"Right." Gina said as she bustled importantly into the Briefing Room. "I know you'll all be eager to get off, it being the end of the shift on a Friday but…"

Gina was cut off by the sound of Dan sighing. "I don't like the way this is going." Dan muttered to Will who was sitting next to him.

"But." Gina continued, glaring at him. "I have news about a teambuilding trip which at one point will involve all of you. There will be two trips, each lasting just over two weeks and the relief will be halved, some of you here will be leaving tomorrow morning and some in two weeks time." Gina said with a flourish of her hand as she hit the power button on the data projector.

A few of the relief sighed contentedly as they saw the pictures of comfortably furnished cabins, water sports facilities, a dance studio and an indoor swimming pool. "If however you think this is to be a straightforward chill out with a few friends from work you can pinch yourselves awake because we shall be joined by the underprivileged and troubled children from Canley." Gina added seeing the team's faces fall.

"Children…how old does that mean?" Sam asked worriedly from her seat at the back.

Gina cleared her throat and fixed her gaze back on Sam. "The kids…and there are 24 of them in total, range from five to sixteen. None are dangerous although some have severe behavioural problems. To you they shouldn't be different from nieces, nephews or strangers you meet in the street. They aren't cases either, they're children who are away from home to have a good time and we're there to take care of them and to make their time pleasant."

Several members of staff looked up, amazed that Gina could show that much compassion to who they could only assume were the kids they dealt with most days off the estate. A couple of them exchanged smirks and glances as if to ask if it was real. "So don't keep us in suspense Ma'am." Kerry said sarcastically. "Who out of us is leaving tomorrow?"

"Ah yes PC Young I was just coming to that. Those of you fortunate people who shall be joining myself and DCI Meadows are DI Nixon, DS Hunter, Sgt Smith and PC's Keane, Fletcher, Casper, Noble, Young, Green, Armstrong and Hardy. The rest of you shall be on the following trip with DI Manson and Superintendent Heaton!" Gina replied to which all those people who truly were fortunate enough to have been selected for the trip leaving soonest smirked at those who would be forced to spend two weeks outside of work with the hasher and less friendly superiors.

Smithy stole a sly glance across the room at Kerry which thankfully for him went unnoticed by the others around him. She smirked back and let her mind wander to all of the things that could happen between them now they were going away together, granted that there were eleven other people from Sun Hill going to be around them almost constantly. Kerry was torn from her daydream as Gina handed out information sheets and ushered them all from the room, telling them to be up bright and early and to be at the station by 8am.

As they left the room a few of the older member's of the team grumbled about missing their creature comforts, their own beds, houses and family. The young ones however were full of chatter and excitement. Even though it was a work related trip, they couldn't help themselves it felt like being back at school, like going away with friends on a field trip which always promised a bit of a skive.

Several hours later Will and Dan sat on the floor of their apartment each with a Playstation controller firmly clutched in their hands with an expression showing deep concentration on their faces. Hammering down on the X and the O Will briefly raised his hand in triumph as his car sped past Dan's on screen and crossed the finish line just millimetres before Dan's. Dan scowled and offered him a rematch which of course Will took up.

"You packed yet?" Dan asked trying to distract Will enough to get himself a new advantage. Will though was wise to the trick, one which he had in fact taught Dan to do often enough against other friends they had round. Lewis in particular was a sucker for that tactic. When he replied he kept his eyes trained on the screen, swerving round a particularly tight corner.

"Nope and I bet you haven't either. I'll do mine in the morning, shouldn't take long I mean what more could I need than some changes of clothes and my Ipod. It's not like there's a shortage of hot girls going as well!" Will said keeping his face passive but he saw Dan grin out of the corner of his eye.

Sam rolled over from her side onto her back, as she lay fully clothed on top of the bed. She smiled as she listened to Phil's voice on the other end of the phone. They'd been chatting for well over an hour while each of them could hear the muffled thumps and the opening and closing of drawers which was associated with their packing. Sam was now finished, about twenty minutes after Phil and she was lying back listening to him recount just one of the annoying things Terry had done earlier that day. She laughed at one and heard Phil's tone begin to sound a bit offended so she changed the subject.

"Have you heard any more about the kids that'll be going on this trip?" She asked, the niggling thought that some of the kids on the estates were pretty rough still present in her mind.

"A couple of things, no young offenders apparently. A couple have been arrested but none have had more than a caution. Apparently there's one from a case that Will and Emma worked on. Most of them are victims rather than suspects though. Still I'll protect you from those nasty little children if you're scared." Phil replied, putting on a baby voice at the end.

"I'm not scared!" Sam said defiantly, although in truth she probably was a little.

"Yeah whatever you say darlin'." Phil shot back patronisingly, making her giggle. "You want me to pick you up tomorrow morning, there ain't really much point in taking two cars if they're just gonna sit in the car park at the nick for a few weeks. I mean you probably don't want your car scratched up when Reg botches up his parking of the van!" He said reminding Sam of last time that had happened.

"That would be lovely thanks." Sam replied leaning over to turn her clock towards her. "Okay I'm gonna go to bed now…it's early but I'm really sleepy. I doubt we'll get much kip at the camp anyway." She added making Phil begin to dread it. They both said goodnight and put their phones down on their bedside tables before leaning back into their pillows and sighing happily. It was good to have friends like that.

Beth giggled and pointed at the TV screen. "He looks funny." She remarked turning her head sideways to get a better look at the guy.

"Um Beth I think that may have something to do with the fact that you're watching it upside down!" Emma joked looking strangely at her. "Oh and why are you doing that in the first place?" She said voicing Sally's question also.

"It's more fun!" Beth replied pulling at both of their wrists so they slid down on the sofa beside her and wriggled round so their heads were lolling just off the edge of the seat.

"Okay so I kind of see what you mean. It's different…but you can't drink like this!" Sally commented turning herself the right way up.

"Never really had that problem yet." Beth said thoughtfully.

"What? How come?" Emma asked turning in to face her.

"Well I've only legally been allowed to drink for about four or five months!" Beth replied grinning. "Not that it really stopped me before but hey. Actually yeah how would you drink upside down? That could really be a problem…especially tonight." She said gesturing to the still half full wine bottles littering the coffee table.

"Na you see that's what a straw's for!" Emma said joining in with Beth as she laughed at Sally's expression. Sally disappeared and then walked back through from Emma's kitchen a few minutes later having found three straws. Each dipped their straw into their glass and in turn choked as the wine hit the back of their throats with some force. Beth began to blow bubbles in her wine and Emma and Sally both got a violent bought of hiccups.

At the end of the night all of the girls were pretty out of it so they crashed at Emma's. Between the two of them they managed to carry Beth up the stairs and rest her on one side of the bed. They set up the camp bed along side the wardrobe and Emma insisted that she slept there so Sally could get a bed that wouldn't break her back by the morning!

"Emma?" Sally whispered in the darkness.

"Yeah." She replied sleepily.

"What do you think camp's gonna be like?" Sal asked, a note of panic in her voice.

"If it's anything like the camps I've been on when I was a kid then fantastic." Emma said reaching out for Sally's hand. "Don't let the thought of the kids scare you, you'll be great with them." She added seeing the apprehension lining her face in the pale light.

"Thanks Em." Emma heard her reply quietly a few moments later before she rolled over and fell asleep.

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