Twenty blissful minutes, or perhaps a lifetime later, Strike felt little tremors spasming through Robin that could not be mistaken as weak kneed desire. His eyebrows raised at this realization as he looked down at her pink nosed face,

"You're cold." It was a statement

.

"I'm fine." She said, another shiver saying otherwise.

"You're a terrible liar." He said with a crinkled smile.

"No, I'm not. I'm Venetia Hall, remember?" Removing the hand wrapped around his waist to offer a handshake. He grunted, and with a nod of acknowledgement took her proffered hand and then jumped in surprise,

"Jesus Christ, Ellacot!" he exclaimed, "You're cold as a crypt."

"I'm not! I'm really fine." She said a little defensively.

"The fuck you are. We're going home." said Strike frowning, "I'm sorry I kept you out in the cold. I was distracted. It'll be my fault if you get trench foot- Linda would properly kill me."

Robin experienced a little thrill at the fact that, for now, 'going home' meant the same place for both of them.

"Lets not go just yet" she said trying, despite the chill to smile seductively up at him, adding a delicate touch to the side of his face for effect. She didn't want this little bubble burst just yet. She thought briefly of her family- especially Martin and suppressed a scowl.

At her touch, he winced and reflexively took both her chilly hands in his large warm ones. Matching her slow smile with the ease of practiced experience he bent down to place a kiss just behind her ear stirring her hair with his warm breath and whispered,

"We're leaving."

Her pleasure at feeling his breath on her neck evaporated in an instant as she jerked her hands away, frowning indignantly at him.

"Do you really want to call it a night?" She said crossing her arms and tucking her fingers in her armpits- which felt considerably warmer there, "You realize that nothing is going to happen once we get there? It's a small house- everyone hears everything. "

He frowned a little at that as Robin continued in exasperation,

"I'm not going to give Martin or my mother any opportunity to make a big deal out of this." She gestured one hand between the two of them, keeping her other tucked warmly in the crook of her arm, "when it's not even a day old."

Strike grunted and shrugged easily,

"I've waited a long time, I can wait a bit longer."

"I can't." Robin muttered.

Strike felt a little thrill of pleasure at her irritation. Never, not even in his most delicious fantasies did he think that she would feel for him as powerfully as he did for her. His best hope was always that she would be open to trying a relationship with him. He wanted the opportunity to show her that he was prepared to give her everything he was certain she thought he was incapable of, if she wanted it. When it was Robin he considered, the permanence of marriage no longer frightened him. He had no idea what her ideas were on this subject- only that she had dumped Ryan Murphy for imagining her in a wedding dress. Now that the truth was out in the open, he wanted to share all of it, but on that point at least, he needed to tread carefully. For now, he felt that he had already had more than his fair share of good fortune for one night. He was surprised not only that she had called what she felt for him, 'love', but also that would rather freeze than go home and pretend to her family that this night had never happened.

Strike just looked at her, arms now folded. Unmovable.

"Fine." Robin conceded on an exhale, turning her steps towards home, Strike falling in step beside her.

She was undeniably cold, a state that was only likely to get worse as the temperature of the night continued to drop. As they walked She snuggled closer, feeling his presence beside her like a burning aura. So attuned to him was she that her keenly observant mind felt as though she would later be able to recreate every sensory expirience of the moment with vivid accuracy. She absorbed his closeness like parched ground took up the rain. Solid, steady, and surprisingly certain, he had taken her ungloved hand in his and tucked them together into the large pocket of his woolen reefer jacket. She felt their connected hands like an umbilical link between them, vital and grounding. The touch of hands reminding them both that this was real and not a misunderstood moment or a figment of the imagination. Her hands were cold and the right one throbbed in the depths of her own coat pocket- a reminder of Matthew's jealousy. She liked the feeling of Strike's big rough hand covering hers as her thoughts strayed delightfully to wondering what the rest of him would feel like. His voice roused her.

"Not that we're telling them yet, but how do you suppose this will go over with your family?" said Strike, trying not to let on how much cared.

Robin thought for a moment before responding,

"Well," she said with a little shrug, "I suspect that my Mother knows more about how I feel than I've actually told her…" or even told myself, she added in her head, "She's very perceptive."

He looked at her as they walked, It was hereditary, no doubt.

"Will she be disappointed?" Aware and hating how much the question made him sound like a lovesick teenager. Robin laughed lightly,

"She never wanted me to marry Matthew, did you know that?"

"No," said strike honestly, "I didn't. Why?"

"I think she knew I was only marrying him because I was afraid not to." she said contemplatively.

He didn't respond to this, he had long suspected that her relationship with Matthew was anchored primarily in her need for safety after her own trauma and was glad that Linda, it seemed, agreed with this observation.

"She knew I wasn't in love- even when I didn't." She hesitated then went on, "You know, she actually kept asking me about you leading up to my wedding." she said looking up into his eyes briefly, "at the time it was… confusing. I'd never said anything more than I admired and respected you- professionally of course- but I think she knew that there was more to it for me, and even perhaps that I was afraid of what it was I felt for you. I think now she was hoping that I'd realize that my heart was not with Matthew."

Strike felt a sudden surge of admiration and respect for Linda Ellacot. He thought of her shrewd insight into her daughter's true heart and her desire for her to have happiness in life. He felt slightly humbled now by her invitation to the family Christmas. He began to wonder now if he owed her far more than he knew. Robin continued,

"She just wants me to be happy." said Robin truthfully, "She could never really be disappointed because when I'm with you, I am happy."

At this, Strike felt surprise and emotion surge within him. He squeezed her fingers, rather too tightly to avoid an uncharacteristic watering of his eyes. After a few quiet moments he pulled her to a stop and turned her to face him, looking at her with a potent stare.

"You make me happy too, Robin."

He brought his hand up and gently cupped her cheek. She felt him tremble slightly and all at once fear bubbled up within her- he was not one who rattled easily. She was suddenly unable to hold his intense gaze and to avoid it she brought her hand up to the back of his head and pulled him irresistibly to her, lips meeting powerfully, hungrily. She pushed into him with heat and heard him groan quietly. She liked that, and she felt a thrill at her power. She pulled back to watch his face and was not disappointed. His breathing was labored, lips parted and swollen- eyes dark and lusty. She smiled, satisfied with herself.

"We should get back." Said Robin, finally.

Strike made no reply but let out a distracted sigh running a hand through his hair to settle himself, sending a puff of mist twirling out in front of them. They fell into step again, Robin tucking her hands deep in her warm pockets while strike put an arm over her shoulders pulling her in close beside him.

"You said earlier that you'd been waiting for this for a long time." said Robin lightly, "how long?"

He was still trying to put blood back in his head when her question registered faintly.

"Well," he said slowly, "I can tell you now that I was very concerned about how sexy you were from the off."

"Concerned?" Robin said with a snort, "When have you ever been concerned about finding a woman sexy?"

"Well it wasn't a convenient thing for me to try not to notice that." he said dryly "I'm in the business of observation if you hadn't noticed."

"Ah." she said, "you obviously overcame.. We've been working together for years."

"I wanted to sack you at first, if I'm honest." he said, quirking his lip as he looked down at her, "I couldn't afford to have my brain in my pants while I was trying to save the business."

"Thank you for not firing me for being Sexy." She said eyebrows raised.

"You're welcome." he said seriously, "The real problem was, I learned pretty quickly that you were brilliant at the job too- and you wanted to stay on." he smirked, "I decided I needed to start admiring your brain, and your personality instead- which made it all worse in the end." He smiled ruefully down at her, "Then you were kind, funny, smart, brave, clever AND ALSO sexy…. Christ help me." he added, rolling his eyes.

"Mmmm…" said Robin leaning in with a smile, "I'm sorry to have been a problem."

"You bloody were." he said laughing. "But as far as when I knew I was in love? I knew it when you left me in the hospital to go meet Ryan. Truth be told, and we are telling truths tonight, I think I loved you long before that… but it was not something I really let myself dwell on. I think everyone around me knew that I was in love long before I twigged." He sighed and continued.

"After I figured it out- I couldn't sleep for weeks. I thought I'd already fucked it up before it had even begun- you were with Ryan and I was..." He shrugged unable to elaborate any further. He made light of it now, but the memory was dark and painful in his mind. He could not remember, even while laying in a military hospital contemplating how to move forward minus a critical limb, feeling so hopeless as he did those long nights he'd spent in his loft drinking whiskey with the specter of Robin taunting him for his cowardice.

"Well," She said wickedly, "I hope to cause you many more sleepless nights in future." catching his eye with the hint of the temptress in her smile."

Strike swallowed hard and resisted the urge to to kiss her again.

"Jesus Christ, Robin- I said I can wait a few days," He said with mild distress, " Don't make these next few days any harder than they need to be."

She laughed, feeling gratified at his suffering.

"Do you want anyone else to know?" Said strike, genuinely curious as he gestured between them. "About this?"

She was quiet for a minute, thinking. Finally she said,

"I think I'd like to keep it private for a bit to adjust myself to the idea. Maybe a few weeks?"

"Fine with me," he said, squeezing her shoulder gently as the house came into view around the corner, "I can still know though, right?"

She chuckled softly,

"Comon' then," she said, stopping suddenly and pulling him back to the low wall of the neighboring house, "Give us a kiss- it is Christmas after all."

Strike smiled down at her and kissed her hard, pressing her so firmly into the low wall so that her back bent over it. She raised her arms to wrap them firmly around his neck. She felt his weight and need press into her and she softened to it, arching her body to the curve of his. His hands slid down to grip her hips and In one smooth motion he lifted her and set her on the wall so they were now eye to eye. She let out a little gasp that made him smile into the kiss. Her legs were now on either side of him and the warmth radiating from him made her dizzy. She felt a blush of heat bloom through her body as the desire rocked through her, hands sliding into his hair to pull him closer. This time, it was Strike who pulled away and she who was panting, dazed and disoriented in her lust.

Strike stumbled back a step to take her in, astonished.

"Christ…" he muttered, rubbing his tingling lips. Bending forward to rest a hand on the wall he rested the other on his hip as he shook his head at the ground, trying, yet again to gather himself.

As Robin's ragged breathing slowed to normal, she slid clumsily off the wall, straightening her hair and jacket absently. after a long moment she said,

"Let's just go in before this gets any harder."

Still hunched and leaning on the wall,Strike gestured vaguely to his groin,

"I'm going to need a minute."