It was now 10.30am "Hey Chas - you booked that hotel yet?" shouted Dempsey as he juggled two phone calls, one booking a flight the other as to why he and Sgt Makepeace weren't yet in court as they were due to be called soon.

"Um not yet – what name do you want it booking in?" asked Chas

"Dempsey"

"Mr and Mrs?" Chas knew their undercover habits

"Naturally" Dempsey replied to Chas whilst trying to reassure the court officer that they were on their way.

Dave looked up - he had several bets on with other SI10 staff and was interested in collecting his winnings.

"It's the easiest under cover to do" Makepeace was sitting opposite typing up a report but she half answered the question he didn't dare verbalise

"Any idea which one?" Chas questioned again. Dempsey thought he may as well do it himself but he and Harry were due in court in half an hour and should have left by now. "Any 5 star"

Dave gulped, he whispered to Fry "We would never get away with that"

"And make sure you book the Honeymoon Suite! Hey Harry we should be gone"

Harry picked up her jacket and handbag and moved towards the door with Dempsey

"The Honeymoon suite?" even Chas was taken aback

"So we can sleep together" clarified Makepeace before she closed the door behind her.

Dempsey looked at her "Well that was an interesting statement"

Makepeace coloured up, "O my God"

"You know I think you've just given totally the wrong impression to a room full of guys back there. Not that I mind if we do" He looked at the semitransparent blouse she was wearing and contemplated what he couldn't quite see.

Makepeace turned to go back in, but Dempsey grabbed her. "I wouldn't go in there now" He could imagine the money changing hands "besides we'll be late for court"

The court case looked like it was going well; Dempsey and Makepeace gave their evidence and returned to the office, buoyed up with the likely hood of a good result.

They were discussing the tail they were following to Ireland, Dempsey's grandfather was Irish and an Irish tour and a little family history research made a perfect cover.

"You know we really will have to find and follow Patrick Tierney, we can't just do the tourist route" Makepeace was speaking as they re entered the office, having completely forgotten their interesting exit.

To an ever curious Fry and Watson the conversation seemed to have barely dropped a level since they had left. The silence that fell was deathly and Harry instantly recalled her parting statement and blushed. She made her way to get a coffee more for something to do than the need of a drink, and then Spikings saved the day

"If that's Burton and Taylor send them in Chas"

Makepeace shut the door behind her, quite aware that if the boss was going to shout it would have very little effect, but at least they would be out of sight of prying eyes.

Spikings rose to full stature "Believe it or not this department has a finite budget, and Dempsey, it is not going to finance a 'jolly' for you and Sergeant Makepeace in Ireland. If you want a holiday you need to take leave, and you need to book that in advance with me – do you understand?"

"Yep"

"So" Spikings focused his eyes in a narrowing way on the barely visable space between where Dempsey and Makepeace were standing as he growled

"So what?" goaded Dempsey, much to Harry's frustration, she wondered if he ever read a situation

"So what is with the honeymoon suite in a 5 star hotel? – and I do not want to hear the story that has been flying round out there!!" Spikings hand reached up towards his head as he spoke.

"Chief" Dempsey started and Makepeace wanted to bury herself, why the hell did he inflame him even more, bloody idiot, she thought as Dempsey continued "- if you book twin beds it don't look real.."

"You don't need the most expensive room in Ireland" Spikings pointed out

"If you take a regular room you have to give the bed to the dame, then you need to sleep on the couch but 'oh dear' the regular room doesn't have a couch, so you sleep in a chair and that ain't too comfy and the second night you can't sleep at all so you sleep in turns!" Dempsey paused for breath, Makepeace hoped that everyone outside was listening. He continued "The honeymoon suite a) is big so it always has a couch and b) has a king size bed so you can both sleep on it with space so one way or the other you can both sleep at the same time or as Harry put it 'together'!"

Spikings rubbed his head, and then threw down a copy of the hotel booking details for the honeymoon suite at the Park Royal Hotel in Dublin.

Outside Chas demanded the return of his £20 bet in hand gestures

Dempsey picked up the hotel details, and passed them to Makepeace.

"Can we go now Sir?" Harry was still quite pink!

"I want a result – remember that" Spikings waved his pointing finger

Harry left Spikings office and moved to the door of the main office. Chas came in and handed Dempsey more paper work.

"Thanks" Dempsey took the papers and left Spikings office. "And she uses the entire duvet" he quipped as he left.

"WHAT?" the words grazed Spikings ears "Did I just hear that Chas?"

"I didn't hear anything sir" Chas forlornly hoped the others didn't ~ he was about to lose his money for a second time in one day.

Harry jumped on Dempsey verbally "Who's misleading the jury now?"

"I know" Dempsey grinned "fun isn't it – there's more money changed hands in there today than in the last year" Harry look horrified.

They spent the next hour checking all their documentation on Patrick Tierney, and his associates. The Irish police were working with them and would produce any warrant papers etc, but they needed to know the project wouldn't fail at court because of paper work. This frustrated Dempsey immensely and he just paced around, drinking more coffee and putting his feet on Makepeace's desk as she filed everything. Spikings came out from his office.

"Inspector O'Malley has just been on the phone, he expects you both at 7.30am tomorrow morning. Your cover is sorted I assume."

"Yeh look the wife is busy and I'm drinking coffee." Harry glared angrily. Dempsey continued "Just like any married couple" He shrugged his shoulders.

Spikings glanced at Makepeace, "Dempsey has some Irish roots and we are investigating his family tree, we can have cause to do that in any county we need to follow Tierney to Sir." She laced her voice with sugar

"I need you to work as a team, remember you are there on behalf of our government not on a free holiday courtesy of her majesty." Spikings glanced from one to the other as he spoke

"Sir" Harry acknowledged

"And Dempsey" Spikings let his gaze fall on Dempsey's left side "please don't shoot anybody, it might start another civil war out there"