again, thanks to all my reveiwers, hope you enjoy the chap, yada yada yada...please please please reveiw to this one too, even if it is to say you hate it.

Chapter 12

That night Sam had another good sleep, again with dreams of Phil. it seemed she was finally on the mend. She woke up, seeing the sun streaming through the curtains, it was a great day. She rolled over and looked at the alarm clock, she could either get up now and have a shower or lie in for ten minutes then have a shower. She decided to get up, that way she could spend longer in the shower. Throwing off the duvet she ran her fingers through her hair and turned the taps on. Soon she was in the shower, the hot water running down her body. She let it pound into her forehead for a few minutes then she got out her special shampoo and conditioner, they were the really expensive kind which she use only for special occasions. They had blonde highlights in them that accented her hair, great for nights out. That day at work she was working with Phil. There was a man and his wife had found out that he had a gambling debt and she had chucked him out. He had come to the stations and claimed that she was blackmailing him and when he hadn't paid the money she'd kicked him out. Investigating it, Sam and Phil soon found out there were others, a man who'd been having an affair, a man who'd been filing false compensation claims and they all led back to the same park. After getting permission of an obbo from Jack they started staking out the rubbish bin. Jo was in a flat over looking the park armed with a heavy-duty camera.

"You look like a lovely couple" she commented snarkily through their headsets.

"Why thankyou" Phil replied in a posh accent.

"A lovely couple of what?" Sam asked grinning.

"No comment" Jo replied laughing, it seemed Sam was back to normal, though she had heard horror stories of the things that had happened while she'd been away. Phil had his arm over her shoulders and Sam was playing mind games with him, letting her hair cascade over his neck for a while, moving it so it tickled. She heard his sharp intake of breath and removed it, instead choosing to rest one hand on his chest as they stopped near a bench. Phil looking into her eyes, finding it hard to concentrate.

"Top banana, here's a likely suspect" Jo said in their ears, distracting them.

Sam kissed Phil's cheek and walked away. He sighed and walked back to the car; that had been the plan after all, as soon as there was sight, split up.

Later at the station after they had arrested the council gardener, Sam was typing up her notes in the writing room as it was quieter than the CID office.

"I've been looking for you" Phil told her walking in and closing the door.

"Really?" Sam asked, grinning and getting up from her seat.

"Really, I was wondering-"

"Your place or mine?" Sam asked, leaning in and giving him a kiss. Their lips fit together perfectly, their bodies more so. She probed her tongue deeper into his mouth, he tasted…yummy. Like peppermints. She felt his hand running through her hair, and she moved her hands towards his shirt buttons. Slowly she slid her hand in, up towards his chest, trembling with anticipation.

Phil flinched as he felt Sam's cold hands on his body, he pushed her up towards the wall and Sam sat up gasping. The darkness rushed to flood her eyes, she couldn't see anything. Slowly things started appearing. The luminous numbers on her clock. The shape of the curtains covering the window. Sam tried to control her breathing, it was only a dream. Grumpily she rolled over and closed her eyes. She had liked that dream, why did she have to wake up from it terrified? There must be something seriously wrong with her.

"Mum, are you ok?" Abi asked worriedly. Ever since she had come home from the hospital she had kept a close eye on her mum. She had thought the nightmares had stopped, but apparently they were back.

"Just a dream" Sam murmured taking a sip from the glass of water beside her bed. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"I had a bad dream too" Abi confessed.

"Want to tell me about it?" Sam asked, when she was little she had always found that talking to her dad helped after she'd had a bad dream.

"Only if you promise to tell me about yours" Abi replied.

Sam was too tired to argue, "Deal" she replied.

"I was wandering through this maze, the hedges kept shifting, moving around so I had no idea where I was. I came across a hedge that was cut to look like you. You were on your knees and you looked like you were pleading. Hugh was there with a chain saw and he looked as though he was about to cut your… the hedges… head off. But he turned around and there was another hedge, one that looked like me, and he cut that head off instead" Abi told her. She hoped her mum wouldn't read something into this, well, not more than she wanted her to. She wanted her mum to know that she needed her.

Sam reached over and hugged Abi, "Sweetie, you know I love you and I would never let him hurt you" Sam whispered in her ear.

"But that's the thing mum, you are. The way you're acting, you're shutting everyone out again. You're shutting me out and it's lonely. You're letting him get to you and it's affecting all of us" Abi told her mum tearfully.

Sam sighed, "I'm getting there, I really am. I was wondering do you want to go to the sky show tomorrow night –well it's probably tonight now" Sam corrected checking the time.

"Who else is coming?" Abi asked curiously.

"What makes you thing anyone else is coming?" Sam asked cheekily.

"You can't fool me that easily, I did occasionally listen to your profiling mumbles." Abi countered grinning back at her mum.

"I'll tell you later, it's my turn to tell you about my dream, then we need to talk" Sam stalled.

"Ok, so what happened in your dream?" Abi prompted.

"I was at work and I was working a case with Phil, we were trying to catch a blackmailer. I was…a lot more forward than usual."

"Meaning you were flirting with him" Abi asked smiling, this was brilliant, Sam was finally acknowledging her feelings for Phil.

"Yes" Sam admitted blushing.

"I knew it!" Abi squealed.

"What? You don't mind? You wouldn't think that I was… I don't know, taking him away from you?" Sam asked astounded.

"No, never, in case you hadn't noticed you two belong together, I couldn't stand in the way of that."

"That's…great. Erm…back to the dream." Sam changed the topic of conversation not quite sure what to think of her daughters enthusiastic response. "We were doing this obbo in the park…do you want all the details of that?"

"Yes" Abi replied, her tone suggested it was a stupid question.

"We were staking it out –the park that is. Pretending to be a couple taking in the sights and Jo was in a flat, watching with her camera. She said we looked like a lovely couple and Phil thanked her. I said a lovely couple of what? I gave him a kiss on the cheek then walked off when the suspect was sighted. Later at the station I was writing up the notes and he found me in the writing room. He closed the door and I kissed him…he tried to take it further but I panicked and I woke up" Sam finished. "What do you think it means? I mean I really like him but I can't bear the thought of touching him. The thought of not being able to hurt more though" Sam pleaded with her daughter, hoping she would have some sort of wisdom to depart.

Abi thought about it for a moment, "I think your subconscious is mixing up what Hugh did to you to what you feel for Phil. Rape and love, they're two very different things. You need to realise that and take it slowly with Phil. Stop dreaming about him for a start otherwise you'll think about the dreams when you're together and it'll effect how you behave around him, you might push him away further than you already have".

"Who said I pushed him away?"

"You've avoided him when ever he came to see me" Abi answered.

"Ok, in answer to your earlier question of who's coming to the sky show with us, Phil invited me, and you. He also might be bringing his daughter" Sam answered defensively.

"That's great… but I know you mum. You agreed to go without me didn't you?" Abi accused.

"I might have" Sam admitted.

"Then, thanks for the offer but I don't want to go. You two deserve some time alone if your relationship even has a chance."

"Abi, don't be silly. I want you to come" Sam tried to convince her daughter.

'You're the one being silly Mum, he's a good guy and he won't do anything that'll make you feel uncomfortable. Don't let the dreams get to you" Abi stood to leave.

"Ok" Sam relented, "Thanks."

"You're welcome" Abi replied.

"Remind me to ask you how school's going in the morning" Sam told her, rolling over and fluffing up her pillow a bit.

"Will do" Abi replied and closed the door smiling. Her mum was getting back to normal…no, better than normal. They were forming a bond now and she was glad, she was worried about her, she hadn't coped well after escaping from Hugh but hopefully that was all behind them.

chapter thirteen coming soon, sooner if you reveiw...hoping this bribe works coz this story is getting a miserable amount of reveiws compared to The Way We Were. pout