Emmeline May
A/N – This is kind of a follow up story to "What Would Have Been". I emphasise the kind of. So it's probably best if you read that one first, just so you have an idea of what I'm on about. Enjoy, and please review!
- Ellyce.
Newly promoted DI Turner pushed through the doors of CID, and soon draped her coat over the chair in her brand new office. She took a minute to look around the office, and sighed happily. Finally, she had been re-instated as DI. She had loved it six years ago, and she was sure she was going to love it now, despite the differences – namely her title. Back then, she was DI Nixon, single mother. Now she was DI Turner, mother of two and married, even though she was hardly in contact with her eldest daughter. It did sadden her, but she had many other things to worry about. If Abi needed her, she could always call. It wasn't that hard to pick up a phone, was it now?
Sam moved to her bag, and pulled out a metal photo frame before carefully sitting it next to her phone. Looking at the photo, she felt a huge surge of love. Her 18-month-old daughter was grinning at the camera, her bright aqua eyes sparkling, and her black hair sitting gently on top of her head, complimenting her ivory skin perfectly. Holding her around the waist, sitting down, was Samantha herself, also smiling, her aqua eyes competing with her daughter's in the brightness stakes. Around Sam's shoulders, Stuart had slung a tanned arm, and his other was around Emmeline's waist, along with Sam's, his white teeth showing in a perfect smile.
This photo had been taken just a week ago, and Sam had it immediately framed. Her eyes were torn away from the Turner family photo as there was a knock at the door. "Morning, Guv." Phil said, stepping into the office.
"Morning, Phil." Sam replied, unsuccessfully stifling a yawn.
"I see someone didn't get enough sleep last night."
Sam nodded. "Em decided that she would wake up every hour last night."
"I can only imagine." Phil mused. "So, where's Loverboy?"
Sam sighed inwardly. Even though they had been married for two years, Phil still referred to Stuart as 'Loverboy', as he had when Sam had first fallen pregnant. Trying to cling to old times, perhaps? "He's around." Sam answered icily. "Is there anything else you want, Phil?"
"Not really."
"Then get on with it!" She ordered him out of her office, feeling as though something had just snapped inside of her. He grimaced and left, his eye catching the new photo on her desk, and he grimaced further, making his way over to his desk, his mood only worsening as Stuart came through the doors. "Ah, morning Phil!" He called cheerily, not waiting for a reply as he breezed into his wife's office. "Right, I've just left Em with the sitter, and paid for the week."
"Alright. Finally managed to get her dressed then?"
"Yes, I did. With one threat of calling Mummy she became surprisingly easy to dress."
Sam laughed in response.
"What's up with Phil this morning?" Stuart asked.
Sam sighed. "Who knows?" The couple looked at Phil through the office windows, who appeared to be moodily sorting through papers on his desk. Their silence was interrupted though when PC Hollis appeared at the door.
"There's been a report of a drowning. 124 Chadwick Avenue."
"Alright, thanks Reg." Stuart said as Reg left the door. "Are we going to go?"
Sam noticed that Stuart had answered as though he was the newly appointed DI, leaving Sam silent behind him. "Actually… I think I'll take Phil with me."
She stole a glance at the moody DS through the windows again.
"Oh. Sure." Stuart sauntered away silently, leaving Sam to wonder about him. Yes, he had answered for her… why was she making such a fuss, anyway? He was her husband, surely he could answer for her? He was just self-confident, that's all. Maybe a little too self-confident for his own good? But just confident enough not to appear arrogant, unlike a certain other DS? She shook all these thoughts from her head as she grabbed her coat and headed out into CID to get Phil.
"Come on grumpy, we've got a drowning to investigate." She said with a smile.
--
"Very tragic." Sam noted of the dead body floating in the swimming pool before her. Phil only muttered a response under his breath, and Sam finally snapped. "What is your problem today, Phil?" She angrily snapped.
Phil hesitated, before speaking loudly. "You."
"What have I done?" Sam asked incredulously.
"You yelled at me this morning for no reason!" Phil finally blurted out, and silence followed.
"You areunbelievable! I would expect this kind of behaviour from Emmeline, not you Phil!" Sam walked away, shaking her head.
Phil slowly followed. Truth be told, he really was upset. He wasn't sure if she had noticed, but almost every morning he would stop for a chat with Sam, and he had been for that past two and a half years, even more. Throughout her dating days with Stuart, when he was sure it wasn't going to last. Throughout her pregnancy. Throughout her engagement, throughout her marriage. Every single morning, they would chat, or at least exchange greetings. And in all this time she had never once dismissed him like she had the way she had this morning. And seeing the 'happy snap' of the Turner family on her desk didn't exactly help. He cherished every moment he had with her alone, and every time they talked he mentally kicked himself, reminded of the way they had almost been a couple, before Kate Maltby had shown up.
What if Kate hadn't showed up? Would she now be DI Samantha Hunter? Would they have a baby Emmeline Hunter? He had even had a chance to tell Sam how he felt, just before she went on maternity leave, when Emmeline was a week old. Sam was just leaving the station for extended leave, and the words "I Love You." were right on the tip of his tongue. But she had been called away by Stuart, and the words were left unannounced, as she softly kissed his cheek and then left. Phil sighed sadly. He knew that she was married to another man, and that she was untouchable, but when had that ever stopped him? But in all seriousness, Phil had tried to fight it, God knows he tried, but it was useless – he was hopelessly in love with Samantha Turner, and there was nothing he could do about it.
--
A half hour later, Phil and Sam returned to the station, barely speaking. They made their way up to CID, and upon entering a very pale Stuart rushed up to Sam, and Phil continued walking to his desk, sulking. "What's wrong?" Sam asked.
"You didn't answer your phone…" He seemed slightly hysterical, very out of character for him.
"Stuart, tell me what's happened." Sam managed to calm him down for a moment.
Stuart looked at Sam, grief stricken. "It's Emmeline. She's … missing."
--
As soon as the words left his lips, Sam's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped forward. Luckily, Stuart was quick on his feet and he caught her before she hit the ground. "SAM!"
Stuart's shouting caught the attention of Phil, and as soon as he saw Sam's lifeless body in Stuart's arms, he ran over, panicked.
"What have you done to her?" Phil's temper flared.
"I've just told her that our daughter is missing, and she collapsed!" Stuart snapped back.
"Emmeline is missing?" Phil's anger quickly turned to concern.
"Our sitter just phoned in tears." He said, and his attention was shortly drawn to Sam, now awake, moving in his arms.
"Hey. Are you alright, darling?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Yeah, fine." Her eyes widened as she realised why it was that she had passed out in the first place.
"How do you know that Em's missing?" She stood up on her feet.
"Renee's just phoned. She said she put Em on the couch inside, and then went out the front to have a ciggie. She came back in after and Em was gone…" He cleared his throat. "The back doors wide open."
"Are you sure she's actually missing? She isn't just wondering around the house, hiding somewhere?"
"Renee checked the whole house and garden, before phoning. And officers were sent over there just then and they checked."
Silence descended between the three of them, until Sam quietly spoke. "I'm going to bloody kill Renee."
Phil went to say something, but Sam silenced him by shouting. "Where the hell is she?"
"Downstairs, in the front office." Stuart answered her.
Sam left the office without a word, enraged, and didn't say a thing until she reached the front office. "Renee!" She barked, and a young woman in a pale blue tracksuit turned around the face her, tears fresh on her face.
"Omigod Mrs. Turner, I'm so, so sorry, you have to believe me – " She stared rambling in her rough accent, until Sam spoke over the top of her.
"Renee, shutup."
She stopped mid-sentence, staring at Sam. Sam sighed, before gesturing to the front interview room. "We'll talk in there."
--
"What did she have to say?" Stuart asked Sam the moment she set foot in CID.
"Between her sobs and sniffles, not a lot." Sam grabbed her coat. "I'm going home to take a look at the scene."
"Yeah, I'm coming as well." Stuart added, following her out of CID.
Phil was sitting at his desk, watching. He was amazed at how calm Sam seemed to be. If it was Madison or Alfie who was missing, he would be off his head. Then again, Sam had probably learnt from her experience with Abi. He just hoped that Stuart followed her lead.
Meanwhile, ten minutes across Sun Hill, Sam and Stuart were pulling up outside their house. With a slam of car doors, Sam ran up the garden path, and Nikki and Tony came into sight, standing outside their front door. "What are they doing here?" She hissed to Stuart.
"Well, this is a crime scene, Sam…"
Sam nodded. "Oh. Of course." She felt foolish about her previous question. Of course her house was now a crime scene. Her young daughter was missing. Sam swallowed the lump in her throat as she thought of little Emmeline out in the big, wide world by herself. Was she hungry? Was she warm enough? When was the last time she had a drink of water?
Sam was pulled from her thoughts as she was greeted politely by Tony and Nikki. "Ma'am."
She smiled weakly and walked into her house, which she had only left a few hours ago.
Funny how so many things can change in a mere few hours, Stuart mused, walking behind his surprisingly calm wife. He didn't know how she could remain so composed, in the circumstances. Sure, on the outside, he seemed calm, much like Sam, but on the inside he was a wreck. It was just a few hours ago he was playing with his only daughter, dressing her for the day.
"Em, come on, hold still for Daddy!" He had said, attempting to get a small pink sock over her foot, but coming off second best as her wriggly, naked foot kicked him in the chin. They both stood still for a moment, Emmeline staring up at her father, her bright eyes in a widened trance, until she broke into peals of delighted laughter; the unique, childish laughter that would turn every head in a room full of people.
"Yeah, yeah, very funny Miss. Turner." Stuart had said, grinning, as he picked up the sock. Once again, he tried to put the final piece of clothing onto his daughter, but once again, to no avail.
"Emmeline, stay still!" No matter how many times he repeated it, she kept squirming.
"Em, if you're not a good girl, I'll take Teddy away." Stuart threatened, pointing at a golden teddy bear sitting in the corner, wearing a navy blue jumper. The small child considered this, and held still for a moment, but just as her foot was about to be clothed, she squealed with delight and continued her squirming, kicking her legs out at all angles.
"Bloody hell!" Stuart muttered under his breath – he could control all kinds of criminals, and many police officers – but he didn't stand a chance with his 18-month-old daughter.
Time to bring out the big guns.
"Emmeline, if you're not a good girl, I'm going to call Mummy."
As soon as the words left his lips, Emmeline stopped moving, finally allowing Stuart to slip that dammed sock over her small foot.
"Works every time." Stuart smiled to himself as he picked up his daughter, finally ready for the day.
--
"Alright, that's all for now. Thank-you for your time, Ms.McGillis." Phil showed Renee the door, picking up her signed statement from the table.
"You will let me know if they find Emmeline, won't you? I know I'm probably not going to be their babysitter anymore, but I still love that little girl." Renee said.
"Sure thing."
Renee smiled at Phil before she walked out of the station. The smile quickly faded from his lips. Yes, she had seemed devastated, but there was just something about her that made him suspicious.
After yet another thorough search of their house and garden, Sam and Stuart sat in the kitchen, sipping tea to calm their nerves. "Well, we can safely conclude that she's definitely not hiding somewhere here." Sam said, just before her phone began ringing, vibrating on the table top.
"Samantha Turner. Oh, Phil. What do you have?" She listened intently, while Stuart left the room, returning a few minutes later to catch the last of the conversation.
"Thanks Phil." She placed her phone back on the table, before asking. "What is it?" noting an odd expression on Stuart's face.
"Our toilet and bathroom smell of cigarette smoke."
"You don't have a secret addiction I should know about?" Sam asked with a small smile.
"You know I don't."
"Well don't look at me, I gave those things up years ago!" Sam exclaimed, and a look of realisation came across her face. "You don't think it was…"
"What?"
"Renee?" Sam paused before going on. "I know in her statement she says that she went for a ciggie out the front. But what if she didn't? There's no other reason for our bathroom smelling like cigarette smoke, is there? And Phil did say that when she was making her statement she was acting suspiciously."
"What does he mean by suspiciously?"
"She was jittery, jumpy. Kept muddling up her words when she spoke, and when she was writing her hand was shaking and she kept misspelling things. Well, that's what Phil said anyway."
"That could easily be the shock though. I mean, she just lost two coppers' daughter from their home! Wouldn't you be a bit jittery if that happened to you?"
Sam contemplated this. "Yeah, I suppose so. But Phil said that there was just something about Renee…"
"Well, there's one way to see if she's lying or not." Stuart said, making a move towards the front of the house.
"What's that?" Sam asked, following him out into the front.
"Look for a cigarette, or the remains of a cigarette. If she's telling the truth, it should be here somewhere."
Although it was far-fetched, and the phrase 'needle in a haystack' came to mind, Sam and Stuart began searching frantically as if their lives depended on it.
--
"Sarge?" Reg approached Phil's desk. "There's a young lady in the front, wanting to speak to you."
"Thanks mate." Phil pushed his chair back from his desk, and wandered downstairs. He was hoping Sam and Stuart were having more luck tracking down Emmeline than he was. So far he had only hit dead ends and brick walls, which frustrated him to no end. Punching the code into the wall, he saw a familiar blue tracksuit standing near the doors.
"Renee?"
"DS Hunter. I was just wondering how the search was –" Before she could finish her question, the phone in her pocket began ringing.
"Yeah?" She answered it, while Phil looked on, wondering if he was wasting valuable time. All of a sudden Renee paled, and she began whispering into her phone, turning her back to Phil. His interest piqued, he subtly leaned closer to Renee, but it did no good. She was whispering hurriedly in a panicked tone, muttering things like "How could you?" and "Do you know how much trouble we're in?"
Phil was forced to take a giant step back as Renee suddenly turned around, and with a final scream of "DALE!" into her phone she hung up, tears stinging her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Phil asked, worried, also extremely suspicious.
Renee sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Not really…. Boyfriend trouble." She added hastily.
"Oh, right. Anyway, to answer your question, Emmeline Turner hasn't been found yet."
Renee wiped away her streaky mascara. "Oh, I know." She said shakily. Phil looked at her for a moment, and sensing that she said something wrong, she quickly elaborated.
"I mean, you would have already phoned if you'd found her, right? So I just guessed…" She avoided Phil's gaze.
"Well, I had better be going. Sorry about that." She added, and before Phil could say anything she exited the station.
Without hesitating, Phil dialed Sam's phone, and after eight rings, she finally picked it up, sounding out of breath. "Phil, what is it?"
"I'm 100 sure that your babysitter has something to do with Emmeline's disappearance."
"What?"
Phil launched into the story, while Sam listened, enthralled. Only when Phil has finished did she talk. "Whose this Dale boyfriend of hers?"
"I'm not sure, I'm going to have to get a Renee's phone records and check it. I'm not even sure if it is her boyfriend, or if she was just bluffing."
"Phil, you have no idea how much this means to me. Stuart and I have been searching our garden for a cigarette for the past hour and a half."
"Just hold tight Sam. I'm going to find your daughter." Although it was a bold statement, the determination in Phil's voice made Sam believe that he was actually capable.
"Call me if anything happens. Bye, Phil." Sam hung up as Stuart wandered into the kitchen, holding his index finger.
"Those bloody rocks." He said as way of explanation, making his way to the bathroom, while Sam stood next to her kitchen table.
"Who was on the phone?"
"Phil. He's 100 sure that Renee has something to do with Em's disappearance." Sam went on to recite the story, and just as she was finishing, Stuart's grave voice came from the bathroom.
"Samantha. Come here."
Sam walked into the bathroom where he was standing, looking down on the floor. "What…?"
She trailed off as she saw for herself what Stuart was staring at, on the bathroom floor, beneath the open cupboards, revealing everyday items such as razors, toothpaste, creams and lotions in bottles, and a box of half opened band-aids.
"How the hell did that get there?" Sam asked, staring at the medium sized bag on the floor.
"I have an idea. I imagine you'd have the same idea as I do."
"Renee McGillis." Sam and Stuart both said at the same time, staring down at the bag of cocaine lying in the middle of their bathroom floor.
--
"Right, we need Renee brought in immediately. Phil, what do you have on Dale Curtis?" Jack asked, standing next to Phil in the briefing room. "He's a small-time druggie, lives on the Cole Lane Estate. I imagine his dealer is Renee McGillis, and she's been dealing daily out of Sam and Stuart's house." Phil said, pointing to many photos on the whiteboard in front of them.
"I'm going to bloody kill her." Sam said, and Jack and Phil exchanged looks. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Jack said with a wry smile.
"This is all very good, but what does this tell us about Emmeline?" Stuart asked, stressed.
Jack hesitated before answering. "Well, at the moment, not a lot. But once we have Renee in here, she'll tell us."
"Yeah, she's the weak one; I think if we make her sweat in an interview she'll give us everything." Phil added.
"Good." Stuart nodded, seeming tired, and Sam nodded, her eyes wet.
"Right, let's get on with it." Jack said, standing up.
--
"I don't think I can take anymore of this waiting crap." Sam said, her head in her hands, sitting at her desk in CID. "I just want my daughter back!" She added, her voice cracking, threatening to disappear completely.
"Come here sweetheart." Stuart pulled her into a hug and shushed her, the tears silently rolling down his cheeks. It had been almost 8 hours since he last saw his daughter, and it was getting to him, knowing that she wasn't waiting at home with the sitter to see him when he arrived home from work with Sam.
The tears rolled down Sam's cheeks. She couldn't believe that this was the second time her child had gone missing. Abi was horrible, the worst experience of her life. She felt like an idiot, accusing Hugh Wallis, when everyone else just exchanged looks over her head. Phil was the only one who believed her, and she was right.
"You know, one day, we'll look back on this and laugh, Sam." Stuart attempted to cheer them both up. "I bet Em is somewhere, wriggling around, completely unaware that we've got half of London looking for her."
"I hope so." She pulled out of Stuart's hug, and kissed him. "I don't know what would have happened if Phil hadn't twigged about Renee. We'd probably be out there in the dark, still searching for the cigarette!"
Stuart smiled. "Probably. But we never did find it, did we?"
Sam shook her head, and quickly turned it towards the CID doors as they swung open, revealing Phil.
"Did you find her?" Stuart asked immediately.
"Is she … alive?" Sam asked tentatively.
"We finally cracked that arrogant son of a bitch Dale. He was keeping Emmeline in his flat on the Cole Lane." He paused, before smiling. "She's fine. Hungry, cranky and dehydrated, but fine."
"Oh, thank God!" Sam collapsed against Stuart, shaking with relief.
"She's down with the FME, getting checked over."
"Where's Renee?" Sam asked suddenly.
"She's in custody now, being charged, along with her mate Dale." Phil said. "She was in your bathroom having a fag, like you thought, when she heard the door being pounded on. She chucked the cigarette out the window, which is why you couldn't find it. It was Dale, and he wanted his Coke, but she only had that one bag in your bathroom."
"Wait, let me guess." Stuart interrupted Phil. "She didn't have his drugs, so he takes Em as a ransom until he gets his drugs, not knowing that Em wasn't her kid."
Phil nodded. "He only realised when he called Renee at the station, and panicked. We finally got him though, staying at his Mum's house."
Sam walked over to Phil and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you SO much Phil. I can't say how grateful I am." Phil hugged her back, and he thought it was quite a nice moment until Stuart joined in on their hug, thanking Phil as well, slapping him on the back in that blokeish way.
Sam broke away from the hug and called for the attention of CID. "Stuart and I just want to thank you all for your help. Emmeline is fine, but I'm not sure she would be if wasn't for every single one of you." The few officers smiled and nodded, just glad that their superiors' daughter had been found fine.
The doors to CID opened again, and this time Jack appeared, carrying a very scared looking child. "Look who it is Em." Jack said, pointing towards Sam and Stuart. "It's Mummy and Daddy!"
Sam couldn't help the tears from rolling down her cheeks as she held her daughter again, and neither could Stuart. Emmeline was laughing happily, as she had that morning when Stuart was trying to dress her, while Phil watched on, happy, relieved, and also a little jealous. Sam looked so beautiful, cradling her child, and Stuart looked surprisingly fatherly, playing with her little fingers.
"I think it's time we got her home. It's way past her bedtime." Sam said. "I'll just grab my stuff." She walked off to her office, smiling at the photo on her desk. She grabbed her bag and coat, and turned her computer off, before walking back out to join her family.
"Whheeee! Emmeline the Aeroplane!" Stuart was swooshing Emmeline up in the air, much to the delight of the small child, who was squealing with delight.
"Remember what happened last time you did that Stuart?" Sam asked, joining them.
He laughed, before planting a kiss on his daughter's head. "I'm going to put her in the car. See you down there?"
"Yeah, I'll just be five minutes." She kissed him goodbye as he walked out of CID, finally a happy man.
The office was empty, except for Phil and Sam. She sighed happily. "I meant every word of it, Phil. I'm grateful beyond words."
He shrugged his shoulders, smiling. "Just doing my job, Ma'am."
Sam laughed. "Oh, stop it!" She smiled. "But really. We wouldn't have found her without you. I'm sure you worked extra hard on it though, just to impress me." Sam said.
"Well, you know me." He said, smiling.
"Well, I best be off. See you tomorrow." She bid him goodnight, before walking away, and Phil knew it was now or never. "Sam!"
He called after her, and she turned around. "Yeah?"
Phil walked to her, closing the gap between them. He cleared his throat. "I don't know if you've noticed or not, but on every morning for that past 2 and a half years I've greeted you in the morning."
"I've noticed. And it's nice."
"Really?"
"Yes. Is there a point to all this Phil?"
He cleared his throat, before biting the bullet. "Well, there's a reason for all that."
Sam was going to make a sarcastic comment, but she decided against it. Phil looked deadly serious, something which she didn't normally see.
"Yes, Phil?"
His heart was racing faster than he thought was possible. So much was built in this moment. "Sam, I love you."
Sam smiled. "I know you do. And I love you too. You've been the best friend anyone could have, and for that I'm eternally grateful."
Phil smiled and shook his head a little. For someone who was a Detective Inspector, she wasn't exactly living up to its image. "No, Sam. I love you. Love as in the same way Stuart loves you."
Sam looked confused for a moment, until a lightbulb seemed to go off in her head. "Oh."
"Oh?" It wasn't exactly the sort of response Phil was after.
"Phil, we've been through so much together. So much. And…" Sam laughed a little. "I suppose there was one time when I though we had potential as a couple. And I was in love with you…"
Phil's eyes lit up.
"But… that was a long time ago, Phil. I've got Stuart to think about, and little Emmeline as well. I couldn't just up and leave them like that." She clicked her fingers for effect, before continuing. "I do love you, and I always will. But just not in that way."
Phil felt his heart break and his stomach go through the bottom of his feet as he sadly nodded. "Well, I guess that's it, then."
"What's it?"
Phil lifted his head to look into Sam's eyes. "I'm leaving Sun Hill. I've been offered a position in Cardiff, close to Alfie."
Sam stood before him, speechless, and he continued. "I just wanted to let you know how I felt." He smiled sadly. "Somewhere in my twisted logic, I thought there might be the off chance that you would have the same feelings as I do… but, obviously not."
Sam's eyes filled with tears. "Please. Don't go." She pleaded, but it wasn't any use; Phil's mind was made up.
He shook his head, tears forming in his eyes as well. "I'm sorry Sam, but I have to. I can't bear to see you everyday with Stuart, knowing that's he got the only thing I want, and there's nothing I can do about it."
Sam quietly sobbed, letting the tears fall freely, looking Phil in the eye. "And now that you know how I feel, it would be … awkward, to say the least, if we kept working together." He continued.
"B-B-But you can't go! You're my best friend!" Sam choked out.
"I know, I know! And that's why I have to go." Phil sobbed as well, not caring about his macho reputation.
"I think you've done enough crying for today, Sam." He said, gently wiping away her tears. He left his hands on either side of her face, never wanting to let go. Even though she had mascara streaked down her face, her nose was running and her eyes were puffy, she was still beautiful, to him.
"I'm leaving tomorrow. Today was my last day." He said, causing more tears to fall from Sam's eyes, and Phil felt them roll over his hands, hot and wet. "Look, I caught your tears baby."
She only managed a small smile, staring up at Phil, his hands cupped around her face. She sensed what was going to happen next.
What the hell, I'm never going to see her again, Phil thought, as he pulled her face towards him, kissing her right on the lips, their tears mingling to make it a salty, wet kiss. Quickly, Phil pulled away.
"Bye Sam. Good luck with everything."
Sam sniffed. "You too. Stay in touch?"
"You bet."
Sam let out one last sob as she left the office, realising that Stuart was still waiting in the car, leaving behind a man who had once had her heart.
--
