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It was coming up to midnight on that same day. Stevie and Jo, who had been outside the house all day, had gone home, and there was no-one on relief until the morning thanks to staff sickness. Jess and Callum had assured Stevie and Max they would be fine, and at the first sign of anything suspicious they would call it in. The Sergeants seemed satisfied at that and left the undercover officers to it.
Jess and Callum retreated to bed at about ten after having a delicious meal with a lot of wine and a lot of kissing. Callum couldn't believe how natural it felt to be sharing a house and a life of sorts with Jess, and it made him wonder if it could be like that permanently. He was even used to wearing the wedding ring now. At first he had just wanted to take it off, it felt so unnatural, but now it felt weird when he did take it off. When Jess and him had gone to bed that night, he had pulled her close to him, pulling the covers right over them. She had rested her head on his chest, her right hand over his heart. This was the thing he loved the most, just being able to lie there with her, peacefully.
I swear to God, when I come home
I'm gonna hold you so close
I swear to God, when I come home
I'll never let go
Like a river, I flow
To the ocean I know
You pull me close
Guiding me home
Jess woke up at two that morning. She disentangled herself from Callum's arms and the quilt and got out of bed. Pulling her silky dressing gown around her she headed downstairs for a drink. Padding through to the kitchen, she flicked the light on waiting for her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. She pulled out a glass tumbler from the cupboard, filling it with water, leaning against the counter while she drank it. Once she had drank it all, she quietly washed the cup out and dried it, replacing it in the cupboard. She made her way back to the door leading out to the hall, flicking the light out as she went.
As she was about to walk up the stairs, she heard a noise in the living room. She frowned, wondering what it was. If it was Callum, she hadn't heard him come down the stairs. She turned on her heel and crept to the open living room door. The living room was in complete darkness and she fumbled on the wall, searching for the light switch. She was just about to turn it on when a hand covered hers. But it wasn't Callum's hand; she would know if it was. No, this hand was unfamiliar.
"Nu uh, we don't want to be doing that do we Mrs Morris? Is that your actual name? Because I'm sure I heard your husband call you Jess. But maybe he isn't even your real husband." a male voice said quietly in her ear. Goose bumps raised all along Jess' body.
"Get out of my house before I call the police." Jess hissed.
"I don't think so." the voice said cruelly. Jess' hands were roughly pulled behind her back, tied with what Jess guessed was rope judging from the scratchiness of it. "Now, we've got you a nice wooden chair to be tied to as well."
Jess felt herself being yanked backwards, and then she was forced onto a chair, her legs secured and tape covering her mouth. She struggled for a while, but it made the rope rub on her bare lower legs, so she stopped.
"Now what we're going to do is we're going to rob you. So we would appreciate it if you just sat there quietly like a good girl. Thanks." a female voice said.
Jess struggled against her bonds, wanting nothing more than to handcuff Trudy and Mitch. She hoped Callum would wake up, but then she didn't want him getting hurt. Most pressing thing currently on Jess' mind, besides how she was getting out of this, was how Trudy and Mitch had known. This was completely different from their normal MO when they robbed the houses during the day when the owners weren't in, but no, this time they did it at night while the owners were in, tying one of said owners up. Jess didn't think they had realised she was a cop yet; if they did they would hurt her for sure.
The two burglars didn't waste time. They had taken the TV already, as well as all the other electrical equipment in the front room. Jess' laptop which had been on the coffee table was now in Trudy and Mitch's van, and now Jess could hear them in the dining room, taking the beautiful crockery that Jess hadn't wanted to use because it was just too lovely. She could hear them packing the crockery into boxes they had bought in with them. Unbelievable. Then Jess heard it, the thump above her head. She started to panic, because the main bedroom was right above her head, and that meant Callum must have noticed she wasn't there. Sure enough she heard the footsteps move through the bedroom and out into the upstairs hall, making their way to the stairs. Jess also heard that Mitch and Trudy had paused in their thieving to listen as well. Jess held her breath as she heard Callum slowly descend down the stairs.
"Jess? Are you down here?" Callum called, pausing on the bottom step.
Jess banged her feet against the floor, desperately trying to warn him. She tried to say something, but the tape across her mouth was too tight. She carried on banging, this time wobbling the chair at the same time so that the chair legs banged against the wooden flooring. But she went too far, and the chair fell sideways onto the floor, landing heavily and painfully on her arm.
Callum heard the banging coming from the living room, and then a heavy thud, and then it had stopped. Something wasn't right, that was for sure. He needed to find Jess. He rounded the bottom of the stairs and peered into the living room. He could barely see anything, so he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they finally did, the only thing he could make out was a large shape on the floor, but he had no idea what it was. He crept closer to the thing on the floor, and when he was close enough to make out what, or rather who, it was, he froze.
"Jess? It's ok darlin' I'm here now. Hang on a minute, let me get the chair up." Callum whispered. He got up, pulling the chair up carefully. "Right, I'm going to pull the tape off, sorry if it hurts." He grabbed a corner of the tape, and gently pulled it off her mouth. Jess started sputtering, finally able to breathe properly.
"Callum, call Stevie, Jo, Max, anyone! They're in the house! They were in the dining room, but they know that you're down here as well." Jess said quickly.
Callum had just picked his mobile up off the sofa and was about to dial 999 when he felt himself being shoved hard. He landed on his side on the floor, the phone skidding underneath the sofa. As he rolled onto his back so he could get up, a boot smashed into his face, breaking his nose. Blood poured down his face, and his hands flew up to cover his nose. Once he got over the initial shock of pain, he quickly scrambled to his feet, his bloodied hands slipping on the wooden floor as he pushed himself up, blood flowing in a steady stream down his face and dripping on the floor. He couldn't see a damn thing; he reached for the lamp next to him, casting the room in a soft glow. There was something missing though...Jess!
"Callum! They're taking me out the back doors!" Jess yelled, earning a backhanded slap round the face by Trudy.
Callum ran through the house and to the back door, which was wide open. He could see Trudy and Mitch pulling the chair along the gravelly path with Jess secured to it. He saw red, and he charged through the garden, ramming right into Mitch, who promptly let go of the chair. Thankfully, the chair remained on its feet. Callum deftly untied the bindings securing Jess' arms, and used them to tie Trudy to a bench before she tried to run, and then once Jess had untied her legs, she tied Mitch to the other bench leg. They both scowled at her, and tried to pull out of their bindings, but it was no use. Finally they started bickering, blaming each other for getting caught.
"Would you two shut up!" Callum growled at them. Jess looked up at him, seeing his broken nose in the pale moonlight, and her mouth opened in shock.
"Oh honey, come here, let me have a look." Jess said softly. She led Callum to the chair that she had been tied to, and gently raised his face so the moonlight lit it up. She pushed gently on the nose and around it, before wiping as much blood away as possible with her dressing gown. Then she realised she had just called him honey, and started to blush. Thank god he couldn't see her blushing. "It's broken I'm afraid."
"I'm so sorry I didn't get there earlier." Callum apologised, his voice sounding thick from all the blood.
"No no, don't apologise. It wasn't your fault! Come on, let's ring Max, then I'll take you to the hospital to get your nose x-rayed." Jess said, kissing him gently on the lips before pulling him up and walking back into the house.
"What about us?!" Trudy shouted from the garden.
"Oh yeah, you're under arrest!" Jess shouted back.
And I need you to know that we're falling so fast
We're falling like the stars
Falling in love
And I'm not scared to say those words, with you, I'm safe
We're falling like the stars
We're falling in love
Stevie and Max frantically banged on the front door. Max had received the call from Jess about what had just happened, and he had rung Stevie, and now here they were.
"Why aren't they answering? You don't think Mitch and Trudy got free do you?" Stevie asked worriedly, pounding on the door.
"No, they would have made sure they secured them properly." Max said, convincing even himself.
Then the door swung open, revealing Jess, "Alright alright! Give us a chance!"
Max raised his eyebrows, noting the bright red mark on Jess face and bruising on her arms and legs, "You ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine, a few bruises here and there and some rope burn but nothing to write home about compared to Callum, I mean Sergeant Stone. He's got a broken nose, so I need to take him to the hospital as soon as possible." Jess said, moving so that Stevie and Max could get into the house.
"Ok, hang on a minute then you can take him. I'll ring it in, get some back up down here. Where's Trudy and Mitch?" Stevie asked.
"Tied to the garden bench." Jess said with a slight smile.
"I'll go cuff them properly and bring them inside. Stevie, once you've rung it in, go and quickly check their van." Max ordered as he walked towards the back of the house.
Stevie smiled at Jess apologetically, "If we'd known they would be coming during the night we wouldn't have left."
"It's fine Sarge, we didn't know either. Can I take Sergeant Stone to the hospital now please?" Jess asked.
"Yeah sure. We'll sort things out here. Make sure you get those burn marks seen to. Was that from the rope?" Stevie asked, indicating the angry looking red marks around Jess' wrists and calves.
"Yep, I'll get some cream for it or something. We'll ring you once we're on our way back and can make the statements." Jess said, raising a hand to say goodbye as she left the room. She walked upstairs into the en-suite bathroom where Callum was rinsing the blood of his face over the sink. Jess' brow crinkled in sympathy at the look of pain on his face. She placed her hand gently on his bare shoulders. "How's it feeling?"
Callum carefully touched the swollen mass that used to be his nose, "Painful."
Jess kissed his shoulder before going into the bedroom, "I'll get dressed then drive you to the hospital, ok?"
"Ok, and get those burns seen to as well." Callum added.
Jess laughed, "Yes I will. Come on then, let's go."
I swear to God, I can see
Four kids and no sleep
We'll have one on each knee
You and me, hmm
And when they've grown up
You're still the girl in the club
When I held your hair up
'Cause you had too much
Jess and Callum had been waiting in the hospital for nearly three hours now. Jess had fallen asleep, her head resting on Callum's shoulder, her hand on his thigh. She jumped to when a nurse called their names. Jess blinked a few times, clearing the fog from her mind and got up to follow Callum and the nurse.
"Hello there, sorry for the wait, it's been a busy night. Now, ouch, that looks sore. Let's deal with you first." the nurse said cheerfully to Callum, signalling for him to sit on the bed. The nurse pulled on her gloves and gently pushed on the area around Callum's nose like Jess had done. "Well I can say without an x-ray that this is definitely broken. I just need to get a doctor to reset it for you, and then we'll give you some painkillers and you can go home."
"Brilliant, thank you." Callum said gratefully.
"Thanks for coming to my rescue." Jess said quietly, rubbing her thumb across Callum's hand.
"A regular knight in tarnished armour I am." Callum said jokingly.
"You really are, well, you're my knight in shining, not tarnished, armour." Jess said slowly. She stood up and leant forward, her lips gently brushing against the Sergeant's.
"Ahem." someone said loudly from outside the cubicle. Jess and Callum sprang apart, looking guiltily at their Inspector. "I'm not interrupting am I?" she asked sarcastically.
"Course not ma'am, I was just um...um...yeah." Jess trailed off feebly.
"I can see that." Gina said with the famous raising of the brows. They didn't call her the Dragon for nothing. "Glad to see you're both relatively ok, and you'll be pleased to know that the crooks have been put in the cells and we've found the place they were keeping all the stolen goods, although some of it has already been sold on."
"That's good. Have they been interviewed yet?" Jess asked, discreetly moving away from Callum.
"Not yet. DS' Moss and Carter will be interviewing them soon. They were shocked when they realised we added assaulting two police officers to their rap list. They had no idea you two were cops, so well done." Gina said with a small smile. "Now once you've both been sorted out, you need to come to the station and give your statements but then you can go home."
"Thanks ma'am." Callum said with a nod. Gina nodded curtly before casting one final look over the pair, then walked away.
"Oh my God, could that have been any more embarrassing?" Jess said, trying to stop her laughter.
Callum smiled, then pulled a face because of the pain, "I think we should be careful. You know what they're like about colleagues having relationships, especially with me being your superior."
Jess sat on the bed next to Callum, "Ok, but I'm not with you to get a promotion."
Callum chuckled before saying, "I know that, don't you worry, but others may not see it that way, you know what the Force can be like. Come home with me later." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
Jess looked sideways at him and was amazed at the look in his eyes. No-one had looked at her like that before, looked at her as if she were the only woman in the world, looked at her with such an intense longing. She was temporarily speechless before she shook her head quickly, trying to clear it. "Yeah, of course."
"You ok?" he asked her, his brows furrowed.
"Course. Do you want a drink?" she asked, hopping off the bed.
"No it's ok." Callum said, worried that he had said something to Jess to make her suddenly anxious around him.
"Right, well I'm just going to get a tea. I'll be back in a minute." she said distractedly.
"Ok." Callum said watching her retreating back with a frown.
And I need you to know that we're falling so fast
We're falling like the stars
Falling in love
And I'm not scared to say those words, with you, I'm safe
We're falling like the stars
Falling in love
By the time she got back, the doctor had been to see Callum and had reset his nose. He was glad Jess wasn't there, because he was practically crying when the doctor did it, and no way did he want Jess to think he was a wuss. She came into the cubicle and sat on the chair.
"Long cup of tea?" he asked quietly.
"Huh?" she looked up, and then saw that his eyes were slightly red and puffy, "Have you been crying?"
Callum widened his eyes, "No, why?"
"You have haven't you!" Jess said standing up.
"No, I think I would have known if I'd been crying." Callum said, feigning ignorance.
Jess' lips curled into an involuntary smile, "They reset your nose didn't they."
Callum looked at her before he nodded, "Yes, and I'm glad you weren't here."
"You think I would think you a wuss if I'd known you cried right?" Jess confirmed.
"Maybe." Callum said to the floor.
Jess put her arms around his neck, kissed his forehead and said, "I would never think you were a wuss. Never. Now come, let's get to the station."
He raised his head and looked into those green eyes that he had fallen in love with, "I love you, you know."
Jess froze. He had never told her that he loved her before. Never. "What?"
"I love you Jessica Hunter. I am in love with you." Callum said firmly.
"I thought you said that we have to be careful about our relationship, but now you're telling me that you're in love with me." Jess asked, confused.
It was like Callum deflated in front of her, "I'm sorry, you don't...just ignore what I said."
"Callum no, listen to me. I know you love me, I could see it in your eyes, when I went to get the tea. It threw me for a minute, because no-one had ever looked at me like that before. Not even Dan." Jess said, trying to make him understand.
"I'm not Dan though, am I." Callum said, and if Jess didn't know better she would say he was acting like a sullen teenager.
"You really love me?" she asked, almost in surprise.
"I really love you." Callum confirmed. He pulled Jess into him and took her head in his hands. "I am in love with you, and that will never change." He shut his eyes and slowly moved towards Jess, kissing her gently. His hands moved down her body until they were on her waist, and her hands were linked around his neck. Their lips moved together in perfect symmetry, like dancers who long ago perfected their routine. "This is what I want, work be damned." he said when they pulled away.
"This is what I want." Jess echoed, holding him tight.
I swear to God, every day
He won't take you away
'Cause without you, babe
I lose my way
Song: Falling Like the Stars by James Arthur