Authors Note- I thought it was time for a short fanfiction with the new team and what with all these ice bucket challenges it was the perfect excuse. UCOS I nominate you for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Enjoy and reviews are very much welcome. Jeni x
Early morning and Danny was the first to arrive at UCOS headquarters. He was early on account of the fact he was expecting a delivery. He was always at work when Eric the postman called at his home.
He switched on his computer and began his daily warm up ritual, starting with trawling through his professional and personal emails. In his work related folder there was all the usual boring mails, some from Sasha assigning him this weekly tasks and daily objectives. A new, pointless system brought in by the Commissioner.
It was his personal emails that he really wanted to check. Life had been quiet since his beloved daughter Holly had left home for university and got herself a boyfriend. Ian was nice enough; he really did care about his daughter, which was every parent's dream. But somehow Dan still remained jealous of his daughter's new relationship. It had always been Holly and he, invincible, against the world. Suddenly that had been snatched from him; the rug he was standing on had been ripped from underneath his size tens.
There for it came as a very pleasant surprise when he was notified of an email sent by his one and only daughter. The actual content was brief, the email simply read:
Hey Dad, hope you are okay, sorry about this- it's all for a good cause, try and enjoy it! I will ring you at the weekend.
Holls xxx
Intrigued by her message, Dan downloaded the video attachment.
The video showed Holly sat in her wheelchair facing the halls of residence block, where she was currently residing at.
"Hey everyone, this is my ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, thanks to the wonderful Ian for the nomination, love you. I've texted ICED 55 to 70070 and donated to the MND Association. I nominate Becky Longshore, George Hooper and my lovely Dad, Danny Griffin. You have 24 hours guys, good luck and don't forget to donate!"
And then the video showed the young man who had been stood behind Holly for the whole time reaching down and picking up a florescent yellow bucket.
"Ready?" asked the girl behind the camera asked.
"As ready as I will ever be" Holly said, knocking her knees together due to a mixture of nerves and adrenaline.
Without further ado the ice cold water and stray ice cubes splattered down on top of Holly's head. She squealed as the chilly liquid touched her head and skin. The screams were quickly followed by fits of giggles from both the partaker and her supporters.
Dan also laughed at his daughter's antics in helping raise awareness for Motor neurone disease, as it is known in Britain.
"Holly got nominated too?" Sasha said hanging up her jacket on her arrival.
"Yeah but now the little madam has nominated me now" Danny said closing the video playing software and turning to face his boss.
"Well that means we can do it together. You know I am all for donating to charities but does it really take a bucket of ice being thrown on your head to do that?"
"It's so you feel for a split second how someone suffering from Motor Neurone, or ALS if you are American, would, in a bid to raise awareness. If you accept the challenge the set donation is currently £3 and £10 if you refuse to partake." Dan explained, having thoroughly researched the current social media phenomenon, just in case that was what Holly and her university pals were up to. "Have you been nominated by your darling children too?" Danny inquired.
"No, actually they all donated their friends, it was Strickland funnily enough. I would have said that he chose me as a sort of ice breaker activity, but then again I have been in charge of you and the terrible twins long enough, so maybe it is because he can't resist my irresistible charm." Sasha winked.
"Stop right there" Dan said holding up his hand to holt her speech. Sasha looked at him out of sorts. "Your jokes are getting almost as bad as Steve's."
"I heard that" the Scotsman said as he slammed the department door behind himself and Gerry who he had arrived with.
"Good, maybe it will mean you think before you tell an unfunny joke."
Steve looked at his colleague with a more than dissatisfied look painted across his face.
"Boys, do we need hugging out time again?" Their boss asked teasingly.
"Dare I ask what you two were up to before we walked through the door" Gerry said in that cheeky schoolboy way of his, attempting to change the subject.
"Actually Gerry, we were talking about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, we've both been nominated" Sasha explained.
Gerry and Steve laughed.
"Good luck with that one" The shorter of the two men said.
"Oh please, can I be the one to throw the water on you?" Gerry pleaded.
"Maybe, we have 24 hours to do it in, so if everyone works hard, Gerry can chuck the water on us later this evening" Sasha reasoned.
"Speak for yourself" Dan muttered under his breath.
"And who did you plan on helping you complete the challenge, laughing boy?"
"Oh you are planning on doing it aren't you Danny? I need someone to hold my hand while I do it." DCI Miller said widening her eyes and battering her extended eyelashes.
"Oh go on" he said, never being one to resist the female charm, especially when it came to his boss.
"Yes!" Sasha exclaimed.
"You lot seem happy this morning"
"Good morning Sir" Sasha said greeting DAC Robert Strickland. "Are those the new case files?"
"Yes they are" he said handing them over to Gerry.
"Excellent, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can give the MND Association our money and our dignity."
"Oh of course your challenge, I hope you don't mind me nominating you Sasha, the Commissioner sort of backed me into a corner- still it's all for a good cause" he smiled.
"Not at all, Sir, Dan has been nominated too; we are going to do it together."
"Wonderful, the overflow car park is empty, no time like the present; I can tip the water over you, if you like."
"I thought that was my job" Gerry growled.
"Well, Sir you can chuck it over Dan, if you like?"
"Brilliant, I have a couple of buckets in my office from when I did my challenge yesterday; I shall go and get them. Meet you in the car park in say, ten minutes?"
"What now?" Dan queried.
"Well why not, it is for a good cause and did I mention, you can't begin investigating the Brownslow case until you have written up the paperwork." Robert smirked as he removed himself from the office.
"I better go with him and make sure there is plenty of ice in them buckets" Gerry said hot on Rob's heels.
Once Sasha and Dan had made their donations via text messages, they timidly made their way to the disused overflow car park at the back of the building, like lambs to the slaughter.
"Holly is going to love this" Dan said, coming face to face with Gerry and Rob, who stood there grinning by the heavy duty black buckets.
"I hope to god Ned or his little friends aren't watching" prayed Sasha.
Steve managed to take his eyes off his puzzle game for a few minutes and filmed Dan and Sasha's challenge; they decided to do it together seen as they had chosen to nominate the same two people.
"We nominate, Steve McAndrew and Gerry Standing, you have 24 hours and don't forget to donate!" They said unanimously. Gerry and Steve glared at them, both feeling stupid over the fact neither of them had considered the possibility of their work mates nominating the pair of them.
"Right!" Gerry growled running up to his boss holding the bucket high. Gerry Standing was a man on a mission.
"Gerry, no!" She squealed as the rush of icy water hit her hard in the face. The whole team laughed, and then it was Robert's turn to douse Dan in the freezing liquid.
"Holly, it's a good job I love you" Dan shivered; pointing at the camera. The water seemed far colder after it was thrown, compared to when it was being poured. He turned to see the rest of his team stood in a row facing him, their faces depicted amusement, their smiles and the good deed factor he was now feeling, made him burst into a roaring fit of laughter, louder than the rest of the giggles that had filled the concrete landscape.
"I quite enjoyed that!" He announced, beaming with pride.
"You would say that, now we have to bloody well do it!" Gerry moaned.
"Oh come on Gerry, it's a bit of fun and plus if the two pussycats of the group can do it, we can do it with ease."
"Who are you calling a pussycat, McAndrew?!" Sasha exclaimed. "Right, Sir go and get two more buckets of really, really cold water, let's see how man they really are, and don't forget to put in at least a tonne of ice" she ordered aggressively, Sasha Miller wasn't one to be messed with.
"With pleasure" Strickland beamed, he had wanted to drown Gerry Standing in ice cold water more than once in the time he had worked with him.