"Charles, the lads are going out for fish and chips, what do you fancy?" "Pish tips Daddy." a little voice echoed excitedly. Fish and chips was a rare treat and Lucy loved it. "Cod for me please." "Tod or daddy." came the faithful echo. Looking into the drawing room he saw the four Special Forces lads had been joined by Jackson who was adjusting the monitors. "You were spot on with the Turkish link Spunky. It's Tumay Caner. Part of Bin Laden's lot." He altered the name on the board. "Bit brazen to be living in New York if he was involved in the 9/11 attacks." "This thing's like your mum's arse," laughed Spanner to Jackson "Just keeps growin'" "Yeah well, it's still not big enough for a saddle like your mum's" was the pithy rejoinder. "Time for a break, I think. Come on, relax for five before lunch." Jackson switched on the recorders and trailed out after the others.

Molly persuaded them to eat in the dining room so that everyone could sit down together although she didn't push the issue of plates thinking of all the washing up afterwards. Even Lucy and Pip were allowed to eat out of the paper. It was good to just chat generally about sport and TV or films, having a rest from the drama that plagued them. Sam, being older and very mature for his age knew there was something going on and really wanted to ask but was frightened to in case it meant his mum had to leave. Molly watched him looking around the table, his eyes continually returning to Rebecca and decided that she would have a talk with him after lunch. Pip, ever curious had moved on to Peanut and wanted to know why he was called Peanut. He didn't look like a peanut. He leaned very close and Molly held her breath, fearing he might lick him to see if he tasted like a peanut, as he had on a previous occasion with Honey her Nan's friend. Thankfully he didn't, he merely whispered, "You can tell me later" and gave an enormous wink which had everybody sniggering. Lucy who had decided to give her daddy the privilege of her company for lunch was offering him bits of her fish. "Dud pish Daddy" "Very good fish poppet, now you eat some." "My eat tips." Beaming she helped herself to his chips, which was obviously fair exchange in her mind. "Oi, eat your fish monkey and stop nicking my chips." Giggling she offered him another piece of her fish. "Dud pish Daddy"

Looking at the rest of the group around the table, Molly realised just how lucky they were to have such amazing friends, friends who would give up their precious time off to keep them safe. Feeling a bit emotional, she began gathering up the empty papers, "Coffee? Tea?" There were nods and requests all round. Sam, knowingly pushing his luck asked for coke and laughed when he was given the look. "Milk or juice or maybe just juice until somebody volunteers to go and do some shopping." "Well, I suppose me and Dino are in charge of requisitions so…" Peanut volunteered. "Thanks lads, I've done a list. Now, who's walking Manny?" She couldn't help laughing as Mike slid down in his seat. Thankfully Fingers, with a prompting dig from Brains, volunteered.

A slight movement from Rebecca caught her eye, she looked exhausted. "Why don't you have a bit of a lie down this afternoon. There isn't much to do, unless you want to watch Lilo and Stitch for the tenth time," the last almost whispered so little ears didn't hear. "Lucy will be going up for her nap shortly, maybe you could take her in with you?" She wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not but it would give Rebecca a purpose and an opportunity to rest. She also seemed to be able to sleep better if someone was with her, and while a two year old wouldn't offer much protection she was good to snuggle up with.

The lads started drifting off to their various tasks when Charles caught Rebecca and handed her his phone, "Call your Dad, he's really concerned about you. I know what you're thinking but honestly, I think he just wants to hear from you that you're okay." Nodding she took the phone and went to find a quiet, private corner which wasn't easy with so many people in the house. The children had disappeared into the snug which left Charles and Molly alone for the first time that day. Slipping into his arms, she rested her head on his chest. "How long do you think it will take to find him? I'm not sure I can keep the kids caged in the house and garden for much longer." "Hopefully Elvis will be able to tell us more when he gets back. It might be best to contact people and postpone Lucy's party though." "Oh fuck, I'd forgotten all about the party. Shit, the last thing we want is my lot descending on top of this." Giving him a brief kiss she moved out of his arms. "I'll start phoning round later but d'you think you can keep an eye on the boys? I might go for a lie down myself, I'm feeling a bit Brian Clough" Concern marred his forehead but he couldn't help smiling. He hadn't heard her use rhyming slang for quite a while. "Of course. Is there anything I can get you? I noticed you didn't eat much lunch." A truly terrifying thought crossed his mind, "You've not picked up a tummy bug from somewhere have you? The thought of twelve adults and three kids with the shits would just about push me over the edge. Did you put plenty of loo roll on that shopping list?" His genuine horror had Molly grinning, "No, I think it might be that time and lucky for you lot, THAT isn't catching." Pulling her in for another hug he reassured her they'd be fine and sent her off upstairs.

He popped into the drawing room to check if he was needed but the Special Forces lads were focussed on their various tasks and didn't need anything. Mike and Brains were with Sam and Pip in the snug. "Rebecca's taken Lucy for a nap and left your phone. She said 'thanks'. Looked like she might have been crying. God she's been through some crap hasn't she." Brains gave him a kick to shut him up, looking pointedly at Sam and Pip who were now ignoring the TV and listening to the adult conversation. Sighing Charles sat down, lifting Pip onto his knee and pulling Sam into his side under the shelter of his arms. "Things are a bit hard for your mum at the minute Scamp. Simon has been hurting her and might be hurting other people, that's why Uncle Elvis and the lads are here. They're going to help find Simon and make sure he's punished for hurting her." Pip listened but didn't really understand the full implication of what they were being told but Sam did. He had lived with Simon, he understood only too well. "She'll be safe here won't she Dad? The bloody bastard can't get her can he? What if they can't find him?" "Well firstly, you should be on a time out for swearing but I'll let it slide this time considering the situation and don't even think of copying him Pip! Secondly, we will find him, and yes your Mum, both of them, and you are safe here with me and the lads. I promise." Hoping he'd be able to keep that promise he looked across at Brains and Mike for agreement. "Oh aye, he'll get caught and go to prison for certain. The best the army's got are on it, and Fingers." Brains sniggered as Fingers walked into the room. "What? What did I miss?"

Wondering how much Sam remembered about his time living with Simon, Charles quietly asked, "Did Simon ever bring anyone to the house when your mum wasn't there?" "His brother came a couple of times but he sent me to my room when he did." Sam looked guiltily around before admitting, "but I sat on the stairs and listened." Charles lifted an eyebrow and waited, he didn't want Sam to feel he was being interrogated. "I think Simon was going to get us a new house because they were talking about different places. I'm glad we didn't move." Nodding, Charles continued to wait. He could see Sam thinking things over and remembering, "I remember one had a funny name, it was called Ramsbottom Lane in Shepherd's Bush." He started to laugh as he remembered. "I don't think I would like living in a ram's bottom." Pip now joined in his laughter. "No, I don't think I would either. Do you remember any others Sam?" asked Brains. Nodding he continued, "The others weren't funny though. There was Long Street in Leicester and Hambleton Drive in a place called Longsight. I suppose Longsight is a bit funny." Giving Sam and Pip a hug, Charles gave his trademark tilt of the head to Brains, indicating he should follow him, and left the room.

The pair joined the Special Forces lads in the drawing room. "Safe houses d'you think?" enquired Brains as soon as the door was closed. "Either that or centres of operation." Writing the three addresses on the board he quickly brought the others up to speed on what Sam had told them. "So, we know he's an only child, which means this 'brother' is likely the same man Rebecca mentioned who lives in Manchester. A fellow terrorist maybe?" Mused Spunky. "Right. So the brother needs to be added to the list with the wives." "Any word from Elvis?" asked Jackson looking up from the bank of monitors. "Not since the text to say he'd got a meeting with Montgomery. Hopefully he'll have something for us after that." Leaving them to get back on with their searches and monitoring Charles and Brains used Google Earth to look up the addresses. They were all pretty nondescript streets in ordinary housing estates, nothing to make them stand out or give them a clue as to exactly which houses to pinpoint.

Frustration was starting to hang heavy on Charles. It had only been two days but he needed some action or at the very least something he could get his teeth in to. Glancing sideways at the monitors he noticed a movement in the back garden. Moving closer he was surprised to see Molly and Lucy come into view. Ready to tear a strip off her for going outside without additional support he was stopped as Dino and Rebecca came into view, followed by Peanut with a tray of drinks. The two women looked exhausted despite having recently had a nap. He'd get Fingers on to kitchen duty again. He was a fairly passable cook and it wasn't fair to expect Molly and Rebecca to bear the burden of feeding 15 people three times a day. Sam, Pip, Mike and Fingers followed by Manny joined the group in the garden. Thankfully the children looked happy and not too disturbed by their earlier chat.

"Elvis on Face Time Bossman." The five men in the drawing room gathered around the screen. "Well Charlie, looks like you're sitting bang smack in the middle of a wasp's nest. We were right about the link with The Hague shooting. I won't go into too much detail on here but Montgomery has given us a liaison bloke, name of Sumner, he's been piecing together various threads trying to link the shooters to Armstrong and Rebecca has given us the name. Andre, the man who was with Simon at The Chequers, otherwise known as Andre DuMarc. He was a key member of Armstrong's legal team and also represented Abdul Khan in the past. I've passed on those three addresses you texted to me and they're sending undercover officers to investigate. Well done guys. Tell Kitty to keep my bed warm, I'm coming home." Before anyone had an opportunity to ask any questions he was gone from the screen.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and everyone was glad to be heading for their beds. Charles waiting up for Elvis's return sat with Brains at the monitors, talking quietly. Brains asked what Simon was like, apart from being a wife beating terrorist. "I didn't like the man; there was an arrogance about him. Always tanned, Molly said it came out of a bottle, streaked hair. I always felt like he was trying to provoke an argument." "Sounds charming." As they talked both men suddenly sat upright in their seats. Elvis's car had just pulled into the Crescent and a second car slowed to a crawl, passing him before pulling into a parking space on the corner. "Neighbours?" Charles knew his neighbours and he definitely didn't recognise the two men sitting in the car. "Keep an eye on them, I'll let Elvis in."

Elvis had just reached the front door when it opened. He was aware of the car that had been following him since he left the M4. "There's a car followed me," "Yes, we've got them on the monitor. Any idea who they might be?" "Don't think they're spooks or organised crimes. I suppose I could just go and ask them." Elvis laughed. "Panic over" called Brains "they've gone into number 19 with small weekend bags." Breathing a sigh of relief and letting his shoulders relax Charles led the way into the kitchen. "Molly insisted we left you some supper. Cottage Pie. I'll just stick it in the microwave." While he was doing that, Elvis helped himself to coffee and sat at the table to wait. Finally, with the food in front of him and Charles opposite he began. "This is a real shit storm Charlie. Simon Martin aka Samir Metin, aka Steven Merton is up to his neck in all sorts of crap. You name it, he's doing it, procuring and selling arms, passing information, money laundering not to mention a couple of well-known attacks in Europe, his main claim to fame and the reason he was on MI5 radar in the first place. They can't find a link yet but he disappeared at the time of Armstrong's arrest. He's ruthless and to be honest, Rebecca's lucky to still be alive." He continued to eat while Charles took in the full implication of what his ex-wife and son had been exposed to possibly because of Andrew and himself. "Quite frankly, I think Rebecca's involvement was initially as a means to gain access to Andrew, and to a certain extent you, possibly to be used as leverage. That changed when Andrew and Beth died and Rebecca managed to get Sam to you and safety. From then on it became personal, about teaching her a lesson for taking away one of his toys. She had to be punished in whatever way he chose at the time. His cruelty ramped up each time something didn't go to plan. Becoming more and more violent and unstable.

"So what happens now? How confident are they of catching him this time and do they think Rebecca and the rest of the family are at risk?" "I think his ego is what puts you all at risk rather than what Rebecca knows. As far as he's concerned he's too clever for her to know anything of his activities but he doesn't like to lose and Rebecca is the one that got away. He won't like that." "Maybe I should be bait then, lure him out." Said a voice from the kitchen doorway. "Rebecca. How much did you hear?" Charles jumped up, inviting her to join them at the table. "Enough to know that he won't give up until he either kills me or is caught. It's me he wants so let him come and get me before anyone else gets hurt. We can't carry on like this indefinitely, hiding in the house." "That's really bra…" "No, no fucking wa…" both men spoke at the same time. "Look Rebecca" said Charles, silencing Elvis with a raised hand, "We don't know for certain that's what he wants and I'm not letting that fucking mad man within ten miles of you, Molly or the kids."

Before either Rebecca or Elvis could respond, Brains stuck his head round the door, "Guys, you might want to hear this." Following him back through they saw the news channel scrolling a 'Breaking News' story on the lap top.

"Police have tonight raided a number of properties across the country in response to information received from the Intelligence Service. This is part of a major crimes initiative believed to be linked to recent terror threats. We're going live to Susan Grimes in the Longsight area of Greater Manchester… "

"Is that…?" Brains was looking excitedly between the monitors, the lap top and the other three people present. It felt like they were making progress.

"People living in neighbouring houses were woken to what one man described as the sound of a riot, lots of banging and shouting as Police forced their way into the property. There is believed to have been three men and a woman in the property who have all been taken into custody and several evidence bags removed from the scene. A police cordon has now been established and I'm told forensic officers will likely be on site for many hours to come."

"Can you tell us if there was any indication of what the evidence bags contained or who the people from the property may have been?" "There is a lot of speculation around the neighbours, George, but the message from the Police is that it's too early to comment."

"Thank you Sue. We are now joined by Alasdair Simmonds, spokesperson for the London Metropolitan Police Force. Good evening, Sir. We've been hearing news of operations in several locations. What information can you share with us?"

"This is part of an ongoing investigation and officers were deployed to three specific addresses brought to our attention. Equipment has been recovered from two of the properties which we believe may be used in bomb making. The third property yielded a cache of high grade automatic weapons and a number of fake IDs including passports. Searches of the properties will continue until we are certain all evidence has been identified and removed."

"Can you tell us anything about the people who have been detained?"

"In total there have been seven suspects detained at the properties in Manchester and Shepherds Bush. The third property was empty at the time of the raid. There are five men and two women. I'm not at liberty to divulge any names at this time but I can add that one male and one female have been persons of interest to the authorities for several years."

Rebecca sank to the sofa as her knees gave way under her. "Have they got him? Is he the person of interest? Is the woman Amira do you think?" Tears were running down her cheeks as the pent up emotions began to break loose. Charles sat next to her and pulled her into his arms, cradling her as she wept. He wanted to reassure her but knew better than to assume anything. "Let's wait and see, okay?"

Elvis had moved away from the little group and was talking to someone on the phone. "You could have given me the heads up; instead I see it on the news… No, that doesn't fucking help… You promised to liaise with me so I can prepare my men for any repercussions… Can you give me any names? You're sure? Any sign that he'd been there? What about at his parents' or with any of his wives? Okay, yeah, right… well make sure you bloody do." Looking up he saw three pairs of eyes watching him, waiting expectantly for him to give them feedback from his call. "Sumner" he identified the person he'd been speaking to. "It's not Simon but they have got Amira Metin and Jai Khan, her brother, both of whom are on their wanted lists in both Europe and the US. They're hoping they may give something away as to his whereabouts."

Pulling herself from Charles's arms, Rebecca ran her hands through her hair in frustration and anger. "I've had enough, that bloody bastard has been controlling my life for three years. I can't take any more. It feels like he's still controlling me, punishing me, keeping me locked up. If I carry on like this, hiding behind you and your men, he's won. He's fucking won." "Rebecca, sweetheart, it's only been three days. You need to give us chance to do our jobs." Elvis tried to pitch his tone to sound conciliatory whilst letting her know they were in control of the situation.

"It's only been a few days for you but for me it feels like a lifetime. I can't remember the last time I felt in control of my life, I've let men take charge for me my entire life. First my dad, then Charles and Simon and now you and your men. I'm grateful Elvis, Charles, Brains but I need to do something for my own self-respect and the respect of my son. I need to show him I can be strong and take care of him." This was the most she'd spoken without prompting since she returned home.

"Okay Rebecca, what do you want us to do? But remember, I want you to feel strong but I'm not going to let you do anything that puts you or the rest of the family in danger. Sam loves you, as do Molly and the two youngsters; they'd never forgive me if anything happened to you." Looking across at Elvis, Charles raised an eyebrow, "God save me from independent fucking women." Laughing he broke the tension in the room. "What are you thinking Rebecca? You started to say something in the kitchen" began Elvis as Charles gave his friend a dirty look. "I think we need to draw him out, use me as bait if necessary. I don't know how we go about it but I hope you'll help me and we can end this torment." Inclining their heads in agreement it was decided that Charles, Elvis and Rebecca would go to bed and sleep on it while Brains continued monitoring the surrounding area from the comfort of the James' drawing room. Tomorrow they would come up with a plan of action.