Hey, just wanted to say a quick thank you to my reviewers from last time, talkingtothesky, Iaveina and losttimelady! I'd say this is about half way through the story and things are about to get a bit more interesting!

Enjoy!

"Thank you for getting here as fast as you could-" the Headmaster paused, mid stumble, breathing harsh, pestered. He examined the newest member of CID, inquisitively glaring at her.

"Miss Carlisle?"

Rolling her shoulders back, trying to stand taller as she lifted her head into the air, Casey shook her long hair back, maintaining her almost professional facade. "Yep, that's me."

"Well, I'd never have guessed you'd end up in the police service!" he chuckled, hardly believing his eyes.

"Yeah, funny world, huh?" she mumbled, her not-so-inner teenager coming out in full force, her sarcasm as prominent as her estranged Father.

"Well, sir, can you give us a few details on the break in?" Sam enquired, trying to divert the conversation away from his new colleague's rather damaging yet peculiar past.

"Of course, certainly," Mr. Mills nodded, taking another glance at his old student. "Better go to my office, get a bit of privacy - I'm sure you know the way by now, don't you Casey? After all of the times..."

"Look 'ere," Gene demanded, stepping past the young woman as he became nearly nose to nose with the head of school. "I didn't come 'ere so you could play let's bitch in the classroom with my officer. No matter what 'appened between you and 'er before 'and, I don't care. We're 'ere to do our job but if you don't want us to, we might as well leave now and do business with some poor bastard that might need it."

Mr. Mills' mouth was agape; he'd not been spoken to like that since he was at school! "Y-yes, well, let's go to my office so we can discuss this further." he stammered, walking on off ahead whilst the three officers followed behind him, the Gov soon walking shoulder to shoulder with him.

Casey smirked a little, totally taken aback by the Governor's ruthless words to her Headmaster of a few months ago. It was the first time that Gene had actually stood up for her. She couldn't believe it, after years of being ignored by him, now he was being...protective of her?

Sam was vastly surprised how the Headmaster took little to no notice of the bloody teenager sprawled out all over the Biology lab floor. Now he was starting to understand perhaps why qualifications and education meant so little to Casey; he too feared that if this 'school' was his only option, he probably wouldn't have lasted.

Making their way inside the office, Gene declined the offer of a chair, whilst Sam and Casey sat gingerly in front of the man, both feeling a little on edge; the Gov's obvious temper was not helping either of them.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" Mr. Mills asked graciously, sighing as he took the weight off his feet, "Tea? Coff-"

"Answers," Gene interrupted, his voice stopping all signs of friendliness.

"Sorry, ummm..."

"DCI Hunt."

Brian gulped. "DCI Hunt, I don't understand what you mean..."

Gene's expression stayed sour, Mills regretting his questioning, sinking into his ripped chair, as if his timorousness was dragging him down.

"What I mean is any responsible Headmaster would 'ave a good idea which of their little toe rags would do summats like this."

Brian twitched at Gene's snide comment. "Are you implying that one of my pupils would do this?"

"Oh come on Mills," Gene halted, finding this all too slow. "You're hardly running bloody Eton are you? You've got the bastards running around like retards in a sugar factory!"

"I would sooner you didn't speak about my pupils like that."

"Oh, finally found a pair of balls 'ave we?"

Casey slouched in her chair; never in a million years did she think Gene would be this difficult with a potential witness! Then again, she didn't expect him to nearly batter a pupil to death...

"Mr. Mills, I think what my Gov is trying to say is, do you think that any of your pupils would have the potential to do anything like this?"

Brian turned to DI. Tyler, a stern look kidnapping his softer features. "It's about the only bloomin' potential they've got."

"It's probably best not to jump to conclusions at this stage of things," Sam tried to reason. "I think DCI Hunt was only enquiring just in case you'd heard of any of them talking about a burglary..."

"Crikey, come on Inspector, you've seen how chaotic it is out there. None of my staff would have the faintest idea about any of it. They're all always talking about crime, other stuff like that. It doesn't mean they're going to go out and do it but it doesn't mean that they wouldn't either."

Sam could see the pain of Brian Mills admitting his students as criminals, his conscience struggling to deny this; he realised what a poor reputation his school had. Some days, he couldn't find the strength to reject it. With his tie barely clinging to the collar, his expression was that of fatigue; the only way he could bring any ounce of joy to his life was to mock those around him. It just so happened today that Casey was his victim.

"Yeah but, sir, you must know which ones would be bluffing and which ones are likely to go ahead and do it." WPC Carlisle finally piped up, much to the surprise of everyone present.

"Yes but, Casey, up until half an hour ago, I was expecting you to only visit your boyfriend in prison when you are eight months pregnant, not be a copper."

Gene's forehead creased, his gaze stern, directed at Casey.

"Don't worry, I'm not pregnant and I haven't got a boyfriend." she sighed, trying to decide in her mind whether it's better that way or not.

As the silence grew uncomfortable, a knock came at the door. The invitation to come in was eagerly accepted by the other members of CID.

"Did you find anything of any use?" Sam quizzed as the three of them wondered inside.

"No, nothing really," DS Carling spoke, scratching his head.

"I did find this though, Inspector." Annie stepped forward, a tissue folded over several times unravelling in her hands.

Sam stood in front of her, accepting the pair of tweezers she was also clutching. He took the bead between the metal, shining it towards the light. "Looks like it could have come from any girl's jewellery."

"Unless it was from a puff's collection!" Gene interjected, swaggering back over to his team.

"Was there anything else?" Sam asked a little impatiently.

"Not really, boss," Chris shook his head. "We've got some bits of glass and stuff to take to the lab like."

"What about the chair? Please don't tell me you took it back to the damned classroom!" the Governor spoke, feeling his blood pressure rise a little.

"No coz Cartw-, Annie, said it would be a good idea to take it wiv' us." Chris responded, budging his way over to Casey in as discrete a manner as his clumsiness would permit.

Flicking her hair over her shoulder, Casey soon felt the gaze of her former Headmaster fall upon her and Chris. Brian gave him a distant yet intrigued look, like looking into the face of someone you remember vaguely passing in a shop or in the street once or twice before.

"You...you used to come here, didn't you?" he questioned, stroking his dented, wearing chin curiously. "Tell me, what's your name?"

Chris appeared dumbfounded, shifting his gaze from one person to another in the room. Really, he didn't know why he was so shocked; it wasn't like he'd made that much of a lasting impression on the place that Headmaster Mills would actually remember him anyway.

"Chris Skelton," he replied, sweeping his ever growing fringe away from his eyes.

Brian pondered for a few moments, Chris dreading his response. "Oh yes, I think I remember you. Yes, you were the boy who was always getting his head shoved down the toilet, am I right?"

Chris swallowed, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "N-no, Sir, that wasn't me. You must 'ave got me confused with someone else."

"No, I'm pretty certain that was you."

"Yeah, it sounds like summat that would 'appen to the Div," Ray chuckled, chewing his gum obnoxiously loud.

Mills nodded his eyes thoughtful and reminiscing. "Oh yes, I remember now - what was it they used to call you? Pissy Chrissy!"

Gene, Ray and Brian bust out laughing, Annie and Sam stifling a laugh, fearing they'd upset Chris whilst Casey frowned openly, her eyebrows knitting together like one of Grandma's stiff scarf's.

She shot daggers to those laughing, peeping at Chris' face, watching it drop every millimetre as every second passed; she was simply appalled.

"Whatever happened to sympathy?" she mumbled sarcastically, grabbing Chris' hand; she hoped to help these feelings pass.

He looked at her, quickly removing his hand from hers. He couldn't understand why the Gov's expression had abruptly changed from dizzy euphoria to solemnly stern.

"Right, we'd better get off," Gene announced, his body heaving towards the door, his face loosening a tiny bit.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Mills," Sam gestured, shaking the other man's hand. "We'll be in touch."

"Thank you very much. I hope you'll have some news for us soon - there's nothing worse than leaving something to dangle for too long. Ain't that right, Chrissy?"

Mills shoved his elbow playfully into DC Skelton's ribs, laughing in a sarcastic, childish way, trying to make light of Chris' obviously painful memories.

"Yes, that's right," he frowned, walking swiftly away from the place that brought him so much displeasure in the past.

Casey stopped, considering punching the bloke for what he'd just said. She felt her young blood rise; she knew if she had slapped him there and then she would have been just as unprofessional as him.

Through gritted teeth she smiled painfully awkwardly, marching away without saying another word. She feared for anything she did utter to him morphing into unpleasantries, stooping down to her Father's unnecessary anger.

Gene paced after her, his face severe like a bulldog in a headlock; trapped but eager to run riot. Sam jogged lightly to get closer to the Gov, in a desperate attempt at making sure cool heads did indeed prevail.

DCI Hunt stood directly before the new recruit, an unreadable mask devouring his usual firm face. DI Tyler had seen this look before, recognising it now as disappointed anger. It took several months for him to realise exactly what it was; in his twenty-first century haste ridden work ethic style, he didn't dwell on anything for too long (at least in terms of Gene's rather auspicious facial expressions).

Casey head rose, nose pointing towards the sky, trying to stand toe to toe with the Chief Inspector. Her chest heaving, it scared Sam as to how much she looked like Hunt, her lip twisted in ignorant denial at doing anything at all wrong.

"Cartwright," Gene spoke, the silence beginning to melt piece by piece around them. "You go in the car with Chris and Ray."

Annie's gaze switched rapidly between her superior officers not so much in shock but worry; what was Gene honestly playing at?

Gene's steely eyes never turned away from Casey, not one blink went too slowly, in fact, she thought he'd lost that function. "I need a plonk in the car to make sure nothin' bad 'appens to that stuff."

Although disapproving of her insignificant, futile pet name, Annie nodded in approval, heading off with a mocking Ray and embarrassingly disgruntled Chris.

As the blue mini drove out of sight, Gene's gaze broke, his voice harshly awaking Casey.

"Get in the car. Now!"

Why is Gene so mad at Casey?

Check back for more, soon!

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