Emma woke earlier than the alarm for a change and untangled herself from Will before getting out of bed. He rolled over and went back to sleep but she was on the early shift so she went downstairs to make herself a cup of tea. After having breakfast, showering and getting changed Emma reset the alarm for Will and the kids and let herself out of the house.

"You look knackered Emz, is everything okay?" Smithy asked her as they made their way along the corridor towards the coffee machine. She leant heavily against it and sighed sleepily.

"It looks like Elle didn't really learn her lesson after all, Will caught her in bed with her boyfriend yesterday." She said and Smithy had to battle with his jaw to keep it from dropping to the floor. "Apparently she didn't want to but she thought he'd dump her if she didn't. Will thinks that she's unsure how to react around boys just now and yesterday you said I should have a word with her. Well while you were telling me this she was getting it on with her boyfriend." Emma said, her shoulders beginning to shake.

"Hey come here it's going to be alright, she's just going through a rough patch at the moment." Smithy said pulling Emma into a hug.

"I just don't see why it has to be so hard. I feel like I've failed her and I'm sure that's what everybody else around here is thinking. It's so much pressure, I just want to escape." Emma cried into Smithy's chest.

"Shhh darlin' it's okay, nobody thinks you're a failure and nobody has the right to. You're a great mother to both Elle and Mikey. It's just a hard time for you all but you will get through it and laugh about it when it's all in the past." He replied rubbing her back soothingly.

When her tears subsided they broke apart and took their coffees from the machine before heading back upstairs to CID to continue working on their case. Meanwhile Will stepped out from behind the interview room door and sighed deeply. He should have known.

At the end of the shift Emma bounced out of the changing room and headed home in happier spirits than she'd been in for some time. She spent an enjoyable afternoon with Elle and Mikey, watching music channels and helping Elle make some cookies to take to a friends sleepover. When Will arrived home he seemed a little off but she decided to leave him to it.

All through dinner he stayed silent and only grunted when spoken to. "Okay you two, off upstairs and make a start on your homework." She said after they'd cleared their plates and put them next to the sink. Emma ran the hot water tap and began to fill the basin with water.

Will walked into the kitchen and stood staring blankly at her for a while. "When were you going to tell me about Smithy?" He asked coldly as she looked round at him enquiringly.

"What about Smithy?" Emma said puzzled.

"Yeah like you don't know. Don't try and act all innocent Emma, I saw you with him, him touching you all over. I should have known that you'd be cheating on me. I mean it's not like you've got a saintly past have you." He said spitefully.

"I still don't know what you're on about. I've been under a lot of pressure and I needed a friend to talk to. In case you haven't noticed Honey's been a little busy with problems of her own so I spoke to Smithy. That's all we are, friends and don't you dare bring up our past and use it against me. We both wanted it and I made a mistake marrying Matt. I thought you knew that, it was a mistake, A MISTAKE." She screamed at him.

"Whoa temper temper." Will said mockingly. "I've been under as much pressure as you and you don't see me running into the arms of another woman. I mean you slept with me while you were still with Matt, what's to say that you wouldn't think twice about doing it to me."

Emma turned on her heel and ran out of the house, slamming the door behind her. She pulled her car keys out of her pocket and got in, quickly starting up the engine and pulling out of the drive. Driving speedily for about five minutes until she felt she'd put enough distance between herself and Will she began to slow down and think about what she was going to do now. She pulled up by Tower Bridge in the car park and sat with her elbows resting on the steering wheel for some time before deciding to drive around a bit again.

Her breathing still hadn't steadied from her fury in the argument but it was less angry now and more upset. She found herself driving towards something instead of haphazardly as she had been doing a few minutes previously and she saw that she'd stopped outside Smithy's flat. She stood at the door and rang the bell, this sensation being all too familiar. She'd felt this way when Matt had first proposed to her and then she and Will had spent the night together.

Smithy opened the door and stood looking at Emma for a minute before coming to his senses and letting her inside. "Don't get me wrong I'm pleased to see you…but are you all right, you seem a little stressed and upset?" He asked as they made their way through into the living room.

"I um…Will and I had an argument, a big argument." Emma said tearfully. "It was…it was about you, Will thinks I'm having an affair with you because he saw us together today at the coffee machine and he knows I've been out for drinks with you and that recently." She added seeing his confusion.

"Surely he wouldn't think that you'd do that to him, to your children." Smithy said, trying to convince himself that Emma would never want him, that she was off limits no matter how bad he wanted her.

"I…I don't know, he brought up how I'd slept with him when I'd still been seeing Matt and then he said what was stopping me from doing it again, with you." She said several tears slipping down her cheeks.

Smithy paused and then reached his hand out to brush the tears away. Emma looked up startled as she felt his fingers brush her cheek. He wiped away all of her tears and her smudged eye-make-up before letting his hand rest on her face. Something beyond their control overcame them and they both leaned forwards feeling the moment and their lips brushed together.

Emma suddenly remembered where she was and who she was kissing and she pulled away regretfully. "I'm…I'm sorry Smithy I can't do this. I don't care if Will thinks I'm having an affair with you, it doesn't make this right…I'm so sorry." She stammered getting up off the sofa and straightening her clothes.

"Hey don't apologise, it was my fault not yours. I'm sorry I know that you love Will I should never have done that, it was silly and I won't do it again. Friends?" He asked sadly.

"Um yeah definitely." She replied leaning in to hug him. "It was both of us, no one person is at fault." She said into his chest. "I've got to go home and try to make this work now."

"If you can't face staying there tonight then I've got a spare room, so feel free to come back at any time, no innuendo meant at all honest." He added seeing her eyebrows begin to rise up.

She smiled back at him before leaving the flat and getting back into her car. A few minutes later she locked the car and opened the door to her house again. Stepping inside she felt like crying, what was supposed to happen now?

well Emz...what do you think...and anybody else for that matter...what do you all think? let me know xxxxxpip