A/N: The title's a little bit lame, but this is a one-shot from the episode Hellfire. It's an oldie as Taggart's still around, but it's also a goodie :) Hope you enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

All Right

"And Jackie's had to go through all this for nothing?"

Jim Taggart sighed as he looked out of the window to where Jackie was leaning against a squad car, alone. As much as he hated to admit it, Jean had had a point. This case had been tough on Jackie; she had gone undercover and been taken in by the suspect, Greg Martin, who had then turned out to be the killer.

He remembered her attempt to defend him in McVitie's office and her refusal to be taken off the case. Even in the face of a suspension.

The noise of Michael and a couple of uniforms bringing Martin upstairs made him turn around. Jim couldn't suppress his grin as he saw the state that Greg Martin was in. Two large bruises marred his otherwise handsome face; clearly Jackie could take care of herself.

He turned back to the window as the uniforms hauled Martin out of the door, he felt Michael come up behind him and they both watched Jackie turn her back on Martin and walk a little away. Neither action deterred Martin from calling out to her as he was led to a car; pleadingly at first before he spat something out that Jim was surprised to hear coming from someone who exuded such respectability.

He felt Michael stiffen beside him at the insult that Martin had hurled at Jackie. He glanced sideways at the younger man; this case had been tough on Michael too. He suppressed a chuckle as he remembered the murderous look on Michael's face when Jackie had been introduced to them as Martin's fiancée.

Aye, he had warned Michael about getting emotionally involved with Jackie when she had been a WPC. Clearly he hadn't heeded his advice, even after the two had begun to work more closely together. Though he had to hand it to Michael, he was very adept at keeping his feelings separate. The look on Michael's face earlier in the week had been the first clue in a long time that his relationship with Jackie might pertain to more than friendship.

He turned his attention back to Jackie as he noticed it looked like she was wiping away tears. As much as he would have liked to comfort her, indeed she reminded him of his daughter at times, he knew that he would probably only make matters worse.

He shot another sideways glance at Michael, "Someone should go see to Jackie," he said, leaving the statement open but clearly intending that Michael should be that someone. Michael continued looking out the window, "I doubt she would want the company, sir," Michael replied, Jim noted the slight hint of bitterness in the younger man's tone.

"If you two are having problems, I would like to know about it," he said, still looking out of the window. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Michael shake his head, also still steadfastly looking out the window,"No problems, sir, but she blew me off before, I don't want to push my luck."

Jim suppressed a long suffering sigh. As much as he liked Michael, in fact even regarded him as the son he never had, the younger man could be incredibly dense at times; especially when it came to women.

"Michael, I think you should go and talk to her," he said finally, "if she tells you to go, fine, but I think being alone is possibly the last thing that she needs right now." He turned to look at Michael, "She needs a friend," he said before burying his hands in his oversized pockets and walking away.

Michael watched him go for a few minutes before turning back to look out of the window. He should go talk to Jackie, he decided; a little embarrassed that he had needed the extra shove to check on her from Jim Taggart of all people.

...

Jackie looked up as she heard someone approach, she was pretty sure she knew who it was. "Michael...don't say it," she said, turning around to find that it was indeed Michael Jardine standing behind her. "I wasn't planning on saying or doing anything, except making sure you were ok," he told her, "are you?" he asked after a pause.

Jackie gave a small shrug as she turned away from him again, "I don't know," she said after a brief moment, "I thought I knew him, I trusted him...how could I have been so stupid?" Michael decided to regard that question as rhetorical and let it pass without comment. "The Biscuit was right, I had convinced myself," she gave a small shake of her head, "I couldn't see through him."

"You weren't the only one he fooled, Jackie," he told her, in what he hoped was a reassuring tone, she turned to face him. "You always seemed to be convinced," she stated baldly, remembering how resentful she had been at the time that her opinion hadn't been enough to sway him. And how much it had hurt her that he seemed to think her judgement had been clouded by Martin's charm.

Michael was taken aback by her statement, how was he supposed to tell her that the reason he mistrusted Martin was for the trust she placed in him? He had resented the hold Martin seemed to have over her, hated how she defended him. "I had my doubts..." he began, doubts about whether we'd be able to convince you he was guilty, he added silently to himself.

"But only after Samantha McDowell admitted that she had been lying," she said. Michael remembered how angry he had been about that; angry that it meant Jackie was involved with Martin for nothing. "Does it really matter when I had doubts?" he asked, "I still had them, Jackie," he added, she nodded.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter, we got him in the end, didn't we?" Michael nodded by way of reply; she gave a small sigh and looked back out across the fields. "Michael," she said after a long moment, turning back to look at him, "can we go?"

Michael gave her a small smile and offered her his hand, "Come on," he said, "I'll take you home." She smiled in return as she took his hand, needing the small comfort that gesture gave. He squeezed her hand, "It'll be all right, Jackie, you'll see," he assured her.

She looked down at their entwined hands and then up at his confident profile as he led her back to the car. And for the first time since Martin found out she was an undercover cop she thought it just might be.