Title: Heart decided
Author: Loz
E-Mail: loz06(at)yahoo(dot)com
Rating: T
Category: Neil.Andrea...Who else? Oh and the supporting cast, can't forget them.
Series: Story number twenty three. What follows are titles and story ID numbers:
(1) After he's at her door – 2486705 (11) When they're back together – 2619492
(2) When the mighty fall – 2506192 (12) Life almost in balance – 2630121
(3) While his wife's away – 2525486(13) Life under pressure – 2666280
(4) While they're away – 2543010 (14) Trying to have a life together – 2699235
(5) When love's not working – 2543013 (15) Outside influences on their lives – 2704730
(6) Boundaries when broken up – 2562611 (16) When things start falling apart – 2727112
(7) What happens on the train – 2579012 (17) When they're approaching the end again - 2750079
(8) When they work together – 2595808 (18) Trying not to drift apart – 2891564
(9) When she wants him back – 2598312 (19) When the truth comes out - 2912317
(10) When they're stuck together – 2611364 (20) How things are going to be – 2954769
(21) When they work together…again – 2959211 (22) When Andrea moves on – 3181250
(23) Heart decided - 3188794
Spoilers: So minor it shouldn't ruffle any feathers.
Archive (if applicable): www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net(slash)loz06
Feedback: The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated.
Summary: Neil makes a decision about Andrea but it leaves her in an awkward situation, one that will possibly devastate Neil all over again.
Disclaimers: My heart has decided this is the pair I love writing the most, now if only hearts desire could bring ownership of the characters.
"Good morning, today is the eleventh of January and the time is six thirty, time for the news." In the kitchen Andrea picks up on the information and dashes to the TV, nearly spilling her coffee down the front of her.
As the newsreader starts with the top story of the day, Andrea checks the date at the bottom of the screen, the eleventh, tomorrow is Neil's birthday, and it almost escaped her. She goes back to her burning toast, she won't think about it again till almost midday.
"Andrea." Louise snaps her fingers pulling her from her thoughts. In the five minutes down time she had, she'd begun thinking if she should do something for Neil's birthday. She's reminded of the ring on her right hand and although it was better times for them, it seems the least she can do is call and say happy birthday, "Staff meeting before lunch."
That night as Andrea browses through the supermarket to pick up a few things she's run out of she comes across the gift wrapping and cards. She picks out something simplistic, without a message that indicates any type of romantic relationship and decides she'll sign for Cally as well. At the checkout she has second thoughts but the card is scanned and goes in with the rest of her things. At home she keeps it simple - To Neil, Happy Birthday, Andrea and Cally. For humour she draws a paw print.
Neil checks his phone messages after he's dropped his coat over the back of the sofa; it's more out of habit that anything but lately a small part of him wants there to be a message from Andrea. He's missed her since New Years Eve despite the simple message she sent. They should have be out celebrating together, in a crowd of partygoers or alone, it shouldn't have mattered they'd only have eyes for each other, it should have been a time for them to celebrate the fact he'd soon legally be free to be with her.
At his desk was a sad and lonely way to spend the night, when he'd found her message he wanted to call but knew she'd be out having a good time. Besides what message would he be sending, he's not definitely sure what he wants right now though he's leaning in her direction. He'd told himself the message was probably just her being polite, a carbon copied message sent to everyone in her phone. Then again maybe he should be putting more hope into that small message.
Colin had been out New Years Eve, getting on with his own life and moving away from needing him as he'd predicted, much of his time was spent with Julia. He'd just hoped it wouldn't happen so soon.
He couldn't stand the sight of Andrea after she told him the truth, to this date he hasn't been able to look at her diary. He was heartbroken, shattered and almost slid from loving her to the other end of the scale - hating her. She'd betrayed him in one of the biggest ways and at the time he wasn't sure he could ever get back from that. Time apart was what he needed, to run the gauntlet of emotions but now it's becoming hard without her. With Colin back but with his own girlfriend sometimes it still feels like he's not here and although he doesn't know it, Colin was the one he used to get him through the dark days.
Now he's beginning to think he can forgive her, he was devastated initially – for something to be going so well and to then have it all come crashing down, it was made worse by the shock and while the leaks still sit uncomfortably with him, he understands her intentions weren't out of malice towards him. He could learn to trust her again after all she did. Through all the times when he said he'd leave Philippa…eventually and never did.
That is if she still wants him, Neil senses Smithy is on Andrea's radar and he may loose out to the young sergeant.
Colin's footsteps had faded not long after the door shut and Neil had assumed he'd gone to the kitchen.
"You're actually watching this?" Colin asks astounded, Neil quickly recovers from the surprise of his son's voice coming from behind the sofa.
"It was a habit I got…" Neil starts but soon realises anything else said will be blatantly obvious. When the dark haired PC comes into the scene Neil allows himself the acknowledgement that he's been thinking about Andrea a lot lately and he's missed the fact work hasn't brought her to Sun Hill. Behind him Colin shuffles into the room.
"How would you feel if I started seeing someone?" Neil stands in Colin's bedroom doorway later; Colin immediately looks up from his magazine.
"Is she going to be my stepmother?" When Neil thinks about it, there's little chance of picking up with Andrea from where they left off, he doesn't get a chance to reply. "I don't hate the idea but I don't like it either. I know that's unfair because you deserve to be happy. I don't know why I don't like it, I just don't."
"Because it's not going to be your mum," Neil fills in the gaps.
"Probably but I have this image of a horrible step mother who you choose without me having any say."
"I wouldn't be happy with someone who doesn't treat you well." Neil admits, realising the events they're speaking of are a long way off. "Anyway I'm not divorced yet."
"Still you don't have to ask my permission, well you're not supposed to." The second half of the sentence Neil adds to the odd things Colin has said lately which he cannot decipher.
"You deserve to be told or consulted at least."
"As long as she's not…" Colin stops and thinks, smiling. "Twenty one, blonde and works in a pub."
Neil laughs, "You don't think much of me then, I did alright with your mum didn't I?" As soon as he's said it he regrets it and immediately switches to casual. "I don't have anyone in mind, it's just that I…"
"Please dad." Colin interrupts. "I've gotten this far in life without being mentally scarred."
"Yeah thanks." Neil smiles and shakes his head. "Don't come to me about Julia then."
"Whoever it is, I'll try my best to like her." Neil appreciates the gesture, as hard as it may be and no matter if it fails down the track.
"Do you really hate that your mum and I are split?" Neil just hopes for an honest answer.
"Not a whole lot." Colin meets his father's eyes. "But you're both happier and you both spend more time with me than before." Neil knows some of that is guilt from not having done it before.
"I never intended it to be this way." Neil knows it's the truth and Colin nods once, it's too deep for either of them to discuss.
Back in front of the TV he doesn't watch Neil knows if he's going to ask Andrea back into his life he needs to be sure Colin has had time to get used to the idea and that he's going back to Andrea for the right reasons, not just because he's lonely.
Andrea groans as she realises it's the phone that has awoken her, she groans louder as she sees the clock, five thirty in the morning. Her sleepy arm barely has the strength to reach for the phone; her hello is muffled into her pillow, unwilling to subject the person on the other end to her voice till she's used it for the first time.
"Andrea, I need you at Sun Hill, they've got a hostage situation on their hands. A guy came home from night shift to find his wife in bed with another man. We think he has a knife and he's refusing to come out."
"Oh Louise," Andrea groans.
"I don't care if this hits close to home for you Andrea, I'm in with the brass over this documentary thing today, I need you to handle it and I'm relying on you because you're the only one I can trust with it." Louise sounds stressed and short tempered, clearly she was rudely awoken as well but has been up and functioning for a while.
"I'll keep you updated." Andrea says before hanging up. True it's the last sort of case she ever wants to go near and she's still unsettled at the idea about of the card for Neil's birthday and now being around him all day. She's just gotten comfortable with the idea of leaving it on his desk when he wasn't there.
She makes it out the door in record time, grabbing the card as she goes.
The press is already gathering around the front of the station, blocking the front doors. Andrea slips unnoticed through the lot gates as another patrol car accelerates out of the lot with its sirens blazing.
"Andrea." The DCI calls, her attention on the activity that has the station buzzing.
"It's all kicked off." She comments heading up the ramp with Jack Meadows.
"Come upstairs and I'll fill you in, the Super has some specific requests." Having been up from such an early hour, Andrea just wants to get on with it. "Can you get rid of them from out the front?"
"When they see I'm here they'll want to go where I do." Andrea says acknowledging the press are not the type of shadow she enjoys.