Steve lay on his back on the thin mattress in his cell, staring at the ceiling. He was wondering what the hell was going on outside the four walls he was currently imprisoned in. He didn't have a watch as he'd had it removed from his person when he was arrested, but surely the clock VCU had to either charge him or release him was fast approaching zero?

As if in cue, he heard a rattle of keys outside the cell door and the lock being undone before the door was dragged open to reveal DCI Wheeler at the entrance. "You're free to go," Derek said to Steve who was still lying horizontal. "You said Kate cleared your name last time you were arrested," Derek checked. Steve nodded. "We'll she's done it again,".

Steve sat upright at Derek's words. "Kate's woken up?" he asked the officer.

"Indeed she has," Derek replied and Steve couldn't help the tears that started to fall. He had been more concerned about her than his own situation and now it looked as though she was going to be ok, or as well as could be expected.

"She's asking for you,".

"Really?" Steve asked as more tears fell.

"Apparently she loves you too," Derek said, knowing it would make Steve feel a whole lot better.

"She remembers," Steve said, happily as he rubbed away his tears in his sleeve.

"It looks like it," Derek replied, having developed a soft spot for both Steve and Kate.

"Let's get you changed back in to your clothes and we'll take you to see her,".

"Thank you, Sir," Steve said as he followed him out the cell.

Once changed back in to his three piece suit, Steve headed to the the main office of VCU where he would meet DCI Wheeler for his lift to the hospital. He was pleased to see everyone was hard at work, trying hard to find the man that had hurt Kate.

His eye caught the ops board in the middle of the room. His and Kate's photos were on it. AC-12 had been written and circled between the two photos showing the link. He wandered over to look closer at the other photographs. He realised they were from Kate's flat and felt his stomach churn. There was lots of blood, Kate's blood, spattered everywhere.

He moved to look at his side of the board. Lots of different questions had been written down for the VCU to answer about him to see if he was responsible for harming Kate.

Derek caught Steve looking at the board and hurriedly walked over to him. "This is obviously all wrong," he said as he took a board rubber and erased all the writing under Steve's picture before taking his photo down off the board. In its place Derek, wrote Stalker/Peeping Tom before underlining it. Underneath he jotted down a few questions he wanted VCU to answer.

James entered the room, but on seeing Derek and Steve together, made to change direction and avoid them. Unfortunately, Derek had seen him.

"James, I think you owe Steve an apology don't you?" he said.

After hearing Kate admit Steve hadn't been responsible for the attack, James had somewhat reluctantly accepted he had been wrong about Steve.

"Err...yeah," James replied hesitantly, not sure what to say. The words stuck in his throat.

Steve saw he was having difficulty and decided to take pity on him. "No hard feelings, eh?" he said as he held out his hand to shake on it.

James was surprised at Steve's actions. He wouldn't have been able to do the same if he had been in Steve's position. More likely would have punched him in the face. "No," he replied as he cautiously took Steve's hand and shook it.

"Just find out who did this to Kate," he begged both the VCU officers. That's all he really wanted.

"We will," James promised.

"Speaking of whom, I think it time we go back to the hospital," Derek said.

"We'll give you a few moments if you like," Derek said to Steve once they were outside Kate's room.

"Thank you," Steve replied before entering quietly not knowing if Kate was asleep or not.

Derek had told him about Kate's trouble with her speech on the journey to the hospital and they had just met the doctor who had assessed her. It seemed there was still a bit of swelling in the area of Kate's brain that was responsible for talking. She could easily process what people were saying to her but was unable to form the words needed to reply. With a bit of time, they were hopeful that her speech would return.

Kate was fast asleep and not wanting to wake her, Steve was content to just observe her. As he sat in the chair beside her bed, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath, he vowed that he was going to do whatever he could to help VCU catch the bastard that had done this to her.

"Ste," Kate said as she woke and saw him sitting at a distance as if scared to touch her.

"Alright mate," Steve replied as he walked up to the bed and tried to give her a hug without hurting her. It proved very difficult. The only way being if he got on the bed with her. So he did.

James and Derek watched from outside the room as the two officers reconnected. Tears were flowing down both Kate and Steve's faces.

"I'm so so sorry, Kate," Steve muttered. "So sorry for leaving you. I should never have gone to play in that bloody football match," he continued as he kissed the top of her head.

"Ste," was all Kate could reply. She was just thankful to be in Steve's arms again.

"I'm never leaving you again. I promise," he vowed to her. "We will get this bastard," he said as he squeezed her as tight as he dare.

Despite having a few concerns about releasing Arnott, watching the two together, James knew instantly that Steve had not hurt Kate. He felt a little pang of jealousy spring up out of no where. He wished he had someone so important in his life as Steve and Kate were in each other's.

When it looked as though they were done with their reunion, Derek and James entered Kate's room. She knew what they were here for.

"Nay," Kate said, trying again to tell them who her attacker was.

"What's that, mate?" Steve asked.

"Nay," she said again, looking in to his eyes, hoping he would understand her.

"She was saying this before," James informed Steve. "She's trying to tell us who did this to her,".

Steve focused on Kate again. "Nay," she repeated, frustrated the whole word wouldn't come out.

Steve struggled to understand. "Nay...than?" He suggested a man's name.

Kate shook her head. This was useless. She was useless. "Nay...nay...ba," she said. No one in the room picked up the extra syllable she had been able to add. They were still guessing names beginning with N. "Nay...ba," she repeated. "Nay...ba,".

"Neighbour?" Steve asked, suddenly realising what she was saying.