Authors Note: This is a couple of scenes that I have been thinking about. Its set after Death Trap but before A Death Foretold. Brian Holmes and Jackie are divorced.

Disclaimer: As ever I do not own any characters.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Burke and Holmes had been working on this case for months. They had hit a dead end, so they agreed to bring in the whole team as well as a profiler.

"Matt, this is Dr Colin Crawford, he's the profiler I was telling you about" Burke nodded, he didn't rate profilers, but at this point he would do anything.

"I'm DCI Burke, this is DI Robbie Ross, and DC Stuart Frazer" Matt introduced the team. Colin shaking each of their hands "nice to meet you all".

Matt got close to Brian, "Are you two going to be able to work together, I don't want any domestics" Colin looked on slightly puzzled " my ex-wife is a DS here" Brian noted. "Matt, we will be fine, I spoke to her yesterday about it.". Burke nodded, he had not known them as a couple, but last thing he wanted to do was upset Jackie. He had become quite fond of her.

Colin did not know much about Brian, they had worked on a couple of cases, he knew he was divorced. That was about all he had gleamed from there limited conversations.

"so Colin, Brian mentioned that you used to live in Glasgow," he asked.

"yeah I actually used to be the assistant pathologist for Strathclyde CID, Christ, must be over twenty years ago now!" Brian looked up, Colin hadn't mentioned that part before. "you're in a different building now of course." He wondered around "I actually thought Jardine would be running the place by now!" He smiled to himself.

"you knew Mike?" Stuart asked. Colin noticed the warmth in eyes as the mention of Michael.

" yeah I met him when he was a lowly DC, the first time in the field with me and he fainted at the sight of a completely burned out cadaver". He smiled he always enjoyed teasing him about that.

"really, you're kidding!". Robbie smirked, a far cry from the Mike Jardine he knew.

" I remember Taggart's face, it was classic." Brian looked dumb founded. 'how had this not come up before' he thought. "obviously I heard about his murder, must have been rough!" He looked around the office, looking for her, hoping she would be here. He turned to Stuart "Well I have lots of stories from back in the day! If you want to hear them sometime...Stuart, wasn't it" he smiled.

Stuart nodded " I would really like that!".

Jackie walked in with trays of several coffee cups, "ok I have got you all decent coffee for a change, don't say I'm not good to you!" she handed a coffee to Robbie and Brian who were stood next to each other, a sight she never thought she would see. "oh Brian, I wasn't sure what your guest would want so got a flat white, hope that's ok?" she smiled. God he still loved her, if only, he pondered.

"A flat white will do me fine!". Colin exclaimed. He hadn't seen her in years, he held his breath for her reaction. Jackie didn't even need to look up, she placed the coffees on the desk in front of her and as her smiled widened. "Colin" she beamed. "for a second I thought I was hearing things". She gave him the biggest hug.

"you chopped of all your hair!" He announced.

She laughed. "crazy whim I had about a million years ago!" he turned to Stuart "This one has mass of curls all wild and flowing."

"it was the days before straighteners, Stuart" they laughed.

"how are you ? You are a profiler now?" she blurted. Brian noticed how happy she was to see this man, he wished he has bothered to find out more about him. He might stopped them meeting again, he thought to himself. Robbie was intrigued by the interaction and as to why he had never heard of the Dr Crawford before.

"well you know someone once told me I had spent so much time with the dead that I had divorced myself from the emotions of the living" Jackie did something the other had not seen her do before in a long time, she blushed "What self-righteous b***h told you that ?" She laughed.

"she was right….. to a degree" he grinned. Robbie was watching in the background loving every moment. "ok I get moving away from pathology but why profiling ?" She perched on her desk in front of him.

"well after we worked on the mechanic case and met professor cummings" Colin started to explain.

"you both worked on the Mechanic Case, you never mentioned that Jackie" Stuart interrupted. "I read about that case, serial rapist and murderer… right?"

"yeah well Jackie here, God she was ballsy, educating the room full of Neanderthal men what rape is really about. I never appreciated just how tough that must have been for you" she looked at him puzzled "being the only female in the room at the boys club"

"well I was lucky, I had Taggart and Michael in corner" She sipped her coffee trying to not catch anyone's eye at the mention of his name. "well after that case… "

"you mean after you saved my life" Jackie interrupted. They all looked surprised by the comment.

"yeah well, I wanted to improve the profiling system, try to get the name before someone gets hurt." She smiled. "that's admirable!"

"… no easy way to say this, but I'm sorry about Michael" She should have known he was going to say it. He's the last person that really knew the old Michael. She dropped her head, a gesture not lost on any of them. "god Taggart, the biscuit, Stephen, and Michael, and your still standing" she looked up at him. He could see the hurt in her, he reached out and squeezed her hands. "Do you remember when you and Michael went behind the DCI's back to get a profiler in, I think it rock paper scissors that decided who was going to broach the subject" he smiled. "yeah we reserved flipping a coin for Autopsies". She squeezed his hand back and turned to hand him a coffee.

"Colin was telling us about Michael fainting". She giggled. "believe it or not that was even before my time!"

"He said he's has lots of stories," Stuart quipped excitedly.

"em…. maybe I should be vetting these stories" she said worriedly.

Colin laughed, "What you don't want me to share the story where you and Michael crashed Taggart's car, or when you would ping elastic bands at each other" she laughed. Robbie had never seen that side to Jackie and Michael's relationship. "exactly, trade secrets your giving away!".

"perhaps we should get to work!" burke interjected. "thank you for the coffees Jackie". Colin perched on the desk next to Jackie. He couldn't believe how nice it had been to see her again.