The extra hour this night was well-spent. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Chapter 17 : Sacrifice

Dempsey sighed. This night would last endlessly. His arm and wrist hurt of the many fruitless attempts to get rid of the handcuffs, and he just couldn't find a comfortable position to lie down. Thanks to bloody Chas, he had ended up chained to the bed, instead of Harry's wrist. To his despair, the massive oak piece of furniture didn't give an inch! And thinking that Chas was convinced he had done his female colleague a big favour, by making sure she wouldn't have to spend the night in the same room as her cranky partner. If he would've known...

The main reason for the American's insomnia however, was that he couldn't stop thinking of the huge sacrifice Harry was about to make for him. A sacrifice he couldn't accept in any way. If only it weren't for those damn handcuffs! Another hard tug at the cuffs, followed by another muffled curse. Damn, he had to find a way to get free and go to London, before she would...

He stopped fidgeting with his arm and held his breath, when he heard a faint sound at the connecting door. Someone opened it softly and slipped into his room.

"Sshht, it's only me." He heard Harry whispering. "Are you awake?"

He exhaled relieved. "Yeah, I can't sleep. What're you doin' here? And where's Chas?"

"Don't worry, he has a room a bit further down the hallway. I can't sleep either, and I thought you might like some company." Harry hesitated. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, but it was stronger than herself. "Or are you still angry at me?"

He let out a sad chuckle. "How could I possibly stay mad at you? Come here, princess." He invited her to lie in his arm. "I'm afraid I can only offer you one arm. Unless you would…?"

"No, that's fine, I'll settle for one arm, thank you." She hastened to say. "Besides, Chas has the key."

As she nestled in his arm, she suddenly noticed something alarmingly. "Hey, what's this? You're dressed! You're not planning on going anywhere, are you?" Thinking about the other night he sneaked away, she quickly switched on the nightlight on the bedside table and checked the handcuffs.

With his left hand, Dempsey shielded his eyes from the sudden light. "How would I do that? I can't even get out of this f#cking bed!" He pointed at the cuffs. "But it ain't easy to undress like this, ya know!"

She tried to look compassionately at him, however couldn't suppress a smile. "Oh, you poor soul. Shall I give you a hand?"

"Sure. If you could gimme somethin' sharp?" he asked hopeful.

"Actually, I had something else in mind..." she responded with a mysterious smile. Before he could ask her for further explanation, she straddled him and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Woow, easy Tiger. That's asking for trouble, ya know!" he warned, shifting a little uneasy on the bed as her soft fingers sensitised the places where they touched his bare skin.

"Don't worry. I'm used to getting into trouble, ever since some reckless cowboy crossed my path."

"Hey...!" Before he had the chance to give a retort, she bent over and kissed him tenderly on the lips. The moment he wanted to deepen the kiss, she pulled back and held him down with one hand, while her other hand slid further down his chest, searching for the next button.

Once all buttons were open, she pulled the shirt out of his waistband and removed it as far as the handcuffs allowed her. Then she bent over and placed a trail of moist kisses all the way down to his belly button. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to keep his body in control.

She didn't grant him any breathing space. As soon as she'd reached his waistband, she swiftly opened his belt, followed by the button and zipper of his trousers. In no time, she had stripped him down to his boxers, while he didn't even have the chance to remove her robe.

"Harry, this ain't fair." He complained. "Please baby, remove these handcuffs?"

Without saying a word she got up. Standing beside the bed, she looked down at him, still with that mysterious smile on her face. He frowned, wondering what she was going to do now. Then, slowly, very slowly, she began to open her robe, her blue eyes holding his gaze.

He swallowed as he followed her moves. His heart started beating faster, his blood racing through his veins. He blinked a few times. Was he dreaming or what?

Finally, the robe was open, revealing more than he had expected. His eyes widened. No nightdress? No pyjamas?

By now, it felt like his whole body was on fire. He desperately longed to touch her, to hold her tight, to kiss every inch of her body. Unfortunately, she was just out of his reach. Looking at him seductively, she slowly exposed one shoulder... He groaned. Was this her way to take revenge on him for the way he'd treated her that afternoon? He could still recall that angry look on her face every time he'd 'accidentally' touched her. He could've known that he would be faced with the consequences sooner or later. But man, this was pure torture! Worst thing was, she seemed to enjoy it very much! He already feared for what else she had in mind. The mischievous look in her eyes certainly didn't bode well.

After what seemed an eternity, she finally let the robe slide from her shoulders onto the ground. His mouth dropped open in amazement.

"Oh baby, you're so beautiful..." he whispered full of admiration, his eyes eagerly taking in every inch of her perfect body.

Even though she had overcome her shyness by exposing herself to him, it didn't really come as a surprise when she switched off the light the moment she rejoined him in bed. How much he wanted to admire her naked body from up close, and to see the expression on her face the moment she came, he certainly didn't want to force her into doing something she felt uncomfortable with. He just had to be patient and follow her pace. It usually wasn't his forte, but she was definitely worth to exercise restraint.

He figured that her little performance had excited her as much as him, since their lovemaking seemed even more intense than the previous days. She finally ended up lying in his arm, her head resting on his chest, both exhausted but with a happy smile on their lips. They cherished the moment in silence, until Dempsey's deep voice broke the spell.

"Baby, I've been thinking a lot 'bout this whole 'ambush-thing', and I don't want you to..."

Knowing what he was about to say, she quickly silenced him by putting her forefinger on his lips. "Sshht, please don't spoil this moment. I just want to enjoy lying in your arm and listening to your heartbeat. Let's talk about it later, alright?"

With a sigh he gave in, and planted a soft kiss on top of her head. Then he held her a little tighter, closing his eyes as he breathed in the delicious scent of her shampoo.

When he tried to bring up the subject a little later, the only answer he received was her deep and regular breathing. She was lying so peacefully asleep in his arm, that he couldn't get it over his heart to wake her. Instead, he decided to talk to her in the early morning. At any cost, he had to persuade her not to continue with that stupid plan of hers. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that it was way too dangerous. He would never forgive himself if something would happen to her when chasing his demons!

Light was already seeping through the curtains when he woke up with a shock, after having had another of his dreadful nightmares. Unlike before, this time Carol's auburn hair had changed into beautiful golden locks. Rubbing his eyes, he quickly scanned the room. Shit, he'd overslept!

"Harry?" he asked, when he saw the empty space beside him.

No answer.

"Harry, where are you?" he tried a little harder.

Complete silence.

As her place felt cold, he figured she must've gotten up some time ago. He sat up straight, his back leaning against the headboard of the bed. His right hand had become numb, so he opened and closed it a few times and massage it with his other hand, making his blood circulate again. For the umpteenth time he tried to get rid of the handcuffs, the red marks on his wrist still visible from his previous attempts. Realising it was pointless, he decided to get dressed first. His shirt wasn't hard to find, and the rest of his clothes were lying neatly on the left side of the bed, within his reach. Undoubtedly Harry's work, he presumed.

Harry... He smiled at the recollection of her surprising act last night. He had to admit, he hadn't expected it, certainly not with Chas nearby. And besides that, even though she hadn't said anything about it, he had felt the change in her demeanour ever since he'd told her about Carol. All day he'd wondered if she had changed her mind about their relationship, because of his past. All day, until she had come to his room that night. He still didn't exactly know why she had come, nor why she had performed that little act, but he suspected it was her way of telling him that she wanted to go through with the relationship. He felt so happy, but at the same time it frightened him. From the moment he'd opened his heart to her, he had become terrified to lose her. That's why he desperately needed to talk to her about the planned ambush.

He rummaged through the drawers of the bedside table, but couldn't find anything that could help him remove the handcuffs. Except for... No, that would be too noisy. So he had only one more option left: wait until she would come to see him, before going on her dangerous mission.

Twenty long minutes had passed by, until he finally heard footsteps in the hallway. He was about to start shouting, when the footsteps halted and someone knocked on his door.

"Yeah, come in!" he responded, assuming Harry finally came to release him.

To his disappointment, he saw Abbott entering the room, carrying a serving tray with coffee, toast, scrambled eggs with bacon, and a jar of Mrs. Lipton's homemade strawberry jam.

"Good morning, Mister Dempsey. I hope you slept well." The butler greeted him politely. "I was asked to bring you some breakfast." He explained as he carefully placed the tray on top of the bedside table.

Then he opened the curtains and the window. The sunrays instantly brightened the room, while a soft morning breeze started playing with the curtains.

Although he couldn't deny he was hungry after his nightly activities, and the delicious smell of coffee, toast and scrambled eggs filled the room, breakfast didn't appeal to Dempsey right now. He could only think of one thing, or more precisely of one person, and he hoped from the bottom of his heart that it wasn't too late. Without even greeting or thanking the helpful butler, Dempsey immediately launched the only question that was on his mind.

"Abbott, d'ya have any idea where Harry... miss Harriet is?"

"Of course, Sir. Miss Harriet is downstairs in the main dining room. She's getting ready to leave." Abbott answered on solemn tone.

Dempsey's heart skipped a beat. "No, no, no. She can't leave, she mustn't leave, not until I've spoken to her!" he pulled hard on the handcuffs, hurting his wrist again as a result. He cursed loudly. "Abbott, I've gotta talk to her, but I need your help. D'ya have any idea where the key is?"

"I believe your colleague, Mister Jarvis, is in possession of the key, Sir. Shall I go and ask him?"

"No, that'll take too long. Just gimme my pocket knife or somethin'!" he commanded, while his eyes were searching the room to find something suitable.

The butler didn't move. "I'm afraid I can't, Sir. I was told not to give you anything sharp."

"What? Who the hell told you that?" Dempsey frowned. He couldn't believe his ears! But it didn't take long before it dawned on him who could've given that kind of instructions to the loyal servant.

"Miss Harriet did, Sir." Abbott confirmed his suspicion, before he turned around and headed for the door.

"You don't always have to do what she tells ya, ya know!" Dempsey snapped at the poor man, but quickly calmed down when he saw Abbott reaching for the door handle. "No, please wait! Look, I don't know what exactly Harry's told ya, but she's gonna do somethin' very dangerous, too dangerous if you ask me. Now I don't want her to get hurt. And I bet neither do you. That's why I need to stop her, but I can't do this without your help. C'mon Ab, help me get rid of these handcuffs. Please?"

For a moment, Dempsey was hopeful when he saw the butler hesitating. But then the man opened the door. "I'm sorry, but I was given instructions and I need to follow them. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to carry on with my work. Enjoy your breakfast, Mr. Dempsey. I will come back later to pick up the tray."

"No wait!" Dempsey shouted as he intended to jump up from bed, but got restrained by the handcuffs. "You can't leave me like this! I need to go to the loo! Urgently!"

"Miss Harriet has assured me that you have everything you need within your reach, Sir."

"How could she possibly...?" He asked in disbelief as he looked around. Then his eyes fell on a bucket and an empty water bottle, both standing on the floor next to the bed. He raised his eyebrows.

"C'mon, man, you can't expect me to...?" But as he turned to Abbott, he saw to his horror that the man had already left the room.

The moment Abbott had closed the door behind him, he heard the American shouting and cursing furiously. He took a step backwards when he heard a loud bang on the door, followed by the sound of something falling clattering on the floor. Abbott thought it was wise not to re-enter the room for the moment. Instead, he turned around and descended the stairs to continue his work in the dining room, where meanwhile the guests had finished breakfast.

As soon as Harry had spotted him, she stepped up to the butler. "Abbott, have you seen Mr. Dempsey? Was he awake?"

"Yes, Miss. I've brought him breakfast, as you had requested." The servant answered noncommittal.

"How was he? Has he said anything?"

There was a brief silence during which Abbott pondered on what he would say. "Let's say he wasn't very happy with the situation, Miss."

His rather diplomatic answer made Harry suspicious. "What happened? He hasn't been rude to you, has he?"

Oh dear, she should never have sent the poor butler to check up on Dempsey, knowing that her partner would be in a bad mood. Being tied to the bed was one thing, but the fact that she'd sneaked away without saying a word wouldn't have improved things. She was convinced, however, that this was the best way for both of them.

"Not exactly, Miss, but Mr. Dempsey seemed quite worried about your safety, and he insisted that you have a word with him, before you leave."

As response, she smiled warmly at him. "I had expected this, and yes, I will talk to him,... as soon as I've returned." She laid her hand on his arm, concern written all over her face. "Abbott, I know he won't like this at all. Perhaps it's better if you stay away from him for the time being, as well as the other members of the staff. I will ask my father to check up on him some time later this morning."

After her brief conversation with the butler, Harry joined Chas to go over all details one last time. Meanwhile Spikings, Watson and Joyce had arrived with the necessary equipment to conceal a microphone under the blonde detective's clothing. It didn't take long before Harry was ready to leave. As she stepped outside, Lord Winfield awaited her on the driveway. He gave his daughter a hug.

"Good luck, my darling. And be careful."

"I will, Freddy, don't worry." Harry gave him a peck on the cheek. "Can I ask you a favour?"

Her father raised an eyebrow. "Something to do with James, I assume?"

She nodded. "I didn't want to make things more difficult than they are, so I've avoided seeing him this morning. I suspect he'll be quite cross. That's why I advised Abbott and the other staff members to stay away from him. Could you check up on him, some time after my departure? I'm sure he won't work out his frustrations on you."

Lord Winfield smiled. "Of course, my dear. Don't you worry about James, he's in good hands here. You focus on whatever it is that you need to do, and come back unharmed."

As she drove off, followed by Watson and Joyce, Freddy stared at his daughter's departing car, a deep frown on his forehead. Chief Superintendent Spikings had noticed Lord Winfield's concerned look, and came standing beside him.

"We'll take good care of her, Sir. You can rely on that." He tried to reassure the older man.

As soon as the two cars were out of sight, Spikings and Chas were about to get in their vehicle as well, when they suddenly heard a loud bang. Shocked, the two men looked up at the imposing castle.

"Dempsey's room, Guv!" Chas yelled, as he sprinted into the house and up the stairs, closely followed by the Chief Superintendent.

With guns drawn and covering each other, they barged in the room.

"Freeze, Police!" Chas shouted, quickly scanning the entire place, gun aimed in front of him.

They lowered their weapons when they saw Dempsey standing in the middle of the room, staring at them with bewildered eyes.

"What are you guys still doin' here? I thought you'd left?"

"We were about to leave, but then we heard a shot." Chas looked around again, still convinced that the shot had come from this room.

Spikings glared at the American, while holstering his weapon. The moment they'd invaded the room and he had seen the Yank's surprised face, he immediately realised what had happened.

"So, managed to break free, Leftenant? And what exactly are you planning to do now?"

Dempsey ran a hand through his hair. "C'mon, Chief. Let me come along with you. Just in case... I promise I won't do anythin' that could endanger Sergeant Makepeace."

Spikings watched him intently while he considered the request. Eventually, he let out a deep sigh. "Alright, you can join us, but on one condition!" he held up his forefinger. "You stay at my side the whole time, and you don't do anything unless I say so. Is that understood?"

"Loud and clear, Chief! Loud and clear." Dempsey answered relieved. He grabbed his jacket from the chair and swung it over his shoulder. Then he quickly left the room and hurried downstairs, before the boss would have the chance to change his mind.

As Spikings was about to follow the American, Chas expressed his concern. "Are you sure about this, Guv? You know what Dempsey's like… I mean, he's so reckless and unpredictable, it could be very dangerous with him around."

"What would you suggest then, Sergeant? That we leave him here and lock him up? He'd get himself free again in no time, with that 'bazooka' of his. Or should we leave him here alone, unarmed, knowing there are a couple of killers looking for him?"

The Chief Superintendent slowly shook his head. "No, Chas, I prefer to keep him close to us, so we can keep an eye on him. We wouldn't want that reckless cowboy out there alone, would we?" Then he pointed at his subordinate. "But since you're obviously concerned about him, I have a special task for you, Sergeant. You keep an eye on him during the operation. Make sure you don't lose sight of him for a second! Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Sir." Chas scratched his neck as he reluctantly accepted his additional assignment, silently cursing himself for bringing up the subject in the first place.

With swift pace they tried to catch up with Dempsey. When they were halfway through the long corridor, they suddenly heard the American's voice, shouting loudly from downstairs. "Yo, are you guys comin' or what? We ain't got time for a cosy chat, ya know!"

Spikings frowned, growling something incomprehensible. That bloody Yank always managed to get under his skin. If it wasn't for what he did and how he did it, then it was for the disrespectful way he treated his superior, not to mention his colleagues. It was hard to believe that Sergeant Makepeace still wanted to work with this rude and annoying man.

Only about fifteen minutes after Harry's departure, the three detectives headed straight to their destination, Dempsey's 'hiding place'. There, they would wait for the Sergeant, whether or not she may be followed by the American killers. Although Dempsey had already experienced a lot in his life, he had a very bad feeling about this. By no means he was superstitious, but he sincerely hoped that his nightmares hadn't been a sign that something terrible would happen to the brave woman who, beside his family, meant more to him than anyone else in this world.

(TBC)