A/N that bloody episode sets my muse going.
"You're your fathers daughter." Strickland mutters as he left Sandra's office.
"Do you know what sir, I am my fathers daughter." Sandra begins to shout as she follows her boss out of her private office into the main UCOS office. He slowly turns to face her, his face red with embarrassment, his chest heaving with the sudden heat wave.
"And like him I don't take shit from jumped up DAC's who think they're above everything." She ranted
"I.." He began to interrupt her, but She pushed forward.
"YOU brought us this case because you're fucking Christie Berlin, I'd personally hoped a sex life would improve your demeanour but whatever, we can't have everything can we."
Gerry began to laugh. Sandra glared at him daring him to speak, while Jack and Brian watched the show. Strickland was getting red around the neck as well now, he knew he was in the wrong. Sandra soldiered on.
"You're in a relationship with Christie, who by the way will dump you within days I can guarantee it, everyone in this department is guilty of starting a case for our own personal reasons, did you actually realise that Dougie Taylor who couldn't even remember Maggie Newley's name when Gerry and Brian spoke to him, but suddenly he's working on the quiet to solve her murder? Just after we began to make our enquiries, he's the conscientious officer who cares so much." Her voice turned softer now, like a warm drink on a cool day, with just the right amount of sweetness.
"We've all done that, taking on cases for personal reasons, if you'd have been honest we'd have taken the piss a bit sure, but like I said, we've all opened cases for personal reasons. It's one of the pitfalls of a department like this."
Her tone of voice had led Strickland into a false sense of security, he was turning back to his normal complexion, he even smiled a bit. It wasn't to last. Sandra's voice suddenly turned icy again.
"Having said that, don't you DARE stand there and berate me and my team for trying to solve a case. And how dare you shout at us for going to the scene of crime. What were YOU thinking when you took Christie to the circus last night, one a circus isn't the best date although that could be a personal preference, but secondly YOU took us there to start this case, that's where the people who supposedly knew our victim best are for crying out loud! It's where we started, it's where our victim died, so why would you bring her there when any officer should know that's where we would be? You've been in charge of us for over three years, you know we like to visit the scene of crime as many times as possible as move on with a case." Sandra was now breathing heavily, Strickland's face was now pink, he tried to look at Sandra but knew he was so far in the wrong he could barely look anywhere but the floor. Gerry, Jack and Brian quietly made their escape. All the way to the other side of the door. Just because they wanted to be out of the line of fire, doesn't mean they don't want to know exactly what's happening. Sandra began her rant again, her voice stayed low, the adrenaline was beginning to wear off.
"Knowing that Una was a giant part of Bert Dignam's life having possibly had a child with her, it's almost an inevitability that we would need her to remember the other people in his life that she knew, and his mood before he died. Especially with Bert not being Christie's biological father, it's most probably someone else at the circus so we'd need Una there to see what jogs her memory, or if seeing the true father will make her more open with us and liable to talk to us about who is. Since Bert isn't Christie's father, but is on her birth certificate it could be that Christie was someone else's, and Una cheated on Bert with the biological father, maybe Bert found out. We don't know. We need to find out, if we're ever going to solve this bloody case. Therefore bringing in outside distractions that could cause the probable key to the case and all others who knew our victim to clam up and possibly become hostile to us or just completely jeopardise our investigation by not cooperating at all. How as a copper did you not realise this? Have you spent so much time behind a desk you've forgotten how to be an actual detective?" She finished her rant. Maybe this will be the argument she has, where she doesn't think of something better to say seven hours later. Strickland finally looks at her, his eyes are red and bright with unshed tears.
"You're completely right. She wouldn't listen to me about not going, I know she's using me, I..." he gives in.
"You're getting fucked up by Cupid lately?" Sandra laughed.
"Lately? Last few years. Where's the boys?" Strickland questions as he looks around the room realising he's alone with Sandra.
"Outside the door listening in." She replies with a smile.
"No we're not!" They all shout as they come in.
"Get sacked yet?" Gerry asks Sandra with a grin at Strickland
"Please, if I sacked someone for putting a prat in their place this department would be empty." Strickland joked as he left (escaped) the room.
XOXO
"Jack, about my dad. You're wrong."
"For your sake, I hope you're right." Jack replies as he looks at her, the fourteen year old girl who hugged him at her fathers funeral, the woman he feels he betrayed.
"Most kids get to grow up, and realise their parents are humans who make mistakes, some bigger than others, you didn't have that chance. So your mind is slightly clouded by your good memories of a healthy, happy father daughter relationship." Gerry butts in, with four daughters he'd know.
"It's probably best to agree to disagree, you both could be right, you both could be wrong. But I don't think we should open that can of worms." Brian adds as they leave the hospital, seeing Strickland outside texting they approach him.
"Curry at mine sir?" Gerry requests.
"Erm..."
"Come on, you look like you could do with it." Sandra smiles, her face still pale and tear stained. Even for just one night, they were a group of five friends. Nothing more, nothing less.