14 March 1992

"Is it true?" Viv accosted her as she walked into the office the following morning.

"Is what true?"

"Burnside's sister got raped last night."

"How did you hear about that?"

"June told me downstairs."

She put her bag down on her desk and sighed, "Yes, it's true."

"Blimey…he must be gutted."

It was, she couldn't help but think, rather an understatement. In the years that she had known him, she had never seen Frank look as upset and dejected as he had the previous evening. Before falling asleep, she had lain beside him, not saying anything, but just willing him to accept and understand that he wasn't to blame. Hearing him say that he still harboured guilt over what had happened to Tracy had shaken her slightly, given the time that had passed, and it pained her that he still felt some sense of responsibility for not stopping Stewart. But in some ways, despite it all, she felt closer to him as a result of what had happened the previous evening and the dichotomy didn't quite sit well with her.

"He was pretty upset, yes."

"Is he coming in today?"

She opened her mouth to advise that he was intending going to see Pat before coming into work, then suddenly realised that that might give somewhat of a hint that they had been together the previous evening. He had dropped her off around the corner from the station, lest anyone see them together, but they had enjoyed a long, lingering kiss before she had got out of the car, which almost seemed at odds with the secrecy. "I don't know. I mean, we've still got the obbo tonight…"

"He can't take part in that!" Viv exclaimed, "Not now."

"Who can't take part in what?" Jim asked, coming into the office followed closely by Tosh.

"Burnside. His sister got raped last night," Viv said.

"What? By the same bloke?"

She moved over to her desk and tuned out as they continued to discuss what had happened between them opining, not only on Frank's mental state, but on how the investigation would progress. It was only when Ted said her name that she found herself drawn back into the present moment, unaware that he had even joined them. "What?"

"Is the job still on for tonight?" he asked, looking at her pointedly.

"I suppose so," she replied.

"You suppose?"

"Well, it's all set up, isn't it? I mean, apart from Burnside not taking part, nothing's changed."

"So, he's definitely not taking part then?" Ted asked.

"I don't know," she ducked her head on the pretext of looking for something in one of her drawers. "I'm guessing that it wouldn't be allowed."

"Does Mr Conway know what's happened?" Alistair asked, once more alerting her to the fact that more people had joined the melee.

"I don't know. I haven't said anything to him."

"Someone probably should."

"I agree." She glanced up to see them all looking at her. "Who, me?"

"Well, you were the one who was at the hospital, so you probably know the most," Viv reasoned.

"Well, I…"

"Did you speak to his sister?" Tosh asked.

"Yeah, I took a statement from her."

"What's she like?"

The somewhat absurdity of the question struck her, "What's she like?"

"Yeah, is she like him, I mean?"

"What does that have to do with…?"

"I'm only asking. I don't think I even knew he had a sister."

"An actual female Burnside," Jim said with a smirk. "Who would have thought it?"

Anger overtook her at the casual way they were discussing it, as though what Pat and, by extension, Frank were going through at that moment was nothing other than cannon fodder for their own amusement. "The woman's been raped for God's sake!" she exclaimed. "And you're all standing around here talking about her like she was some sort of…specimen!"

"All right, calm down," Jim said. "I was only joking."

"Well don't, ok?" Pushing past him, she made for the door. "I'll go and inform Mr Conway, if he doesn't already know then, shall I?" Without waiting for a response, she hurried out of the room, down the corridor and through the swing doors, before knocking firmly on his door.

"Come in!" She pushed the door open. "Ah, WDC Lewis, what can I do for you?"

She closed the door and then paused. "I don't know if you've heard, Sir, but DI Burnside's sister was raped last night."

Derek paused in what he was doing and looked over at her. "What?"

"She was walking home from the bus stop near her home when she was grabbed and assaulted. She thinks he penetrated her, but she wasn't entirely clear with what."

"Come again?"

"Well…if it was the attacker's penis or his fingers."

"Oh, I see…" Derek's face coloured slightly. "Is she all right?"

"She took a nasty bash to the head and, clearly, she's shaken, but she seems unhurt apart from, well, the obvious."

"You've seen her?"

"Yes, I took a statement from her last night at the hospital."

"So, you were alerted by uniform?"

"Well…not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

"I was here when the DI got the call from his brother-in-law, and I went down to the hospital with him." She maintained the other man's gaze, well aware that he was clearly considering the merits of her story. "The DI was, understandably, upset."

"I can imagine. Is he here?"

"No sir, not yet."

"You've got this surveillance operation arranged for tonight, haven't you?"

"Yes sir, although a complicating factor is that this most recent attack took place outside the area we were intending to target. If we were going to widen the ground to include it, it would take more manpower than has currently been authorised."

Derek sighed in the way he always did when presented with a problem. "What's the DI's take on the situation?"

"I…don't know, sir, I haven't spoken to him since last night. Of course, presumably, he can't be involved in the operation now."

"No…we wouldn't want anything to get thrown at us at a later date if it turned out that a suspect was arrested by a victim's brother," he shook his head. "All right, leave it with me. Tell the DI to come and see me when he gets in and I'll come back to you on what the best course of action is."

"Sir," she turned for the door only to turn back when he said her name.

"This turn of events will obviously have come as a great shock to the DI," he said carefully. "And we all know how hot-headed he can be at times. I would hope that…certain counsel might be given to him by those he'd be most inclined to listen to."

She held his gaze, aware of his meaning and the almost hypocrisy of what he was trying to convey, but merely nodded before letting herself out of his office and closing the door behind her. They weren't allowed to be with one another and yet she was supposed to hold him together in a time of crisis. It would have been laughable if it wasn't true.

XXXX

"Morning Frank," Gerry said, opening the door wider for him. "Come in."

"Thanks," he stepped across the threshold of his sister's home, amazed at how quiet it sounded. "Kids away to school?" Gerry nodded. "How much do they know?"

"They think she was mugged."

"Probably best to keep it that way, eh?"

"Definitely. She's in the living room."

He opened the door and stepped inside to find Pat sat on the couch, still in her dressing gown, a blanket around her. Her face had been cleaned of the dry blood, but bruising had started to form around her eye, and she was as white as a sheet. "Hello love. How are you this morning?"

"I feel like I've got ten rounds in a boxing ring, but I'll live," she replied. "Didn't get much sleep last night though."

"No, I can imagine." He sat down opposite her. "I'm sorry."

"You said that last night and I told you then it wasn't your fault."

"Yeah well, it doesn't make me feel any better." He paused. "But then, this isn't about me, is it? It's about you and us, the police, catching this bloke."

"Do you think you will?"

"We've got an operation running tonight and tomorrow." He knew he shouldn't tell her, but something made him want to demonstrate that they were doing all they can. "We're hoping to catch him in the act, so to speak."

"That was quick."

"Yeah, well…" there seemed little point in divulging that it had already been set up in advance of her attack. "I want to see the scroat nicked and jailed for a very long time."

Pat smiled wanly. "Christina was very nice last night."

"Was she?"

"Of course she was. Very kind and compassionate." She paused. "She said that people at the station don't know the two of you are together."

"No, they don't."

"Why not? If she's separated from her husband now, what's the harm?"

"The harm is, I'm still her boss. That's what they made so much of in court last year. Relationships between senior and junior officers at the same station are not permitted, for all sorts of reasons."

"Oh, I see. Funny, we don't seem to have that rule in the NHS or, if we do, nobody takes any notice of it. The number of senior doctors having it off with junior nurses would shock you." She paused. "Can't you marry her?"

"She's separated, not divorced."

"Yet."

"Yet."

"Well?"

"We've talked about it, sort of."

"Sort of?" Pat wrinkled her nose. "She's a lovely girl, and you clearly love each other…maybe it's time to come out of the cold, so to speak."

"Yeah, maybe," he replied, noncommittally. Deep down, there was nothing he wanted more, as out of character as that might have appeared, but he preferred to keep those thoughts and feeling between him and the only other person that mattered when it came to them. "Anyway, I didn't come here for a lecture on my love life."

"I'm fine, really I am," Pat said earnestly. "I don't want you to worry about me, Frank. I've got Gerry and the boys…we'll get through this."

He sat forwards, feeling uncomfortable at what he felt he had to say, but knowing it needed to be said. "You can't underestimate how you might end up feeling, Pat. You've had a terrible shock and…something's been done to you that no woman should have to experience. You need to understand that you might not be able to cheerily bounce back the way you think you might. There's people out there that can help you. We've got victim support and…"

"Thanks, I know that," she interrupted him. "Right now, I just want to focus on feeling physically better. Everything else can wait."

He opened his mouth to say more and then stopped, recognising when it was appropriate to push and when to let her be. "Ok, well you know where I am. Call me anytime, day or night, if you need to talk or, well, if you need anything. I'm your brother remember, as well as a police officer."

"My baby brother," she said affectionately.

"Makes no odds." He glanced at his watch. "I'd best get off, if you're all right, that is?"

"Like I said, I'm totally fine." She raised her cheek for his proffered kiss. "Mind how you go."

"And you," he replied, letting himself back out into the hallway where Gerry was hovering, making a poor show of pretending not to listen. "Keep an eye on her for me, will you? She might seem all right now but…"

"I know," Gerry nodded. "I'll look after her."

"I know you will," he patted him on the shoulder. "I'll call later."

"Thanks Frank."

"For what?" he turned back. "I haven't done anything."

"For being here," Gerry said. "She's as tough as old boots is Pat on the surface but…"

"Yeah, I know. Listen, has anyone told Mum yet?"

"No, we thought it best to wait…didn't want to worry her."

"Probably just as well. Leave that with me." He had no clue how his mother would handle the news that her only daughter had been violated. He wasn't even a parent and yet he could somehow imagine what might go through a mother or father's head. Maybe one day he would be. Maybe one day he would be responsible for another life, helping to shape and guide him or her in the world. "God help them," he muttered, jamming his key into the ignition. He'd have to do a lot better ridding the streets of raping scum first.

XXXX

"Christina? It's Elizabeth."

"Oh…hello…" she clutched the receiver tightly, finding herself disconcerted by the sound of her mother-in-law's voice. After all that had happened the previous evening, she had completely forgotten about her earlier phone call to her about Stewart.

"It's not a bad time, is it? I realise you're at work."

"No, it's fine."

"Stewart called me last night and I told him that we'd spoken."

"And?"

"And…he said that he doesn't want to see you, which surprised me after what he'd said in the past. So, I pushed him on it and, I'm afraid, he's adamant."

"Oh…" she replied, somewhat deflated. "Well, I suppose that's that then."

"I don't understand it myself," Elizabeth continued. "I'm concerned that someone's influenced him on this decision."

She paused. "Who would do that?"

"I don't know. I thought you might."

The insinuation was obvious, but she tried to bat it away. "I have no idea. Why would I call you up and ask for your help in getting me in to see him if I was behind some plan to influence him to refuse?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Well, I suppose there isn't much any of us can do except hope for the best. Hope that he comes out of this on the other side without too much long term damage."

"Yes, of course," she replied through gritted teeth. For all that she was concerned for Stewart's wellbeing, the fact that he was now being portrayed as some sort of victim irked her beyond measure. Perhaps it was just as well she wouldn't be able to see him. She might have ended up saying the wrong thing. At that moment, Frank came into the office and all thoughts of her husband melted away. "I have to go Elizabeth, but thank you for trying." Before the other woman could respond, she put the phone down and got to her feet. Almost immediately, everyone turned to look at her, so she made a show of gathering up some papers on her desk before making her way into his office. "Hello."

"Morning," he replied formally.

"Everything ok?"

"As it can be, I suppose. I went to visit my sister."

"How is she?"

"Putting on a brave face." He met her gaze, and she could tell he wanted to say more, but felt unable to in company. "What's been happening here then?"

"Well, I told Mr Conway what had happened," she replied. "I hope that was all right. Anyway, he asked if you could go and see him when you got in. I think he wants to talk about tonight's operation."

He got to his feet again. "Well, I'd better not keep him waiting then."

As he moved past her, he pressed his hand gently against her waist and she turned to watch him go, only to meet the gazes of the others. "What?"

"He seems to be holding up all right," Tosh commented.

"How would you prefer him to be, sobbing in a corner?"

"No, that wouldn't be his style, would it? No, I thought he might have taken it upon himself to reap some kind of revenge."

She sat back down at her desk, trying to keep her expression neutral, "Revenge?"

"Yeah. Hell of a thing to have a close family member violated like that. If that had been my Muriel, well, I'm not sure you could have stopped me."

"Good thing it wasn't then, isn't it?"

She tried to focus on the papers on her desk, only for Viv to lean across, her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "I heard that Burnside stormed out of the hospital last night."

"Who told you that?" she asked, already aware of the answer.

"June, of course."

"Well, she shouldn't be spreading gossip, should she?"

She paused, waiting for the other woman to divulge that she also knew about her subsequent attempts to track Frank down, but Viv merely shook her head. "Can you imagine what would happen if Burnside got his hands on whoever did this?"

"I'd rather not think about it."

"There would be blood spilt, I can tell you that." Viv paused. "Was that your mother-in-law you were on the phone to?"

Elizabeth's call came suddenly back into her mind. "Yes."

"Why was she calling?"

"Because I called her the other day about Stewart and the fact that everyone seems to think he's depressed and looking to harm himself. I wanted to know if she could persuade him to allow me to visit."

"Why on earth would you want to?"

"Because I don't want him to top himself because of me."

"It would hardly be because of you though, would it? He's the one who lost himself in the drink and stabbed you with a broken bottle."

"You don't have to remind me."

"Well then."

"I don't expect any of you to understand. Anyway, she told me that he definitely doesn't want to see me, so that's the end of that." In a way, she felt strangely relieved. If he did end up doing something to himself, it wasn't for want of her trying to see him.

"How are things going with the divorce anyway?"

"Good. We've sorted out the financials so it should hopefully all be done and dusted by the summer."

"Leaving you footloose and fancy free," Viv smiled.

"Yeah, exactly." She pondered the thought; that of being plain old Miss Lewis again. She hadn't been that for a very long time and the thought of being on her own both excited and scared her. She would be free to make her own choices and do her own thing in life without having to worry about anyone else. She could go wherever she wanted and do whatever she pleased. Only, there was Frank to consider. Far from leaving one long term relationship for the single life, she was effectively leaving one to step into another. And that was the scary part. She loved him, of course she did, and everything she had said to him about it being the two of them was true. She longed to be able to be with him freely, without judgment from any quarter, but it was clear from what he had said in the past that he wanted to marry her and a small, but insistent part of her wasn't quite sure that she was ready for that. Being apart from Stewart had given her a taste of freedom that she felt almost duty bound to explore.

"You'll have to have a party to celebrate."

"What, a divorce party?"

"Yeah, why not? I reckon you'd deserve it."

"I can just see the looks on Stewart's family's faces if they got wind about something like that," she shuddered. "Not only would I be the unfaithful wife who somehow provoked him into trying to kill me, but I'd be publicly celebrating the end of our union."

Viv looked at her squarely. "You shouldn't care what they think about anything. You don't have to justify yourself to them."

"No," she agreed, "I don't." But deep down, there was still a part of her that missed the all-encompassing feel of being part of a family.

XXXX

"I'm terribly sorry to hear about your sister," Derek said. "Nasty business."

"Yes sir."

"How is she?"

It was the most dominant question in his mind and had been ever since it happened. Even seeing her that morning hadn't quietened his own thoughts on the matter. "She's bearing up. Putting a brave face on it, like she always does."

"Hmm…might hit it hard later on."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. But she's got a good husband and kids, and obviously myself and our mother, so she shouldn't want for support."

"I'm glad to hear it." Derek paused. "About tonight's operation…"

"I know what you're going to say; that I have to sit this one out."

"Well, yes."

"That's all right, sir. I assumed as much."

Derek's eyebrows shot up. "I thought I might get more of a fight from you about it."

"You might well have done, if you'd spoken to me last night," he replied. "But I'm seeing things a bit clearer this morning." The other man looked at him somewhat curiously and he couldn't help but wonder if he was subconsciously joining the dots of the puzzle that brought him and Christina together. "I appreciate that any direct involvement I might have this weekend could jeopardise any case we might build in the long run."

"I'm glad you can be pragmatic about it."

"Alistair Greig's more than capable of leading the charge. He is acting DI after all, and the other troops are well briefed. Everything's ready to go."

"WDC Lewis told me earlier that your sister was attacked outwith the area that this weekend's operation is focusing on."

"That's true."

"She suggested that more manpower would be needed if the area was to be expanded."

"She's right. But my suggestion would be to concentrate on the area that's seen the most attacks first and then widen it if we don't get anywhere. Besides, it has been pointed out to me that whoever attacked my sister might not be the same bloke that's responsible for the earlier attacks."

"Mmmm…well, that may be the case, but having two sex offenders running amok over Sun Hill ground doesn't exactly fill me with joy," Derek replied.

"No sir, me neither."

"Well, I can see no reason not to go ahead as planned this evening then, and I suppose we can just all hope for a speedy result."

"Yes sir."

"That'll be all, Frank, thank you."

"Sir." As he made his way back along the corridor, he couldn't help but smile at the surprise on Derek's face at not having to persuade him not to become involved in the operation. He knew what the other man had been expecting and could only ponder as to whether he was aware of what, or rather who, was behind his understanding. Christina had spoken to him but had clearly kept the full extent of her involvement to a minimum. Was it, however, obvious to the onlooker that his seemingly passive acceptance of procedure in this case had come from her counsel?

Conversation stopped as he re-entered the CID office and a sea of faces turned to look at him. "Right, well as you'll have gathered, I'm no longer taking direct part in tonight's operation due to recent events."

"We're sorry about your sister," Jim spoke up. "I hope she's ok."

"She'll be a lot better if you lot catch this bloke tonight. Now, nothing fundamental changes in light of my removing myself, other than you and Tosh will pair up in my absence. We've already got the uniform backup that we need, and I'll inform Inspector Monroe of the slight change of plan. Alistair, you'll be in operational control."

"Yes Guv."

"But I shall be here, in my office, with my radio on. So don't think for one moment that I won't be monitoring what you get up to out there. As we know, it's possible that this bloke has moved on to another patch, but for the purposes of this weekend, we stick to the plan and evaluate thereafter. If any calls come in during the operation for any attacks elsewhere, Chris, you and Ted are tasked to respond to them, understood?"

"Yes Guv," she replied, meeting his gaze.

"Good." He paused. "I don't have to tell you what's at stake tonight, so let's do our best to bring this pervert down, all right?" There was a chorus of approval. "Right, you're not due out until six, so anyone working the split shift should book off no later than twelve and be back by five."

He turned back into his office, only for Ted to follow him.

"Hell of a thing; your sister."

"Yeah, it's a choker, right enough."

"How is she, really?"

"Traumatised, though she's doing her best to hide it."

"Christina went to the hospital with you?"

He paused, "Yes, she was here when the call came through."

"That's good."

"Is it?"

"Yes," Ted nodded. "You get news like that; it helps to have someone like that around."

"Someone like what?"

Ted blinked, "I'm saying it's good."

He met the other man's gaze, reading his expression and picking up on exactly what he was getting at. It would be the easiest thing in the world to go along with him, to admit that having Christina with him had been a godsend, whether he had appreciated it at the time or not, and that knowing she was there to support him and his family meant more than he could ever say. But there was danger in that approach and for all the times he had trusted Ted, there were numerous others when he hadn't. Not to mention the fact he had made his views on their relationship very clear in the past.

"I don't know what you're getting at."

Ted smiled tightly, recognising in him the same thing he saw. "No, I suppose you wouldn't." He turned for the door and then paused. "Christina's mother-in-law called her earlier. Seems that Stewart doesn't want her to visit him in prison."

"His choice, I suppose. Maybe he can't face her."

"Maybe." Ted met his gaze again and he couldn't help but wonder if the other man had guessed his own hand in things, even though it would seem impossible. "For the best."

"Not for me to say."

"No, it isn't."

Ted turned and left the room and even though nothing overt had been said, he felt chastised. Glancing through the window to where Christina was sat at her desk, he felt a momentary wave of guilt over what he done. Perhaps he shouldn't have interfered. Perhaps he should have let her visit him and let the chips fall where they may. She looked up suddenly, saw him watching and smiled gently, his insides turning over at the fact that she was his and that they had a future together.

He was a lucky bastard.

He had done the right thing.