Millie continued towards the aging Astra and with each step felt Max's eyes burn deeper into her back. She knew how big a deal this was for him. They had been at war with one another for the last few hours and she should feel victorious, but she didn't. She felt rather small and now that Max had actually given her the chance she had fought for, Millie wondered whether she really was up to it. This was unlike any situation she'd been in before, her own kidnapping had been completely different – a bungled effort by a pair of brothers who should never have been entrusted with the task in the first place. Here she was walking into a confined space with a trained killer on the verge of complete breakdown, if he hadn't already broken down. Why did she think that she would be able to do this? But there was no going back now. Mike had chosen to call her, to ask for her help. She couldn't let him down and hide behind Max's unsympathetic bravado and the guns of CO19.

Millie could see Mike watching her approach and in readiness unlocked the passenger door from the inside, allowing her to get in. Mindful of the phone in her pocket she slid in and closed the door after her. Neither adult occupant knew what to say at first. The baby in the back simply snuffled peacefully in her sleep, aided by a garish pink dummy.

"Do you mind if I open the window, just a bit?" asked Millie, breaking the ice after a couple of minutes.

"Yeah, whatever" shrugged Mike. Millie wondered abstractly when she had last 'wound down' a car window. Everything was electric these days and rotating the window handle somehow reminded her of the safety of her childhood. She shifted in her seat and took another quick look at the sleeping child before settling back.

"How have you been?"

Another shrug.

"Where have you been?"

"Does it matter?" He snapped. Millie frowned.

"Everything matters. How you are matters. I'm not just here to convince you to give yourself up, I want to see you come out of this and move on."

"Move on? What kind of psycho-shit is that? If I come out of this," Millie shut her eyes for a moment, trying to block out that 'if', "I'll be going straight inside, for having this to start with." He waved the gun in his hand close to her face.

Don't do that!

"Please don't do that."

"What?"

"Please don't wave the gun around. Someone will get the wrong idea and jump to the wrong conclusion."

Good girl.

"Who will?" Millie inclined her head towards her window. Mike leant forward to see who she was gesturing at. Max had walked forward several paces. "Who is he on the phone to?"

"Probably our Superintendant back at the station."

When did you get so cool about lying?

"Is anyone else here? You said it would be just you and him."

You're a fool if you believed that.

"Mike, Janice told us you had a gun." She decided against telling him that Barkley had confirmed it. Instinctively she knew he would take that as another betrayal. "We have to follow procedure and the armed unit will be here in a couple of minutes, if they're not already." Millie looked out, but she couldn't see any sign of life behind Max yet.

"But you said –"

"I know. I'm sorry, but he" she gestured back to Max again "insisted on calling it in while we were on our way over. He's a bit overbearing like that …"

I'm what? Overbearing? After all I've had to put up with today …

"… but he had to and I shouldn't have said otherwise. I just wanted to get here." Millie held Mike's gaze apologetically until he looked down and slumped sideways against his seat.

"I suppose you only did what you thought right…" It was Mike's turn to frown. "Is he the same guy that was in my flat yesterday?" he asked suddenly.

"Umm yes."

"Wanker."

Bastard.

"Who did he think he was barging into my property?"

"He was just being protective of me. You mustn't read anything more into it than that."

Oh yes you should.

"Protective?" Mike was puzzled. "Oh, are you and him …?"

"Yeah. We are."

Yeah. We are, so don't push my patience.

"No wonder he looks so pissed off."

Millie turned to look out at Max, still with the phone held to his ear. "Hmm? Oh he usually looks like that. I hardly notice now."

I'm not pissed off, I'm terrified. There is a difference.

Mike gave a tiny exhaled laugh. "See, made you smile."

This is no time for comedy, Millie.

"I haven't had much to smile about for a long time, except …" he tailed off. Millie knew that the 'except' was the girl in the back of the car. "So what are you going to do?" his tone turning unpleasant, the fleeting easiness immediately forgotten. "Tell me that everything will be okay, that I should go back to playing happy families?"

"No. We both know that isn't likely. I wish I could assure you that everything will be okay, yet here we are and you have a gun. But you can make this easier on yourself. All you need to do is step out of the car with your hands in the air and it's all over." Millie cringed inwardly. The words sounded simplistically naïve, even to her and she regretted them instantly as his demeanour worsened.

"Except that it won't be" he spat harshly, "I'll still have nothing, not even her anymore. What's the point of being here?" Millie realised exactly what he meant and a cold shudder ran through her.

"Then you have to rebuild" she pleaded. "Rebuild yourself, your life. Start again Mike, people do this all the time, even when there seems to be no point."

"And what makes you such an expert? What do you know about it?" He grabbed her upper arm painfully and jerked her body towards him, the gun suddenly resting at her temple.

Shit, Millie!

Millie froze, the familiar feelings of fear and shock overwhelming her. She closed her eyes and took a long shuddering breath, playing for time, gathering her wits. She prayed Mike would back down and Max wouldn't overreact in equal measure. "It's okay, it's okay", she spoke softly, hoping her words would reassure the man at the other end of the phone line. Forcing her voice to remain calm, she continued, "I know quite a lot about it. Him, over there, he's done stuff, things that I won't go into."

Millie, no!

"Not relevant,"

No, it's not bloody relevant, so don't say anything.

"… but it left him kind of broken. I was so scared for him, I can't tell you how scared. So scared that I threatened to finish with him for good if he didn't take the help being offered to rebuild himself, and us. The only way I could get through to him was to make him more scared of losing me than of therapy."

And you succeeded.

"I'm not saying he was exactly where you are right now, but I can see some of him in you." Millie breathed a sign of relief as the pressure from the gun eased and his hand dropped from her arm allowing her to fall back into her seat.

He's nothing like me.

"The obstinacy, pride, fear. And if he can get through his darkest times, then so can you."

Obstinate? That's rich …

"But he has you. Who do I have?" his tone was now dull, empty.

"There must be someone? Parents, other family?" He shook his head. "Then I'll help you."

No you bloody won't.

"You can call on me whenever you need to."

No he bloody can't.

"Oh Millie Brown, if only it was that simple. If only you could be my guardian angel who makes everything alright again."

She's not yours, she's mine.

"Maybe things weren't right in the first place. Maybe you need to make a new future for yourself. Start again away from here."

"Won't make any difference, can't erase the past, what's in here" he tapped a finger to his head.

Mike and Millie looked at each other for several seconds. Millie searched for something to say that would give fresh ammunition for her fight. She sensed that Mike was willing her to find it, but a rumble of noise, growing louder from outside the car interrupted their thoughts. Millie twisted round to see with dismay the crowd gathering at the far end of the car park. She could just about make out a few uniform officers and the tell-tale van containing CO19. She knew they would be here before long, but had hoped for more time. Quickly she turned back to Mike.

"Look, armed officers are here. But they won't come any closer." Her comment directed at the phone in her pocket rather than to Mike.

They'll do what I say.

"Why don't I take Abby and hand her over to one of my colleagues, then I'll come straight back here. We can talk some more, as long as you like.

No way.

Mike snorted derisively. "Really? If I let you take Abby, the moment you both go, those bastards will be all over me."

"They won't do anything unless you give them reason to. And I promise, I will come back." Millie bit her lip, she had to get the child out. That at least would go in his favour. "Please, if you let me take her over there, everyone will be a lot less … jumpy." His face was unreadable, she had no idea if he was coming round to her suggestion. "Come on Mike. You can't hurt this child, or me, I just don't believe you would. I believe you are a better man than that." Mike looked back at the girl only the day before he knew to be his daughter, more precious to him than anything else on earth. He watched her snuffle and slowly stir from her sleep.

"She's due a feed soon."

"Then let me take her over to one of my colleagues. They'll make sure that she's okay."

"And take her back to Lisa?"

"Yes." Millie chewed her lip in the silence, desperately hoping that wouldn't inflame him again.

The silence lengthened before he finally spoke quietly, "I suppose that's how it should be." He breathed deeply and closed his eyes. "Do it."

"Mike –"

"Just do it."

Just do it Millie, get out of there, please.

Millie paused for a moment longer before getting out of the car and opening the rear door. She reached in to grapple with the baby seat harness holding Abby in place, her shaky fingers clumsy with the button on the buckle.

Quickly Millie.

"Aren't these things awkward?" she laughed nervously, her eyes flitting up to Mike, but he was staring into the middle distance, as if he was no longer with her. "I suppose they're easier if you have to do them every day, but … oh yes, there we are."

Stop rambling.

"Mike, I'll be back in a minute or two. Please, don't do anything." He shifted his gaze back to her.

"You're a good woman Millie Brown. I hope he appreciates you. I wish …" but he didn't finish the sentence and Millie already had the child in her arms within the car, she couldn't hang on for him to continue.

"Wait for me" she pleaded.

Millie lifted the waking baby out of the car and with a final look back at Mike, who had returned to staring out of the windscreen, she started to walk towards the gathering throng, clutching the warm bundle firmly to her body. She wasn't more than a few feet away when the single gunshot ripped through the silence.