A/N: Indigestion anybody? Sorry this took so long, working stuff out and exams and all. Abi, thought about posting any? I'd be interested in reading them.

It was a fancy restaurant, Sam acknowledged as the small group were shown to a secluded table. Having left the booking to Phil she'd been a little worried about the type of place he'd choose but it seemed she needn't have been. Perhaps it was all that extra-marital dating he'd done, the way to woo one of the local tramps was by showing them a bit of class after all.

Their table was a small round one, the kind usually reserved for intimate little gatherings. Sam supposed that, to an outsider at least, their group would appear to be such a gathering. However, her own motives for wanting a table like that were much more complicated. Across from her sat Sheelagh, to her left Gabriel and Phil was on her right. The arrangement meant she could easily examine te couple without actually seeming to.

Early signs had been mixed. It was evident Gabriel wasn't overly thrilled at being there but he appeared to be an effort. Sam wasn't sure how to take that. Unless his feelings had changed in the month since the argument with Lance he had an hidden agenda, and that made her nervous. On the other hand, she was all ready to convict without proof and that wasn't what she preached.

'This is a beautiful place, Phil.' It was Sheelagh who broke the uneasy silence that had settled on them.

'You leave it to me, that's what you get. By the way, you two ladies look beautiful yourselves.'

Mmm, well, Sam had coached him on compliments. She wasn't sure about herself, it had taken her an age to settle on a simple black dress with a cut up the side, but he was spot on about Sheelagh. Dressed in a sparkling red and black dress the Irish woman looked fantastic.

Gabriel seemed keen to remind them he was there. 'I agree.'

After ordering their starters from the vast menu the foursome fell into chit-chat, avoiding the unspoken taboo of work Thanks to a rather sexist comment of Phil's they'd landed on the subject of men versus women.

Sheelagh was being surprisingly vocal about her thoughts. 'You think you have it so rough.'

'Yeah, well,' Phil answered. 'You just blame everything on your hormones.'

Sam felt she just had to break in. 'No, you blame everything on hormones. We just accept it's all your fault.'

Across the table, Sheelagh smiled.

'Hang on.' Phil wasn't going to give up. 'Women make mistakes too, you know.'

'We own up to them,' Sam replied.

At that, Gabriel flinched. He'd been fairly quiet since they'd arrived, something Sam had noticed even if Sheelagh didn't seem to have. It was strange. Being the type of man he was, ex-military and someone who definitely fancied himself a tough guy, Sam was surprised he hadn't jumped in to help Phil on his little crusade. From the way he was throwing irritated glances at his date there was obviously a problem though Sheelagh hadn't noticed the looks anymore than she had the silence.

'Your starters.' The waiter interrupted them, luckily, Sam thought wryly.

There was little more talk until part-way through the main course. For some reason or another Sam had recalled an incident from her adolescence where she'd managed to get a distant cousin maimed by a wild day. That had opened up the gateway and for the last ten minutes or so she and Sheelagh had been batting various experiences across the table. Until Phil choked on a potato beside her she'd almost forgotten he was there.

At that point Sheelagh seemed to remember Gabriel was there. It was a shame, Sam told herself, to have to change course just so they could include the men in the conversation. She, for one, had been enjoying the light banter. It was relaxing talking to Sheelagh, she didn't have to maintain a professional face or try and hold anything back as she ocassionally did with Phil.

'How's your food?' Gabriel finally spoke up.

'Delicious,' Sheelagh answered, looking at him properly for the first time since they'd sat down. 'This really was a brilliant idea.'

'I'll drink to that,' he answered, topping up Sheelagh's glass with wine. 'Thanks for the invitation, Sam.'

The way he said it was chilling her. Excusing herself, she headed for the washroom intent on splashing away some of her worries. The water though just made her creased brow more prominent.

After a few minutes, when she was just contemplating going back to the table, the door swung open and Sheelagh came in, slightly worry etched on her face. 'Everything alright?'

'Oh, no, I...' Sam steadied herself. 'The boys okay?'

'They're talking about cars,' Sheelagh smiled, coming over to the sinks. 'Somehow I don't think we'll be missed.'

Sam nodded, wondering what next to say. 'I was a bit worried when you took leave.'

'Really?'

'You sound surprised.'

'Well, I am. To be honest I didn't think anyone would notice.'

'You underestimate yourself, Sheelagh. You're a big part of the station.'

'I find that hard to believe.'

'Take my word for it.' Sam paused. 'How are things between you and Gabriel then? Tell me if I'm being too nosy, I can't help it sometimes.'

'Not at all. No, it's going well, I think.'

'Really? That's good.'

'What about you and Phil?' Sheelagh questioned.

'Well, you know Phil. I'm having to keep him in check.'

'Yeah. Good luck with that.'

'It's crazy, isn't it?' Sam leaned against the wall. 'I've known him for years, despised him for a good part of that time.'

'What changed?' asked Sheelagh softly.

'I don't know. He got shot, that helped.'

'I suppose it doesn't matter where you start, it's where you end up that's important.'

'That would make every relationship I've ever had unimportant.'

Sheelagh smiled slightly. 'Maybe that's the point.'

Absorbing that, Sam looked over. 'Do you believe in there being one true love for everybody?'

'I thought I did, with Patrick. Now I'm not so sure.'

'Gabriel's not the one then?'

'Is Phil?' Sheelagh answered back. 'How are we supposed to know? Love... Even you can't work that one out with logic.'

'Don't worry, I can try.'

A few minutes later the pair returned to the table, finding Phil and Gabriel sat in silence. It wasn't clear how long they'd been like that but neither of them looked particularly happy. Sam glanced over to Sheelagh who seemed more uncomfortable in Gabriel's company than she had before. Wasn't that what Sam had wanted?

Phil was obviously working on being a gentleman. 'Is everything okay?'

She reached for his hand under the table. 'Of course.'

He looked satisfied with the answer, Gabriel didn't though. Perhaps he'd noticed how Sheelagh was now closer to Phil than him. Sam wondered what was going through her mind, if her discomfort had anything to do with her not believing (and rightly so) that Gabriel was 'the one' then the new tension-filled atmosphere was courtesy of their conversation. Sam hadn't wanted to end the evening on a sour note but that seemed the way it was heading.

To be blunt, it ended precisely like that. Dessert was a quiet affair, every so often the two women met eyes but there was no talking. The only sound coming form their table was the clanking of spoons on fine china. Briefly, Sam wondered how they were looking to outsiders now. Like the complicated group they were probably.

As soon as was politely possible the group split in two. Gabriel became the perfect gentleman again, helping Sheelagh with her coat, wrapping an arm around her in what could have easily been construed as an affectionate gesture. From where Sam was standing he was aiming to prove he still had control. Despite her best efforts and Sheelagh's earlier uneasiness, perhaps he did.

They separated at the doors. It seemed strange, given the close proximity of Sam and Sheelagh's houses, that they weren't sharing a cab but the men seemed to be agreement. Also, Sam had the feeling that Phil at least was angling for an invite in. Maybe she'd offer it.

That's not quite the end of the evening though...