Fanfiction
Turn Left
Part II
By Kate B (Webmaster)
Note: Non-italic text is Chandler thinking, italics is Spears
The conversation bounced in his mind all afternoon. He once joked to a PC when warned about the cleanliness of a panda that not to worry, as he was in the ‘full body armour'; his individual uniform that presented Tom Chandler to the world, the immoveable, the decisive, the man who knew what he wanted and how to get it. Life was a chess game and he was the king piece.
So how come a lowly bishop was getting to him?
He didn't know. He also didn't know why his attention span, on this case in particular, seemed to be one straw short of a bundle. What Alex wanted, what he didn't want- come buget time it all seemed irrelevant, because of course, there were money restraints.
Morals, on the other hand, was like playing Yatzee with loaded die.
In his mind flashed a picture of her on his couch, the interested smile on her face, “Okay, Sir.”- he couldn't help wondering if her willingness to please extended beyond the office; oooh, he tried desperately to scramble the explicit images of her reacting in the same way to his requests beyond the boundaries of Sun Hill.
Being truthful to himself, he didn't really want to.
The Boulder case was dragging on and most of the team were out looking for the latest victim. Never mind the media swarming around the station, day in, day out, nagging for answers to precarious questions. Of course, it was his job to answer them- as it was his job to keep a lid on it for the station's sake. Or at least, his own.
The leather diary cover thumped the tabletop, he scanned today's appointments- oh no, that ‘big formal dinner with delegates'.
Darn.
The door swooshed behind him, the islands of desks uninhabited, other than the lone Debbie McAllister.
“Ah, Debbie, you working on anything at the moment.”
“Yeah sort of, Sir…” her ears pricked, he could virtually hear the sucking-up mechanism in her mind clicking in, “but I can always call Duncan , he was…only doing door-to-doors, get him on a useful task…”
“Nah, don't want to disrupt the investigation when it's in full-swing.”
After all, if he really had to spend an hour with a police officer at this station, someone who was going to ‘dob in' all the irrelevancies of fellow officers and create more work wasn't on the cards.
Three knocks, and he pushed the door forward.
“Yes?”
“Jack, believe you were in charge of the rosters, weren't you?”
He could see Jack Meadow's face twitch- a slight twitch, only those who knew him well would pick up on it, but it was enough to signal that they weren't in the office itself. “Yeah, ah…I thought Derek had them.”
“It's just that I need someone to drive me to the delegates function tonight, y'know, park the car, be there on time to drop me back, so I thought anyone not on a case but on tonight could take it, since we've got most of CID rostered on-and-off around the clock lately.”
“Yeah, I'll,” He virtually sprang to his feet- if that were possible, “Go check on that.”
Paperwork, how come it's junior officers that always get landed with it, or her. No, Mickey gets out of it, Danny too. You couldn't call Danny ‘junior' though, he's been here quite a while, longer than me…She guessed so had Mickey too.
Mickey always had this way of escaping work, she didn't know how he did it. There was something likeable about him though, something…wild about him that she found attractive, maybe that's why she'd slept with him the first time.
Underneath the rebellious skin lay a conventionalist, a conservative traditionalist that wanted a long-term relationship, not a night of sex.
Maybe it wasn't a good idea, but for what that night was, it was good sex.
She looked up just in time to see Meadows coming out of his office.
“Ah, Kate, what're you dewing now?”
“I was just coming back from house-to-house Gov, was going to see the DI but just had to…”
“Greeat, what about tonight?”
This sounds like it's leading to trouble, or worse, more work. “Ah, yeah Gov, nothing I know of…”
“Oh-key, well I need yew to drive the Super tonight, he needs a driver for a conference-dinner thing.”
Well, there's her night of paperwork kill gone.
“Dohn't worry, I'll give yew a car…yew were sorting out the paperwork for the Hopkins case, yeah? Mickey was on that tew, I'll get him to finish it because you've done most of it so far, s'that alright?”
She couldn't help smiling. “Ah yeah, what time?”
He's been away for a long time, he wondered if he'd really left the paperwork with Derek- it wasn't beyond Jack to be absent minded sometimes.
“Ah Sir, just checked,” Jack barrelled through the door, “Spears is free tonight, she'll drive yew.”
“Oh right, good.” He plastered on his satisfied smile, despite the chorus of cheers going on inside his head, “I'll see her out the yard at five-thirty, Jack.”
Kate Spears, Kate Spears, Kate Spears…of all the officers at the station, she would've been his last guess for the one that drove him. One hour in a car, alone, together. Two if you count the journey back. Better not get too inebriated then, well, never was a good plan anyway.
But on the downside, when you have such a pretty ‘trinket', you take it out and wave it in front of everyone's noses, not store it in the car.
She wasn't his for the taking though. The cold slam of his office door reminded him of this.
Ten nine eight seven six five four three two one…
Ten nine eight seven six five four three two one gee that fence is looking old…
Ten nine eight she wondered if he's been held up, doing whatever he does all day long…three two one…
Fingers impatiently drummed the steering wheel, a glimpse in the review mirrors…ah-ha, Mickey.
He spread his elbows on the open window ledge, “ ‘Ey, yew certainly look occupied all the sudden.”
“Could say the same for you, DCI wanted ta seeya.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Mm.”
Finally, out of the crowd of the stations prying, peering eyes, it was a bloody dinner suit, not even close to a Chris Evans number.
The patient leather shoes stopped short of the slope of the ramp- him again. Why was she attracted to him? This question drove into him every time he saw Mickey. Enough.
“Mickey, ah, getting back to CID I see?”
His head poked over the car, “All dressed up and somewhere to go, Sir?”
Smartarse. “Yes, dinner tonight, conference with councillors.”
He could almost hear the alarm bells ringing in Mickey's mind- he wouldn't be beaten. “One of them bashes you bring a friend along, Sir?”
Ha ha, Mickey was indeed squirming. “No, but I'll remember your name if they do.”
“Course…” Mickey eyed her, staring non-chantedly into the distance.
Aww gosh, at this rate, what time am I going to get home?
“Seeya Kate.”
She turned, as if someone who'd been interrupted in a trail of thought, “Bye Mickey.”
He tried not to smile at her, reminding himself that he was being too obvious, he couldn't afford her never mind ‘it', ‘it' was a bad idea, he could lose promotions over ‘it', but…
“Kate, did the DCI give you directions?”
“He gave me an address, I'll check the directory…” she reached in the door pocket.
I'd be quicker if he showed her directions…and a perfect opportunity “No, no, that's okay, I might as well show you.” He slid in his side of the car.
“Right,” Which page was it…map fifty, fifty two maybe? Nope, right on target. “Here's the reception hall…”
She remained unmoved, eyes peering at a distance at the map as it lay limp in his lap. This clearly wasn't working so he picked it up, “Can you see it?” He lay it on hers.
“Yes, Sir.”
Woah, overload…she hadn't said ‘Sir' before, had she? No, he decided, because he would have reacted earlier. “Ahh…” Lost his place, he leaned in for good measure, shoulder hovering over his, arm around the headrest for fingers to pry into the seat, other hand pointing on the map.
She's had bosses who've not known their way around a foreign town but this is a conference he's pro'lly been to a million times, why doesn't he just point it out to her?
Whose that in the review mirror, glaring and leaning on the wall…why's Mickey watching her? Oh wait, seems like he's finally found it.
“Here.” He stated, confidence building, “And you take the M-16, north along here and…you're there.”
“Great,” She glanced upward.
He hadn't realised how close he was leaning in until he smelt the vanilla in her lipgloss. He smiled back, but the moment was interrupted by his mind clotting once again with ‘will-nots' and ‘do-nots' of being station boss. “Right, you can take the rest of the way?”
She really hated when bosses patronised her, why is it always her that gets patronised?
“Course.”
He disappeared out the car door while she continued to puzzle over the map- if she asked any more questions he might think she was dumber than he thought she was already, she couldn't handle the thought of more patronising.
He settled in the backseat. She'd jerked when he'd pointed out the directions, and she was straining to smile too. He wondered if he was wrong, she had no interest.
Damn that Mickey Webb.
What's Mickey still doing against the yard wall? Lazy git.
“Ready to go, Kate? ”
“Sir.”
Silence is curse, what…can he say, “So how's the Boulder case going?”
“Good, yeah, Mickey was just writing up the paperwork.”
He wanted to ask how ‘they were getting on' but didn't dare. “You were on door-to-doors today, yeah?”
“I was, Sir.”
“Successful.”
“Yeah, Mickey an' I got through a lot of houses.”
Her eyes remained fixed on the suburban street ahead, wandering only once to the mirror- she could sware he flinched.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, the longer he talked, the more he heard from the Mickey Webb fanclub. Okay, okay, exaggeration, but was her mentions subtle indication or erroneous?
“Didn't talk to too many people though, most of them were at work.”
Nah, sounded like work.
“Which area were you doorknocking?”
“West end, ah, Barnsbury road.”
This was just a street down from where he lived, should he say something?
“Cooperative people?”
“Yeah, most of the time, not the most flashy end of town but you get more cooperative people from it than other places.”
What if, he…then she…perfect. Risky, but a good measure.
“Actually, my old house was around there, where I grew up.”
Oo, crap, what's he going to think of her now…she called him ‘poor'!
“Oh sorry Sir, I…I didn't know.”
She's taken the bait.
“No, that's alright, not the kind of knowledge that'd be around the station.”
Smile, laugh, take it in his good humour…
She's so cute when she's embarrassed- he could see her cheeks tinge a shade in the review mirror.
He's told her where he lives, ah, should she do the same?
Nah, she's harmless, might as well move along with this.
“Did you check the schools in the area as well?”
“Yeah, they hadn't seen anything either.”
“I used to go to Wemberly, that one with the rugby field.”
Bloody field, all mud no grass, sport was hell on that supposed ‘grass'.
“Did you play?”
“Sorry?”
Oh no, she'd overstepped the mark!
“Sorry, it's not my place to ask, um…”
“No, no, go on, I didn't hear you?”
“Did you play rugby, Sir?”
“Yeah, for a period. I was captain of the school team.”
Surprise, surprise.
“I used to play sport all the time, haven't been a Superintendent my whole career y'know.”
S'he a mind reader or something?! “No, I didn't…”
“That's okay, just that people don't often see me as anything but a Superintendent, a person who sits in an office making decisions about other people's careers.”
No kidding.
And he'll make some about hers if she swings the right way.
“Of course, Sir.”
“So, what about you? Brothers, sisters?”
Why does this feel like an odd question? “One brother, one sister.”
“Where'd you grow up?”
“Up north, toward York .”
“Well I'd say it does't sound like it.”
Tamara and Di would never let her talk cockney. “Yeah,” she chuckled, noticing the shrubs and fields around her drifting along. “I was never allowed to, wasn't considered ‘proper'.”
“By your parents?”
“No, ah, we weren't the most ‘together' family.”
Oops, hit a nerve, probably time to talk about himself again.
“Mine are alright, got a brother, James. See Mum and Dad occasionally too.”
“Mm, I was busy last Christmas.”
“Were you working?” Who'd put her on Christmas day…probably Alex.
“Nah, out with some mates.”
“How was that?”
“Oh, not the ‘traditional' type, that lot certainally aren't- they managed to do the ‘Australian thing', prawns on a Barbeque.”
“Nice?”
“Yeah, alright for an starter, Sir, but not enough for a full meal- I like the traditional stuff, or at least I know I do now.”
“Yeah, my family has a wonderful dinner every year- Turkey , stuffing, pudding, the whole palaver.”
“Yeah, Sir?”
“Mum jokes, ‘So this is why you don't bring back a girl, once you tie the knot you're not gonna get the same service.'.”
She giggled, suddenly curious about his family joking about him not being married or indeed, not having a girlfriend.
Oh crap, this isn't good…This was one of the times he wished he could jump out the car window. Having him and her talking about his family, ‘bringing a girl back' and marriage in a conversation was not the best way to…start.
"So ah, the Boulder case…you were saying it was just about tied up with?”
Last Updated: Thursday, 22 April, 2004 7:56 PM