Sam slipped her hand into Hugh's as they stood at the alter, she looked up and him and smiled. He smiled back at her, and suddenly doubts started to eat away at her. Behind that happy smile, deep behind it was a look of smugness and it was starting to worry.

'Why wouldn't it worry you? You've got to admit, you've been feeling these doubts ever since Phil and Abi dragged them up, but then you just hid them away. Convinced yourself you were going to be happy.' Said a voice in her head. 'Now think about it, why would he be smug?… Because he knows after today he'll have complete control over you, that's why he's smug. After today who will you have apart from him and your baby? He's already been trying to convince you to move away, away from your family and friends. He keeps saying you only need him and that if he wasn't there you might be a wreck by now but think about it, you wouldn't be a wreck because he wouldn't be there to make you a wreck.'


And then suddenly vivid images flooded her memory, they had managed to break out of the box Hugh had concealed them in and she was remembering everything that he'd done before. The pictures, the lies.
There was a squeeze on her hand. She looked up, tears in here eyes, threatening to spill over in any second.

"Sammie?" Hugh asked, squeezing her hand again. She snatched it away.

"Get away from me." She said quietly.

"Pardon?… Sam?"

Sam backed away from him slowly. "I said get away from me or so help me GOD I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU!"

Paul, Gina and Jo, who were sat near the front all got up and went towards her. Paul hugged her, minding her big bump.

"Sam … Phil and Abi told me about what Hugh's apparently like. Is that true? Is that what this is about?" Paul asked gently. Sam nodded against his chest, sobbing. "Ok, just go to this woman for now."

"Come here Sam." Jo said, taking her and hugging her gently.

Paul suddenly turned and smacked Hugh in the jaw. Hugh turned from the impact and held on to his jaw. "You come near my sister again, I'll do so much more." Paul warned bending down to where he was.

He got up and walked back over to Sam, putting an arm around her he led her out of the church and away from the people watching. Abi, Gabrielle and Phil slipped out making sure Hugh was preoccupied by his family who kept throwing dirty looks over at Sam's side as if this was all her fault.

Sam sat in Phil's living room, on his sofa. Staring blankly ahead, Abi had gone back to their house to collect a few of her clothes as she was still sat in her wedding dress. Phil walked in, "Sam, are you hungry or thirsty?"

Sam shook her head.

"Do you just want to be left alone?" Phil asked.

"Please."

Phil gave her a small smile before leaving, Sam stared out of the window before he eyes blurred with tears. She covered her face in her hands and sobbed. The door opened quietly, Abi walked in. She put the bag of clothes down and sat beside he on the sofa. She wrapped her arms around her mum, who was shaking with sobs.

"Shh, it's alright." Abi whispered.

"How?" Sam asked. "I'm carrying his child."

Abi rocked her gently, in a comforting way. "Well get through this. We always do. It's alright, we don't need him." Abi saw her frown a little. "We don't need him right?"

"Well, he has cared about me for the past nine months, he's is the father of by baby." Sam said.

"Mum! He brainwashed you into loving him! He took you for advantage when you were vulnerable and upset." Abi exclaimed.

"Yeah." Sam agreed confidently. "Yeah, you're right."

"Want to go get changed?" Abi asked.

"Would be for the better."

Abi stayed at the bottom of the stairs as her mum made her way up them, making sure she didn't fall before going into the kitchen. Phil handed her a mug of tea, she took it gratefully and began to take small sips.

"You seen your mum?" Paul asked.

Abi nodded. "She was crying, then attempting to stick up for Hugh -"

"What?!" Phil shouted.

"Don't worry! I talked her out of it and she's ok now, then she went upstairs to change." Abi answered quickly before he got angry. Phil seemed to deflate in front of them. There was moment of silence where they were all caught up in their own silences.

"Where's Gabrielle?" Abi asked.

"She's getting a bus back to the hotel." Paul replied, not looking up before silence fell once again. It was linger than the last, much longer and it was only broken from a bang from up above. Abi's head shot up, she responded quickly running up the stairs, followed by Phil then Paul. Sam was in the bathroom, changed but on the floor. She was holding n to either side of her bump and pulling a distorted face out of pain.

"Mum, what's wrong?!" Abi asked, trying to help her up.

"It's the baby, it's coming!" Sam managed to say.

"Have you got anything with you?" Phil asked.

"No it's all at Hugh's." Sam said, a fresh wave of pain passed through her and she cried out in agony. Phil crouched down and gave her his hand which she gripped tightly, he was strong enough to deal with it so didn't mind.

"Sam this isn't right. I'm only eight months gone, what if something wrong?" Sam asked desperately.

"It might just be the stress of everything has brought the baby on earlier than anticipated. Just don't worry."

Over fourteen pain filled hours later Sam lay exhausted in bed, cradling her healthy little baby girl. She had big green eyes that looked around sleepily not really seeing anything with very thin dark hair. Sam held on to her when the midwife walked in and told Phil, Abi and Paul that they both needed rest.

When Sam was sure they were gone and couldn't hear she broke into tears. She knew she should feel happy but she just felt empty and unhappy. That morning she'd had everything now she had nothing. Not a real family. She was just a single parent again.

She dragged herself to one side of the bed and placed her little girl into the cot. She knew she should call her something first but she needed time to think for one when she wasn't in a strange mood. Who knows? She could wake up and have a daughter called Bubble.

Rolling on her side she drifted off to sleep.

"Look, if a tall balding man in his fifties, professional looking, comes snooping around don't let him see Sam Nixon and don't let him go. Call Sun Hill police station right away, his name is Hugh Wallis. He's a doctor but not like a proper doctor here, he's a criminal profiler so if he tries to say he's a doctor just don't listen. You got me?" Phil asked the receptionist on the maternity ward.

"I've got you." She assured him.

"Good." Phil said, relaxing a little. It had been a tiring day, well for Sam it had been over a tiring year what with one thing happening after the other. He really did feel sorry for her, but now with her truly out of Hugh's control maybe she would really be ok to just consider having something with him.