A/N: I have to admit this isn't proof-read, so I'm really sorry for the mistakes that are bound to appear. Thanks, as always, to all the reviewers - I really appreciate all reviews posted. I hope this is okay and as always read, review and enjoy. Thanks.
Making her way over to the large ruffle of blankets, Stevie held her breath as the blankets started to move. Extending her hand slowly towards the nearest blanket, Stevie grabbed it and flung it across the other side of the room in one swift motion as an odd noise elicited from whatever lay beneath. Throwing the next one in the same manner, Stevie couldn't hide her sharp intake of breath as she saw the horror underneath. Blue eyes latched onto blue eyes and Stevie fell to her knees in an emotional overload. Kneeling forwards, Stevie held out her arms as little fingers wrapped around her hands. Feeling the tears burn ferociously at her eyes, Stevie scooped the tiny child up in her arms and ran out the room, clutching the little girl tightly to her chest.
"Oh come on Smithy, where the hell are you?" Stevie muttered to herself, under her breath, trying to keep herself unnoticed - Stevie knew what sort of fate lay for the both of them if one of Keates' men saw them now. The young child grizzled in Stevie's arms, her voice muffled as she rested her head against Stevie's body. Freezing as footsteps began to approach, Stevie dived into a nearby archway, holding her breath. The cocking of a gun could be heard as the little girl continued to grizzle. Knowing she had no choice but to make a run for it, Stevie's eyes searched frantically for an exit. Spotting a door slightly ajar, clutching tightly to the young baby in her arms, Stevie edged closer and closer to their only hope at escape, inhaling sharply as someone's hand grabbed her arm tightly. Feeling the nails dig into her flesh, Stevie found herself being pulled towards the door towards which she was already heading. The little girl clung on tightly, giving Stevie that little bit of courage that she needed. If this was to be the end, then she'd do everything in her power to ensure that that wouldn't be the fate the little bundle of life in her arms. Turning round slowly to face her maker, Stevie almost guffawed to see Smithy's face shining with sweat.
"Oh, I am so glad to see you!" Stevie breathed heavily, a rush of adrenaline pulsating through her body and the three of them ran with as much speed as they could muster.
"We're not out of this yet," Smithy grimaced, a quizzical look on his face as he suddenly realised the bulge in Stevie's arms was, in fact, a child. "Er, Stevie? You have a child in your arms."
"Yes, I was aware of that little fact Smithy. Could we not discuss that when we're out of potential danger?" Stevie's voice was fragmented with breathlessness as they ran the entire way back to their house, bundling in and locking the door behind them. "You get on the phone to Neil; this is a bigger problem that we ever imagined. I'm going to take this one and get her cleaned up."
Smithy nodded, peeling his sweat covered top off his body, leaving Stevie averting her eyes and she carried the tot up the stairs. Smithy, even after the events of the day, couldn't help but smirk as he saw a slight blush develop on Stevie's cheeks. Finding his phone and closing the curtains, Smithy phoned in to the station, informing them of the developments the two of them had discovered. If they had thought this was going to be a simple operation, they were about to get a big wake up call.
*
Sitting beside the bath as the little girl looked relaxed for the first time since Stevie had discovered her, Stevie couldn't help but smile at the blonde baby giggling to herself. A knock came gently at the door, and Smithy's head poked round, a fluffy white towel in his hand.
"So who is she?" Smithy asked, passing Stevie a nappy which he'd been out to buy.
"I don't know," Stevie sighed, drying and dressing the child who gazed up at her, eyes wide open. "But I don't have a good feeling about this, Smithy."
"She looks a lot like you, you know." Smithy had a point; the two of them shared a similar shade of eye colour and the same blonde locks. "I reckon that's what your daughter would look like. If you were to have one."
"If this is your way of getting me into bed, Sergeant Smith, it's failing miserably." Stevie's eyes merely lifted momentarily before returning the child that lay in front of her.
"It wasn't actually, but now you come to mention it.." Stevie went to protest but Smithy didn't give her the chance. "I'm joking, I'm joking. I'm just saying, she's pretty, not unlike you."
"What I want to know is how someone this beautiful ends up hidden under blankets in an empty room, owned by criminals. This isn't right," Stevie shook her head as she lifted up the little girl and placed her on her knee. "This is so not right."
"Yeah, but what can we do with her? I mean, she's obviously someone's daughter."
"Who's? There was no one around, Smithy and let's face it, she's not exactly crying for her parents. There's something dodgy going on here," Stevie shook her head, cradling the girl's head to her body, rubbing the child's legs absently as she tried to fathom just how messed up some people were. "Maybe I'm wrong, but this looks a lot like child smuggling."
"What, you think they're smuggling them in from abroad?" Smithy took a seat next to Stevie on the bed, rocking it slightly.
"I don't know, maybe? You can't really tell when they're this young. I think they're into more than just drugs though, Smithy. This could be some money making scam or something, you know, steal the children and sell them off."
Smithy exhaled with a low whistle, scratching his head the as the little girl gurgled softly as she began to send herself to sleep. "That's a big accusation to make, Stevie-"
"I know," Stevie cut in, gently lying the child on the bed in between herself and Smithy, "And I'm not saying it's one hundred percent true, but we can't ignore the fact that it could happen. These men are criminals who will do anything for money and we can't underestimate what they'll do."
"Which is why we shouldn't have brought her here. What are they going to say when they find out she's missing, Stevie? We haven't even thought this through, this is crazy. They're going to see through us in a shot."
"No, no they're not," Stevie began slowly, her face absent and thoughtful, "Right, we'll tell them I found her, thinking she was one of their daughters and took her home to get cleaned up. Then I'll offer to look after her from now on, to make myself useful and spiel some crap about wanting to keep an eye on you. If they protest, it'll look odd so they'll probably jump at the chance. This way, she stays safe until we know exactly what's going on."
"It's going to be tough to get them to believe that," Smithy shook his head, "This is dangerous territory to walk into Stevie, we can't ignore the fact that these men could kill us without a second thought."
"Well if it's to save this little one, then I don't care." Stevie was defiant at the best of times, but Smithy began to see a different, almost fiercely protective side to her. "Text Max or one of his cronies now, tell them what's going on. Let's at least see what we're going to have to deal with, okay?"
"Okay," Smithy sighed, giving in. "But you get to bed now, I'll come join you soon. I've got to tell Neil and Jack about this, see if they can rustle up any information."
"Thank you," Stevie smiled as a yawn escaped her, "For everything."
Smithy merely winked and blew her a kiss as Stevie lay herself down beside the little child, now fast asleep. Closing the door behind him, Smithy exhaled with a heavy heart; this operation was going to be tougher than he thought.