Title: Life almost in balance
Author: Loz
E-Mail: T
Category: Neil/Andrea…All Neil/Andrea
Series: Story number twelve. What follows are titles and story ID numbers:
(1) After he's at her door – 2486705
(2) When the mighty fall – 2506192
(3) While his wife's away – 2525486
(4) While they're away – 2543010
(5) When love's not working – 2543013
(6) Boundaries when broken up - 2562611
(7) What happens on the train – 2579012
(8) When they work together – 2595808
(9) When she wants him back – 2598312
(10) When they're stuck together – 2611364
(11) When they're back together – 2619492
(12) Life almost in balance - 2630121
Spoilers: So minor it shouldn't ruffle any feathers.
Archive (if applicable): www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net.
Feedback: The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated.
Summary: They might be back together but Bruce is a looming presence in Andrea's life and Neil is struggling with his teenage son and slowly splintering marriage. They'll need each other's support more than ever now.
Authors' notes: Career; flat; love life; diet, money. Is anyone's life ever in balance, I know mine never is.
Thanks: O.k. I sent some thank emails out to the people who are brave enough to record them in the reviews. Cheers! This thanks goes out to Fabio, Stacey Ellen, Maddy and the anonymous reviewers. Much appreciated!
Request: A sweet, romantic Neil/Andrea story to read or a new chapter for an existing story. Pretty please! I promise to review…I know I'm terrible at that.
Disclaimers: Talent, skill, creativity. Not featured here so obviously I'm not a writer on The Bill.
Andrea knows how she has to play it, she has to be quiet and reserved, she has to be distracted and jump at ringing phones and other unusual things. Pushing through the locker room door she suppresses her bright personality, quietly getting changed. Yvonne enters when Andrea's almost done dressing, leaning her shoulder against the locker with a bang.
"So…" She prompts; Andrea ignores her, fixing the collar of her shirt.
"I don't want to talk about it." Andrea says meekly, exiting quickly knowing the seeds have been planted and despite her dour expression, Andrea feels good.
He's in the briefing room already when Andrea enters, they look across the room at one another but to an outsider it couldn't be said they know one another outside of the job. Yvonne slides into the seat next to her but has the good sense not to speak while Adam Okaro is. She saves it till they're out on the streets.
"What's with you?" Her tone is pointed, as if Andrea's mood is an inconvenience.
"It's nothing." Andrea tries to brush it off quietly; it takes more than that for Yvonne. A car flashes past them travelling too fast, Andrea jumps for good measure.
"You're afraid of your own shadow today, that's not like you." Andrea says nothing knowing she may have won this battle but Yvonne always wins in the end, as she will this time.
When Andrea's phone chirps three blocks later she dares not touch it, for today at least it's her enemy.
"That's it, out with it now." Yvonne's tone seeps frustration in each syllable.
"I can't tell you." Andrea teases building the tension deliberately.
"Andrea!" There's no such thing as taking the soft line with Yvonne.
"His wife found out about me." She deliberately places a mixture of fear and hesitation in her words.
"The wife of the guy you're seeing."
"She called me up, she was screaming down the phone at me, saying how she knows where I live and how I'm a home wrecker, they have a three year old son."
"She threatened you?" There's incredulity in her voice but not because she disbelieves Andrea, she's stunned someone would be so bold as to threaten a police officer.
"She has me Yvonne, if I open an investigation I stand to lose as much as she does." Andrea weaves her story to perfection.
"What did he say?" There's genuine concern in her voice.
"I told him it's over, there's no way I can live with this and it'd just continue on, even if he was divorced; frankly I'm too scared to continue anything with him."
"She doesn't want to lose her husband, she wants her son to have a father...they're just empty threats."
"Never again," Andrea affirms shaking her head. "Married men have too much baggage." Yvonne says nothing but Andrea can tell she's happy Andrea has sworn off the 'dark side.'
"I feel like chocolate." Yvonne says out of the blue seeing a corner store up ahead. "You?"
"Please." Andrea smiles knowing her story has gone down as smoothly as the chocolate will. With her back to Yvonne in the store Andrea pulls out her phone reading the message she knows will be from Neil.
How's the plan going?
Andrea snaps her phone shut without replying; hook, line and sinker she smiles to herself.
She sees Neil walking towards her as she pushes the door to the locker room open knowing mid shift it'll be empty. Sheelagh is pacing the floor; Andrea smiles politely at her making it obvious she doesn't want to disrupt. She runs directly into Neil as she backs out, their bodies clashing which Andrea doesn't so much mind.
"Sorry Sir." She says for the benefit of passing officers. "Not in there." Her voice drops to a whisper. Instead he follows her into an unused office, twisting the blinds so the outside world cannot pry their eyes in.
"Hi." He looks shy his head tipping a little to the side. Andrea slips into his embrace, he tastes like coffee, his mouth warm and his tongue soft.
"Did she believe you?" He asks of Yvonne.
"She ate every word." Andrea smiles as her phone chirps for the second time today.
"I want to see you tonight." He says against her lips, giving into another kiss. "I'm afraid it would look…"
"I know." They're words she doesn't want to say but given the events of other people in their lives, it's smart. "Can I see you this week?"
He says nothing instead pulling her into another kiss; leaving her with a look that Andrea knows means they will see each other soon. When he's gone she opens the phone, finding a message from Bruce demanding they meet at her place tonight.
When she opens her flat door later that night there's no need for Bruce to say anything, his expression says it all. He stalks into the flat before Andrea really has a chance to invite him in. She rolls her eyes knowing she's going to be berated.
"What's going on Andrea?" His eyes survey the living area, looking for something to indicate to him why he hasn't heard from her.
"I don't know what you mean." She claims ignorance though she knows full well it's unlikely to work.
"Come on, it's been months since I've gotten a story from you, weeks since I've heard from you." Andrea knows it's no lie.
"You got front pages on the car jacked baby, the art and antiques auction and the child who was kidnapped by her father in the custody dispute."
"So what, every other paper ran those stories." Bruce spits.
"There's nothing to report on Bruce, what do you want from me, Okaro's daily diary?"
"Well I wouldn't mind."
"Oh give it up Bruce." Andrea snaps, she's no longer interested in the pressure he places on her; the rest of her life is too good right now.
"You're a journalist Andrea." He reminds her as if it's necessary, she doesn't wear it as badge of honour like she does being a copper and she's gotten too comfortable in hiding it.
"Don't patronise me, I know I'm a journalist." Andrea says angrily, she wants to show him the door.
"Who is he then?" It irritates her that he asks her questions in the same accusing tone he does someone he's interviewing.
"There's no one and even if there was you don't control that part of my life." Now Andrea storms to the door holding it open. Bruce doesn't shuffle meekly to the door like she'd hoped, he refuses to back down.
"If I have to Andrea I'll expose you, you haven't paid off your debts yet." Andrea's stomach turns once but she decides to stand her ground.
"I'm not some toy you can manipulate." The venom oozes in her words; she slams the door after him. That night she sleeps anything but comfortably.
Andrea checks her phone message again; Neil's office is empty contrary to what his message indicated. 'My office now,' his messages are always neutral, an outsider could interpret that she was in trouble but Andrea knows better. She turns back to look into CID but he's not approaching, with a sweeping glance she surveys the desk recognising a note, folded with her name on the front, she looks around before reaching to pick it up.
But her hand remains suspended in mid air the thought crosses her mind that maybe it's not ready for her eyes just yet. Looking around again she slides the note into her hand, opening it cautiously.
Italian at Amici tomorrow night?
Andrea smiles turning to leave, Neil standing in the doorway frightens her, Andrea's eyes stray into CID and back before Neil closes the office door. "You scared me."
"Guilty conscience, snooping round my desk."
"It was addressed to me." Andrea cheekily reminds him.
"You should be here waiting for me each time I come back into the office." Neil directs her to the filing cabinets that line the office wall behind the door.
"With peeled grapes and massage oils." Andrea suggests wryly.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here, I was going to be until the Super called me away." He acknowledges her last comment with a small smile and softens his features as he apologises, unnecessarily in Andrea's mind.
"I'd love to dine out with you." Andrea straightens his tie and runs her hands down the lapels of his jacket.
"I'll pick you up." He says from the back of his throat.
Andrea can see in his eyes he wants to lean in and kiss her but the outside world, within interruption distance, has him hesitating. She meets him most of the way, their open mouths millimetres from each other.
"I should go." She says resting her forehead on his; noses pressed into the others cheek. She knows she has to leave but their hold is intoxicating, it takes a bit for her to pull away in silence. She can't see the let down on his face but feels it, stepping quickly back to him and connecting their lips this time. She takes charge leaning him gently into the filing cabinets, his hands constricted from exploring her by the bulky police trimmings, caress her face and neck.
"I'll see you tomorrow night." She kisses him sweetly a final time before returning to work.
He's hanging a suit in her wardrobe, a small bag open on her bed holds more of his things. She doesn't feel crowded or imposed on by the odd possession that has appeared around her flat. It gives her hope that one day all his things will share her flat. He hadn't picked her up instead he'd left his car at the station, walked around the corner to where Andrea was waiting to pick him up, he looked weary when he got in her car but enthused about a night together.
"Are we late?" His hair is damp from the shower, tie hanging undone around the neck of his clean shirt.
"No." She continues to watch him integrate himself into her life. She looks at her shoes; dress pants and blouse thinking maybe they'll look more like a business meeting than intimate meal. It passes through her mind that the impression may not necessarily be a bad thing. She remembers what she hid in her underwear drawer as Neil makes room for his, tonight's a good time to get them out she decides waiting till he's occupied in the bathroom before sliding them into her bag.
His bags drops to the floor in the corner of the room, limp and lifeless without its contents, his hands tangle in an attempt to do his tie up, the mirror image not helping. Andrea slides in between, their fingers caress before his drop to her side, eyes watching her hands work and the concentration written on her face, as if she were being marked on it.
"Thank you." His hands on her hips find her wrists, left hand interlocking with her right. She hands him her keys on the way out, he holds the cluster by the one to her car.
"Can't drive in these shoes," the door to her flat swings shut after him.
Andrea can't help herself, scanning the restaurant for familiar faces her radar satisfied when she finds none. Neil squeezing her hand brings her back; he leads the way following the maitre d'. Andrea knows he's already scanned the room himself; it's the part of them being together that Andrea hates.
She can feel his grin radiating towards her over the top of the menus, she puts hers down her smile becoming a soft laugh. "What are you looking at?"
"You," his menu goes down. "Tell me what you did today; what's the gossip around the station?"
"You really want to know?" Andrea's not sure where this is coming from.
"Sure, look I finished the monthly report, reviewed the new city wide crime stats and yelled at Ken for being lazy and Phil…well for basically the same reason." His tone indicates this is an average day.
"Well I…" She drags out. "I investigated one case of harassment – racially motivated, arrested two graffitists and investigated one attempt hit and run, fortunately no one was hurt in any of the cases."
It might be a few words short of a novel but he's satisfied they've shared their day; his eyes go back to inspecting the menu.
"Oh and I made a doctors appointment." He looks up again knowing full well what it means.
"You are wonderful." He reaches across the table for her hand.
"You won't think that when I'm fat and ugly because of it." Andrea quips holding her eyes with his.
"I don't believe that." He smiles almost to himself, silence falls between them until they order.
"I think we should go away again." He says out of nowhere when the waiter's gone. Andrea's face expresses her surprise as she takes a moment to think about his suggestion.
"You don't have to say anything." His words were quick in case she's looking for her own words and can't find them because she's not ready to make a decision.
"What makes you think I'm going to say anything other than yes, when and can we go tomorrow, yesterday would be better and forever is ideal?"
"I was thinking the beach or the lakes district, do you have a passport?"
"Slow down." Andrea laughs. "I know I said yesterday but I was only joking."
"When are you applying to CID so I can see you everyday?"
"And keep me off the street and out of harms way when something dangerous is happening." Andrea sees through his question. "I think some people would ask questions as to why a probationary PC is double jumped into detective."
Neil only smiles looking across the room, they talk further about getting away throughout the meal.
"Do you want to meet sometimes at a motel?" With her fork halfway to her mouth, Andrea's hand stops mid air wondering where the question has come from, she wants to discount the idea he may not like her place, but can't.
"No, do you?" She poses her own question, her mind still looking for motivation, he's obviously been thinking about it.
"No." He's not forthcoming with a reason like she's hoped, waiting for a reply.
"I'd prefer my own bed." And from Neil's look Andrea knows he agrees. She goes back to her meal citing expense as part of the reason for saying no; she gets nothing more from him.
Later coming out of the ladies, Andrea watches Neil place his credit card on top of the bill.
"Excuse me." She says politely to the waiter who's about the carry the card away. "Could you give us a moment?" She slides the black dish that holds the bill and the card from his hands, flashing her most sincere smile before he nods and leaves them.
"You can't put this on your card." She says before he has a chance to protest or question. "You can pay me back if you must." She slides her card from her purse, pushing it across the table. "But you can't use your card." He accepts her intervention carrying her jacket as they both go to pay.