How is it Thursday already? What happened to the rest of the week? I think I must have missed it when I blinked! That's what having a rip-roaring weekend of fun and frolics followed by two days training does for you I guess. Hope everyone else's week has been a good one.
As always, thanks to all you lovely people who take the time to read this story and a special thank you to those who also take the time to review. Your encouragement, critiques and comments are all very welcome and very much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even my own mind any more, it's been taken over by aliens! So anything you recognise from here-on-in, I lay absolutely no claim to whatsoever.
Sam stood in her kitchen, arms wrapped around herself in a vain attempt to ward off the shivers constantly pulsating through her body. The house had been taken over by her colleagues as they tried to piece together the origin of the delivered eyeball and what the cryptic message sent along with it might mean. Abi and Jared were huddled together at the kitchen, the youngster too little to understand what was going on and fast asleep in his mother's arms, oblivious to the hustle and bustle around him.
"What's going on, Mum? Why is someone targeting you?" Abi asked, voice timid and shaky, a testament to her own distress despite having been spared seeing the contents of the package Sam had opened.
"I wish I could explain it to you but I'm not allowed to, certainly not while there are so many people around…"
"But these are your colleagues. Why can't you talk in front of them?" Abi interrupted with a frown.
"It's complicated. Abi, please, don't fight me on this. Just trust me when I say listen to any and all advice you're given from here on in regarding yours and Jared's safety, ok? The people responsible for this… well they're not reasonable people and they'll stop at nothing to protect their own interests. I don't want either of you getting caught up in this," Sam explained mournfully.
"These people, are they the ones who took Lorna's daughter?" Abi queried, fixing her mother with a level stare Sam herself had perfected to intimidate the recipient into talking.
"It's a possibility, yes," the older blonde admitted, hugging herself more tightly and willing her mind to wipe the image of the eyeball from its existence.
"Well you can't stay here then, can you? I mean, if it is them and they know where you live, you're not safe to stay here on your own, are you?"
Sam's mind reeled at the prospect of having to leave her home, having to leave so many things behind that she cared about. "I… don't know what happens next," she admitted, chin dropping to her chest as tears pricked her eyes.
"What happens next is that you pack a bag, both of you, and we move you to a safe house until we can determine the extent of the threat against you," a burly man informed them as his bulk filled the kitchen doorway. "You have ten minutes before we leave," he instructed before turning to leave.
"I'm not going anywhere. I have a life. Besides, it's not me they're after, it's her," Abi spat bitterly, fatigue and fear shortening her already quick temper.
"And if they want to hurt her, they will just as readily do it through abducting, torturing or killing you and/or your son as they would be directly harming your mother," the unnamed officer barked.
"Abi, please! What did I just say about listening to advice to protect you? Just pack up what you can for you and Jared and come with me, please." Whilst Sam herself wasn't thrilled at the prospect of being transported to an anonymous location, at least if Abi was with her, that would be one less thing she had to worry about. She spun around to face the officer, who appeared to be expecting further dissent from his charges. "You need to get someone round to Lorna Hart's house too. If I'm at risk, she will be too – we were working together on the case I suspect this is connected to."
"I'm sorry Ms Nixon, my only orders are to transport your family to the safe house. If Ms Hart requires protection, that will be arranged separately." Sam's heart thudded heavily in her chest at the prospect of being separated from the woman who had come to mean so much to her in such a short space of time. A lone tear trickled from her eye, snaking down her pale cheek unimpeded. She dashed from the kitchen, racing up the stairs and into her bedroom, firmly shutting the door behind her and leaning against it as her defences crumbled and the tears coursed freely over her face.
Lorna was awoken by the buzzing of her mobile as it vibrated against the varnished surface of Katie's nightstand. Groggily she snatched up the device, sparing a brief glance at the caller ID display before answering.
"Hello?" she rasped, still trying to shake off the last vestiges of her interrupted slumbers.
"Lorna, I'm sorry," Sam managed to choke out before dissolving into another round of sobs.
"No…" Lorna breathed, immediately fearing the worst for her daughter. "No, no, no, no, no," she cried, clutching the phone tightly to her ear as though the pressure would change what she was hearing.
There were faint sounds of other voices on the other end of the device, voices Lorna didn't recognise. "We have to go. Now, Ms Nixon. You need to end your phone call and let's move out." Lorna frowned in confusion.
"Move out? What's going on? Sam? Sam, talk to me! What's happening? Is it Katie? Please just tell me, have you found my daughter? Is she…"
"It's not Katie, Lorna. I'm so sorry. I've got to go… away. There's been a threat made. I'll… I'll contact you when I can. I know it's a lot to ask but can you let Jo know? I don't want her to think I don't care. I do, I care… so much about you both." The phone call was disconnected abruptly before Lorna had chance to say anything more to her lover.
"Sam? Sam? SAM!" she called fruitlessly into the tiny handset, growling in frustrated terror. The door to Katie's room burst open, her sister framed in the space, backlit by the landing light.
"What's going on Lorna?" Moira asked as she took in her sister's ashen face. Lorna's wide-eyed gaze fell on the other woman before those same eyes narrowed accusingly.
"Your God has just taken Sam from me too," Lorna spat, chest heaving.
"WHAT? She's…" Thinking the worst, Moira stumbled to the bed, sinking onto it before asking tremulously, "what happened?"
"There was a threat made against her apparently. Whatever it was, it was significant enough to warrant her having to go into hiding. They're moving her to God knows where and I'll not be able to see her or speak to her wherever she is. If they don't catch every single one of the bastards behind this, she'll be gone forever because there will always be too high a threat against her. I'll never know if anything happens to her. I'll never be able to hold her again. Is this what He thinks is answering your prayer? Have I been such a horrendous person that He needs to torture me in every conceivable way?" Lorna raved, crazed by the latest sucker punch to be delivered whilst she already felt like she way down.
Moira released a thankful sigh as she understood that Sam hadn't been killed, like she had initially assumed. "I realise it might not seem like it right now, but perhaps in time we will come to see that God is answering my prayers. Perhaps this is His way of making sure Sam is safe and able to be with you for the long term future. He never does anything without a reason and He is not a vengeful God who seeks to punish or persecute His people. Hold on to the faith that Sam will be returned to you when it is safe for her to do so," Moira offered in what she hoped was a comforting manner, her own belief in God unwavering.
"Not vengeful? So what the hell were those plagues He unleashed then? That flood where everything perished except for those chosen by Him? How can I believe He's not punishing me for loving a woman when everything that's happening suggests otherwise? First my daughter, now my partner. What next? I almost wish it will be my turn next. Because I don't want to face a future without two of the most important people in my life. I can't… I couldn't…" Lorna's rant trailed off as she dissolved into tears at the prospect of losing Sam forever. "I should have called her earlier. I should have insisted she stay here. We could have fitted Abi and Jared in as well somehow. Oh God… Abi. Sam never mentioned her. What if they'd already left and Sam's all alone somewhere facing the prospect of never seeing her daughter or grandson again?"
Knowing there was nothing she could say to ease her sister's suffering, Moira opted to simply gather Lorna into a fierce hug, offering up a silent prayer to end her pain soon.
Jo guided Lucy's naked body down onto the crisp, clean sheets of their double bed, her own following suit as they arranged their limbs to maximise bodily contact. Their mounds pressed against one another, fanning the flames of their desire. Lips collided in a heated, passionate exchange, tongues caressing, massaging, stroking. Fingertips lingered over sensitive areas as they traversed the flesh on display, probing known erotic zones skilfully. The room was filled with the sounds of their shared heavy breathing, the scent of their joint arousal tantalisingly teasing their senses as they rocked against one another, driving themselves ever onwards towards the peak of ecstasy. As each felt their orgasm gathering, they looked deeply into one another's eyes, conversing without words, letting their love flow from soul to soul in a joyful celebration of their union. For long moments after they came down, the two women rested together in their embrace, neither wishing to move and break the spell they had created. Eventually, Jo rolled onto her back, pulling Lucy along with her so that they were lying side by side, Lucy's head cradled in the crook of Jo's neck, arm draped over her flat stomach, leg curled possessively around the detective's thigh. Sated and secure in love for one another, they drifted off into a blissful sleep, each feeling more positive than they had for weeks.
"Detective Inspector Nixon, get in the car. Now!" came the harshly hissed order.
"No!" Sam whispered, equally as vehemently. "You can't force me into protective custody. Either you take me to Sun Hill police station or I stay right here, in my own home."
"You risk getting yourself or your family killed if you do that," the MI5 agent assigned to escort the officer to the safe house repeated, exasperation lacing his tone.
"And if I go into hiding, I'll lose everything anyway; my family, my job, my home, my friends, my partner. That's not living, that's existing on the most basic scale. I won't let anyone drive me away from where I need to be. I have a job to do and I fully intend on doing it," Sam insisted. Hearing Lorna's voice, the crumbling despair as she thought that Katie had been found dead, had strengthened Sam's resolve that she would not be cowed by bullying tactics and scaremongering. Abi had already flounced off, taking Jared and informing her mother that they would be at Mike's.
"We can't protect you if you won't let us take you to a place of safety," the agent tried to reason with her.
"I'm prepared to take responsibility for my own safety and I highly doubt anyone is about to try to kill me in a police station. These people might be bold but they're not actively seeking to be caught in the act."
"And on your way to and from work? How do you propose to avoid meeting with an unfortunate accident then? And when you're home, alone, what would be to stop someone taking care of you to prevent you from uncovering any more of their secrets?"
"Nothing but at least I'd be living my life and not constantly looking over my shoulder somewhere I was a stranger with nothing to offer anyone," Sam replied, digging her heels in further and further with every attempt that was made to sway her.
"Fine. Get in the car, I'll drive you to the police station," the agent offered at length, seemingly admitting defeat.
"No. You give me my phone back and my car keys and if you choose to escort me to work, then I won't stop you but I am going under my own steam. I'm not being kidnapped by you and forced into hiding – I wasn't born yesterday." The dynamic blonde levelled a cool glare at the swarthy skinned agent, raising one eyebrow in an unspoken challenge to deny that had been his intention. There was something about him she didn't trust and given the connections and influence the paedophile group she and Lorna had stumbled across appeared to have, she was more inclined than ever to trust her instincts about people until they proved her wrong. Grudgingly, her demands were met, her phone and car keys deposited in her outstretched palm.
"I will have to insist on your car being checked for explosive devices before you drive it and I'd like you to consider allowing us to install a tracking device in case we should need to monitor your whereabouts," Sam was told coolly.
"I accept the former but decline the tracking device. I'm not comfortable with that given the probability of such information becoming accessible to those I am being threatened by." Sam saw that he was about to argue with her but she held up a hand to forestall him. "I want your assurances that I will not be monitored in any way I have not given informed consent to – no tailing me unless it has been previously arranged, no devices installed in my phone, my car or my clothing, no listening or recording devices in my home and definitely no round the clock shadow."
"You are putting yourself directly in their cross hairs without any kind of cover to protect you, Ms Nixon. This is not some small time criminal gang who want to give you a bit of a scare to stop you from queering their pitch. These are seriously dangerous, ruthless and organised men and women who will do whatever they need to do to protect their interests and enable them and their peers to continue with their illegal activities. What you are suggesting is tantamount to a suicide mission."
"So be it but it's about damn time someone stands firm in the face of their intimidation and refuses to be cowed. Someone needs to be prepared to say enough is enough," Sam stated determinedly, pulling herself up to her full height in an effort to exude the confidence she was attempting to project.
"And who will take up the baton if you fall? Don't plan to be a martyr unless you're absolutely sure it will lead to a cessation of these activities." The agent turned away from his wilful charge, taking out his own mobile and dialling through to his superiors to give them an update on the situation.
Jo woke first the following morning, a gentle smile spreading across her face as she felt her fiancée's warm breath tickling across her collarbone. The brunette's fingertip began a gentle exploration of Lucy's naked flesh, allowing her hands to map the contours and plains of the body she loved so well. Gently extricating herself from her position partially beneath the younger woman, Jo sighed contentedly as she propped herself up on one elbow and gazed down upon her still slumbering lover, who had rolled over fully onto her stomach, burying her head in the pillow Jo had just vacated. The detective decided to give Lucy a rather enjoyable wake up and positioned herself where she could trail kisses down the now accessible column of her spine. She pressed open-mouthed kisses against the raised nodule of each vertebra, closely followed by a breath of cool air blown over the heated skin. One handed preceded her oral trail, lightly caressing and massaging the smooth, rounded globes of Lucy's buttocks before journeying lower to the backs of her thighs. As Jo reached the inward curve at the small of her fiancée's back, her eyes fell on a large, purpling bruise, a frown settling over her features as she traced the very edge of the blemish with the hand which had been teasing Lucy's inner thigh.
"It's nothing," Lucy mumbled into the pillow. "Just a little accident at the office yesterday afternoon. It'll teach me to be more careful."
"What happened? It looks painful. Want me to get you an ice-pack to put on it or something?" Jo asked, pressing another kiss against bottom edge of the young woman's shoulder blade.
"I doubt ice would do it much good now if the bruising has already come out. I'll be ok, I'll just pop a couple of painkillers for it in a bit. Honestly sweetheart, let's not worry about that when I was so enjoying what you were doing for me." The evasiveness of her lover's answer did nothing to ease Jo's concern.
"It's a fairly big bruise, babe. You must have fallen against something pretty hard to get it. Did you put it in the accident book?"
"Jo, why are you making such a big deal out of it? It's not like I broke anything, it's just a bruise," Lucy groused, rolling onto her back and hiding the offending contusion from her lover's questioning gaze even though it pained her to lie on it.
"If it's no big deal, why won't you tell me how it happened?" Jo fired back, ever the detective.
"Oh for crying out loud…" Lucy huffed, moving to get out of bed. Her escape was prevented when Jo wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against Jo's own body gently, mindful of both their fragile states.
"Tell me, Lucy, please," the brunette implored softly. "Talk to me, love." She felt the younger woman trembling in her arms, tiny fluttering of muscles which increased as she fought to retain control of her emotions.
"I shouldn't have gone in. I should have listened to my gut and told him I wasn't available to work yesterday." Lucy turned in her lover's embrace and buried her head in the older woman's chest. "He followed me into the copy room and brushed against me again. When I turned around to tell him to stop and to try and leave, he pushed me against the photocopier hard and tried to press himself up against me."
Jo too was trembling by this time, but whilst she suspected Lucy's was out of shock, her own was due to pure rage at the audacity of the man who had assaulted her partner. "You can't go back there. No one can expect you to work with a guy who is sexually harassing you."
"He won't try it again," Lucy stated assuredly, settling herself more comfortably in her girlfriend's arm, relishing the safe feeling they evoked in her.
"How can you be sure? Did you report him?" Jo asked, snuggling closer and wrapping more of her own body around that of her lover.
"I kneed him in the gonads and as I was leaving one of the guys, James, stepped into the room and said he'd seen everything. He's willing to back me up in a formal complaint of sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace. I told Derek if he ever so much as looks at me the wrong way again, I will make that complaint." Lucy allowed herself to relax against Jo, eyes drifting closed once more as she felt the weight of carrying her secret be released.
"You should make the complaint anyway sweetheart. Don't wait for him to try something else. I really don't want you to get hurt because you're too willing to give people a chance to prove themselves. Not everyone can be trusted to redeem themselves, not even when it's in their own best interests." Jo attempted to make Lucy see things in a different light, knowing that the young woman was amazingly trusting in altruism.
"I honestly think the threat of it is enough to keep him in line. James has promised to keep an eye on him and, since he plays rugby and is built like a brick outhouse, he's definitely not one that Derek will be looking to mess with. Now, can we stop talking about him and get back to enjoying us and the fact that we're getting married? As far as I'm concerned, that's far more important than some homophobic little runt of a man who can't get it through his head that most women wouldn't touch him – straight or gay – even if he was the last man on Earth!" To illustrate her point, Lucy captured Jo's lips in a decidedly possessive kiss, tugging on her full bottom lip with her teeth and thrusting her tongue into Jo's hot, wet, receptive cavern.
"Sam, what are you doing here?" DCI Meadows asked as he entered CID and saw one of his DI's perched on the edge of a desk chatting with Mickey and Terry.
"There was an incident at my house last night…" Sam began but was interrupted by her superior officer.
"I'm well aware of that. I was informed that you would be relocated and protected. How does that translate to you being here?" Jack growled, not sure who's backside he was going to have to kick but determined that somebody would not sit comfortably for a while for allowing his DI to remain vulnerable.
"Erm…I refused to go to a safe house," Sam admitted quietly, unsurprised when Jack ordered her to follow him into his office so they could continue their conversation in private.
"Would you care to inform me precisely why you refused the protection of trained MI5 officers?" Jack asked gruffly, impressed by the diminutive woman's balls but refusing to show it lest it undermine the serious message he needed to convey to her.
"I couldn't leave everything behind and let everyone down. This team has already lost too many people in a short space of time, Jack. I need to be here, for all of you, for Lorna, for Jo. And a part of me wants to show whoever is behind all this that they can't just throw their weight around and expect everyone to cower or turn a blind eye. It's precisely that kind of thing that has allowed them to get away with what they do for far too long," Sam replied with resolute determination, gaze never wavering from the DCI's own.
"Well you can't very well camp out here indefinitely," he told her.
"Nor do I intend to, Guv. I will go about my life as normal. I won't give in to them, no matter what."
"Don't make us lose you for good, Samantha," Jack cautioned in fatherly fashion, admiring her courage but worried for her safety all the same.
"Someone needs to stop them. Someone needs to make sure no one else has to go through what Dawid and his family did or what Lorna is going through right now. Until their bullying stops working, that's not going to happen."
"Just promise me you will be extra careful," Jack requested resignedly.
"I will. I'm not looking to get myself or anyone else killed. I just want the good guys to win this one for a change," Sam declared.