Title: Deception
Author: Sara (aka Storm)
Rating: NC-17
Keywords: Andrea/Neil.
Summary: Andrea and Neil are having a bad week, and things just keep getting worse. With issues of deception, and Yvonne's Mystery Boyfriend comments, the day is not going to end well.
Archive: Anywhere else that wants it, just let me know first.
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: The Bill, and its characters don't belong to me. They never have and never will. I'm just playing with them for a bit. Can I please have John and Claire? They're not in the show anymore after all.
Author's Notes: Not much to say really. A big thank you to my biggest fans Gem and Claire, you are the inspiration that keeps me writing fan fiction. I wrote this story ages ago and never got around to typing it up, so as promised. Here it is.
Deception
"What a week," I mumble to myself, wondering how many more things can go wrong in the next 48 hours. I've had to deal with everything from my washing machine developing a leak and flooding my kitchen, to Bruce coming round at all hours of the morning demanding tidbits of information. When will he learn, I don't work for him anymore?
I walk through the corridors of Sun Hill deep in thought, well that is until I walk straight into the DI; literally.
"Sorry sir," I say, looking up quickly, "I was lost in thought."
"Forget it," he says walking off.
That's another of my problems; he's just as fed up as I am. Encase you can't already guess, we've been seeing each other on the quiet for a while now. The trouble is, people are starting to get suspicious, add to that the fact we've got to keep it quiet because he's married and you get a pretty clear picture of why we're so depressed.
I turn around and am about to ask him if he's ok, but he's just turned the corner and I don't want everyone to hear. Sometimes talking to each other is the only thing that gives us the energy to get through the day. Oh well, only two more hours worth of paperwork to do, then I can go home and relax.
3 Hours Later.
I am sitting at home now, in front of the TV, not that I'm really watching it; it just helps to dispel some of the silence. It can get pretty lonely here sometimes. I consider calling Yvonne or Honey, but quickly change my mind when I realize they'll just keep going on about this mystery boyfriend thing. It's almost funny sometimes, how they can't see what's right in front of them.
I lie down on the sofa and drift into a light sleep, too lazy to get up and crawl into bed. Maybe things will be better tomorrow.
5 Hours Later.
I am woken up by someone knocking on my door. I quickly glance at the clock on my VCR and figure that I better answer it. The neighbors don't like being woken up at 2am every morning by someone knocking on my door.
I get up and wrap a blanket around me before walking to the door to see who it is. As soon as I open it, Neil bursts in and starts pacing up and down my living room. He seems really agitated, something must have happened. I close the door and follow him to the living room. This is going to be a long night.
"What's happened?" I ask him as soon as I've got his attention.
He doesn't answer at first; he just continues pacing the room. Eventually he sits down on the sofa and begins to explain.
"I stayed late at work, finishing off the crime reports. I was gonna come here, but I thought I best make an appearance at home first; you know how it is. So anyway I went in and nobody was about. I decided to grab some things and make a quick exit." He pauses at that to let the information sink in.
"So what happened?" I prompt him.
"I continued upstairs and still I heard nothing. I assumed Phillipa was asleep, and I think I remember Jake saying something about staying over at a mate's house tonight. Phillipa was asleep alright, but she wasn't the only one. I saw Phil Hunter lying beside her."
"My God, what did you do?"
"Nothing! I was too shocked to do anything. I just grabbed what I went in for and came straight here. I didn't know what else to do and I guess I needed to talk to someone. Sorry for waking you up."
"Don't worry about it, I'm glad you came," I say sitting down beside him and wrapping my arms around him in a protective embrace.
Silence settles between us as we let the information sink in, trying not to dwell on it too much.
"How do you feel about things now?" I ask after a few minutes.
"Shocked still, and surprised; I didn't see it coming, I mean Phil Hunter of all people, I just … I'm having trouble believing it all."
"Are you sure …?" I trail off allowing him to fill in the gaps.
"They were both naked, fast asleep in bed together; somehow I doubt they were discussing the weather, do you?"
"Fair point; what are you gonna do?"
"What can I do? I guess I should have expected it really; we've been drifting apart for years. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. I just don't know how to deal with it, and I'm dreading seeing Phil at work tomorrow. I just know I'm gonna do something stupid."
"Let's not think about that now," I say, "let's get some rest. Things won't seem so bad in the morning."
I get up and head towards my bedroom hoping he will follow. I curl up under the blankets trying to get warm. Neil joins me a few minutes later, curling up beside me and wrapping his arms around my waist. I roll over to face him and plant a small kiss on his lips. He returns the gesture, gradually deepening it. We part gasping for breath.
"It's late," I whisper.
He cuts me off with another breathtaking kiss. Part of me wants this, the other part, the more rational side, knows we both need to sleep, if we don't want to be late for work in the morning. Rumors are already beginning to circulate. Eventually my heart wins the internal war and I return his kisses whole heartedly. Things quickly become heated and within seconds we are stripping each other of our clothing.
I leave a trail of kisses down his chest as I remove his shirt, stopping just north of the waistband of his trousers. I return to his mouth, desperate to feel his breath mingling with mine. The rest of our clothes are thrown into the air, landing in various places around the room, forgotten for the time being as the need to be joined as one becomes more urgent with each passing second.
After what feels like an eternity Neil finally pushes into me, each agonizing but pleasurable thrust bringing us closer and closer to that special place that only loving couples share. With one final thrust I feel the waves of pleasure washing over me. I ride them out, a powerful white light temporally blocking out everything around me, allowing me to concentrate on only the wonderful things I am feeling. The waves slowly subside and I concentrate on returning my breathing to it's usual rhythm. Neil rolls off of me equally exhausted. We share a small loving kiss before drifting off to sleep in each others arms.
The Next Morning.
I wake up to Neil nibbling on my ear and so I smile warmly up at him. It feels good waking up beside him. Usually he disappears sometime in the early hours of the morning to help prevent our secret from being discovered.
"As nice as this is, we're both gonna be late for work if you keep it up for much longer," I say trying to prevent my emotions from taking over.
One of us needs to keep a rational mind. I dare say if today wasn't a work day, we'd probably end up staying in bed all day.
"Alright," he says, not making any attempt to stop his assault on my body.
"I'm not joking Neil, we're already in enough trouble as it is, and someone's bound to notice we're both late on the same days soon. That's if they haven't already. It doesn't take an expert to put two and two together."
"Good point," he says eventually getting up and heading to the kitchen.
The cold morning air makes me automatically long to take back what I've just said, but deep down, I know it's not a good idea. I eventually emerge from underneath the blankets and look cautiously around the room. Clothes are scattered everywhere, the evidence of last nights activities. I can't be bothered to pick them up now, so I just grab the first item I can find and make my way to the kitchen for breakfast.
"That top share's a very close resemblance to my shirt," comments Neil.
"I does a bit doesn't it? I was the first thing I put my hand on," I explain.
The subject is dropped as we eat breakfast and get ready for work, the mess in the bedroom temporally forgotten.
1 Hour Later.
I only remember the mess I have forgotten to clean up halfway through the morning briefing.
"Oh shoot," I mumble desperately hoping nobody heard me.
"What's up?" Yvonne whispers from beside me.
"Just forgot to put the laundry on before I came in, it's not that important," I explain.
"… and PC's Hemmingway and Dunbar can have that task," Inspector Gold cuts through our conversation causing the rest of the relief to start laughing, "off you all go then."
We follow everyone out of the room knowing we are in trouble.
"Let's get this over with then," Neil says from beside me.
I never even realized he was in the briefing room to begin with. I look at him in silent question, silently looking for any clues to what he meant.
"Serves you right for talking," he says with a chuckle, "I'm stuck with you two for the day, Meadows' idea of punishment," he explains.
"Don't worry Sir, we won't cause you too much trouble," says Yvonne.
I can't help but laugh, if only she knew.
"What were you talking about anyway?" Neil asks us.
"Andrea mumbled something and I asked her what she said, and she said something about forgetting to do the laundry or something," Yvonne blurts out.
An invisible light bulb seems to switch on above Neil's head, "I really didn't need to know that."
We make our way out to the car park deep in thought.
30 Minutes Later.
We have been driving around in virtual silence for over 20 minutes now and I'm starting to feel really nervous. It's weird being in such close proximity to Neil, with Yvonne so close, I'm scared encase I say something awkward, that could reveal our secret.
"So anymore news on this mystery boyfriend of yours Andy?" Yvonne says breaking the silence.
Yeah, he's sitting in the back seat, I say silently.
"I really don't want to hear this conversation," interrupts Neil harshly, but saving me from having to come up with an answer.
"Thanks," I silently mouth.
"Somebody got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning," comments Yvonne in a sing-song voice.
"Well when you've had to go through what I went through last night, you'll understand the reason for my bad mood," he almost yells.
Yvonne falls silent, looking at him like he'd just spoke the previous comment in a foreign language.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout," Neil explains, barely above a whisper, "I'm just having a bad week."
"If you want to talk about it …?" Yvonne says, trailing off at the end.
"No thanks, just for everybody's sake, keep me away from Phil Hunter."
"Why? What's he done?" asks Yvonne.
"You don't want to know," Neil says ending the conversation.
2 Hours Later in the canteen.
I am sitting eating my lunch with Yvonne, Honey and Tony, like I usually do. Neil as joined us today as well, probably to avoid the chance of running into DS Hunter. Speaking of the devil, here he comes now, heading straight for our table. This is not gonna turn out well.
Phil approaches us and begins to speak, "Gov, can I have a word?" he asks Neil.
"Considering how much of a bad mood I'm in already Phil, I strongly suggest you stay out of my way for a few days, for your own safety," Neil growls, causing everyone on nearby tables to look at him in bewilderment.
I grab his hand under the table, ensuring it is out of view of everyone else, and squeeze it tightly in reassurance.
"Gov?" Phil chances.
He really has got a death wish. This situation as got the potential to turn nasty very quickly and I hope Phil will get the message and just leave us alone.
"Now's not a good time," I butt in, hoping to ease some of the tension and get Phil to leave.
He finally gets the message and ambles off towards CID.
"What was all that about?" asks Tony Stamp when things have settled down again.
We both ignore the question.
"He doesn't know you saw it, does he?" I ask Neil quietly, but seemingly not quiet enough.
"Saw what?" Tony butts in again.
"No, no he doesn't," Neil answers my question deliberately ignoring Tony's.
"Hello, can you hear me?" Tony asks waving his hand in front of our faces to gain our attention.
"YES, we heard you," I eventually answer.
"So … what was that argument with DS Hunter about? I thought you were friends?"
"Friend's" Neil snorts sarcastically, "That's a laugh, what sort of a FRIEND jumps into bed with your wife the moment your backs turned?"
"Ouch," the girls wince.
"I guess that's a good excuse for an argument," Tony mutters, shocked speechless by the revelation.
Silence descends on the people on the nearby tables, all shocked beyond belief.
"Shouldn't we get back out there?" Neil suggests, getting up and gesturing for us to follow him back outside.
I follow his lead, silently telling Yvonne to do the same.
"Sorry about that, but I just had to get out of there," Neil explains when we all reach the car.
"That's understandable," states Yvonne, "I couldn't stand that either; if you don't mind me asking, how did you find out?"
"When you walk into your own house, and see two naked people lying in bed together, the answers pretty self explanatory."
"So what did you do? You know, when …?"
"Nothing, I just got out of there as fast as I could, and went to a mate's house," he explains, turning his gaze to me, as if to add that extra information to his statement.
"What are you gonna do now?"
"I'm not sure; I can stay with mates for the meantime, to give me a bit of time to sort things out. Then who knows what?"
The topic is dropped and we continue our duties on a much lighter note. All silently agreeing not to bring the topic back up until after shift.
"Are you coming to the pub tonight Andy?" Yvonne asks me a little while later.
"No, I think I'll give it a miss tonight, I'm really tired. I think a quiet night in front of the tele will do for me."
"Suit yourself then, some other time?"
"Yeah."
A Few Hours Later.
The shift is finally over and I'm tucked up on the sofa, in front of the TV, curled into Neil's lap. The sound of the TV drifts around us but we've both got too much on our mind to pay it any attention.
"Your gonna have to let Phil know that you know," I state, breaking the silence between us.
"I know; maybe in a way it's a good thing; A blessing in disguise. I feel like a hypocrite saying all these things about Phil, when we're doing exactly the same thing. Maybe everyone will be happy if we come clean. It might make things easier at the very least."
"Maybe, it will be awkward at first, but you're right, it might be better in the long run. You said it yourself, you've been arguing for years, putting on a brave face for the rest of the world. Maybe it's time to come clean."
"Alright, I'll call Phil and arrange a meeting. Let's do this one step at a time, and get started sooner rather than later. You'll come with me right? Support me?"
"If you want me there then yes; I love you Neil."
"I love you too," he says turning to kiss me gently.
I return his kiss fervently. We eventually break apart, gasping for air.
"Let's do this," he says pulling his phone from his pocket and dialing Phil's number.
1 Hour Later in a Bar in the Middle of Town.
We are sitting at a table nervously awaiting Phil's arrival. I glance around the room desperate for this to be over. We all agreed it would be best to have this conversation in a neutral setting; things are less likely to get so heated.
"Gov, Andrea," Phil greets, approaching our table, "What's all this about?"
"There's something I want to talk to you about," Neil says sounding extremely calm, despite the situation, "About the reason I yelled at you earlier today."
Phil drops down in the seat opposite us, watching us curiously, "You see," Neil continues, "I've been having a few bad weeks and something I saw the other night, just pushed me over the edge."
"What's this got to do with me?" asks Phil.
"I saw you Phil; I know what you've been doing."
"What are you talking about Guv?"
"Don't bother to deny it, I saw you with my own eyes."
"Saw what?" Phil asks again, then falling silent as realization dawns on him. "I…I can explain," he stutters.
"Save your breath, I'm not looking for explanations or apologies. I'm just trying to get things straight in my head."
"I … what can I say, it was an accident; a simple misunderstanding."
"How is falling into bed with someone's WIFE an accident or misunderstanding?"
Phil wisely shuts his mouth.
"I thought so," Neil answers a few seconds later, sounding a lot calmer, "I hope it was worth it?"
I watch the two silently, almost certain a fight is about to break out between them soon.
"Besides, believe it or not, you've actually done me a favor," adds Neil quietly, shifting his gaze to me.
"I don't understand?" says Phil, looking almost as surprised as I am that Neil hasn't hit him yet.
"You wasn't meant to, I just wanted to clear a few things up; and I don't ever expect to be presented with a scene like that again," he pauses to allow the information to sink in, then turns to me and says, "Come on, let's get out of here."
I silently get up and follow Neil outside, leaving Phil sitting staring at us like he's not sure what's just happened is real.
We jump into my car and head back to my flat, phase one of our plan complete.
The End.
This story continues in the sequel, Sun Hill Christmas. Coming to a site near you soon.