her voice Laura spoke softly, "And we did not get a Christmas miracle. I was sure Caroline would have a breakthrough towards recovery that day."

Robbie took his free arm and pulled some grapes out of their picnic hamper. "My fault for not believing." He popped a few grapes in his mouth then offered some to Laura.

"Nothing that happened this year was your fault Robbie." She selected a few grapes. "It was an adventure though and one I am happy to have shared with you.

"Well I wouldn't have done it for anyone but you Laura."

"No regrets?"

"None."

"Even the ride in the back of a police car? Surely a first for you."

"Yeah, my first time." He had his suspicions and regarded her with a inquisitive face. "Not your first time Luv?"

Laura laughed. "That's a story for another day." She turned pensive. "Perhaps someone will write about our story, and Caroline and Flavia."

"Cale too?"

"Can't leave him out. Might as well include Ellen for comic relief and the enigmatic Mrs. Collinson for mystery fans. A phone beeped and they both reached into their pockets. It was Robbie's with a summons from James to meet at the pub. They made eye contact and read each other's minds and nodded in agreement. They might as well get it over with.


Sitting at a small table in the White Horse with pints for Robbie and James and a Gin and Tonic for Laura, James could contain himself no longer.

"I turn my back for five minutes and get a phone call about the pair of you from a police station in a foreign county. Lucky for you I made friends with a senior officer there a few years back when I was helping out at the orphanage and driving around looking for your former friend Jack Cornish."

Robbie and Laura attempted to appear suitably chagrined but neither of them spoke.

James used his best Inspector's voice and commanded, "Spill!"

Robbie looked at Laura. "Where do we start?"

She shrugged. "How about with the knock on the door soon after we arrived in what was supposed to be our new home with Flavia."


On his way to answer the door Robbie hoped against hope that maybe it was St. Nicholas coming to deliver Christmas gifts. He opened the door a crack and knew it was serious when he spied a uniform. A foot was quickly inserted to keep the door from being shut. Robbie looked over his shoulder and saw that Laura and Flavia were nowhere to be seen. In broken English a voice demanded he open the door. He did as he was told and an officer with a grim expression entered the small farmhouse.

Meanwhile Cale Pickman was frantic to learn the location of his daughter. He called Mrs. Collinson and spoke to her in code. The older woman told him to remain calm that all gifts would be delivered in time for Christmas. Would everything really be okay? Cale now wondered if she could be trusted. Someone had betrayed him.

Robbie had decided he and Laura should comply with the police officer's instructions. Laura had already come to the same conclusion and had grabbed a bag with supplies for the baby and came to the door with the sleeping child. She tried to insist that the car seat be installed in the police car but the language barrier and the urgency of the mission made that impossible. Laura clutched Flavia as she and Robbie were transported in the back of the official vehicle going the reverse direction over the same rough roads they had just traveled by taxi only hours before.

Laura was tense and by silent agreement she and Robbie did not talk, grateful only that Flavia slept through the journey. Once at the station their fingerprints were taken and they were asked if there was someone they wanted them to telephone and Robbie wrote down the number for DI James Hathaway on a slip of paper. Then they were led down a narrow hall and left in a small windowless room.

Thirty minutes later Flavia started to stir and Robbie pulled out a bottle from their bag and wondered how long the supplies Laura was able to pack would last. Heavy footsteps could be heard approaching them. There was no knock. The door burst open and a very agitated Cale Pickman entered.


James Hathaway held the phone at his long arm's length away as a loud voice mumbled things that made no sense. Robbie had told him they were going away for a couple of days. It turned out their trip was more perplexing than a weekend in Wales. He brought the phone closer so he could yell back some ramblings of his own. After the call he rose from his desk and muttered to Maddox on the way out of the office, "I'm going to find out who is responsible for this."


Back at the pub James was impatient. "I know that part. Moody accidently gave the game away, didn't even know what he was saying. Robbie you should know better than to write private things down on paper and throw them in the bin."

"It's how I plan, writing things down. I suppose I should have swallowed the paper."

Laura nudged him in the ribs. "Oh no, I am not having you get involved with MI5 too."

"Well I did crumple it up. Moody must have ironed it out." He shook his head. "Besides, it was supposed to be a safe place."

"You should have used invisible ink." James finished his pint. "Then Moody managed to leak the information to the Chief Constable who as it turns out has had his phone tapped by the bad guys."

Robbie finished his drink as well. "These days it is hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys." He frowned at James. "Joe was a good cop. He didn't deserve the sack for this."

James, never a fan of Moody's, got them back on track. "Finish the story."


Cale rushed over to Laura and she willingly handed Flavia to her father. He cradled the child. "Thank goodness you are safe."

Robbie put his arm protectively around Laura's shoulders. He growled at Cale, "What's going on?"

They did not have a lot of time so Cale explained quickly. The plan they decided on back at Robbie and Laura's house after the conclusion of the case of the small bombs would keep Robbie and Laura involved with Flavia while Cale learned how to be a father. He did not want to take her away from the people who had been caring for her, remembering how he felt when his mother took him away from his beloved aunt and uncle to go to boarding school.

Mrs. Collinson was sending Cale on what was supposed to be a very safe overseas assignment. Laura and Robbie would come along as the child's nanny and manny. Cale would spend as much time as he could with his daughter. He arrived a few days in advance and had the house prepared for them. Shortly after their plane landed Cale found out that a dangerous man he helped to bring to justice a few years ago had escaped and was planning his revenge. The information Moody inadvertently leaked quickly made its way to the villain who rejoined his former gang and set out to confront Cale. Fortunately Cale's past training had prepared him for treacherous situations like this and he was able to elude his pursuers not fearing for his own life, concerned only about the safely of his daughter.


They all returned safely to Oxford, Cale deciding to take a leave of absence from work to get to know his daughter in her home, the only one she knew. Robbie and Laura invited him to stay with them. He declined their offer and found a flat nearby and spent time with Flavia every day. The more time he spent with her the more he felt unprepared to be a father. Laura confided in him about her initial fears of taking care of a child. She could see that Cale loved Flavia and prepared herself, Cale, and Flavia for living with her father. They spent Christmas together. Robbie got the child a baby safe fire truck and Laura added to the child's collection of books and music. Brad and Carole got her a chess set (Brad's idea) and a baby doll. They kept their gifts to a minimum as they knew Cale had bought out almost every toy shop in Oxford. He arrived at Robbie and Laura's house with an excess of parcels, bags, and boxes. Ellen turned up with several fancy Christmas party dresses, enough for Flavia to wear a new one every hour so there was no need of her mini crime scene suit to keep her outfit clean.

Laura checked her phone several times during the day. She had been sure there would be some improvement in Caroline's condition on Christmas. They brought Flavia to see her mother after her nap in the afternoon. Brad and Carole could see that Laura's optimism was waning and they found it more difficult than ever to be cheerful for the sake of their daughter and granddaughter. Caroline's twin brother Brian brought matching cuddly dodo toys for his sister and niece. He saw Laura slip out into the hall and went to join her.

"Auntie Laura, what's wrong?"

She put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Brian. I was hoping for a Christmas miracle."

Brian hugged her. "Maybe Flavia is the Christmas miracle."

Laura hadn't had much time for her nephew this past year being so busy with Caroline and Flavia. "It must be difficult for you."

He shuffled his feet. "Yeah, as the healthy twin, I have a lot of guilt."

"Have you talked to your parents about it?"

"No, they have enough to worry about."

"Brian, they won't know how you feel unless you tell them."

He sighed. "That's probably very good advice."

Christmas Day ended peacefully and uneventfully. Robbie and Laura planned to drive up to visit Lyn and her family the next day.

Before dawn on Boxing Day Laura was awakened by her phone. She reached for it, sure it must be work. When she saw the message she couldn't believe it. Turning on a light and putting on her reading glasses to read it again to make sure she gasped out loud.

Robbie woke up to Laura shaking him. "Robbie, we got our Christmas miracle, just one day late. Caroline has come out of her coma!"


Back at the pub James displayed a rare smile. "So what happens next?"

Laura let Robbie tell him. "We plan to spend the next several months helping take care of Flavia until Caroline is fully recovered. Cale has assured us we are always going to be very involved Godparents."

"What about work?"

"Laura will eventually go back to taking care of corpses but only long enough for her to qualify for early retirement."

"And you?"

"I made it my New Year's resolution to put Laura first and take care of her." He covered Laura's hand with his and squeezed it. "She deserves it."

While Robbie and Laura sealed the deal with a kiss, James went to get them fresh drinks. As it was almost midnight he returned with Champagne.

Laura thanked James and asked, "What about you James, any New Year's resolutions?"

James smiled again, this time ducking his head to hide his embarrassment. "I've agreed to allow my sister Nell to fix me up with her flat mate." He lifted his head and grinned. "You may have something to get excited about in 2017."

They lifted their glasses.

"Cheers!"


A/N: Three years ago today I posted my first fanfiction story. I had no idea what I was doing, having only just discovered ff and the story was not very good. Muffinzelda was kind enough to send a review which surprised me as I didn't really understand how this all worked. This final chapter of Excess Baggage may be my last, or at least for awhile. Thanks to everyone who read, wrote a PM or a review (especially the scathing ones!) and those of you who continue writing. I hope that you found something to laugh about in one of my stories. 'And to All a Good Night' was tribute to you all. And lucky me, some of you have become very special friends. Happy Trails! -H