Not Just Surviving (Law & Order: UK)
Title: Not Just Surviving
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Alesha/James, George, Tamika Vincent
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: 3.05 - Survivor
Trigger warning: Some mentions of rape
Summary: Alesha and James deal with a case that hits close to home in many ways for Alesha.
Disclaimer: ITV owns Law & Order: UK
Author Notes: This episode gave us rafts of backstory for Alesha - so of course ze plot bunny wanted to play with some of it, so this is a missing scene and tag fic combined!
~~~~~~
"Do you really think it's impossible to take the Hackney out of me?" Alesha asks later that afternoon.
James looks up, surprised by her sudden self-doubt. "Of course it isn't," he says firmly. "I was just teasing you. It's not like you got into a knock-down fight with Tamika, or indulged in a vicious hair-pulling session. She assaulted you."
She bends her head back over her work just as George sticks his head around the door to say that he's going out. James nods an acknowledgement, and after George is gone, he looks over at Alesha.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asks. "Get some fresh air, and maybe a coffee too?"
She looks up, clearly surprised, then smiles. "Yeah, okay."
A few minutes later they're walking alongside the Thames, coffees in hand, and talking about Alesha's time in Law School. James knows bits and pieces, things she's let slip in past conversations, but it's not something they've ever discussed in detail.
When they reach a bench he suggests that they sit down, and he wraps an arm around her shoulders.
She raises her eyebrows at him, and he grins unrepentantly. "We're not in the office now," he reminds her.
"No, but - "
"But nothing," he says. "You were physically assaulted earlier today. If that doesn't entitle you to at least a little TLC, I don't know what does." He knows he's won the argument when she shifts closer and leans in, and a smile of satisfaction tugs at his lips.
"How's your throat now?"
"Sore," she answers, lifting a hand to massage the side of her neck.
"Want me to kiss it better for you?"
She looks up at him, and he grins, causing her to roll her eyes. "You're so predictable, sometimes."
"Yeah," he agrees easily. He carefully pushes aside the collar of her shirt and jacket, and dips his head to gently kiss the bruising on her skin. He hears her sigh, then she tilts her head away from him a little, and he smiles. He kisses up her neck, then along her jaw before kissing her on the lips.
"How does that feel now?" he asks quietly.
"A bit better," she answers, smiling at him.
"Only a bit?" he asks with a pout.
"Well, she was quite rough with me."
"I see." He leans in to kiss her again, and she murmurs in pleasure.
"Better?" he asks some time later.
"Considerably," she agrees, and he smirks.
"Good." He gets to his feet, then helps her up. "I think you should come back to my place tonight, though. After all, you might have a relapse."
She laughs. "You really are incorrigible," she tells him, slipping her arm through his.
"Yeah, but you like it," he says and smirks. But for all his teasing and joking, he's genuinely concerned; he was horrified when he got back from buying his lunch and Mary told him what had happened to Alesha at Cold Norton. No matter what grievance someone might have with her, he hadn't expected her to be assaulted like that, and he feels a bit guilty that he didn't go with her.
* * * * * *
"So you think I've got balls?" Alesha asks James later as they're eating dinner.
He smirks at her over a forkful of lasagne. "Only in the metaphorical sense," he says.
She rolls her eyes. "Obviously, since you know that I don't have literal balls."
He laughs, almost chokes, and splutters, and she raises her eyebrows at him. "Are you okay?" she asks worriedly.
He drinks some wine, then nods. "Don't do that again," he chides.
"What?" she asks slightly confused.
"Conjure up images like that in my brain."
"You started it," she protests, laughing.
"Hmm." He eats another mouthful. "Yes, I think you're a ballsy woman. Probably the most ballsy woman I know, because you had to overcome so much to get where you are today."
Alesha feels a blush heating her cheeks, and ducks her head over her plate.
"I told George to interview you, when your application came in," James says.
She looks up in some surprise. "You did?"
He nods. "You were obviously perfect for the job - but George was a little concerned about how well you'd fit in, given your background. He didn't doubt your ability to do the job, just whether you'd be comfortable working for the CPS."
"But you didn't doubt me?" she asks.
"Not for a second," he says cheerfully. "I reckoned that if you had the nerve to apply to somewhere as obviously white Establishment as the CPS, then you'd find a way to fit in."
She's startled by a surge of emotion that she does her best to hide, embarrassed by how happy it makes her that James has always seen her potential.
"And I told George that if your interview was favourable, I wanted you for my junior."
She laughs as she sets aside her empty plate. "What did he say?"
"You know George: 'Just make sure you don't corrupt her with your cynicism'," he says, in a fair imitation of George's Scottish burr when he's in one of his more irascible moods.
She laughs again, and he grins, then nudges her shoulder with his. "So, how corrupted are you?"
Alesha smirks at him. "Well, I'm sleeping with the boss, I'd say fairly corrupted."
"And you were such a good girl when you joined CPS," James teases.
She snorts, and he raises his eyebrows as he sets his plate down on the coffee table. "What?"
"I wasn't all that good," she says. "After all, I did grow up in Hackney."
"Mmm, true." He leans in for a lengthy kiss. "Care to show me some of your wicked ways, then, Ms Phillips?"
"It would be my pleasure, Mr Steel."
* * * * * *
A couple of hours later James is lying naked on his bed, sweat shining on his skin from their vigorous activities. His wrists are still fastened securely to the head of the bed by two of Alesha's scarves and he reflects that some of these scarves which he bought for her have seen more action as wrist restraints than neck warmers.
Alesha gasps and shudders as she reaches her climax, and he spends himself inside her with a soft cry, before she leans forward to rest her chest against his.
He kisses her hair and she murmurs something.
"What's that?"
She lifts her head and kisses him instead of answering, then shifts against him and he feels his cock twitch inside her.
"I said that I didn't think I'd be able to move again for a minute."
"Oh. Do you think you can move enough to untie me, though?" he asks.
"Oh yeah, sorry." She shifts against him again as she leans up to unfasten the scarves, and he suppresses a groan.
"Thanks." He wraps his arms around her as she settles back against his chest.
"Was that wicked enough for you?" she asks, and he chuckles.
"Hmm, I don't know - I think I might need to run some comparisons."
She laughs too, and he begins idly stroking a hand up and down her spine. He can't help thinking how glad he is that Alesha came to the CPS: professionally he'd be lost without her, and personally she's come to mean a lot to him.
He ducks his head to nuzzle the side of her neck and she murmurs appreciatively. "What else can you show me in evidence of your wicked ways, Ms Phillips?" he asks.
"I'm sure I can think of something," she says, grinning.
"Good."
* * * * * *
"Marshall's the prize, not Tamika," James says as he strides out of George's office.
"But George said not to cut a deal," Alesha says, following him.
"Screw George," he retorts, cutting across her. He sits down at his desk and she comes to stand in front of it. "Get to that prison. Put on your best Hackney girl charm. You're the only one who can prize that chip off Tamika's shoulder. Unless she wants to spend the next twenty years in that place, she needs to start talking."
Alesha isn't impressed as she turns towards her own desk, while James rummages in the drawer of his. She really doesn't want to go and see Tamika again, not on her own.
"Hackney girl charm," she mutters as George goes stalking out of his office. "I'll give him Hackney girl charm."
"Will I like it?" James asks at her back, startling her.
She spins around, eyes wide, and he gives her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I know you don't like going down there, but I do think that if anyone could persuade Tamika, it's you." He clasps her shoulders gently. "Believe in yourself, and be as persuasive as you know how, and I reckon she'll see sense." He gives her a light kiss on the mouth, then squeezes her shoulders before moving away.
Alesha watches him cross back to his desk; sometimes James' moods change faster than the weather, and he regularly takes her by surprise. He sits back down, then glances over at her and smiles again, and she finds herself smiling back automatically, before she moves to grab her coat and shoulder bag. Maybe she will try charm on Tamika, if nothing else works.
* * * * * *
James feels sucker-punched when Tamika reveals that Tyner had raped her; he's acutely aware of Alesha sitting beside him, but he doesn't dare take his attention from Tamika to see how his lover has taken this revelation. He longs to sit down again so he can hold Alesha, but this isn't the time or the place, and she wouldn't thank him for such a demonstration of his feelings. He feels certain, though, that Alesha will be even more determined to help Tamika than ever before.
After the jury gives their verdict that they cannot all agree whether Tamika's guilty or not, Alesha tells him that she's going to go and speak to Tamika in the holding cells.
"Do you want me to come with you?" he asks as he slips off his gown.
She shakes her head, and he nods his understanding, then gives her a quick hug. For once she doesn't tell him off, just gives him a shaky smile, then heads to the cells.
He waits a couple of minutes, then goes after her as he doesn't want to be too far away if she should break down while talking to Tamika. He waits around the corner, just out of sight, as the guard unlocks Tamika's cell door: he can just about make out their conversation if he concentrates, and he hopes no one will come along to disturb him.
"Why are you doing all this for me?" asks Tamika, and James thinks it's a reasonable question, given the other woman's attitude towards Alesha.
"I - work with women who've been raped. I've seen what it does to them. How they lose their power, turn on themselves. Rape can happen to anyone, and anyone can take that power back."
He isn't surprised that Alesha doesn't tell Tamika that she's been raped herself; Alesha might want to help her, but that sort of information is still very personal, and he knows that Alesha's not the sort of woman who likes giving out personal information willy-nilly - she's a very private person, even with him sometimes.
He thinks of the way Alesha's worked hard to take her power back, and how much stronger and more determined she's become in consequence; she's a lot less willing to take bullshit from people now, and she gets angrier on others' behalf. He's proud of the way she's coped and grateful that she's allowed him to help as best he can, even when he's been horribly clumsy.
He's so lost in his thoughts that he forgets to listen for the cell door closing and Alesha comes around the corner before he can disappear. He pushes away from the wall, pulling his hands out of his pockets, and waits for her to tell him off. Instead she gives him a shaky smile and reaches out to clasp his hand for a moment.
"Shall we go?" he asks, and she sighs, then nods.
They head back upstairs to change into their street clothes, and collect their bags. George is out in the central lobby when they emerge, and he cocks an eyebrow at them both.
"Not quite the result I expected," he says.
"No, but Tamika's willing to dish all the dirt on Marshall, now," Alesha says. "In exchange for us dropping the murder charges and arranging a move to another prison."
James waits with interest to see how George will respond to this news.
"Good," he says.
Alesha looks as surprised as James feels at this reaction, and she raises her eyebrows at him.
"I thought you'd be mad," he observes to George as they cross the lobby and step outside.
"No," George said. "If we're finally going to be able to lock Marshall away, then it's a good result." He looks from James to Alesha, then nods. "Go and get some lunch or something, I'll see you later." He strides away.
James turns to Alesha. "Lunch sounds good," he says, and when she nods, he leads the way to a nearby coffee shop where they find a quiet corner table.
"You want your usual sandwich?" James asks after he's deposited his bag on a chair.
Alesha nods, unwinding her scarf, and he goes off to fetch coffee and sandwiches, and a piece of cake that he knows she won't buy for herself; he wants to spoil her a little, and at the moment the best he can do is buy her some cake. Later, if she'll let him, he'll take her out for dinner, or failing that, cook for her.
"Here." He sets down the tray he carries, then unloads a ham salad sandwich, a mochachino and a slice of chocolate fudge cake for Alesha, and a cheese and tomato sandwich with a cappuccino for himself.
"Cake?" she says, taking the coffee cup and having a cautious sip.
He smiles. "Chocolate fudge cake."
She gives him a smile that looks a little fraught, then leans across the corner of the table to kiss him briefly. "Thanks love," she says softly.
"Any time." He unwraps his sandwich. "Dinner tonight?" She nods, busy unwrapping her own sandwich. "Do you fancy eating out?"
"Do you mind if we eat in?" she asks.
"Of course not."
They eat their lunch, talking of upcoming cases, and it's not until they're walking back to Ludgate Hill that Alesha mentions Tamika again.
"Did you hear everything I said to Tamika?"
"I did. I was concerned for you as you must have been even more horrified than I was when Tamika said Tyner had raped her."
"Yeah." She slips her hand into his and he realises she must have taken it even more badly than he'd suspected since she rarely touches him like this when they're 'on duty', as she sees it.
He leads her into a side street, and turns her so his back is to the street, then wraps his arms around her. She slides her arms around him, underneath his wool coat, and rests her cheek against his chest as he kisses the top of her head.
"I'm sorry, love," he says softly.
She tilts her chin up and looks up at him. "Why? It's not your fault."
"No, but I am still sorry you had to deal with that."
"It's getting easier," she says.
"Is it?" he asks doubtfully, uncertain whether she's just saying that to make him feel better.
"Yes. It's a slow process, but at least I don't burst into tears any more."
"True." He dips his head to give her a quick kiss, tightening his arms around her. "Shall we go?"
"Yeah." She sounds a little reluctant, but she steps away from him and gives him a determined sort of smile.
He smiles back, proud of her strength and courage, and manages to refrain from taking her hand, knowing she'll be annoyed if he does. Whatever else anyone might say about Alesha, she's not just a survivor, she's a fighter too, and he's glad of that.
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Alesha/James, George, Tamika Vincent
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: 3.05 - Survivor
Trigger warning: Some mentions of rape
Summary: Alesha and James deal with a case that hits close to home in many ways for Alesha.
Disclaimer: ITV owns Law & Order: UK
Author Notes: This episode gave us rafts of backstory for Alesha - so of course ze plot bunny wanted to play with some of it, so this is a missing scene and tag fic combined!
~~~~~~
"Do you really think it's impossible to take the Hackney out of me?" Alesha asks later that afternoon.
James looks up, surprised by her sudden self-doubt. "Of course it isn't," he says firmly. "I was just teasing you. It's not like you got into a knock-down fight with Tamika, or indulged in a vicious hair-pulling session. She assaulted you."
She bends her head back over her work just as George sticks his head around the door to say that he's going out. James nods an acknowledgement, and after George is gone, he looks over at Alesha.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asks. "Get some fresh air, and maybe a coffee too?"
She looks up, clearly surprised, then smiles. "Yeah, okay."
A few minutes later they're walking alongside the Thames, coffees in hand, and talking about Alesha's time in Law School. James knows bits and pieces, things she's let slip in past conversations, but it's not something they've ever discussed in detail.
When they reach a bench he suggests that they sit down, and he wraps an arm around her shoulders.
She raises her eyebrows at him, and he grins unrepentantly. "We're not in the office now," he reminds her.
"No, but - "
"But nothing," he says. "You were physically assaulted earlier today. If that doesn't entitle you to at least a little TLC, I don't know what does." He knows he's won the argument when she shifts closer and leans in, and a smile of satisfaction tugs at his lips.
"How's your throat now?"
"Sore," she answers, lifting a hand to massage the side of her neck.
"Want me to kiss it better for you?"
She looks up at him, and he grins, causing her to roll her eyes. "You're so predictable, sometimes."
"Yeah," he agrees easily. He carefully pushes aside the collar of her shirt and jacket, and dips his head to gently kiss the bruising on her skin. He hears her sigh, then she tilts her head away from him a little, and he smiles. He kisses up her neck, then along her jaw before kissing her on the lips.
"How does that feel now?" he asks quietly.
"A bit better," she answers, smiling at him.
"Only a bit?" he asks with a pout.
"Well, she was quite rough with me."
"I see." He leans in to kiss her again, and she murmurs in pleasure.
"Better?" he asks some time later.
"Considerably," she agrees, and he smirks.
"Good." He gets to his feet, then helps her up. "I think you should come back to my place tonight, though. After all, you might have a relapse."
She laughs. "You really are incorrigible," she tells him, slipping her arm through his.
"Yeah, but you like it," he says and smirks. But for all his teasing and joking, he's genuinely concerned; he was horrified when he got back from buying his lunch and Mary told him what had happened to Alesha at Cold Norton. No matter what grievance someone might have with her, he hadn't expected her to be assaulted like that, and he feels a bit guilty that he didn't go with her.
* * * * * *
"So you think I've got balls?" Alesha asks James later as they're eating dinner.
He smirks at her over a forkful of lasagne. "Only in the metaphorical sense," he says.
She rolls her eyes. "Obviously, since you know that I don't have literal balls."
He laughs, almost chokes, and splutters, and she raises her eyebrows at him. "Are you okay?" she asks worriedly.
He drinks some wine, then nods. "Don't do that again," he chides.
"What?" she asks slightly confused.
"Conjure up images like that in my brain."
"You started it," she protests, laughing.
"Hmm." He eats another mouthful. "Yes, I think you're a ballsy woman. Probably the most ballsy woman I know, because you had to overcome so much to get where you are today."
Alesha feels a blush heating her cheeks, and ducks her head over her plate.
"I told George to interview you, when your application came in," James says.
She looks up in some surprise. "You did?"
He nods. "You were obviously perfect for the job - but George was a little concerned about how well you'd fit in, given your background. He didn't doubt your ability to do the job, just whether you'd be comfortable working for the CPS."
"But you didn't doubt me?" she asks.
"Not for a second," he says cheerfully. "I reckoned that if you had the nerve to apply to somewhere as obviously white Establishment as the CPS, then you'd find a way to fit in."
She's startled by a surge of emotion that she does her best to hide, embarrassed by how happy it makes her that James has always seen her potential.
"And I told George that if your interview was favourable, I wanted you for my junior."
She laughs as she sets aside her empty plate. "What did he say?"
"You know George: 'Just make sure you don't corrupt her with your cynicism'," he says, in a fair imitation of George's Scottish burr when he's in one of his more irascible moods.
She laughs again, and he grins, then nudges her shoulder with his. "So, how corrupted are you?"
Alesha smirks at him. "Well, I'm sleeping with the boss, I'd say fairly corrupted."
"And you were such a good girl when you joined CPS," James teases.
She snorts, and he raises his eyebrows as he sets his plate down on the coffee table. "What?"
"I wasn't all that good," she says. "After all, I did grow up in Hackney."
"Mmm, true." He leans in for a lengthy kiss. "Care to show me some of your wicked ways, then, Ms Phillips?"
"It would be my pleasure, Mr Steel."
* * * * * *
A couple of hours later James is lying naked on his bed, sweat shining on his skin from their vigorous activities. His wrists are still fastened securely to the head of the bed by two of Alesha's scarves and he reflects that some of these scarves which he bought for her have seen more action as wrist restraints than neck warmers.
Alesha gasps and shudders as she reaches her climax, and he spends himself inside her with a soft cry, before she leans forward to rest her chest against his.
He kisses her hair and she murmurs something.
"What's that?"
She lifts her head and kisses him instead of answering, then shifts against him and he feels his cock twitch inside her.
"I said that I didn't think I'd be able to move again for a minute."
"Oh. Do you think you can move enough to untie me, though?" he asks.
"Oh yeah, sorry." She shifts against him again as she leans up to unfasten the scarves, and he suppresses a groan.
"Thanks." He wraps his arms around her as she settles back against his chest.
"Was that wicked enough for you?" she asks, and he chuckles.
"Hmm, I don't know - I think I might need to run some comparisons."
She laughs too, and he begins idly stroking a hand up and down her spine. He can't help thinking how glad he is that Alesha came to the CPS: professionally he'd be lost without her, and personally she's come to mean a lot to him.
He ducks his head to nuzzle the side of her neck and she murmurs appreciatively. "What else can you show me in evidence of your wicked ways, Ms Phillips?" he asks.
"I'm sure I can think of something," she says, grinning.
"Good."
* * * * * *
"Marshall's the prize, not Tamika," James says as he strides out of George's office.
"But George said not to cut a deal," Alesha says, following him.
"Screw George," he retorts, cutting across her. He sits down at his desk and she comes to stand in front of it. "Get to that prison. Put on your best Hackney girl charm. You're the only one who can prize that chip off Tamika's shoulder. Unless she wants to spend the next twenty years in that place, she needs to start talking."
Alesha isn't impressed as she turns towards her own desk, while James rummages in the drawer of his. She really doesn't want to go and see Tamika again, not on her own.
"Hackney girl charm," she mutters as George goes stalking out of his office. "I'll give him Hackney girl charm."
"Will I like it?" James asks at her back, startling her.
She spins around, eyes wide, and he gives her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I know you don't like going down there, but I do think that if anyone could persuade Tamika, it's you." He clasps her shoulders gently. "Believe in yourself, and be as persuasive as you know how, and I reckon she'll see sense." He gives her a light kiss on the mouth, then squeezes her shoulders before moving away.
Alesha watches him cross back to his desk; sometimes James' moods change faster than the weather, and he regularly takes her by surprise. He sits back down, then glances over at her and smiles again, and she finds herself smiling back automatically, before she moves to grab her coat and shoulder bag. Maybe she will try charm on Tamika, if nothing else works.
* * * * * *
James feels sucker-punched when Tamika reveals that Tyner had raped her; he's acutely aware of Alesha sitting beside him, but he doesn't dare take his attention from Tamika to see how his lover has taken this revelation. He longs to sit down again so he can hold Alesha, but this isn't the time or the place, and she wouldn't thank him for such a demonstration of his feelings. He feels certain, though, that Alesha will be even more determined to help Tamika than ever before.
After the jury gives their verdict that they cannot all agree whether Tamika's guilty or not, Alesha tells him that she's going to go and speak to Tamika in the holding cells.
"Do you want me to come with you?" he asks as he slips off his gown.
She shakes her head, and he nods his understanding, then gives her a quick hug. For once she doesn't tell him off, just gives him a shaky smile, then heads to the cells.
He waits a couple of minutes, then goes after her as he doesn't want to be too far away if she should break down while talking to Tamika. He waits around the corner, just out of sight, as the guard unlocks Tamika's cell door: he can just about make out their conversation if he concentrates, and he hopes no one will come along to disturb him.
"Why are you doing all this for me?" asks Tamika, and James thinks it's a reasonable question, given the other woman's attitude towards Alesha.
"I - work with women who've been raped. I've seen what it does to them. How they lose their power, turn on themselves. Rape can happen to anyone, and anyone can take that power back."
He isn't surprised that Alesha doesn't tell Tamika that she's been raped herself; Alesha might want to help her, but that sort of information is still very personal, and he knows that Alesha's not the sort of woman who likes giving out personal information willy-nilly - she's a very private person, even with him sometimes.
He thinks of the way Alesha's worked hard to take her power back, and how much stronger and more determined she's become in consequence; she's a lot less willing to take bullshit from people now, and she gets angrier on others' behalf. He's proud of the way she's coped and grateful that she's allowed him to help as best he can, even when he's been horribly clumsy.
He's so lost in his thoughts that he forgets to listen for the cell door closing and Alesha comes around the corner before he can disappear. He pushes away from the wall, pulling his hands out of his pockets, and waits for her to tell him off. Instead she gives him a shaky smile and reaches out to clasp his hand for a moment.
"Shall we go?" he asks, and she sighs, then nods.
They head back upstairs to change into their street clothes, and collect their bags. George is out in the central lobby when they emerge, and he cocks an eyebrow at them both.
"Not quite the result I expected," he says.
"No, but Tamika's willing to dish all the dirt on Marshall, now," Alesha says. "In exchange for us dropping the murder charges and arranging a move to another prison."
James waits with interest to see how George will respond to this news.
"Good," he says.
Alesha looks as surprised as James feels at this reaction, and she raises her eyebrows at him.
"I thought you'd be mad," he observes to George as they cross the lobby and step outside.
"No," George said. "If we're finally going to be able to lock Marshall away, then it's a good result." He looks from James to Alesha, then nods. "Go and get some lunch or something, I'll see you later." He strides away.
James turns to Alesha. "Lunch sounds good," he says, and when she nods, he leads the way to a nearby coffee shop where they find a quiet corner table.
"You want your usual sandwich?" James asks after he's deposited his bag on a chair.
Alesha nods, unwinding her scarf, and he goes off to fetch coffee and sandwiches, and a piece of cake that he knows she won't buy for herself; he wants to spoil her a little, and at the moment the best he can do is buy her some cake. Later, if she'll let him, he'll take her out for dinner, or failing that, cook for her.
"Here." He sets down the tray he carries, then unloads a ham salad sandwich, a mochachino and a slice of chocolate fudge cake for Alesha, and a cheese and tomato sandwich with a cappuccino for himself.
"Cake?" she says, taking the coffee cup and having a cautious sip.
He smiles. "Chocolate fudge cake."
She gives him a smile that looks a little fraught, then leans across the corner of the table to kiss him briefly. "Thanks love," she says softly.
"Any time." He unwraps his sandwich. "Dinner tonight?" She nods, busy unwrapping her own sandwich. "Do you fancy eating out?"
"Do you mind if we eat in?" she asks.
"Of course not."
They eat their lunch, talking of upcoming cases, and it's not until they're walking back to Ludgate Hill that Alesha mentions Tamika again.
"Did you hear everything I said to Tamika?"
"I did. I was concerned for you as you must have been even more horrified than I was when Tamika said Tyner had raped her."
"Yeah." She slips her hand into his and he realises she must have taken it even more badly than he'd suspected since she rarely touches him like this when they're 'on duty', as she sees it.
He leads her into a side street, and turns her so his back is to the street, then wraps his arms around her. She slides her arms around him, underneath his wool coat, and rests her cheek against his chest as he kisses the top of her head.
"I'm sorry, love," he says softly.
She tilts her chin up and looks up at him. "Why? It's not your fault."
"No, but I am still sorry you had to deal with that."
"It's getting easier," she says.
"Is it?" he asks doubtfully, uncertain whether she's just saying that to make him feel better.
"Yes. It's a slow process, but at least I don't burst into tears any more."
"True." He dips his head to give her a quick kiss, tightening his arms around her. "Shall we go?"
"Yeah." She sounds a little reluctant, but she steps away from him and gives him a determined sort of smile.
He smiles back, proud of her strength and courage, and manages to refrain from taking her hand, knowing she'll be annoyed if he does. Whatever else anyone might say about Alesha, she's not just a survivor, she's a fighter too, and he's glad of that.