Sorry it's been so long since my last update. Real life, and especially uni have taken over, which doesn't leave me much time to write. Still, I hope it was worth the wait and you'll enjoy reading.

Chapter 4: Shaz

"Granger, get me those files on the Robinson case, I need to take another look at 'em", Gene Hunt bellowed towards the WPC.

Shaz quickly rummaged through the pile of files on her desk, found what she was looking for, and headed for Gene's office.

"Here you are Guv", she said as she handed over the file.

"Ta", he said as he reached over his desk to take hold of the file.

"Guv, would you like a cuppa? I was gonna make one for myself and Chris anyway."

"Yeah, thanks Shaz, lovely", Gene replied without taking his eyes off the file in front of him.

Shaz smiled to herself. The Guv had become a different person, since he'd been together with DI Drake. Of course he was still loud, rude, smoking too much, and drinking his body weight in whiskey on a daily basis, but something was different about him. Shaz couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she had noticed the subtle changes in his personality.

First of all he wasn't as grumpy as he used to be. He hadn't gone all happy-clappy all of a sudden, that wouldn't have been good for his image, but he was a lot less moody than before. Every now and then he even managed a smile, which was unusual. The Guv never used to smile - or whistle. He would never do that in front of the whole of CID, but Shaz had caught him several times, whistling happy tunes to himself, especially early in the morning when not many people were around. She was very happy for both her bosses, to have finally found each other. For a while it had been very obvious to her that the two had a connection, that extended beyond a professional working relationship.
Apparently she had been the only one to notice; all those CID blokes really had no idea that something was going on between them. So when they'd finally made their relationship public, everyone but Shaz had been completely gobsmacked.
But by now everyone was used to them being in a relationship, and everything had carried on as before. Well..almost.

Now that Alex was pregnant, things had changed a bit. First of all, she had been put on desk duty, which she loathed, and it made her very moody. Every now and then Gene would allow her to be present when they interviewed suspects, but only if he was completely sure that it was safe for her to be there. Anything that could be remotely described as 'field work' was completely out of the question.

Shaz looked over at Alex's desk, who was sat there busy typing up a report, and nearly killing the typewriter in the process. She couldn't help but smile to herself. Shaz could see the frustration oozing out of her, but she knew the Guv did it because he really cared for her, which she thought was really sweet, and so unlike him.

Shaz walked over to Alex, who by now had given up typing and had put her head in her hands.

"Ma'am, are you alright? Shall I make you a cuppa?"

"Uh, no thanks Shaz, I'm good."

"Alright. Well, if you need anything, just ask."

"I know Shaz, thank you."

After having made tea, Shaz sat back down at her desk and returned to the files she was supposed to be working on, but she couldn't concentrate. She felt the urge to quietly observe everyone in the office, especially Gene and Alex.

Shaz looked over at Gene's office. By now Alex had gone in there, and had sat herself down on top of his desk. Shaz tried to hold back a smile, but couldn't. She knew exactly what was about to happen.

Every few days, Alex would burst into Gene's office, and complain about her work and how bored she was. Gene would sit in silence and let her rant for a good 10 minutes. This was usually followed by a huge argument, ending with Gene telling her she would either get back to work or risk suspension for disobeying a superior officer. Then they would make up, and he'd give her a big hug, and she'd go back to work. This routine had started just over 2 weeks ago, and everyone had been surprised at how patient Gene was. He wouldn't have accepted this kind of behaviour from anyone else. This proved yet again that he really loved her.

Shaz and Alex went to lunch together around 1 pm. Over the last few months, they had started doing this quite a lot, and Shaz really enjoyed it. It was nice to get away from all the men sometimes, and to be able to have a proper conversation, without anyone interrupting.

"So, how many weeks until you go on leave ma'am?"

"Officially 6 more weeks," Alex answered as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Looking forward to it?"

"No, not really. To be honest I really don't know what I'm going to do, sitting at home all day. I'd rather work a bit longer."

"The Guv probably won't like that, will he?"

"He can't tell me what to do. He might think he can, but really, he can't," Alex grinned. "Besides, it's actually quite a good idea if I continue to work now, because it means I can have a few extra weeks off once the baby's born."

"Are you nervous? About the baby and all I mean."

"A bit, yes. It's been a while, Molly's already 13."

Shaz loved Molly. She was such a fun girl to spend time with. During the summer, they had spend many hours chatting away and reading magazines together, and Molly had even had a few sleepovers at Shaz's place. Now Molly came in often after school, and it really lightened up the mood in CID.

Both were lost in their own thoughts for a while, until Shaz broke the silence.

"So, do you know what you're having, or is it going to be a surprise?"

Alex smiled. "A surprise. It's just one of those things I think you shouldn't know beforehand."

"Yeah I agree," Shaz nodded. "What are you hoping for then?"

"To be honest Shaz, I don't really care. I'm fine either way. I mean, I have a girl, and it's great, so I wouldn't mind another one. But a boy would be equally great. Molly really wants t have a sister though."

"And the Guv?" Shaz asked.

"You know, I've asked him about that several times, but I can't seem to get a straight answer out of him." Alex replied. "You'd think he's the kind of man who desperately wants to have a boy, but I have to say I'm not so sure about that now. To be honest I don't think he has a preference either. And he's been great with Molly so far, so I know he can handle girls. Though it will give him a headache every now and then" she grinned.

That last remark made Shaz chuckle. Alex was smiling again now, and Shaz was happy their talk had made her snap out of her bad mood. At least now, the rest of the afternoon would be able to proceed relatively normal.

Alex got up. "Right Shaz, let's head back. We've got work to do."

And with that she walked away, not even waiting for Shaz to catch up with her.

Shaz couldn't help but smile. That baby's going to have a great set of parents, she thought to herself. Weird, but great.

Thanks for reading. I hope to get more done when I can find time to write. Please review, it's much appreciated :)