Meet the Dasari's.
Legal Stuff: - Nope still not mine unfortunately.
A/N: - The Bill is dead long live The Bill!
Jacob 'Banksy' Banks had his head firmly buried in his paperwork when he felt something hard hit the back of his neck.
"What the heck…." He grumbled retrieving a ball of paper from down the back of his chair.
"Ouch" Mickey Webb jolted as an almost identical ball of paper hit him on the cheek.
"Psst….Mickey, Bansky is the coast clear" A clearly anxious voice whispered to the two men from outside CID. CSE Eddie Olosunje was peeping around the door waiving a white handkerchief attached to a ruler "I come in peace with the DNA report on the Mitchell case Stevie wanted."
"It's ok Eddie the DI is busy tearing Terry limb from limb inside his office so you can come in" Stevie told him indicating the closed blinds and door with her head.
"Thank god for that" Eddie sighed using the handkerchief to dab his forehead "Please tell me Grace will be back soon I don't know how much more my nerves can take of Manson Khan in there" Eddie nodded towards the DI's office "Alright he loves the girl and he misses her enough already."
"If you ask me this temporary job Gracie's got lecturing on Criminology at Hendon for a month is all a loud of bull she's finally seen sense and binned him that's why he's in such a bad mood" Max snorted.
"Nobody did" Mickey rolled his eyes.
"Two weeks, three days, fourteen hours and six minutes" Stevie consulted her watch "Then she should be back with us and I vote we handcuff her to her chair so she can never leave again."
"It works for me" Mickey nodded.
"I don't think I can last that long" Eddie wailed and passed his report to Stevie "He made me double check my results on the Langstaff blood stains four times yesterday he's going doolally without Grace."
As if on cue Terry Perkins emerged from the DI's office "Yes guv, no guv I 'm so sorry guv it won't happen again" He grimaced closing the door behind him.
"Is there any paint left on the walls" Stevie enquired as he slunk into his seat.
"One form I forgot to fill in one measly expenses form and he puts me on nightshift for a month" Terry grumbled "Something as got to be done."
"Desperate times mean desperate measures" Stevie concurred "There is only one thing we can do isn't there."
"Take him down the pub and get him pissed" Mickey agreed.
"That's a bit harsh isn't it? He probably just needs to talk is all" Banksey offered.
"Good that's one volunteer" Max grinned.
"I didn't say that" Banksey flinched.
"It's a good idea though your married you can talk to him about relationships and stuff" Eddie pointed out.
"If I must" Jacob agreed reluctantly.
"Terry you should go too" Stevie suggested.
"Why me? What did I do?" Asked Terry a little miffed.
"You're married too remember" Stevie said "Besides he's not likely to open up to me is he and Mickey, Max and Eddie haven't had a single date between them in at lest two years."
"Oi there is no need to get personal" Mickey pouted.
"I'm saving myself for Miss right if you must know" Eddie huffed.
"I'm too young to settle down" Max scoffed.
"Whatever Terry your going me DS you DC capiche" Stevie folded her arms across her chest.
"Yes Sarge" Terry groaned his day just kept getting worse.
At 7.30 that evening Banksey and Terry finished work suspiciously CID was deserted except for the two men and Neil Manson who was in his office preparing for the next day.
"Ready" Banksey eyed Terry nervously.
"As I'll ever be" Terry took a deep breath, counted to ten and knocked on the DI's office door.
"Guv me and Banksey are off to the pub….." Terry announced.
"I'm deliriously happy for you both" Manson snapped sarcastically.
"We thought maybe you'd like to come too guv" Banksey asked meekly.
"Not tonight lads you can see I'm busy….." Neil replied grumpily.
"I'm sure Grace wouldn't mind one drink…..not that you need Grace's permission" Terry blanched "She's not the boss of you or anything….help me out here Banksey" He hissed.
"It's Terry's birthday" Banksey said nudging his colleague in the ribs "Isn't it Terry."
"What? Oh yes it's my birthday and Sun Hill tradition states DI gets 'em in on a DC's Birthday" Terry shrugged.
"If it's the only way I'll get any peace and quiet" Neil scowled and grabbed his coat.
The Green Archer was quiet when the three men arrived Neil and Banksey commandeered a table whilst Terry collected the drinks.
"So are you two going to tell me what we are doing here really" Manson took a swig of his pint.
"We told you guv it's Terry's birthday" Banksey began.
"Terry's birthday is in November so out with it I want the truth" Neil insisted.
"Guv it's just that you haven't been your normal self recently and well it's starting to affect the team" Banksey winced trying to be as tactful as possible "Are you missing Grace by any chance?"
"Has it been that obvious" Manson stared forlornly into his glass.
"Smithy has been issuing riot shields to uniform for the last two weeks" Terry joked
"So you two drew the short straw did you" Neil guessed accurately.
"Think of it as motivated self preservation" Banksey did his best to try and lighten the mood.
"Max thinks Grace has binned you" Terry told him truthfully.
"He might be right by this time next week" Neil took another swig of beer "Yes I'm missing Grace nothing feels right without having her here with me but it's not just that though Grace's cousin Nadia is getting married on Saturday."
"Sorry guv I don't think we understand" Banksey explained as he and Terry shared a baffled look "Does Grace want to get married too is that what's worrying you?"
"I don't know I'm too scared to ask her to be honest" Neil revealed "Grace wants me to go with her to Brighton for the weekend and meet her family for the first time her parents and her brothers will all be there you see."
"Ah I see" Banksey twigged "You're worried they won't approve of you."
"Why should they? I'm a workaholic copper the wrong side of thirty five with one failed marriage already behind me and a kid in tow not exactly ideal son in law material am I?" Neil grunted.
"Do you want to be their son in law?" Banksey asked carefully.
"I do" Neil answered "All I want is to be with Grace always."
"Have you asked her what she wants" Terry wondered.
"How can I? If I tell her I don't want to meet her parents she'll bin me, If I go this weekend and they hate me which they will then she'll bin me it's a lose lose situation here for me chaps" Neil drained the last dregs of his pints "And it's doing my head in."
"Yeah all women should come with a health warning attached" Terry agreed.
"Oh it gets better" Neil continued "Do you two remember Sunil Davadra?"
"Grace's ex-fiancé" Banksey nodded.
"The high flying, Oxford graduate Barrister type ex-fiancé who still loves her and hasn't married in the hopes he can get her back somehow well his brother Munir is the groom" Neil rubbed his eyes tiredly "So the perfect son in law they hand picked for her will be there too how can I even hope to compete with that."
"Ouch" Terry sympathized "It really isn't your week guv is it."
"Tell me about it" Neil grunted and raised his hand to attract the barman's attention "Then there is the icing on the cake I tried to get out of it said I was working all weekend then she threatened to make me sleep on the couch for six months ….six months of not getting intimate with Grace what the heck am I supposed to do? I think I need some quality time with my new best friend Jack Daniels."
"That won't help guv" Banksey argued pushing his boss' hand back down.
"Oh I don't know" Terry muttered.
"Banksey one way or the other I'm about to loose the love of my life where does it say I need to be sober" Neil countered.
"So in other words you have nothing to lose do you" Banksey pointed out.
"Spose so" Neil admitted half-heartedly.
"If it makes you feel any better Naomi's parents hated me on sight I'm hoping a few more decades I might wear them down to strongly dislike but we are still together anyway so go home, get your best suite out of mothballs and sweep Grace of her feet you've got nothing to lose by trying have you" Banksey offered.
"That actually makes sense guv fight for her" Terry added "Maybe she happens to like divorced, workaholic coppers the wrong side of thirty five with a kid and surely hers is the only opinion of you that matters not her family's. I'm convinced my father in law has had a contract out on me since they day we met and as a dad to a daughter myself I can tell you no man is good enough for my little girl doesn't matter who but if he cared about her I mean really cared about her then I would at least expect him to fight me every step of the way and I'm betting Grace's parents feel the same about any man she might bring home it's human nature it's called being a responsible, loving parent you're a father you should know that already"
"If she wanted to marry Davadra surely she would have done so years ago the Grace we all know and love as a mind and spirit of her own I don't think she'd let anyone not even her parents tell her what to do" Banksey counselled wisely "Anyway if you don't go then your letting her down aren't you?"
"I could never do that" Neil confessed "Your right I only care what she thinks and feels I'd rather face her parents a million million times over than hurt Grace so I'll do it for her go to the wedding thanks for the pep talk lads I think I needed a little clarity."
"Not our doing guv I think you always knew what you wanted to do deep down, all we did was make you see the truth" Banksey grinned.
"Problem solved then" Terry nodded triumphantly "Your round I believe guv and about nightshift …."
When Neil arrived home the place was in total darkness switching on the hall light he dumped his overcoat and shoes then padded upstairs to his bedroom, standing by the bedroom door he paused for a moment to stare at the lovely sight that greeted him. Grace was sleeping peacefully in his bed "You look just like an angel" He whispered softly to himself. Tiptoeing across the room he knelt by the bed and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead then he moved downwards butterflying kisses along her cheek till he arrived at her lips.
"Mmm ….hello" She smiled up at him as he woke her from her slumber.
"Hello" He finished off by kissing the tip of her nose "I….I'm sorry about this morning I didn't mean to yell at you."
"It's ok I should have realized soon how nervous you must be about meeting my family I could go to the wedding by myself they will understand" Grace assured him "I understand."
"How do you do that? Read me like a book" Neil marvelled at her intuition.
"You're a terrible liar" Grace stroked his cheek affectionately "Your bottom lip tends to wobble."
"I must remember that" Neil took her hand and kissed it "I'm coming with you on Saturday that's if you'll still have me of course I would be honoured to meet your family…. I love you so much Grace and I don't care who knows it."
"Come here" Grace reached out for him.
Neil grinned and complied happily as she wrapped her arms around him drawing him close "Thank you trust me my parents will adore you because I do" Then she placed a long, warm passion fuelled kiss on his lips.
To be continued…
A/N: - The whole hand holding was just so sweet but why no kiss? I have an image of Jack Meadows catching them kissing on his way out that just doesn't want to leave my head. Anyway all reviews gratefully accepted as always.