Disclaimer not mine!

This is just a short little story I cooked up while watching 'God's Waiting Room' as when Pru Saunders said she would be happy if Lenard saw her as a consolation prize it got me thinking, there are two men in Sandra's life that would be more than happy to be her consolation prize. Enjoy love Gee xx

Strickland left the UCOS office. He didn't know why but he felt like he was drifting apart from him team. He had always been aware that certain members, Gerry Standing, never had had much respect for him but now it appeared his attitude had even rubbed off on Sandra.

This saddened Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert Strickland as he had always had a soft spot for Sandra Pullman. He was also aware that this was no secret either, he saw the was Gerry Standing mocked him for it, he saw the way Sandra tried to deny those little looks he gave her whenever he was debriefing her about a new case.

He put the way Gerry reacted to those 'little looks' down to straightforward jealously as it was also no secret that Gerry Standing also had a soft spot for Sandra.

He put the way Sandra brushed off those 'little looks' down to embarrassment, he had always known that he wasn't her type. She needed a real man, someone that was tough and wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty when it came to protecting her. Yes there was no doubt in his mind that he would be able to care for her and protect her but not in that way exactly. She needed some like Gerry Standing.

Rob Strickland wished he could be more like Gerry Standing at times, yes the man never failed to get on his nerves but he seemed to have understood how to treat a woman, after all he was forever telling the office this. When it came to women Strickland was the polar opposite of Gerry he was not a womaniser he would ensure at all times his woman was okay, that she had everything she could ever want or need. He would treat her like a real lady. Maybe that explains his one divorce to Gerry's three. But seen as they were both divorced maybe it showed neither of them to be right when it came to women.

Either way most women he knew, Sandra included seemed to prefer men like Gerry Standing in comparison to him. He saw the way Sandra looked at Gerry in return, he saw the way they laughed and shared a joke (probably at his expense), he saw the way they would always take the piss out of each other but they always knew it was a joke, he saw the way she was concerned about him if for some reason he wasn't there and he saw the way they always seemed to have fun in each other's company.

Strickland wanted this, he longed that Sandra would notice him, he longed that she would no longer the way he looked at her.

He knew if she ever chose him over someone like Gerry he would be the consolation prize but that was good enough for him, he didn't care how long he had to wait for her he knew he could be so right for her.

Doubling back he re-entered the UCOS hub, luckily Jack, Brian and Gerry all appeared to be out leaving Sandra to do the paper work.

He knocked on her office door.

"Come in" she said not looking up from the paper work.

"Sorry Sandra I forgot to ask you, I don't suppose you would like to have dinner this week with me, you know to go over the paper work needed for next month's audit" he read her face, he could see in her eyes that she knew perfectly well that he had an ulterior motive other than having dinner to discuss work, after all they could do that here, right now.

" Thank you Sir, that is very kind of you, can I let you know, only I'm a bit busy this week my mother's ill again-"

"It's alright I understand"

"I haven't said no yet, Sir, I'll let you know tomorrow"

"Okay, thank you Sandra" he said leaving the office, well it had been worth the try and she hadn't said no right away so maybe that was something.

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I thought it was time for more Strickland fics :) Please feel free to review and let me know what you though of the first chapter! Love Gee xx