Two Heads.

3-Ready Meals and Copious Amounts of Wine.

"Bloody hell!"

Edmund banged open the apartment door, staggering through and collapsing sideways in a wrecked heap on the couch.

"Someone sounds like their day has been crap."

Edmund lazily looked up as a bold auburn head appeared above him. He cracked a smile. Foxy was back.

"Get up, twiglet" she laughed, using her skinny elbows and knees to prop him up on the couch as she snuggled down in the crook of his arm. Edmund didn't even have the energy to complain as she settled herself, grabbing the TV remote.

"Why aren't you downstairs?" Edmund asked the auburn haired girl. She laughed again, a rich, clear sound.

"Banned" she explained. "Bumble's orders. He says apparently they need the new DJ to stay more than a week."

'Downstairs' was down at the Andromeda Club, which their flat sat above. Usually, Tiger, Tink, Foxy and Bumble spent most of the morning and half the afternoon clearing up the previous night's mess, and then the rest of the time before the club's opening at half seven preparing for the night ahead. The new DJ Bumble had found had apparently arrived just before Edmund, so due to her track record Foxy had been banned upstairs.

"Have you heard him spin?" Edmund asked. Foxy shook her head.

"Nah. If we listen through the floor we might."

Edmund snorted.

"So, how was your day?" Foxy asked brightly. "I got your text, but reckoned you probably didn't want me to reply."

"Too right" Edmund sighed. "I dread to think what sort of snarky comment she would have come up with if my phone had gone off halfway through the day."

"Tell me about it!" Foxy giggled, stretching out on the sofa and flicking the TV on. Edmund eased his tired shoulders out and curled up, leaning half on Foxy and half on the sofa cushions.

"I don't know where to begin" he admitted. "And to be honest, I'm too tired."

"Why are you so tired?" Foxy asked lazily, yawning, and running her hands through her long, thick hair.

"Cos I've been shifting bloody files all day" Edmund explained grumpily. "Huge piles of them. Once she realized I'd cracked her filing system, she had me re-do the whole office."

"She?" Foxy repeated, propping herself up on her elbows and looking amazedly at Edmund.

"She" Edmund confirmed, sighing. "Detective Inspector Cynthia Hawes, indisputably the most irritating, selfish Detective Inspector Oxfordshire Police has ever had. Think Hitler in a skirt."

Foxy snorted off into hysterical giggles.

"I'm being serious!" Edmund complained. "She's a nightmare!"

"Is she ice cream and chocolate cake nightmare or whole bottle of white wine nightmare?" Foxy asked, smirking wickedly and rolling off the sofa, heading over to the kitchen.

"Ice cream, chocolate cake and white wine nightmare" Edmund sighed, spreading himself full length on the sofa as Foxy grabbed a bottle from the cupboard and two ready meals from the fridge, turning the microwave on with a click.

Edmund tried to block out the babble from the TV and relax properly. His muscles had been screaming from at least two o'clock, as Hawes had insisted that after he cleared the sargeant's desk, he cleared the rest of her office up as well. The constant lifting and placing had totally destroyed Edmund's shoulders, and the whole time the Detective Inspector had sat at her desk, coffee in hand, jasmine scent sticks billowing smoke everywhere, clickety clicking and typing away on her computer. It had been utterly infuriating.

The ping of the microwave sounded for the second time, and Foxy deposited a Chinese on Edmund's lap. He picked at it, anger stewing away in his chest, downing two glasses of wine far too quickly.

The music picked up from downstairs at half seven, and the the two young people still on the couch shared a knowing glance.

"Shite" they both said simultaneously.

"He won't last long" Foxy smirked. "You might have to do a night, Mundy."

"I'll prerecord a bit this weekend" Edmund sighed, putting his tray down on the floor next to his wine glass. "And I don't think you've used the last lot I did..."

"We might tonight." Foxy looked dubiously down at the floor. "See if I get called down."

"Jeesus" Edmund laughed.

"I won't leave!" Foxy snorted indignantly. "I'll just get him to the bar, and then Tink'll sort him out."

This method was, unfortunately, tried and tested, and Edmund had seen it many times before.

"Bets on how long it'll take Bumble to come get me?" Foxy smirked, putting her legs on top of Edmund's and settling herself with another glass of wine.

"Ten p.m" Edmund guessed.

"Pfft!" Foxy scoffed. "Eight."

"Eight?" Edmund snorted. "You're flattering yourself, Fox!"

"But the music!" Foxy whined, stuffing her fingers in her ears in mock pain, curling up into a tiny ball on the couch.

"It's not that bad!" Edmund sighed, finishing his fourth glass of wine. "It's just that I'm better."

"Cocky shit" Foxy teased, uncurling and prodding him with her toe.

"You agree" Edmund pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"That you're a cocky shit? Yeah."

Edmund groaned. He had walked right into that one. He pulled himself off the sofa with a grunt, going to put his tray and wine glass in the sink.

"I'm going for a long shower, and then bed" he told Foxy. "And if my phone goes off at six in the morning, blame my bloody boss."

Long shower and bed was exactly what Edmund did, and reluctantly set his phone on full volume by his bedside. Despite everything that had gone on that day, he could still get a work call late at night, or early in the morning, for that matter. As Edmund shut his eyes, he felt the beat of the music in Andromeda pulsing through the floor, and the TV occasionally snickered through the wall. Foxy had another of her wretched romances on. Ugh. Edmund's shoulders were looser now, after his shower, but he knew they were going to be unbearable by the morning. He was going to make extra sure that office stayed spotless, if only so he didn't have to clear it again. Although, Edmund reminded himself. That office wasn't going to be his problem in a couple of days, anyhow. Especially if, no when, Hawes got her way.

It really wasn't long before Edmund dropped off. He was totally worn out.

Bright light and an infuriating ringtone cut harshly through his dreams. It took Edmund a couple of dazed seconds to realize the ringtone was his own, and that his phone was having an epileptic fit on his bedside table. In other words, someone was calling him.

He put the phone to his ear.

"You picked up first time. Now, that is a surprise."

Edmund sagged into the pillows, still groggy from sleep, holding back a groan of frustration.

"Ma'am?" he asked, trying to sound less grumpy than he felt.

"We've been called in to a case on Observatory Street. There's a dead body been reported. I'll see you in half an hour."

D.I. Hawes rang off. Snubbed, Edmund checked the time. It was 4:32. Just his luck.