Bea didn't get the opportunity to call Allie while she was at the station, as soon as they got back in from the first call, the siren rang again, pretty much setting the pattern for the remainder of the shift. They weren't particularly difficult shouts, but being on the go pretty much none stop for over thirteen hours had left them all exhausted, and very, very hungry. It was that bad that they had called for a takeaway on the way back to the station a couple of hours ago, not wanting to risk being called out halfway through dinner preparations. They got back from their last call just after two in the morning, heading straight for their bunks, most of them falling asleep almost instantly. Bea had contemplated calling Allie, but she was over tired, cranky, and still a little bit pissed about the blonde's phone call to Will, plus she didn't want to wake her up. As none of those factors would make for a pleasant conversation, she decided to wait and talk to her when she got home.

After having a shower, Bea jumped on her bike and left the station. Her brain was whirling at a hundred miles an hour, and she still wasn't sure how she felt about her girlfriend's intervention. She decided to take the long way home, hoping the extra time on her bike would help to clear her head. She was still feeling anxious when she arrived home. Parking her bike, she headed inside, spotting a note on the table from Debbie, letting her know she had nipped to the store.

Grabbing a bottle of water, leaned against the counter, and took a drink. She felt a little better that when she had left the station, but her mind was still racing slightly. Before she had chance to figure out what was going on, Allie walked through the door. Spotting her, she crossed the room, threw her arms around her, and pulled her in, kissing the redhead's neck. "Morning babe. Mmm, you smell so good" she said. Stepping back, she studied her girlfriend, noticing how tired she looked. "Rough shift?"

"Busy shift, it was none stop until about two this morning"

"Why don't you go and lie down for a while. I'll make us some breakfast and bring it up"

"I'm not really hungry, but thanks. You should eat though" Bea said, stepping out of her girlfriends embrace and walking through into the lounge.

Allie got herself a drink of juice, then followed Bea, sitting down beside her on the sofa. "So how did it go with Jackson?"

"Fine"

"Fine, that's it. What did he say?"

"I don't want to talk about it"

"Please don't shut me out, I can tell something's wrong. Talk to me" Allie said, sensing the tension radiating from her girlfriend

"Why don't you call Will, that's what you usually do isn't it" Bea snapped. Standing up, she started to walk away, Allie's hand grabbing hers stopping her

"What?"

"He told me about your little chat. I can't believe you went behind my back like that"

"I didn't go behind your back, I just thought it might help if he knew what was behind all of this. I don't want you getting into trouble because of me, what's so bad about that?" Allie asked. She was only trying to help, yet somehow she'd ended up being the bad guy

"I don't need you fighting my battles for me. I'm perfectly capable of dealing with it on my own, I've done it for years, and that's just how it is. So in future, stay out of it ok" Bea snapped, glaring at the blonde in front of her

"No, it's not ok, we're meant to be in a relationship here. We're in this together, and that's the only way that this will work. I never meant to hurt you, I thought I was helping"

"Yeah, well I don't want your help, I'm perfectly fine on my own" Bea yelled, her stomach churning as she saw the broken look on Allie's face. Reaching out, she tried to take her hand, the blonde pushing past her and running out of the house, Cormack following close behind.

"Shit" Bea said, stamping her foot. Even the cat doesn't want to be around me she thought. She hadn't meant for it to come out like that, she just wasn't used to having to deal with everything on her own. And she was embarrassed, she didn't need her girlfriend running to her boss every time something happened.

They were out of the good coffee, and Debbie really couldn't function without it so had gone to the supermarket, deciding to pick up a few things for dinner while she was there. After bumping into one of her old school friends and grabbing a coffee with her, she finally made it to the store, buying much more than was needed. Heading home, she parked on the drive and was unloading the car when the door opened and Allie came running out, tears streaming down her face. Debbie stood routed to the spot as the blonde ran into the makeshift studio at the back of the garage and slammed the door behind her.

Grabbing the bags, she locked the car and headed inside. After dumping the shopping on kitchen counter she went in search of her Mum, hoping she could shed some light on what had upset Allie so much. Wandering through into the lounge, she found the redhead pacing the room, the look on her Mum's face telling her that she knew exactly why Allie was crying. "Allie's upset. What happened?" she asked, slowly stepping closer to the pacing redhead

"We had a fight"

"I figured that much. What happened?" Debbie asked. "Fine, I'll go and ask Allie" she added, after getting no response from her Mum

"Debbie wait, please. Come and sit down" Bea said, indicating to the sofa

"Ok I'm sitting, now start talking"

"There was an incident at the station the other day. I had to call and drop something off and Allie was waiting for me out in the yard. Kaz Proctor soaked her with the hose, and said some pretty awful things to her. I overheard and…"

"And what? What did you do?" Debbie asked, the guilty look on her Mum's face telling her that whatever it was, it wasn't good

"I might have punched her…in the face"

"Might have? You either did or you didn't. Is Allie angry with you?"

"I did. And no, she's not angry with me, at least not about that. Will Jackson saw it and let's just say that he was less than happy. He called me the day before your birthday to arrange a meeting this morning, and I basically got my arse kicked. Allie called him to try and explain why I reacted the way I did, and why Kaz's words hurt her so much. She tried to protect my job"

"Right. That's a good thing though, so why were you fighting?"

"I can look after myself, and I don't need anyone interfering"

"You got mad didn't you? Please tell me you didn't shout at her for trying to help you" Debbie asked, despite already knowing the answer. "You did. Shit Mum, what the hell were you thinking? There's no wonder she's so upset. I love you, but you can be so stupid at times"

"I can fight my own battles, I don't need Allie, or anyone else doing it for me"

"I know you can, and so does Allie. Tell me, why did you hit Proctor?"

"I wanted to protect Allie"

"Ok, so it's ok for you to protect Allie, but not the other way around? What's the difference?" Debbie asked, hoping she wouldn't have to spell it out

"I…I…there isn't. Shit, I'm such an idiot"

"Not going to argue with you on that one. You're lucky Allie loves you so much. She's in her rehearsal room by the way, now stop acting like a child and get your arse in there, you need to fix this" Debbie replied, pushing Bea towards the door, "and I'm not letting you back in the house until you do".

Heading back into the kitchen, she packed the shopping away, made herself a coffee and headed up to her room, giving her Mum and Allie some space so they could hopefully sort things out.

Allie was hurt. She got that Bea wasn't used to having anyone to lean on, and she was doing surprisingly well considering everything she had been through. But they had been together a while now, and it hurt like hell that she was shutting her out like this. She had needed to get away for a while to clear her head, knowing that a bit of space would do them both some good, and was planning to go for a walk, but coming face to face with Debbie had thrown her, so she ran to the nearest place, which just happened to be the rehearsal space at the back of the garage.

She had been in here the day before and fortunately had left her guitar behind. Picking it up, she wandered over to the old sofa, sat down on the arm of it, and started to play. There was something about strumming her guitar that relaxed her, and that's exactly what she needed right now.

Opening the door slowly, Bea walked in, spotting Allie perched on the arm of the sofa. She had her back to the door and was playing so didn't notice her enter the room. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against the wall and listened to the blonde play. Allie was captivating, and after a few minutes she started to sing, her soft voice breaking slightly as the words left those perfect lips. Bea wanted to walk over to her, take her in her arms and never let go, but she was routed to the spot, her eyes fixed on the blonde.

When, when you came home
Worn to the bones
I told myself, "this could be rough"

Oh, I know you're feeling insane
Tell me something that I can explain, oh

I'll hit the lights and you lock the doors
Tell me all of the things that you couldn't before
Don't walk away, don't roll your eyes
They say love is pain, well darling, let's hurt tonight
If this love is pain, well darling, let's hurt, oh tonight

So you hit the lights and I'll lock the doors
Let's say all of the things that we couldn't before
Won't walk away, won't roll my eyes
They say love is pain, well darling, let's hurt tonight
If this love is pain, then honey let's love tonight

After playing the final chord, Allie sat the guitar down on the sofa and dropped her head as sobs wracked through her body. Bea felt as though she was going to throw up, her girlfriend's cries shattering her heart into a million pieces, and knowing she had caused it, made it hurt twice as much. Rushing over, she wrapped her arms around the sobbing blonde and held her tight, whispering in her ear as she rocked her gently. "I'm sorry. My beautiful girl, I'm so sorry"

Resting her head against Bea's chest, Allie sobbed, her tears soaking the redhead's shirt. She calmed down after a while, and lifting her head, she looked into Bea's deep brown eyes, noticing the tears running down her face.

"Please forgive me, I'm so sorry" the redhead said, holding Allie close. She had really fucked up this time, she just hoped that she hadn't ruined the best thing in her life

"I was only trying to help, it kills me to see you sad, and I know how much you love your job. I wasn't trying to go behind your back, I just thought if he knew why what she had said hurt me so much, he would go easy on you" Allie said, sniffling, as she wiped the tears from her face

"I know, it just took my brain a lot longer than my gob to engage. Well that, and the bollocking Debbie has just given me. I'd give it all up for you in a heartbeat, you know that right?"

"But that's just it, I don't want you to give anything up, especially not something I know you love so much. It doesn't have to be a choice" Allie said, taking Bea's hands in hers. "You can lean on me, I'm not going to break. I want to be there for you, no matter what, but you have to talk to me. I can't help you if you don't let me in" she said, her right hand stroking the side of her girlfriend's face, tucking a stray curl behind her ear

"I know, and I'm trying, honestly I am. It's not easy though. I've had to deal with everything on my own for so long, it's hard to break the habit" Bea said, her gaze fixed in the floor

"Bea, look at me, please" Allie said, continuing when the redhead lifted her head and looked at her. "I know it's not easy, but there's nothing you can say to me that would make me love you any less. Should you have punched Proctor? Probably not. But you did, and we'll deal with it together ok?"

"Yeah, and I really am sorry. I never meant to hurt you, that was never my intention. I hate it when anyone upsets you, and apparently so does my right arm" the redhead replied, a ghost of a smile on her lips

"Yeah well, it was kind of hot. Made me feel all warm inside, despite the fucking freezing water"

"So we're ok?"

"We are, and listen to your daughter, she's a smart kid"

"I've no idea where she gets it from. It's not Harry, and it's clearly not me if this morning's anything to go by"

"Stop punishing yourself. You're the most amazing woman I know, and I love you, despite your stubbornness" Allie said, kissing Bea softly, before stepping back and pushing her towards the door. "Now scram, I need to finish a couple of songs before I see Ash tomorrow" she added winking at the redhead as she grabbed her guitar again

It had been an hour since Debbie told her Mum a few home truths. It had been hard to do, but she had to make her see sense. Hearing the door slam, she looked out of her bedroom window, spotting a flash of red hair running down the street. That couldn't be a good sign. Turning her music off, she headed downstairs to see if she could find Allie, hoping she could do a little bit of damage limitation while her Mum got her shit together. She loved Allie, her Mum needed her, and there was no way she would let her throw it all away over something so stupid.

Finding the house empty, she headed outside and through the garage. The door at the back was ajar, and pushing it open gently, she peered inside, spotting the blonde scribbling in her notebook, guitar over her shoulder. Knocking on the door, she called out to her, "Can I come in?"

Turning to face the door, Allie looked over to where Debbie was standing. "Of course you can, you don't need to ask. I'm sorry about earlier" she said, putting her guitar down and taking a seat on the sofa next to Debbie

"It's not your fault, Mum's acting like a child. She promised me she'd come and talk to you but she's just taken off. She's so bloody stubborn she makes me crazy"

"She came to see me, we talked, and everything's ok. She needed to clear her head, so she went for a run. I play, she runs. Still think my method's the best though, running's so unnecessary"

"Very true"

"She told me what you said to her" Allie said, smiling at the young brunette

"She did?" Debbie asked, surprised that her Mum had admitted it

"Yeah she did. Thank you, it means a lot that you stuck up for me"

"She loves you, but she can be so blind sometimes. I understand why, with everything she's been through, there's no wonder really. But she needs to learn to open up, and pushing you away won't help, it'll only make you both miserable. I just said it as I saw it, and if it had been the other way around, you'd have been the one getting the bollocking"

"Duly noted. Remind me never to piss you off"

"That would be wise" the young brunette replied, trying unsuccessfully to look tough

Arriving back at the house, Bea unlocked the door and called out to Debbie. Receiving no answer, she ran up the stairs, grabbed a change of clothes, and jumped in the shower. The run had helped, and she felt much better than she had earlier. She still felt bad about the way she had treated Allie, and embarrassed that it had taken her daughter giving her a few home truths to make her see sense. She knew she could be stubborn, and a little closed off at times, but it was something she was working on. She was just lucky that Allie was so patient with her.

After her shower, she dressed and headed back downstairs and out to the garage, hoping her girlfriend would know where Debbie had gotten to. As she approached the door she could hear music and laughter. Pushing it open, she looked on, finding both Allie and Debbie playing their guitars. She could tell by the sounds coming from her girlfriend's guitar that it was Paradise City by Guns N' Roses, not that what Debbie was attempting to play sounded anything like that. They were both laughing as her daughter flicked her hair back and forth, like a true rock legend. She had the moves spot on, it was just a pity about the awful noise.

Allie loved hanging out with Debbie, she was a breath of fresh air, and after spending half an hour running through chords with her, they decided to have some fun. It sounded terrible, and she was hoping the neighbours were out, but she couldn't help but smile at the young brunette as she jumped about. A loud laugh stopped them both in their tracks, and looking up, Allie spotted her girlfriend walking towards them. "Having fun?" the redhead asked

They spent about an hour together, Allie and Debbie playing around with a few songs, before the three of them had some lunch, and Debbie was happy to see that things seemed to be ok between her Mum and Allie. Shayne had called her earlier to see if she wanted to go out, so after doing the dishes, she kissed them both on the cheek and headed out, thinking they could probably use some time alone together.

Debbie arrived home just before ten, and she could hear music coming from the lounge. Wandering through the house, she stopped and took in the sight before her. Her Mum was laid on the sofa, and Allie was beside her, cuddled into her, both of them fast asleep. The redhead's arm was wrapped protectively around her, and Allie's head was resting in the crook of Bea's neck. They looked so peaceful that Debbie didn't want to wake them. Grabbing a blanket from the cupboard, she draped it over them, turned the stereo off, and headed upstairs. It had been a long day, and she was just glad that her Mum had come to her senses sooner rather than later. She would hate to see her throw away the best thing to happen to her in years, especially over something so stupid.

It was just after unlock when Jake Stewart arrived at the unit, nodding his head at Harry, he gestured for him to go into his cell, the officer following him in a short while later. Closing the door behind him, he reached into his trouser pocket, removing a brown envelope, and handed it over to Harry.

"I'm not sure what it is you're hoping to find out, but you might want to sit down before looking at those" he said, before turning and leaving the cell. Pulling the door closed, he turned and walked out of the unit, not wanting to stick around and see Smith's reaction. He knew Harry had a thing going on with Kaz Proctor, but from what he had heard, as well as his own observations, it appeared that Smith was still hung up on the ex-wife, and if that was the case, those photos wouldn't prove to be very popular. He was just glad he had printed himself a copy. They were excellent pictures, and they had come in handy on more than one lonely evening so far.

Turning the envelope over in his hands, Harry took a deep breath, before ripping it open and removing the pictures. After flicking through them quickly, he went back to the start, studying each one. The first two showed Bea and the slut kissing, arms wrapped around each other. In the next few, the blonde was in a state of undress, while the Bea's mouth was attached to her left breast. Flicking through them, he could see the scene was getting more intimate, and he started to wonder if he really wanted to go any further. Sitting down on his bed, he carried on, feeling his anger rise with each picture he saw.

The one where the blonde was half laid on the bar, head thrown back, while Bea's head was between her legs had been hard to take, but the last three were too much, and he could feel the bile rising as he gazed down at the images. Bea, his wife, was leaning against the bar, naked from the waist up, turnout trousers hanging lose, and even from the angle the photo was taken, it was obvious that the little whore's hand was buried deep inside her. That alone made him want to puke, but what really hit him hard, was the way Bea was looking at her, with so much love radiating from her eyes. Dropping the photos down on his bed, he stood up, grabbed the chair from beside his desk and launched it at the wall.

Jake was halfway down the corridor when he heard the commotion, and a couple of officers came running past him, in the direction of Smith's unit. Waiting a couple of minutes, he turned and headed back the way he had come from, assisting his colleagues. He rounded the corner and came to a stop, taking in the scene before him. Harry Smith was face down on the ground, shouting and kicking out, as Officer Johnson leaned over and restrained him. Looking around, Jake saw that Smith's cell was smashed up, and one of the inmates had a nasty cut above his left eye. It was too much of a coincidence that Smith was kicking off minutes after he had received the photos of his ex-wife, and if anyone found said pictures, questions would be asked.

With all the commotion going on in the unit, no one noticed Jake slipping into Harry's cell. Pushed the door too slightly, he started to search, finding the photographs surprisingly quickly. Checking that he had got them all, he peered out of the door, waited until the other two officer's backs were turned, and crept out of the cell, all evidence of any pictures safely stored under his jumper. Wandering over, he escorted Firth to medical. It was a deep cut, and he was pretty sure that the inmate would need stitches.

Kaz was furious. She had driven all this way, and had been looking forward to spending a couple of hours alone with Harry, especially after the recent tension between them, but was turned away at the processing desk. The fucking idiot had gone and gotten himself sent to the slot that morning, and they hadn't even had the decency to tell her what it was he was supposed to have done.

This week was going from bad to worse. She'd had a less than positive meeting with Will Jackson about the incident with Smith's tart, they wouldn't let her see Harry, and to top it off, she had to meet with Bea tomorrow to discuss protocols. Jumping back into her car, she started the engine, cranked up the radio, and headed home. She needed to call Jake Stewart when she got there. She was in desperate need of a stiff drink, and some answers.

It had been a weird few days. Kim Chang had settled into her job, and was proving to be more than capable. The only slight issue was the sudden attention she seemed to paying Allie, especially when Bea was at the bar. The blonde was completely oblivious to it all, and didn't appear to be encouraging her in any way, but Bea had spotted it instantly, and she didn't like it one bit. She watched on when Kim's hand lingered on Allie's arm a little too long to be deemed friendly, or when she found an excuse to touch the blonde every chance she got.

Not wanting to come across like a jealous girlfriend, Bea decided to let it go for now, but she would keep an eye on the situation. She was starting to wonder if she was overreacting. It had been a bitch of a week so far, what with her argument with Allie over her phone call to Will Jackson, and being verbally scolded by her daughter for her childish behaviour, as well as the forthcoming second meeting with Proctor. And if this one went as well as the first, she was in for a rough ride.

Bea had arrived early, not wanting to start things off on the back foot. They had decided to meet up at a coffee shop half way between each of their houses, thinking that neutral ground may help. The last meeting had been at the station, and to say it hadn't gone well would be an understatement. Grabbing a mocha latte, she found a booth near the back of the shop, hoping it would give them a little bit more privacy, especially if things got heated again.

Ten minutes later Kaz arrived. Heading straight for the counter she ordered a coffee before walking across the room and taking a seat opposite Bea. "Can we get this shit wrapped up quickly, I've got things to do" the blonde said, her tone failing to hide the frustration at being here in the first place, she was the one that had been assaulted after all.

"That's fine by me, there are plenty of places I'd rather be as well" Bea replied

"I bet there are. Anywhere your girlfriend is I would imagine. Tell me Bea, what is the going rate these days, just out of curiosity of course"

"What the fuck are you talking about Kaz?"

"What's her hourly rate, or do you get discount now you've put a roof over her head?" the blonde said, sneering at Bea

"Fuck you. I don't care what Jackson says, you speak about Allie like that one more time and I'll knock your fucking head off" Bea replied, her tone icy and her steely gaze fixed on Kaz

Laughing at her, Kaz stood up, drained her cup and glared. "I think we're done for today" she said, smirking at Bea as she turned and walked away.

"Fuck" Bea said out loud, glaring at the man who tutted at her from the next table.

Finishing off her drink, she left the coffee shop and headed over to the car park. She was angry at herself, as well as Proctor, and she needed to see Allie. The blonde was like a wave of calm washing over her, and she had a way of making everything better with a single look, or smile. Jumping on her bike, she drove around for a while, before pulling up outside the bar. As she walked through the door she could hear Allie's laughter from across the room. Glancing towards the bar, she saw her girlfriend chatting to Kim. Allie had her back to the door, so hadn't noticed Bea walk in, but Kim had. Staring straight at Bea, she moved past Allie, her hands resting on the blonde's hips as she pressed up against her. "Oops, sorry" she said, smirking at Bea as her hands lingered on Allie longer than necessary, before walking away and into the back.

Bea had tried to tell herself that she was imagining it, but after witnessing that little display, she knew that wasn't the case. Not wanting to get into another argument with Allie, she decided to let it go for now, it had been a bad enough afternoon as it was. She would speak to Liz and ask her to keep an eye on things. Taking a seat on a stool, she smiled as Allie walked towards her, leaned over the bar and gave her a quick kiss.

"How did it go with Proctor?" the blonde asked, grabbing a beer and placing it down in front of Bea

"It was brief. I hadn't even finished my coffee before she walked out, and I'd been there ten minutes before she arrived"

"That well? I'm guessing you didn't get much brainstorming done then, although that would require both parties to actually have a brain"

"Much? We didn't get anything done. She sat down, spouted shit for a few minutes, drank her coffee, then left"

"Did she give you shit?"

"Not exactly"

"Right. So I'm guessing it was directed at me again, am I right?"

Bea didn't want to upset Allie, but after their argument the other day, she had promised to talk to her. "Yeah, you're right. I don't want to get into it here, but I'll tell you everything when we're back home, I promise"

"That's fine, as long as you talk to me, and whatever it is, we can deal with it. Are you ok? I'm just about to go on my break if you need a hug?"

"I'm ok, but I'd never say no to a hug"

"Ok, give me five minutes" Allie replied, turning to serve a customer as Kim came back out behind the bar.

Once she had finished serving, Allie told Kim she was taking her break, wandered around the front of the bar, took Bea's hand in hers, and led her girlfriend through into the back, completely missing the look of disgust on her colleagues face. Bea didn't miss it though, and she wasn't sure if that was deliberate on Kim's part. She had a feeling the raven haired woman was going to be trouble. She trusted Allie, and wasn't worried about her cheating, it just seemed like whichever way she turned, there was someone trying to come between them. Unfortunately it never happened with Harry, not that that was a surprise, he was a bastard after all. But if it had, she would have happily stepped aside and let him go.

A massive thank you for all the comments so far, they always make me smile.Merry Christmas, and I'll get the next chapter posted as soon as possible :)

The lyrics are taken from 'Let's Hurt Tonight' by One Republic