"Wow, she really went to town in here. Want me to call someone so you can press charges? I mean, this amounts to criminal damage." Sam surveyed the shattered remains of Jo's house, picking her way through the shards of glass from dozens of photos and vases broken in the raid.
"No, there won't be any need for that. No matter what she's done to me or to this place, my conscience wouldn't let me prosecute a pregnant woman. My insurance'll cover most of it." Jo picked out one photo, uttering a curse as she held it gingerly in her hands. Sam caught sight of Jo with a strikingly handsome young man in an army uniform, the family resemblance uncanny.
"Your brother? You two look so alike." She watched as Jo stroked a hand over her brother's image her breath catching as her fingers lingered over the ugly tear in the photograph, almost severing his head from the rest of his body.
"We did. He was killed in the Gulf War by so called friendly fire. This is the last photo I have of him, it was taken the week before he went out to Kuwait." Jo placed the photo on the breakfast bar before venturing further into the house to see what other carnage lay in wait.
"Jo, I'm so sorry." Sam's mind went blank, unsure what else to say and painfully aware of how little she knew about this private woman.
"I guess nothing's sacred when a relationship breaks down." Jo's statement drew Sam towards the sound of her voice, her startled intake of breath at the disarray in the bedroom alerting Jo to her presence. Messages had been daubed over the walls using Jo's lipsticks proclaiming the joys of heterosexual sex, the bedclothes supporting the suspicion that Tessa had slept with Simon in that very room on her return to the house.
"Jesus – Jo, this woman needs to see someone, she is seriously disturbed. Let's get what you need for tonight and get out of here. You don't need to deal with this tonight. We'll come back tomorrow and start cleaning up." Sam tried to usher Jo out of the room, noticing that before the makeover it had been very tastefully decorated leading Sam to wonder which one of the women had chosen the scheme.
"To be honest, I think my senses are on overload. It doesn't hurt like I know it should, I can't feel anything beyond disappointment in myself for not seeing through her before now. Guess this means I'll be house hunting, I can't see myself living here again." Jo opened her wardrobe, half expecting her clothes to have been savaged as well. Finding them intact, she bundled some into a small holdall she had located, packing enough for a few days, planning to find a room at a bed and breakfast as soon as she could.
"Well, you're more than welcome to stay with Abi and I for as long as you need to – that is if you don't mind having two Nixons to deal with!" Sam nervously made the offer, hoping that Jo would accept and refuse in equal measures. She wasn't sure she could carry on convincing herself she felt nothing more than friendship towards the northern beauty whilst sharing a house with her. But at the same time she wanted nothing more than to extend Jo's stay with her, even if it would be entirely inappropriate to harbour any hopes for romance given the circumstances.
"Thanks, but I'm not sure that would be such a wise idea. You are my boss after all. You know what the station's like for gossip, everyone would be convincing one another that I was trying to seduce you, that we were sleeping together; every action you made, everything you said and did in my presence would be dissected for evidence of preferential treatment. You don't need that sort of attention. Besides, Abi's about to need you more than ever, you don't want me muscling in on the two of you."
"I'm not going to force you take up my offer but if you're going to refuse, do it because you wouldn't be comfortable with it, not because of what others might say or think of it. Abi knows what it's like to find out the one you love isn't the person you think they are, she'll have all the time in the world for you. Plus when Bump arrives, I'll be glad of the extra pair of hands, as long as you're not averse to changing nappies." Sam held out her hand gesturing for the overnight bag that Jo had packed.
"You really don't care what people say?" Jo couldn't believe that Sam was so blasé about the possible rumours, about the effect they might have on her career prospects.
"Why should I? I'll always know the truth, that's what matters to me. Anyone who has an issue with my living arrangements can take it up with me directly. If they have grounds for concern then I'll take it seriously but I'm not the kind of person to offer preferential treatment to anyone. If it would make you more comfortable, I can promise I will be on your case about every tiny little detail at work so no one can accuse me of going easy on you!"
"But Sarge, you already are!" Jo couldn't resist the slight dig as she closed and locked the front door, knowing that it was only because Sam knew Jo could take it that she pushed her harder than the others. Pleased to see some of her usual humour returning, Sam pressed for an answer.
"So what do you say about my offer? Still feel it's not a good idea to accept a warm dry room where the rent's cheap, entertainment is always at hand and the company's passable?" Sam raised an eyebrow as she hefted Jo's bag into the boot of her car.
"Well, if you're really sure it wouldn't be putting you out, I'd really appreciate a room for a while." Sam's beaming grin ignited a small flicker of warmth in Jo's numb core. 'Maybe there's hope for me yet,' she thought to herself as she resolved to nurture that warmth and not let Tessa destroy her. "By the way Sam, if you ever tire of police work, you could have a killer career in sales!" Jo ducked into the passenger's seat of Sam's car shaking her head slightly in wonder at her own inability to say no to the cute blonde.