Title: Anticipating
Author: Loz
E-Mail: loz06(at)yahoo(dot)com
Rating: T
Category: Neil.Andrea. Brief appearance by Philippa, long enough to spoil things.
Series: Stand alone, not related to anything else I've done.
Spoilers: So minor it shouldn't ruffle any feathers. This story doesn't really fit in anyplace specific in the context of events for Neil and Andrea on The Bill.
Archive (if applicable): www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net(slash)loz06
Feedback: The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated.
Summary: Andrea's anticipating Neil's return after a week away on business.
Authors' notes: This story came to me through two things. The first is we have a new show starting here in Australia called Hello/Goodbye, based around people's stories as to why they're waiting at the arrivals/departures gate for someone – apparently one woman was approached to tell her story but as it turns out she was waiting to meet the man she was having an affair with, so her story could never be aired, I immediately thought of Andrea and Neil. Secondly I've said hello/goodbye to some people close to me myself at the airport lately. Thus the story was born.
Disclaimers: There's no anticipating a royalty cheque from The Bill for me, I have no association with the show.
"That's the fifth time you've checked your phone in the last half hour." Honey claims. Knowing she's been caught Andrea quickly stuffs her phone on the shelf of her locker. "Expecting a call from someone?"
"No, I just…" But she never finishes the sentence.
"Oh come on!" Honey laughs, some may consider her to be a little dumb but there are still some things you can't put past her.
"Nothing to tell," Andrea shrugs only partly convincing Honey.
"Everyone's got secrets." Honey reminds her.
"Sorry." Andrea shuts her locker door. "What you see is what you get." She breezes to the locker room door knowing Honey won't follow in her half dressed state.
"Hang on what about the pub?" Andrea is called after; she has no intention of taking up the invitation.
"Can't, had a better offer, I'm too busy with my secrets tonight." Andrea smiles and closes the door on any protests from Honey.
Out the front of Sun Hill, Andrea pulls her white coat tighter around her to ward off the frigid night air. It seems quiet, a little too quiet but then Andrea's only concerned with one thing. She jogs her way across the road before a car that crawls slowly past after her. Unlocking her car she quickly slides in and wastes no time turning on the heater, all she really wants is to be at home.
The fact everyone seems to be heading home from work at the same time irritates Andrea, though she's much too happy to let it be more than a mere passing thought in her mind and a laugh at the irony of being stuck in traffic when she's keen to get home. Her hands tap on the steering wheel, filled with a nervous anticipation, she'd thought about nothing else all day, bringing a smile to her face each time.
Andrea smiles now, in her car, stopped in traffic, unconcerned about anyone around her who might be looking into her car and at her bemused.
She's thinking about Neil and has been all day.
For a week he'd been gone, following the movements and activities of a career criminal in the hope of turning up something to help arrest him in relation to a crime in Sun Hill.
He'd gone reluctantly when Jack Meadows wouldn't send anyone else, not wanting to leave Andrea behind. Taking her with him wasn't an option either.
He'd miss her immensely Neil easily admitted when he'd told her what was happening.
Andrea had to encourage him, on the day he departed gently extracting herself from his embrace reluctantly, a tiny tear shed as she watched him being driven away in a cab.
He'd be home tonight and he promised to come straight to her.
It would be late but the anticipation of hid return buoyed her through the day and the week, coupled with just how much she missed him after only a short amount of time apart from one another…they are the only things she's concerned with.
From the moment she gets through the door to her flat Andrea can't sit still. She wants time to go fast, the feels like it's crawled and so does tonight, despite her efforts to remain busy. She wipes over clean surfaces, tidies already stacked items and flicks through a magazine so quickly she barely takes in the contents of each page. She pays the bills she'd been putting off for weeks and settles in front of the television but she can't remain there.
She looks at the clock every ten minutes between checking her email, trips to the bathroom and rubbing moisturiser into her skin till she's greasy. She paints her nails, curls and plaits her hair in front of the television, experimenting with different styles to keep herself busy.
As the night wears on, tiredness weaves its way through her anticipation, subduing its effects.
Her eyelids get heavy and droop as the last of anything half decent on the television ends.
She gives in.
It takes longer than usual to get out of the depths of her chair, she's lethargic and she'd curled herself up with her head against the armrest. Her body is settling into sleep, only her mind remembers Neil's return and it does a lousy job of reminding the rest of her.
The picture on the TV disappears into a bottomless black and Andrea makes her way unsteadily to the bedroom which is the only room now lit.
She pulls back the duvet just enough to slide her feet into bed, they're first to touch the cool of her cotton sheets. Under the comfort of her mattress Andrea relaxes instantly, head floating on the pillow, eye closed…just resting she tells herself.
An image of Neil coming through her flat door, kissing her hello and curling up in the bed next to her brings a smile to her face.
Like a wonderful anaesthetic Andrea slides blissfully into sleep.
Her eyes open and almost instantly her brain associates the noise as being the phone. She immediately looks to her right, the other side of the bed is empty and the red glowing clock informs her she's been asleep for a few hours.
Her left hand reaches out, feeling for the phone on the bedside table next to her side of the bed. She'd fallen asleep unintentionally, the lamp still on, her hand that pats the table looking for the phone activates the lamp's touch function and turns it off to the relief of her eyes that struggled under its harshness.
"Neil?" Andrea asks as soon as she's accepted the call. She can hear in her own voice she's still half asleep, the fact he's not here also puts something in her tone.
Her greatest fear is that he'll have gone straight to Philippa.
Though things between them have been much stronger over the past months, she can't help but feel insecure sometimes.
"Yeah, it's me Andrea." His voice is affectionate, its warmth enveloping her like the duvet around her.
"Where are you, I thought you'd be here hours ago?" She turns onto her side, letting her head sink into the pillow. Just how much she's misses him comes through as much as it does that she's tired.
"I know, I'm still here, they've cancelled all the flights, grounded them, they've closed the airport, nothing is coming in or going out." A deep regretful sigh follows his words.
Andrea follows with her own, "I miss you."
"Yeah, me too," He almost whispers, Andrea can see the look on his face in her minds eye. A mix of just how much he lovers her and how much he wishes he was with her and didn't have to say the words he just has.
"Are you still at the airport?" Andrea asks interrupting a moment of silence, she'd quite happily go to sleep listening to him breathe down the phone line.
"I got this matchbox of a room at a hotel near the airport." It's punctuated by another sigh, "Wouldn't be so bad if you were here."
Against her pillow Andrea smiles, "Mmm Hmm."
"You're tired." Neil says gently. "I woke you, I'm calling too late."
"Come home please." Andrea asks sleepily pulling the duvet up over her shoulders.
"I am, in the morning." Neil says, from his voice it's clear he's looking forward to it as Andrea is. "It'll be early so I might just let myself in and climb into bed next to you."
"I'd like that." Andrea's voice becomes weaker again, she's slipping back to sleep, Neil's voice lulling her.
"I know you would." That he knows her well has Andrea smiling weakly. "I'll see you in the morning."
"I love you." Andrea says dreamily.
"I love you too." Neil says and there's a pause. "Sweet dreams."
Andrea never hangs up, she's already drifted back to sleep.
When Andrea next opens her eyes she's greeted by the clock that glows against the early morning dark, it's four thirty.
She rolls over intent on easily going back to sleep only to have the phone leave an indent in her hip.
With eyes still closed she reaches for the phone but doesn't put it back on her bedside table, hazily she tells directory assistance who she wants to talk to and is put through.
Not long after Andrea hangs up she shuffles her way through the dark to the shower.
It's colder now that when Andrea came home the previous night, the morning chill doubles up with the night cold and is well set in, it wisps its way under her coat as she begins to feel some of yesterday's anticipation coming back now she's fully awake.
The traffic is light, all sensible people still in bed but that's to her advantage.
Andrea couldn't stay in bed.
Not when the woman on the other end of the phone told her Neil's flight would be one of the first to land.
As she drives with the heater on almost suffocatingly high, Andrea taps her hand against the steering wheel, a smile spreading across her face as she pictures seeing Neil coming through the arrivals gate, the look on his face when he sees her, delighted by the surprise.
The airport is quiet, occupied by only a few people most of whom are custodial and cleaning staff. The shops are not open but through the transparent roller doors Andrea can see the darkened covers of the books and magazines. Parking was brilliant, given the choice of the spots closest to the terminal.
A lone coffee stand is open, Andrea orders a latte from the young woman who looks tired and fumbles with the knobs of the machine.
She wanders the expansive terminal, taking slow sips of her coffee. She's arrived far too early, there's no cryptic reason as to why, she's missed Neil, wanted him home and to see him again.
She watches strangers trickle out of the arrival gates as the first flights begin to land, they look weary and drained because of the early hour it is and the earlier hour they boarded their flight.
She notices there's no one there to meet them, they make their way straight to baggage collection, not casting a single glance sideways.
At each monitor she checks that the landing time and gate of Neil's flight hasn't been changed. With ten minutes to go Andrea takes her choice from the scores of chairs that face the tarmac, she's not alone.
She looks at the faces of those waiting around her in between checking the clock every two minutes. They're mostly couples, two families and a few singles like herself, most nursing a cup of coffee with a few quiet words shared between the families, no one makes eye contact.
Andrea's heart leaps as she sees the plane taxiing to the terminal, she stands up and walks to the glass watching though there's nothing to see. Behind her waiting friends and family have gathered around the doors that have opened.
The terminal is beginning to enliven, shops opening and there's more people around as a steady stream of flights touch down. Symbolic because she starts to feel more alive knowing she'll have Neil back soon.
Andrea stands at the back of the group, gripping her half finished coffee.
She cranes her neck to look at the face of each person that comes through the doors, her anticipation heightened. Those first off hurry by, off to a connecting flight or annoyed at being stranded last night.
As more faces pass Andrea begins to feel a little doubt, thinking Neil should have been off the plane by now, does she have the right flight, the right gate?
Then she sees him.
Tears prickle at her eyes as she comes through the door. A wide smile spreads across her face; her hands come up to cup her mouth and nose as tears splash onto her cheeks.
Neil looks straight ahead; not expecting anyone to be waiting for him, meaning Andrea's surprised will be emotional as she'd hoped.
He looks tired, understandably but also glad to be home.
Andrea doesn't approach him, she doesn't have to, his eyes cross through the crowd though he's not looking for anyone, when they reach Andrea they never leave.
The smile on his face warms every part of her and she reflects Neil's grin back to him, more joyful tears trailing down her cheeks.
She certainly doesn't expect his smile to drain quickly away.
Confusion immediately pulses through her body and her eyebrows furrow asking him what's going on.
The smile gradually reappears on his face, nowhere near as happy now as someone passes to Andrea's left.
She looks at the back of the head of dark curly feminine hair, heading straight for Neil.
Andrea has all the information and clues she needs to know who it is and her tears of joy instantly dry up.
Neil would never have called Philippa but now the two women that love him have had the same idea and stand outside the arrival doors.
Andrea is left standing without Neil; it can only be that way of course.
She watches Philippa peck Neil on the cheek and put her arms around him.
He doesn't even look to Andrea from the relative safety of over Philippa's shoulder as they embrace, Neil returning Philippa's greeting.
For all her anticipation of Neil's return, how she wanted to surprise him by being here, how much she's missed him and wanted him home with her, she comes quickly down to a depressing low.
To be assaulted with the reminder of Philippa in such close proximity at exactly the moment Andrea wanted to have no one else exist in the world other than Neil leaves her feeling empty.
She watches disappointed, angry at Philippa and longing for Neil. None of which she hides on her face.
Neil finally glances to Andrea, longing in his eyes as well, then passes his carry on to Philippa who offers to take it.
Andrea flicks around quickly as Philippa does, her steps hastening as she heads out of the terminal.
She doesn't cry, inside the car hiding her eyes behind sunglasses unnecessary against the weak morning sunlight.
Her mobile beeps halfway home, the traffic is building and it takes her longer than the trip out, she can't cover the frustration with something better this time. Her home phone is ringing when she walks through the flat door – she ignores them both knowing who's calling her.
Slipping back into bed Andrea pulls the duvet up around her neck, there's no anticipation to keep her awake now.
In her sleep and unbeknownst to Andrea she shifts herself from sleeping on her side to her back, when she meets with gentle resistance she slowly rouses herself awake.
She blinks clearing away the sleep haze, waiting for her senses to strengthen.
When they do she notices the arm around her, then the one stretched out under her pillow, the warm body resting next to hers is last but most significant.
Carefully she turns over confirming what she already knows.
As promised Neil has let himself in and climbed into bed next to her.
The warm feeling that spreads throughout her has nothing to do with the late morning sun coming through her window and it's not responsible for her smile, similar to the one she wore at the airport when they first saw each other.
He's sleeping peacefully, the last of dark circles under his eyes fading.
Andrea shifts closer, intertwining her legs with his, resting her arm over him as he is her. She pulls her pillow down, closing her eyes again, this time mere centimetres from the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest.
What she anticipates now is when he wakes up.
The End.