A/N: Six chapters in and I'm explaining why I picked this song... I'm mad. Anyway, I believed it had potential for Nikki and Di. Hope I was right!

I keep your picture up on the wall,

It hides a nasty stain that's lying there.

So don't you ask me to give it back,

I know you know it doesn't mean that much to me.

Two weeks passed without incident. Greg Clarke had been removed from school and, thankfully, Liam seemed to be getting back to normal. Doug's mood seemed to gradually lighten as time passed, or perhaps it just became commonplace and so unnoticeable, and Diane… Diane was fantastic. Nikki was finding it hard to recall a time when being near the PC was an infuriating place to be; she was too consumed in the pleasure of being with Diane to remember anything negative.

'You're not going out like that, are you?'

Nikki glanced over her shoulder to where Diane was sprawled on the bed, having watched her dressing. 'Why not?'

'Your top's on inside out.'

Looking down, she realised it was. 'Oops.'

Diane was on her feet in a second. 'You look like you need help.'

'Oi, I can manage,' she said, swatting away the hand creeping around her waist. Then she relented and allowed Di to remove the fabric for her and she let out her breath in a frustrated growl. 'I have to go.'

After a few moments of teasing, Di passed the top back to her. 'I know. Don't forget your phone's in the kitchen.'

'I'll get it before I do,' Nikki answered, going through and grabbing it. The last time she was over she'd managed to leave her wallet on the coffee table, only realising when Andrew had asked for some money. She wasn't about to let that happen again.

Diane was holding out her keys when she came back into the hallway. 'And these.'

'Well, at least I'd realise I'd left them,' she quipped, sliding them off the proffered finger and putting them into her pocket. 'I'll see you Tuesday,' she said.

Nodding, Diane kissed her. 'Can't wait.'

Monday had already been an epic of a day, and it was only half eleven. There had been a bomb scare on the High Street that had tied up half the relief and caused a nightmare traffic accident when the diversion route became congested. The driver of one vehicle had died at the scene, three other people were in critical conditions. The fact that the bomb threat was a hoax had infuriated Superintendent Heaton to the extent that his television appeal for witnesses to the crash had apparently turned into a rant about wasting police time.

So when Nikki finally got back to the station after interviewing witnesses at the scene, she just needed a coffee and to be locked in a room with some nice paperwork. However, when she reached the office she found Gina Gold waiting for her. Stepping further in, she saw Diane there as well. 'What's going on?' she asked, looking from one to the other.

'There's been an incident,' Gina said quietly.

She glanced to Diane whose face was grim. 'What incident?'

'Your step-son, Liam, was found badly beaten just outside the school grounds this morning,' Gina explained. 'He's been taken to St. Hughes.'

'Is he alright? Is he awake?'

'I don't know,' the Inspector admitted. 'Doug called and said you should meet him there. Now, PC Noble's volunteered to take you down there so… go on.'

Nodding, she spun on her heel, feeling Diane catch up with her round about the yard. It wasn't until they were safely on the road that she looked again at the PC. 'It was Clarke, wasn't it?'

'We'll get him,' Diane said softly, with evident anger. 'Promise.'

Nikki let out her breath. 'I thought he was alright!'

'Oi,' Di said quickly, 'this wasn't your fault.'

'What if he tried to tell me something and I missed it, eh? What if…'

'Don't, Nikki. Just get there, and see what's going on. You're not doing yourself any favours, okay?'

It was good advice and worth following. Reaching over, she squeezed Diane's arm then went back to staring at the passing scenery.

When they reached the hospital she didn't even think about asking Diane to stay outside; she was too concerned about Liam. But when she found Doug rushing towards her in the corridor outside the ward, she suddenly realised, as his arms wrapped around her, that Diane was watching. It made her pull away. 'Where is he?'

'He's just through…' Doug trailed off as he noticed Diane. 'What are you doing here?'

'Er… I just…'

'She gave me a lift,' Nikki supplied, looking first at her husband then to Diane.

'Right. Well, you can go now, can't you?' Doug said briskly. 'Liam needs his family around him.'

Diane just nodded. 'Fine. Bye, Sarge.'

Nikki watched her disappear around a corner then looked back to Doug. 'She did me a favour bringing me down here. She didn't have to.'

Doug simply walked through a set of double doors to his right. 'Liam's in here.'

Well, he was unconscious, but the doctors were confident there was no permanent damage. After breathing a sigh of relief, Nikki's thoughts had immediately turned to catching the culprit.

'Look, just let them deal with it,' Doug said, as they conducted a heated debate next to the coffee machine. 'If it is Clarke, they'll get him.'

'I just want to know what's going on,' she objected, pulling out her phone. 'I'll be back in a minute.'

'Are you calling Inspector Gold?' he called after her.

She didn't answer. Once in the car park she was about to dial when she heard a familiar cough. Smiling briefly, she followed Diane around the corner to a secluded part of the grounds. 'Hiya.'

'How is he?' Diane questioned. 'Is he awake?'

Nikki shook her head. 'Not yet. But they think he'll be alright. What about Clarke?'

'No,' she replied. 'Tony says his house was deserted. They're trying logical places…'

'But it's like looking for a needle in a haystack,' Nikki finished. 'I can't sit around here doing nothing.'

'I know,' Diane said. 'Car's round the corner.'

Gratefully, she followed her to the car then collapsed into the passenger seat. 'Any bursts of inspiration?'

The PC was quiet. 'If I were him I'd be hiding out somewhere quiet, but close to home. So he lives on Grange Lane… The old industrial park on May Street's about two minutes away. It's been abandoned for years.'

Thankful that Diane was taking charge, Nikki rested back in her seat. 'I'm sorry about Doug. He's not usually like that.'

Diane glanced sideways then looked back to the road. 'Don't worry about it.'

As they turned into the May Street industrial park ten minutes later Nikki's mobile started ringing. She looked at the display then hit the reject button. 'Any sign?'

'That Doug?'

'Yep,' she answered, getting out of the car as soon as it stopped. There were about five large dilapidated buildings surrounding them. Two looked dangerously close to collapse so, ruling those out for the time being, Nikki nodded towards the most stable of the remaining three. 'We'll have a look in there first.'

'Shouldn't you have answered that?' Diane asked as they walked.

'Nope.' Pushing open the door she found the inside to be well-lit, thanks to the boards on the windows being removed. Indicating the door at the opposite end, she took the lead, listening intently for any signs of life. There were none; the building was clear.

Back in the courtyard, she looked around at the remaining buildings, hoping to see something. Her eyes caught on the entrance to one of the two buildings she'd deemed as ridiculous prospects. The door was banging open in the wind, drawing attention to a piece of fabric attached to the broken window that was blowing in the breeze.

Taking off, she was dimly aware of Diane shouting, 'Nikki, wait!' Not paying attention, she barged into the building slowly only until she heard frantic footsteps upstairs; then she located the steep staircase and followed the noise.

The floor felt unstable, in several places it was broken. Being as careful and as quiet as she could possibly manage, she examined the various rooms that the staircase had led her onto. Old offices mostly, and they were all empty of everything but the most decayed furniture. Reaching the end of the corridor, she found it opened out into a large storage area. This was more populated with old crates, plenty of places to hide.

Drawing her asp, she slowed considerably. 'Greg?' she shouted. 'I know you're here.'

A scuttling then a hooded figure burst out from behind one of the closest crates and tried to run right past her. Grasping with her right arm, she felt herself unbalance and her left foot plunge through a mouldy floorboard, sending her hurtling to the floor. For all her discomfort she never relinquished her grip on Greg Clarke's collar, despite his struggling.

Thirty seconds then Diane ran in. Grabbing Clarke, she cuffed him to an exposed pipe over the other side of the room then came back to crouch down beside her carefully. 'Can you move?'

Gingerly, she twisted her foot around. Feeling a sharp pain, she nevertheless answered in the affirmative. 'I'll need help though.'

Diane nodded, moving around so she was closer to the trapped leg. 'What do you need me to do?'

'Pull,' she said determinedly.

'Hang on, are you sure?'

'I don't wanna be like this when back-up arrive,' she argued. 'Do it.'

Diane still looked unconvinced, but she wrapped her two hands around the shin and yanked on the foot.

Nikki let out a yell as her foot emerged, with a broken shard of wood attached to the side of her foot via a nail. 'Ow…'

'Has that gone through?' Diane questioned, quickly laying the leg on the floor.

'Yes,' Nikki admitted. 'But it's alright, honestly.'

'You know,' Di said, shuffling up to eye level, 'I once got a lecture from someone for barging into a building without back-up. He could've been armed, she said; you take that risk into account, she said…'

'I'm sorry!' she said, wincing as her foot started throbbing anew. 'I just…'

'You could have been really badly hurt running in here like that,' Diane interrupted.

'I'm alright,' she said weakly.

'Yeah, this time!'

'It was a special occasion,' Nikki answered, glancing over to Greg Clarke. 'We got him.'

Di shook her head as sirens blared in the distance. 'Fine. But don't do that to me again. Please.'

She refused an ambulance to St. Hughes on the basis that she was going straight there anyway so what was the point in tying up emergency services? Diane drove her- with the approval of a rather irate Inspector Gold- and it was with Diane's assistance that she hobbled into A&E. Diane hadn't berated her on her actions again since they were in the warehouse; something she was thankful for. She knew she'd been an idiot, she didn't need it reiterating. She was going to get enough of that from Doug when he found out what had happened.

Apparently, that was going to be sooner rather than later. As Diane helped her into a seat, she caught sight of her husband steaming towards them. The constable seemed about to retreat before she said, 'Stay. I want you here.'

'Don't you think this'll be awkward enough?' Diane queried in a whisper.

'I've got a nail wedged in my foot, I want you to stay.'

Diane shrugged but still stepped back a few paces as Doug approached. He looked first at the foot, still with half a floorboard attached to the side of it, then at Nikki's face, then, finally, his eyes flickered over to Diane. 'What the hell happened?' he said, refocusing his gaze on the injury.

'It's fine,' she said, hoping to pacify him. 'It looks worse than it is.' That was a lie and she knew Diane realised it to be such but she didn't think she'd draw his attention to it. She was right; Diane stayed quiet, allowing her to add, 'It was just a freak accident, that's all.'

He shook his head disbelievingly then looked over to Diane. 'Can I have a private word with my wife, please?'

Diane was making to move but Nikki injected, 'She's fine where she is.'

'I want to talk to you alone!'

'Maybe it's best if I…' Diane began hesitantly.

'Yes,' Doug agreed.

'No,' Nikki argued. 'Listen,' she said, addressing her husband, 'you get back to Liam. I'll be there as soon as I've had this looked at.'

He didn't seem able to contradict that arrangement but he did have the final word. 'You might've got him, Nikki, and I'm grateful for that; but you went about it the wrong way. You left me here, wondering what the hell was going on, while you went off and played the hero. Hope you're pleased with yourself.'

After he'd stomped off, Diane came to sit down beside her. 'That went well.'

'I had to get him,' Nikki replied with a soft grim smile. 'I thought he knew that.'

Squeezing her hand, Diane answered, 'I understand. For what's it's worth.'

Funny; it was worth quite a bit.

Diane left about an hour later, but not before sitting through the entire process of the nail being removed. She'd been there every step of the way, and that was something Nikki was infinitely grateful for, especially when she saw the state of the foot after the doctor had finished teasing the nail out. It had slid in a few centimetres, not causing any permanent damage but still creating a massive wound and a whole lot of blood to go with it. Though she would've coped on her own, finding she had Di's hand to squeeze throughout it all was quite a relief.

'Thanks,' she said, leaning on her crutches as she watched her lover open the car door. 'Thanks for being around today.'

Shrugging, Diane asked, 'Where else was I gonna be? Call me, okay?'

Nikki nodded. 'Promise.'

Reluctantly, she went to locate Doug. He was in the corridor outside Liam's room, staring deep into his plastic coffee cup. Though he looked up as he heard her approach, he didn't speak.

Sitting beside him, she carefully questioned. 'Is he alright?'

Doug inclined his head. 'Doctors are with him. He woke up twenty minutes ago.'

'Did you tell him we got Clarke?'

'Yep,' he answered shortly. Then he finished his coffee, moved to dispose of the cup, and returned to sit next to her. 'Did you deliberately try and get yourself killed today?'

'I don't know what you heard but…'

'Oh, I was given a fairly detailed version,' he interrupted. 'Tony was first on the scene, wasn't he?'

She couldn't argue with that. She only wished she'd had the foresight to request the whole debacle was kept from her husband, but it seemed Gina had given the order before she'd even entered the warehouse to survey the damage herself. 'Yeah,' she said quietly. 'Yeah, he was.'

'It was just you and Diane in there, wasn't it?'

His reference to the constable made her stomach jolt. It wasn't the first time he'd made disparaging remarks towards her and Nikki wondered if… But, no. The idea was ludicrous- how would he know? She couldn't imagine anyone would guess about her and Diane, they'd think they were mad just contemplating the idea because… Well, it was a mad idea wasn't it? 'Yeah, it was,' she went on finally. 'I met her outside here and she offered to help.'

'Help you try and get yourself killed.'

'No, help me catch Greg Clarke. I thought you'd be pleased!'

'My son's lying in a hospital bed and you do your best to join him? Nikki, I'm ecstatic!'

For a few minutes neither of them spoke. Nikki was contemplating the events in the warehouse; but Doug's words hadn't penetrated her mind, Diane's had. Diane had not only been there, Diane had supported her even when she believed she'd gone and put herself in serious danger. She hadn't had a go, she hadn't criticised; but Doug had.

'I should pick the girls up from school.'

'It's already sorted,' he answered shortly. 'Go home. Rest your foot.'

'Well, I'll stay here with you and Liam.'

He shook his head. 'We'll be alright.'

As soon as she saw Diane approach the front door of her block of flats, Nikki hobbled out of the bus shelter. 'Oi!'

The constable turned, smiled, then crossed the road. 'What are you doing here?'

'It was better than calling?' she offered mildly, allowing Diane to take her bag.

'Not that I'm complaining but… Well, what about Liam? Aren't you needed at the hospital?'

'Apparently not,' she answered. 'And I didn't wanna spend the evening on my own so…'

'How about a Chinese takeaway?' Diane suggested. 'It's what I was planning on.'

'Sounds fantastic,' Nikki replied, following her into the building.

A couple of hours later she regretfully left Diane's comfortable flat to return to what she thought would be an empty house. When she entered, though, she saw the kitchen light on ahead of her and apprehensively entered, finding Doug at the table with a half-empty bottle of whisky. 'What's happened? Is it Liam?'

'Where've you been?'

'What?'

'Where did you go when you left the hospital?' he clarified, still not looking at her.

'I didn't want to come back here and be on my own. So I went to see a friend.'

'Right.' Suddenly, he stood. 'The girls are staying with my parents, Andy's with a mate. I'm off to bed.'

'Is Liam okay?' she asked as he passed her.

'He's fine,' he said, not stopping. 'He wants to thank Diane.'

Tuesday- their shared day off- was supposed to have been an added day of luxury. They'd made no definite plans but it was a given they were going to spend the time together. Now, of course, it wasn't anywhere close to possible. The closest she'd got to Diane by lunchtime had been a brief apologetic text message sent while Doug was brushing his teeth. Apart from that, she hadn't been able to snatch a moment to herself all morning.

Gina Gold had paid a visit before they'd left for the hospital to inform them that, after Greg Clarke's prints were found all over the metal pole used to assault Liam, he'd confessed to the whole thing. He'd done it, he said, as revenge for Liam getting him kicked out of school twice; he'd said Liam deserved it. The anger which that ignited inside of Nikki was only abated by the reminder that Clarke was now looking at a long stretch for a premeditated assault.

At the hospital, Doug went to have a word with the doctor while Nikki went straight in to see Liam. Although he still looked like he'd been caught in a battle between a lawn-mower and a bull, he was looking brighter than he had for months. 'You had me worried yesterday,' she said by way of greeting.

'I'll try harder next time,' he answered with a small grin. 'Dad said you and Diane arrested him.'

'Yeah,' she confirmed, 'and this time he's not getting bail and he's not getting out for a long time. You'll be in the army long before you see him again.'

Liam nodded. 'I wanna thank Diane as well.'

'I'm sure she'll come down when she can,' Nikki answered.

'You could call and ask her to,' he persisted. 'I mean, she's been great. Don't know why she bothered but…'

'She likes you, with good reason. Things'll be different now, Liam. Now he's gone…'

'Yeah, I know,' he replied as his dad came in. 'Hiya.'

Slipping away for a few minutes, she called Diane. 'Fancy a trip to the hospital?'

'Why, what've you broken this time?' came the good-natured reply.

'Liam wants to see you. And I wouldn't mind either,' she added with a small smile.

'I'll be right there.'

Doug's face when Diane had entered the hospital room had been impassive. Nikki wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not, but him excusing himself to get a coffee a few moments was a blessing.

But she realised it was probably better to leave Diane and Liam to it. Instead of going towards the canteen she went in the direction of the gift shop, planning on just aimlessly pottering about there for ten minutes or so. However, as she turned a corner she- and her crutches- collided with DC Jo Masters coming the other way. 'Oh, damn, I'm sorry!'

Jo winced but smiled. 'It's okay. Heard you were trying to fill up the beds in here, didn't know quite how far you wanted to go.'

Nikki laughed slightly then asked, 'What are you doing here?'

'One of the traffic victims from yesterday just died, the driver of the Ford.'

It seemed an age ago but Nikki managed to recall the terrified woman in her late twenties who kept slipping in and out of consciousness. 'No… She was so scared, I kept telling her everything would be alright.'

'She had internal injuries apparently,' Jo answered. 'There was nothing anyone could've done.'

She nodded. 'I suppose.' Then she frowned. 'Have you got a sec, Jo?' The DC nodded and indicated they should step outside of a nearby entrance. Once in the cool breeze, Nikki went on, 'I never apologised for the way I acted towards you.'

Jo shook her head. 'It's forgotten.'

'No,' she objected. 'I was completely out of order. You were just trying to help and I threw it back in your face.'

'Come on, you weren't exactly going through a great time. And I wasn't that diplomatic myself. For a change.' Jo grinned. 'Seriously, forget about it.'

Finally, Nikki nodded. 'Alright.'

Another voice behind them startled her. 'Thought you'd run off.'

Relaxing, Nikki smiled. 'Wanted a walk.'

'You mean a hobble,' Diane replied. 'Hiya, Jo.'

'Hi,' the detective answered. 'You visiting?'

'Got nothing better to do with my day so…'

Jo shook her head and then began walking. 'I've got a doctor to see. No more sticking your foot through floors, alright, Nikki?'

'Am I the laughing stock of the station?' she called after the retreating back.

'Pretty much. But most of 'em reckon you're a damn good parent as well. Think Reg wants to adopt you.'

Diane grinned as Jo disappeared into the hospital. 'You alright?'

'Yeah,' she answered sincerely. 'I'm fine. What about Liam?'

'He's great. Seems a lot happier.'

'I think he is. The doctor said he can come home Wednesday as long as there aren't any complications.'

'That's great news,' Diane replied. 'See? Told you it'd be alright.'

Nikki raised an eyebrow. 'When did you tell me that?'

'Well, I meant to anyway.'

'Diane?' she said slowly. 'I don't know what I would've done without you these last few days.'

'I'm just glad you let me help,' the constable answered evenly. 'I guess I won't see you for a while.'

Nikki frowned. 'Suppose not. Unless Liam wants to see you again or something.'

Smiling, Diane discreetly squeezed her hand. 'Let's hope, eh?'

By the end of the week Nikki had discovered that Doug's continued bad mood had little to do with Liam. After all, the lad was back at home, perfectly happy with a week off school; even if his teachers had insisted on sending him some work home to do. But as Liam's general mood improved, Doug's deteriorated. He became irate over any little thing and spent the rest of his time quietly ignoring everyone around him. The girls picked up on it and it brought the mood of the house down.

Friday was usually her night with Diane, but she didn't know of any way she was going to be able to see her. Doug was due home mid-afternoon and she had to stay with Liam in the morning, so it seemed to be a non-starter. At least until she opened the door to a knock around lunchtime and found a familiar constable standing there. Suddenly recalling something from the back of her mind, she remembered that Diane had booked the day off ages ago for a dental appointment.

'Is it safe?' Diane queried.

Shrugging, Nikki let her past. 'Well, Liam's in.'

'Good. Brought him round some DVDs,' she answered, nodding to the plastic bag Nikki hadn't noticed before. 'How's he doing?'

'Great actually. Complaining about the room service. His leg's still hurting him a bit,' she added with a rueful smile. 'Come on through.'

Diane followed her into the kitchen where she finished loading the washing machine, which the doorbell had interrupted her from. 'And how about you? You keeping off that foot?'

'Oh, I'm fine.'

'Mmm-hmm,' replied her lover, unconvinced. 'Go sit down. I'll stick the kettle on.'

Though she wouldn't admit it, she was quite grateful for the order; the painkillers the doctor had prescribed her only seemed to last half as long as they were supposed to, so she spent half the day unavoidably thinking about the great big hole in her foot. She went through to the living room and plopped down onto the sofa.

A few minutes later Diane appeared, passing her a mug. 'Here. I'll go up and see Liam, if you don't mind.'

Nikki shook her head. 'Am I allowed to move?'

'Don't even think about it,' Diane instructed, reaching into her jacket pocket, removing a small thin black box and placing it on the table. 'Erm… I…' She shrugged. 'I'll go see Liam.'

When the footsteps on the stairs faded, Nikki put her mug down and picked up the box instead. Opening it, she found a silver bracelet with a pretty cat charm hanging from it. With a smile, she lifted it out of the box and ran her fingers over it. Looking on the back of the charm she found a discreet engraving, consisting of two kisses. Immediately, she fastened it onto her left arm and rested back into the sofa with her mug of tea and a smile still on her lips.

About twenty minutes later Diane reappeared, entering the living room rather reluctantly. 'Hiya.'

Nikki indicated for her to sit down. 'You didn't have to come round, you know. I didn't expect you to.'

'Well, I just…' The constable trailed off. 'Do you like it?'

'Yes,' she answered honestly. 'It's beautiful.'

Diane smiled, nodded, and briefly met her eye. 'Hope I didn't embarrass you or anything.'

'No. No. you didn't.' She paused. 'Liam alright?'

'Yeah. Seems pretty chirpy, doesn't he?'

'Surprisingly. But he'd a resilient lad.' Regretfully, Nikki added, 'I don't want to sound…'

'Doug's due home,' she interrupted. 'Liam said. Look, I just wanted you to know that I'm around if you need me. And… Well, I've missed you these last couple of days.'

'I missed you too,' Nikki admitted.

'Listen, I'll get out of your way,' Diane said, standing. 'But I'll call you.'

'You better.'

'Getting a bit of cabin-fever?'

'Something like that,' she answered, putting aside their location to kiss the constable briefly. 'Thanks for dropping in.'

'You don't get rid of me that easy,' Diane warned.

'Daisy, get back down here now!'

Coming through from the kitchen, Nikki found Doug angrily stood at the bottom of the stairs, his face glowering. 'What's going on? What's she done?'

'Left the living room in a state, her and her friend,' he replied, not looking directly at her. 'She's cleaning it up before she does anything else.'

'Calm down a bit, eh?' she advised. 'Give it a minute and ask her nicely.'

'That'll get results will it?' he asked, storming past her into the kitchen.

Following him, she closed the door and faced him. 'What is wrong with you? You've been off for ages now. What, is it something at work? Talk to me!'

Her husband opened his mouth to retort then closed it again. After a few seconds, he shook his head. 'I'm fine.'

'No, Doug, you're not,' Nikki insisted. 'You're shouting at the girls for no reason, Andy's barely spent a night in this last week and Liam…'

'Liam's fine!'

'Alright, he's fine, but you could at least try communicating with him once in a while!'

'You're a fine one to lecture on communication skills, Nikki,' he answered, going to the sink and getting himself some water. He swallowed half of the glass before he added, 'Liam's fixated on joining the Army, have you noticed?'

'Of course I have,' she said. 'But he's felt that way for a while, you know that as well as I do.'

'It's escalated a bit in the past few months though, hasn't it?'

She knew where he was going with that and she didn't want to bring Diane's name into yet another disagreement. Her stomach still knotted when she heard the constable's name coming from Doug's lips, the way he spat it occasionally almost gave her the impression that he knew. But she was putting it down to a personality clash, or something like that: if he knew about her and Diane he'd let her know, Nikki was sure of it.

When she failed to answer, he sighed, drained his glass and came closer. 'I don't want him rushing into anything.'

'Well, we've got a couple of years yet,' she said carefully, trying to gauge the level of irritation still present in him. 'He might change his mind.'

Doug nodded and took her hands. 'You're right. I know you are.' His eyebrows knitted together as he noticed her wrist. 'Is that a new bracelet?'

Though her throat tightened at her stupidity at not removing it the moment Diane had left, she managed to smile. 'Yep. Bought it last week. Completely forget about it what with everything.'

'It's nice,' he said, looking it over.

Drawing back, Nikki shrugged. 'You always knew I had good taste. Can you give me a hand with the tea?'

'Not until that daughter of yours has cleaned the living room,' he replied, going back to the door.

'Why is she always my daughter when she's in trouble?'

Being back at work on Wednesday was a real relief. Not only was she out of the confinement of home, she also was able to see Diane for the first time in a few days. They happened to meet in the locker room at the end of the shift; happened to as in Nikki had watched the corridor from her office for five minutes before following the PC in.

Thankfully, Diane was alone. A smile appeared on her face almost instantly. 'Hiya.'

Nikki moved forward into a brief embrace. 'I never thought I'd be quite so happy to be working.'

'Ah… So, good week then?'

'Fantastic. Excellent.' She sighed. 'I feel like I'm going mad half the time. But…' She shook her head. 'Oh, I don't know.'

'You want a lift home?' Diane questioned after a second. 'You're not driving yet, are you?'

'That sounds good,' Nikki answered, smiling a little. 'Thanks.'

When they were on the road, Diane moved her hand over to rest on Nikki's thigh. 'Feel free to say no, but I was thinking, if you could get away for a couple of hours next week I could cook us a meal or something. Forget about everything for a bit.'

Nikki glanced sideways. 'It's a great idea.'

'Is there a but?'

'No. Believe me, I want to come. I'll be there,' she said decisively as they turned onto her street.

Diane pulled up a few doors down on the opposite side of the road and turned the engine off before removing her seatbelt and shifting so they were facing. 'It's alright if you can't.'

'You know, if I'm…' Nikki trailed off, a little embarrassed. 'Well, if I'm honest, you're the only thing that's kept me going this past week. I know it sounds…'

Suddenly, Diane kissed her. 'It doesn't sound stupid, Nikki. Sounds a bit like my life actually.'

Smiling, Nikki leaned in to press their lips together again but was surprised when Diane pulled away quickly. 'What?'

The PC nodded to something on the pavement. Nikki's stomach plummeted as she recognised the motionless figure of Liam stood facing the car. In one swift movement, he turned and ran off into the alleyway that ran alongside the house.