Okay, thank you to, Gem, Lisa, Beccy, SassyJ, Sam, Ellyce, Tee and Ruth for reviewing the first chapter, obviously I just had to continue!
Hope that you enjoy!
Wrote this chapter today :)

Pretence.

Chapter Two.
Mrs Samantha Hunter

Phil looked across at Sam, her face was portraying the look that he felt. Shock. Her face was white, her usually calm green eyes were wide, glaring back at her superiors. Phil could tell she was wondering what she had done to deserve this new task. Phil however, wasn't so sure that this was necessarily a bad thing, he genuinely enjoyed undercover work, it was why he had signed up, not to fill in the endless streams of paperwork and time sheets that lately occupied his days. He looked once more at Sam, she looked as if she was about to speak, Phil sighed inwardly wondering what she was going to say, whether she would flatly deny to work this closely with someone, least of all him, and perhaps she was making another idea that would impress Jack, and leave him to days of papers, still.

Sam composed herself, her stomach doing its best to make her lose track of all that she was thinking, she managed to clear her throat, and a small voice spoke, "Right Guv" she said, sneaking a look at Phil, wondering what he was thinking.

"Now you two need to understand that this isn't going to be an easy task" John explained, "These two aren't your average run-of the mill dealers. They have perfected their sales pitch, and they know their market, befriending them will not be easy"

"We understand" Phil answered defiantly, he was up to this challenge, he needed something to show that he could do this job, and deserved a place here at Sun Hill.

Sam turned her head sharply, and glared at Phil, was this what husbands did? Answered for their wives?

"Now we need to begin this operation as soon as possible" John added, "Taking out these two will deliver a clear message that drug dealing in any form is not tolerated in Sun Hill"

Phil rolled his eyes, but not to the knowledge of the two men sitting in front of him, Phil really didn't need another zero tolerance rant from Heaton at that very moment, but to be on the safe side he answered with a "Yes Sir"

"Now I have a meeting with the Borough Commander at Barton Street, but Jack will continue to brief the two of you, and I will expect a status update when I return" John smiled, and then gathered his things, before leaving the three of them alone in his office.

Sam who had been quiet, just listening, and wondering how far this whole marriage business was going to have to go, watched the Super leave, closing the door behind him with a click. She looked up expectantly towards Jack, "Phil, would you go and get DC Masters and DS Turner, we will require their cooperation in this operation"

"Yes Guv" Phil answered, and he left the room, heading out into the corridor

"There goes my husband" Sam said jokingly as she watched Phil leave the room

"You are going to be able to do this, aren't you Sam?" Jack asked, worried that this would put two of his best, well at least one of his best officers in danger, his opinion of Phil was somewhat able to vary, depending on who he was seeing at the moment in time.

"Of course" Sam replied, with all of the conviction she could muster, her heart beating rapidly inside of her chest, could she do this? There was no question, she had to do this. "Can I ask one question though?"

Jack didn't reply, he just nodded, he had a feeling that he knew what the question was going to be

"Why did you choose us?" Sam asked simply, there were of course others in the department, some of them even more aptly qualified than Phil and herself, not that she would like to admit it. Terry for example had an exemplary record when it came to undercover work, and he was the one usually shipped out when things became complicated and messy.

Jack sighed, it had been the question he predicted, "Well, the Super and I both thought that given the circumstances of the case, that you were the best female officer to send in, you have after all been here for many years, and you are the inspector, we did also think of Jo, but then there's complications there, Stevie is too new to the station, and would talk to much and give it away far too easily" Jack said clearing his throat, "And the others just didn't seem to suit the idea, and as for Phil being the one to be your husband, well you and I don't make the most realistic couple for a rich princess and her toy boy husband to befriend, you and Neil would do nothing but bicker, and hardly portray the loved up couple, Stuart has that television experience that he likes to remind us all of, which in truth does actually make him far too recognisable, and I do know that the two of you have a history"

"He's not the only one I have history with" Sam said under her breath

However her voice was not heard, and Jack continued speaking, "And after all, you and Phil have been through a lot together, you are friends aren't you?"

Sam paused before answering, were she and Phil friends? That was a tricky question that even she herself didn't know the answer to. They hadn't spent much time together in the past few months, the occasional case work together, but that was really all. She had however saved his job, when Neil wanted him roasted over the whole Monica debacle, that moose, Sam thought, remembering her annoyingly perfect French look, topped off with that squeaky accent. Sam had defended him that whole day through, even managing to get Neil to see her point of view, and that took some doing, so perhaps that was a sign of friendship, at least on her behalf. But then she tried to remember the last time she'd had a conversation with Phil that would constitute as friendly banter, not involving work, and that was probably before their romantic relationship crashed and burned. Sam looked up at Jack, he looked worried, and she was right, Jack was worried, worried that he'd been right in voicing his hesitations to John that these two were not the right pair to do this, that anything other than making Samantha Nixon and Phillip Hunter pretend to be a married couple would be so much better. But John had been so persistent, and so sure that these two were right, that Jack eventually relented, and stored this compromise to use later, when he really thought something was a terrible idea.

"Course we are friends Guv" Sam eventually said, lying through her teeth, pretending to be Phil's wife couldn't be any worse that being stuck in those tunnels with him, or being shot at, could it? Sam sighed, whether she liked it or not, she was going to find out, Mrs Samantha Hunter, here she came.

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