Disclaimer I don't own New Tricks

Authors note I was watching 'Old Dogs' today, and this just kind of came to me. I'm not sure what it is or is meant to be, but I kind of wanted to explore their friendship. So here you go!

Wine Talk

She'd nearly lost him, the man she so strongly had thought of as a father for many years. The man who had taught her how to be the Detective she now was today, who had shown her when to pursue a lead and when to take a step back and evaluate the evidence in front of her – whether it be big or small. Who had pretty much adopted her and taken her into his heart and family.

Yet in the course of one day she had nearly lost him.

In the same was as she had lost her father all those years ago as a teenager, ripped from her heart without a seconds thought. And if she was honest then that was when she'd lost her mother. A daughter so hell bent on being the detective her father had been, or even a better one. Desperately wanting to climb the ranks and seek the approval of a man who would never be able to give her what she needed.

And yet here she was now, after shooting a stupid dog her life had changed. Yet if she was honest, it no longer felt like the punishment it had been intended to be. She'd learnt so much from them, learnt the old ways of policing, and how to be a better person. But for how long would it all last? How long would she be able to hide out among former officers before someone decided that the unit had said its piece and reached its expiry date?

Sighing she ran a finger around the rim of her wine glass and banished the thoughts from her mind. Sandra instead picked up the glass and took a sip of the white wine inside. She was on her own, the boys all gone their separate ways. So the blonde was sat in a corner of the typical British pub they so frequented, alone. Watching as the world passed her by in a blur of bear and crisps. Feeling like she had nearly lost her best friend.

"I thought that the boys would be with you?"A voice said. And she looked up from the clear liquid that had once more become the centre of her interests. There in front of her stood Robert Strickland, her boss and DAC of the Metropolitan Police. Yet instead of being annoyed at his sudden presence, she found herself being extremely glad she was no longer alone.

"Gerry has some 'hot date', Brian has Ester keeping tabs on him since he stopped taking his tablets and Jack is staying with them until Ester will release him from her grasp." DSI Sandra Pullman said as she looked up at him. Light blonde hair softly framing her face, and her fringe delicately drawing everyone to look into her bright blue eyes. There was a glass of red wine in hand, obviously bought before he'd noticed her, and his tie had long since been removed leaving his shirt open necked.

"Would you mind if I joined you then?" He questioned, slightly hesitant as to whether he was overstepping a boundary one or both of them had put in place at some point in time over the past years. After all, their relationship frequently switched between polar opposites. In the course of a day she could be pleasant to him, and he'd class her as a friend, and then an hour later they'd be slinging comments back and forth. But they were both similar in the way that they cared for those they worked with, and each other, and would go to the ends of the earth to protect them.

"Actually I'd be quite grateful of it." She said, a small and soft smile gracing her pink glossed lips. "No point in the both of us being sat in here lonely is there?"

He smiled softly at her, before pulling the chair opposite out and taking a seat. He placed his half drunk wine glass down on the dog eared, and faded cardboard bear mat that had been haphazardly dropped onto the table before opening. This was their pub, the UCOS teams. Every few days he'd watch them all leave together, laughing and joking – primarily at something Gerry had said. Either that or watch as they all headed out for a meal together. He was never invited; then again he wasn't really one of the gang. But he didn't resent them for that fact, he just accepted it. He was their boss, and that meant he had to act like it, not like a school child desperately trying to make friends.

"How's Jack doing?" He asked, having not seen the older man. Robert watched as a flash of hurt passed over the blonde's face at the mention of the former officer. The DAC was well aware that whilst the team was close there was an unbreakable loyalty between Jack and Sandra, and when they had the history that they did there was all due reason for there to be loyalty.

"He's being as stubborn as ever." She said, smirking at the thought of poor Ester having to deal with not only Brian but Jack as well. That woman was nothing short of a saint, Sandra was sure of that fact more than anything else. "I think he'll be fine though. He's dealt with a lot more than this and not faltered."

"He is definitely a fighter." Robert Said, smiling softly at the woman opposite him. "Give him my best."

"I will do." She said nodding, not quite knowing what else to say. He wasn't the kind of person who she felt comfortable discussing personal things with. And that was meant with no offence to him, because she was well aware of the fact that he was a great man. But their relationship had never had the chance to be that. It had always been purely business.

"You all did good work on this one, I know that you had a few mountains to climb and had the case dumped on you, but well done." He said, smiling. "UCOS has definitely beaten the expectations that were prejudiced of it."

"I have a great team; it wouldn't be the same without them." She said, and he could see the pride radiating off of them. He was well aware of the amount of transfers she had been offered. But she had built the ship, and he was certain that she loved sailing it.

"That you do." He said, and she was thankful that he had taken her mind off of Jack. They stayed in the bar for a couple more glasses of wine before she called a taxi home. The pair spoke about nothing in particular. But that was just what she needed. And by the time she stood up to go, she felt a lot better than she had done. And that was down to him. She'd never seen him in the way of a friend properly before that night, but in that moment she did. And she hoped to god that she would get to see that again some time.

But maybe that was just the wine talking . . .

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