Care?

"You see?" Ronnie leant back in his chair. "I get that Liam was a pain in the rear. I do. He wasn't an angel."

Matt remained silent as he listed to his friend. He began to wonder what had happened in Liam's life to cause him to be such a nightmare. His mother seemed to adore her kids, his sister was a bright kid. He glanced at the table, knowing that could easily have been him.

"You get fed up him?" Matt asked. "Is that it?"

"Who woke him up?" Mark spat. Ronnie raised an eyebrow. Matt glared.

"Look, you came here to confess to murdering a young lad. You just turn up out the blue but you don't give us any real information. Can see why it's a bit suspect yeah?"

"I did it."

"Ok." Ronnie paused. "You killed him. I get that. Tell me how."

"Detail."

"Yes. In detail." Ronnie kept his voice low. He knew that the man was lying. He just had to get him to admit it."

Xxxxx

Natalie watched the small screen closely. She had known people who had confessed to a crime they hadn't committed before but this was different. There were no signs of obvious mental distress in the man on the screen. He looked calm. Determined.

"Why?" Natalie paused. "Why lie?"

"Why refuse a brief?" Alesha asked. "Confessing to a murder charge. Hardly a little thing. Why isn't he acting like he cares?"

"Perhaps he doesn't." James folded his arms. "Perhaps a life sentence for murder is more palatable than the alternative?"

Natalie turned to her friend.

"He's trying to protect someone?"

Alesha shook her head. "I don't think so. I think he's trying to protect himself."

James nodded in agreement as Natalie tapped her pen on the desk top.

"Who from and why?"

"No idea." Alesha answered. "But, Id have a chat with the boy's dad again. Spencer was a bit of a big wig when it came to violence and gangs. It could be a revenge attack?" She shrugged.

"Gang warfare? It's London. These are middle aged men."

"Just a thought. When I was a kid Mark Thomas was in prison more than he was on my estate. Good friends with my mother."

"Alesha? Could this put you at risk?" Natalie watched as Alesha bit her lip.

"I'm a Crown Prosecutor. Every case puts me at risk. It's the job." She glared defiantly at the screen. "This is no different."

Xxxxxx

Kate stepped back into the office she shared with Jake. He looked up once before returning to his papers.

"Coffee?"

"No thanks." His answer was sharp. Kate glanced at him.

"What?"

"DNA result."

"Ok? What case?"

"The one on the paternity of Charlotte Rose Thorne." He paused. "Arrived on my desk by mistake ten minutes after you ran after Alesha." Kate felt her blood run cold. She knew he hadn't wanted the rest. Genetics didn't matter to him. Charlotte was their daughter. Kate looked at him.

"I had to know. I know it doesn't matter to you but I had to know. She's ours and always will be. I swear I didn't do it to hurt you." She watched as Jake nodded before getting to his feet. Kate but her lip as he crossed towards her.

"I really thought it didn't matter to you, either. My name is on the birth certificate. She's our daughter." His voice was soft but he couldn't hide the pain in his words. Kate nodded.

"She is."

"I love you. I know I'm older and significantly more reserved than you but I'm yours. And I'm Lottie's dad. Whatever that says."

Kate nodded. She sighed realising the difference in him now he was right in front of her. She closed her eyes as he tilted her chin up to look at her.

"The letter was addressed to K Thorne. The K was obscured which is why I opened it."

Kate blinked.

"You read it?"

"Yes." He smiled. "Look." He handed her the letter. Kate's eyes skimmed the page.

"Oh."

"Paternity of Charlotte Rose Thorne. Probability of paternity - Jacob Andrew Thorne 99.9% Mr J A Thorne is the biological father." She chocked out the last words as Jake hugged her tightly. He kissed her hair as she broke down.

"This is a good time to say I told you so." She mumbled into his shirt. He kissed her hair again. The attacker, the scum that had hurt her wasn't the one that had got her pregnant. It meant that she had already been pregnant the night she was attacked. He felt his heart break a little as he realised why she had wanted to know so badly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'd have agreed to the test if I had realised how much it had hurt you, not knowing." Kate nodded against his shirt before reaching up to kiss him.

"I love you too." She whispered against his lip as the paper fell to the floor.

Xxxxx

Matt left the interview room as Joe and Sam approached him. Ronnie headed straight to the viewing room where Natalie and the others were.

"E didn't kill anyone." Sam stated firmly.

"Yeah?" Matt sighed. "Sam, I."

"Then who did?"

"Spencer jones. He had a hit out on a lad fitting Liam's description. Seems whoever he paid had got the wrong boy." Angie stared at the men. "He lost control."

Xxxx

A/N shameless plea for reviews! Let me know what you want think.