Sorry this has taken a while guys. I'm moving house…again so I've been trying to write chapters to stories between packing boxes. Hope you like this chapter. Just a warning, the drama's not over yet.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 9

Jo and Beth where sat in a diner drinking coffee that tasted so much better than the coffee from the diner Beth worked at. They also had a bowl of fries in front of them that they were picking at. There had been an awkward silence resting over them for a while but finally Jo spoke up.

"So how have you been?" Jo asked her.

"Good. I'm not using or sleeping with guys for money if that's what you mean?" Beth replied.

Jo just shook her head, "That's not what I meant."

"I know. I'm sorry." Beth said. "I'm not used to being able to say that I'm doing good, but I really am."

"I'm glad." Jo said with a smile. She then thought back to something and asked. "I was speaking to Adam the other day."

Beth smiled and almost began to blush. "And what did he have to say?" she said as she took a swig of her coffee, hiding her smile behind her coffee mug.

"He was just prancing around the lab, grinning like a fool." Jo laughed.

"He does that there too?" Beth asked, chuckling.

"Only since he met you." Jo told her with a little laugh.

Beth could only smile and then say "I absolutely adore him. I love him so much. At first it was a little weird being with someone who actually cares about me, and who didn't leave the money on the bedside table when they were done." Beth said, rolling her eyes. She quickly had to smile again when she thought about Adam, how gentle and loving he was. "I don't want to imagine my life without him in it now." she confessed.

Jo reached across the table and held Beth's hand again, "I'm really happy for you." she said.

"I'm actually moving in with him. Downside to your boss being killed, because he's trying to kill you, is that you lose your job. I only work at the diner now and I earn more oven burns than I do money at that place. I lose my apartment next week and Adam is letting me move in with him. I spend most of the time there anyway."

Jo found she could only sit there smiling. It made her so happy to know that things were going well for Beth.

"The other night we were talking and I told him that I'd love to be able to go night school or something to get the qualifications and stuff to be able to do a job like his. So I could help to put the scum bags away, and this morning he tells me he's paid for me to go to start a course. I've never met anyone like him. I've never met anyone who actually cares about me other than him…and you."

Jo just nodded. "I really do."

"Thanks." Beth said, smiling at her.

"So, it sounds like you really have your life in check." Jo said.

"For the first time ever," Beth scoffed. "But there is just one thing missing that I'd like…."

Jo looked at her, a little confused. "what's that?"

"I want you in my life. I lied to you when I told you I never wanted a mother, but I wasn't lying when I said I needed you. I do. I need advice on how to not screw up again. I want to know what it's like to have a mother who smothers you with love and care and who tells you the guy you're seeing is a loser and that you could do better." Beth said.

"I can' help you with that…"Jo said as she shook her head. Beth looked at her, her heart ready to break, but then Jo grabbed her hand and added, "I love Adam, I think he's so good for you and I know he loves you." she said.

Beth finally released the breath she was holding. "Phew! I thought you meant you didn't want to be my mother."

"I'm always going to be your mother, Beth. Always have, always will." Jo said.

"Good, because I really want to know what it's like to be a part of a family. I want to get to know my brother and sister, but never give them big-sisterly advice." she said laughing.

"I know they'd like to get to know you. Ellie's always wanted a big sister." Jo replied.

Beth sighed, relieved. "You know I'm really glad I bumped into you today. I kept wanting to come to the lab to see you to say all this. I nearly showed up at your place a whole bunch of times…but the truth is I'm a coward. I was a coward the day you told me you were my mother. I was a coward the day you tried to take care of me…I was just so scared that you would get to know me and then…wish that you hadn't." Beth said sadly.

Jo reached across the table and placed her hand on Beth's. "There's not a day that went by when I wouldn't think of you and I can promise you now, that there will never be a day when I wish that I hadn't met you."

Beth nodded and smiled. "So you think you might wanna meet up with me again some other time this week?"

"Are you kidding, I don't plan on letting you leave today." Jo said making them both laugh. She looked at Beth with a huge smile on her face. "In fact tonight you, Adam, I, Tyler and Ellie are all going out for food. My treat." she said.

"Sounds like a plan." Beth said with a huge smile.

~0~0~0~0~

Leo was sat in the back of the police car. He was stuck in shackles but it didn't bother him. They were on the way back from his appeal hearing, which, to no surprise, had been a complete waste of time. He was all ready and prepared for what he knew was about to happen. That didn't mean that it still didn't hurt like hell.

The black van slammed into the side of the car so hard at the junction that it flipped it right over before it scraped along the floor. The sound of metal scraping against the floor was almost deafening. Finally it came to a stop.

Leo spat the blood out of his mouth and looked up when he felt arms reach in, unbuckle him and pull him out. He was unable to walk with the shackles on so his men carried him over to the black van and helped him in. It sped off as the door slammed shut behind him.

Whilst one of his guys attacked the shackles with some chain cutters another guy pressed a cloth down on the gash on his forehead. "How's freedom feel?" one of them asked Leo.

"Great! Have you been keeping tabs on Beth?" he asked.

"Sure have. She's got herself a boyfriend and is working all the hours available at the diner. You really still wanna go after her?" one of them asked.

"If I'm going down for life, then I may as well take out the bitch that sent me down." he said. "What have I got to lose?"

~0~0~0~0~

Beth was walking along with Adam, hand in hand. They were walking home from the restaurant where Jo had taken them all out for diner. Jo had even invited Mac who had happily accepted the invitation. Beth was also telling him how much she was looking forward to moving in with him and starting night school. "You'know, if you had said to me a couple of months ago that my life would be this good I would have laughed in your face." Beth told Adam.

"If someone had told me I would have a gorgeous girlfriend and possibly the best looking roommate ever I would have laughed in their face." Adam replied.

Beth could only laugh and step in front of him so she could kiss him. Adam wrapped his arms around her waist and guided her backwards. They walked like this for a moment as they kissed but the sound of a van speeding up the street made Beth pull away.

She and Adam watched as the van screeched to a stop next to them. The side door slid open and two loud bangs seemed to deafen both Adam and Beth. Beth tried to grab Adam as he stumbled backwards groaning in pain. As soon as she was ripped away from him he fell to the floor, clutching his side.

"Adam!" Beth screamed as she was dragged into the van.

Adam tried to push himself up but pain seemed to immobilise his body. He placed his hand over his stomach where his blood seeped through his fingers. Again he tried to push himself up but the pain was too much. "Beth!" he cried out his voice as weak as his body.

Beth was slammed against the floor of the van. She tried to push herself up but it was no good, too many hands were holding her down. She quickly looked around and saw a crate of beer by the open door. She kicked out at it as hard as she could and sent it crashing out of the van. She felt a hard fist connect with her face, followed by the screech of the door sliding shut again. As the van sped off down the street another fist connected hard with her face, knocking her out cold.

Adam rolled onto his side and tried to push himself but the pain in his stomach and his shoulder stopped him. He tried to drag himself along the floor but again the pain was just too intense and seemed to be ringing in his head. He watched as the van turned a corner. He tried to memorise the plate but it was no good, he could only get part of it.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell-phone, the screen of which was now smashed from him having landed on it. Luckily it still worked and he wasted no time in dialling Mac. "Mac, they took Beth!" he said the second Mac answered. "They shot me, but they took her. Someone's got Beth!" he said, panic evident in his voice.

TBC

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