Disclaimer - I don't own Scott & Bailey.

Like A Daughter, Like a Mother.

Normally when she drove her car, Rachel Bailey drove like a mad woman, or as Sean, her now ex husband called her ' a mad bitch,' shouting it in the middle of the night. At the moment Rachel was now so numb she couldn't muster the effort to go as fast as she'd done in the past.

Gill had been kidnapped, the closest thing to a proper mother Rachel had ever had in her life had been kidnapped by Helen Bartlet - Alison counted in a way, seeing as the older girl had taken care of her and their brother, Dom when their real mother had fucked off.

The news had made Rachel numb with shock, but she was pissed off as well. It was one thing Helen had neglected to tell anyone what her fucked up parents had done over the years, inviting people into their home, then raping them before killing them, but she could have told the police when she'd been questioned when she'd finally gotten her finger out of her arse, and actually told someone, but now she'd certainly crossed a line.

Rachel left psychology to people like Lee, who specialised in it, but she had actually been close to Helen, close enough to smell the breath of the other woman. When she'd first met Helen with Pete at the start of the first investigation into Eunice's murder, it had been a confident young professional, helping someone out with their shopping, but once she'd been told who they were, the confidence had melted off her face. Rachel had seen it.

Dread.

Helen had taken her mother's death calmly, saying she'd not had anything to do with any of her family for years since leaving home, she'd even had the fucking nerve she knew now by saying she had no idea where two of her siblings were. Lies, Helen herself had helped Joe Beven, her insane psycho for a dad, burying her bother, Michael. God alone knew if Helen had watched her own mother dismember her other sibling, Sheila.

The Beven family made Rachel ill; Eunice and Joe were psychopathic fruitloops, had in Eunice's case seeing as her equally made husband had been the one to kill her before the family dog, who'd been so hungry and mistreated, it had gotten it's revenge by chewing through Eunice's head, making the police think someone had hacked it off. The kids, by all accounts, were no better seeing as they'd been raised in that shithole, being abused sexually, physically and mentally, you could just see the tell tale signs on Helen's face, see it in her eyes as you looked into them as Rachel had when both women had sat in that interview room. But was Helen totally innocent? Not now she wasn't, not now she'd kidnapped DCI Murray.

Rachel hit the car door in frustration; why hadn't Helen told her about the cellar during those hours and hours of questioning during those first interviews, and the horrors that were down there when she'd been questioned that first time around? Had she been so terrified of her father even though the filthy old bastard had been in hospital at the time, or was she trying to persuade herself burying her own brother had never happened, that it was some particularly hideous nightmare? On the subject of fathers, Rachel could sympathise, seeing as her dad had died a couple of years ago when Rachel was working on the Owen Cottam case. Her dad had often lashed out in a drunken rage against anyone who took away his beer or whatever poison he had, and Rachel could count how many times she'd often received a clout round her head, or worse.

Rachel sighed. How could Helen be so stupid, and did she really think this would help her by kidnapping a senior police officer? Did she honestly think she wouldn't be hunted down? The CPS had decided to arrest Helen for concealing the graves in the Beven house, despite her making a bargain with the police, and although she couldn't blame them for making the decision, seeing as Helen had wasted police time during that first investigation, but she could've received something a bit better. Rachel had gone with Janet to arrest her, and Helen had reacted the same way Joe had when he'd been arrested, by lashing out.

Janet.

The thought of her - ex? - best friend caused a jolt of pain in Rachel's chest, like it did just thinking about Sean and how she'd ruined it for him. Or had she? Rachel knew deep inside her their marriage would never have worked; Sean was a happy go lucky guy. Within days of reuniting with him again since they'd both been 14, he'd hinted marriage and kids. It was all too much, too soon. Rachel had grinned and laughed like a fool, but she'd been taken aback by how sudden everything was.

But Sean had helped her, hadn't he? Whether she admitted it to herself or someone else or not, Sean had helped her. Who had run Dom down to the clinic to have his HIV test done when she couldn't do it herself? Who had helped her straighten things out with her own mother, though that had also turned out to be one big disappointment seeing as her mother still acted like a fucked up drunken teen.

It was the Nick Savage attack that had truly made Rachel happy enough to consider being his wife. Alison, Janet, even Gill had helped her through that mess when Dom had been arrested, only the stupid bastard had implicated HER in Nick's death. How many times had Rachel wanted the now deceased barrister to pay for what he'd done, humiliating her and causing her pain? She hadn't wanted him to die, though. Rot in prison, yes.

But Nick was dead now, thanks to Dom. And indirectly, Rachel.

Sean had been with her then when her friends and sister hadn't, always ready for a quiet word, a rant, a joke, a hug, a kiss, a laugh...Rachel had been taken in then, so she'd said yes, yes she would marry him. The preparations to getting married to Sean had taken some of the weight off her shoulders, though there was still the black Nick Savage shaped cloud following her, taunting her. Sean had made her safe.

So what the fuck had gone wrong?

Rachel knew, and she wished she'd told someone like Janet or her mother, Dorothy even if the old cow didn't like her. Could either of them have helped her, instead of Rachel acting like some sex crazed slut? Maybe.

The marriage had broken down because of the pair of them. Before the spectre of Nick fucking bastard Savage had been cast again 'cause the fucking CPS, the same CPS who were responsible for Helen's present crime in kidnapping a senior police officer, had decided to drop all the charges on Savage, Sean had hounded her, day and fucking night, to marry him. With the added stresses of Dom and what the CPS had done, Rachel had found it too hard to cope. He wasn't a bad guy was Sean, just an annoying one. After the drama and the two were married, they didn't live happily ever after.

Sean's attitude seemed to say ' yep, I'm married to the woman of my dreams. I don't have to make much effort now.' Bad news was yes he did. One person couldn't make a marriage work, and Rachel had tried. Oh fuck yes, but after a few months of working at it she'd simply given up. She'd gotten a sleeping bag, slept only a foot away from her desk at the office. How sad was that? Rachel could've stayed at her sisters. But she'd discounted that; Alison would've hounded her and Sean for answers, and Rachel could picture the disappointment on her face when she learnt the marriage was breaking down.

Janet had found out, not that Rachel had had much choice in telling her when they dealt with Helen, who had no where else to go. Janet had put her up for a few nights, during which Rachel was put under interrogations and criticisms by Dorothy for corrupting Taisie.

The jolt of pain returned when the thought of Taisie came to her mind. Rachel loved Elise and Taisie, seeing them as younger sisters, but they were their own people. But what she and Kevin had done...Rachel felt her eyes sting at the memory of being unceremoniously being dragged out of Janet's house, drunk, with Kevin, and Taisie's shocked face, and Janet's anger and disappointment. Oh, Rachel had lashed out at Janet. It was her primary defense, but Rachel had hoped Janet would have spoken to her about it now it was done with, but she hadn't. Somehow Rachel doubted it would.

But Janet...in a way, Rachel understood perfectly the source of disappointment her friend had, but she was no saint herself. Look at the way she had two flings with Andy, and she was married to Adrian. How did that make her better than Rachel?

The young DC shook her head. She didn't have time to think about her fallout with Janet, her shortcomings with Sean. Gill was more important. Spotting from her windshield a set of traffic lights ahead, Rachel slowed down when they changed to red. Blowing out a breath, Rachel watched as a mother and two kids crossed the road, the kids dressed in school uniforms, heading home.

Rachel leant forward. Home. That was it.

Before she knew it she had her phone in hand, and was already dialing Julie's number.

" Ma'am. DC Bailey. Has anyone checked the old Beven place on Peverall street?" Rachel asked Julie Dodson without preamble.

" Rachel. Where the fuck are you?" Julie asked, and then the DC's question filtered through into her brain. " No, we didn't see the need. Why?"

Keeping her cursing of their collective stupidity to a minimum, Rachel answered the second question. " I just saw a mother take her kids home. Where else does Helen have if we've already checked the house she had with Louise? She has no where left. Except that place it all started."

Julie was quiet for a moment, then.."Where are you, Rachel?"

Was that concern in Dodson's voice? " I'm close, just..." Rachel estimated the distance to go. " Another five minutes."

" I don't want you to go in there unless we know what we're doing."

" Listen ma'am, I know Helen. I think I might be able to reason with her," Rachel shook her head at the lack of positivity in her voice; could Helen be reasoned with after being let down because of the decision made by the CPS? Probably not, but they had to try. " Besides, I'm not going to drive up to the door. If there's anyone there then they'd have gone through the front. There's no backdoor in the garden. I'm going to get out and ask."

" No Rachel, it might be dangerous."

Anger burned in Rachel's chest. " It might also be dangerous for Gil- I mean DCI Murray. Who knows what Helen is doing."

Silence. " I'm sending uniform there now. I'm also noting this down, DC Bailey, that you are entering a potentially dangerous situation without thought or care to your wellbeing."

Rachel swallowed. " I'll call you with news. Bye."

It had stunned her by how much DSI Dodson had sounded...concerned.

Rachel's gut feeling she was right was proven right when she saw the car parked outside the Beven place. Gill's car. Rachel swallowed, and got out of her car, putting her bulletproof vest on. She knocked on one of the doors opposite the house of horror.

A girl of 11 answered. " Hi," she said cautiously.

Rachel smiled, and held out her warrant card. " That car," she pointed at the car outside the Beven's house, " how long has it been there, and did you see anyone get out?"

The girl nodded. The revelation the Bevens had been murderers had stunned the street, and now people were telling stories about it, had been for months now.

" Yeah," she replied eagerly. " It arrived a few hours ago."

Rachel nodded. " The people who went in, were they women?"

" Yeah."

" Was one of them short, delicate looking with short brown hair, and was the other one around my height with dark hair?" Rachel asked.

" I didn't see one of them 'cause they were wearing a hood," the girl replied, " but yeah, she was around your height. The other was short, and looked kinda like a bird with short hair."

Rachel quirked a brow. " Do you often look at the house?"

" Kinda hard not to, yeah?" The girl asked. Her eyes fixed on Rachel, becoming slightly full of hero worship, and Rachel felt a pang as the girl stared at her the same way Hayden had when they'd first met, only this time instead of being looked at the same way a scientist looks at a petri dish with some new form of bacteria on it, this girl was looking at her with something Rachel couldn't identify. " What with them murders. Did you investigate it, the case I mean?"

Rachel gave a small smile, but she didn't reply. Instead she thanked the girl for her time, and walked off. She took out her phone and dialed Julie.

" Her car's out, and I've just asked if anyone's gone in. It looks like they are in, and uniform are here," Rachel said, trailing off as a squad car turned up, Julie was saying, "Wait for us to get down there, Rachel-"

But Rachel wasn't listening. She'd just spotted who was coming out of the squad car.

Sean didn't look happy to see her. " Well, if it isn't the ex Mrs McCartney," he said darkly, looking over her with a sneer of disgust. Rachel winced, then she pulled herself together, and ignored him, opening the gate separating the Beven's house of hell from the rest of the street. Sean's police training snapped into place, and he grabbed her arm before she could walk through. Out of the corner of her eye Rachel could see the door slightly ajar. Someone was definitely in.

" Are you out of your mind?!" Sean snarled at her.

Rachel smiled at him ironically. " As you kept saying when we were together," Sean winced, " I am a mad bitch." She tried to leave, but Sean tightened his grip. " You're not going in there, not without backup."

Rachel glared at him, then she nodded. Sean smiled, thinking he'd made her see sense. Maybe they could make their marriage work, and he could teach her not to see other men. Too late, he didn't react in time to stop Rachel's fist from punching him. The blow made him stagger and lose consciousness.

Rachel caught him before he could fall. " Sorry, Sean, but this is too important," tears sprang to her eyes as her voice became more quieter, " but I'll be saving the life of someone I...," she couldn't say it. She wiped her tears away, and she looked down at her hands, and saw the wedding ring. It was glinting as if to torture her, make her feel guilty. It was working.

Rachel took it off, and placed it in Sean's hand. " I'm sorry I can't be your wife, at least not the one you wanted."

Taking a deep breath, Rachel walked down the path into the house.