"You can run all your life, all mine I will chase"

-Embrace, Nature's Law

Annie directed Sam to the field from the passenger seat. She hoped it hadn't changed a lot since she remembered it; she hadn't been there since her childhood and that was a good ten years - forty three years, she reminded herself – ago. Anything could have happened in that time.

Sam pulled up by the side of the road. "Right, you stay under my orders at all times, alright? Three women have been killed by Chatsworth, and chances are he'll have a gun on him if he is in there. I don't want either of you getting hurt."

"Shouldn't we wait for armed response then?" Kate adjusted her armour under her coat.

"I've got them on standby," Sam explained. He looked into the rear view mirror and saw a white van coming into view. "They're in that van; they'll get out when we do. So, shall we go?"

Two nods, and Sam opened the door. He landed flat-footed on the rough road, wishing he'd worn shoes that wouldn't take forever to clean if they got covered in mud. That seemed to be the inevitable consequence of the investigation, whether or not they found what they were looking for.

Kate and Annie climbed out of the van and let Sam lock it up before walking over to where Annie recalled the shelter being. Mud squelched around their feet, the rain from the previous night obviously not being completely soaked up.

The four armed response officers followed at a distance. Annie stopped suddenly in the middle of the hilly field and stared down at the grass, kicking at a mound with her feet. Mud slipped into her shoes but she carried on, unfazed by the discomfort.

"Here it is."

Sam and Kate looked down and saw a rusty metal door.

"You serious?" Kate asked. "It doesn't look like anyone's been here in years."

There was an awkward silence until Sam broke it, keen to diffuse the tension between the two DCs. "Well, there's no harm in checking it. Annie, do you know how it opens?"

Annie nodded. She bent down and tugged at the door, dislodging a twig that was wedged between it. She pulled it open with one exhaustive yank, and stumbled backwards from the recoil. She landed on her back in the mud as Sam and Kate moved in to investigate.

"Nobody move." Billy Chatsworth, a burly man in his early fifties, was standing in the entrance to the shelter, a gun in his hand. He pointed the weapon from Sam to Kate, then eventually settled on Annie, who hadn't managed to get up from the ground.

"Mr Chatsworth, we've got armed police surrounding you." Sam's heart began to race. He couldn't let anything bad happen to Annie. Not today.

"And I've got a gun at one of your pig's heads."

"What do you want?" It was Annie who spoke up, her voice a lot calmer than she felt inside.

"A threesome with you and the other bird over there would be nice."

Annie blinked, confused. Kate's face was one of disgust, though. She looked to Sam for a hint of what she should say in reply.

Instead, though, it was one of the armed officers who spoke. "Mr Chatsworth, put the gun down. You're surrounded by armed police."

"What are you going to do, shoot me?"

"I hope it won't come to that. If you put the gun down we can avoid that."

"So what, I drop my gun and get arrested? I think I prefer keeping this one hostage, as it happens. It's a lot more fun." Chatsworth mimed shooting at Annie, and Kate jumped in shock.

"You know you don't want to hurt her." Sam tried to diffuse the situation.

"Don't I? I've killed three women before, remember? What's another one to add to the history books?"

Sam's pulse raced. Chatsworth was a psychopath; there seemed to be no reasoning with him. He had to get Annie out of the situation, and fast. "Look, if you let her go you can take me instead. How about that?"

"Are you secretly a bird? I'm no queer. I think I'll keep this one, thanks."

"Sam, it's alright." Annie spoke quietly to her boss.

"No, it's not. It might be in- where you come from, but it's not here."

"What other choice do I have, though?"

Chatsworth smiled. "I like this one. She's a clever girl." He bent down and stroked Annie's chin with the gun.

"Get down!"

Sam and Kate ducked as a string of bullets rang out. Chatsworth slumped to the ground, but it wasn't him that Sam was primarily concerned with. The armed unit could do what they liked with him, as far as he cared.

"Annie!" Sam ran over and crouched down beside her. "Are you alright?"

It was only then that he noticed the blood seeping through her jumper. Quickly, he pulled off his jacket and pressed it against the wound. "Kate, call an ambulance!"

"No point." Annie's breath was raspy.

"There's every point." Sam cradled her against his chest, holding his hand firmly against her injury. "Annie, you've only just got here. You've got so much to live for."

"I don't belong here. Maybe this way I'll go back."

"At least give it a chance here, please! You've got to fight. You can't let him win."

"He hasn't won," Annie breathed. "I have." Her eyes closed and Sam's salty tears fell onto her eyelids.

"No, Annie! You can't give up! I'm begging you here, you've got to fight. I...I don't know what I'd do without you." He bent close to her face and planted a soft kiss on her lips. There was no breath from her mouth.

Sam screamed.