DICLAIMER: NOT MINE! Jen's challenge was as follows:
(1) An old photo bringing back painful memories (2) A new photo helping take those memories away and finally (3) a photo which the person in it wants destroyed because it's embarrassing!
Set right at the very end of 'Spare Parts' enjoy!
"No, he's coming back" Esther said still looking out the window to the place where Mary rested.
"Here's hoping so" Brain said unconvinced by his wife's comment.
"Look, Brian, he will be back whether he stays with UCOS, that's another matter" Sandra sighed not to sure if any of them has a future with the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad.
"C'mon, let's have another look around there might be a clue as to where he's gone and when he might be coming back" Gerry said trying to cheer Brain up. If truth be told he had no idea how the hell they were supposed to find out where it was Jack had disapeared to since Hanson walked the trial but he could see that this was already slowly destroying Brian. "There is still upstairs to check".
"Right you boys take the spare bedroom, I'll check the study, he left the Bureau downstairs open, so I'm guessing that's where he wanted us to look" Sandra said putting her detective skilling into good use.
"I will have a look in the main bedroom" Esther said, Jack had been so good to Brian over the years with his struggles and Esther felt this was the least she could do to return the compliment.
Sandra sat down at the desk and looked around, the majority of Jack's policing awards were kept on the shelf above the desk as he was too modest to have them on display. The room was pretty much empty apart from them and the odd book. She scanned the bookshelf in hope of stumbling across a book that may give her a clue as to where Jack could be. There was every genre of book you can imagine, everything from Jack the Ripper to weekend breaks in the South of France with 'Golfing Legends' in between, but no clues.
Almost tripping over a small wooden box at the foot of the shelf Sandra bent down to have a look. She opened it a fraction and peered inside, there appeared to be newspaper cuttings, paper clips and photographs inside. She took it over to the desk and sat down. Taking off her grey beret she began to look at each photo in turn.
She smiled as she looked though the black and white photographs of a very young Jack and Mary, she lay them across the full length of the desk so each photograph told a story from Jack's life, all making up his life story. Her heart rate increased as she clocked the most familiar face in the world to her, smiling up at her. Her dad. There he was in the prime of his career sat at a round table at what looked like one of the Met's charity auctions next to Jack. Her breathing became shallow and a single tear rolled down her cheek as she caressed the image of her father with her right thumb. This was how she remembered Gordon Pullman, smiling, doing the job he loved and the people around him in the image seemed to respect him, flipping the picture onto the other side she saw that Jack had inscribed the date in blue ink. She must have been about seven when this photograph was taken she thought as she slowly calculated the dates in her head.
Unaware that she wasn't sobbing silently her thoughts were interrupted by a gently knock on the door. "Are you okay in here?" Esther asked softly waiting at the door in case Sandra didn't want to be disturbed.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Esther, thanks" she sniffled, wiping away the tear which sat just below her cheek. "I have never seen this picture of my dad before, that's all" she smiled handing the picture to Esther who was now stood beside her.
Esther studied it for a short while "My, he was handsome, wasn't he" she said causing Sandra to break out into her trademark infectious smile.
"I think so" Sandra said taking the photograph back.
Esther glanced at Jack's timeline Sandra and laid out. "Look at this" she said picking up a photo of Sandra and her boys with Jack in the middle. "What bunch" she scoffed looking the faces they were pulling while they were at Strickland's birthday do only last month.
"Yeah, life sure would be dull without them" Sandra said smiling at the photograph of her and her boys, in the last five years they had become the family she had been looking to replace since she was 14.
"My life certainly wouldn't, I would have Brian at home with me all day, getting under my feet, you would have to cart me off to one of those places they take people to when they have a nervous breakdown". Sandra couldn't help but laugh, she knew for a fact Esther wasn't joking as at times that was exactly how Brian made her feel. She was laughing because this photograph was a symbol of the fact that she was loved, probably more so than she had ever been and looking at Jack it reminded her of how he had taken her under his wing and become a surrogate father to her, and even though that did not take all the pain of losing her beloved father it filled the majority of the void.
"How have you ladies gotten on?" Gerry asked as he and Brian too entered the room.
"Like I said, he's definitely coming back, all of Mary's clothes, her hairbrush, her jewellery, it's all still here, he's taken some of his clothes but not a lot, he is coming back" Esther said smiling for her husband's benefit.
"What about you Guv?" Gerry asked.
"Sorry I got a bit distracted" she admitted nodding towards the wooden box.
"What's in this?" Brain asked very intrigued.
"Some of Jack's photos" Sandra said handing Brian the box containing the pictures she was yet to see herself.
"Hey, Gerry look at this one of you on Karaoke at Strickland's birthday, you look a right mess" Brain said.
"Let me see" Sandra said getting up from the swivel chair and taking it from Brian's grasp before Gerry could have a look.
"My god, you look a right state, look at your wondering eye" she laughed showing Esther.
"My word!" Mrs Lane said at the photo of a drunken Gerry.
"Give that here, now!" Gerry demanded trying his best to take it off Sandra.
"You can look but you can't touch, Gerald" she winked flashing it under his face before quickly removing it from his reach.
Gerry's face turned crimson with embarrassment. He could barely remember that being taken, all he remembered from that night was waking up the next morning stinking of booze and having no recollection of what happened the night before.
"Sandra! Get rid of it, for my own sanity, that picture is beyond embarasing".
"No chance mate, I'm going to make copies and stick them all over the station!" she joked causing the Lane's to giggle.
"Oh no you are, not give it to me, if you as so much even try that, so help me, I won't be held reasonable for my actions" Sandra found this threat very unconvincing.
"So what, everyone was at Strickland's birthday they all witnessed you staggering around the stage trying to mumble the words to 'I will always love you' which for some reason you dedicated to me" Sandra said remembering how embarrassed she felt at that moment in time.
"And then you fell off the stage" Brian added.
"And then you fell off the stage, Gerry, you were absolutely wreaked that night".
"Yeah well don't remind me please, I have no idea what happened and I have no intention of being told, alright" he snapped.
"Well this photo says it all" Esther commented.
"Don't worry Gerry when you are older, if that's possible you will want to know what happened and we shall be glad to fill you in" Sandra smirked.
"Sandra, that's not funny, rip up that photo, or-"
"Oh what, Gerry"
"I'm sure Strickland has a copy" Brian teased.
"Any way it doesn't belong to us it's Jack's he won't be too pleased when he comes home to find one of his treasured photographs has been destroyed, he will know we have been here" Sandra reasoned. Brain longed to say "If he comes back" but thought it was best that he should bite his tongue, for now.
"I can never win with you lot, can I?" Gerry said heading downstairs in retreat.
Hope that was alright! Any review would be lovely! :) x