A/N: Little more for you. And I've added my new blog address to my profile page, worth checking out if you want to know what stories are going up where.

Sam wasn't sure what to make of how Sheelagh was acting. Since their arrival in the quiet bar an hour earlier she'd maintained the closeness though kept her eyes firmly on Gina across the table. It was understandable, in part anyway. From a snatched conversation Sam had managed with Gina at the bar it seemed Sheelagh couldn't go through with the allegation without her. It was odd to think that, while she couldn't look her in the eye, she needed her. In a way it confirmed what Gina had said about her needing her but not wanting to accept the reasons why.

Once Gina excused herself to make a phone call Sam decided to test the waters. 'What's the difference between needing and wanting someone?'

'Sam.'

'Seriously, I'm interested.'

Finally, Sheelagh looked at her. 'Can't you just leave it?'

'I just want you to accept my apology.'

'I have.'

'If that is the case,' Sam said slowly. 'Why don't you come back with me for a little bit?'

'That's not a good idea.'

'Why not?'

'Leave it, will you, Samantha?'

Seeing the discomfort she decided it was probably a good idea. 'Do you want another drink?'

'No, I'm...' Sheelagh stopped as Gina reappeared, worry etched on her face. 'What is it?'

'Erm, Barton Street officers went to Sun Hill but Gabriel wasn't there. He's gone off radar. DS Bowman thinks someone might have tipped him off about the allegation.'

Sheelagh visibly stiffened. 'What?'

Gina sat down. 'That's not the worst of it. Thanks to Barton Street CID storming in and choosing JT to interrogate...'

'It's all over the nick,' Sam finished. 'How much of it exactly?'

'They know he's been accused of rape and they know it's another officer.'

'So basically everything?' Sheelagh stood up. 'I have to get out of here.'

'No, no.' Sam made sure she stopped her leaving. 'Wait. It'll be okay.'

'How? He'll try to change my mind!'

'Then that'll just prove his guilt won't it?'

Sheelagh snorted. 'It's easy to say that.'

'Easy?' Sam also stood. 'You think it's easy, me seeing you like this?'

After a moment of silence Gina joined the pair on their feet. 'Let's take this somewhere else.'

'I'm going home,' Sheelagh said.

'That's not a good idea,' Gina answered. 'It's the first place he'll look.'

'I'll book into a hotel then. That's allowed isn't it?'

'Ideally, you'd be with someone.'

'I will be. Five hundred other guests.'

Gina smiled slightly. 'That's not what I meant.'

Sheelagh ignored the reply. 'I'll need to pick up some clothes.'

Seeing she was practically invisible, Sam picked up her bag. 'I've got errands to run. Call if you need me.'

The brave face was starting to wear off when Sheelagh found herself alone in her dingy hotel room late that evening. Gina had called a few times- there was no news on Gabriel and, for once, no news was bad news. The feeling that he could be lurking anywhere didn't frighten her as such, it made her worry about all the innocent women out there who could be bearing the brunt of his vicious temper. At the back of her mind was the thought that she could've prevented the situation if only she'd reported it earlier. If anything happened to anyone she'd be to blame.

Then another voice, strangely like Samantha's, rubbished that idea. It was Gabriel to blame for everything. That had to be remembered.

Despite her best efforts to be quiet, as she came through the door Sam managed to drop her bag on the floor spilling out all her bits and pieces. As she started to pick it all up a light came on upstairs and Abi appeared. 'Do you have any idea what time it is?'

'Sorry. I had things to do.'

'At one o'clock in the morning?'

Checking her watch as she straightened up she realised it was later than she'd thought. 'I lost track of time.'

Her daughter came down the stairs. 'Where were you?'

'It doesn't matter.'

'This is to do with Sheelagh, isn't it?'

'What makes you think that?' Sam took off into the kitchen pouring herself a glass of water after ruling out the whisky bottle she had stashed under the sink

'You've been off since she disappeared yesterday. What's going on?'

'It's nothing.'

'Mum, I'm not a child anymore! I'm a friend of Sheelagh's, I deserve to know if she's okay.'

Briefly, Sam's mind flicked back to something PC Murphy herself had said about Abi's talkative and persuasive nature. 'Alright, Abigail. Sit.'

Doing as she was told, the younger Nixon looked forward expectantly. 'Did she change her mind about reporting the rape?'

'Yeah. She did it this afternoon.'

'What's the problem then?'

'I didn't tell you the whole story before,' Sam admitted. 'The rapist... He was a colleague of Sheelagh's, of mine. After we reported it at another station the allegation was leaked and he's done a runner.'

'What? Well, why isn't she here with us? She can't be on her own!'

'She's in a hotel, she's okay.'

'I didn't mind her being here, you know. It wasn't...'

'No, no,' Sam interjected. 'Sheelagh felt uncomfortable, it was nothing to do with you. To be honest, we've discovered we're too different to be near each other.'

'What does that mean?'

'Oh, nothing. I suppose I better get some sleep.'

'Mum?' Abi stopped her before she left the room. 'Where were you?'

'Looking for PC Kent,' she answered with a shrug.