Nikki

"I was close though, wasn't I?" Jack grins, oozing charm.

Our attention is diverted by a door opening somewhere in the building.

"Jack – wait!" I exclaim nervously as he automatically moves with the intention to investigate.

It could be anything. It could be Alan Lane – but Jack brushes off my concerns.

"It's alright. Come on."

As we get closer to the door at the end of the room we're in, we hear muffled whimpering. Imogen's daughter, perhaps. Upon entering, we find a padlocked cage in the back of the sort of walk-in storage cupboard. A young girl is bound and gagged – cowering in the corner of the cage.

"Karen? Karen – it is Karen, isn't it?" I inquire, seeking confirmation to which she nods. "Don't worry we're going to get you out of here."

"Yeah – I'm on it." Jack agrees, looking around for something to break open the cage with. He settles on a crowbar. "Stand back! Stand back!"

She's terrified and I have to repeat his instruction to the frightened teenager. "Stand back, Karen."

"It's ok, don't worry. It's alright." We reassure her as Jack removes the gag and binding.

"Can you walk? Well done," I add encouragingly to the shaking girl.

The next few minutes are not as easy as they might have been – nor as calm as the newly-released Karen needs. It starts with Jack noticing a light on in the room diagonally above. It was not on when we were in there – and we did not switch it on.

The door we heard opening.

"Nikki..." Jack remarks, his breath hitching slightly with fear and urgency. "Let's go."

But before we can go, a gunshot rings out and Jack roughly shoves Karen and I out the way. Karen lands on me and I in turn land heavily on my bandaged hand. I don't have time to register any added pain due to fear.

"Jack!" I yell, terrified, at first, that he has been shot and then secondly as he fights Alan Lane for possession of the gun, I worry that he still could be. "Jack!" As the situation escalate and becomes more dire, I manage to push Karen behind me and instruct her to get to safety.

By this point, the dangerous man has got the upper hand. After Jack manages to get the gun away from Lane, the latter dominates him by violently hitting him and knocking his shoulder out of joint. Jack crashes to the floor with an agonized yell, while Lane towers menacingly above him. Producing the hunting knife that no doubt boasts detaching my finger, Alan Lane lurches forward towards Jack's chest and only by sheer inner strength and determination, does Jack overcome the pain he is in to use his physical toughness to build a barrier between the knife and his heart.

I clamber to my feet, wincing as I inadvertently put pressure on my wound. I grab the first thing I see and hit Alan Lane as hard as I possibly can. He's the one to crash to the floor this time, out cold – and away from Jack.

"You ok" I ask breathlessly for my heart is still in my mouth.

It's a silly question, considering how much pain he's clearly in.

"Thank you." He gasps as I help him up.

Jack

"It's ok, darling. We're safe now...Hey, don't worry." Imogen murmurs, trying to comfort her daughter.

After tending to Karen's head, the paramedics turn their attention to my shoulder and Nikki's finger, which has started bleeding again, and Alan Lane is brought out of the building – now fully conscious.

He gazes possessively at Imogen and menacingly at Karen, before DS Barton forcibly moves him on.

Lane's eyes fall on Nikki's hand and he leers at her with a gleeful smirk.

I want to punch him. I could punch him. No one would blame me.

I really could, but Nikki grabs my good arm with her right hand to prevent me and turns away from the nasty creep, seeming to be outwardly unaffected.

I know differently, but she's refusing point blank to give Alan Lane the satisfaction he wants.

"Did my husband do that to you?" A voice asks after Lane is taken away. Nikki turns to find Imogen addressing her. "I'm so sorry." Imogen says, widening her comment to me. "I'm so sorry you both got hurt, but thank you for saving my daughter."

"Yes, thank you." Karen whispers.

Ds Barton offers to take us and my car back to the Lyell and uniform pick him up from there, the case finally over - that man caught.

Nikki and I are later invited to meet the now-free Roly Henderson and Emma at the park.

"Wee-hee!" Emma squeals as she whizzes along on the zip-wire swing.

Nikki claps her hands together in delight. "Whoa!"

"Thank you Nikki."

She smiles at Roly. "Oh my pleasure."

"You looked south whilst everyone else looked north." He continues. "I'd be in prison if you hadn't."

His gratitude fully displayed, he turns his attention to his little girl. "Was that good?"

Emma nods happily. "I'm starving. Can we get a pizza?"

"Yeah course we can" Her Dad agrees.

Emma hasn't finished yet. "Can Nikki and Jack come?" she requests hopefully.

"Oh, erm, I think they've probably got better things to do." Roly comments.

Well, I'm never going to turn down a pizza. The moon will be lime green with orange spots before that happens.

"Oh never say no to a pizza!" I exclaim, but Nikki intervenes.

"I think we've got to get back to work."

"Spoil sport!" I sigh, disappointed.

We've got two good hands between us and she wants to go back to work, but that's Nikki for you! Workaholic!

"We'll see you really soon, ok?" Nikki promises giving Emma a hug.

It's quite endearing to watch this maternal side of her.

Roly shakes Nikki's hand. "Thanks for everything" He turns to me and grasps my hand. "Good luck"

"Cheers, thank you" I respond, slightly taken aback. Good luck?

"I could take buy you a pizza if you like." I offer Nikki as we walk away. "Kind of feel like I should."

"Why's that?" She answers.

"Well, without you I wouldn't have a functioning oesophagus" I point out.

"You can buy me pizza if you like – I won't say no!" She chuckles. "Come on – better call a taxi."

"A taxi?!" I retort in amazement.

She sighs. "Neither of us can drive at the moment, Jack." She reminds me. "Leo dropped us off here and we said we'd get a taxi back – remember!"

"Oh right, yeah."

I kick myself. Of course – two hands between us.

When we get back to the Lyell, Clarissa informs us that we have guests. Not people visiting the chapel of rest as is normally the case but guests.

Edith, Imogen and Karen have brought flowers for Nikki, chocolates for me and a bottle of wine each. It's nice to be appreciated.