Thanks to my reviewers once again, Gem, Laura, Sam and Barb. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Thirty-Three – Different

Sam yawned as she leant against the side of the mirrored panel, separating her and Phil. So far Steven had refused to answer any question that Phil and Meredith had put to him, and Sam could tell that Phil was becoming irritated. Both of them had been true to their word to Jessica, and had not told her parents that they had found her. Sam whilst Phil had conversed with Meredith about how they would handle this interview had taken Jessica's full statement, and with the help of the white laptop Jessica had been able to remember each dodgy deal that she had been involved in, and Sam had been able to match them to the list that Phil had given her the day before. Finally it seemed that they may have enough evidence to take to the CPS for Steven to be charged. However there was no doubt that a confession would seal the case, but as Phil had told her often over the past few days there was really not much chance of that happening.

"This is different now Steven" Phil said angrily, with a slap of his hand onto the desk surface below him, sending Sam back to the present.

"Jessica has made a statement against you" Meredith said more calmly.

"Like she knows anything" Steven replied, his first words other than no comment for fifteen minutes.

Phil smiled, before reaching into his pocket and placing the dictaphone onto the desk in front of him, "She knew how to tape this" he said, before he pressed the small play button, and the previous hidden conversation replayed throughout the room.

Sam smiled, as Steven's face went dark, and his fist clenched. "That bitch" he said under his breath.

"I told you it was different" Phil said, willing to provoke a response from Steven. "She made a statement too, and we have your laptop"

Sam looked behind her, as Stuart made his way into the room. He wandered in and stood next to her.

"How did it go with Christopher and Matthew?" Sam asked, as he and Jo had interviewed Matthew just then, after Meredith and he had interviewed Christopher.

"Basically a no comment interview from the both of them, they aren't going to reveal anything about him" Stuart explained, as he pointed at Steven, "Although the taped conversation basically seals that they are both involved, and I think they know it".

Sam nodded, and then turned back to look at Phil and Meredith once more.

"You tried to find my laptop before, Hunter and failed" Steven leered across the table at Phil.

"I haven't failed this time, Steven. Your little games are over. We win, you lose" Phil said simply.

"I never lose" Steven said, "You think that just cause you got her saying that I wanted her to be that Morag and get powder for me that you win. You got a lot to learn" he said, as he pressed his hands to the desk and stood up.

"Sit down Steven" Meredith said calmly.

Phil smiled, and then he too stood, "Who is Morag? I never mentioned anyone called Morag? Did I?" he asked towards Meredith.

Sam felt her heart rate quicken, she didn't exactly like what she was seeing, Phil squaring up with Steven when they were both sitting was fine, but the two of them in each other's faces was a whole other matter entirely, it wasn't that Phil couldn't hold is own, after all he had never had any problem before.

"Hasn't changed much, has he" Stuart muttered under his breath.

"It's because of him that we were able to find Jessica" Sam replied, "I'd have never known what was going on if he hadn't shown up"

"You still can't see can you?" Stuart asked.

"See what Stuart?" Sam asked him, turning around to face him.

"Phil is still nothing more than a user. He blinds you with smiles and you still make bad decisions around him. You don't know him, you don't see how bad he is, how pathetic he is" Stuart said sarcastically.

"I know Phil" Sam replied calmly, knowing that she was telling the truth, "I know who he is, and I know that he knows who I am. Sometimes perhaps even better than I know myself"

"You only think that you know him" Stuart said once more.

"No Stuart" Sam said firmly before pausing, "You just don't understand. You never did back then, you don't know now and you probably never will. Phil and I have been through so much together, there is too much that holds us together"

"As friends?" Stuart asked, still wanting to know more, and thinking of how they had been together this evening when he and Meredith had called them.

Sam paused, before answering Stuart, "Phil is more than my friend, much more" she said quietly, before turning back to look at him through the window, he was still glaring back at Steven, "I love him"

"You what?" Stuart asked.

"You heard me Stuart" Sam replied, as soon as she had said those words she knew that they were true. She didn't know for how long she had loved Phil Hunter, but she knew that she did, now all that she had to do was tell him.

"I never mentioned a Morag, Steven" Phil said once more, "Please sit down now" he then added at the end.

"You tricked me" Steven yelled, "Both of you, you are liars"

"No Steven, you are the liar" Meredith said firmly, "You promised Jessica that you would leave her alone, that you would let her go away. But you didn't. What sort of person does that make you?" she added antagonistically.

Steven stepped sidewards, "I am better than you" he said to Meredith, "Better than the both of you"

"It is over Steven" Phil said, as he tried to encourage Steven to sit once more, glaring at his chair, antagonising him wasn't going to work. It seemed that he could stand up to pressure in interviewing.

"It is not over. She won't testify against me, you'll both see. She'll get scared, I'll" Steven said before pausing.

"You'll what?" Meredith asked, "Make sure that she doesn't? Scare her again?"

"Shut up" Steven said, as his fist curled in his hand once more, "Just shut up"

Neither Meredith or Phil said anything, Meredith just sat back in her chair, and looked at the papers in front of her, and Phil just remained standing, waiting for Steven to calm down and sit down too.

"This isn't over" Steven said once more, and he raised his fist, shaking it towards Meredith, "You think that you are so clever"

Meredith as if on instinct stood up, still she said nothing, she didn't exactly know what to say, Phil and her had agreed that if he became angry they were to simply calm the situation down. But so far their attempts to calm the situation were not working.

Phil knew that Meredith had antagonised Steven, and he knew that he had issues with powerful women, he couldn't stand it when Jessica had stood up to him, and he had immediately gone on attack, making threats against her, and blackmailing her with violence against her family. He could see the look in Steven's eyes as Meredith stood, and he knew then what was about to happen, he had told Sam that Steven didn't like to get violent, but he could, and that was what Phil was seeing in his eyes at this moment. Phil reached out his hand and quickly pulled Meredith by the arm behind him.

"You can't protect everyone" Steven said menacingly, and then in one fluid motion he threw his fist towards Phil, landing squarely on his cheekbone.

Sam gasped, as Phil pulled Meredith behind him, and then as soon as Steven's arm swung towards his face, she was out of the room and followed by Stuart she shoved the interview room door open, racing to Phil and Meredith's assistance.

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