A/N: Here's the finale, guys. Enjoy…or not. :)

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Dropping the baseball bat, Steve ran to stand between the gun and the tall dark stranger. "No, no, no, Kate! Don't shoot!"

"Steve, what the hell? Get out of the way!"

"Please, mate. Lower your gun. You don't want to shoot him."

"I have no intention of shooting anyone, but he broke in through the window and jumped into my bed."

Shocked, Steve turned around to glare at the man behind him. "You did what?"

"Sorry. My bad. I didn't see her there, honest."

"Steve!" Kate shouted. "Who the bloody hell is he?"

Looking extremely sheepish, Steve replied, "He's my brother."

Kate stared in bewilderment. "What?"

Sighing, Steve gestured at the tall man. "Kate, this is my elder brother, Major Shane Arnott."

Turning to his brother next, Steve said with a pointed look, "And she is DI Kate Fleming. My boss."

Shane broke into grins as he eyed her up and down. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am. You fought well. For a girl."

That last bit caused Steve to slap himself in the forehead.

Taking no offense though, Kate lowered her gun. "Major? You're in the army?"

"Yes." Still smiling, Shane nodded. "Currently attached to MI-5."

Steve's eyes widened in surprise. His brother had just freely admitted to being a covert operative, which was so unlike him. He then recognized the admiring looks Shane was giving Kate. Steve's heart sank.

Oh, hell no…

"I found out from Steve's personal file that he has a brother," Kate was saying, "But he never mentions anything about you. I didn't even know your name."

"My job keeps me working undercover most of the time," Shane easily said, smiling wide until his dimples showed. "I owed it to my brother to be totally discreet. Hence, the lack of detailed disclosure in any records."

"I can understand that. I used to work undercover myself." Kate smiled back.

The two continued to chat some more. The entire while, Steve could only stare at them both in amazement.

What the fuck is going on?

Rubbing his forehead with a loud sigh, Steve abruptly announced, "It's still too early for all this shit. I'm getting myself some coffee."

Kate glared at him. "No, you can't, Steve. You have a concussion."

"Since when can't I drink coffee when I have a concussion?"

"Since I said so!" she snapped back. "Besides, coffee is the reason that you have concussions in the first place."

"You know what? I could use some coffee too," Shane interrupted, his smiles still perfectly in place.

Kate relented with a roll of her eyes. "Fine. I'll put the kettle on."

The two brothers watched as she deftly slipped her gun into the back of her pants and walked out of the room, heading towards the kitchen. The moment she was out of hearing, Steve whacked hard at his brother's arm.

"Really?"

Shane rubbed at his smarting bicep. "What?"

"You're hitting on her," Steve hissed.

"Why not?"

"She's a married woman, Shane."

"That never stops me before," the elder Arnott easily responded. "What? Don't tell me you have a hot for her too."

"Of course, not! Kate is my best mate, my partner. I deeply care for her," Steve explained. "I love you too, big fella, so bear in mind that she's got a gun, and she knows how to use it."

"Hmm. Sexy.

"Shane!"

"Easy, little brother. I don't mean any disrespect, but I kinda like her."

"She's off limits, okay? She has a husband and a young son. And need I remind you again that she's my boss?"

"Alright, alright. I hear ya. Sheesh, Stevie. What got your panties in a twist?"

"I don't know, the concussion perhaps?" Steve rubbed his forehead again. The headaches were now soaring into a blinding migraine.

Shane instantly turned sober. He held his younger brother's face steady in both palms before staring into Steve's slightly dilated pupils. "How's your head, kid?"

"Still attached to my neck," was Steve's glib reply.

"Seriously, Stevie. You look like shit."

"At least I'm still the handsome one in the family."

"You think by growing a beard, you'll look prettier than me." Shane smirked. "You really should've stayed in the hospital. The concussion looks serious."

"I'll live," Steve said, slapping at his brother's hands. "By the way, why did you have to sneak in through the window? Can't you use the front door like a normal person?

"I'm not normal." Shane shrugged.

Giving his brother a searching look, Steve asked, "Are you currently on ops?"

"I am."

"Does it have anything to do with the explosion at the coffeehouse?"

Before Shane could answer, Kate called out from the kitchen, "Hey, Arnott! The coffee is ready!"

Shane jerked his head towards Kate's direction. "Let's join her and I'll explain what I can."

Minutes later, the three of them were sitting on stools at the kitchen counter. Both Kate and Shane held a mug of coffee each, while Steve—much to his utter disgust—was holding a glass of orange juice.

"No caffeine for you for the next twelve hours," Kate had told Steve when he had protested earlier.

"Kate, I'm really sorry about what just happened in the bedroom," Shane was now saying, "I didn't know Stevie has a guest tonight, or I would have used the front door."

"I'm not his guest. I'm his warden," Kate drolly replied. She then stared at Shane with narrowed eyes. "Is it a habit of yours to go sneaking into your brother's flat through a window in the middle of the night like a burglar?"

Shane replied, "Only when I am in the vicinity and need a place to crash where no one else can find me."

"Are you here on an assignment then?" she asked next. "Anything to do with the bomb explosion downtown?"

Impressed, Shane looked at both Kate and Steve. "Wow. You two sure think alike. That's right. I'm here on an assignment that relates to the explosion. It's a joint ops between MI-5 and the CTC."

"So what's the deal?" Steve wanted to know more. "Have you found out who's behind the bombing?"

"We have our suspicions, because this is not the first explosion of its kind. Yesterday was the third coffeehouse targeted. Previously, there were two coffeehouse bombings in West Midlands using the same MO with identical signature."

Steve and Kate exchanged dismayed looks. They had not expected it to be a series of bombings.

Turning back to his brother, Steve asked, "Is this the work of an individual or a terrorist group?"

"Sorry, little brother. Restricted intel. Need to know basis only."

"Fair enough." Steve nodded, though he looked a bit disappointed. He then started pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Steve, you're alright? What's wrong?" Kate grew concerned.

"Just these stupid headaches, that's all."

Wordlessly, Shane stood and went to open the top cabinet over the sink. After rummaging about for several moments, he took out a pill bottle. He shook out two white pills which he then slipped into his brother's hand. Steve swallowed them down without being told.

"Come on, kid," Shane said, draping an arm around Steve's shoulder. "Let's get you back to bed. You need to rest."

"I'm not a kid," Steve sharply protested, though he didn't shrug off his brother's arm.

"I'll return in a short while," Shane told Kate before he focused back on his brother, leading the younger man towards the bedroom. "You're not a kid anymore, Stevie, but you sure behave like one."

"Piss off!"

"Do you mind if I bunk with you tonight? I hate that ugly couch."

"Just don't hog the blankets. And if you snore, I'll kick you off the bed."

"With those short legs? You can try."

Kate couldn't hear Steve's response to that, but it may be a rude one because it caused Shane to laugh uproariously. Soon afterwards, the elder Arnott reappeared to take the stool across from her.

"Sorry about taking your bed," she told him, taking a sip of her coffee.

"It's fine," he replied, grinning. "When we were kids, Steve and I bunked together all the time, especially during thunderstorms. He's really scared of lightning. I'm the big bad brother who chases the lightning away."

"Good to know." She chuckled. "But you don't look much older than him."

"Actually I'm seven years older. By the time Steve was thirteen, I was already in military school." Shane suddenly turned serious, and he quietly said, "I'm worried about him."

"We all are," Kate said. "The concussion is quite troubling, no doubt. But Steve always bounces back on both feet in no time."

"I'm not just talking about the concussion," he said. "I've been worried about him for a while now, ever since his fall last year."

"Right. Likewise." Kate nodded. "Though looking at him now, you wouldn't know that he once spent weeks in a wheelchair."

"My little brother is a fighter, I give him that," Shane commented. "I was away overseas when Steve had that fall, or I would have stayed around to help him recover. But I was not overly worried then because he has you, Kate."

She smiled. "We're best mates. We look after each other."

"Of course." He hesitated before he said next, "When I heard that he was involved in the coffeehouse explosion, I got very concerned. But not for the reason you might think."

Kate frowned. "What do you mean?"

Pondering a bit, he continued, "Before I explain further, you need to know something about my brother. He's got brains. Very intelligent."

"I've noticed," Kate admitted.

"I mean, he is the genius in the family. He excelled his A-levels and he enrolled at the local university to learn medicine. He wanted to be a surgeon. It has been his ambition since he was a kid."

Kate was highly surprised. "Steve studied to be a doctor?"

"Yes."

"But…what happened?"

Shane's face was grim when he replied, "London bombings 2005 happened."

Kate's eyes widened as she understood. "Oh my God…Steve was there?"

Sighing, Shane nodded. "Steve was twenty at that time. It happened during his summer break. He got plans to meet some friends from the university. I can't remember what the occasion was. Must be someone's birthday or something.

"It was Thursday morning, during rush hour. He boarded a train at King's Cross, heading towards Paddington. Shortly afterwards, a bomb exploded in the second car of that train. Steve was in the fifth car, and he got hurt pretty badly. But you know how he is. He is not the type of person who would simply sit still and do nothing.

"I was later told that Steve helped pulled other victims to safety, one after the other. He also administered first aids to the wounded, but most of them died on him. Can you imagine, a first year medical student doing everything he could in a bloody aftermath when he was seriously injured himself? I can't bear thinking about it."

"Jesus Christ..." Kate covered her mouth with her fist, her face turning pale.

"It hit him hard. Real hard," Shane added. "My brother was distraught that he was unable to save lives as many as he wanted to. A few months later, he dropped out of medical school. He went to join London Metropolitan Police and had his training at Hendon. The rest is history."

For several moments, there was a painful silence until Kate softly said, "The London bombings was called 7/7 because it happened on July 7th, a dark day for the nation."

Shane grimly nodded. "It was."

"And my partner had been smacked deep in the middle of it. I had no idea…"

Shane reached over to squeeze her hand. "Look, Kate. I didn't tell you all this to make you sad. I just want you to understand my Stevie, why he is the way he is."

Managing a smile, she wiped the tears off the corner of her eyes. "I know Steve a lot better than you think, Shane. But I thank you for telling me more about him. It means a great deal."

He smiled back. "When a woman thanks me for making her cry, I'm sure my charm is working."

Kate chuckled. "Quite the rake, aren't you? You and your brother are so much alike."

"Exactly. We Arnotts are two peas in a pod," Shane quipped. He finished off his coffee before getting off the stool. "I better retire now. Have to start real early in the morning. Might as well get the most sleep I can get."

"Right. Again, thanks for the talk."

Shane paused at the door to Steve's bedroom, flashing her a dimpled smile. "You're very much welcome."

"And can you please stop flirting with me? I'm married."

"I can't help myself. You're a magnificent woman." With that, Shane disappeared inside, leaving Kate alone in the kitchen, blushing to the roots of her hair.

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The next morning, Steve woke up to find himself alone in bed. He had briefly awakened when Shane came into the room to join him under the covers sometime during the night. In different circumstances, Steve would have gladly kicked his brother off the bed, but he had been too tired to make the effort.

After a quick visit to the bathroom, he walked out and headed towards the kitchen. Kate was sitting at the counter, eating some pancakes. She had showered and was fully attired for the office.

"Hey, mate," she greeted him.

"Hey," he grunted back. "What time is it?"

She glanced at her watch. "Half past nine."

"Aren't you already late for work?"

"Nah. I've told the gaffer I'll take the later shift. I want to make sure you're gonna be alright before I leave."

"I'm fine. Really."

"Headaches gone?"

He grimaced. "Headaches all gone, but I'm feeling sore all over. I must have flown real high from that blast."

"Yeah, like Superman."

He snorted and took a seat. "Can I have coffee now?"

"Not yet." Kate poured him a glass of orange juice before placing a stack of pancakes in front of him.

"You made this?"

"No, Shane did," Kate said, passing the bottle of maple syrup to him. "Right before he left around seven. Using the front door this time."

Steve smirked. "Crazy bugger. At least he's half normal."

Smiling sadly, Kate watched him eat. "Shane cares a lot about you."

"Of course, he does. He's my big brother."

"He didn't come here just for a place to crash. He wants to see for himself how you're doing after the explosion."

"I know."

"Steve." Kate hesitated before she softly said, "Shane told me about the London bombings."

Steve went still. He looked up at her, a little thrown off balance. "Right."

"It must be so awful for you that day."

Nodding, he resumed eating, "Indeed, it was. It happened years ago, Kate. Almost fifteen years now, but yesterday's event brought it all clearly back as if no time has passed."

"Why did you drop out of university? Shane told me you were studying to become a surgeon."

Sighing, he put down his fork. "I thought I wasn't good enough."

"Why would you ever think such a thing?"

"Kate, many people died around me that day. I felt so powerless." Steve paused for a moment, thinking on what he was about to say next.

"I was in a real dark place, doubting my worth. I wasn't even a doctor yet, and already I had thoughts of losing future patients. I didn't think I could continue to be a good doctor. It took me a long time to make peace with myself. That was when I decided to become a policeman. Instead of saving lives after something bad already happens, I want to help prevent it from happening. You understand what I mean?"

"Yes, I do." Kate nodded. She reached over to squeeze his hand. "I have nothing against doctors, but I'm glad you chose to become a policeman instead."

Steve smiled. "Thank you."

Rising, Kate went around the counter to give him a hug. "I nearly lost you yesterday, mate. I was so damned close to losing you."

"I'm still here, mate," he said, tightening his arms around her. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

THE END

So, should Major Shane Arnott continue to appear in future stories? Tell me what you think.

Stay tuned for more LOD stories. Later, guys.

"I had a wobble…No more wobbles." – DS Steve Arnott.