Since you've all been so great and showed you're still interested in the story I'll ignore the troll and keep on writing. Hope you enjoy the next couple of chapters. This story is in two parts and we're reasonably near the end of part 1. Special thanks to Castlefan who has been a constant reviewer.

Hargreaves spent the necessary time in Accident and Emergency with Fry as he was currently under her wing. Broken nose so plenty of strips of plaster over that; two black eyes that were so swollen she was surprised he could see anything and a fractured jaw. Very bad bruising to the ribcage and a suspected fracture so his ribs had been strapped. Parker was a nasty piece of work there was no need to do that to a young lad who'd had a few too many and was protecting a female officer.

Joyce checked she had all the injuries noted and she had the Detective Constable's bruising photographed. He was given a sick note so she'd be one officer down for a while which she could ill afford and it might be a good few weeks by the look of it. She dropped Fry off at his mothers' and carried on back to the office with the evidence.

Harry had the notes on Morrison's injuries which were not too severe; Watson, Dempsey and Jarvis were bruise free, Watson and Dempsey because they were hard bastards and Jarvis because he'd spent his time trying to calm things down.

As expected Mad Gordon got a call from Bunny asking for a meet which they scheduled for the next day as Spikings wanted to get Dr Leyton's photographs developed to see what they were in for. He was in a very bad mood because he'd wanted to bathe in the success of the IRA operation and here he was dealing with internal issues which could have been avoided if his officers' machismo would take a day off or a vacation as the Yank would say.

He beckoned Hargreaves into his office, 'how is D.C. Fry, he looked badly mauled last night?'

'Oh he'll be all right, but he'll need a few weeks off work the doctor's signed him off. He has a broken nose, fractured jaw, and a suspected fractured rib,' she handed over the photographs and her notes. 'Nothing that can't be fixed but Parker made a real mess of him.'

'Looks nasty,' Spikings face grew dark with anger. 'The lad was a fool but there was no need for that.'

Dempsey came in with Suzanne Leyton's prints, and there were a couple of shots of Parker attacking Fry and one of Dempsey pulling Parker off and restraining him.

'Not too bad,' Dempsey growled, 'bet Fraud's got my bad side though.'

Spikings lit up a cigarette and motioned the Yank to a chair and handed him the photographs of Fry.

'Kid's not going to win any beauty pageants for a while,' Dempsey drawled. 'Nasty piece of work Parker, hitting the kid like that.'

'D.I. Makepeace is concerned we'll be forced to drop the assault charge against Parker to atone for the brawl which was undoubtedly started by Fry. And although she would like to help Fry, she is afraid that Parker may push his attentions on another female and the results could be more serious. His attack on Fry, shows he's a violent man so I can well understand her point.'

'I think we can all understand Makepeace's point chief; next move's Schofield's so let's see what he comes up with.' Dempsey watched Harry dealing with the paperwork from her team's arrests yesterday and keeping her head down. She obviously realised he was staring at her and she briefly glanced his way and then away again. Harry ain't coming out to play was the message and he'd got it loud and clear. He wasn't entirely sure how this had become his fault other than him not being too gentle with Parker after he'd assaulted his girl and smashed Fry's face in; he wasn't the bad guy here.

Hargreaves had bought a card and was doing the rounds for a basket of fruit for Fry, Harry wrote a nice message and gave generously. 'Are you all right Harry, you seem a bit quiet.'

'Yes, I'm fine. Just getting on with the multiple arrests yesterday and making sure we don't get caught out on the paperwork.' She sighed and then confided in her friend, 'I'm in a bit of a quandary really if Schofield wants to offset last night against Parker's behaviour with me I'm not sure I could agree to it. I don't want to be disloyal but I feel like I'd be letting some other woman down.' She knew Dempsey and the boys would be critical of her behaviour if push came to shove and her assault case became the bargaining card.

'I wouldn't pre-judge,' Joyce offered wisely. 'Chief Inspector Spikings is a fair man and I'd hope for a better outcome than that.'

Harry nodded seeing the sense in that. 'You're right I'm getting ahead of myself let's see how it goes.'

An hour later a mug of coffee got placed on her desk and Dempsey's boots appeared, 'what's up? You look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Fry'll live and Parker's at work today acting the big man but none of the Fraud guys are buying it. Info brought to you straight off the Jarvis hotline.

'I just feel like last night put me in a difficult situation and we still don't know who gave Parker my address, it all makes me feel rather unsettled.' Harry's blue eyes searched Dempsey's for understanding and his answering gaze was warm yet determined.

'You got to roll with the punches sweetheart, do what you think is right. C'mon I'll buy you lunch; you'll feel better if you eat something.'

-oOo-

Dempsey took Harry, to a little brasserie they frequented as a treat. It was a place that meant something to both of them through their long, stormy courtship.

'Why did you bring me here,' she asked her blue gaze curious on his. 'This is where we usually go to celebrate a collar or some milestone that we both acknowledge but will never talk about.'

'Yeah well you looked like you needed it and my celebration didn't go that well so maybe we both need it.' He looked at the menu and decided today he'd try something different. 'What do you recommend and don't pick anything too virtuous cos I don't do bean salads or tofu.'

Harry laughed. 'Dempsey we've had hundreds of meals together, I think I know the kind of dish you prefer and I'd say the venison.'

Okay well for you I'm gonna suggest steak cos I think you need something a bit more substantial than a green salad.' He shut the menu, 'you can have it with a green salad,' he smiled at her amused at the slow nod of her head.

'You may be right.' She ordered for both of them and asked the waiter to suggest a wine, which she approved in her usual charming and polite manner.

Dempsey's gaze ran over his companion and he smiled at her. 'I miss the old stake-outs and working undercover together, you get a lot of responsibility being an Inspector over here and by responsibility, I mean paperwork and budgets, staff appraisals to be honest it was good to be off that for a while.'

'You did that in the U.S. then, I thought paperwork didn't exist over there or if it did someone else did it for you.'

'Nope same old, same old,' Dempsey tried the wine as they automatically brought it to him which Harry noted but couldn't be bothered to comment on.

'I'm sorry I over-reacted last night,' Harry bit the bullet. 'It wasn't your fault that Fraud came to the pub and neither did you start the fight. Poor Fry, he's in a sorry state.'

'Yeah well you weren't too wrong; my natural instinct was to wipe the floor with Parker but I guessed they'd come to start something and I wasn't gonna give them the satisfaction.' He picked up a bread stick and crunched it. 'I might have restrained him a bit too enthusiastically but since he's in work this morning I can't see that he can plead a major injury.'

Harry's gaze ran over James taking in his dark hair which was unusually tamed and his smarter clothes, he was wearing the linen jacket she liked with his sleeves rolled up. He had nice wrists and nice hands, she'd probably mentioned that they were something she admired. 'Have you got a date tonight you're looking smarter than usual?'

'I don't know detective, you tell me.' He sipped the wine and his warm gaze flirted with hers and he saw the colour warm her cheeks; she looked better more vibrant than this morning when she was going through the documentation.

'I don't know either,' she responded in like tone. 'Do you have a girlfriend Detective Inspector, perhaps you should ask her.'

'Well you got me there, sometimes I have a girlfriend and sometimes I'm not sure if I do or I don't.' He leant forward and ran his hand over hers, 'you my girl Harry?'

She would have answered but their meals came and the waiter hung over them offering various condiments and the moment passed.

They ate companionably both refusing dessert as they had to get back to work and settled for a coffee.

Harry felt a lot better and didn't feel as worried about Spikings visit with Schofield as heretofore. When they finished coffee, Dempsey paid the bill and then guided her out of the restaurant with his hand low on her back but keeping it respectable.

He opened the car door for her which was new for them so she guessed it was one of his dating moves. When he got in his side he looked at her, 'are we okay, you didn't answer my question earlier.'

'Do you want to do something this evening,' she asked in a casual way, 'I'm free if you are.'

'Yes I would like to do something this evening, your place or my place; where we starting from.'

'Mine,' she decided. 'If that's okay with you,' her gaze flashed to his profile but he wasn't giving anything away.

'Fine,' was the only response as he changed gear which didn't really give her any indication as to whether he was happy about it or not.

Harry decided to leave it at that at least they weren't arguing; they'd agreed to meet up and he'd obviously made an effort to be nice to her so things looked more positive than negative. She felt happy being in the car with him and didn't really want their lunchbreak to end.

Dempsey was pleased they were in a better place and wanted to reassure her that things were gonna be okay. 'Whatever happens this afternoon Harry, we're all in SI10 and we'll deal with this together you're not on your own; you got that.'

'Yes thank you James,' she responded in a cool tone; typical he was just buttering her up in the event of inter-departmental horse trading. 'I'm not dropping the case against Parker so thank you for lunch but that's not up for discussion.'

Dempsey gave her a furious glance as he parked the car, got out and left her to follow him. He hadn't meant she should drop the damned case why did she always assume the worst?

Since Harry had a duplicate set of keys she locked the vehicle and walked back into the office the hour of relaxation was well and truly over. Had she misjudged him, why had she fired off at him like that; she was on a hair trigger lately, what was wrong with her?