Spoilers: Episode 376

A/N: Sorry I took so long updating - real life got in the way!

Tangled Up In Blue (Part Three)

The fresh air hit Sam as she exited Sun Hill police station. She headed for her car when she heard Jo's voice behind her - she whirled around to see Tony helping Jo carry some boxes to her car.

Instinctively, Sam moved towards the two. Tony smiled at her approach. "Hi Sam."

Jo looked over her shoulder and scowled at Nixon.

"Hi," Sam returned and then focused her attention on Jo. "I thought you'd finished for the day," she said.

"I had a couple of things to collect," Masters replied curtly.

"I'll uh, I'll see you tomorrow, Jo." Tony said, sensing the tension between the two and wanting to escape before anything ugly kicked off. "Bye Sam."

"Thanks for you help mate," Jo called after Tony as he headed back into the station.

Sam eyed the boxes - she guessed they were filled with Jo's belongings.

Jo Masters secured the boxes on the back seat and slammed the door, ignoring Sam's presence.

Nixon watched Jo and felt like she was going to burst if she didn't fix this. "I'm sorry," Sam declared sincerely.

Jo straightened up and looked directly at Sam. "For what?" she asked tersely.

"For not listening when you tried to explain why you couldn't make lunch. I get blind-sided sometimes," Nixon said softly.

"Yeah, I noticed that."

Sam attempted a half smile. "I'm listening now... better late than never, that's what they say."

Jo studied Sam for a moment. "You don't make it easy."

"Make what easy?" Sam asked quizzically.

"Liking you," the dark-haired woman replied.

Sam stepped closer to Jo. "Do you like me?"

"Against my better judgement, yes I do."

They lock eyes and smile at each other.

"Jo, do you think that we could - " Sam began.

Suddenly overwhelmed with panic, Jo interrupts. "You know, it's late, I just broke-up with my girlfriend, things are strange right now..." she trailed off.

Sam looked hurt. "I was just going to say that we should go for a drink some time. No strings."

"Oh," Jo muttered, surprised at the extent of her disappointment. "A drink? That would be... nice."

"Sometime," Nixon reiterated. "No pressure!"

Jo smiled and exclaimed cheerfully. "Right you are, Sarg."

"Good then," Sam responded and took a step back.

Jo got into her car, rolled the window down and smiled up at Nixon. "Night."

"Night," Sam returned.

Masters drove out of Sun Hill's car park, her eyes firmly on Nixon's slender figure in the rear view mirror until she faded out of sight.

Several days had passed and Jo found her mind wondering back to that night in the car park. Should she have been more forthcoming with Sam? Should she have tried to make a date there and then? Sam had said 'sometime' but had made no attempt to follow through on the invitation. Not that she'd seen much of Nixon over the last few days, the DS seemed to be continually out of the station.

Jo's frustration was compounded by the lack of sleep she'd been getting. She was still flat hunting and after three nights, Natalie's sofa was proving extremely uncomfortable. She had to find a place of her own and soon, she couldn't stand another sleepless night, lying awake, listening to noises from the street and thinking about Sam.

Then, to top it all off, today she was paired with DC Sim's. Jo hated working with Suzie - she had nothing against the girl on a personal level but professionally she found Sim's rigidity for the rules stifling. Jo needed room to manoeuvre, to think outside the box.

As they began work on the case, Sam started popping up around the office - making jokes, smiling, brushing against Jo and then put her in charge of the case… it made Jo's head swim. She was reading too much into Sam's behaviour; she must be.

As the day winded down, Jo decided to go straight home, collapse into her makeshift bed and forget about the whole tragic day. But she didn't get a chance, because Nixon suddenly breezed into CID, all smiles and blue eyes shining. She was so beautiful, it hurt just looking at her.

"Anyone fancy a drink? I'm buying, call it early New Year," Nixon offered the two DC's.

Jo wondered if this was the 'sometime' Sam had referred too and felt hurt that Suzie had been included in the invitation. Both Sim and Jo attempted to refuse, but Nixon was insistent and for the first time, Jo didn't want to argue with her. She was tired of fighting her instincts, so she followed as Sam led the way to the local pub.

The three of them sat at a table in the corner, they chatted shop for a good half hour, then Suzie decided to cram in some more revision for her Sergeants exam before the night was through. She excused herself, leaving Sam and Jo alone.

Nixon studied Jo's profile, the usually vibrant DC looked tired and stressed. "You've had a pretty rough day," Sam observed.

Jo nodded. "It was a tough case, really tough."

"Got that awful sense of frustration and hopelessness in the pit of your stomach? When you just want to drown it out."

"See," Jo declared, looking directly at Sam. "You get it. Tess never did."

"That's because I'm a copper too. We're cut from the same cloth."

Jo gazed at Sam, she's about to say something that she probably shouldn't when Nixon reaches for her bag.

"I meant to give you this earlier," Sam said and pulled out a bottle of wine.

Jo took the gift and grinned as she read the label. "You didn't have to do that, Sarg!"

"I owe you for the one I knocked over."

"Thanks," Jo said appreciatively. Then, without thinking, she kissed Sam's cheek.

As Jo put the bottle safely away, Sam studied her hands, unsure how to behave - she felt like a gangly teenager on a first date.

"So I hear that you and Tess..."

"We broke up," Jo intercepted, not really sure that she wanted to talk about it, especially with Sam. "It wasn't working, it hadn't been for a long time."

"Do you still have feelings for her?" Nixon pressed.

Jo contemplated this for a moment, then answered. "Yes, she was my friend... I'll miss that, and while the break-up is sad, Tess wasn't the one for me, I've known that for a while now. The last few months have been a blur of fights and resentment and, quite frankly, I'm relieved it's over - we were making each other miserable. I only hope she finds someone who appreciates her, I always seemed to take her for granted."

"I always think of you as being a hard-nut but you're quite sentimental really," Nixon remarked.

Jo glanced at the blonde. "Well, in the spirit of being honest - you're possibly the most stubborn woman I've ever met."

"High praise indeed!" Sam joked.

Jo laughed and then took a sip of her drink. "Stubbornness can be a good trait. For example, you stick to your guns, you fight for what you believe in and don't give up – that's very admirable."

Sam gazed at Jo. "I like that way of looking at it," and she smiled radiantly.

Jo felt a flood of tingles assault her senses, she needed to get out of here, get away from Sam and her intoxicating smile. Masters finished her drink quickly. "I'd better get a shift on. Natalie will start wondering where I am."

"I'll walk you," Sam offered.

Jo is about to argue when Nixon adds. "I'm the most stubborn woman you've ever met, remember? It'll save us both a lot of time and energy if you just concede defeat now."

Jo nodded. "Lets go."

They exited the pub and started their walk at a slow pace.

"Thanks for your support today," Masters stated.

"You're a great detective, Jo. Suzie could learn a lot from you if she stopped focusing on protocol so much."

Jo smirked. "She was driving me up the wall, until I found out the Sergeants exam was behind her protocol fixation!"

Sam feigned injury. "Oh, and there was I thinking only I could get under your skin!"

"Under my skin but not on my nerves. There's a difference."

They fell into silence.

Sam looked away. What was she getting herself into? Jo was on the rebound... wasn't she? And they were colleagues... it could get very messy if it didn't work out... but Sam hadn't felt like this about anyone for so long... just thinking about the kiss they'd shared on Boxing Day set her nerve endings ablaze.

"Here we are," Jo declared as they reached Natalie's front door.

"Well, I'll say goodnight then."

They faced each other and locked eyes. Slowly, they moved towards each other. When their bodies converged, Jo heard the hitch in Sam's breathing and smiled. She leaned forward and captured Nixon's lips, her hands ran nimbly up Sam's back and tangled in her hair.

Jo drew back to gage a reaction, was she moving too fast? But Sam's eyes shone back at her. Nixon draped her arms around Jo's neck, gently pulling her into another fervent kiss.

After several minutes their lips separated and they rested their foreheads together.

"Night then," Jo said breathlessly.

Samantha smiled. "Good night."

Jo pulled away and ascended the three steps to the front door. She took the house keys from her pocket and let herself in, taking one last look at the blonde before she closed the door.

Sam stared at the front door as it closed, wishing she could follow Jo inside and cover her body in kisses and caresses. Instead, Nixon turned her back on the house and started the short walk to her car; virtually floating down the street in a blissful haze.