A Happy Valentine's Day gift to all those of you reading this tale, with extra sprinkles on for those of you who have taken the time to drop me reviews as well. Hope your Monday is treating you better than mine has treated me! First day back at work after a week's leave and I'm left wondering why I take time off at all! Oh well, you're not here to hear me whine so on with the tale.

Same disclaimer as always, I own bubkes!

"I'm on my way over, are you at home?" Sam hurried about her own home, slipping into her shoes and rifling through discarded post for her car keys.

"I'm heading home now, my sister's waiting for me to call her back. She was supposed to be watching Katie until I got home, she's at my place. Katie prefers being at home and Moira doesn't mind making use of my electricity, wireless broadband and satellite television for a few hours. I turned my phone off while I was testifying in court earlier and must have forgotten to turn it back on when I switched my work mobile back on. She left me a couple of messages when Katie hadn't turned up by 5 o'clock. I need to call Moira… and the school… and Katie's friends…" Sam could hear that Lorna was becoming more and more frantic and made a decision to change her destination.

"Lorna, listen to me sweetheart, I need you to stay put until I get to you ok? Are you at work still? I'm going to come and pick you up. I really don't think you should be driving right now and this way you can be calling people while we're in the car." The Scot distractedly agreed before saying goodbye and disconnecting the call. Sam pulled the front door closed behind her, dashing to her car and pulling off with a squeal of her tyres.

"Moira, any sign of her yet?" Lorna barked into the handset as soon as the line was connected.

"No, nothing. I take it she's not with Sam then?" Moira replied, running a hand through unruly auburn curls as she peeled back the net curtains and peered out into the street as though Katie would miraculously appear at any moment.

"No, Sam's picking me up from work so I can make phone calls while she drives," Lorna supplied too distracted to realise it would sound somewhat unusual to her sister for a simple work friend to be so concerned about a colleague's wayward child.

"She must be an awfully good friend to you both to give up her evening like that, since I'm assuming she won't just drop you here and go home," Moira fished, sensing there was much more to this than her sister had let on. She'd noticed a change in her in recent weeks, a calmer, happier air around her and when she smiled, it seemed more genuine, more real somehow. The last time she had seen Lorna so at ease was shortly before she introduced Moira to James, her future husband, for the first time. Could it be that her sister had found love again? With a woman? Once Katie was found and the current drama had receded, Moira would make a point of seriously considering how she would feel about such a turn of events. As a Catholic, it was against her faith to condone such a relationship but this was her sister and she wasn't sure that she believed God would be so cruel as to turn his back on a woman who looked to find any small sliver of happiness after all Lorna had been through.

"Sam is… we've grown close… very close while working together on a case. She's… fantastic." Lorna was reticent to share the exact nature of her relationship with Sam so soon after finally plucking up the courage to do something about it, not least because she was hyper aware of her sister's religion and their stance on same-sex partnerships.

"Well, it's good… that you have someone you can rely on… someone to support you at a time like this, especially with James not being around," Moira replied, softly.

"James is always with me. I feel him here and see him in his daughter every day. But yes, it is nice to have a shoulder to lean on when times are tough." Lorna sensed that her younger sister had already picked up on just how much Sam meant to her and hoped that it wasn't about to make a bad situation worse when they arrived back at the house. She spied Sam's car tearing round the bend and hurtling towards where she was standing on the pavement outside the lab in which she worked when not out in the field. "Sam's arrived so we should be home in about 15 to 20 minutes. Could you put the kettle on? I have a feeling I'm going to need a whole lot of caffeine to get through tonight." Lorna slid into Sam's passenger seat as soon as the car had slowed to a stop at the kerb, ending the call with her sister and looking across to where her lover sat with an expression every bit as grim as she felt her own must be.

"Any news?" Sam asked hopefully.

Lorna simply shook her head, grateful for the contact when Sam wordlessly reached across the divide and squeezed her hand in one of her own. "I'm scared, Sam. Katie doesn't do this, she doesn't just not come home without letting me or Moira know where she is. She knows better than that. This is them isn't it? They've taken her." The tears in the Scot's eyes were reflected by the pain in her voice, making Sam's heart ache. She wished more than anything that she could take that pain and fear away, that she could somehow offer assurances that her daughter would be found alive and well, but she knew she couldn't do that because there were no such guarantees unfortunately.

"Let's not jump to conclusions before we've covered every other available possibility first, ok? Have you called the school? Her friends? Just in case she's lost track of time or something." In place of joining her lover in breaking down, Sam opted to be the practical one. That didn't however prevent her mind from flashing back to the abject terror she herself had felt when Abi had been taken from her by Hugh Wallis, a manipulative sociopath who had gained Sam's trust before betraying it in the most despicable of ways. Her heart clenched in her chest, her pulse racing madly even as she schooled her features into a mask of calm concern.

"No… I should do that… you're right… of course, I'll just…" Lorna trailed off, hands shaking as she fumbled with her mobile phone, which suddenly seemed too small for her clumsy fingers. Once again, as Sam slowed at a junction, the blonde placed a tender hand over Lorna's own, stilling their jerky movements and offering just enough comfort to enable the Scot to dial the number she needed to. Sam's hand retracted in order to change gear but soon rested back on Lorna's leg, midway between her knee and her thigh. "Hi, this is Lorna Hart speaking, could you check for me please if my daughter Katie stayed behind at school for any reason this afternoon? Was there an extra netball practice or anything? Only she hasn't come home."

"I'll just check for you Mrs Hart," the far too perky voice on the other end of the line informed her. Lorna heard papers rustling, pages turning. "It appears that a colleague of yours, a DS Turner, signed Katie out of school earlier today due to an incident involving yourself. He assured the staff on duty that you had requested him to collect Katie and take her to you. Was that not the case?"

Lorna's heart dropped, a sickly feeling washing over her as she listened to the news of her daughter's whereabouts. "What time did he take her out of school?" Sam risked a glance over at her partner, knowing the worst just by the pallor of her skin.

"It says here that she was signed out at 11.04am today." There was more rustling before the woman supplied, "I'm afraid we have no record of Katie returning to the school."

"Oh God," Lorna groaned, bile rising in her throat. "Sam pull over… I'm going to be…" As soon as the car slowed down enough, before it had even come to a stop, Lorna was out and bent double at the waist, losing the contents of her stomach. Sam slipped the forgotten phone from Lorna's slender fingers, her free hand rubbing soothing circles on the Scot's lower back as she continued to wretch.

"This is Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon, can I ask who I'm talking to please?" Sam retreated into professional mode, knowing it was the only way she would survive the conversation she was about to have.

"Mary, Mary Middleton, I'm the senior secretary at All Saints Secondary School where Mrs Hart's daughter attends," the young woman babbled, suddenly even more nervous by the introduction of a detective inspector.

"Mrs Hart isn't in any fit state to continue the conversation right now, could you please repeat to me what you've already told her regarding the whereabouts of her daughter, Katie?" Sam maintained physical contact with Lorna who was still doubled over but appeared to have finished retching. She rubbed her hand in concentric circles over the Scot's lower back, wishing she could offer more in the way of comfort or support.

Mary began regaling Sam with the day's events, "A Detective Sergeant Stuart Turner arrived at the school shortly before eleven o'clock this morning and informed us that he had been sent to collect Katie Hart due to there having been an incident involving her mother. He said that due to it being as a result of an active investigation, he wasn't able to give us any details but that we could phone Sun Hill police station and check with them if we needed verification. My colleague dialled the number he gave us for the station and a gentleman there by the name of Jack Meadows confirmed that Katie needed to be taken to her mother immediately. Katie was brought from her classroom and signed out of the school at four minutes past eleven. There's no record of her returning to school at any time during the day."

"Do you have a record of the telephone number DS Turner gave for the police station?" Sam asked, not willing to believe that Jack was part of the subterfuge after all.

"I'm afraid that's not recorded in the events log but I know which handset was used to make the call and they do keep a record of up to the last 20 incoming and outgoing calls. I know what time the call was made so let me check whether the number's still there for you." The line went quiet, presumably as the secretary put it on mute while she tried to find the number. Sam wouldn't be at all surprised if the young woman was not informing anyone and everyone who was still in the office too, alerting them to the fact that a child had been snatched right from under their noses. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Mary offered after keeping Sam on hold for long, silent minutes. "The number we were given was 020 7601 2046."

"And when you called that number, did you get straight through to Jack Meadows or did it ring through to reception?" Sam hedged, not willing to let on that it was a completely false number.

"It was answered by someone else who didn't offer their name, but who put me through to Mr Meadows when I explained why I was calling," Mary replied, a little tetchily as she felt like the school were being accused of not taking their responsibilities for the welfare of their charges seriously enough. Sam had ducked back into her car, rifling through her handbag and finding her notepad and paper which she always carried with her. She scribbled the telephone number down along with a few other notes, leaning on the top of the car for support, casting regular glances over her shoulder to where Lorna was now crouched, head bowed, whole body trembling.

"Could I ask that you remain at the school until an officer has been over to take your statement? They will need to names and addresses of anyone who has already left who was in the office today when DS Turner collected Katie so that officers can take statements from them also," Sam requested, wanting to cut the conversation short so that she could phone the real Sun Hill and report Katie's abduction.

"Certainly but the school cannot legislate for everything. We did everything we possibly could to ensure that the officer had a legitimate reason for removing Ms Hart before we allowed her to go with him," Mary responded haughtily.

"I'm certain that you all did everything which could be expected of you and no one is looking to apportion blame to the school in any way. We simply need to make sure we get statements from anyone with information as soon as possible so that we can find Katie quickly. Your assistance and cooperation is very much appreciated, Ms Middleton." Sam understood the defensiveness displayed by the secretary. She too had reacted in much the same way when questioned about her own role in her daughter's disappearance.

Appeased and somewhat chastened, Mary offered her apologies and thanks before rounding off the call with assurances that any officer sent to investigate would receive the school's full cooperation.

Finally, Sam could return her attention, albeit briefly, to her panic stricken lover who was still crouched down low to the ground, resting back on her haunches, face wan. "Lorna, sweetheart, come and sit back in the car while I phone the station and get the ball moving on finding Katie." The blonde DI placed a supportive arm around the Scot's slender waist, assisting her into the passenger seat, leaving her feet on the pavement just in case another wave of nausea washed over her. The position was also preferable for Sam, as she could now rest her notebook on the roof of the car and have Lorna in her line of vision, not to mention being able to keep her own leg pressed up against the distraught redhead's. If anything, the other woman's eerie silence was beginning to unnerve the detective. It was as if Lorna had shut down, unable to deal with anything beyond her immense fear and grief for the welfare of her daughter. Rationally, Sam recognised that it was mainly due to shock but that still didn't make it any more comfortable to witness. She tried handing the seated woman back her mobile, encouraging her to call her sister and update her of their whereabouts so that Moira wouldn't worry about them too. The tiny device slipped through Lorna's uncoordinated fingers and into her lap. The Scot stared at it as though it were something completely alien to her that she had no clue what to do with. Sighing, Sam rested one hand on her partner's shoulder, realising that she would have to take care of that too but deciding it could wait until after she had spoken to her boss. The detective hit the speed dial she had assigned to work, listening impatiently as she waited for someone to answer.

"Good evening, Sun Hill Police Station, how may I help you?" A woman's voice that Sam vaguely recognised greeted her as her call was finally connected.

"This is Detective Inspector Sam Nixon, is DCI Meadows still there?"

"Hi DI Nixon, I've not seen him in a while but I'll try his office for you." As the woman on the other end babbled away, Sam finally placed her.

"Thanks PC Ryder, I'd appreciate it." Sam listened to the monotone beeps at regular intervals as she waited to be connected to Jack or for Mel Ryder to come back on the line.

"Sam, what can I do for you at this hour on your day off?" Jack's tone was brusque but friendly enough.

"Jack, thank God you're still there. We have a problem. Are you alone… in your office?" Sam heard a clunk which she presumed was the Yorkshire man closing his office door.

"I am. What's going on? Where are you?" Jack asked, sensing the urgency in his DI's tone.

"I'm with Lorna Hart, her daughter was taken from her school earlier today by DS Turner, or at least someone purporting to be him, until we get someone over there and take statements we can't be sure if it really was him or if someone was masquerading as him. They gave the school a false number to ring to check him out, they thought he was genuinely there on police business." Sam rushed to fill in her boss on the goings on as she knew them so far.

"Wait…wait, slow down. Lorna's daughter was abducted from her school by Stuart Turner? Where are you now, Sam? I'll get an officer over to take your statements straight away. Which school? Are people still there if I send someone over there to get statements from them too?"

"We were on our way to Lorna's house when Lorna got hold of someone at the school - All Saints Secondary School - to find out if Katie had stayed behind for some reason. Mary Middleton, the secretary, told her that DS Turner had signed her out at 11.04 this morning and Katie never signed back in. I've already advised her that someone will be over to take the statements of anyone who is still around who knows anything about what happened. She's also preparing the contact details of any staff who were present but have already left for the day. I'm going to take Lorna to her house, her sister's there waiting for us, she was the one who alerted Lorna to the fact Katie hadn't come home. I'll stay with her unless you need me at the station," Sam informed the DCI, with a note of finality.

"I think it would probably be wisest, given your own involvement in and knowledge of the case, if you were to act as liaison officer for the family. Lorna's more likely to open up to you about things if we need information about Katie given your shared history with this whole debacle," Jack responded, his mind already awhirl as he tried to decide which officers from CID should be assigned to investigate the girl's disappearance. Whoever it was would need to be appraised of some of the more sensitive facts which may be pertinent but it would also need to be someone level-headed and discrete due to the involvement – directly or indirectly – of Stuart Turner.

"Thanks Jack, we should be ho…" Sam caught herself, just before she slipped and said 'home', continuing instead with, "back at Lorna's in about ten minutes or so. Who's on duty this evening?"

Jack understood that Sam was wanting to know in advance who would be attending to take statements from Lorna, Lorna's sister and herself. "Terry, Grace and Angie Walker and Neil, obviously. Since she knows some of what has transpired already, I'll see if Grace is free to come over and get your statements off you. I'll send Terry with some uniforms to the school."

"Great, we'll expect Grace shortly then. I'd better get Lorna home before her sister thinks something's happened to us as well." Jack and Sam exchanged brief farewells. Sam kept her counsel from her lover, but the level of organisation and meticulous attention to detail did suggest that they were not dealing with a lone police officer on the run. Crouching down in front of the mute redhead, Sam pushed the dense ginger locks from in front of her pale face until she was looking up into empty, dull, green eyes. "Let's get you home. Come on, swing your legs in and we'll get going. Grace is going to meet us at your house to take statements. Terry's going over to the school to deal with that end. Jack's going to fill in Neil and Inspector Gold. They'll do everything they can to find her."

"She's older than our normal girls but I'm sure there's a market for her that we can exploit somewhere. She's not much of a looker is she? But she's not too well developed so she'll still appeal to some of our customers, no doubt. A tart's a tart when all's said and done. And if there's no takers here, we can send her where she will be appreciated. Plenty of avenues we can explore." Katie trembled in the arms of the man holding her as she overheard the conversation around her, consciousness just returning to her.

"Don't you think exploring a market outside of our region would be wisest? Get her somewhere she can't be found? Last thing we need is to bring heat unnecessarily. I really do think that holding her under their noses is a definite needless risk. Granted, most of them couldn't find a hooker in a brothel, but Nixon and Hart have already proven they're not your average bonehead cops." Another voice sounded close to Katie's ear, her vision masked by what she could only presume was a material blindfold. Tiny chinks of light peeped through, no bigger than pin pricks, rendering her blind to the scene before her.

"What about you? You're very quiet and yet you know these women. What do you suggest we do with this one?" The first voice again asked of someone else in the room.

A voice she recognised answered, even closer to her ear. At least she now knew that DS Turner was still there with her. A tiny flame of hope ignited within her. He was a police officer, surely this was just part of some setup to catch the bad guys and he wouldn't let any harm come to her. "Sam Nixon is the most stubborn, annoying, tenacious detective I have ever come across. She will leave no stone unturned in her efforts to find the girl. The fact that it is the daughter of someone she cares for will only make her more determined. There really are only two options as far as I can see; get her as far away as possible, as soon as possible and I'm talking Outer Mongolia or somewhere equally remote and non-traceable, or use her to send a message to them and all those who seek to destroy our network, a stark and indisputable message that for every attempt made, lives will be sacrificed." At his words, Katie became less and less sure that the policeman was actually on her side, but then she supposed that he would need to be convincing if he was undercover. She had to hope that that's what was going on, that it was all part of some elaborate ruse and that she would be returned unharmed to her mum. A tear trickled from her closed eyes as she thought of how much her mum must be worrying about her. The fact that she would have Sam by her side was of small comfort. For all their teasing and occasional spats, Katie adored Lorna and would never do anything to cause her any kind of pain.

"Interesting proposition, I'll take that under advisement. For now, stash her downstairs and make sure she's not going anywhere. No one touches her, she's more valuable to us unbroken. I mean it, no fooling around, not even a little foreplay, got it?" There was a growl to this man's voice that scared Katie but at least it sounded like she would remain relatively unharmed for the moment. She could only pray that she was rescued before he came to a decision on what to do with her.