Football Fever
Chapter 4 - England v Ecuador

Thanks for all the reviews guys! There will be another chapter and an epilogue after this one I think, it depends how it goes! Please review, luv Vikki xxx

Suzie and Zain sat together on the sofa in Suzie's living room talking to each other. Even though they had been working together for over year they realised that there were still a lot of thing they didn't know about each other. For instance Zain knew next to nothing about Suzie's family except that there had a been a case involving them back before Christmas but he hadn't been working on it and Suzie didn't seem to want to talk about it.

"I think they just feel that I've let them down because in their eyes I'll never be as good as my brothers." Suzie said when Zain asked her why she wasn't going to tell them about the possibility of a promotion in the near future.

"I'm sure they are really proud of you Suze, they just want what's best for you."

"Maybe." Suzie considered. "It's just like I'm second rate to them compared to my brothers."

Zain pulled her closer to him. "You'll never be second rate to me." He promised and Suzie smiled up at him and then rested her head on his chest.

"Better late than never!" Phil piped up as Andrea and Neil walked back into the room.

"My car...um...broke down." She explained. "I had to listen to the match on the radio.

Kezia Walker rolled her eyes at Phil, after what had happened with Suzie and Zain the night of the Paraguay match she didn't know if she would ever believe anyone who said they had car trouble.

"There's still some food left I think..." Sam said, pointing to the remainder of the party tea that was left on the table.

"I'm okay thanks." Andrea smiled as she saw what was left.

"Can I get you a drink?" Neil asked, Andrea nodded and they went to the bar together to get the drinks. The bar was pretty much deserted now as the football supporters had moved onto clubs or had gone home. Andrea leaned into Neil as they waited for the bartender to replace the barrel of beer.

"How stupid do you really think I am?" A voice asked from behind them. Sharing a look of panic, Neil and Andrea turned around to be faced by Philippa Manson. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

Neither Andrea or Neil knew how to reply to this. They had been totally unaware that Philippa was onto them. The only person who knew about them was Phil and he was unlikely to tell Neil's wife about the affair.

"Aren't you going to try and deny it then?" Philippa asked and from Andrea's point of view it seemed that she was deliberatley trying to pick a fight. So far everything Mrs Manson had said had been directed at her but then she supposed that she would have acted in the same way if she had been in Philippa's position.

"Pippa..." Neil began gently, standing between his wife and Andrea now.

"Don't Pippa me Neil." She shouted back at him. "Get out." She hissed at Andrea. "Can't you see you're not welcome here."

Neil shot her a helpless glance but Andrea ignored it and walked out of the pub. Letting the door swing shut with a crash behind her. Neil sighed, this wasn't how he wanted things to turn out.

When Kerry and Smithy had gone out to dinner nearly a week ago now things had gone really well for them and now they were almost living together. The two of them had got on so well for a while and on their date they really hit things off. So well that they ended up back at Kerry's flat together and they hadn't looked back since. It hadn't been a problem at work although the news of their new relationship had spread quickly through the station. They didn't mind though, everyone seemed to be happy for them and they couldn't have been any happier in their relationship. That was until one of Smithy's ex girlfriend's returned to Sun Hill and came into the station. Smithy hadn't seen Becky since his days in SO19, before he came back to Sun Hill to be a sergeant. Smithy had been in love with her once but after the things he had to go through whilst working with SO19 he couldn't bear to put her through the pain of never knowing if he would come home at night. Now Becky was back and Smithy didn't know how to feel. His relationship with Kerry was going really well now and he didn't want to end things with her but he didn't know how he felt about Becky now that she was back in his life. Becky had asked for Smithy at reception and June had got him for her. When she went off duty ten minutes later June saw Kerry in the corridor and asked her if she knew who Becky was.

"Phil, you're drunk!" Sam giggled as they arrived home together, it wasn't like she could talk as she stumbled up the steps to Phil's flat and fell in through the front door.

"Ah, but I'm not as think as you drunk I am!" He laughed, helping her up but not being balanced himself either. They finally flopped onto the sofa in one piece without any broken bones or without doing too much damage to the flat.

"Another drink?" Phil asked.

Sam shook her head. "Nah, not a good idea. Think I'm gonna head to bed." She laughed at her rhyming. Sam stood up and tried to head for Phil's bedroom where she had been sleeping recently, she had taken two steps before she fell over. Phil tried his hardest not to laugh as he tried to help her up again but this time they both ended up on the floor, laughing so hard that it hurt. Sam was suddenly aware that Phil was on top of her and that his face was scarily close to hers. Maybe if she hadn't been drunk she would have pulled away and told him that it was too soon after Stuart but she wasn't sober and her inhibitions were taking over. Phil moved some of Sam's hair out of her face and gently stroked her cheek before moving his lips closer to his. She didn't resist and somehow finding the strength in his legs, Phil picked Sam up and carried her through to the bedroom.

"I wish you'd let me meet your parents." Zain said later that night when he and Suzie lay awake in bed together. Her head was rest against his chest and he absentmindedly stroked her loose, dark hair.

"Believe me, you wouldn't want to." Suzie laughed sarcastically.

"But I do Suze, I know that sounds weird but we've been together a few weeks and we've been friends for over a year. You can just introduce me as a friend if you want?"

"No, if I do it I'll do it properly." She looked up at Zain's expression and couldn't help smiling. "I said 'if'!" She laughed kissing him.

Zain soon fell asleep with Suzie in her arms but she lay awake thinking for a long time. She wanted her family to be as proud of Zain as she was but she knew it was unlikely, they wanted her to marry someone of the same ethnicity as them and Zain just didn't fit that. It didn't matter that Zain made their daughter happy, Suzie sighed into the quiet room. What was she going to do?

"Who the hell is she?" Kerry whispered, coming to stand behind Smithy. She said it quietly enough for Becky not to here.

"Kerry, this is Becky I know her from my SO19 days. Becky, this is my girlfriend, PC Kerry Young."

Kerry and Becky exchanged icy glares, Kerry assumed, quite rightly, that Becky had been Smithy's ex and now she was back and wanted her boyfriend back. Well that was too bad, Kerry thought, she wasn't about to give Smithy up that easily. Unless he wanted Becky back too, Kerry couldn't bear to think like that. She didn't love Smithy but in time she knew that she would and she had hoped that he felt the same.

"Pleased to meet you." Becky said, with a small smile.

Kerry replied: "Nice to meet you too Becky." She found it harder to smile though. "I'll...um...leave you to it..." She said before returning back to work.

Andrea Dunbar made it all the way back to her flat before she broke down and cried. Philippa had made her feel like dirt but the worse thing was that Andrea knew that she had every right to. She had never seen herself as being 'the other woman' in a relationship but at the same time she knew that you couldn't help who you fell in love with. Neil hadn't even stood up for her but then Philippa was his wife and the mother of his only child. Andrea knew that she could never compete with the love that Neil had for his son. She had never wanted Philippa to find out about the affair and Andrea knew that she would be the cause of the Mansons pain tonight. Dragging herself into her bedroom she dressed for bed before going into the kitchen to get a bottle of wine and a large glass. Settling herself in bed she flicked on the TV and flipped through the channels. Andrea was far passed being pleased that England had won their football match against Ecuador. It seemed that everytime they won a match her life took a turn for the worse. Andrea downed another glass of wine knowing she would never get to sleep if she was sober.

Neil slept on the couch at the Manson's house that night, Philippa had refused to speak to him after the episode at the pub and he was convinced that she was now turning Jake against him. Sleep wasn't going to come easy for any of them that night.