Authors Note-
Hello everyone, my name is Jenni and I am fairly new to New Tricks and fanfiction in general. I got into the show thanks to the wonderful Nicholas Lyndhurst as I am a huge fan of him and Danny. I was surprised to see that there aren't that many stories featuring Dan on here, so I took it upon my self to write one. If this goes down nicely I may write more stories for UCOS. (It is good practice for A Level English which I will be starting in September!)
As I haven't seen much of the earlier series I have tried my best to research it- so sorry if it isn't accurate at times.
Feel free to review and let me know if I will do here but like I said it is my first bash at a fanfiction so please be gentle!
It was a quarter past ten when Sandra Pullman watched the spectacular thunderstorm from her living room window. The moody bolts of platinum light that were being thrown from underneath the ominous jet back grumbling clouds, and the unforgiving rain that was being thrown down in lashes, symbolised exactly how Sandra Pullman, Detective Superintendent of UCOS was feeling.
The uncertainty of when she would stop grieving for her father, (who of course was now younger than she would ever be) was like this very storm showcasing itself to the whole of London Town.
The anger depicted in the low, heavy rumbling sound of the thunder and the aggression of the wind hurtling the rain to the pavement, represented the anger she had towards her mother for badgering her on this very personal day. A day she had always needed to spend it in her company and no one else's, especially today. And of course there was the anger she had towards herself for being such a cow towards her mother. The only real relative she had, she was grieving for her husband just as much as the usually hard-nosed detective was for her husband but she couldn't bear to bring herself to admit that she needed her mother just as much as she needed her only daughter on this particular date.
Her thoughts and tears were postponed when an unexpected knock at the front door came. It was an unusual knock, most knocks, like Sandra's had some kind of rhythm to them, even if they only wrapped on the door twice. This knock was strange, there was a sort of edge within the atmosphere as the person stood on the other side of the glass and plastic panel bounced their fist across the door.
Startled, Sandra sat still in her seat and wrapped her purple fleece blanket tighter around her curvaceous body. Still the mysterious tapping continued.
"Who is it?" She called once the next round of thunder had ceased its moaning.
Silence rang loud between the invisible visitor and the homeowner.
It was probably Gerry she thought. It must be him standing on the other side of the door. After all, he knew what day it was and he knew her better than anybody. Any money said it would be him standing there with at least two bottles of dry white wine in a desperate bid to cheer her up.
Convinced it was her best friend she meandered her way towards the door.
Sandra gingerly opened the front entrance, just in case Gerry Standing wasn't there to grace her with his presence. The first thing that awoke her senses was that peculiar scent of chemical released as the water fell to the pavement.
The blonde squinted ever so slightly in order to attempt to work out whose slim silhouette was opposite her. The rain was coming down so thick and fast it acted like a steel barrier between the two bodies, making it virtually impossible to see through.
"You really ought to keep the chain on; especially at this time of night it could be anyone." A familiar voice cooed coolly.
"Dan, how the hell did you know where I live?" Sandra exclaimed with a trace of shock stammering in the back of her throat.
"Well aren't you going to invite me in, I am soaking and it is freezing out here" her newly recruited colleague asked casually, making it sound a bit more like a statement rather than a question.
Sandra looked deep into those secretive eyes of his and half smiled at the sight of a soppy wet, down-trodden looking Dan holding two different shaped bottles.
"I knew you would want to see a friendly face and cheering up. I also didn't know if it was a wine situation or a brandy one, so I brought both." He forced a reassuring smile which twitched at the corners of his mouth.
"You better come in then" she smiled. "I'll get you a towel and see if I can get you something in the way of a change of clothes, you are soaking."
"Thanks, my car wouldn't start so I walked." He admitted feeling a fool for coming all this way for someone he barely knew and to be honest wasn't sure she liked him very much.
"You walked?"
"Well I got a couple of buses and then walked; you know a thunderstorm is very calming, even if it does leave you more saturated than a sponge that's been left in the bath for a month."
Sandra's infectious smile danced along her perfectly formed complexion. "You are an unusual one, aren't you Danny Griffin? Almost as unusual as-"
"Brian Lane" they both said unanimously.
"Danny, are you still in contact with Brian?"
"From time to time we send some form of correspondence, only occasionally, you know at Christmas. He did sed me and email to ask how I was getting on at UCOS."
"Was it Brian who gave you my address by any chance?" She asked putting two and two together.
"Guilty" the former DCI smirked, holding up his hands, still clutching the bottles.
"Well you better come in, let me take those" Sandra said taking the bottles out of the wet hands of Dan. "After you" she said inviting him into her minimalist home. Sandra wasn't very big on décor, to her a house was somewhere to rest and lay your hat.
They shared an awkward laugh as their bodies touched as Dan and his wet clothes brushed up against his superior.
While Dan revelled in a hot shower Sandra took two large wine glasses out of the highest cupboard and poured an extortionate amount of the golden coloured liqueur and moved into the sitting room. Placing the glasses of brandy on top of the mock marble fireplace, the old worn photograph of her father in uniform, the only photograph she really had of her patriarch, caught her eye. Taking it off the ledge she released a silver slicker of a teardrop when she affectionately caressed Gordon Pullman's cheek.
"He was a good man, your dad." Danny's statement caused Sandra to jump and frantically wipe away the track of her tears.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there, did the jumper fit?"
"Yeah" he laughed at the frightful sight he thought he looked like, stood there helpless in Sandra's very worn, once cream, baggy university sweater.
"Sorry I didn't have much in the way of trousers."
"It's quite alright, I am sure my jeans will be dry soon" he said feeling uncomfortable in Sandra's old running shorts; they were baggy on him and elongated his stick thin legs.
"I went for brandy that is okay isn't it? You do drink brandy don't you?" Sandra flapped; she had never been in this situation before, having a member of UCOS semi naked in her front room, let alone a member she still had to get to know.
"Of course." He said taking his overfull glass. He stood in front of the leather armchair awkwardly, waiting to receive an invite to sit down.
"Dan?" Sandra called softly.
"Yes?"
"You can sit down you know, we aren't at school, you don't need to wait to be told" she said before taking a sip of the extremely alcoholic beverage.
"Sorry." He said sinking into the plush seat. He carefully swilled the liqueur around in its container as it it were wine. He continued with the false pretenses of wine tasting by inhaling the sweet, almost nutty aroma. The ritual was complete when Danny took a delicate sip. The liquid acted as a well needed warmer, caressing the back of his throat as worked it's way down his body.
"Can I ask you something?" Sandra asked trying to avoid an uneasy silence in the conversation. Which was proving difficult due to Danny's one word responses, Sandra put that down not to ignorance but to shyness.
"Sure."
"Did you know my dad?"
"Not personally unfortunately, I wish I had done as he was an asset to the met. His day was before my time-"
"Of course, sorry I am forgetting that you are a year younger than me" she said embarrassedly.
"Are you saying I look old" Dan joked, though it took Sandra a while to decipher his tease.
"I thought you were here to cheer me up" Sandra said cracking a smirk.
"Yes I am, only I am not very good at things like this, so it's probably best if you think of it as more of an opportunity to take your mind off today."
Sandra smiled that was all she really needed.
"I thought Gerry would have been round here, doing a better job at this than I am."
"He probably has family stuff to do and besides we go through this every year. It's not fair on me to keep relying on him like this."
"Nonsense, we all need some form of comfort from time to time."
"Who comforts you Dan?" Pullman pried.
"Holly and I comfort her in return."
Sandra traced her finger around the rim of her glass, "no I meant do you have a-"
"A girlfriend? No." He interrupted brazenly. "Not since my wife."
Sandra could tell by the tremor in his throat that anything to do with Mrs Griffin was still a delicate subject, so she decided it would be better to skirt around that this evening.
"What about you, have you got a fella?"
"Me, you must be joking I have no time for that and besides I don't want someone mothering over me all the time, constantly asking how I'm feeling."
"How are you feeling?"
"Right now? Sad, lonely, angry and myself for the way I treated my mum" she confessed, subconsciously falling in the first-rate detective's trap.
"How did you manage that, usually the boys can't get anything out of me."
"Well they aren't me, how long have you been feeling depressed?"
"Almost my entire life. Wait how did you?-"
"They way you insecurely hold up your posture, it's not all that obvious but it's there."
"Brain sure knew his stuff when he recommended you to us."
"Also one finds it very easy to tell when someone else is feeling low, when one has been through it themselves. It's like the mask has been taken off not just off me but everyone."
Sandra sat back in amazement. How could he be so causal when talking about something so personal and traumatic she thought?
"What about you how long have you felt this way?"
"Since my wife-"
"It's okay we don't need to talk about it, if you don't want" she replied trying to repress the guilt which was pouring over her.
"He would be very proud of you, you know that."
"Sorry, who would be proud of me?"
"Gordon. Your father, who else?"
Sandra beamed, that had always been her lifelong ambition, pity that he couldn't be here to express it personally.
"Thank you" she smiled. "You know for someone who doesn't say much you are good company. You unlike most of the men I've met say all the right things."
"I think that's Holly's influence" he admitted, smiling proudly at the thought of the apple of his eye.
Again the silence lapped up around them, so Sandra tuned on some gentle classical music to fill the gap. It was a treat to be able to enjoy the silence and a drink with somebody, they both thought. Trying to silently weigh up what made each of the tick.
"You don't need to worry about the terrible twins you know" Sandra finally said.
"You mean Gerry and Steve?"
She bobbed her head in a motion of confirmation "Gerry is a stubborn old bugger who doesn't like change and Steve will go wherever Gerry does. They are good guys, deep down and you will soon get to know that."
"I'm sure I will" he said gulping his brandy, a desperate bid to catch up with Sandra. A stupid mistake by all accounts, he could feel the alcohol rushing straight to his head. He couldn't drink as much as he could when he was a young adult, finding his feet in the big, wide, world.
"You leave them to me" Sandra slurred.
"I think I better go, it's a fair journey back and I don't like leaving Holly on her own for too long, not that I worry about her, it is she who worries about me."
"I'll call you a cab, I need you in the office bright and early tomorrow" Sandra said reaching to take the phone out of its cradle.
"There is no need" he insisted.
"And there was no need to come round here, but I appreciated it. Thank you."
"You're welcome, like wise with taxi. I'm always here for you, if you need anything."
"Likewise" she said, returning the smile.
A short while later Danny had changed into his now almost dry clothes. The pair heard a car horn, it was the taxi driver signalling his arrival.
"I best be going then" Dan announced.
"Yes, thank you again for tonight, it was really very kind."
"It is perfectly fine, thank you also for your reassurance and the dry clothes."
"You are welcome, and don't you worry about the lads, I will take care of them for you." She said opening out her arms to offer him a hug.
He cupped her face in his hands affectionately as he gave her a goodnight kiss on her left cheek. His lips lingered a little longer than they perhaps should of but Sandra didn't draw back.
"Thank you" he finally said.
"I have a feeling you are going to be a great asset to UCOS, Dan" she said with a flirtatious glint in her fascinating blue eyes.
"I hope I can do you proud, then" he smiled, not letting go of her face.
"Good, night Danny" she said, allowing her soft lips to bush across his cheek.
"Goodnight Sandra" he said.
Before the pair of them knew it their lips interlocked, their tongues danced around each other's. Neither of them had planned this, they didn't know how they even felt about it. Really they were nothing but a pair of strangers, barley knowing anything about one another and yet here they both were. They both had their demons but together, it was as if their problems had cancelled each other's out.
Their moment of passion was rudely interrupted by the impatient sound of the taxi's horn outside.
"I better go; maybe we could do this again sometime?" He asked hopefully.
"Maybe" Sandra simply replied casing Dan to feel slightly deflated and dejected.
"See you tomorrow." Sandra waved.
"Yes, sleep well" he said climbing into the black London cab.