AN: It's Valentine's day and Laura is on call . . . Pure (un)necessary Robson Domesticus plotless fluff

PS Thanks all for continuing to read my witterings. I had to take a break from writing chapter 12 of The Way Young Lovers Do, but I'm back onto it now. Thanks and happy valentines ML x

It was 6PM in the evening on St Valentine's day. It had just got dark but the night sky was a clear deep blue, almost purple, as the sun's last bit of radiation left the atmosphere in the western horizon. There had been snow flurries all day mixed with freezing cold air and bright sunshine and as darkness fell, the clouds were thickening in-between the crystal clear patches of dark sapphire sky.

Laura Hobson was busy in the kitchen. On the countertop there was fresh rump steak, tomatoes, salad leaves and crusty bread. There was butter and oil to fry the steak and a big black griddle pan sat on the hob, poised for service. Next to it all was a bottle of good red wine, the sort that needed drinking in one go. Laura checked her watch. It was just past 6. Only 30 minutes to go before the cut off time for her call out duty.

So far, so good. She was tempted to open the wine but she wasn't stupid. She knew better than anyone that suspicious deaths didn't run perfectly in schedule with her own plans, especially on special occasions.

She heard soft footsteps. Robbie appeared from the living room and padded into the kitchen area to where Laura was now digging about in the cutlery drawer.

"How do I look?" He asked, "Not too dark?"

Laura went up to him, snaking her arms around his back. He was wearing a new black shirt and jeans that she had bought for him as a Valentine's gift.

She reached up on tip-toes to kiss him

"Mmm…" he said, kissing her back. "You like your men in black then eh?"

"I like my man in black"

"How're we doing for time? Think we'll do it?"

"No. Best to think we won't."

"Ten quid says we will, there's not long now, what, 20 minutes or so?"

She smiled raising an eyebrow at his optimism. She loved how recently his outlook had shifted back to how she remembered it; glass half full and a relaxed face, often with a smile for others and always with one for her.

"What have you got lined up for us then?" he said looking over her shoulder at the provisions laid out

"A nice piece of rump steak"

"Oh, just the ticket that is, love" said Robbie, rubbing his hands up her back with enthusiasm as he eyed the inch-thick slabs of steak on the countertop.

"I know it's one of your favourites" Laura said, her hands alsostarting to wander up his back. "Plus if I do have to go we can put it all back in the fridge without harm and if that is the case, there's quiche in the fridge for you"

Robbie raised his eyebrows and turned to Laura "Come here, you; you little star" and he pulled her closer into a big hug, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

"You look after me proud, you do" he said softly into her ear. "A new set of clothes and a contingency plan for tea, eh? What more could a man want?"

Smiling Laura pulled back from him a little and looked up into his eyes

"I can probably think of a few things" she said, raising an eyebrow.

Her hands were now on his lower back, her fingers tracing just below his belt with a touch that made his breath quicken slightly and he leant in to kiss her again with a soft laugh at her words. It was early in the evening but her kiss held a promise about the night to come and Robbie found himself getting momentarily lost in their closeness, forgetting for a while that she was still on call.

Suddenly there was a buzz and a chirping noise from Laura's pocket

They pulled away from the kiss

"Bloody hell, you've got to be joking" said Robbie

Laura pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Looks like you owe me a tenner" she said and she answered the call to dispatch.

Robbie sighed. Even though they were both seasoned to the call of duty, when it disrupted even loose plans it always came as a disappointment. He listened to Laura take details from the call and frowned to himself as he thought of how his best laid plans for a romantic Valentine's night were now completely scuppered.

"I imagine it's going to be a long one." Laura said as she ended the call. "We'll have to move valentines to tomorrow, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, Robbie."

"Hey it's not your fault. We're not strangers to it all. Never mind eh? All this can wait 24 hours. Why don't you get your kit and I'll get you your water bottle"

"Thanks, can you grab me a packet of those oat biscuits that are next to the fridge too? they'll keep me going for a while" she said as she headed off through the kitchen and upstairs to collect her cases and bags.

A few minutes later and Robbie met her in the hallway. He handed her a brown paper bag containing the oat biscuits and a grey slim thermos water bottle.

"Thanks" she said with a resigned smile, dropping the bag and the bottle into her bag before zipping up her jacket. "I'll see you in the morning. don't wait up."

"Ok love, well take care eh?"

"will do" and she smiled warmly at him, pulling her scarf around her neck to ward off the cold night air she was about to head out into.

He leant forward, his hands cupping her face. She was warm and soft and he silently cursed the callout again.

"I'll save you some quiche, but make sure you eat those biscuits, won't you? and I put a satsuma in there too" he said, after giving her a kiss

"What more could a girl want on a cold Valentine's night?" She said with a smirk

"I'll see you when you get back" he said, smiling back at her and ignoring her instructions to not wait up.

And then she was gone, the door closing behind her and the freezing air of the night briefly entering the house. Robbie sighed. Valentine's night would, for the most part, have to wait. He went into the kitchen and put the steaks back into the fridge and took out the homemade quiche that Laura had said was in there for him. It looked good and he smiled to himself. She really did look after him. He frowned. It was a shame that the night hadn't turned out exactly as he'd planned. He accepted that sometimes it was good to be flexible, but tonight was St Valentine's and some things just wouldn't do on any other night.

Robbie ate his supper, washed the pots and then sank down on the sofa with a beer. There was a football match on telly he could watch and actually quite a crucial one for his team. That wouldn't have gone down well with Laura he thought with a wry smile so at least he had that out of the evening. As he idly watched the build up to the match he found himself thinking about all the Valentine's days of his past; When he'd been a lad and had kissed a girl he liked at school, as a teenager when he and his friends had been trying to woo the lower 6th, and all the Valentine's days and evenings spent with Val, and the ones he'd had to abandon to a case or a late night working. A few times in the past he'd probably spent some of the Valentine's nights actually with Laura on a case or in the lab. He smiled at the irony of the situation.

He had desperately wanted to spend the evening with her. She deserved it. Recently he'd been a bit off kilter with things. After a few months of retirement he'd found himself a bit restless and despite Laura's support he'd not fully disclosed exactly how he felt to her. He didn't want to admit that he missed working, as far as she knew he was enjoying his retirement, And he was; to a point. He just felt frustrated sometimes and he'd been a bit prickly with Laura because of it. She'd chided him but tolerated his grumpiness well and he felt bad about that. He didn't want to be a miserable old sod but not working had hit him for six, despite his new life with Laura. He'd wanted to give her a proper romantic night in, an apology of sorts, but her being on call had dictated that things might not turn out as they'd planned and, almost inevitably, the call from dispatch had come right on cue.

At least, he thought to himself, he'd been able to give her a gift earlier in the day as she'd been mainly working from home. Laura wasn't easy to buy for. More to the point, Robbie felt he struggled to buy things for her, doubting himself at every turn. It was mainly down to the fact that Laura was more of an experience seeker rather than someone struck with a desire to possess material things. It was easy to take her out for meals or to the theatre. She was more than happy with a romantic walk and a pub lunch somewhere, which was something they did often. But Robbie's sentiments sometimes dwelt in the material and at times he longed to buy her things that he hoped she would love, tokens to show her how he felt about her. It was an easier way to show her how he felt. He loved her but still he hadn't really told in so many words. It was the last hurdle he couldn't seem to get over. But he did love her, adored her, and he'd not quite come to accept how much he needed her in his life. He'd not often told Val how much he loved her. It had all gone without saying. It was the same with Laura but at least with Val they'd been married so of course they both knew they loved each other because there was the proof, in their wedding rings. Despite this he'd sometimes taken Val's love for granted. It was something he'd felt horrendously guilty about for a long time after she died. He hoped it wasn't something he would do with Laura. With her he'd been given a second chance at love.

The match started and his attention was diverted back to the football. After ten minutes Newcastle was 2 nil up. He raised his eyebrows. Maybe the evening would turn out alright after all.

At the other side of town, in the freezing cold air, Laura arrived at the crime scene and quickly saw that it would be a long night. Not just at the scene but back in the lab the paperwork would take a bit of time too. There were multiple victims. She briefed her team and then set to work.

On the sofa back at their home Robbie watched as another goal was scored by Newcastle. He almost threw his beer bottle in the air in excitement and a spurt of the foamy head gushed out over the lip of the bottle and splashed onto his new shirt.

Bugger he thought. A new shirt and already it needed a wash. Laura would give him a bollocking for that. He laughed softly to himself. Just the thought of the domesticity of the situation made his heart swell in affection for her, for them both. That morning Laura had given him a card with a painting of the Northumbrian coast along with the jeans and shirts she'd bought him. He was chuffed to bits with them, he wasn't one for buying clothes, Val had always done it on his behalf and it was a relief when one day Laura asked him if he wanted anything from town when she was off shopping. He'd said maybe he needed a new jumper and some trousers and she'd returned with practically a new wardrobe for him.

In return for the clothes he had given her a bottle of her favourite cologne, an expensive one that she didn't buy often but that she loved to use at work because it was the only thing that seemed to get rid of the smell of the morgue. Robbie loved the scent of it too because it reminded him purely of her. It had been a familiar fragrance to him for years. There'd been times when he'd caught a whiff of it in the corridors at the station and had known she was around before he'd even seen her and he recalled when they'd first kissed, allowing himself to get lost in the scent, knowing it was the start of something, and that he could allow himself to freely abandon his senses to her.

Laura was delighted with the cologne. She hadn't told him she already had another full bottle stored in her underwear drawer, but it didn't matter. She knew he struggled to buy her things and had told him countless times not to worry about buying her gifts. She knew he liked the reassurance of a calendar event and would take full advantage to buy her a gift and she knew it was his way of expressing his feelings to her. It was easier for him that way. Laura knew that Robbie loved her and that his lack of telling her was due to complex reasons. She didn't worry too much. She was old enough and wise enough to read between the lines. She didn't really care about gifts or even the finer details of semantics. More important to her was that Robbie was there for her in her life. Next to her in bed when she awoke in the morning and last thing at night. It meant more to her that they ate together, watched rubbish telly together and discussed their work and all other matters easily with humour, understanding and had only been living together for a few months but already she was thinking ahead to the time when she could wind down her career and they could spend the rest of their lives together, devoid of work and the stresses it entailed.

There had been snow showers all day and another set in as Laura headed to one of the white cube tents where one of the victims lay. The snowflakes whipped round her face and as she set to work with a resigned sigh she thought of Robbie and the warm stove back at their home. She pressed on with the job at hand and after another 3 hours or so she was more or less done and headed back to the lab. She was freezing cold. As she drove through the streets of Oxford, she passed people out on the town, all enjoying the festivities of the night. It felt foolish, she thought, but she was more than a little disappointed to have missed her and Robbie's first Valentines night together. Despite this, Laura knew that Robbie had been eyeing up a football match and although she had desperately wanted to spend the evening with him, she knew he would enjoy watching the match in her absence.

She knew he would be awake for her when she got back, and if not, he would wake up if he got the chance. He liked to know she was safe and sound and back home. She loved him for it. It had become an important part of their lives together, knowing she could chat to him about work related issues, knowing that he worried about her. Since living together, they both realised that sometimes it was good to bring their work home with them. After his retirement Robbie began to look forward to her telling him about the cases she was working on and on occasion he had helped with a few oddities that had cropped up. Once a copper. . . she thought.

Back at the morgue Laura worked through her duties with her usual impeccable diligence. At around 10.30 one of her students asked if she wanted anything from the canteen and Laura realised she'd not eaten anything and suddenly felt famished. It was all too easy to forget to eat when on a case. She declined the offer from her student but instead took a break and made herself a cup of tea with the kettle she kept in her office. Sitting back down at her desk She stretched her back, feeling it crackle with displaced fluid. She'd spent too long in front of the computer screen as usual. She stretched her arms up and out and then reached down into her bag for the paper bag that Robbie had given to her earlier.

She opened the paper bag to retrieve the oat biscuits. Despite trying to force herself to take a break she continued to read something on her laptop screen and her fingers dug into the bag, searching for the packet of biscuits. She felt the crispy cellophane wrapper of the biscuits and the soft shiny skin of the satsuma but then felt something else. A flat thin shape and then a smaller object, about the size of a big piece of fudge. Frowning with curiosity and a little confusion Laura pulled out the mystery contents of the bag onto her desk.

There was a small square envelope and an even smaller square box. The envelope was sealed and Laura turned it over. Laura was written on the front. Robbie she thought. And her stomach took a little flip as she realised what he had done.

She opened the small square box to find a pair of earrings. She recognised them as ones she'd seen with Robbie a few weeks earlier when they'd been shopping in Oxford and passed a jewelers. The earrings were small flat silver discs with brushed gold across them and she had pointed them out at the time. She hadn't been dropping hints, she'd just liked them and now she felt touched that Robbie had taken notice of her interest.

Her attentions next turned to the card. Tearing open the flap she took it out of the envelope. On the front of the card was an illustration of a very sweet and very cuddly hedgehog. Surrounded by flowers and a watering can, the hedgehog was wearing a pair of wellies and holding a big bunch of red roses.

To My Valentine it said above the hedgehog. Laura opened the card. Inside it said, in the same font as the front, thank you for loving my prickles and underneath, in handwriting that she recognised straight away, all my love Robbie.

Laura felt her throat tighten with emotion. She wasn't one for sentiment but something about the card made her heart melt. She'd never received such a simple and genuine surprise like this in all the Valentines trysts she'd ever had. In truth, she'd not felt like this since she was a teenager and in love for the first time.

She smiled again, her heart felt full of love. Still looking at the sweet hedgehog on the card she ate her biscuits and the satsuma and then finished up her work before heading home in the freezing night air.

Not long later, Laura let herself into the house and quietly dumped her bags and cases at the door before locking it and taking her coat and scarf off. Robbie had obviously gone up to bed, the stove was going out and the lights were off, save for the one he'd left on for her in the hallway. She made her way upstairs, softly treading along the steps and avoiding the loose floorboards she knew made a creak. As she entered the bedroom she could see Robbie in bed, back to the door, his body rising and falling softly in slumber. She could also hear him snoring slightly. She smiled. She really wanted to wake him and tell him she'd found his gift and card but it was getting late and he was clearly zonked out. She quickly undressed in the ensuite and changed into a nightshirt, cleaned and washed her face, brushed her teeth and then turning out the light in the bathroom, as quietly as she could, got into bed beside Robbie. She slowly snuck up behind him and he stirred slightly. Damn she thought. She had tried to be quiet and stealthy in getting under the duvet but he started to stir again so she gave up and gently put her arms around him.

"Oh, hello love" he said, his voice gruff with sleep, his legs stretching slightly as he woke up

"I've woken you up, I'm sorry" She said quietly to his back

"Ah. . . no I was awake" He said, his voice still deep and syrupy with sleep

"No you weren't" She said with a soft chiding laugh

He gave a sleepy chuckle back. He placed his hands over hers that had found their way round his back and onto his chest.

"Oh, you're cold love" he said feeling her fingers ice cold. He was more awake now, but still felt relaxed and warm from recent sleep and he turned to face her and pulled her close into a big hug, his arms wrapping round her.

"Come here for a cuddle and get warm, are you alright?" His voice was quiet and gravelly and he nuzzled his nose into her hair which was still cold from the night outside.

"I'm bloody freezing." She said, settling into his arms, warming her hands on his chest. "I'm also, very much in love with my prickly Valentine"

Robbie smiled "Oh good. You found them then? That's a relief. I was worried I might have to make a tour of all the bins in Oxford if you'd got to the biscuits and the satsuma first." She laughed softly and caressed his chest as he pulled her closer in an effort to warm her up.

"And the earrings. . ." He continued, gently rubbing her back, "they're the ones you liked?"

"They are, I love them, thank you. You didn't have to get me anything else though, the cologne was enough"

"Oh, well, I can take them back if you like"

"No!" she said pinching him gently on his chest

"Ow!" He exclaimed, both of them laughing at the exchange.

"Thank you, Robbie, they're lovely."

"Only the best for my Canny Lass." And he smiled down at her.

"Robbie" she said, gazing back at him. She didn't have a pet name for him. It didn't seem necessary, just her saying his name in a way reserved only for him was enough.

He kissed her softly on the lips. She was warming up now but he continued to rub her back.

"How did the football go?" She asked

"How did you know I was watching that?"

"I'm not an idiot, Robbie; I knew it was on the radar. To be honest it made going on the call out a little easier."

"Well, we lost 6 – 3"

Laura laughed softly

"It's not funny, it was a crucial game"

"I'm sorry" She said, still smirking and he kissed her again, feeling her smile and then a laugh under her breath

"What?" He said in response and he pulled away to look at her

"I can feel your prickles" She said, and in response he gently rubbed his cheek against hers. His day-old stubble was grown just enough to be felt as he continued to kiss her and their kiss became deeper as she had hoped it would, despite his sleepy demeanour.

"Are you warming up now?" He asked after a few more kisses and cuddles

"Very much so" she said

"I'm sorry I didn't get to give you the earrings over a Valentines dinner, love. I didn't want to save them for tomorrow, it didn't seem right."

"It was a perfect way to get them, Robbie. It made my day"

"I don't know about that"

"Well it did."

"I'm sorry about the card"

"Why?"

"Well, it was a bit daft, I mean it's not very sophisticated, like yours. It just seemed to say what I needed to tell you"

"I loved it Robbie"

"It's ok, you don't need to lie"

"But it's true. It made me feel like a teenager again. In love"

Robbie raised his eyebrows and gazed down at her. He wanted to tell her he loved her but still it felt too much. He felt if he told her, he would burst into tears of emotion and not stop crying for a week. Laura looked at him. She knew what he was thinking and still it didn't matter to her that he couldn't tell her. In a very odd way it seemed to mean more that he couldn't say it. She smiled as she looked at his face, slightly troubled despite being relaxed with the lateness of the hour. She smoothed her hand tenderly over his chest.

"Are you ok? What you said about being prickly. You have been a bit grumpy of late" She said softly

"I know. I'm still getting used to not being at work, I think." He sighed heavily at the disclosure "I'm sorry love"

"You don't need to be sorry. You must still talk to me, you know, don't stop now that we're together. You need to tell me things if they're getting you down, Robbie"

"I know. Sometimes I don't realise things are bothering me until it's too late. You seem to know more about how I feel than I actually do" and he looked down at her, seeing her smile back at his words, her eyes full of affection.

"Yes, I do" She said

"Is, is that ok?"

"Yes, it's ok"

And he nodded, and smiling, gently rubbed his prickles on her cheek and then kissed her.