Disclaimer- I own nothing I wish I did but I just get to play with the characters.

Arguments

Something was wrong with Sandra Pullman.

She just couldn't figure out what it was. She was feeling irritated and argumentative. She couldn't focus most of the time, she was forgetting to eat, and she was having trouble sleeping. She felt as though she desperately needed something and if she didn't get it soon she might go mad. Whatever it was she needed, she needed it now and her mind was telling her that time was running out. She felt anxious and nervous and she didn't know why. This only served to frustrate her even further making her angry.

Usually it was the three men on her team who irritated and frustrated her, they were the ones she yelled at and fought with. Yet lately she was barely paying attention to them, and she certainly wasn't fight with them.

DAC Robert Strickland—her boss—was the one who kept setting her off.

She constantly wanted to yell at him. It was clear that he was the one irritating her, yet at the same time it was as if he was the one causing her deprivation. This made no sense to Sandra, she firmly believed she had exactly what she wanted in her life. No matter what she tried she simply couldn't figure out what she wanted from him. She had spent nights thinking about the entire situation and she couldn't come up with anything she could want so badly. And she certainly didn't need anything from Strickland, the less he was involved in her work the better. Her actions defied reason and seemed to only be making her life harder.

Over the last month she had spent nearly every other day fighting with the man and she couldn't figure out why. She couldn't think of anything specific that he had done to piss her off... recently. Additionally, after a fight she could never remember what they were fighting about. She had no idea why she was doing it but she knew she was picking fights with him intentionally. This action seemed exceedingly stupid to her. He already yelled at her and her team more than enough all on his own. Her MO was usually to avoid fighting with him, the less he was in her hair was usually for the better. Yet recently, for some reason that she couldn't explain or even fathom she was seeking him out and finding a way or excuse to fight with him.

Sandra was beginning to wonder if she was possessed by some argument demon or slowly going crazy. If all she really wanted was to fight or argue with someone Gerry was always a willing participant, she didn't need to go find her boss. This was not like her at all, she was never one to pick a fight unless she had a good reason and her actions confused her.

She wanted something and she couldn't figure out what and it was driving her crazy.

The one thing she had determined was how she felt while in the midst of an argument with Strickland. During these fights, she no longer felt the desperation or urgent anxiety anymore and that made the least sense of all. She knew it had to mean something but she just couldn't quite figure out what.

While she fought with Strickland, when she wasn't yelling she would watch him, watch the little muscles in his face as he yelled, watch how his lips would curve up and down. He had a vein in his forehead that pulsed just slightly when he got very angry, it was not very noticeable unless you knew to look for it. She knew to look for it. She knew his nostrils would move slightly and flared but only when he was just mildly upset. She watched how his pupils dilated and contracted during the course of a row. Sometimes when he was trying to size up her argument he would squint as if he could see something more clearly that way. She wanted to ask him about it but it wasn't something you could bring up mid fight. Above all she liked to watch his eyes. She had never really believed in the whole saying that the eyes were the window to the soul. But it felt right when applied to Robert Strickland. When she looked into his eyes she could see something, something she couldn't put into words. She only knew she wanted to see it more.

Strickland was currently standing in front of her and at that moment he was yelling at her for something she couldn't quite remember. Sandra couldn't even recall if she had started the argument or if he had. They were in her office so it was likely that he had started this one. She just couldn't remember what he was upset about. It might have been something Gerry did or was it something Jack said or maybe it was something Brian had forgotten to do. She just couldn't remember, she racked her brain but could come up with nothing helpful

Then in a sudden moment of monumental clarity she realized she didn't care. She didn't care that he was upset, she just cared that he was here with her. She wanted to be around him and with him. That was what she wanted—him.

She wanted Robert Strickland.

This came as a rather big surprise to her, she had thought she was happy independent, on her own, unattached. But there the answer was in front of her, quite literally, and she knew it was the right answer and she knew wanted him. It was as if a wave of relief washed over her and all the stress and frustration was gone. Finally she had found the solution.

Sandra suddenly realized she wanted to kiss him, she wanted to know how it felt to kiss him, to feel his lips on hers, to feel his hands on her skin. She wanted him to touch her anywhere, everywhere, she just wanted a physical connection with him in some way. It was as though now that she knew what she wanted she wanted all of it and she wanted it now.

Unfortunately this was another problem she needed to solve. Other than attacking him physically in a sexual manner—which did not sound like a wise idea—she had no idea what to do about this discovery. Yet she needed to do something right now. She had no guaranty that he would reciprocate but she needed to do something, she needed to try something, she just didn't know exactly what that something should be. It was then she noticed he had stopped talking or yelling and was looking at her.

"I don't care" she told him firmly. She was pretty sure she was smiling at him like a fool as she said it, but she didn't care about that either.

"What?" he asked confused, she was standing there smiling at him and he couldn't for the life of him understand why. He hadn't said anything funny or entertaining, quite the opposite actually.

"I'm sorry for whatever Gerry did or whatever Jack said or whatever it was Brian didn't do. I'm sorry but at the moment I just don't care about them." She told him honestly feeling more confident as she spoke.

"You didn't hear a word I said did you?" He asked her confused and frustrated.

"Honestly no I didn't" she admitted, she didn't care if he knew, there were more important things they needed to talk about. She didn't care about this argument at all, the sooner they moved past it the better.

"I wasn't talking about Gerry, Jack, or Brian" he informed her with a sigh shaking his head.

"You weren't?" She replied sounding more like a child than a detective superintendent in the met.

"No I was talking about you and me" he told her exasperated.

"Us?" she was sure she just sounded like an idiot, but she still didn't care, though it was now her turn to be confused.

"I was telling you that one of us clearly needs to find a new job as we can no longer work together in a effective manner " he repeated his earlier statements.

"Wait why? What are you talking about?" She asked as panic rose in her, this was not what was supposed to be happening. He couldn't leave, not now and she certainly wasn't about to leave UCOS. Her smile was now gone and she was at a loss for what she should do to reverse the situation. She now cared about this argument as she never had before, she needed to find a way to end it, and she had to make sure he stayed.

"What do you mean what am I talking about? Sandra all we do anymore is fight. You seem to try and find me just to fight. I have no idea what you think I have done to wrong you but clearly this needs to stop." He informed her, it was as if they were living in two different worlds. He was beginning to worry about her.

"No, that's not what… I don't want…no" she tried to come up with a coherent thought but she was panicking, she couldn't lose him now that she knew she wanted him. Not without being given the opportunity to figure out how he felt. And she was worried that as a result of all this fighting he wouldn't fancy her any more. Her heart was pounding in her chest, it was pounding so hard and fast she was afraid it might explode or stop working.

"You have a better idea over in that world of yours?" he shot back his anger rising, she always seemed to know how to push his buttons. He was trying to be reasonable it was not as though he wanted this but something had to be done. She was the one who started this and now she was acting like it was the worst idea she had ever heard, making him the bad guy.

"Have dinner with me" she blurted out, her brain was still not working properly, she was feeling light headed and it was the best she could come up with.

"Sandra I hardly think dinner is going to make anything better" he argued.

"Have dinner with me" she repeated hoping he might understand better a second time.

"Why so we can spend the whole time arguing over everything? No I don't think so. I get it clearly you aren't going to leave UCOS and those three would kill me if I made you, so I will leave and go to another department." He told her trying to be reasonable, one of them had to be and it clearly wasn't going to be her.

No her brain yelled, why wasn't he listening to her, she was asking him out not for work, why was he being stupid? She didn't want him to leave not now, not ever, why was he so determined to leave.

"No I don't want-" she tried once more to explain but he cut her off.

"Sandra we both know it is for the best." He told her, his face was neutral but his tone made it clear he was far from happy over the situation and yet he had resigned himself to his solution.

He was going to leave—her brain told her—she couldn't let that happen she had to stop him. She couldn't think, the world was spinning. She couldn't breathe and everything was tumbling out of control, she had to do something but she couldn't think. She felt like she might pass out or be sick and neither of those things would help her it would only make the situation worse.

It was then her instincts took over, she closed the distance between them and kissed him. He was stiff at first, most likely in shock but then to her great relief he kisses her back. And it was better than she had imagined, it was intoxicating, his touch was electrifying. She wanted him to hold her and as if by magic, or mind reading, he pulled her closer. She could feel his hand on her back and the other on her face, it felt perfect. Their mouths were now exploring each other, waging a war for control of that exploration and the more they kissed each other the more passion flowed between their bodies.

Once more Sandra couldn't breathe, but she didn't care she never wanted to stop. She would gladly die if it meant she could keep kissing him forever. Finally she felt her mind was at peace and yet at the same time a fire was burning inside her, she wanted more of him, she need to touch more of him, to have more of him touching her. She was about to wrap her legs around his waist when there was a knock on the glass of her office window. Slowly she looked up to see Gerry, Jack, and Brian watching them rather intently.

"We've only just had lunch" Jack moaned loudly, he had been the one to knock on the window, stopping the show before the two of them got way out of hand. "About time though" he added shaking his head.

"Yeah thought you would end up getting sacked before you figured it out" Gerry yelled at her arms folded in front of his chest.

"Sorry" she called back blushing and then she did the only thing she could think of, she closed the blinds giving them actual privacy. "Can I kiss you again?" She asked suddenly timid which was silly after she practically threw herself at him. She was pretty sure if Jack hadn't stopped her they would have ended up having sex on her desk.

"You can kiss me whenever you like." He replied breathing heavily, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Good cause I like kissing you." She told him before she pulled him close once more. She tried to control herself during this kiss. Going slower this time, exploring how he felt and how he tasted, she could take her time now that he wasn't talking to her about leaving anymore. She wanted to memorize how every touch felt.

"Sandra" he gasped pulling away after a while, they were both in need of air once more.

"Yes?" She asked trying to catch her breath. She had to concentrate hard on what he was saying so as to not focus on how much she wanted to keep kissing him.

"This past month, all those fights was it because of this?" He queried indicating their clear romantic feelings for each other.

"I think it might have been, I don't think I have been in my right mind for a while." She admitted, she had no idea how to explain the way she had been feeling and acting over the last four weeks.

"I thought only teenagers acted that way?" he asked her confused.

"Apparently not, not that I have done anything like this before. I have never acted or felt this way previously I swear. I have been very confused by it." She admitted, in all honesty she couldn't remember most of the things she had said during her month of insanity.

"You were confused?" he cried rubbing his face with his hands. "I thought you hated me and I couldn't think of what I had done." He moaned at her, it bothered him so much when he thought she hated him, because while he could not admit it he was quite taken with her.

"I'm sorry, I honestly don't know what came over me. I wanted something I just couldn't figure out what, till now that is. I could never hate you, never. I hope you know that now. Can we please just say I was temporarily insane for a month? I am so sorry for everything I said and did to you. Please forgive me for my insanity." She pleaded with him. She tried to explain to him her thoughts and feelings, though she knew she only continued to sound more insane with every statement she made. She was surprised he wasn't calling some professional in to have her mental state evaluated.

"So when you asked me out to dinner just now you were really asking me out to dinner" he asked her suddenly quite excited about the prospect.

"Yes I was, I don't want you to leave I don't want you to go anywhere...that isn't with me." She admitted the last part softly.

"Can I ask why now?" he was a bit confused he had asked her out a few times and she had always turned him down.

"I have no idea, I guess I am just a little slow on the whole romantic attraction thing. Hell I don't even understand why my feelings caused me to wanted to fight with you so much. I know nothing I have done this past month has made much sense. I think my head must be broken, it took me far too long to figure out how I felt. I really am sorry for picking all those fights with you." She just kept admitting things to him hoping it would make her actions forgivable.

"Clearly fighting was your way of flirting" he told her smiling down at her.

"It was the only time I didn't feel like I was searching for something, I felt happy fighting with you, which really sounds crazy I know." She told him suddenly feeling vulnerable standing there in front of him admitting her feeling.

"I think it is a good thing" he informed her with a sweet smile, reassuring her that everything was alright. "Is it possible that it has been a while since you actually had romantic feeling for someone, real feeling I mean?" he asked her trying to help her explain her actions.

"I think it is a distinct possibility" she admitted blushing a little looking away from him.

"It's a very good thing you figure it out before we ended up doing something drastic and irreversible, like me finding a new job." He told her grinning at her.

"So just to be clear you are not going to leave and go to another group?" She asked a slight panic rising up in her once more.

"Nope I'm not going anywhere. You want to fight let's fight" he said as he pulled her to him with a bit of force. "You want kiss then we kiss" he leaned down and kissed her passionately. "You want to have sex..." he stopped suddenly feeling he might be presuming too much or taking things too quickly, especially as they were still in her office.

"Then we have sex?" She asked hoping she was finishing his thought.

"Yes" he replied and she could see a hunger build in his eyes, and it wasn't for Chinese or curry.

"So where do you want to have dinner, your place or mine?" She asked him with a wicked smile.

"I don't care as long as you're on the menu" he answered with a grin to match hers.

the end

A/N Confession-I am really trying hard to actually post a bunch of the stories that have been floating around on my hard drive. I have trouble getting to the point where I am truly done with a story and it is ready to be posted. I sit around and edit and re-edit a story for a REALLY long time and never letting it go. I am working hard on letting them go but it is still a bit of an internal struggle. I hope that they are actually bring some enjoyment to the people reading them and I appreciate everyone who does read them. Thank you! Sorry if they are boring or they suck they pop into my head and annoy me till I write them down and then they annoy me a bit more :-)