AN: Not sure how frequent updates for this will be, 'coz I'm not enitrely sure where I'm going with it, but bear with me.
This story will contain femslash, so if that offends/bores you, don't read.
Chapter One – Old Habits
I won't forget the way you made me feel
I won't regret running away from here
"And finally, this is our new sergeant, Diane Noble, formerly of Sun Hill. Feel free to introduce yourselves. Right, off you go."
That had been two weeks ago, and Diane was finally starting to settle into Barton Street. The people were different, the patch was different, and she still wasn't accustomed to people calling her 'Sarge', but she was getting used to it. And some things were exactly the same. CID still nicked all the interesting cases, the paperwork still seemed to multiply if you took your eye off it, and the coffee was still lousy.
One thing she wasn't getting used to, however, was the way her new inspector would burst in at frequent intervals, asking for updates. The man was a poster child for micro management, and it was driving Diane mental.
"Ahh, Di. Got an update on the assault case from this morning yet?"
It was the fifth time in as many hours that he'd asked. Diane had to stop herself gritting her teeth. "No further action, Sir. The victim wasn't prepared to go to court, she withdrew the complaint."
"Ahh well, win some, lose some, eh? Oh, yes. Your fellow sergeant is back from leave tomorrow, should ease your workload, let you get out with the troops a bit more."
Thank god for that, Diane thought, while outwardly she thanked Inspector Bryce as he left the sergeants' office whistling. She'd been stuck behind a desk – either in the sergeants' office or in custody – since she'd arrived, and she was itching to get out. The other sergeant returning meant that she might actually be able to.
***
The following morning, with the prospect of finally getting out of the station hovering over her, Diane was able to deal with a complaint against one of her PC's with composure.
"'ee didn't listen, that PC McKay, 'ee was all 'Oh we can't do anything about it, it's probably just kids.' If 'ee'da listened this wouldn'ta 'appened."
"Madam, I'm sure PC McKay took your complaint seriously, but realistically there's not a lot we could've done."
"Ahh, you coppers're all the same. Protect your own, close ranks. Bah."
"There are forms at the front desk if you still wish to make a complaint, Madam."
"Wha's the point? You'll just ignore it." The woman stormed off out the door, and Diane directed a wry smile at the uniform behind the front desk.
"Another satisfied customer. Buzz me through?"
The PC complied with a grin, then noticed someone come through the front door. "Welcome back, Sarge."
Diane turned, then realised the PC wasn't talking to her. She followed his gaze across the room, and saw the other Barton Street sergeant walking across the room. She frowned. There was something familiar about him. Then she saw the woman behind him and froze in shock.
"Sergeant Diane Noble." Nikki Wright said with a grin, "There's something I never thought I'd say."
***
Diane had completely forgotten that Nikki's husband worked at Barton Street. If she had remembered, she probably would have requested another posting. Too late for that now, she thought, trying to smile as she shook first Nikki's, then Doug's hand, feeling long-repressed emotion stir in the pit of her stomach at the contact. Doug excused himself to get changed, leaving the women to fumble through the awkward reunion, Diane feeling a complicated mix of both joy and trepidation when Nikki mentioned she had taken the vacated sergeant's position at Sun Hill after Weston's promotion. They continued the strained conversation about trivialities long enough to fulfil the dictates of courtesy, before Diane excused herself and fled into the warren of corridors that made up the station, taking refuge in a seldom-used writing room.
Nikki Wright. Someone Diane thought she'd never see again; a concept she both loved and loathed. The blond sergeant was one of the reasons Diane had left Sun Hill to begin with, not that she'd admitted that to her superiors at the time. Hell, she hadn't even admitted that to herself at the time. Working in Hertfordshire, however, away from the chaotic haze Sun Hill seemed to cast on her emotions and spending time with her ex and her son had given her plenty of time to re-examine her motives, and Diane had been surprised to find that Nikki had factored far more into her decision that she cared to admit. Her feelings for the married woman, feelings that were denied at first, then, when denial became impossible after the incident with the cop killer, grudgingly accepted but resolutely suppressed, had made it torturous for her to work with Nikki. Knowing that every day she'd go home to her happily married life had traced claws of jealousy across Diane's heart, and had probably been a source of the tension between the two officers. Diane knew she shouldn't feel the way she did, and it often manifested itself as hostility or snappishness towards the sergeant until she'd learned to hide it.
It had been Gary, her ex, who had forced her to admit that her bottled up emotions may have been more significant than Diane would admit, during an alcohol-induced deep-and-meaningful a few months after she'd moved. What was it he had said? "Someone as versed in emotional repression as you wouldn't have been so affected by 'nothing'. The Diane Noble I know wouldn't've run away from 'nothing'." And he was right. This was going to be difficult.
Over the next few weeks, Diane discovered that if she ignored the fact that Doug was Nikki's husband, they got on quite well. His easy-going manner, and ability to redirect Bryce's constant need for updates made him a good ally, and once Diane had perfected the art of diverting the conversation away from Nikki, thus avoiding the swooping sensation in her stomach any time Doug mentioned the other sergeant, she found they worked well together. She was sure he noticed her reluctance to talk about his wife, but he probably put it down to their history, and Diane wasn't about to correct him.
***
"Ahh Diane. Any cases I should know about?" Bryce asked, sticking his head through the door for the fourth time in two hours. Diane thought she showed incredible restraint in not throwing something at him.
"Not really, Sir. Just that assault that PCs Archer and Cooper are following up."
"What about you, Doug?"
"Nothing to report, Sir."
"Excellent. Keep me informed, eh?" The inspector left, humming a tune to himself.
"I swear, if he comes in again before the end of shift…" Diane made strangling motions with her hands, and Doug grinned.
"Relax. You'll get used to it."
"Urgh. How have you put up with it for so long? Doesn't it bug you that he seems to think we need constant supervision?"
Doug chuckled. "It helps if you think of it as him taking an active interest. If it makes you feel any better, it took Nikki a while to get used to him as well. They never did see eye to eye."
"I can understand why…" Diane muttered, feeling the familiar jolt in her gut. She was thankful when further discussion was cut off by a knock on the door. "Come in."
PC James Archer stepped into the room. "Sarge, Coop had to go home. The inspector asked me to tell you. Some family crisis or summat."
Diane and Doug exchanged an exasperated glance. Bill Cooper had a 'family crisis' at least once a fortnight. Both sergeants looked back at the PC as he continued.
"So I was gunna take Tessa with me to follow up on this assault case."
Diane stood. "No, I'll come with you. I'm going stir crazy in here." It was a good excuse, it covered her true motivation for escaping the office – that she and Doug had been straying dangerously close to the subject she didn't want to discuss with him.
"Okay Sarge, meet you at the car."
Diane saved the report she'd been working on and logged off. Doug watched her with an exaggerated mournful expression. "D'you reckon Bryce'd notice if I went too?"
Diane grinned at him. "Probably. Enjoy your paperwork." Doug's half-hearted grumblings followed her as she left the room.
***
Ten minutes later, James was regaling Diane with tales from his years at Barton Street as they drove to the assault victim's house. The PC was a great deal like Tony Stamp, which meant Diane had liked him almost instantly.
Just before they reached their destination, however, his current story – which involved half of CID chasing a wily dog around a park to retrieve a piece of evidence – was cut short, as James was forced to slam the brakes on to avoid hitting the woman who had run out in front of the car, screaming.
"My daughter! They took my daughter!"
Review, 'coz I need feedback on this, peoples.