A/N: I promise I'm not deliberately taking my time with this, why would I take pleasure in making you wait? Okay, don't answer that. Might be crossing into evil again. Sorry, Claire. As for the query about the number of chapters, I don't know. I'm kind of winging it at the moment but there will be a few more at least.

'Are you gonna tell me what happened last night or what? Phil questioned as he sat at his desk. 'You've been in a mood all morning.'

Sam glanced up for a moment. 'There's nothing to tell. I spent some time with Belinda, end of.'

'You're kidding me, yeah? You spent half the night with Sheelagh and nothing happened?'

'You've got a sordid mind, Phil.'

'I didn't mean that. You didn't talk to her or anything?'

'This isn't something I want to discuss.'

Shrugging, he picked up his jacket and made for the door. 'It's a kid, Sam. Not a rabid dog.'

Once he'd left and she had the chance to focus back on the computer screen Sam found she couldn't. The day she started listening to what Phil Hunter had to say was the day she'd promised to shoot herself but he was talking sense. As were Abigail and Gina.

While they'd been changing Belinda's nappy the previous evening Sam had got a startling glimpse of what her future with Sheelagh would be like. And despite the abundance of brown stuff in the vision it was a happy one. They'd be woken at three o'clock, either by their baby or Belinda, she would do the honours, more rest for Sheelagh. It was the happy family unit she'd secretly craved for years. But there was a glitch. When she pictured herself holding the baby, she couldn't look at it, she couldn't bear to.

She tried acknowledging what Phil and Abi had been trying to drum into- it was a baby, nothing else. And she remembered what Sheelagh had said at the hospital about Glen Weston being Abi's father, it didn't make her a monster. Just because David Kent was the baby's dad it didn't mean the child would be the image of the father, not with love around it. And if the baby had a huge dollop of Sheelagh in it, how could she not love it?

'Sheelagh!'

Seeing DI Manson charging towards her was the slightest bit intimidating so she was quick to stand, forgetting all about her lukewarm coffee she'd been toying with for half an hour. 'Sir?'

'You arrested a man a couple of months ago, Clive Carmichael?'

'Yes, it was Roger and me. He's a small time drug dealer, at least that's what we suspected, we couldn't prove anything because he was clean.'

'You arrested him on suspicion of drug dealing?' Manson questioned.

'We saw him consorting with Jeff Gibson, it seemed reason enough to bring him in.'

'But you didn't find anything?'

'Not that I recall. Why, what's he done?'

'We think he's moved into arms, we got his name and a partial location from a kid we arrested, blew his own finger off with a converted weapon.'

'Seems a leap from drugs to converted guns,' Sheelagh commented uncertainly.

'Well, the boy was understandably upset, I don't think he'd lie.'

'No, probably not. What do you want from me?'

'I need you with us,' answered Manson. 'Roger's on a shout and you're the only one who can give us a positive ID.'

'I'm supposed to be staying in the station, Sir.'

'One trip won't make a difference. Suzie and I'll meet you in the car park.'

As he disappeared she realised she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Besides, it might be nice to get out for a while.

'Gina, have you seen Sheelagh?'

The Inspector looked up from whatever she was typing. 'Not since this morning, she's around though.'

'Okay, thanks.'

'Oi, oi,' Gina stopped her before she could escape. 'You don't get away that easy. Am I to assume you've come to your senses then?'

Sam shrugged. 'Assume what you want.'

'Well, Sheelagh will be pleased.'

Forgetting her supposed air of indifference, she moved further into the office. 'You don't think I've left it too late do you?'

'I doubt it, not with the way she feels about you. I think she'd have waited a lot longer than a month.'

'It shouldn't have taken me that long.'

'Sam,' Gina said slowly. 'You do want the whole thing don't you? The baby, the whole shebang?'

'Of course. I can't have Sheelagh without the baby and, you know, the idea's started to grow on me.'

'What, screaming day and night? Rather you than me.'

'I'm serious, Gina. What's so strange about the idea?'

'Trying to tell you that now would be pointless.'

Well, she could think of more exciting people to be stuck in a car with. While she was willing to accept DI Manson and DC Sim were good at their jobs they had the conversation skills of a pair of poisonous snakes. It seemed everything Sam had said about the DI being an idiot was true despite how she'd ridiculed it at the time. Call it naivety but she'd assumed social skills were as important as police ability in rising through the ranks. Perhaps she'd been wrong.

'Sheelagh.' Manson snapped her from her thoughts as he indicated a couple of men converging under the archway ahead. Though their own car was parked well back under the shade of a tree and it was fairly safe to assume they couldn't be seen Sheelagh found herself shrinking back a little. 'Do you recognise either of them?'

'Yes,' she answered immediately. 'The one on the left, it's Clive Carmichael.'

'You're positive?'

'A hundred percent, Sir.'

'Right. What about the other one, any ideas?'

Taking a proper look, she shook her head. 'Sorry, no.'

'I think I recognise him, Guv.' Ah, Suzie had a voice after all! 'Nick Danes, small-time shoplifter. A few convictions, no prison sentences.'

Manson nodded. 'Well, if we're right and Carmichael has taken an interest in firearms, I'd say this Danes is moving into armed robbery.'

Suzie strained her eyes. 'I wonder what's in the bag.'

'Probably the gun.'

'Should we get them now do you think?'

The DI seemed to be considering it until he glanced into the backseat. 'No, call some uniform in. Have them pick up the pair separately when they leave here.'

'Guv,' Suzie answered as she picked up the radio.

For a few minutes Carmichael and Danes talked until a siren wailed in the distance. It was only an ambulance but it rattled Danes who grabbed the bag, pushed an envelope into Carmichael's hands then ran into the shadow of the archway.

As Carmichael disappeared also, Manson rolled down his window to see where Danes had got to. A second later an engine revved and a blue wreck of a car sped out from the arch.

'He's heading this way!' Manson quickly rolled the window back up. 'Get down.'

'No, Guv,' Suzie said. 'We've been spotted.'

Glancing at the car Nick Danes was in Sheelagh saw DC Sim was right. For a moment he just looked a terrified boy then he hardened. The next thing she registered the car was speeding towards them.

'Get out now!' Manson instructed as he and Suzie abandoned ship.

Feeling slightly panicked Sheelagh reached for the door handle, almost screaming when it jammed. A quick jangle and it came loose but as she looked up she saw Nick Danes bearing down on her. Without thinking, she forced the door and threw herself onto the grass as far away from the car as possible.

A moment later she felt both cars explode but her mind was on a much more important matter as Suzie came to help. 'My baby...'

The search had been a fruitless one, though talking to almost every officer in the station meant her promised caseload had doubled and she was fairly sure she'd agreed to dinner with an eager probationer. Oh, well, it couldn't be helped.

Finally, she returned to her desk on the basis that eyebrows would definitely be raised if she, the great detective, didn't do some work at some point. The trouble was that Phil and Gina were steamrolling out of CID as she approached and heading for her. 'Is everything alright?'

One close look at Gina's face gave her the answer.

'It's Sheelagh, isn't it?'

The Inspector nodded. 'You need to get to the hospital.'

'What is it, is she alright?'

'She was out with the DI and Suzie,' Phil answered. 'We don't know anything else.'

'Okay, okay. I have to get there.'

'I'll come with you.'

'No,' Gina said quickly. 'I'll take you.'