The phone rang and rang. Isabella lay in the bath surrounded by bubbles and tried to block out real life; she wasn't in the mood for having contact with the living. All she really wanted to do was crawl under her covers and stay there for the rest of the day, which was what she did until later that night.

"Why don't you answer the damn door", Eva muttered as she rang the bell for the tenth time. She listened hard and could hear the faint scuffing sound of someone coming slowly down the stairs.

"Who is it?", Izzy sounded half asleep but at least she was at the door.

"It's me", she shouted through the wooden panels.

"Who's me?"

"Eva!"

"Oh…", she gave the faint reply before struggling with latch and opening the door. Eva burst in before being invited, "What's the matter?"

She went straight through to the living room and made herself comfortable. Izzy entered, crossed armed, waiting to be told what progress she had made on the job front.

"And?"

"And?", Eva pretended not to know what she was going on about.

"Have you got anything to tell me?"

"No", she casually removed her jacket, "Oh, except you've got a job."

Isabella squealed with delight and leapt onto the sofa.

"That's not even the best part", Eva continued, "You've got a job in the same station as me!"

Both women allowed themselves to turn into sixteen year old girls as they cheered and hugged and then brought out the wine to celebrate. That was what they had done every year when they found out which classes they would be in, in school and if they would be together. After some time and many more bottles of wine they decided to hit the town to really celebrate.

"Where should we go?", Izzy knew literally nothing of SunHill where they had ended up.

"Just my local. That way you can stay at mine tonight and we can get roaring drunk!" Izzy laughed, she loved this side to her friend, "It also gives you the chance to meet some of the officers you'll be working with. Make some friends, eh?" This time only Eva laughed.

"God no", Izzy sounded appalled by such a suggestion, "I can't meet them like this. I'm three sheets to the wind near enough and I must look a state!"

Eva stopped by the pub door. She looked her friend up and down as Isabella stood holding her jacket open. She wore a red V-neck sleeveless top accompanied by a red choker, a black wrap-round skirt with white print detail at the hem, black sling backs, her hair was down and feathered inwardly, as far as Eva could see she was as gorgeous as ever and she told her so.

"Can I get three pints of lager and an orange juice", Kerry Young ordered over the bar as Eva and guest entered. She noticed the attractive female accompanying her colleague and wondered where it was she had seen her before but it wasn't until they got closer that she recognised her.

"Hey it's you!", Kerry sounded surprised to see the two women together.

"And it's you…", Izzy was unsure of herself, thinking this blonde and her knew each other but she didn't remember her.

"We're not going to be seeing any fist fights tonight are we girls?", Smithy joined them.

Izzy and Eva both ha-ha'd before ordering their drinks. Idle chitchat took place and once Kerry was officially introduced to Isabella, she invited them over to their table, much to Gary Best's pleasure. He caught sight of Izzy and forgot all about Honey whom he had spent half an hour chatting up and was just about to get somewhere. It was snug fit in the booth but everyone was soon talking amongst themselves, Izzy was hitting it off with everyone and by home time she was as happy as could be. Having made some good friends, she knew she was going to love working in SunHill alongside them all.

"You coming?", someone called from an over-flowing taxi.

"Sure", she looked into the cab and thought twice. I was large enough to fit around seven people yet they had managed to cram in fifteen.

"I can't come in that!"

"Why not?", Eva seemed quite comfortable on Danny Glaze's knee and he had a certain look in his eye. She owed it to her friend to make sure she got into her own bed that night.

"Ok", she said reluctantly as she manoeuvred around, trying to find a comfortable position but she ended up in sergeant Smith's lap. The two semi smiled at each other to try and take lessen awkwardness but it didn't work. The taxi drew to a halt outside Eva's house and Izzy clambered out, apologising and grabbing her friend by the collar. They stood on the pavement and watched as the cab drove away. Once round the corner the ladies took to the walkway, singing as they went.

The Alka-Seltzer hit the water with a 'plop' and whizzed around, taking it's time to dissolve.

"You don't look well."

"Stating the obvious…no wonder you make a good PC Iz."

Shuffling around the kitchen as if she had lived there for a lifetime, Izzy began making some light toast which Eva could eat but there wasn't even time to put it on a plate before the children ran screeching into the room, demanding to be fed their favourite cereal. Eva groaned whilst Izzy laughed.

"Mummy", the youngest gripped her arm and pulled her right to the floor. Once down there she decided to sit and because she was sitting, they all did once the breakfast had been served up. Eva lent back and watched the others, she was wearing a strappy top and as she slid her right hand in between her skin and the material, she winced.

"What's up?", Izzy began clearing the plates and bowls away.

"Oh nothing", her face remained twisted in pain, "The dog banged into me this morning and you know how it can hurt when you get hit there!"

They both laughed.

"Yeah I know. Men aint got no right to complain!" Izzy kept an eye on her friend as she washed up. She wondered why she hadn't mentioned it earlier and exactly how could the dog hit her chest? She dismissed her thoughts that she was being lied to, after all, what could she be hiding from a pain in her chest?

"Come on!" DS Hunter slammed his horn. He had been trapped in traffic for nearly an hour, "The DI's gonna bite my head off for this!" Little did he know that a few cars ahead of him sat Samantha Nixon, waiting just as impatiently as he was for the congestion to clear, "Hunter's gonna love this, after all the hassle I give him for being late!"

"Pick a card…any card…", a street act seemed to have taken up residency outside the nick and was trying to entice the arriving officers into a game.

"How much?", Izzy wondered if it would really be worth asking.

"For you my lovely lady, I'll set a price of one pound, one pound only, would you like a go?"

'What the hell', she thought as she laid her money and he his cards on the green felt. It would only take two minutes of her time and it would cost the amount of a pint, she didn't even plan on drinking that night, not with a flat to find. He spread the pack out wide and repeated that she was to pick a card, she did.

"Memorise it", she did.

"Put it back in the pack anywhere", she did. The man turned his back to her as this took place.

"Now", he faced her again, scooped up the cards, shuffled them and produced one announcing 'this is your card'. It wasn't. Despite this, Izzy clapped and pretended to be lost as to how he had done it, she didn't have the heart to tell him that he was bad at his profession.

As they carried on talking a car flew into the car park, nearly knocking Izzy off her feet. She watched as a blond woman in a suit, clinging to a briefcase parked and ran into the building. This car was swiftly followed by another, this time a man wearing a suit leapt from the drivers seat and hurried into the police station. 'No doubt CID', she smirked.

"Get lost", Izzy turned back to 'card man' and found two male officers standing over him. She recognised one of them but the other she was still to meet.

"The police station really isn't the best place to be doing this, why not try the pitches where people set up stalls, it's only around the corner", the other man pointed but sergeant Smith was already acting. He folded the table up and handed it to the man, telling him where to go. The young street worker looked defeated and walked off.

"Was that really necessary?"

Izzy knew she shouldn't be questioning her superiors but as far as she could see the man was doing nothing wrong. Smithy didn't provide an answer, just a look.

"DS Hunter", Nixon smiled, "Late again are we? Better take a note of that" She failed to mention that she herself had arrived only moments before. Phil muttered something under his breath but Samantha let it go, she had had her fun.

Eva strode down the corridor, counting down the minutes until DS McAllister would start her shift. She was lucky enough to be leaving early but Mickey would be taking over, something which he wasn't too happy to do.

"Hey", Juliet nodded in her direction as she entered the office.

"Hey", she replied, "Morning Sarge" Phil waved to show that she had been acknowledged but he was too busy to actually speak to her.

"Good morning Eva", Nixon sat on the edge of her desk as they began discussing work. For some reason she seemed a lot more relaxed and friendly, then again that might have had to do with Eva's good mood. 'Maybe it's just rubbing off on people'.

"Oh and I heard you were leaving early today", Nixon lowered her voice.

"Yes guv. A doctors appointment, nothing serious though just a cough I've had for a while" Samantha nodded; having been reassured she got back to her office and her own investigations. Eva placed her hand over her breast again, it hadn't stopped aching since that morning and it was beginning to annoy her. "That bloody dog's stronger than I thought."

Isabella burst into the girls locker room to find it empty.

"Shit." She was late, as she knew she would be. She may have arrived at the actual station on time but finding the locker room had been harder than first anticipated. She undressed quickly, put on her uniform and was still struggling with the equipment belt when she reached the briefing room.

"Glad you could join us", was all sergeant Smith said to her before assigning officers their duties for the day, "And last but not least our newest arrival, Isabella Angel for all of you who don't know her, will be with me on foot patrol."

The troops began to file out, patting her shoulder, saying hello, briefly shaking hands, all the expected things to welcome her into the relief. She beamed. They were all good people and each and every one of them seemed to like her.

"You coming or wot?" Smithy walked right by her.

'At least with him in front I can make all the faces I want and he won't see me', she sniggered. Suddenly she felt her phone vibrate, causing her to jump but she scrolled down and read the message from Eva. She was going to take about an hour before her doctor's appointment so they could have lunch and she wondered if she would be able to ditch her partner.

She glanced up at Smithy who was now waiting at the gate. Biting her lip to hide the smile, she sent a message back, 'Luv 2. Will meet u at café in shoppin centre in 3 hrs.'

"You coming or what?", Izzy sauntered by, getting her plan straight in her head.