Chapter 5

There was a noise on the edge of my consciousness but I didn't want to wake up yet, I was having such a good dream, it had to be a dream. But if it was a dream then what was lying on top of me, moving their head gently. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Sam's blonde head nuzzling into my shoulder, apparently she didn't want to wake up either. Now I was awake I could hear the noise again. Someone was banging on the door. I moved, trying to wake Sam up, "Sam, babe, come on" I encourage and she moved her head to look at me, opening on bleary eyes. "What's the time?" she mumbled blinking.

I looked down at my watch, "It's eight thirty," I mutter sighing. True we had had the afternoon off but I could really have used a couple more hours of sleep. Oh well, there's always tonight, no work till morning.

"am?" Sam asked groggily.

"No, pm" I muttered. "But there's someone at the door"

Sam sat up abruptly, "Why didn't you say so?"

"I just did," I protested laughing.

Sam shot me a glare, "You know what I mean," she muttered as she scrambled to pick her clothes off the floor. She threw them on as hurriedly as possible and she almost did her buttons up incorrectly. I pointed it out and she thanked me. Grabbing shirt and cardigan she tossed them to me, "Put them on" she told me grinning nervously I stood up, already wearing my underwear and bra and pants. Kissing her gently I brushed her hair with my fingers and fixed her collar, "Now you can answer that" someone was leaning on the doorbell so it was constantly going off. She hurried off and I quickly put my top and my cardy on and buttoned it up. Fixing my hair and my clothes and wiping a bit of lipstick off my neck.

"Jo" Sam called out warningly and I turned away from the mirror, flopping into a chair. "Yeah?" I asked she walked into the lounge room followed by Phil and Zain.

"They come bearing gifts," she muttered grinning. I grinned back.

"You two seem to be getting along ok" Zain commented, "What happened to the bitch fighting, that was fun to watch," he pouted and I slapped at his arm playfully.

Phil pulled out a bag from behind his back, "Here, we did a whip round and the fireman gave us a few things he managed to salvage. I know it's not much but I hope it cheers you up some." He smiled and I smiled back gratefully. Inside the bag there was a photo album which had pictures of me and my brother when we were growing up. Me and my dad and my mum, it was one of my most treasured possessions, I know that sounds corny but my mum died in a car crash when I was little so it's some of the only photo's I have of her. There was also a bottle of wine and a large teddy. I raised my eyebrow at Phil after that one.

"So you have something to cuddle up to at night" he grinned, I looked at Sam and we both broke out into giggles. Phil looked from me to her and back again, frowning. "Something I'm missing?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing, it's just sweet" I smiled and stood up hugging him and giving him a peck on the cheek. When I pulled away he was blushing slightly and Sam and I started laughing again, this time Zain joined in.

"Where's mine?" he muttered jokingly. But I crossed the room smiling and gave him one too, I could see Sam's eyes glittering and I was glad she found this amusing, and she wasn't jealous. I crossed the room over to her, perched on the arm of the sofa we had just been sleeping on and I gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek too, but that carried a promise of more to some. "Thanks for offering me a room for a while, it's nice to know I have such great friends," I muttered. "But enough of the sappy, what's say we break open this bottle" I raised the bottle of wine and Sam Zain and Phil all smiled.

As I was in the kitchen fetching some glasses and trying to find the bottle opener, there was another knock on the door and when I returned to the lounge room Gina and her boyfriend Jonathan, Suzie and oddly enough Phil's wife Cindy were all sitting down too. I wondered off the find some more glasses. Sam followed me and I asked her, "What's Cindy doing here?"

"I invited her," Sam answered grinning. "Thought she might be able to keep Phil under control, don't want him getting ideas above his station do we?" her eyes glinted wickedly and I grinned back, God this woman was delightfully conniving. Sam and I managed to get a seat on the sofa next to Gina. Jonathan was sitting on the armchair nearest Gina, his hand on hers. I thought it was rather sweet that after all she had been through she had found someone to love her like she deserved. And I can't believe I just thought something that corny. We sipped out drinks while Phil filled me in on the case, he said that Theresa was pleading Not Guilty, which meant it was going to go to trial. I didn't want that but what other choice did I have. Phil assured me that they might not need to use me as a witness yet but I knew I would be called to the stand, if not by the prosecution then by the defence in the hope that I would bottle it because of what I had felt for Tessa. After that the conversation turned to other people's worst relationships. After everyone had offered up their worst experiences it was Sam's turn. We had gone round in a circle, me, then Phil who was on my right, Cindy, Zain, Suzie, Jonathan and Gina. Sam grinned, "Sorry but I think I take the cake, I've had a lot of pretty bad ones. First I found out that Abi's father wasn't who he said he was but instead he was the infamous Ian McCarthy. Then there was Peter Cavanaugh, I'm not even going into that, and of course everyone knows about Hugh Wallis." She grinned, "Do I win the last glass of wine?" she joked but I could tell it affected her more than she said. Everyone nodded and she leant forward to take it but I could see the confused looks on Jonathan and Cindy's faces. There was an awkward silence but then Gina announced that she had finally been given the all clear on her cancer and everyone offered their congratulations and started comparing 'most horrific hospital experience'. Eventually everyone decided it was time to head home and we had the house to ourselves.

"What's to bet Phil would still be here if I hadn't invited Cindy" Sam smirked collecting the glasses and moving to the sink to wash them up. I smiled and started drying up.

Sam and I drove to work the next morning, Sam behind the steering wheel and my hand on her knee. When we were sitting in the driveway Sam had grabbed my hand and placed it there, "Don't move it," she told me. Immediately I tucked my fingers under the hem of her skirt and hiked it up her thigh, grinning. "Unless you're gong to do that" she amended laughing. We pulled into the station at five to eight and after I squeezed her thigh, I got out, I have to admit it was good to have the excuse that I was staying at Sam's because my house burnt down, there were no awkward questions, no snarky remarks about sleeping arrangements, not that we had had much sleep. We both headed straight for the canteen to get a coffee, we needed something to get us through the day. That day mainly consisted of Manson telling me to get on with my paperwork, I did go out on a home burglary with Zain but we wrapped that up pretty fast, probably because I was trying to get back to the office and see Sam. We shared a few snuck kisses in the toilets and a lot of meaningful looks across the office. I licked my lips winking at her just after lunch and she broke off into giggles. Phil and Suzie were staring at her like she had two heads or something. Eventually the shift finished and we were able to head beck to hers.

Thursday come around way too soon for my liking, it was the day of Theresa's arraignment. Sam and I both headed down to the courtroom, Sam had gone into Jack office and I had waited outside, I could hear what they were saying though.

"You don't mind if I take the afternoon off do you Guv?"

"Why?"

"Go to the arraignment, I really think Jo could use the moral support"

"What come over you all of a sudden, first you and J can't stand each other now you're joined at the hip" I can onlyimagine the look that crossed Sam's face at that moment. "Of course you can go Sam, I'm glad you two are getting along these days" that was Jack, everyone's friend.

We were both sitting at the back, Sam's hand clutching mine, I think she was almost as nervous as I was. Jonathan Fox, the prosecutor stood up, "The people ask for the defendant to be remanded in custody, our psychiatrist says she is rather unstable and she might try to harm Joanne Masters, her ex-girlfriend."

Theresa's defence lawyer stood up, "With respect you honour this is a simple arson case, not murder, and my client has a friend who is willing to let her stay with him. She has a roof over head, enough money to pay a bond, I think it is completely unnecessary for her to remanded."

The justice was a surly looking woman, her face creased with age, she peered down at Theresa through her glasses and said, "I hereby set the bail at two hundred thousand pounds, the defendant is to surrender her passport and she must stay at least a kilometre away from Miss Masters at all times. Failure to abide by these restriction and she will be remanded in custody" the Defence counsel nodded as Jonathan sighed. I felt an icy cold clench of fear in my heart. Tessa would never hurt me, but I didn't know Theresa, she might. Sam and I headed back home and for the first time in my life I was glad that I didn't have shift on the weekend, well probably not the first, but the first in a while. I felt safe at Sam's house, Theresa didn't know where it was, she would never find me here. Sam and I curled up on the sofa together but I could tell she was nervous about something.

"What is it?" is murmured softly, so she didn't hear my voice quiver.

"It's Abi" she murmured back. "She was staying at her grandma's but she's coming home tonight, I guess I'm a bit nervous about introducing her to you"

"You could just say I'm a friend" I suggested feeling a sense of apprehension settle over me. If Abi didn't like me that was it, Sam wasn't going to want to be with someone who didn't get along with her only daughter. Sam shook her head, "No, she'll know I'm lying and she would be even more—iffy for want of a better word" Sam smiled.

"So—do you want to practice on me?"

"What pretend you're Abi?" Sam asked smiling as though she liked the idea. "Good idea, this teddy is you" she declared picking up the bear Phil had given me. I laughed out loud and it did wonders to dissipate all the tension in the room. Sam sat up straight and placed the teddy on her lap, squeezing it tightly. "Abi, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is my girlfriend Jo Masters." Sam smiled, then her brow creased ever so slightly, "And I actually mean girlfriend, not just friend that's a girl" the expression on her face was so hilarious that I burst out laughing. She's not going to think we're just friends if you're holding me like that" I told her pointing to the teddy. She was squeezing it so hard that all you could see was its head and the bottom of its feet. "Good point" Sam laughed, still holding the bear tightly.

There was a voice from the doorway, "Mum, what's going on" Abi asked peering round the doorway" Sam looked nervous again.

"Hey sweetie, why don't you come in?" Sam sulked through the doorway"

"Who's she?" she asked pointing to me, her tone was rude and I tried not to feel insulted. She just doesn't want anyone taking her mum away from her I tried to tell myself, but I did have a feeling that it was because she head heard what we were saying and because I was a woman.

"Abi, you now this isn't how I would have chosen for you to find out, but—"

"What you mean you weren't playing around, she actually is your girlfriend?" Abi asked incredulously. Her face twisted into a scowl and she glared at me, I had known this was going to be awkward but I had tried not to think about it. "I can't believe you" Abi started shouting again. "Since when did you turn dyke? I don't want a dyke for a mum and I certainly don't want to share a house with my mother's girlfriend" she spat still glowering at me.

"Abi, please—" Sam started but Abi turned and fled out the door and up to her room. I sighed rubbing my eyes, "Sorry about that" I murmured feeling incredibly guilty.

Sam shook her head miserably, "It's not your fault, I just hope she comes around"

"Maybe it would be easier if I wasn't here" I murmured, "I could find somewhere else to stay"

Sam shook her head again, "Absolutely not, I'm not turning you out on the street because my daughter has a juvenile attitude towards our relationship"

I smiled at her gratefully, "You don't always have to be so strong you know" I murmured pulling her into a hug. Sam smiled wanly, "Yes I do" she muttered. "Coffee?"

"Tea, thanks, I need to sleep tonight" Sam smiled and got up off the sofa, at that moment we heard a clattering down the stairs and Sam opened the door to see Abi with a hold-all over her shoulder. "I'm going to visit Granddad for a while, till you come back to your senses." She said curtly and she ran out the door. Sam and I stood there not knowing what to think. I know Sam was upset so I pulled her into a hug but she was still in my arms. A moment later I let her go and headed in to the kitchen to make some tea. I know that Sam loves her daughter and she was probably just upset but it still hurt that she wouldn't let me comfort her, maybe she was regretting this thing we had –what ever it was.