Title: Renewal
Rating: G
Chapter: 1
Spoilers/Timeline: Spoilers for Amy Tennant MISPR conclusion, set current-day Bill
Pairing/Main Characters: Neil Manson, James Tennant
Summary: Neil is pleasantly surprised
Warnings: None
Authors Notes: After watching Live by the Sword tonight, I felt really sorry for poor Neil ("He calls another man Dad" :-( ) so I decided to write Neil a happy!fic.
Concrit: Please be as (constructively) harsh as you like, either in a PM or on the boards.
Neil stepped into Sun Hill's reception, holding the glass door open for Terry and Stevie who followed him out. It was a Friday afternoon, all was quiet, and CID were hurrying to the pub before anything did happen.
"Neil!" a familiar voice came from across reception, and Neil's exp ression visibly warmed as he knelt down and accepted a hug from a young blonde.
"Hello, Amy," he said warmly, pulling back to examine her and resting his hands on her shoulders. "How are you?"
"Good," Amy Tennant smiled broadly at the Inspector.
"I'm glad to hear it," Neil replied seriously.
"Hallo, Neil," James boomed, striding over and offering Neil a hand. Neil grasped it, and James easily pulled him to his feet before shaking his hand firmly.
"I hear congratulations are in order, mate," Neil said with a small smile towards Ruth, who came forward, cradling a small bundle in her arms. "Hi, Ruth."
"Yes," James' face lit up, gesturing towards the infant who lay in his wife's arms. "He's now a month old."
"Would you like to hold him?" Ruth asked.
"Thought you'd never ask," Neil said, tilting his head slightly as he accepted the baby, settling the infant with ease.
"He's a handsome fellow," Manson complimented the pair. He squinted closely at the child, and with a teasing note in his voice commented on his likeness to Ruth, and not James.
The naturally nosy CID officers had paused halfway out the door, struck by the somewhat disconcerting sight of their tough, grumpy DI holding a little infant so naturally. The intellectual knowledge that he had a son hadn't translated, in the minds of most officers, to a cuddly Neil Manson. Stevie nudged Jo, and with a conspiratorial glance the pair quietly counted down from three.
"Awwwww," the CID officers chorused loudly at their DI. Neil shot them a glare that was tempered by a crooked little half-smile. Stevie grinned unapologetically, and bounced over, peering over his arm. Following her lead, Grace and Jo succumbed to the pull of their inexplicable motherly instincts, heading over to admire the baby lying in their DI's arms.
"He's gorgeous," Stevie agreed with her boss. Blinking suddenly, she looked up.
"Not going to introduce us, gov? Bit rude of you, innit?" she teased lightly. Neil rolled his eyes.
"James, Ruth and Amy Tennant," he introduced blandly. "Motormouth here is DS Stevie Moss. You know Mickey, Terry and Jo from before, I think, but that's DS Max Carter, DC Jacob Banks, DC Grace Dasari, and DC Will Fletcher."
"Hi," James said with a warm smile. "You've got pretty much a whole new team, Neil."
"My charming personality," Neil quipped dryly. James laughed.
"So has your boy got a name?" Stevie asked, running a finger down the infant's cheek.
"Yeah," James said, sounding apprehensive. "We've named him Neil."
Neil's heart thudded to a sharp stop in his chest, and his head snapped up painfully as he met James' gaze.
"Kind of a funny story, actually," James explained needlessly. "The three of us each had a separate, different name if it was a girl, but on the boy, we all agreed. You just made such a difference, and well, if he grows up to be half the man you are I'll be, uh, fully chuffed. Sorry, I'm rambling like an idiot."
Neil said nothing, unable to work anything past the tightness in his chest and throat as he glanced down again at the child. Feathery blonde hairs covered his scalp in a fine down, and his eyes fluttered open momentarily to reveal green-hazel eyes like his father's.
"Neil, for the love of god, say something," James' pleading voice broke through the spell.
"I'm," Neil cleared his throat against the lump at the back, but was unable to find the words. He paused, momentarily, and looked up at James and Ruth.
Stevie took the opportunity to gently lift the baby from Neil's arms, settling him in hers instead as she cooed to him. Grace and Jo crowded closer around her, and with a big grin, Mickey joined them.
"You have no idea how this just made my year," Neil admitted finally, voice tight with suppressed emotion as he bit his bottom lip. Neil's heart felt momentarily lightened; he'd failed in his marriage, with his son, and at times, on bad days, it felt like he failed at his job. But this, this meant he made a difference.
A broad smile split James' face as he pulled Neil into a tight hug. Neil didn't hesitate, hugging James back just as tightly. Eventually, with a cough from Neil, they broke apart, smiling awkwardly at each other. Neil leaned over and pecked Ruth on the cheek.
"You'll come for the christening?" she asked anxiously. "It's in two weeks."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Neil assured her, watching his officers fuss over the baby. "Just tell me when and where."
The Tennants would never understand exactly what naming their son had meant, Neil mused later. Only another copper could understand the frustrations of feeling powerless in the face of crime and depravity and human nature, and that was probably why his officers had just smiled understandingly at him without further ribbing after the Tennants had left. Policing was a thankless job, but occasionally, they had their good days as well.