Many thanks to A for Antechinus & Sez01 for your reviews and since tomorrow is going to be an early start and a busy day, I thought I'd post this tonight instead. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas etc to anyone who reads this, hope it is a bright and happy time for you all.
Yada yada yada, I don't own 'em, I don't make any profit from them, heck I don't make any money at all from this, just having some fun.
Enjoy and as always, I humbly await any reviews/words of wisdom/constructive criticism you might want to launch my way!
"She's finally asleep," Sam stated as she returned to the lounge. It had taken herself and Lorna a couple of hours to persuade Lucy to stay and to hear the latest news of Jo's battle. Lorna could see that Sam too was worried for her friend and had been a tower of strength for both women, reassuring them that Jo was in the best possible place and that her temporary quarantine was simply a necessity to give her the best chance of fighting off the infection and not contracting any further viruses while she was so vulnerable. "Fancy another drink before we talk about what brought you here?"
"Yeah, but there's something else I'd like too if possible?" Lorna asked shyly.
"What's that then?" Rather than verbalising her answer, the Scottish woman opted to wrap her arms around Sam's slender waist and pull her close, leaning her head down to rest on top of Sam's blonde crown. She held her tightly, yet delicately, as though it would be the last time ever she would have the opportunity to do so – which, Lorna admitted to herself, it could quite possibly prove to be. She was overcome with a need to show Sam just how much she meant to her, despite their agreement that they would take things slowly. She lowered her head, trailing feather-light kisses along Sam's neck, nipping at the tendons which stood out prominently when she tilted her head to allow Lorna greater access. A gentle whimper of approval escaped Sam's lips as Lorna's hand drifted up to rest on her small, pert breast, her nipple hardening at the contact despite the layers of clothing in between. "Lorna…" The Scot was unsure whether the whispered word was a plea for more or a request to slow down. Leaving her hand where it was, she drew back to look into her lover's eyes to find the answer. The dark liquid pools of desire staring back at her stole the breath from her lungs. She lunged forward, pinning Sam between her own body and the edge of the sofa, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that spoke of her burning need to touch the other woman. They sank down onto the sofa still attached at the lips, with Lorna moving to straddle the now seated Sam. The detective allowed her hands to wander to the edge of the teal coloured jumper Lorna was wearing, teasing it up enough to let her fingers brush against the smooth, soft skin of her lower back, tracing the outline of each verterbra and causing a sharp intake of breath. The feel of Sam's hands on her bare skin broke the last shred of Lorna's resolve. Breaking their kiss, she took hold of the hem of her jumper and tore it off over her head, chest heaving as she watched Sam's eyes fix on her simple cotton bra encasing modest breasts. Seeing the flicker of uncertainty in the expressive blue eyes of her companion, Lorna reached down and peeled Sam's hands off her hips and placing them over Lorna's barely covered breasts. Her nipples reacted instantly and she hissed at the contact, arching into the touch which pressed her groin into Sam's own. "Oh God…" Sam groaned quietly, eyes rolling back into her head and her hands taking on a life of their own as they mapped the contours of Lorna's breasts, tracing ever hardening, straining nipples and revelling in the rocking motion of Lorna's hips.
"Touch me…" Lorna begged, her voice raw with her need. The realisation of what they were doing, in such an open setting with Lucy upstairs suddenly dawned on Sam.
"Lorna, wait… Lorna please, stop…" Sam's words penetrated the haze of arousal surrounding the redhead's brain. With difficulty, she stilled her hips but remained in her position straddling Sam's lap.
"Please Sam, I need you," Lorna pleaded, her eyes expressing how strong that need was.
"We agreed to go slowly," Sam reminded her, resting her hands back against the cushions of the sofa, not daring to touch Lorna in case her own resolve melted. Something about the situation was niggling at her though, something that didn't sit well with the Lorna she knew and was growing to love. "We have all the time in the world and I want it to be something special when it happens. I don't want either of us to wake up the next morning with regrets."
"We don't know how long we have. What if we only have tonight? What if this is it? Our one shot?" Lorna began peppering kisses along Sam's neck once again. Despite her best efforts to remain impassive, Sam wrapped her arms around Lorna's slim form. She felt the other woman trembling.
"What is it Lorna? Talk to me? What's brought this on?" Sam managed to rasp out, even as Lorna's lips did their utmost to distract her from rational thought. "Please Lorna, you're worrying me, this isn't like you. What's going on?" Lorna's mouth stopped its oral assault on Sam's neck and her head dropped against Sam's shoulder. The shaking intensified and after a moment, Sam realised that Lorna was actually sobbing. "Hey, sshhhh, it's ok, it's going to be ok. Whatever it is, we'll take care of it, together." Sam managed to manoeuvre them both so that they were lying face to face on the couch, legs entwined, arms wrapped around one another. "Come on sweetheart, talk to me. What's this all about?"
"Sam, I… This investigation; the fire, the children, the videos, it's bigger than either of us could have imagined. The DNA results came back today. Dawid was held in that room, which means the videos of him were almost undoubtedly shot in the second room that was in that basement. We can safely assume that there was at least one other room used for filming in the main part of the house, given that the angle and size of the dome and cross on St Barnabas' school are consistent with those seen in the videos Izzy was forced to watch by Kirk. Any physical evidence from rooms above ground though was destroyed in the fire or in the aftermath by the fire brigade when they doused the flames. There is more than enough evidence in that basement though to prove what was going on and a good number of examples of who was doing it too. Sam, the people involved… alone, we'll never manage to get a result on this. We're talking politicians, musicians, actors, high ranking police officers way above Heaton's pay grade, doctors, teachers and a chief executive of a local government all implicated in being in that basement. It's massive and very well connected. There's no wonder it hasn't been cracked before, or that these people will do whatever's necessary to make sure their secrets remain hidden." Lorna's voice was breathless, her expression having switched from dazed to petrified. "I emailed a copy of the DNA reports, photographs and transaction listings to the Independent Police Complaints Commission from an anonymous email account on my way over here but it wouldn't take someone long to piece together who sent it. Sam, I've asked to meet with someone from the IPCC tomorrow to discuss this, in a neutral location and after that, I've no idea what's going to happen. I've taken some time off work effective immediately – I told them I needed it urgently to look after my sick mother but honestly, I have no idea if or when I'll be able to go back. When it becomes common knowledge that someone has requested an independent investigation into the handling of investigations surrounding these videos – both this current one and ones in the past where those investigating have met with mysterious accidents – we both need to be aware that we're going to be in a lot of people's sights. There could very well be risks involved, significant risks. I need to lie low for a while and that means not seeing you – I won't be the one to put you in any more danger than you already are."
"Where will you go?" Sam clutched Lorna to her, suddenly understanding much more clearly what had led to their frenetic make-out session.
"I don't know and even if I did, I'm afraid I wouldn't tell you. I know it sounds overly dramatic but I can't rule out the possibility of them using what we feel for one another to get you to tell them where I am." Lorna saw Sam begin to object and placed her fingers against her lips to prevent it. "I know you wouldn't tell them voluntarily but these are not likely to be reasonable people we're dealing with. They all have a lot to lose and will do whatever they must to eliminate any threat to their circle. They can't get information out of you if you don't know it."
"You think that would stop them trying? You think that they would believe you hadn't told me anything? Come on Lorna, don't be so naive. We both know that they wouldn't believe for a moment that we hadn't shared at least some information about what was going on. I think it's fairly safe to assume that Heaton has had Stuart or some other lapdog keeping tabs on us which means he's going to know how much time we've spent together recently and no matter what they believe about the nature of our relationship, I'm sure they're going to assume that somewhere, in all that time, we've spent a while talking shop. They are ruthless and they are desperate and when they find themselves backed into a corner, they are going to be more dangerous than ever. You need to be close to home where you can be protected, where I know that you're ok so I don't take my eye off the ball and do something stupid because all I can think about is you. Damnit Lorna, please see the sense in what I'm saying. Don't make me lose you, please." Sam's eyes misted over at the thought of not being able to see the vibrant redhead. She had come to be such a natural part of Sam's life in recent weeks that the very idea of her not being there cut like a knife.
"I don't want to put you at risk," Lorna insisted quietly, her own voice thick with unshed tears.
"You're not. I put myself in the crosshairs the moment I took this case on and refused to let it go without getting to the bottom of it. You're not to blame for any of this and if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have any hope of ending the ongoing abuse of all these children who have been caught in their web. I want to be there with you when you speak to the IPCC. Let me support you, let me help you and let me do what I do and put this case to rest once and for all, for every person who has been affected by it. And once that's done and the matter is closed, let me take you out for dinner or to a movie or to the theatre, on a proper, official date." Sam snuggled closer to her lover, content to be held in the circle of her arms.
"I don't like the idea of you drawing any more attention to yourself…" Sam cut Lorna off with a stern look.
"Lorna, this is my job, it's what I do on a daily basis. If you can't deal with that then this is a non-starter between us." She pulled away as much as the space she was occupying between Lorna and the back of her sofa would allow, withdrawing from the embrace and levelling an intense stare at the other woman.
"This is an extreme situation, Sam. It's not every day in your job that you come across a child pornography ring which is so well connected they could kill you, dispose of your body and prevent anyone from asking awkward questions! I don't have an issue with your day to day work, hell I should understand it better than most given my own line of work, but this…this is something else. Tell me honestly that you're not worried about your own safety." Lorna implored the stubborn woman to listen to reason as she saw it.
"I can't do that, of course I'm concerned about what the implications of this investigation might be both for myself and more so for you but that doesn't mean to say I'm prepared to walk away from it and let them win, again, like they have so many times in the past because of their strong armed tactics and bullying behaviour. I don't care if the Prime Minister himself is implicated in your findings, it has to stop and we have the means to make that happen. Besides, look at it this way, if there are two of us to corroborate the information, they will have to consider looking into it more carefully than if it was just the say so of one person, no matter what evidence you've sent them. Files, photos can be faked – fair enough the DNA results should speak for themselves but the rest, you may need to convince them of their authenticity. We make a formidable team Lorna, let us do this together and let a whole lot of children live their lives freely without the risk of them falling into these predators hands." Sam tried to sit up, to give herself distance from her companion's body but was stalled by Lorna wrapping her arms around Sam's torso and tugging her closer once more.
"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" Sam shook her head but remained silent. "I can see I'm going to have to pick my battles with you carefully if I want to stand any chance of winning, ever." Lorna smiled to show that she was teasing. A certain tension lingered between them as they lay face to face, each studying the other's features. Sam read the resigned acquiescence in Lorna's eyes and accompanying sigh, her own expression softening in response. "Please don't let me regret this."
Sam strode into DCI Meadows office as soon as he called out to grant her entrance.
"Sam, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Jack was fond of the DI, despite their run-ins and frequent disagreements over the handling of cases. He knew he could trust her to act in the best interests of whatever case she was investigating, even if some of her techniques did make him uncomfortable. He watched the blonde dynamo glance around his office, an air of nervousness about her he was unaccustomed to seeing. "Is everything ok? Is it Jo?"
"No, no, I mean Jo's not doing so well, she has an infection but that's not why I'm here. Jack… can I trust you? If I tell you something, something which could have a massive impact on all of us, can I trust you to keep my confidence?" Sam knew she was taking a big risk but she hoped that her instincts were correct and that the man who had seen so many years on the force would not prove to be intrinsically linked to the paedophile ring they had uncovered.
"Well it depends on what you tell me. If it condones breaking the law, you know I can't turn a blind eye and you should know better than to ask," Jack replied carefully, not liking where the conversation was going already.
"You wouldn't be complicit in anything illegal, in fact I'm hoping that you can be an ally in preventing further crimes from being committed." Sam watched her immediate boss carefully, keeping her tone as neutral as possible and her voice low. She was only too aware of how painfully thin the walls were and the last thing she needed was for Heaton to overhear their conversation from the office next door.
"What's going on, Sam?" Jack's tone demanded an immediate and full response. Taking a deep breath, the DI outlined all that Lorna had discovered and the actions which they had taken following the disappearance of critical evidence. A long moment of stunned silence followed before DCI Meadows asked, "who else knows about this?" Sam informed him of Jo and Grace's limited knowledge but assured him that beyond them, only herself and Lorna were aware of the full extent of the ring.
"Lorna and I are meeting with the IPCC this afternoon to discuss the information she emailed to them last night. It was the only way she could think of to try and force an investigation into this." Sam twisted her hands in her lap nervously, knowing that there was no going back. She had either gained an important ally or just signed her own and Lorna's death warrants and possibly those of Grace and Jo as well if Jack was implicated and it was deemed they were a risk.
"It's going to be a long and difficult fight, are you and Lorna sure you want to stir up this particular hornet's nest?" Jack held a hand up to forestall Sam's furious response, "I fully understand that they cannot be allowed to continue getting away with it but I want you both to be fully aware of the risks you're taking. It is highly possible that you won't get the outcome you hope for and depending on how it goes, it could mean you have to leave the force to protect yourself and your family. If you tell me you've considered all the possibilities and you still want to go ahead then I am willing to back you every step of the way. I will do whatever I can to protect you from Heaton and his henchmen and I will utilise every contact I know I can trust to dig for more information to nail them to the wall." Sam's fury dissipated as she listened to Jack's impassioned pledge of support, knowing that he too would be risking a lot to see justice done.
"Lorna and I talked a lot last night, about the risks, about our families and how it might affect them, about our careers but the thought of what is happening to too many children because no one has been able to stand up to the men responsible for their abuse… it cannot be allowed to continue. Fear is what they thrive on, fear and the power it allows them to exercise over others. We might not get them all and we might die trying but someone, somewhere at some point has to say enough is enough." Sam remembered how she and Lorna had lain in Sam's bed, wrapped in one another's arms, simply needing to hold each other close as they accepted their path lay on the treacherous road ahead.
"I'll cover for you this afternoon and I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything from any of my contacts." Jack effectively dismissed his detective as he turned his attention to the phone on his desk.
Jo yanked the buds out of her ears, losing patience with the tunes filtering through from her tiny mp3 player. She hadn't realised quite how welcome the distraction of having other people around was until she was placed in quarantine and received her treatments with no one else around. She let her head fall back on the pillow, willing the room to stop spinning so that she might stand some hope of reading or watching television to pass the time. The days were dragging without the promise of seeing Lucy to look forward to and Jo found herself missing her young lover more than she thought was possible. Reaching for her mobile phone, Jo squinted at the tiny screen, concentrating all her energy into focusing on the characters appearing as she tapped the keypad gently.
"Hi babe, how r u? Miss u so much, wish I was home in r bed with u in my arms. Love u darling xox"
Flicking through the messages already held in her phone's memory, she re-read a text which Sam had sent her the previous day.
"Hey Jo, hope ur hanging in there & not giving the nurses 2 much grief. Dawid's safe, back w/family. Missing u & will b in as soon as ur allowed visitors again. Lots of news 2 share. Luv Sam x"
Tears sprung to her eyes which she swiped away angrily as she felt renewed relief at the young boy's return. She was also more than a little intrigued by Sam's promise of there being news to share, wondering if it had something to do with the mystery woman she had hinted at having feelings for prior to Jo's admission to hospital. If truth be told, Jo was only mildly surprised to hear that Sam was considering pursuing a relationship with a woman. She and Sam had danced around a mutual attraction soon after her return from her undercover assignment in Nottingham, after growing closer following Seth's death and how Sam had helped her recover and deal with her grief and guilt for her part in his death. They had even gone as far as to go out together on a few 'dates' but it had never materialised into anything more than a close, strong friendship. The fact that Sam had considered it though made Jo more than aware that she was open to exploring any opportunity for a partner despite her having only openly dated men in the past. She missed her friend almost as much as she missed seeing Lucy each day. Jo tapped the keys to open up a new message, suddenly overcome with a need to touch base with her friend and colleague.
"Hi Sam, how's things? U managing there w/out me? I'm behaving so well, I'm hoping 2 b let out early 4 good behaviour. Glad D's home. What news? U dating ur woman yet? ;o) Can't wait 2 c u. Miss u 2. Love Jo xox"
She sank back into the pillow on the narrow hospital bed, eyes turning to the IV drip. She watched the noxious liquid ooze through the narrow tube and into her body as her thoughts meandered over past conversations with Sam and how their relationship had morphed from hostility and competition into the solid, unwavering friendship that they now enjoyed. It had been a long, drawn out process which Jo had to admit had been assisted by Jo's temporary relocation to Nottingham. The loss of Seth had proved to be a catalyst, driving the two women closer as well as bringing a realisation that life is too swift and too brief to waste on petty disagreements and pissing contests.
"This is quite some information you brought to us, Ms Hart." Eric Marshall settled his generous frame into the worn plastic bench seat across from the redhead and her blonde companion.
"All of it is genuine and all of it has been obtained legally during the course of an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of a young boy and subsequently a fire at a house believed to be the location for filming numerous pornographic movies involving minors." Lorna's voice remained low, calm, steady, despite the fact that Sam could feel her trembling beside her.
"I'm not doubting the veracity of your information. To be frank, we have had complaints regarding this group previously but have always been unable to find sufficient proof to force an investigation. You, ladies, have provided us with the golden key we need to proceed and no amount of peer pressure is going to make this go away this time." Marshall's eyes twinkled in anticipation of the furore which would result from the fallout from the investigation. He realised that there would be resistance along the way, that the force might prefer to conduct a low-key, in-house investigation and force those responsible out via the backdoor without the public ever being aware. But he was also aware of his responsibility, both morally and professionally, to see justice done for all those whose lives had been affected by the paedophile ring.
"Hi darling, how are you feeling?" Lucy slipped into the hospital room for the first time in a week, Jo's infection finally having cleared her system sufficiently for the doctors to allow her visitors once more.
"So very, very glad to see you," Jo murmured sleepily, feeling the effects of that morning's treatment but valiantly battling against her fatigue in order to visit with the woman she had missed so terribly.
"The feeling's mutual Jo. God, I've missed you." Lucy sank into the plastic chair beside the bed, reaching for her lover's hand and holding it between both her own. She wished she could kiss her, to show her how hard it had been to stay away from her. "You beat it Jo, you're so strong. I'm so, so proud of you."
"I had a hell of an incentive – you. I believe you promised to make an honest woman of me once I beat this cancer. Nothing will make me fight harder than the thought of spending the rest of my life waking up beside you." Jo smiled at the younger woman, feeling the need to pinch herself just like always. She wondered if her sense of awe would ever recede but hoped in some ways that it wouldn't, that she would never become complacent and take Lucy's presence for granted.
"I wasn't sure you'd remember that conversation, you were quite poorly at the time," Lucy admitted shyly, overjoyed that it had provided the impetus for Jo's latest fight.
"I was but I wasn't delusional. I've had a lot of time while I've been in isolation to think about what I want from life, where I want to be and whilst those things may change, the one constant is that I can't imagine my life without you in it. I want you by my side, always, through everything I do. I want you to see the same things I see, go the same place, share the same experiences. I want the world to know what a lucky woman I am because I have the most incredible, beautiful, amazing, caring person by my side. I'm yours babe, completely and utterly yours and whilst I can't promise to make that official right now, I need you to know that for as long as I'm still around, that will always be true."