Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them.

There's not much action in this chapter but lots of interaction between Jo and Beth. We find out some more stuff about Beth's past too which is pretty dark, just a warning.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 4

Mac, Flack and Danny had arrived at the bar in order to analyse the scene. Jo was standing next to Flack as he questioned Beth. She was happy that Mac was questioning Warren in another part of the, now empty, bar.

"Beth was there anyone else in the alley when you were being attacked?" Flack asked her.

Beth shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. She then reached up and placed her hand against her bruised throat. "I have no idea. One minute I'm looking down the alley and the next I can't breathe and I'm being slammed against a wall."

"It's okay," Jo said to her with a supportive smile. "Do you remember which direction he came from." Jo asked.

"From behind. I think maybe he followed me out of the bar." she said.

"Did you see him in the bar?" Flack asked.

Beth tried to remember, but her head just felt like a jumble of thoughts. "I don't know, it was really crowded in here tonight." she said as she reached up and placed her hand on her head. She suddenly felt herself sway then felt hands holding her up.

She looked to see Jo had hold of her, having kept her from crashing to the floor. "I think you should go to hospital and get checked over. The cut on your head looks pretty nasty." Jo said, worry in her voice.

"It's fine. It's nothing, really." she lied. She actually felt anything but fine. She was exhausted, slightly nauseous from the pain she was in and she hated hospitals so it was the last place she wanted to go back to.

They all turned to face Warren and Mac as they heard their conversation begin to get a little heated. "I told you I saw nothing! I was in here!" Warren yelled at Mac before he stormed away from him.

He walked over to Beth and placed his arms around her, pulling her out of Jo's grasp. "Look have you all finished this interrogation?"

"This isn't an interrogation!" Jo told him.

"Well it sure as hell feels like one!" Warren snapped at her.

They both glared at each other for a moment, both only looking away when Flack spoke. "I could really do with asking you a few more questions, Beth. Is that okay?"

"No!" Warren said for her. "I'm taking her home with me. You are the ones who were supposed to be protecting her and yet she was nearly choked to death tonight!"

"And wasn't thanks to Detective Danville!" Mac said, clearly annoyed by Warren's attitude.

"Either way…." Warren began.

"Warren, it's okay. If answering a few more questions helps get these bastards then I'm okay with that. I won't let them get away with this." she said determinedly.

"Fine, but once you're finished, I'm taking you back to my place."

"Warren, I just want to go home." she said, truth was she wasn't that keen on his place, it just screamed I have money!

"I could really do with seeing any CCTV footage you have of the back alley?" Flack said to Warren.

"There's one camera out back, doubt it would have picked up much. They're not the best. I was planning on getting them replaced next month."

"Either way…" Flack said, "I'm gonna need to see it."

"I'll go get it." Warren said, "Beth, I'll call you later to see how you are." She just smiled and nodded at him.

Warren walked off leaving Jo, Mac, Flack and Beth. Beth reached up and began rubbing her head again. "Can I not take you to the hospital?" Jo asked her again, placing her hand under Beth's elbow for support.

"I just want to go home and get in bed." Beth told her.

"You shouldn't be alone tonight, you need someone there to keep an eye on you." Jo said to her.

"I'll be fine." Beth said as she pulled away from Jo only to sway again, once more Jo had to catch her. Finally accepting she wasn't so fine, she asked, "Do you know any good babysitters?"

"You don't need a babysitter, you're coming home with me." Jo told her.

Beth looked at her, shocked. "Why would you do that?" she asked.

Flack and Mac, watched Jo, waiting for her answer. "I can protect you there, and no one will know you are there. It's the safest place."

~0~0~0~0~

After having taken the long way back, Jo finally pulled up outside her apartment building. She turned and had to smile seeing Beth's face, the look of disbelief. "What?" she asked Beth.

"You live here?" Beth said pointing to the building.

"Yeah." Jo replied, having not to laugh.

"Guess it's the type of place where you have to take your shoes off before you walk in?"

"Not in my apartment." Jo told her with a smile. "Come on lets get inside."

~0~0~0~0~

They could take the lift to Jo's floor which Beth also seemed amazed by. Jo unlocked the door and walked in to an apartment filled with music and cheers. She looked over to see Tyler and Ellie playing on the Wii. "I hope you're not cheating again Tyler!" she shouted playfully over the music.

"No!" he replied at the same time Ellie shouted "Yes!"

It was Ellie who turned first and saw Beth standing in the doorway. Jo then turned to see Beth was lingering outside. She reached out and grabbed her hand and led her in. "Guys this is Beth. Beth, this is my son Tyler and my daughter Ellie."

"Hi." Beth said.

Both Tyler and Ellie stared at Beth for a moment, beginning to make her feel al little awkward. It was Jo purposely coughing that distracted them.

"You wanna play on the Wii with us?" Ellie asked Beth . "You can take Tyler's place because he just cheats."

"I don't cheat, but I don't play by the rules either." Tyler stated.

"Duh!" Ellie said as she playfully hit him.

Beth just laughed as she watched them begin to play fight. "Go join them." Jo said to her.

"I don't know." Beth said nervously.

"It's a lot of fun." Jo said to her.

"I have no idea what that thing is." Beth confessed, feeling stupid.

Jo looked at her, it was her turn to be shocked, although she guessed she shouldn't be. Beth didn't even own a TV or a radio, not even a cell phone. "Come on." she said as she took hold of her hand and pulled her over to where Ellie and Tyler stood. "Mom's go!" she said taking the controllers from Ellie and Tyler. She kept hold of one and passed the other to Beth. "Ellie, sweetie, why don't you tell Beth what to do?"

Ellie looked at Beth in wonder, "You've never played Wii?" she asked. Beth shook her head. "It's easy, and Mom's rubbish, so you can easily beat her."

"Gee, thanks kiddo!" Jo said with a smile as she fixed the strap around her wrist.

"This is bowling, so all you do is hold this button in and swing like you would if you were really bowling." Ellie told Beth, she then added, "You have bowled right?"

They all saw the way Beth looked at her, a look that said 'no'

Tyler took a step towards Ellie and scooped her up. "Like this!" he said as he swung her outwards, despite her kicking and giggling. He placed her back down on her feet and they watched as Jo took her go at bowling, almost getting a strike. Beth took her go, feeling like a fool when she didn't hit one pin. "I'm rubbish." she said passing the controller back to Ellie.

"It's okay, you get another go." Ellie said encouragingly.

Beth took her go again and to her amazement got a strike. They all cheered and carried on playing for the next two hours only stopping to eat.

~0~0~0~0~

Sometime later, Jo was stood in the kitchen clearing up after the pizza she had ordered for them all. Beth and Ellie were still playing Wii, something Beth had natural talent at. Tyler walked into the kitchen and playfully nudged Jo. "You gonna tell me who she is?" he asked her.

Jo looked at him, thinking about telling him the truth but she couldn't until she had spoke to Beth. "She's a witness. She has no one and nowhere better to be." she told him. Tyler just smiled and watched Beth as she continued playing on the Wii. "You like her?" Jo asked.

"Mom, she's the spitting image of you, that would be gross."

"I don't mean like that!" she said as she playfully nudged him back.

"Oh! Then yes, she's cool. Ellie really seems to have taken to her." he said.

Jo watched her daughters play Wii together and nodded. She liked this, her family all under one roof. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

~0~0~0~0~

It was a few hours later by the time Ellie was in bed and Tyler had left. Jo walked into the kitchen where Beth was stood hungrily eating some fruit. Jo wanted to cook her everything in the apartment just to try and fatten her up a little, she needed it.

"Can I ask you a really big favour?" Beth asked her.

"Anything." Jo replied.

"Can I use your tub? The water at my place isn't so hot…ever."

Jo just smiled and said, "Of course you can. Come on."

She showed Beth into the bathroom and gave her a clean towel that she could use. She noticed Beth looking in wonder at the bath tub, "You could sail the titanic in that thing." Beth said to her.

"It is a great tub to just lay back and unwind in." Jo confessed.

"I'll just be happy with hot water." Beth replied.

"Do you want to borrow some clean clothes?" Jo asked her.

Beth nodded, smiled and said, "That would be great."

Almost another hour later Beth was out of the tub and dressed in the clothes Jo had provided her with. They were just black sweats, a white tank top and a long sleeved black cardigan. Beth put the cardigan on and brought the sleeves up to her face, the material was so soft. She noticed that, even though the cardigan was clearly clean, the smell of Jo's perfume lingered on it. Beth couldn't help but think that it smelt lovely and oddly familiar, like she had smelt it before.

She walked out of the bathroom and found herself brining the sleeves back up to her face so she could smell the perfume again, feeling a little stupid when she saw Jo watching her. "Nice perfume." she said, blushing slightly.

"I love it. I've always worn it. I even wore it the day I ha…the first time that I saw you." she said, having to stop herself from saying 'the day I had you', but it was the first day she had saw her. "Come sit down." she said to Beth as she sat on the couch. Beth walked over and joined her, instantly wishing her couch was as comfy.

"Hey Beth, I wanted to ask you about your Boss, Warren." Jo said after a moment of them sitting.

"He comes across as being a jerk but he cares for me. He's about the only person who does care about me." Beth told her.

"So…are you two a couple?" Jo asked hesitantly.

"No. More friends with benefits." Beth told her, it suddenly sounded a little cheap to her but truth was she just enjoyed the contact with another human being.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?" Jo asked, she suddenly had to think about how personal she was being. "I'm sorry, I'm being nosey." she laughed.

"No, it's okay. Truth is you're the first other woman I've spoke to like this in years. And the answers yes by the way, just one. He was the one who got me hooked on meth and he was also my pimp for a while."

Jo just looked at her, feeling sorry for her again. "When did the abuse in the foster homes first start?" she asked sensitively.

Beth had to think about that, it seemed soo long ago, "It started off just the odd slap with a hand or a belt….but it was like the older I got the worse it got. People want to foster baby's not 6 year olds. When I was seven I got put with this couple who just collected kids. One night the guy climbed into bed with me and tried to get me to…you know... Anyway, I err, I bit him and then I ran as fast and as far away as I could; but I was on the streets for a day when the police caught me. I got put in another home then another and another. I just used to stay long enough to stash some food and some money then I would run. Each time the police would find me and the homes I got dumped in kept getting worse and worse, and then they got really bad." Beth said.

Jo could tell recalling this was hard for her so she was surprised when she continued.

"I started taking drugs, smoking weed anything just to numb things, you'know. Anyway, I got put in this one home and the couple actually seemed pretty nice at first. Good food, nice house, no beatings or abuse…but I couldn't have been more wrong. One night Carolynn went out and Rodger had his friends over. I had gone to bed and he, err, came into my room and told me I was gonna play a game with them all." she paused, bit her lip as if to hold in sobs. "The tied my wrists and ankles to the frame of his bed and the five of them took turns raping me, over and over all night long. I knew begging them to stop wouldn't work but in the end I was just begging them to give me a minute, just one minute…." she said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Jo had her hand over her mouth because it was the only way she could hold her sobs in, her tears were a little harder to keep under control, the odd one would fall and she would quickly swipe it away.

"They didn't even give me 30 seconds before they carried on. Eventually I passed out and when I woke up I was lying naked, half wrapped up in an old rug by the river. They thought they'd killed me…God I wish they had!" Beth said as she wiped away her tears. "Alice was the one who found me. She helped me get better, I couldn't walk for days and she practically carried me everywhere, she brought food to me…and in return I got her hooked on meth…and it killed her, and I live with that every day."

"Oh sweetheart." Jo said as she reached up and touched Beth's face, gently brushing away a tear with her thumb. "I'm so sorry…" she said.

"It's not like its your fault."

Jo wanted to say 'yes it is', but she felt too ashamed to admit to Beth that she was her mother.

"Alice was the only person I could ever trust. She helped save my life and I helped take hers." Beth said before she burst into full blown heartbroken sobs. Jo quickly wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. Beth wrapped her arms around Jo's waist and cried into her shirt.

She cried until she fell asleep in Jo's arms.

TBC

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