Thanks, Jess, for your reviews! It always brightens my day when I see the notification of your review on the app! Since, for whatever reason, this site just doesn't like my email address... Anyway, thanks and read on!

"Andrea. Come and sit down."

Andrea shook her head, twisting her hands as she paced the room, even surprised herself that she hadn't worn a hole in the carpet.

"I can't Smithy, he could be doing anything to her."

"Andrea," he said. "All of her stuff was packed up. Would that really be the case if Kit had anything to do with it?"

"Maybe, he might've forced her to pack at gunpoint, or…threatened her, or…"

"And where could he have gotten a gun?"

"Damn it, Smithy, I don't know!" she shouted. "This is Kit! He survived a blow to the head, a fall from a waterfall, and is somehow sneaking around Sun Hill unseen like Jack the Ripper!"

"Come on," he said, getting up, and putting his arms around her. "You're being irrational."

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his shirt. "I can't help it. Why did he have to come back? Why did he have to get out of the water?"

"I know," he said. "But you need to be calm. Kirsty's stuff was packed up and the hotel staff said she'd checked out alone."

By now, Andrea too had checked out, with Gina sending Sheelagh and Yvonne to pack her stuff and bring it to Sun Hill, where her suitcase now sat next to the chair.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Andrea said. "Should I? When the going gets tough, Kirsty gets going, right in the other direction. It's always been like that. She runs off, and everyone else is left cleaning up her mess."

"Usually you."

"Yeah," she said and pulled free. "I didn't miss that when I stopped talking to her. I'm starting to wish I'd never started again."

"You don't mean that."

"No," she said. "I don't. But I wish I did."

Andrea turned as the door opened and Gina poked her head in and she had such a strange look on her face, her stomach dropped.

"Angus?"

"Angus is fine, don't worry, but…uh, there's someone to see you."

She pushed the door open and a sheepish Kirsty came into the room, dragging her own suitcase behind her. Gina and Smithy watched Andrea's expression go from surprise, to relief to utter rage.

"I'm so sorry."

"I'm sure," Andrea said, her icy tone chilling the room. "What the hell, Kirsty?"

"We found her at the train station," said Gina, closing the door behind them. "About to board a train to Peacehaven."

"And lead Kit straight to Olly? Your parents? What were you thinking Kirsty? No, that's the problem actually, you never do, do you?"

Kirsty looked at Gina, who raised an eyebrow.

"Well if you don't tell her, I will."

Kirsty licked her lips and said; "Kit's been calling my room, AJ, at the hotel. He's always known we were there."

"What?" Andrea said. "And you didn't think to tell me? You didn't even think to tell the police that somewhere we thought was safe never was?"

"I know. I should have, and they could have traced the calls or something…"

Andrea scoffed. "Come on, Kit isn't stupid. He's probably got about eighty pay as you go phones just to make calls. What did he say to you?"

"It…" Kirsty gripped her case and there was a flicker in her eyes that told Smithy that what she was about to say didn't even scratch the surface of the truth. "It was just a lot of taunting, you know."

"No. I don't. Because you didn't tell me. Start talking."

There was that giveaway flicker again and Kirsty looked at Smithy.

"Are you…?"

"Smithy. Yes. I'd do introductions, but I think this is a bit more important! Stop stalling."

"Sometimes it was just silent calls, but I knew it was him. Then when he started talking, he told me he wanted his money, that he knew it was me who ratted him out in Venezuela. And…and he said…"

She glanced at Gina again who gestured for her to get on with it.

"He said he'd….do things to you. If I didn't get him what he wanted. Then he called today, said he was watching you fill the car or something, how easy it would be for him to run you down there and then."

Andrea stared then huffed out a laugh.

"Oh. Right. And instead of, I don't know, calling the police, sending them to the scene before yet another innocent man got hurt, you decide to do a runner?"

"I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry?" Andrea hissed. "Smithy nearly got beaten to death. Bruce got his head caved in. My neighbour was strangled to death in his own home. Angus got ran down when he tried to stop Kit, and you're telling me you're sorry? I think my neighbour's daughter is in Sun Hill by now, should I take you to see her, so you can tell her how sorry you are? Or Angus? He's in hospital, we can go there now if you like, and you can tell him how sorry you are, and about Bruce too. And what about Smithy? He's right here, you can start with him if you like!"

"Andrea," Kirsty said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I know, okay? I'm really sorry."

"Stop saying that!" Andrea shouted and shook Smithy's comforting hand away. "Jesus Kirsty, are there two brain cells in your head competing for third place?"

"Andrea…"

"Butt out Smithy," she said fiercely. "Nothing ever changes with you, does it? Do you know what went through my head when I found out you were gone? What I imagined that he could be doing to you? Everyone else was trying to tell me you'd left of your own accord, and I said no, she wouldn't do that to me!"

"Andrea…"

"If you say you're sorry," she said dangerously. "One. More. Time. Tell me something; if things were different, and he'd found you first, you wouldn't have bothered telling me, would you?"

"Of course I would!"

"Yeah, you've have written a letter or something, wouldn't you, and by the time it was delivered, I'd have found out myself, or worse!"

"I'm a coward. I know that."

"Yeah, and it's always me clearing up your mess and I'm sick of it! You mess up, and I pick up the pieces! Nothing will ever change, will it?"

"I came back, didn't I?" Kirsty said, a defensive edge creeping into her voice.

"Yeah, you came back because the police came looking for you. You've be halfway to Peacehaven by now otherwise."

She glared and could tell even Gina Gold was surprised by the force of her anger. She found herself shaking with rage, and stormed to the door.

"Where're you going?" Smithy called after her.

"To get some air," she said and slammed the door behind her. She walked through the corridors she knew well and pressed the button to release the door leading to main reception.

"Andrea?" Marilyn said, looking up from what she was doing, forehead wrinkled in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Right now, everything," she said shortly, then softened her tone. "Sorry, Marilyn. If anyone comes looking for me, I'll just be out there. You might want someone to clear up the mess, though."

"Mess?" Marilyn asked, leaning over the desk to look at the outside of the station, seeing nothing but the stark white marble.

"Yes. The one that'll be there once I face palm my brains on it."

Andrea went outside without another word and sank onto the floor, her back against the flowerbed opposite the station. She buried her face in her knees, too angry to even cry. Despite what she'd said to Smithy, she did wish she'd left Kirsty without a warning; maybe the shock of Kit standing in her room would have been enough to shock her out of the eternally irresponsible, thoughtless, selfish person she was. She heard the click of the station door opening then shutting and footsteps approached.

"Sorry Smithy," Andrea said, her tone flat but sincere. There was no answer and she looked up into Gina's face. She held a takeout cup. "Oh, sorry."

"No need," she said and handed her the cup. "Sorry it isn't anything stronger. You okay?"

She sat on the flowerbed edge; Andrea took a sip of the tea.

"I shouldn't have said some of that."

"You were harsh," she said. "I'm surprised you had it in you. But you're not wrong."

"I don't think it'll register with her though," Andrea said and got up from the floor to sit next to the Inspector on the flowerbed. "It never does."

"I think Smithy was a bit shocked, hearing you talk like that."

"Is he angry?"

"No, he's just worried. He was telling me that he was going to come and stay when you went back home."

There was something in her tone that suggested she had an opinion on that, and of course she did. Smithy was as good as her son.

"Does that make you angry?"

She looked surprised that she'd so bluntly just ask her straight out, but it was as if Kit's reappearance in her life and finding out Kirsty's secrets had made her lose all filter.

"No," she said carefully. "I can see how much he cares for you."

"But you wish he didn't? I can't blame you, you know. I've wished he didn't, too."

"Look, Andrea, I've said it before, I think you'll forgive us for thinking what we like about you, but…I do know that whatever it was you were doing when you were working here, there was no malicious intent."

Andrea's eyes stung and she looked down to hide it. This woman never said things she didn't mean.

"And I'm not excusing it…"

"I know."

"But I wanted you to know that, because I'm starting to get the feeling that you think some of us are willing to turn a blind eye."

"It crossed my mind," Andrea said. "At first. But I know you all better than that."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Gina said and got up. "Come on, Smithy will be wondering where we are."

"What happens now?" Andrea asked, holding the door open for her.

"Well, we've got Angus in a hotel. He is okay," she added, catching sight of the anxiety on Andrea's face. "Tony's gone with him to pack some stuff at Bruce's, then is bringing him here, so you can see for yourself."

"Ma'am, I don't want to go into a safe house."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"No, probably not," Andrea said. "But knowing Kit like I do, he's just going to keep hurting innocent people if he doesn't get what he wants. It could be any one of you next. Kirsty can go into one if she wants to, but he needs to be stopped. I've got the alarm and the locks are changed. Nobody has any spares."

The Inspector nodded as if she'd been expecting her to say something of the like; but then, she probably had.

"Well, it still won't be without any more measures," she said. "Maybe we'll have an area car cruise by every hour or so."

Andrea nodded but thought it would take Kit less than five minutes to do whatever awful thing he had planned, but she was sure Gina knew that too. They went back to the soft interview room where Smithy still was with Kirsty, who wasn't crying, though her eyes were shiny. She looked up at Andrea who eyed her coldly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "For being so harsh."

"No. You're right," Kirsty said. "I'm spineless, I always have been. Always expecting everyone else to pick up after me. Not anymore."

"Well you'll forgive me for not believing that until I see it."

"Um, Smithy was just telling me about cheap hotels in the area."

"Oh yeah? So cheap you can afford them? Have you won the lottery since this morning?"

"No, but I thought you wouldn't want me staying…"

"Yeah, well, to be honest Kirsty, I don't. But if you think I'm giving you another chance to do a runner, you're wrong." She turned back to the Inspector. "Is Angus here yet?"

"Yes, he's just giving his statement to Sam and Phil. You can see him after that. I'm just going to run Smithy home to get some things for him, and get the cat."

"No problem," Andrea said, sitting down and digging the novel from her bag that she'd read all of fifteen pages from since picking it up weeks ago. "Take your time."

The noise of the alarm really was ear-splitting. Andrea hastily turned it off and went to set her keys on the side table as usual, but thought better of it and put them in the kitchen drawer instead. Smithy set the cat carrier on the floor and opened it. Hugo sauntered out, stretched, giving them the death stare at being shoved into the carrier and flounced away. Andrea and Smithy exchanged an amused glance. Kirsty looked around the house uncertainly.

"Nice place," she said hesitantly.

"Thanks," Andrea said shortly. "Here, you can have this room."

She led her to the spare room and Kirsty heaved her case in, looking around. It was bigger than she was expecting; able to fit a double bed, beside table, wardrobe and drawers. The furniture seemed oddly familiar.

"This is your grandparents' furniture isn't it? And the bureau out there?"

"Yes," she said. "The bathroom's next door. There's plenty of hot water if you want a shower or anything. I'll let you unpack."

She backed out and closed the door, turning to Smithy who was standing back respectfully.

"I'm sorry I was so snappy back there."

"Don't be sorry," he said. "I get it. It's been a stressful few weeks for you. I would have been angry too."

He sat down and nodded at the space beside him. She sat beside him and curled up against his side, her head on his shoulder.

"You must be exhausted," he said.

She nodded.

"Then sleep. It's okay, I'm right here. I won't let anything happen."

She'd fallen asleep in his arms once before; or rather he had in hers. It'd been a night, before she'd been outed, when he'd stayed over after they'd been drinking, and she'd heard him crying. She could tell he was trying to be quiet and had for a moment debated letting him think she didn't hear, but hadn't been able to stand his distress. He'd been in the spare room, where Kirsty unpacked now, and she'd sat on the bed, sliding her arms around him. She'd startled him, she knew, but he hadn't pushed her away, but he'd held her, gripping her so tightly, tighter than anyone had held her before, crying she'd seen nobody cry before. Seeing him so upset had made her cry, too and that had seemed to make him feel even worse. He'd apologised, and cried for Kerry and how much he missed her. She'd lain with him, stroking his hair as she held him. After that, they'd not slept in separate beds when they'd stayed with each other, and even though nothing intimate had happened, she thought they'd both found comfort in the simplicity of holding each other, like she did now. She snuggled deeper into Smithy's jumper and succumbed to sleep.

It was dusk when she woke, and was no longer nestled in the softness of his jumper. She rubbed her eyes and looked up to see him in the kitchen, closing the oven. He saw her awake and smiled.

"Hey."

"Hey," she said, and sat up. "What're you making?"

"Well, there wasn't much, so I had to improvise," he said and shrugged. "Veggie lasagne?"

"Yeah, lovely. Thanks," she said and got up. "Hasn't Kirsty come out?"

"No, only to use the bathroom," he said. "Between you and me, I think she's a bit scared of looks killing."

"Oh," Andrea said, biting her lip.

"Hey, don't you go feeling bad," he said sharply. "She needed to hear what you said back there. It was the truth, all of it."

"I know, but…being that harsh, it's not like me, Smithy. I don't like being like that."

"I know," he said. "And I was shocked, I won't lie, but sometimes people don't need us to be nice all the time. Some people need a reality check. Talking of nice, what did he say to you?"

"Nothing, he just waved at me."

"No, not Kit," Smithy said. "Kent. What did he say to you?"

"Say?" Andrea said blankly, then remembered her encounter with him at Victory Road. "Oh. That."

"Yeah, that," Smithy said pointedly. "Gina said you'd told her he was making digs at you about being undercover. Was he?"

"No," Andrea said. "Well, he kind of was, but…something else he said…"

"What?"

Andrea felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to go into this; the last time they had, it had caused an argument about her being too obsessed and letting her imagination run away with her.

"Come on," Smithy said. "It's obviously bothered you, whatever it was he said."

Andrea sat at the table, sighing. "Well he kind of was making digs. At first. Then he said…he said it was a shame that Jason Hardy had taken a nose dive from that block of flats. That he would have sorted Kit out with one pump of a trigger because he hated criminals. His words, more or less."

Smithy paused and looked at her, then sighed, sitting down opposite her.

"You still think it, don't you? That he was in on it with Hardy."

"I've tried," she said. "I really have, Smithy. I've tried to think of every other rational explanation I can and I can't. Just…after Kit, I learned to look for the same sort of…insanity. And I see it in Gabriel. I think I always have."

"Look," he said. "Are you sure you weren't just…projecting? I think he's a manipulative piece of work, I'll give you that, but…"

"But what, Smithy? Being a copper means you're incapable of awful things? Don Beech? Tom Chandler? Cathy Bradford?"

He blinked as if surprised that she'd know about things that happened well before her time. She gave him a rueful smile.

"Come on, what kind of journalist would I be, not being sure to know everything I could about Sun Hill?"

"Touché," he said quietly. "All right, well what about the guy you were going to see?"

"What guy?"

"Before…before your expose, remember? You told me you were going to speak to someone, someone you could get evidence from?"

Andrea remembered then and could have kicked herself for forgetting. Oliver Bantree, the man Bruce put her in touch with, who could tell her things about the Navy nobody else could. Bruce's words. She'd met him, given him the brief details of what she needed, but not so much why and he told her he'd be in touch. He never had, but then, that was before her phone had been confiscated and if he'd been paying any attention to the news, she wasn't surprised he was staying away. She shrugged.

"He didn't get back in touch. But then, he had my old phone number, so…"

"Hm." Smithy still didn't sound convinced.

"Anyway, I have one psycho after my blood at the minute, I really don't think I need another one."

"No," he said. "But what about after? When we lock Kit up? What then?"

"We'll have to catch him first."

She didn't state if she meant Kit or Kent by that, and her tone was very matter of fact. They looked at each other, and as if by mutual, unspoken agreement, let it go. Andrea got up.

"I'm going to check on Kirsty," she said and felt Smithy's eyes on her as she approached the spare room and knocked. "Kirst?"

Kirsty jumped and opened her eyes. She'd been lying in the bed, wrapped in the heavy duvet. Andrea went in, shutting the door behind her.

"This room can get pretty stuffy," she said. "If that duvet gets too hot…"

"No," said Kirsty. "I get cold easily anyway."

"Kirsty…"

"Don't. Don't even think of apologising to me. You were right, everything you said was right.

"Still. I shouldn't have been so harsh, so I'm sorry," Andrea said and pushed back her hair, sitting on her bed. "I was worried about you. And Kirsty, you did the right thing when you reported him to the police. Surely you can see that?"

"Yeah," said Kirsty. "The right thing to you and me, but that's not how Kit sees it."

"To hell with how Kit sees it," Andrea said. "He's going to be caught and he's going to be arrested and I'm going to sit through every minute of the trial I'm not testifying at so I can see him go down for the rest of his miserable life. I know you're scared of him. I am too. But running is going to either make him angrier or play right into his hands. Too many innocent people have gotten hurt already. Only we can stop him now. We have to do it."

Andrea gripped Kirsty's cold hand in hers and squeezed it.

"You're right," she said. "Of course you are. I'm sorry. For running and for worrying you."

"I get it. I think. But we've wasted ten years of our life on his man, Kirst. Let's get him locked up and stop him before anyone else gets hurt."

"Yeah," she said. "We have to."

"Are you going to come and have dinner? Smithy's made a lasagne."

"Um…"

"Come on, you don't have to stay in here," Andrea said, getting up. "Being alone is no good for you."

"No," Kirsty said, pushing back the covers. "Can I have a shower first?"

"Yeah. Of course. Spare towels in the bathroom cupboard. Take your time. But…come out. Please?"

Andrea patted Kirsty's hand and left. When the door closed quietly behind her, Kirsty hit the mattress, angry with herself. She was more spineless than a jellyfish, and she knew it; however that Inspector had known to look for her at the train station, she didn't know, but apparently she'd gotten the measure of her very quickly and she'd sharply told her as much. She was so pathetic, she didn't even have a game plan. Chances were, when she got there, her parents wouldn't have let her take Olly anyway. Unlike her, they tended to think of the consequences of actions. Well, she could have gone to stay with her sister in Germany, or her brother in Barcelona. Her other two brothers still lived in Glasgow, so there was even them, but there was every chance her parents would have told them by now, even if it was in as little detail as possible. She was the disappointment, she knew, even if they didn't say it to her face. Her brothers in Scotland were lawyers, her sister an architect and her other brother, a chef, and even though it wasn't a particularly glamorous career, he was 'going places' according to her parents, unlike her, though she knew she wasn't supposed to hear that part. It was hard enough competing with all of that at home, but then to have one of the brightest students in the year as your best friend… Angry with herself, Kirsty got up and went through her case looking for her washbag. When was she going to stop using that as an excuse? She could have done well if she'd applied herself, everyone had always told her so too, but she hadn't wanted to be bothered. Now look where she was; a barmaid, and not a very good one as her snide boss loved to remind her, and he'd now fired her, and as she'd never signed a contract, got paid cash in hand, there was nothing she could do about it. She had Olly but nothing else, and if she didn't do something about Kit, she might not even have him.

She got up and went into the bathroom, feeling Smithy's eyes on her. He didn't trust her, she could sense it. Wise man. Kirsty locked the bathroom door behind her and looked at her reflection in the medicine cabinet. Her mouth twisted. She could barely bring herself to meet her own eyes. She dug through her washbag, searching for her toothpaste, but couldn't find it and sighed in frustration. She couldn't even do that right. She opened the cabinet and found Andrea's; she didn't think she'd mind. Then she caught sight of the little brown bottle and her eyes locked on the label. Temazepam? What was Andrea doing with something that strong? She picked it up carefully, feeling sure Smithy would hear the rattling of tablets, even from behind a locked door. Her mother had taken these at one point; at one point being because she hated how they made her feel and said she'd rather have the sleepless nights. Judging by the still full bottle she held, Andrea shared that sentiment. She thought again about the useless prescription she'd been given and how she thought they wouldn't solve her problem, but these would.

Kirsty's phone pinged and she jumped. It was a text and she opened it tentatively, as if afraid the action would make the phone self-destruct. She wouldn't be surprised if Kit had the power to do that. She read the message and closed her eyes.

Tick-tock, time's up