A/N: This is set after Jack's departure but before Steve joins the team. Inspired by a short poem I once read called 'Tea For Two (A Tragedy)' by Pamela August Russell.
Disclaimer: I don't own New Tricks.
Tea for Four
"Does anyone fancy a cup of tea?" she asked by way of greeting as she walked through the doors to the UCOS office, removing her black leather gloves.
"Yeah, go on then Guv," Gerry nodded in response, stretching his hands out in front of him as he took a break from typing.
Brian looked up from his laptop, peering over his glasses. "When have you ever known me refuse a cup of tea?"
She grinned and walked over to the small worktop, flicking the kettle to boil before hanging her heavy woollen coat on the stand in her office. It was mid-December, and a particularly cold one at that. She'd just returned from interviewing a difficult suspect too, so a warm cup of tea was much needed. Returning to the kitchen area, she organised the usual cups into a line, watching as the water began to boil inside the kettle, the noise of it frothing against the thick plastic escalating steadily.
A small click signalled that the water had boiled, breaking her out of her mundane musings about witness statements and forensic reports and what to have for dinner that night. She lifted the kettle, pouring the steaming liquid into Brian's AFC Wimbledon mug first, then her purple shark mug, Gerry's cup which matched the colour of his beloved Stag and finally the white china mug which belonged to…Jack. Shit. How could she have forgotten that? He'd been gone for days now.
She ran a hand through her hair in exasperation, blinking back the tears which were threatening to fall. Hurriedly, she grabbed the cup and poured the tea down the plughole before putting it beside the sink, concealed behind a stack of plates.
"You alright Sandra?" Gerry asked, alerted by the clatter of the china on the metal surface.
"Yeah, I've just…poured water into Jack's mug by mistake." She murmured, returning to her task of removing the teabags and adding sugar to Gerry's beverage. Despite her apparent focus, she didn't fail to catch the concerned glance that passed between her two teammates. Carefully, she began the journey over to Brian's desk, placing the cup down gently without meeting his eyes. She moved to do with the same with Gerry's, but he caught her hand just as she was about to turn away.
"Sandra…look at me." He said quietly, for once without a hint of humour in his tone. She obeyed, looking first at their connected hands, and then into his eyes. "Look, don't worry about it. It's only been a few days, and we've been making each other cuppas for years, one of us was bound to forget at some point."
"I know," she said, hastily rubbing her eyes with her free hand. "I'll be fine, it was just a silly mistake."
He didn't take his eyes off her as she removed her hand from his and returned into her office, closing the door behind her with a heavy click. After a few moments of silence, he turned back to his work, Sandra's purple mug left abandoned on the worktop catching his eye as he did so. He sighed, putting his head in his hands.
Nothing would ever be the same again.