Disclaimer not mine
Sleepless in Cardiff?
Dempsey stared at the ceiling, silently counting the nicotine stained artex circles above his head. He knew there would be little chance of him going back to sleep after his nightmare. Holding Harry as she slept in his arms still seemed unreal. He sighed heavily before looking at his partner's sleeping figure. He knew she had faced her own demons and still battled with them, he just wondered how she would view him now she knew about his childhood and the nightmares that had caused. Swallowing hard he knew she wouldn't act any differently towards him. He just wondered if it would alter how she felt about him. He watched as she slept, Harry Makepeace looked far too young when she slept peacefully and part of him wondered how she had been awake when his nightmare had taken hold. He had been sure she was asleep when he closed his eyes.
"Hi," She mumbled as her eyes opened. Dempsey drew imaginary circles on her bare arm.
"Hi."
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah." He smiled. "I'm better than ok. Now."
"Good." She returned his smile. She kissed his bare chest as he closed his eyes.
"I." He paused. "Harry. I. Last night. You and me."
"If you say it was a mistake, you'll have more than a mouthful of denim." She rested her head on one hand. "And don't you dare apologise."
"I wasn't gonna." He tightened his hold on her "You know how I feel about you."
"Yeah." She smiled. "And you're not so bad yourself."
"Thanks." He rolled his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked innocently.
"About the nightmares? I'm used to them. I had them since he left thirty years ago." Harry watched as his eyes darkened. "He was my Dad. No kid should be scared of his dad."
"No, they shouldn't,"
"Mom loved him. I mean, head over heels loved him." Dempsey smirked. "I knew that. It was why she never threw him out."
"How old were you?" Harry asked, aware that in his mind Dempsey was back in his childhood. He had a faraway look in his eyes as he spoke.
"Eight. When he went I was eight."
"He went?"
"Mom threw him out. When he hit me. That was the final straw."
"He hit you?"
"Yeah." Dempsey sighed. "You see this?" He pointed to a small scar on his shoulder. Harry nodded. "I lied when I told you I got it in High School. I got it when I got between him and Mom. I didn't want him to kill her so I tried to pull him away. He hit me."
"Oh my God." Harry paused.
"Don't feel sorry for me. I couldn't stand that. Not from you."
"I don't." Harry spoke calmly. "I'm proud of you."
"Eh?"
"You stod up to a bully. At that age it had to be tough. James Dempsey. Always trying to protect the people you love." She smiled as he pulled her to him. He kissed her gently and slowly as her hands pulled him flush against her.
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"Sir." Chas got to his feet as his boss walked in. "I spoke to Beth in Wales just before you arrived."
"And?" The middleaged Welshman turned to him. "What did she have to say about it all?"
"Harry and Dempsey can meet the witnesses at 3pm. She's got someone to mind the children after school." Chas watched as Spikings nodded. "She seemed to think Julie had more to tell us than she did at the time."
"Ok." Spikings nodded. "I want you to interview the family of the current victim. I don't want to spend too much time on an old case."
"Yes Sir" Chas sighed, relieved that he finally seemed to accept the case may have more to do with the man than was currently on the slab not the man that had been buried years earlier.
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Harry walked into the small interview room at the Cardiff Police station alongside Dempsey. The grey and claustrophobic room did nothing to make the inhabitants feel at ease.
"Hi." Dempsey smiled at the woman who had her back to them. "I'm Lt Dempsey, this is DS Makepeace."
"Hiya." She turned to face them. "No offence, like but I don't know what you want me to say."
"The truth. About your involvement with William Jones." Harry stated calmly.
"Yeah." Julie sighed. "Only you know what happened. I ain't telling you nothing. I got my kids to consider."
"I know." Harry stated calmly. "i."
"Where's Gordon? I'll talk to him." She stared Harry in the eye. "I'm only talk to Gordon."
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A/N More soon. Please review.