Title - New Recruits. Main characters - Jo Thornton, Sally, Adam, Hyper, Hi Ho and Recall. Author - Morgan West Notes: Please R&R, i like feedback!!!



Its the middle of Blue Watch's shift and with all the appliances and kit cleaned up, and with the sudden ability of London to keep their fires in their fire places, they are all sat around in the mess having a hard earned cup of tea.

Sally and Adam are sat together at the table discussing the events of the night before in hushed voices.

"So she just kissed you? Just like that?" Sal asks him, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah! not that im complaining or anything, but what was that all about."

"Sorry mate but i couldn't tell you."

"What do you think though Sal?" He takes a sip of his tea "Just abit of a drunken snog, or was it a proper kiss?"

Sally shrugs. " I only just met her, depends what she's like."

"Hmmm." Adam leans back in his chair and closes his eyes.

Sally smiles widely at his exhasted frame "Shes really getting to you aint she!" She teases.

"No-"

"Yes she is," Sally grins at him "Look at the state of you, like a love sick little school boy."

"No Sal," He sits up again "Just hungover thats all."

"Yeah, whatever!" She laughs quietly into her tea. "Ok, i have a question then."

Adam groans and massages his temples with his index fingers.

"If you aren't bothered, then why are you so hung up over this kiss?" She stares at him eyebrows raised.

Adam opens his mouth to speak just as the bells go down.

"Oh, duty calls Sal." He gets up and heads towards the mess door.

Sal has one last glup of her tea as she stands and runs after him "Saved by the bell Adam!"

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Blue Watch return from the shout covered in soot and exhasted. They have just tackled a fire at a recently abandoned block of flats only to descover later that it was all due for demolition anyway.

"Should have just left the bloody thing to burn to the ground." Grumbles George "Would 'ave saved them abit of cash and us alot of energy!"

"We have a job to do George so we do it." Pearce jumps out of the appliance "Right then blue Watch, lets get all this lot cleaned up."

They all groan and drag themselves down into the appliance bay. Out of the corner of his eye, Adam spots Jo packing her tools up into the box on the back of her bike. He runs out to the yard.

"Hey, Jo."

She turns at the call of her name.

"Oh, hi Adam."

"Part-timer, you've finished early aint you."

She laughs "I work to my own timetable."

"Yeah, wish i did." He nods back towards the appliance bay and the work awaiting him.

"Need a hand?" He asks her gesturing at the stack of tools in the canvass bag on the floor.

She stands up sweeping a mass of stray dredlocks over he head and smiles at him.

"I think I'll be okay." She snaps the bike box shut and zips the bag closed on the remaining tools. "Besides i've got all i need now. You can take that back when you go though." She hands him the dark green bag and he tries not to stumble under the surprising weight of its contents.

"Oi Adam," Shouts Recall from the appliance bay "We could do with a hand in here you know!"

"Yeah, hang on a minute will you!" He smiles again at Jo "Bloody slave drivers the lot of 'em."

"You better get back to it then boy scout, i have to go now anyway." She pulls her helmet on over her head and stradles the black bike.

"Jo, what was with that last night?" Adam blurts out before screwing his eyes shut and sighing "Sorry, i didnt mean for that to come out so suddenly."

"What was with what?" She asks.

"That kiss."

She shrugs and snaps her helmet visor shut "What ever you think." And with that she kick starts the bike and pulls out of yard leaving Adam stood in her dust still non the-wiser.

"Adam!" Shouts Recall.

He sighs and turns on his heel "Alright I'm bloody coming don't get your knickers in a twist!"

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After their shift has ended, Adam and Rob are sat at a table in the Twist nursing pints.

"So what do you think then Hyper?"

"I don't really know mate, if your gonna ask anyone I'd ask Sal, she seems to know Jo best."

"Already did, she didnt know what to make of it either."

"Have you thought that it might just have been a drunken goodbye kiss?"

"Yeah. But i can assure you it didn't feel like a goodbye kiss! And besides, what about what she said today?"

Hyper shrugs and takes a sip of his pint, "I'm not really the best person to be talking about this with mate. Don't really have all that much experience with the ladies!"

Adam laughs "Yeah, sorry. Its just this whole thing is really doin' my head in."

"Really getting to you aint she!" Rob grins at him over his glass.

"Don't you bloody start!"

Rob suddenly raises his eybrows and nods towards the door. "Don't look now but the object of your confusion has just walked in.

"What. Oh." He looks over at Jo who has just entered the pub with Sally. She is kitted out in her bike jacket, dark jeans and a black vest-top with a big red Harley on it. Again, she looks stunning.

The guys get up and walk to the bar to order more drinks and meet the girls.

"Alright lads" greets Jo "What you drinking?"

"Same again cheers mate." Says Rob setting his empty pint glass down on the bar.

"Adam?" She asks.

"Er, yeah. Same again."

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A little later Adam is even more confused and starting to get annoyed. Jo has been acting as if nothing had ever happened, and is back to taking the piss and treating him like all of the other lads.

"Oi, Adam," She shouts over from the pool table "Fancy kicking my arse at pool mate?"

"No thanks," He waves his full glass at her "Let me finish this."

She shrugs and manages to corner Rob into another game.

Sally walks over to stand with Adam at the bar.

"Alright Adam?" She asks.

"I just don't get her." He replies wistfully as he watches Jo laughing as Rob tries to improve her pool.

"You really have got it bad haven't you?" Sally grins at him and has a swig of her Bud.

He frowns at her. "It would be nice to be given the chance to."

She rolls her eyes at him and finishes of her drink "Well you'll be pleased to know that I'm taking her out for a curry now so she will be out of your hair for a while. You can sulk in peace."

He sticks his tongue out at her.

"Oh, so mature!" She exclaims "I'm surprised she can resist you manly charms."

"Not the charms you have to worry out." He leers.

"Jesus." She mutters before turning her attention to the floundring game of pool that Jo is engaged in "You ready Jo?"

"Yep." She says as she pushes all of her balls and the black into the pockets "I just won anayway." She laughs and hands her cue to Rob.

"My dog is better at pool than you." He teases.

"You dont have a dog." Says Sal as she hands Jo her jacket.

"Exactly!" He ducks to avoid the playful punch aimed in his direction by Jo.

"Come on Sal," She sneers at Rob "Lets go this lot are all boring anyway!"

They leave just as Rebecca the girly new cook enters. Rob watches as Adams eyes light up at the new arrival. He shakes his head, men!

**************************************************************************** ******

Jo walks back along the street towards the Twist just as it begins to rain. She looks down at her jeans and back at her bike parked down the road and sighs.

Typical. She thinks.

Over dinner Sally managed to pursuade Jo to go and talk to Adam and sort some things out. She pushes open the door to the pub and hurries inside just as the heavens break overhead letting out a sheet of water over London.

She shakes off in the doorway and scans the bar for Adam. Unable to find him she walks up to the bar to asks Adams mum if shes seen him.

"Hiya love, Jo isn't it? What can i get you?" The older woman beams at her from behing the bar. Jo smiles, even though she has only known her a short time, she can see why the watch like Elaine so much.

"Actually, i was looking for Adam. Have you seen him?"

"Yeah love he's over there." She nods over to a small table in a dark corner of the smokey pub.

Adam is sat leaning into the table whispering something into Rebecca's ear. She giggles and he strokes her cheek. Jo feels the familiar hot rage begin to rise up in her stomach.

Bastard. She thinks as she glares at him. He looks in her direction and panic instantly washes over his features as she meets his gaze.

Shaking her head in disgust she turns on her heel and bustles her way towards the door. Once outside she hears the door open again and Adam rushes out behind her.

"Jo!" He calls "Jo, wait up will you."

She whirls around to face him and glares at him through the water running down her face.

"What!?" She shouts

"Just let me explain will you?"

She shakes her head again and a clump of soddden dredlocks fall over her face "What the hell should i?"

"I don't know, i just-"

"Oh for Godsakes Adam just piss off will you! Go back inside to your little bit of stuff!"

She sweeps the hair off her face, turns and marches off in the direction of her bike.

Defeated Adam begins to get angry "I don't get you Jo! What is with you?" He shouts after her.

"Me!" she faces him again.

"Yeah you. First you kiss me then you act like it never evn happened, like i'm one of the others. Now your pissed because i got in there with another girl!"

"I needed to feel i could trust you before i lept into bed with you Adam! I have a rough history, and thought that if you were serious you might keep trying."

"Well, im sorry but how was i supposed to know?" He holds up his hands rain water running down his arms.

"You werent but you obviously arent bothered all that much or you wouldnt have run off with the first pair of tits that walked your way!"

"I'm sorry. I was just confused."

Jo pulls her helemt on over her wet dredlocks and kick starts her bike. "Yeah well, i dont want to start something with you just to get dumped later, figure out how you feel Adam."

Conversation closed she rev's the bike and speeds off down the road. Adam stands in the rain staring after her.