A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys, keep them coming they inspire me to write quicker!

Jo walked back into the office, surprised to find it empty. Taking a step further in the small room, she noted Sam's handbag still placed haphazardly on the floor, a sense of relief rushing over her as she realised this meant Sam hadn't gone far. Striding out of the office, she headed towards Sam's own one, opening the door, discovering it unoccupied, no signs of recent activity filling it. Heading back out, she went into the busy CID office, her breath becoming a little rapid as she quickly scanned the room and found Sam was not in there either. At risk of drawing attention to Sam's absence, she called for hush, asking if anyone had seen Sam in the past ten minutes. When everyone shook their heads, Jo headed back out and towards the toilets. Finding one occupied, she let out a sigh of relief, calling out Sam's name. She was concerned, however, when the voice of Gina Gold floated over the cubicle door, stating that it wasn't Sam.

Flying back out of the toilets, Jo went to the staircase, taking them two at a time, going into another set of toilets. Finding them empty, she exited them again, heading to the next set, and the next, and the next, all the same, either unoccupied or no sign of Sam. Heading back towards the front entrance, Jo left the station and searched for Sam's car in the car park, relieved to find it still there. Heading over to it, she leaned in, sighing to herself when she found it empty.

Going back to the station, a new sense of urgency rushing over her as she ran out of possibilities as to where Sam could be, she went back up to jack's office, hoping they'd merely missed each other and she was sitting in there now. Flinging the door open, she saw Jack seated at his desk, sorting through a file. 'You seen Sam?' the brunette asked, her breathlessness shown in her voice.

'Not since I left her in here with you, why?'

'Shit.' Jo whispered, frantically rushing out of the office and into the corridor, stopping only when she felt a hand on her arm, preventing her from moving. 'What is it, Jo?' Jack's questioned, his voice on edge.

'I can't find her. I've looked in her office, CID office, all the toilets, her car, she's not anywhere.'

'And no one's seen her?'

'No one in CID, I don't know about anyone else.'

'Okay, well put a call out on the radios, asking if she's been seen in the last ten minutes. She can't have gone far, we were only around the corner when she must have left.'

'Okay.' Jo replied, a lump forming in her throat, her mind racing as to where Sam could be. Jack was right, they'd been just around the corner when she would have gone, they would have heard if she were not alone, right?

Jo rushed back to CID, grabbing her radio from her top draw and putting out an urgent call for anyone who's seen DI Nixon. When reply after reply came back with no sighting, Jo's heart rate quickened again, the brunette rushing back to Jack's office. 'No one's seen her.' she yelled as she flew through the door, a startled looking Jack pacing the small room.

'Okay, go get the CCTV from the front office, custody entrance, fire doors, I want every exit covered, let's find out if she's left the building. Get the CCTV form outside here as well; let's see if she left the office alone. Grab as many uniform as you can to sift through the tapes, it shouldn't tae too long, there's only about fifteen minutes of footage that should be useful, but we've got quite a few tapes to go through.'

'Okay.' Jo replied as she rushed out of the room, heading down to the desk and repeating the list of tapes needed to the flustered receptionist. When they handed a stack across to Jo, she quickly headed off with them, grabbing Leela and Will as she past them in the corridor, settling them down in the TV room and instructing them to look for Sam on the tapes. Rushing back out, Jo pulled a couple of other uniform's in as well, grabbing a couple of tapes herself and sitting down with the one for Jack's office. She watched as she exited the room, her breath quickening as more and more minutes passed by on the clock and there was no sign of Sam leaving. Her heart stopped dead as she saw herself go back in the office and then go back out again when she found it empty. Rewinding the tape again, Jo sat through the same footage, still no one else entering or leaving the room in between Jo leaving Sam, and finding her gone. 'Okay, er, keep looking guys, I've got to go and see the DCI.' She commanded shakily, leaving the room with a sense of fear.

As she entered Jack's office once again, the DCI must have noticed the change in her, because he instantly sat her down, fussing over her. 'She didn't leave the office.' Jo whispered after a while, her voice shaky.

'What do you mean?'

'I looked through the tape for outside here, it shows me leaving, me coming back in ten minutes later, but no one else coming or going.'

'So she didn't leave?' Jack asked, confused.

'She must have, but not through the door. Jo scanned the room, her eyes resting on the window, a lump forming in her throat once again, the brunette shakily rising and heading over to it. Hesitantly, she looked down, letting out a soft whimper when she saw what was below them.

Jack cautiously walked over to the window, joining Jo in looking down; he let out a sigh of relief when he found nothing down there.

Jo stared out the window for a few seconds longer, her brain clicking into action. 'Are there any workers here at the moment?'

'Eh?' Jack turned to face her; his mind still on the fact Sam wasn't lying dead ten feet below them.

'Anyone that wouldn't have looked suspicious fixing a ladder to the side of this building, Jack?'

'You think…'

Jack was cut off by the impatient brunette, her mind a few steps ahead of Jack's. 'It's the only other possible exit to this office, Jack. Sam didn't just disappear into thin air, she must have left some how.'

'Okay, I'll get maintenance on to it, see if anyone's contracted at the moment, or has a contract that's just ended and might not go unnoticed if they're still here. You go and find Gina, we're going to have to report Sam as missing.'

'She's gonna need to know why Sam was here, isn't she?'

'Yeah, I'm sorry Jo, I know Sam didn't want anyone to be told, but we need to have the bets possible chance of finding her, and for that to happen we need people to know every detail. Get Mickey and Terry, send them around to James Ratherson's house, we need to find him. If he's there, get them to bring him in.'

'Sam's not made her official statement yet, Guv, we've got nothing to arrest him for?'

'Right now, Jo, I don't care if they plant stolen goods in his house before they arrest him, we need him here where we can keep an eye on him.'

'Guv.'

'Mickey, Terry.' Jo called breathlessly across the office, having flown through the door seconds earlier. The two males instantly rose when they saw her, heading over to her quickly, her sense of urgency evident to anyone in a five-mile radius.

'Jo.'

'Get over to this address,' she ordered, handing them a slip of paper, 'I need you to arrest the owner, James Ratherson.'

'What's he done?' Mickey asked taking the paper from Jo and quickly reading the address before handing it to Terry, figuring out where abouts it was in his mind.

'Rape. But the statement's not been made yet.' Jo added.

'We can't then.'

'I know. Not legally, anyway.'

'Jo…' Mickey sounded cautious, knowing what he was being asked to do.

'We need him in custody, Mickey.'

'Can't you just get the vic to make a statement?' Terry asked dubiously, not aware why Jo was so flustered, but having seen her fly in and out of the offices a few times today, obviously something wrong.

'She's gone missing, that's why we need this guy in custody.'

'Okay, who's the woman?' Mickey questioned, sighing to himself as he thought of all the rules he'd be breaking were he to go along with this.

'Come in here.' Jo instructed, pulling the two of them into the DI's office. 'Sam.' she answered when the door was shut and they were out of earshot from the rest of CID.

'DI Nixon?' Terry asked, concerned.

'Yes. She came in and did an interview with me this morning, I left the room to speak to Jack, ten minutes later I went back in and she was gone. I've checked the CCTV; she didn't leave through the door. We're thinking maybe a maintenance worker or someone posing as one took a ladder up to the window and got her that way.'

'You're certain she didn't leave through the door?' Mickey checked.

'Yep, I watched the tape twice, no one came or left apart from me. Her bag was still in the room, her car's still in the car park.'

'And she definitely didn't leave of her own accord?'

'Not through the door she didn't, no.'

'Okay, so what do you want this guy arrested for?'

'Jack's told me he doesn't care if you fit him up, as long as he's brought in. I take it that means he'll cover your backs if there's any repercussions.'

'Okay, we'll get over there now then.' Terry concluded, heading for the door.

'Oh, guys, wait. Sam didn't want anyone knowing about what happened to her, so I'd appreciate it if you kept this between ourselves.'

'Yeah, no problem.' Mickey replied, following Terry to the door.

Jo paused for a second in the small office, regaining her breath and her thoughts before straightening herself out and leaving the small room, bumping into Gina on her way out. 'Inspector Gold, I was just coming to find you.'

'Sorry Jo, I'm a bit rushed at the moment, can it wait a couple of hours.'

'No.'

'Jo what's up?' she asked, taking in Jo's appearance fully, the detective's cheeks flushed slightly.

'In here.' She said, pulling Gina into the office she'd just left.

'What is it, Jo?' Gina asked, concerned, never having seen the DC like this before.

'It's Sam, she's gone missing.'

'Missing? When?'

'About ten minutes ago, maybe a bit more.'

'Where from?'

'Jack's office, I've checked the CCTV, she didn't leave through the door.'

'Window?' Gina asked, her brain coming up with possibilities quicker than Jo's had earlier.

'Checking that now.'

'Okay, what was she doing in Jack's office.'

'Reporting a rape.'

'She know the victim?'

'She is the victim.' Jo stated, not wishing to make more of a fuss of it than she had to.

'Oh. Have you got the attacker in custody?'

'Terry and Mickey are on their way to arrest him now.'

'Okay, have you got her statement, can I take a look at it?'

'She hasn't made it yet.'

'What's this guy being arrested for then?'

'Anything.' Jo sighed, taking a seat. 'Jack's told them they ca set him up if needs be, we just need to know he's not going anywhere near her right now, she's petrified of him.'

'Well, anyone would be of their rapist.'

'No, this is different. He's an old boyfriend that never let go. She had an injunction out against him years ago. He broke it, was arrested and sent to prison. Must have been let out but Sam wasn't informed. He turned up at her house this morning and forced his way in. the thing is Sam told me she felt vulnerable around him from way back, I mean before he was sent to prison.'

'Right, so he's scared the living daylights out of her, then, has he?'

'She was a wreck when I interviewed her. He's not scared her, he's destroyed her.'

'Poor woman.' Gina commented absentmindedly, thinking about what her friend must be going through right now.

'Yeah. So it's all the more urgent that we find her. I need to know she's safe.'

Gina paused for a second, noticing the DCs slip of the tongue. 'You really care about her, don't you.'

'She's a friend.' Jo responded defensively.

'No, she means more than that to you.' Gina added, looking the woman up and down. 'We'll find her for you.' She said, resting a hand supportively on Jo's upper arm, squeezing her bicep.

'We're not… I mean… Sam and me… she kissed me… earlier… but I stopped it… I'd be taking advantage right now.' Jo admitted, impressed at Gina's ability to coax Jo into opening up.

'Probably for the best right now I guess. She likes you, though.'

'How do you know?'

'It's obvious, Jo.' Gina answered with a chuckle; 'She has done for ages.'

Jo sighed to herself. 'And the one time she plucks up enough courage to tell me I push her away.' She whispers, more to herself then Gina.

'She'll understand. You were doing it for her sake, just give her time, she'll see you care about her.'

'If I can find her.'

'You will, Jo, you're a brilliant copper, and the fact you care about her will only make you more thorough in your desperation to find her. You won't leave any stone unturned until she's back with you, I know that.'

'I wish I could be so certain.' Jo muttered. 'Thanks, Gina, well I better get out there looking for her.' She said, heading for the door.

'If you need anything, Jo, you know where I am. Even if it's just someone to talk to.'

Jo forced a slight smile onto her face. 'Thanks.'