Carly had been walking for a while now, through the night and into the morning. Her luck at the restaurant hadn't yielded anything and now she was back in the countryside walking, taking in the view, anything to keep her mind of her rumbling stomach. She looked up from the ground, from where she had been watching her feet, take each step down this lonely road and rounded the next hill. In the distance she spotted a petrol station where a car had just pulled in and decided that was her next destination. She didn't have any money to her name but if the pain in her stomach was anything to go by then she would have to get something soon and if that meant "procuring" some food from the petrol station then she would have to do so. She was at her wits end.

As she walked across the forecourt the car that she had seen on the hill was pulling away after paying for their petrol. It was her and the store clerk alone now. She pushed open the door of the shop and the bell above it rang to show that she was entering. Carly could see from the corner of her eyes the store attendant looking up at her upon entering the store she gave him a quick glance but Carly kept her hood up and quickly turned her head away not wanting to give him more eye contact than necessary. She just wanted to get in and out. It wasn't needed though he was too interested in the daily news that was playing on the television near the entrance. She turned the corner of the back shelf and pretended to look at the items on display. Happy that she was out of view of the store attendant Carly quickly took her backpack off her back and opened it in front of herself, she snuck a look at the guy but he was still too interested in the tv to notice what she was doing. She quickly used her arm to drag the cans from the back of the shelf forward so that the ones in front dropped into her bag. The cans that didn't make it dropped to the floor around her and clattered as they hit the ground. This made her nervous. The store attendant lifted his head quickly. Carly tried to zip up the bag quickly but she was all fingers and thumbs. She quickly threw the bag onto her back, hoping that they would stay inside. She quickly turned the back corner of the shop and booked it towards the door. The store attendant shouted at her as she went but she was soon out the door and running, the doorbell trilling behind her as she went. She kept running down the road towards freedom and out of sight of the shop. She had made it safe and free. The store attendant would phone the police but she didn't think an old place like that would have any CCTV, what she didn't know was that the store attendant had caught her face as she went and compared it to the news report of the missing girl Carly Kirk that had been playing on the tv as she was inside. He got a quick flash of her face as she ran out but he was sure it was her and he made a phone call to the police just to make sure. He didn't want her to get away, he was sure her parents or whoever was looking after her wanted her back safe and sound. He also wanted his money for the goods that she stole.

Lindsay was awake now but kept her eyes closed. The light of the room was too bright and it was early. She wanted to stay under the warm covers for as long as she could. It wasn't as long as she would have liked though because she could hear the door of the room opening up behind her and someone entering.

"Lindsay?" Tom asked.

She rolled over to face him and rubbed her eyes open. She looked up to face him and pulled herself up the bed, the top of her body on show due to the movement.

"I made you a cup of tea." He said as he placed the full mug down beside her on the bedside table.

She looked at it and then looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, Tom."

"I'm going for a run. I shouldn't be long. You could join me if you like?"

Lindsay looked at him in his running gear and picked up the tea. The bed felt comfy at the moment but she was sad that she hadn't brought her running gear or else she would have gone with him.

"No, I'm fine Tom. Do you want breakfast ready for when you come back?" She asked.

Tom smiled at her. "That would be nice. Anyway, I shouldn't be long. I'll be back soon. Enjoy your tea." He turned and left the room leaving her in the caravan alone for a while.

By the time he came back Lindsay was up and dressed and had been for a while. She had just finished making them both breakfast and was just finishing pouring the tea when she caught him returning as he ran across the front window. The door opened but he didn't enter. Instead taking a seat on the step to recover from his run. Lindsay quickly grabbed a glass from the draining board and filled it with cold water from the tap, she went over and gave it to him. He quickly drained it and she took it back from him and placed it back into the sink. She picked up the plates from the worktop and placed them onto the table. Tom entered at that moment, happy with his adequate cool down and they both sat down to eat. Talking about their plans and goals for that day of the investigation. Tom grabbed a quick shower after they were done while Lindsay washed the dishes. Stealing a quick glance of him and he exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. When he exited the bedroom finally dressed, they drove to the station in Lindsay's car arriving less than 10 minutes later.

When they arrived later upon entering the building, they could see it was buzzing with activity. Something was afoot and they couldn't wait to see what it was. They quickly walked to the briefing room and found the team ready and waiting for them.

"What's going on?" Tom asked.

"We've had a phone call from a petrol store owner earlier this morning." Mared said. "Apparently he spotted Carly as she was in the shop this morning. He said that she stole a couple of cans of food and left the store in a hurry, leaving a mess behind her. He said he knew it was her because the tv was on when she was in which was playing the police appeal for her and that's why he called it in so we are going there just now."

From her vantage point on the corner of the street Carly could see the front of the police station without fear of being noticed. With her hood up, she kept close to the wall and tried to blend in. It wasn't really needed; the street was quiet, and she was sure she wouldn't alert suspicion. The small amount of people on the street were just going about their business without even noticing her. Her eyes were trained on the front door of the station, watching for any sign of movement from the building. Uniformed police officers were coming and going but she was watching and waiting for a specific pair of officers. The ones that she had been watching for a couple of days now. The man's face that she had saw on the television and on the front page of newspapers she saw around town and the woman she recognised from a long time ago. She was going to go forward and make herself known to the pair, let them get to know about her, let them take her home but her feet would not move. She saw them now, descended the front steps of the station and moved to an awaiting car sitting on the front of the pavement. A bright red Audi. She took note of the registration of the car. She was sure that it wouldn't be a hard car to find and especially after she looked up the investigator of her case on the internet. It resulted in many of the news searches of his caravan arson case. DCI caravan burns down in suspected arson attack. She suspected and was glad in the fact that he may still live in a caravan. It made him easier to track down. There couldn't be many caravan parks around here. She had spotted some up past the beach and decided in her head it would be good to search up in that direction first. A red Audi would be easy to spot in the gloom of the caravan park. She would go row by row until she found the right one.

It was a while later. Tom and Lindsay had finished their dinner a while ago and were now sat on the couch watching a TV programme. The sound of the TV was just white noise to Lindsay as she now sat a tad tired but ultimately worried about Carly as she watched the heavy rainfall through the blinds of the caravan.

"She'll be ok. From what I've heard from you she's a tough cookie and if they find anything then we'll be the first to know." Tom said as he rubbed Lindsay's back in comfort.

Lindsay turned around and nodded. "I know Tom."

Lindsay yawned. "I'm going to go and get ready for bed."

"I'm going to watch the end of this and then I'll be through."

Lindsay nodded. "Ok. I'll see you through there." She smiled as she got up from her place on the couch and walked through the caravan into the double bedroom at the back and closed the door behind her.

Carly was soaked through now. The light waterproof that she was wearing was stuck to her skin, not used to or made to be used in heavy rain like this. It was hard to see through the rain. It was blinding her vision and made her body shake with the cold it brought with it. She was halfway through the caravan park by now and wasn't going to give up until she got to the end, until she found it. She looked up at the next row of caravans and was about to walk on when something caught her eye. She wasn't imagining it was she. She walked towards it, hoping it wasn't a trick of the light, that she wasn't just believing it but as she walked closer to it, she realised that she wasn't dreaming. It was a red Audi. She checked the licence plate. It was the car. She walked up to the caravan and knocked on the door.

The wind outside was picking up now and Tom could barely hear the television over the noise, so he turned the volume up. Hoping that Lindsay wasn't disturbed by the increase of sound, but he was sure that the wind was louder. He took another sip of his beer before he was disturbed by a loud crash from outside. He sat his beer on the table and looked out the side curtains. Spotting the cause of the noise, which was his neighbours plant pot falling over, he chastised himself for jumping and laughed it off. He was about to sit back down on the couch when a knock on the door disturbed him from his thoughts. Tom quickly turned his head to see the cause of the noise. Spotting a figure in the reflection of the glass he went over to open it, surprised at the time of this person's arrival but also realising it must be important for them calling at this time at night. Opening the door and looking down at the figure he was surprised to see who it was. She was soaked through from head to toe.

"Carly, come in." He said.

She quickly walked up the steps into his home and stood in the living room, kind of sad that she was causing a puddle in the middle of the carpet.

"Lindsay, can you come here a minute?"

Lindsay had been busy in the bedroom when she heard Tom shout on her. Taking her makeup off, applying a skincare routine from the items she had bought at the shops at the weekend. She had also changed into her pyjamas and was ready to get into bed when she had heard him call. She wondered the cause of it and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Did you shout on me?"

Lindsay stopped in her tracks. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was real. The girl she had spent all this time searching for was right in front of her. She walked closer to her and smiled at the young girl.

"Carly? I'm Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton from AC-12. We've been looking for you."

"I know, that's why I came here tonight."

"We're glad you have." Lindsay took in Carly's situation. "You're soaked through. Why don't we get you a nice hot shower and then you can get changed into some clean dry clothes? Have you eaten yet?"

Carly shook her head.

"We've some left over lasagne, if you'd like some?"

"That would be nice."

"Ok, I'll go get you a towel."

Lindsay quickly left the room and came back a few seconds later with two towels and some new clothes of hers that Carly could change into. She met Carly in the bathroom.

"There's soap and shampoo in there that you can use. The left switch is to turn it on, and the right switch is for the heat. Here's some clothes for you and when you come out just hand me yours and we can hang them up to dry."

"Thank you." Carly said.

Lindsay smiled back at her and wiped some wet hair out of her face.

"We're just glad you're safe. The lasagne shouldn't be too long and when you come out you can tell us what you've been up to."

Carly went into the bathroom and shut the door behind her leaving Tom and Lindsay together. Lindsay walked over to him and he welcomed her with open arms, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"She's back, she's safe." Lindsay smiled with tears in her eyes. "I can't believe it."

Tom laughed. "You better believe it, she's just next door. I'll start dinner."

The bathroom door opened, and the steam escaped into the room. Carly emerged into the galley kitchen with her wet clothes in her arms, wearing an oversized t-shirt and black pair of leggings that belonged to Lindsay, her hair wet. Lindsay got up from where she had been sitting on the sofa and walked over, taking them from Carly.

"Do you have a hairdryer?" Carly asked.

"Bedroom at the end, beside the mirror and there will be a brush sitting beside it for you to use.

Carly opened the door and entered the room. Upon entering she realised that this room had been intensely used. Both sides of the bed had been slept in. There was a small suitcase placed beside the bed. Both cupboard doors were open and revealed both men's and women's clothes hanging on the rail. A pair of women's boots sat array at the side of the bed and the bedside table had 2 pill bottles and a glass sat on top. Turning around to face the mirror she could see on the desk under it Lindsay's makeup and an array of her skin products. She took the hairdryer and brush from the desk and used it to dry her hair. Returning to the living room when it was done.

"You're just in time. Dinner's ready." Lindsay said and Carly took a seat where it had just been placed along with a drink. Lindsay and Tom taking a seat on the other side of the table.

"Where have you been?" Tom asked.

"Around." Carly said shovelling a spoonful of food into her mouth, more than she could handle before washing it down with milk.

"Slow down." Lindsay said. "You'll get indigestion." Lindsay laughed it off but inside her heart she was concerned. Carly was acting as if she hadn't seen food in a long while and it worried Lindsay.

"We interviewed the farmer who saw you in her neighbour's farm." Tom said.

"Yeah, that was a bust. I thought finally that I might be able to find my real family, but the world had other plans for me."

Lindsay smiled sadly at Carly's thought. This girl had already been through so much at her young age. She just wanted to protect this girl like any mother would. Like her mother did for her.

"I'm going to phone the station." Tom said as he got up from the table. Lindsay watched as Carly finished off all the food on her plate and finished off her drink quickly after. Absentmindedly listening in to the conversation that Tom was having on the phone.

"Oh right, OK." Tom sighed and clicked the button to hang up.

Lindsay turned around in her seat to face him. That conversation didn't sound good, she thought.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Some people have come into the station to ask where Carly is. The station doesn't feel it's safe to take you there just now so they want us to stay put. A patrol car will be doing rounds through the night, just to check on us and be sure that we're safe."

Lindsay could see that Carly was frightened. She placed a hand on hers.

"Don't be worried. If they are asking where you are it means that they can't find you. You are safe here with us and we'll drive back tomorrow. We will take every precaution to make sure that you are safe. OK?"

"Yeah." Carly replied.

"Good."

"Can I go to bed now?"

"Yeah, I've put some extra blankets on your bed, it can get quite cold at night. Just in case you want to use them and we'll get you up at 10am tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good." Carly turned to go into her room. "Where will you be sleeping?" She asked a generalised question to them both.

"We'll be sleeping next door just if you need us." Lindsay said pointing to the bedroom.
"I'll be sleeping out here to protect you both." Tom said.

Lindsay and Tom looked at each other when they realised both their stories didn't add up.

"Well, night." Carly said closing the door to her room, leaving them both to deal with the awkward conversation.

"You don't have to sleep out here, you know. We'll only be next door. If anything happens then we will hear it. Also, the bed in there is comfier than you sleeping in here."

"That is true." Tom said agreeing with Lindsay. "I think I will, if that's ok with you?"

"Of course, it is."

"You go through. I'll be in soon; I'll need to clear up in here."

"I can't go yet; I still need to hang Carly's clothes up to dry." Lindsay said. It was partly true; she did have Carly's things to hang up but now that Carly was staying, she wanted to make sure that nothing fishy was going on. She was sure that Tom wasn't that type of person but after the Mike Dryden situation, she had doubts about everyone. She wanted to make sure that he wasn't that type. Lindsay walked over to the sofa where Carly had left her bag. Tom took the dishes that were left on the table and started to wash them. Lindsay looked through Carly's bag picking out the wet clothing that Carly had brought with her. She held the first t-shirt up to her nose and smelt it.

"I think I'll need to wash them first. Do you have any...?"

"There's an extra basin under the sink and some washing powder."

Lindsay crossed the room to get them and filled up the basin with water returning to her place in the living room. Taking each item and giving it a wash before hanging up on the clothes horse to dry. She hadn't realised she had come to the end until her hand went into the bag and hit something hard instead of the soft clothes that she had been used to taking out. She sat herself up and looked inside the bag. Pulling out the metal cans that had been stolen from the petrol station earlier that day.

"Tom." She held a can aloft and Tom turned around to look at it when she called his name.

"We'll talk to her about it tomorrow. Here." Tom went into the cupboard underneath the sink, pulled out a carrier bag and threw it at Lindsay. She quickly caught it and took the rest of the cans out of the bag, placed it into the carrier and tied it up leaving it sitting at the bottom of the couch.

"You finished?" Tom asked as he drained the sink. Lindsay nodded. "Come on then."

Making sure that everything was off and that the doors were locked. Lindsay and Tom quietly made their way to the bedroom. Lindsay finished up her skincare routine while Tom changed behind her. They both knew that the other was looking but didn't say anything out loud. When Lindsay was finished, she placed the bottle back on the shelf and turned around to find Tom already in bed. The cover being held up to invite her in. She slid in beside him and she pulled the cover around herself.

Tom and Lindsay had been laying there for a while, eyes open each of them looking at the other. The moonlight slipped out from under the curtain, illuminating their faces and making it hard to sleep.

"What are you thinking about?" Tom whispered to Lindsay. Aware of how thin the walls were.

"Carly." Lindsay whispered back.

"You've got her. She's next door. She's safe and you are taking her home tomorrow. That's an amazing feat, Lindsay and you should be proud?"

"I know. I am." Lindsay smiled. She put her head into the pillow, trying to hide the pride on her face.

Tom placed his hand under her chin and pulled it up towards him so that he was facing her.

They stayed like that for what felt like ages, but had only been a couple of seconds. Wondering who was going to make the first move. Lindsay did. She moved her head forwards towards Tom's and before making contact she pulled away.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have. I'm probably misreading things."

"No, you weren't. You could have. I would have liked you to. We probably shouldn't do anything more though. The walls are very thin."

They both giggled at the comment and moved forward, closer until their lips were touching. They kissed, hands roamed until they both knew they we're going too far for the environment and pulled away.

"Come here." Tom stretched his right arm out across the pillow that currently held Lindsay and she scooted forward, closer to him, closer to his body and lay her head near his. They stayed like that for a while until it got too uncomfortable and Lindsay turned to face the direction that he was facing. Tom slipped his left arm around her body and intertwined his fingers with her, pulling her body close to his. He dropped a kiss on her head and closed his eyes.

"Night Lindsay."

She closed hers.

"Night Tom."