Disclaimer not mine. Interest in my stories seems to be on the decline but I can't leave them unfinished. I'll wrap this up soon.

Realisations?

Natalie stared at the remains of her once beautiful living room. She knew that whoever had destroyed all her and her sons' personal possessions had intended on finding one of them at home. Sighing heavily she immediately regretted calling Ronnie. This was not his fight. Someone out there wanted her dead. The fact Mickey Fingers was in custody with George and James happy to proceed to tr with Jake and Henry practically fighting to take the case off them did nothing to calm her nerves. Despite the others saying it was over, she knew different. Nothing had changed.

"Guv?" Natalie tensed for a moment before realising she hadn't closed the front door behind her. "Bloody Hell!"

"Ron." Natalie sighed. "It's only stuff."

"No, it aint."

"The paint will wash off. It is doesn't I'll just have to paint over it."

"How can you be so calm?" Ronnie stood next to her, immediately knowing the way she held her self that she was far from calm.

"Could have been worse. My boys could have been home." Her voice hitched as she realised what she was saying. Ronnie shook his head as he realised she was shaking like a leaf.

"Do you want me to call someone? Your sister? Gill? Is she still in London? Manchester aint that far away."

"No, she's got her own worries." Natalie sighed. "Her boy wants to drop out of uni before he's even started. Has applied to join the force."

"Like his dad?" Ronnie shook his head, knowing he'd hate his girls to follow in his footsteps. He didn't want Chloe, Sarah or Lucy seeing the things he had seen in his time in the police. Natalie shook her head.

"No. Like her." Ronnie couldn't help but smile as he thought of the young lad he had met as a baby.

"Then he'll be alright then. Aslong as he follows his mum."

Natalie smiled slightly, glad that despite the situation she was in some of the banter remained.

"Oh God." She blinked back tears as she walked away from Ronnie towards the kitchen. She felt sick, the state of her kitchen was as awful as the living room. She shook her head aware that Ronnie had followed her in to the room.

"Right, that settles it. You aint staying 'ere. You can come back to mine. Sarah and Lucy are with their mum until the weekend. YOu can have their room. Uniform can get SOCO over this."

"Ronnie." She nodded before turning to face him. "I."

"Danny back tomorrow? What about your Michael?"

"Danny isn't back until about 6. Michael is in Bath until the weekend."

"Right, so today we worry about you. Danny can stay at mine tomorrow if he wants. Unless his Dad."

"He wont go to him, not with the bimbo there."

"Ok." Ronnie nodded before pulling his mobile phone out of his jacket pocket.

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"What?" Matt sat up sharply. "Is she ok?"

"What?" Alesha almost whispered before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Cameron was asleep in the next room. The last thing she wanted was for the baby to be woken. The look in Matt's eyes frightened her slightly. She knew her husband well enough to know when something was wrong before he said anything. He closed his eyes as he listened to Ronnie explain what had happened. He had a feeling that Ronnie wasn't telling him the whole story.

"Ok, Ron. Let me know what happens. Yeah? Yeah. No problem." He hung up the phone feeling as though he had aged twenty years in ten minutes.

"Matt?" Alesha touched his hand. He sighed heavily.

"Someone trashed Natalie's house. Seriously trashed it."

"Is she ok?"

"Yeah. Ronnie is taking her back to his while SOCO go through the place. He said it is a total mess. That the house had been daubed in red paint."

"That is sick." Alesha glared. "You don't think?"

"No, Mickey Fingers is too thick to have an accomplice."

"Is he?" Alesha sighed. "James and I have been going through the case file from the Pope murders. Looking at it there is a strong possiblity he had an accomplice even then."

"Mickey FIngers."

"Probably." Alesha nodded, warming to her theme. "Look."

"Lesh. Christopher Pope killed seven people. So far we have two suspicious deaths that we can link to Mickey."

"Can we? The Bail Hearing is tomorrow. It's a formality, I know. After he went crazy when you and Ron were interviewing him the defence aren't even going to ask for it."

"He'll be in custody until the trial?" Matt held her gaze. Alesha nodded.

"George seems to think so."

"What about you and James?" He smiled slightly as he felt her turn his hand over and link their fingers.

"We've got him. No one can say what the Jury can do. You know that but we're building a solid case. But if he is inside on remand who broke into Natalie's house?"

"That's the thing." Matt narrowed his eyes. "Oh God, Lesh."

"Hey." She dipped her head so she could catch his eye. She knew what he was thinking. "She's ok. You said she's ok."

"Just thinking what if? If it were."

"It isn't going to be me and Cameron. Or you. We're going to be ok and so will Ronnieand Natalie." She touched his face, forcing him to look at her. "And you, Angie and the boys will find whoever did this and me, James and the others will put them behind bars."

"Yeah." Matt smiled slightly. "I just can't imagine. I just." He fell silent as Alesha kissed him gently on the lips.

"We'll stop them." She whispered. "We'll stop whoever this is."

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Angie closed the door to her daughter's bedroom. For once Justine had slept through the night. Even at six years old the little girl was a terrible sleeper. Sighing heavily she walked towards the living room. The interview with the widow and her mother still playing heavily in her mind. Shaking her head she switched the television on. Even repeats of Eastenders on some cable channel or other was a welcome distraction to the thoughts currently running through her mind. SIghing she picked up the mobile phone from the table.

"Hi Sam." She picked up the remote control in her other hand and switched the television off. Frowing she knew she was going to have to take justine to the school's breakfast club earlier than intended. It seemed Sam had a lead.

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A/N More soon, if anyone is interested.