Lem watched her walk across the yard. She looked tired but she was smiling. She was beautiful; dark hair suited her. It had been such a shock to the see the change in her since he'd last seen her, since they'd broken up. But he could see it suited her.

He hadn't envisaged being stood in the shadows, watching her when he woke up this morning. But here he was. He just didn't like the way Dutch was sniffing around her.

Sure enough, the man himself pulled up a few seconds later. He stepped out of the car and surveyed the station before he started walking.

"Kate!" he shouted when he saw her. She turned and caught sight of him, smiled.

"Good morning, Detective Wagenbach," she said.

"Same to you, Detective McGowan. Nice evening?"

They paused at the door as they Dutch retrieved his ID card and fixed it around his neck. Lem saw the look that passed between them. A secret knowledge. A look he had shared with Kate himself.

Besides, he had seen them at that cesspit on Seventh having dinner.

"Good," Kate said, smiling up at him. They were standing close. Lem closed his eyes, took a deep breath. It had been two years; he had no right to her. Hell, he didn't even have a place in her life anymore. They hadn't spoken since she had transferred to the Barn, except exchanging niceties beside the computer.

He waited a minute or two before they walked in and then followed. Made straight for the Strike Team room, head down. When he arrived only Vic was there, and he was grateful.

"Hey Vic."

Vic looked up from his file and nodded his head. Lem sat down opposite him. Folded his hands and rested them on the table.

"You alright man?"

"Good," Lem said. "What you reading?"

"Oh, Dutch passed it on to me. Information about a possible gang vendetta that might spill over into civilian territory."

Vic rolled his eyes, threw the file back on the table.

"His words, not mine. So how're things with you and Detective McGowan?"

"Non-existent. Ancient history, boss," Lem said with a wave of his hand.

"Hurts, don't it?"

"Huh?"

Vic sat up straighter in his chair, leaned towards his friend.

"Seeing someone you love with someone else."

"I don't love Kate," Lem said quickly, shaking his head.

"C'mon. Buddy. You forget I know exactly what went down between you two."

"Ancient. History," Lem repeated in a measured voice, accentuating both words.

"Besides, she's not with-"

"You're a smart guy, Lem. Kate hides it well but you know. And as for Dutch, fuck, his smug fuckin' face reeks of 'I've just scored with the new girl'."

"Don't, man."

"Talk to her. 'Cos if that's not bugging you, then what is. Surely it can't be our footless Armenians. Don't let them sweat you," Vic said emphatically, looking right into Lem's eyes.

"Focus on what's really important. Before it's too late."

Kate turned the wheel and they pulled into West Shields. She bought the car to a halt a block from the crime scene they were expected at.

"Hey. You OK?" Dutch asked, touching her arm. She gripped the wheel with her hands and leaned forward, resting her head on it.

"Kate?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just…last night was…strictly a one off, because I've not got the time-"

"I'm under no illusions, Kate," Dutch said seriously. She looked at him, and he was looking across at her, unsmiling. Uncertain.

"What we did doesn't need to infringe on our professional relationship."

"Infringe?" Kate said quickly, sitting up.

"We fucked last night and you're throwing a thesaurus at me?"

"No-"

"You were inside me last night," she said, dropping her voice to a whisper and looking around.

"Now we're sitting here as though nothing happened? I've only known you a goddamn day!"

"You weren't complaining."

Kate stopped, took a deep breath.

"Why is that always a man's first line of defence," she started.

"And you were all smiles this morning. Kate, we satisfied a carnal need last night and this morning we're both happier for it," Dutch challenged, shifting slightly so that he was facing her.

"Nothing has to be different."

"Right," Kate agreed in an exasperated voice.

"Whatever, Dutch," she said and climbed out of the car. He watched her walk away and disappear around the corner.

They didn't crack this case in a day. A shooting in the backroom of a Korean-run grocery store; a bundle of witness but no one with anything solid. At half eight whilst Dutch was upstairs conferring with Claudette, Kate quietly packed up her things and walked out to her car.

The knock on the door came at ten thirty.

"Dutch," she said, sighing.

"Leave it. It's done."

"Can I come in?"

With a shrug she let him into her home and followed him into the lounge.

"We were damn good, right?"

She stared at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Well we didn't get the bad guy in twelve hours if that's what you mean."

"No," he said, walking towards her.

"Last night." He put his arm around her waist, looked around her home.

"We were good on the couch. The bed. Up against the wall," he said quietly, his hand moving up to her neck, fingers running through into her hair. Kate closed her eyes, breath hitching in her throat. When he kissed her and began to walk her backwards towards her bedroom, she didn't resist.

She woke up in the morning with Dutch's leg over her. A dead weight. She tried to move without unsettling him; got as far as sitting up before his eyes flickered open.

"Oh," was all he said, sitting up and running his hand through his hair.

"Hey," Kate said. She untangled herself from Dutch and the bed, pulling a sheet with her and wrapping it around her naked body.

"Shower, if you want," she said, grabbing her clothes out of the wardrobe and heading for the door.

"I'll use the other bathroom."

"Sure," he said and she left the room as quickly as she could. She heard the water running. Safe in the knowledge that he was occupied, she crumpled to the bathroom floor and began to cry.

Curtis was the first person she saw when she walked through the doors of the Barn. She had washed as best she could; but she could still smell Dutch's citrus cologne on her skin, in her hair.

"Hey," she said, offering him a small smile as he walked past.

"Kate-" he said, moving to block her path. She looked at him; the same Curtis she had loved, had been naked with and planned to build her life with. He still caught her attention, still made her feel weak.

"Lem!" Dutch called. Kate cringed inside.

"What's up, Dutch?" Lem said, nonplussed, turning his attention to Dutch.

"Any breakthroughs on that file I gave Vic?"

"I haven't seen him yet today."

Dutch frowned, put his hands in his pockets.

"Well it's pretty important."

"Yeah, and so are all the other cases we're runnin'. Be patient, Dutch Boy."

"Hey, asshole. Don't talk your crap to me."

"Hey asshole," Lem said, and walked towards Dutch. His mouth was a concentrated line of anger. He stopped as close as he could bear to be to Dutch.

"Wait your turn, bitch."

"Sure, OK, calm down," Dutch instructed, his face reading uncertainty.

"Thinkin' you're the big I am because your old partner is Captain. Walkin' around like your shit don't stink."

"Well let it all out, Lemansky, why don't you?"

"Lem! Don't waste your time. Dutch Boy," Vic said, approaching from reception.

"I'm on to it. Now if you're gonna circle each other like a pair of cocks take it outside. Otherwise, simmer down."

"Whatever man," Lem said, shaking his head. He turned and walked away, slamming the door of the Strike Team room so hard a pile of files from the desk next to it dislodged and slithered to the floor.

"I need that man's head in the game," Vic said quietly, pointing his thumb behind him to where Lem had just been.

"Don't fuck with my team. 'Cos I will fuck with you if you do," he said, his eyes wide, his face close to Dutch. Kate saw Dutch flinch and Vic looked at Kate quickly. Looked back at Dutch. Smirked.

"We cool?"

"Cool," Dutch said and Vic walked away.

Everyone was looking. Kate could feel the heat of humiliation spreading on her face and she could barely manage to walk out with her head held high. But she did, and it was only when she got to the yard outside that she allowed herself to collapse against the side of the car.

"Kate, ignore them," Dutch shouted as he approached her. He was soon beside her and his arm was on hers but she shrugged him off.

"I thought we discussed this yesterday," he said in a quiet but forceful voice.

"We did. But I'm still uncomfortable with it. We're walking some very blurry lines, Dutch."

She stared at him in the face for as long as she could bear. Images of his face above her, the feel of his body pushed against hers swathed her and she had to drop her gaze to her feet to recover herself.

"Shit," Dutch exclaimed, running his hand down his face and turning away from her. When he looked back, he was a little more composed. She knew he was going to speak, but she got in there first.

"Forget my address and don't bother me outside of work."

"Kate, right?"

Kate looked up from her locker and smiled. The officer she had seen in the yard on her first day was standing by a block of lockers beside the door. She sat down on the bench and began unlacing her boots, replacing them with some sneakers. She was already back in her regular clothes.

"I'm Danny Sofer. You saw me and my partner Julian pulling in Enrique?"

"That's right."

"So how's it going?"

Kate slammed her locker door shut and turned the key. She didn't know how to answer; how was it going? On the plus side, she had cracked one case and was making some progress on another. Building up her professional reputation slowly. But on the other? She'd slept with her partner on their first day of working together and now she was freaking out.

"Good," Kate said, managing half a smile.

"I saw Dutch and Lemansky goin' at it earlier."

"Yeah."

"You get on well with Dutch, huh?"

"Well enough, Danny. So how long you been here?"

"A few years. I've just come back from a…sabbatical, shall we say."

Kate picked up her purse from the floor and hooked it over the shoulder. The strap was twisted and as she settled it on her it upturned, spilling out the contents.

"Shit," she cursed, bending down to retrieve her possessions.

"Here, let me," Danny offered, rushing over and crouching down beside her. Danny collected up a lipstick and some loose change. She reached over and picked up a rolled bundle of material. Held it in her hand and stared at it strangely.

"This is Dutch's." She said slowly, looking at Kate.

"Oh, yeah," Kate said, standing up and shoving everything back into her purse.

"I'm just looking after it for him."

Danny stood up and held it out. She had a wry look on her face; her mouth was set in a serious line but her eyes were sparkling with being one step ahead.

"From yesterday."

"Damn," Kate said, sighing. She slumped down onto the bench beside her locker, head in her hands. Danny sat down beside her and pressed the tie into Kate's hand.

"You slept with Dutch?"

Reluctantly Kate nodded. Danny laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Oh, I'm not judging. I've nearly been there before myself." She nudged Kate, and Kate looked at her.

"What's he like?" she mouthed, smiling.

"Don't ask me that," Kate said, looking down and laughing.

"As good as Lemansky?"

"God, do you know everything?"

"I try," Danny said. She looked out across the locker room, clasping her hands together.

"I can't get a man for love nor money. And you've got two," Danny said with a sigh. Kate shook her head.

"Oh, me and Curtis…ancient history."

"Sure," Danny said, raising her eyebrows as she stood up. Julian poked his head around the doorway before she could say anymore.

"Danny. You wanna walk out with me?"

"Sure, Julian. Catch you later," she said to Kate, and walked out.

Kate interviewed more witnesses from the grocery store shooting all day and by the end of it her head was pounding. Every face looked the same, every word made no sense. She signed off the last witness statement she had completed and filed it with the others, than sat back in her chair. The station was empty almost; prisoners had been transported to stations with a bigger capacity and most of the staff had gone home. As she looked around, she saw it, and she knew what was going to happen before it did. But she couldn't stop it.

Curtis strode across the station towards the Strike Team room just as Dutch stepped off the last stair from the staircase towards Claudette's office. Both walked, heads down until at the last moment Curtis looked up and saw Dutch. He kept walking until they collided. Dutch was thrown back a little, and he dropped the stack of papers he was carrying. They slithered to the floor, creating a wave of white.

"Lemansky, those were in a very specific order. Pick them up."

"Make me," Curtis challenged, throwing up his arms in defiance.

"Don't start all this bullshit again."

"Why not. C'mon," Lem said, biting his lip.

"Jealous, huh?" Dutch said with a smirk. Kate put her head in her hands; she wasn't sure if she could bare this. And yet it was all her making. She wanted to disappear; to vanish and take everything she had created with her.

"Of what?"

"Let's just let it go, huh Lem?"

"Jealous of what?"

"Me fucking your ex girlfriend," Dutch said with a smile on his face. Lem had grabbed Dutch's collar before he could say anymore. He pushed him backwards, backwards until Dutch slammed against the wall, knocking the breath out of him.

"Say that again, prick. Say it! Tell me, does your girlfriend know about the situation? Maybe I'll just drop her a nice little phone call. What you got to say about that?"

Lem twisted his fingers harder as he spoke, becoming more and more enraged. Kate stared at the scene in front of her; her body ran cold as she replayed Lem's words in her head.

Girlfriend. Girlfriend?

"Lem, let it go!" Shane shouted as he appeared from behind the Strike Team door. He sprinted over and hauled his friend away from Dutch. Lem seemed to have lost all of his fight; he sagged against Shane.

"Wagenbach, Lemansky! Asses up here now!" Claudette boomed. Everyone looked up at her; she was standing outside the door of her office, her hands on the railings as she looked over. Reluctantly they both went.