AN: Here's the sequel to "The Darkest Days", my "Death Trap" AU fic. If you haven't read it (and don't want to), all you need to know was that Michael survived, but did get shot. The experience makes Jackie realise just how much he means to her.

Set a couple of months after the ending to "The Darkest Days". This chapter has a couple of references to the episode "Fire Burn" (but obviously in an AU way as Michael's still alive).

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The clock reminded Jackie that she didn't have to leave just yet.

Even though she wanted to.

She regarded Brian warily as he ate his breakfast. It was one of the rare mornings where they weren't rushed off their feet. Now that he was spending a lot of his time in London, mornings together were rare.

Brian broke the silence, "If you have anything to say just say it."

Jackie sighed, "When are you due back?"

"Friday, I'll only be away for a few days," he replied.

Jackie nodded, accepting his answer.

"Actually, while we're both here. We should talk, we've been putting it off long enough," he said.

She couldn't deny that. To be honest, Jackie had hoped that there would be no need for this, that things would sort themselves out. But that hope was becoming increasingly futile.

Jackie nodded, indicating that he should start.

"You know what I'm going to say. Are you warming to the idea of moving to London?" he asked.

Not really, thought Jackie. But she doubted that would go down well with Brian.

"This isn't easy for me, Brian. And to be honest, you're not making it any easier," she admitted.

"Oh, don't start this again," groaned Brian.

"I was involved in a shooting, and you didn't think it was important enough to see me," she said with a hint of bitterness.

"I didn't know you were the intended target at the time. Robbie had just said that Mike had been shot," he said defensively.

"So, it's only my physical wellbeing that concerns you, not my mental health?" she asked.

"That's not fair," said Brian, getting more exasperated by the second.

"What about the case I worked on with the bombs? You were very quick to get the plane back home, but only to get me off the case," she reminded him.

"I thought I was doing what was best," he said.

"No, you thought it would be easier for us to move to London," her voice rose slightly. Jackie let out a breath to calm herself. This wouldn't do any good, they had to sort something out. "You must understand, I have a life here. That's going to be hard to give up," she said in a softer tone.

Brian scoffed, "What life? You rarely see your family, when was the last time you actually spent time with them? The only people you regularly see are your team."

"I love my job," she said defensively. "I know things were a bit rough for a while, but it's better now."

Jackie hadn't anticipated how hard it would be to get used to working under Burke. She had just missed Michael too much, even though she knew that Burke's leadership would only be temporarily.

Still, she had managed to pull herself back up. It helped that she visited Michael as often as she could.

"You can't blame Mike's shooting for that. You've been seeing him most days so you can hardly miss him," he said.

She took another breath, deciding to ignore Brian's comment about Michael.

"I just need more time," she said.

"Well, you don't have a lot of time left," he said firmly.

"Maybe not, but this is a big decision. Maybe the biggest one I'll ever make." She glanced at the clock, it told her that now she did need to leave, and she couldn't help but feel relieved. "I'm sorry, but I do need to go now." Jackie walked toward Brian and kissed his cheek, "See you on Friday."

"I'll call," he promised.

Jackie gave a small nod before she left the flat. She went into her car and sighed, collecting her thoughts. She could really do without facing Burke today. Her gut feeling told her that it would be difficult to pretend that everything was fine.

But she had no choice, the last thing she wanted was to give Brian more reasons for them to leave Glasgow.

Did Brian not know her? For the umpteenth time, it seemed like he didn't understand her. Jackie wanted their marriage to work, she really did, but why did he have to make things difficult?

Maybe she'd visit Michael if she had the time tonight. Jackie knew he was probably the last person she should seek out, but he was her friend and he seemed to be the only person that made things better. Something she desperately needed right now. Not that she'd really told Michael about what was going on at home, she wasn't quite ready to admit it yet.

Jackie drove away and made her way to the station, hoping it would be a relatively quiet day.

Alas, no such luck.

Shortly after she arrived, a murder got called in. As a result, Jackie, along with the rest of the team, had been on their feet all day.

At some point in the afternoon, after arriving back at headquarters, she was surprised to see Michael. It only took a few seconds for him to notice Jackie, he smiled as he went over to her.

"So, what do we owe this pleasure?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"I just had an appointment to see if I'm fit enough to return," he said.

"You never said," she said.

Michael shrugged, "I suppose I didn't want to mention it because of the possibility that they felt I wasn't ready."

"How did it go?" she asked, with a slight hopefulness to her voice.

"Well, they don't want to hand your new case over. But they are satisfied that I'm fit for duty. So, when this case is wrapped up, I can come back," he smiled.

"That's great news, Michael!" she beamed.

"Listen, I've only just found out, so I wouldn't mention it to anyone just yet," he said.

"Of course. What are your plans for the rest of the day?" she asked.

"I'm just going back home, try and enjoy the quiet before I return," he said.

Jackie resisted the urge to laugh. Michael had spent a great deal of the past two months fed up and bored. But she couldn't blame him. This job was hectic, it'd be a long while before he'd have that kind of time to himself again.

"I can't promise anything with this case, but If I have time I'll drop by tonight," she said.

"You don't have to, I wouldn't want to be a bother," he said.

"You're hardly that. Anyway, Brian's away until Friday, so it gives me something to do," she said.

"How are things between the two of you?" he asked, looking sympathetic.

"I suppose they could be better. Look, I better get a move on," she said, not particularly wanting to discuss Brian, especially at the station.

"Of course," he said.

"Hopefully, I'll see you later," she said.

"Sure," he said just before she started walking away. "Take care," he called out.

Jackie turned around, "Likewise," she smiled, before she turned back and walked away.

Michael's news had turned out to be motivating for Jackie, it gave her an extra reason to try and wrap the case up quickly.

Not that she minded Burke, she had started to get used to his ways. But she'd be lying to herself if she said she'd stopped missing Michael, despite seeing him most days.

When she left the station for the day, the killer hadn't been caught, but they had gotten some leads and Jackie was content enough with how the day had gone. Most importantly, she had the knowledge that she had done her best. For now, that was enough.

She arrived at Michael's with a takeaway, she'd called him beforehand to make sure he hadn't eaten. Jackie felt her stomach rumble as she rang his doorbell.

"Hey," Michael said, he smiled when he noticed the food.

"Hi," she said before he let her in.

Jackie helped him with the food before they went to the living room to eat.

"So, how's the case coming along?" he asked.

"I thought you'd be content to enjoy the peace and quiet," she teased.

Michael sent her a mock glare, which quickly turned into a smile when she laughed.

"Not bad, I suppose. We haven't got them yet, but we've got a few leads that make me hopeful that it won't be long before they're caught," she said.

They talked a little more about the case before Michael decided to try his luck.

"So, are you okay about being on your own over the next few days?" he asked.

Jackie sighed; she'd had a feeling that he'd ask her about Brian.

"Honestly? I'm a little relieved that I don't have to deal with Brian for a while," she admitted.

Michael frowned, "Are things that bad?"

Jackie shrugged, "They're certainly not great. Did I tell you about the time he wanted to remove me from a case?"

"He what?" he exclaimed, looking aghast.

"It was that case with the bombs. I had to diffuse one with Burke. When Brian found out he took the next flight here, wanted to fix it so I was away from the front line." Jackie noticed the slight look of alarm on Michael's face, but it quickly vanished.

Michael took a drink as he tried to remain calm. What the hell was Brian thinking? No wonder things looked bad between them. But the last thing Jackie needed was Michael's anger about the situation. That would likely make things worse.

"Why didn't you tell me at the time?" he asked gently.

"You had enough to deal with, I didn't want to add to that," she said.

The look on Michael's face told her that he thought the idea was silly. She took a mouthful of her food, deciding not to tell Michael just yet about Brian's proposition. She would at some point, but the little she had told him tonight had already taken a lot out of her and she just didn't have the energy.

"Look, you've just got the all-clear to come back, we should be happy. So, for now, let's just enjoy this meal, okay?" she sounded tired, and Michael could see that she just wanted to forget her troubles for tonight.

Michael nodded, accepting that they wouldn't be discussing it further. He just wished he could make everything better for her.

The team had a briefing the next morning, it had all been routine until Burke cleared his throat.

"I've been told that Mike Jardine has been given the all-clear to take charge of this team again. So, this will be my last case with you before he comes back," Burke announced.

The news was met with murmurs of approval. It hadn't taken long for Burke to win the respect and acceptance of Maryhill, but people were happy about the prospect of Jardine coming back.

Robbie regarded Jackie throughout the announcement and noticed the lack of surprise at her reaction.

"You knew, didn't you?" he asked when the briefing was over.

"Michael told me yesterday," she confirmed, not bothering to hide the delight she felt.

She was always going to be happy about Michael's return, no matter how much she had started to respect Burke.

Of course, it would be foolish to pretend that everything would go back to normal once he returned. It certainly wouldn't fix her problems with Brian. In fact, if she wasn't careful, things could be about to become more complicated.

Jackie had tried to forget about her admission in the hospital and she hadn't quite succeeded. When she had admitted how she really felt about Michael.

But she really did want to work things out with Brian. As angry as he was making her right now, she cared for him. She might not be able to remember the last time they were happy, but he was her husband.

For better or worse.

This just wasn't one of their better times.

Maybe moving to London would be easier. She could maybe, finally, move on from her feelings from Michael.

But could she really start over? Moving to a city where she knew no one except Brian just seemed so overwhelming. Brian had a point though; she didn't have much of a life.

But it was hers.

And she did have close relationships, it didn't matter to her that some of those were with colleagues, and the thought of leaving some people behind saddened her.

The time to make a final decision on this was drawing near.

Jackie just hoped that she'd be able to make the right choice.