BETA: None. WILL have spelling and grammar mistakes. (Please don't complain as I've just warned you.)

Sex: M/M

Swearing: Mild

Setting: This chapter takes place during episodes 5 & 6.

I'm having a bit of trouble with Word at the moment, so if there are more Spelling and Grammar mistakes than usual, forgive me.

Joe stood in front of the mirror gazing at his marked chest. The small red bruises announcing Emerson's claim on him. The sight made his chest ache and a small smile pull at the corner of his lips. He took a deep breath as Kent's hands skimmed his waist, the man's lips pressing against the curve of his shoulder blade. He met his lover's eyes in the reflection. "You should get back before someone comes looking." he murmured.

Emerson's arms tightened around him, his head resting against his spine. "I don't want to go back out there." he sighed warily.

"We've got a murder to work, Em."

Kent grumbled as he pulled away, slipping around to place himself between the older man and the mirror. His fingers fiddled with his tie, straightening it up, then his thumb wiped at the corner of his mouth. Once presentable, Emerson turned to meet Joe's blue eyes. The shadow of doubt still deep within them.

Joe's chest tightened further. "We can pick this up later." he replied uncertainly. "Back at mine."

Kent smiled lustfully, nodding. Joe's hands shook slightly as he raised them to Kent's hair, combing through the wayward curls to make him presentable.

"No dinner?" Kent teased lightly.

Joe's shook his head and leant forward, pressing his lips to Emerson's. "Get back to work. Kent."

The junior officer relaxed at the light teasing tone in that single word. He'd missed the thrill his name could send through him when said like that. "Yes. Sir." he chuckled before heading for the door, his hands tugging at his suit jacket. Joe watched him vanish and took a deep breath before turning to stare at his reflexion. Guilt battling to destroy the ease he'd found. He fought to keep it at bay, this was what he wanted. But how long can it last when you can't even be open about your relationship?

Determined to fight off the voice in his head, Joe busied himself with shaving and changing his shirt. Savouring the feel of the clean fabric against his skin. The door squeaked as it opened, drawing his attention. Quickly he pulled his hanging shirt closed over his bare skin to hide the marks Emerson had left. Miles strolled in, still looking furious. Nervously Joe spoke, hoping to break the tension. "The roof was clear, Mantis got away."

"Yeah." Miles sighed, heading for one of the cubicles, Joe's eyes following him as the door slammed shut.

The moment it was closed Joe began to fasten his shirt, hating the tension between him and his sergeant. He continued to dress hoping that they could fix what was wrong. He didn't want to return to the hostile environment they'd taken almost two years to dispel. He was already struggling under the weight of mending his relationship with Kent and the doubts Morgan had brought into his life, he didn't want to have to lose his best friend too.

He didn't even notice Miles standing beside him at the sinks.

"You coming?" the man asked in that tired angry tone.

Joe nodded, shoving his thinks back into his bag in a tidy order, then turning to follow the older man.

~WHITECHAPEL~

Joe felt a little more at ease through the rest of the day, except for the tension between him and Miles. The man had voice his doubts over Mantis being the real killer but everything pointed to him, every victim had a connection to the man. Well, almost. They still hadn't found why he'd targeted Morgan, but Joe was sure there had to be a reason, they just had to look for it.

"Sir. Sir!" Kent rushed into the incident room with an evening paper. "This is just in, the press hasn't names the three victims' but they have reported that the second victim survived. Mantis will now know Morgan's still alive."

Joe stared down at the article, anger and fear flooding him. "I want her brought back in. Straight away."

Kent watched Joe closely, recongniseing the expression on his face and his stomach rolled at the sight. He hated himself for hoping, just for a split second, that they'd be too late.

As it turned out he almost got his wish, but not quite. The woman was returned to the station having been attacted again and surviving….again. That alone tweaked Emerson's suspicions. One was luck, two was a miracle. And Kent didn't believe in miracles, not when it came to spree killers.

He sat across from the woman in the victim's interview room, watching her tell Joe about the attack. He saw they way she looked at the superior officer, the way he looked at her. - The way Kent looked at him, and his lungs burned. "Was it interesting studying Mantis?" he asked harshly.

She turned to acknowledge him. "It was fascinating yeah. He was a man who appeared to function normally even though he lived within his complex delusions." Morgan replied meeting Emerson's gaze.

"No one knew what he was thinking?"

"Some people can hide their true intentions very well." she replied, a strange tone to her voice.

"I think you're hiding yours."

The pair sat staring at each other for a brief silent moment, a challenge passing between them. It wasn't jealous, Kent told himself, despite seeing the way Joe looked at Morgan, it wasn't jealousy that made him question the truth of the woman's stalemate. Miles said it wasn't Mantis, maybe he was right.

"What gave you that impression?" Morgan finally asked, looking distraught at his accusation.

"You've been targeted for a reason. Someone you know is capable of murdering a teenage girl, torturing a boy to death and trying to kill you and you claim not to have any idea who that could be?"

"Well if I knew, I would tell you." Morgan insisted, looking helplessly at Joe.

"Would you?"

"Kent!" Joe snapped finally, glaring at the man dangerously.

Furiously Kent leapt from his chair, storming out of the door. His body shaking under the anger, and tears threatening to fall. He took a few deep breaths, trying to control the overwhelming emotions crashing through him.

"Kent. Kent!" Joe whispered harshly, marching after him. "What the hell was that?"

Emerson stopped, reluctantly turning to meet Joe's furious gaze. "I'm sorry. I just got…carried away."

"Don't you know the difference between a suspect and a witness?"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"It's like everyone's losing their blood minds." Joe snapped, walking away.

Kent followed him back to the incident room feeling like he'd been hit by a bus, but he couldn't shake his suspicions.

Joe informed Joe and the unit of what Morgan had told them in the interview. Thankfully leaving out Kent's accusations.

"To be worth risking a second attack, Morgan must be important." Joe announced from the whiteboard.

"But she had no connection to Mantis." Miles insisted.

"That we know of."

"Look, if you attack someone twice, its person. You know them." Miles pointed out, hating that his boss was ignoring him so completely.

"If killing Morgan's so important, why isn't she dead." Kent announced with a shrug.

"She was lucky."

Kent met his lovers gaze, knowingly. "Extraordinarily lucky I'd say."

Joe sighed warily.

"Fighting off two murderous attacks…" Kent persisted. "…even managing to stab the killer in the leg even through no knife was found at the scene…"

"Mantis is link to two of our victims, the murders are acts of silence, a motive associated with Mantis. He's the only suspect we have. Does anyone else here have another suspect in mind?"

Emerson opened his mouth to point out his suspicions of Morgan again but Joe cut him off.

"A name? A motive? Ah….ah, link t the victims? No? Right, well let's work with what we have. - Finished contacting the kids from Miss Thompson's class…." Joe snapped, marching off to his office. "It's ten years on. Where are they?"

Kent looked over at the skip for a second. Both men irritated at Joe's lack of faith in their opinions. After two years of working as a team, and more in Kent's case, how could he not listen to them? Emerson knew why, and it tore at his insides. He was losing him again.

But he wasn't going to let him go without a fight, especially when he was sure they couldn't trust Morgan Lamb. He just had to prove it.

A/N: So you know, there's only a couple of more chapters. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and following the story.