Apologies for the delay in updating!

Somewhat prophetically, it had started to rain not long after the obbo began. Lightly at first, then thundering down against the car windows, causing the wipers to work overtime and no doubt make them look even more suspicious than they already did. She and Ted had been tasked to park down a side street near to the first attack. Other officers were at different locations, some using space in local residents' homes to keep vigil, others dotted around the streets. They had left Frank back at his office, a radio on his desk, well aware that he would be listening to what was going on, knowing that he was expecting some kind of result.

"I'm surprised he played it by the book on this one," Ted said suddenly, his voice coming out of the darkness.

"Who?"

"Burnside. If it was my sister who had been raped, I would be out for blood, not sitting in my office with one arm tied behind my back."

Her mind flitted back to the previous evening and how close to the truth Ted really was. "Yeah well, it's better this way, isn't it? If we catch him, he can't cry foul."

"We would have provided cover."

"Cover?"

"If he had wanted to exact some form of revenge."

She shivered slightly at the implication; glad it hadn't come to that. There were many things that she would be prepared to cover him for, but physically assaulting someone wasn't one that sat comfortably with her, despite their relationship.

"I know he wanted to kill Stewart for what he did to you."

"Well, thankfully, he didn't, otherwise Stewart might still be free rather than sitting in a cell where he belongs."

He turned to look at her. "I thought you felt sorry for him, Stewart that is."

She shook her head, wanting to push her ex-husband as far as possible from her mind. If he wanted nothing to do with her, if he wanted to hurt himself, who was she to try and do anything about it? Seeing Frank in pain over what had happened to Pat had only made her realise where her heart truly lay, where it would always truly lie. Stewart's self-pity was of no interest to her anymore.

"You wouldn't have wanted to see them fight it out then?"

"What?"

"Stewart and Burnside. You wouldn't have wanted to see them duel for your honour."

"No, I wouldn't have. Can we change the subject?" She shifted her gaze out of the window, watching as passers-by hurried to avoid the rain. Any would be rapist would have to be completely hellbent if he was going to be out on a night like this.

"You stopped him, didn't you?"

She let out a long sigh, slowly realising that whatever she said, clearly Ted wasn't willing to leave it alone. "Stopped who?" she asked pointlessly.

"Burnside. You stopped him from doing something stupid last night."

"Did I?"

"Oh, come on. Viv told me that June told her that he stormed out of the hospital after hearing what had happened to his sister. And he told me himself that you were with him when he got the call and went there with him."

"Why do you care, Ted? Why do you care where I was or what I did?" she turned back to look at him. "You spend half your time sticking your nose into our private lives and the other half giving me a hard time over the choices I make. I really, honestly wish you would just drop it. You don't approve; I think we've worked that out by now."

To her surprise, he shook his head. "No, I reckon I was wrong."

"What?"

"I said, I reckon I was wrong."

"About what?"

"About it being a bad idea for you and him to be together." He nodded on her look. "I know. Bit of a one-eighty, isn't it?"

"I'll say." She paused, momentarily wondering if it was some sort of trap. "Are you wearing a wire?"

He laughed uproariously. "No, of course not. I'm just saying that, well, perhaps you might actually be good for one another. Like I said, I'm surprised he played this one by the book. Something tells me if you hadn't been there, he wouldn't have."

She opened her mouth to tell him about everything that had happened at the hospital and afterwards, then closed it again. This sudden show of support wasn't unwelcome, but Ted had always looked out for himself, and she wasn't entirely convinced she could trust him. "We're not together."

"Oh, come on…"

"We're not, not really."

"Not really? Come on, I bet he has you horizontal every night."

It was her turn to laugh, amused that he considered them to be quite so capable of such regular amorousness. "We haven't slept together in over six months." His eyebrows shot up. "I'm serious."

"I don't believe you."

"It's the truth."

His eyes narrowed, "Fiona?"

"He says not."

"And you believe him?"

"Yes, I do. It's not all about sex, you know."

"Maybe not for you, but him…" he trailed off and held his hands up. "All right, maybe I'm being a bit unfair to the bloke."

"More than a bit, I'd say."

"So why the vow of celibacy?"

She paused, thinking back on the look in his eyes that morning in her bedroom, when she had felt as though she could really see deep down inside him and recognise that there was so much more to him than met the eye. "We want it to be right."

"Well, well, well, wonders will never cease. Next you'll be telling me you're going to save it for your wedding night."

It was her turn to laugh again, then she suddenly felt herself grow serious, aware that she had said far more than was really appropriate. "Look Ted…"

"I won't say anything. Haven't I kept my mouth shut all this time? Even when it all came out at court about you and him, I never confirmed nor denied anything. You're a nice girl, Chris and, deep down, he's not a bad bloke. It would be nice if something good could come out of this miserable job sometimes."

"Well, you can't keep throwing it in our faces either," she replied.

"Would I do that?"

"Yes, you would, and you have in the past."

"All right," he looked at her seriously. "I'll make you a promise that I won't say anything about you and him, good or bad, until such time as, well, as you don't have to make a secret of it. How does that sound?"

She was taken aback by his sincerity but found herself nodding. "I think that sounds good, but I'll be holding you to it."

"I'm sure you will. Maybe you could help me find someone who looks at me with half as much love and admiration as you look at him."

"I thought you weren't interested in romance. Footloose and fancy free and all that."

"Well, there's a lot to be said for it."

"But?"

"But…sometimes when you have a dark night of the soul, you wonder if it wouldn't be nice to have someone with you who wasn't just there for the night."

She found herself thinking back on the previous evening, of having Frank there for no other purpose than to just be supportive, of lying next to him and expecting nothing from him other than the depth of feeling that came from loving him as she knew she did. She had felt that once before, a long time ago with Stewart. At least, she thought she had. "I'm not sure I'm any sort of expert on finding love," she admitted. "All two of my relationships have had their, how can I put it, quirks."

"The boy you met at sixteen and your boss," Ted nodded his head. "I can see how that might not qualify you as an expert."

She laughed again and then looked at the radio sat on the dashboard, able to conjure him at his desk, no doubt tense and on edge, waiting for some sort of news. She desperately wanted to make things right for him, desperately wanted a balaclava-clad figure to suddenly leap out and try to assault someone in front of her so that she could make the arrest she knew he needed to make himself feel better about what had happened. She felt a sudden urge to speak to him and yet knew there was nothing to say.

"Will you marry him?" Ted asked suddenly and she met his gaze again. "If he asked, would you say yes?"

"I'm still married," she reminded him.

"You're avoiding the question," he cocked an eyebrow at her. "I knew that very first night he admitted to me that he loved you that he wanted to marry you. Through whatever ups and downs you've had between then and now; I doubt that's changed."

"I don't know," she said, after a long moment's thought. "I don't know if I'll marry him if he were to ask me."

"Well, once bitten, twice shy I always say," he shrugged. "Besides, this is 1992; people don't need to be married anymore, do they?"

"No," she agreed, turning back to look out of the window, her mind once more wandering to its dark recesses where she stored all the things that she wasn't quite ready to bring into the light. Although she knew how he felt, and how much of a simplistic view he took of marriage, she just wasn't ready to answer that question one way or the other.

XXXX

He knew he should be working, but he couldn't take his eyes from the radio sat on his desk, annoyingly silent. It wasn't that he expected a running commentary, but some signs of life would be good, especially given how jittery he felt at not being able to be out there with his troops.

"Ah Frank, still here?"

He jumped slightly at the sound of Brownlow's voice and quickly got to his feet when he saw the other man hovering in his doorway. "Uh, yes sir, catching up on paperwork."

"Keeping a weather eye on the troops from afar no doubt," he gestured to the radio.

"Well…"

"Don't worry Frank, I do understand. For someone like you, used to leading from the front, I can well appreciate the difficulty you feel in taking more of a back seat, necessary as it is." He paused. "I was sorry to learn about your sister."

"Thank you sir."

"Anything we can do, of course, you only have to ask."

He couldn't help but wonder what his superior officer could possibly be referring to, well aware that it was simply a platitude. "That's kind, sir, thank you." He knew how to play the game. "Hopefully we'll get a result this weekend."

"Yes, it would be good to clear this one up," Brownlow agreed before pausing. "How are you finding the acting DCI role so far?"

"Well, it's early days, sir. Ask me again once I've had the chance to settle into it a bit more."

"Yes…you intend remaining in this office?"

"I like being at the sharp end, sir. The DCI's office does sometimes feel a little 'out of the way' so to speak."

"Well, it's for you to decide, of course. Just remember that being that little bit more removed from the foot soldiers is part of the job once you start climbing the ladder. It's not as straightforward as being one of the lads anymore."

"No sir," he tried to keep his expression passive, wondering if there had ever possibly been a time when Brownlow had considered himself 'one of the lads.'

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Goodnight, Frank."

"Goodnight, sir." He sat back down at his desk, shaking his head in the process. If ever there had been an officer who had divided opinion the way Brownlow did at Sun Hill, he was yet to meet him, though he had to grudgingly admit that being Chief Super clearly came with its own challenges, some of which he wasn't sure he would ever be equipped to tackle.

"All units…" Alistair's voice came across the radio and he felt himself stiffen slightly. "Radio check please. Call in one after another, over."

He felt his shoulders slump slightly as he sat back in his chair. A radio check was usually only carried out when everyone was bored rigid, and nothing was happening. It wasn't that he wanted a woman to be attacked, but something needed to happen, otherwise all of this was going to be just one colossal waste of time.

15 March

"Well, that's that then," Ted said as dawn slowly broke. "One down, one to go."

She felt herself stretch, her muscles aching after being sat in such cramped conditions for so long. Nothing whatsoever had happened. Not so much as a whiff of trouble. The rain had clearly kept him away, if he was even hunting on the same ground, and there hadn't even been any general calls to the area.

"All units from Greig. It's clear nothing's going to happen now. Let's head back to the station for debrief before heading home, over."

"Damn it," she said softly, as Ted started the engine. "I really hoped something would happen tonight."

"You and me both. But then, it's a double-edged sword, isn't it? You want something to happen, but you don't want anyone to get hurt. For all we know, he could have attacked another woman somewhere else last night. Unless he gives us his schedule, it's always going to be potluck."

"I know," she sighed heavily. "I just wish there was some way we could guarantee to catch him, wherever he strikes next." The rest of the drive back to the station was quiet, the cars pulling up in the yard one after the other, spilling out their weary occupants who dragged themselves up to the CID office. She was surprised, and yet equally not surprised, to find Frank waiting for them.

"You lot look dead on your feet," he remarked as they crowded into the room. "How tiring can it be just sitting on your arses all night? You didn't even need to chase anyone."

"It was a pretty long night, Guv," Tosh piped up. "I'd have welcomed a bit of action."

"I'm sure you would. Anyway," he cast his gaze over them. "We didn't get lucky last night, but there's still tonight. So, same pairings, same locations, same intentions. Let's hope he shows his face."

"Were you here all night, Guv?" Jim asked.

"I was actually, James. Someone needed to be on the other end of the radio, didn't they? Right, get yourselves home and back here by six sharp."

Low chatter rumbled around the room as they collected bags and coats and made their way slowly out of the office, some bound for the canteen, others heading straight home to try and force themselves to sleep. Working through the night was always a killer. She hung back slightly, making a show of looking for something on her desk until they were alone.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"Coming back empty handed."

He shrugged, "There's always tonight."

"I know, but…we might not catch him."

"I know that."

"I want to though, I really do. Not just for you or Pat…but for all of them, for every woman who's ever felt unsafe walking the streets."

He raised his eyebrows, "What's brought on this sudden show of female solidarity?"

"Well, it's shit, isn't it? Why should men be allowed to get away with doing stuff like that?"

"Our job is to try and stop them."

"Yeah, well we haven't done a very good one, so far." She slammed the drawer of her desk closed and ran her fingers through her hair, fatigue suddenly threatening to overwhelm her. "Sorry, I'm just tired." It was partially the truth, but she also couldn't bear to end up in a situation whereby her idea of an obbo came to nothing. She didn't want to be seen to have failed.

He glanced behind himself quickly, before moving towards her and sliding his arms around her waist. "You can't make this bloke magically appear."

"You seemed to think you could the other night."

"Yeah, well it's lucky I had you to talk me down." Leaning in, he kissed her gently. "Go home and get some kip."

Pressing herself against him, she breathed in his scent. "Sure you don't want to come with me?"

"Don't tempt me." He pulled away, kissing her again in the process. "I'll see you back here at six."

"Yes Guv," she mock saluted before lifting her bag and making her way out of the office and down the stairs to the yard to her car. She wasn't quite sure how she managed to drive herself home without nodding off, but the moment she sank down onto her bed, she was fast asleep, waking suddenly several hours later, still fully dressed. A hot shower and some food brought her back to herself and she had just flicked the television on when the phone rang and she was surprised to hear her father's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi Goldilocks."

"Oh…hi."

"How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. How are you?"

"I'm all right," he replied, but she couldn't help but detect a note of hesitancy in his tone. "I was just wondering whether I might get to see you at some point."

She paused, his request throwing her slightly. They hadn't seen each other since Christmas, when she had spent an awkward few days with him. The whole sorry business over what had happened with Frank in Brighton, her dad's arrest and the aftermath of Stewart's court appearance had left her not really knowing what to say to him. Every conceivable topic of conversation had been fraught with potential traps and so they had said little to one another beyond the superficial. She supposed she should at least be grateful that they had some kind of relationship, but it was never going to be the one she wanted.

"Umm…yeah I suppose I could pop down," she replied, her brain scrambling for an appropriate answer. "I'm a bit busy at the moment, but maybe in a few weeks?"

He paused before replying. "That would be nice."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no," he replied hurriedly. "I just thought it would be nice to spend some time with you, that's all. You should bring him with you."

"Him?"

"Yeah, your boss."

"Why?" she asked. The last time she had spoken to her father, she and Frank had been simply friends and colleagues, and therefore she couldn't quite work out why he would want the other man party to any conversations they might have.

"Would be nice to see him."

She paused, her brain starting to tick over, finding herself somewhat frustrated at his obvious evasion. "Dad, we're not…I mean it's not as if…" she fumbled for words as to how best to describe the current state of her personal life.

"Well, it's your choice, of course. I just thought it would be good to see him too, you know, man to man."

"Right…well, let me look over a few things and see when I could maybe pop down," she replied, eager to bring the, somewhat bizarre, conversation to an end. "I'll give you a call later in the week?"

"Perfect, take care love."

"Bye." Slowly she replaced the receiver and frowned. Had something happened with the receiving charge from the previous year? Had it reared its ugly head resulting in an almost certain prison sentence? Was that what he wanted to talk to her about? But, if so, why did Frank need to be involved? Was her father hoping for some sort of favour? Glancing at the clock, she realised that she had no time to consider matters further. There was still one more night of observation to go and she would be damned if she didn't give it her full attention.

XXXX

Much as he had tried to work the previous night, he had tried to sleep when he had finally arrived home, only for it to come in fits and starts. He was as eager as Christina was to see someone brought to justice for what had happened to Pat but, equally, he knew that even if they did catch someone, it wouldn't be the end of the ordeal for his sister. She would have to live with what happened to her for the rest of her life and there was nothing that he could do about that. Much like Christina would have to live for the rest of her life with what Stewart had done to her, and there was nothing he could do about that either, except try and make the next part of her life better than the one that had gone before. He just wished he knew for sure how to go about that.

He had a certain uneasy feeling about what was coming next as Sun Hill. It had only been a week or so and yet he could somehow sense that him occupying the DCI's chair on a regular basis wasn't what those in higher authority had in mind. On one view, another step up the ladder was what he wanted, but Brownlow's words about it taking him away from the sharp end and being 'one of the lads' had struck somewhat of a chord. There was a reason why officers who were promoted were usually moved on.

He wasn't idle though. Keeping your ear to the ground was essential in this job, and he knew that the next promotion board for DCI was coming up in six months' time and, if he got the post, they could move him anywhere, which would make it a hundred times easier to build on his personal future, with no stigma of being seen to be shipped out, like poor old Gordon.

Good things were coming, they had to be. He was long overdue for promotion.

"Frank," Andrew greeted him as he arrived at the station. "No luck last night I hear."

"Not yet, no."

"But you only need my officers for tonight?"

"We've only been given two nights authorisation," he replied through gritted teeth, well aware that Andrew knew only too well the parameters of the operation. "Your little soldiers will be back amongst their uniformed brethren before you know it." Before the other man could opine any more on the subject, he hurriedly took the stairs towards the CID office, gratified to see most of the troops had already arrived. "Well, you look a lot better than you did earlier."

"Amazing what a hot shower and some breakfast can do for you," Viv replied.

"I'll bet," he raised his eyebrows at her, and she grimaced. "Ten minutes and then you're off." Moving into his office, he shifted paperwork around as the remaining number trickled in, Christina dashing in right at the last minute. He would have to remind her about her timekeeping. After a quick briefing, he watched them file out again, before turning back to his desk and switching the radio on. There was almost a feeling of comfort in the familiarity of it, though he could still feel a knot of tension at the base of his belly.

"I'm fine, Frank, really," Pat said when he called her an hour or so later. "You don't have to keep checking up on me."

"I know, I just…well…wanted to make sure there was nothing I could do, practically I mean."

Pat paused. "Are you coming over for lunch tomorrow?"

It was his turn to pause. How could so much have changed in the space of a week? He couldn't help but think it would be a somewhat awkward gathering, everyone trying hard not to talk about the single most important and huge issue that had cropped up since they had all last seen each other. "I…"

"You don't have to," she interrupted, "I understand."

"It's just, we're on this obbo tonight," he said. "Well, the others are. I'm just sitting in my office waiting for a result but…well…being up nights plays havoc with you."

"Well then, don't worry about it," she reassured him. "Maybe next weekend."

"Yeah, that sounds nice." He paused again. "How's Mum?"

"I told her what had happened, but I'm not sure how much of it she really understood. She's never mentioned it since."

"That must be hard," he replied, for though he knew that, on one level, Pat wouldn't want to talk about what happened, on another, she would have hoped for the support from her own mother. "Look, I'm around any time you want to talk."

"I appreciate that, really I do. Take care."

"And you." He put the receiver down and sighed heavily. A family was always a difficult thing to navigate at times and he couldn't help but feel as though there could be stormy waters ahead.

To distract himself, he did actually complete some work and was just about to go and get himself a coffee, when the radio suddenly sprang to life. Through the jumbled messages, he could make out that a man had been spotted attempting to force a woman down an alleyway and that a chase was in progress. He could hear the voices of the different units, calling back and forth to one another and, finally, it became apparent that Christina and Ted were giving chase on foot.

"Suspect is running down Canarthon Avenue!" her voice came across the radio. "Turning into Latimer Drive…heading towards the railway line!"

He wanted to do something, say something, and yet there was little he could do except listen and hope that the determination she had demonstrated over wanting to get a result would lead to an arrest.

"Now running towards Cooper Road! He's heading towards the bridge…!"

He could imagine her yelling at the suspect to stop, running as fast as she could, chest burning, and he found himself willing her on.

"Suspect is now on the bridge! He's…he's climbing over the edge…stop, police! Suspect is moving across the edge of the bridge…" the transmission dropped as a flurry of other voices came across the airwaves, cutting off whatever she might have been about to say.

"Shut up you bastards!" he shouted at no-one in particular.

"Train approaching from the north side…suspect is still moving across the bridge….no, no, no!"

The radio fell silent, and, for a moment, he heard nothing except the soft ticking of the clock on his desk. He waited for her voice to filter through again, but when the next transmission came, it was an Irish brogue that reached his ears instead.

"Suspect has jumped," Ted said, his tone flat. "Repeat, suspect has jumped. Ambulance required."