Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. Only the idea for this little story is mine and I hope that people will enjoy it. Nice feedback is the only thing I can ever hope to gain from this story.
Notes: This is just a fluffy little story. Jones is invited to his DCI's party but realizes he's not there because they work together, but because he's got friends that want to spend time with him. Happy New Year!
Detective Sergeant Jones arrived at his DCI's house around 11pm. The invitation had said 7pm, but he had been on call and promptly had received a call just as he was about to head over to the Barnabys' New Year's Eve party. The second call of the day. And like the first time it had turned out to be nothing he was really needed for. This one was nothing but an accident, some idiot had started on the booze too early and then had gotten behind the wheel of his car.
But now he had finally managed to dump all remaining paperwork on the uniformed colleagues and had jumped into his car. A bad idea he realized as he drew up on the curb outside his DCI's home. He would have to leave his car here and collect it tomorrow.
His car had been cold and even the short drive from the station had left him shivering slightly. Thankfully Mrs. Barnaby answered the door quickly when he rang the bell.
"Ben! Glad you could make it after all. Come on in." She greeted him with a warm smile and waved him inside, a glass in her hand.
"Thank you, Mrs. Barnaby. I'm sorry I'm so late..."
"Never mind. You're here now. Let me take your jacket..." She looked down at her hand, as if she realized only now she had been holding her glass and set it aside to take Ben's jacket. "Just go on through and get yourself a drink. You look like you could do with something to warm you up."
Ben did as he was told, using the chance to glance through the room from the side where the bar was put up. To his surprise he was the only one from work the Barnabys' seemed to have invited.
"Ben!"
He turned around and found himself confronted with a broadly smiling Cully Barnaby. He still thought of her as a Barnaby, though she was a married woman now. "I was fearing Simon and I were the only young ones around here!" She placed a kiss on his cheek.
Simon, who had been trailing his wife, held out his hand in greeting and Ben shook it. "Hello Ben."
"I didn't know you two were around. Do you have another play in the area or is this a totally social visit?"
Cully laughed at him, then looked at Simon. "Ever the copper. Just in through the door and already asking questions."
Simon chuckled and answered for her. "Just a social call. Invited for the party as - I assume – are you."
Ben nodded. "Yes. Though I've just come from work. Being on call on a day like this sucks. I've been called out two times today – for nothing the colleagues couldn't have handled alone. That's why I'm so late. I spent half the evening shivering out in the cold sorting out an accident, drunk driver."
A hand landed on his shoulder. "He's good at it though, sorting things out." Tom Barnaby had noticed the latest arrival to their party and had come over.
"Oh, hello, Sir." Ben took a small step back so he could face them all.
Barnaby pushed the drink into his hand that Ben had been pouring himself before Cully had distracted him. "Here, maybe that will help you forget about the Sir for the evening."
Ben nearly blushed, but only nearly. Barnaby had told him before that he should call him Tom during the party but he was so used to calling him Sir, he found it a difficult task.
"Not really worth it any more, Ben. For less than an hour? Doesn't seem worth it." Cully winked at him and Ben grinned back. Tom all but scowled at his daughter, but obviously playfully. No hard feelings here. It was one of the reasons Ben liked being at the Barnabys', there was a relaxed feeling to the place that he enjoyed. And he doubted it was due to the house.
Apart from the Barnabys and Simon he didn't really know any of the people. He knew some of the faces and even fewer names but had never had much to do with them before. But Cully and Simon seemed happy enough to spend their time with him. He was closest in age to them after all. Mrs. Barnaby – he couldn't think of her as anything but that, just like Tom seemed wrong for his DCI – stopped by for a short chat but soon realized that the topics the younger generation was discussing were eluding her and left them alone.
It wasn't the first time Ben found himself chatting to Cully and he always enjoyed it. He was happy to listen to Cully's stories about a director she had worked with in autumn who had nearly driven her mad and he laughed at a story Simon told about life on the road with a band he had managed shortly after he had met Cully.
Time passed quickly and soon he heard Tom Barnaby's voice hushing his guests. "Less than five minutes now. Does everyone have a drink? Otherwise now is the time to get another one!" He opened the garden doors so his guests could head outside in time for the fireworks.
Ben quickly got a glass of champagne from the table that served as the bar and followed Cully and Simon outside. It had turned even colder and Simon pulled Cully up against him to keep her warm. Ben didn't have any options like that and tried to hide as much skin as possible in his clothing.
He found himself positioned in the middle of the Barnaby family as Tom and Joyce came to stand at his other side. His DCI was keeping a close eye on his watch and announced "Half a minute... 15 seconds, 10, 9..." and then everyone joined in on the countdown. When the countdown had run out, Ben felt a pang of jealousy at all the couples around him toasting their loved ones, only him standing alone. But then both Cully and Mrs. Barnaby placed a kiss on his cheeks simultaneously. "Happy New Year, Ben!" He didn't know whose toast to return first which ended in them all laughing, his jealousy as quickly forgotten as it had crept up on him.
While they were still laughing, the first cracks and whizzes of fireworks could be heard and everyone turned their faces up to watch the fireworks.
Ben hadn't noticed his DCI moving around as he had been mesmerized by the fireworks so he nearly jumped when a familiar voice suddenly spoke close to his ear. "Happy New Year, Ben."
He leaned his head back a bit more so Barnaby would understand him over the noise. "Happy New Year, Tom." He was proud that he had remembered to call Barnaby by his first name this time.
Tom just kept standing behind him while they watched the fireworks. Close enough that Ben could feel the heat the older man radiated. Joyce was standing right next to her husband and though Ben couldn't see it, he was sure they were holding hands. To his right, Cully was cuddled up in Simon's arms again. This time he didn't mind. In their own way they made him feel just as much part of the family as Simon, and that alone was a heart-warming thought. He wasn't quite sure what exactly his place in this family could ever be, but he couldn't care less about such formalities. He hadn't been invited because he worked with DCI Barnaby, he was here because he was a friend. And as he looked around he knew he had more than one friend in the family. He was not related to any of them, but felt closer to them than his own relatives. Thinking of 'family' lately had always brought up images of the Barnaby family.
He hadn't seen his own family for Christmas, hadn't for quite a couple of years now, not since they had moved away and he had stayed behind. They had not forgiven him for choosing his job over them. But had he? Had he stayed for his job or for the people he had grown so fond of? In retrospective he couldn't tell any more...
Around 1am the guests began trickling out the door and Ben fumbled for his mobile to call a cab to take him home. Cully saw him browsing through his phone book, looking for the number of the cab company. "You're not leaving already, Ben? You've only been here for..." She checked her watch. "Two hours!"
He looked up from his mobile. "It's getting late, Cully. Or is it early? I'm never sure what to call this time of night."
"Bah. Forget about that. You're not on duty tomorrow – today?"
He grinned at her struggle for the right word. Not being the only one stumbling over these things made it seem better. "Neither" he answered.
"Then you're not leaving yet." He blinked. He hadn't been aware Cully could hit just the same tone as her father. But it hadn't been Cully, it had indeed been Tom Barnaby who had overheard the short exchange. Cully closed her mouth and turned to laugh at her dad.
"You took the words right out of my mouth, dad."
"Seriously, Ben. We've hardly exchanged a word yet and you want to sneak off already?"
"No, Sir... Tom." Darn. Could he blame the odd hour for missing it again? But Tom just chuckled.
"Good, then." Barnaby led him back into the living room where Joyce seemed to be saying goodbye to the last guests. Tom shook hands with them and then there was only 'the family' and Ben left. It was oddly quiet after all the people talking over one another's voices. But not uncomfortably. Ben sat down on one of the sofas, next to Simon. Cully took the seat on her husband's other side while Tom made himself comfortable in an armchair. Joyce sat on the armrest when she returned from seeing the last – almost last – guests out.
It didn't take long and they were engaged in conversation again and Ben forgot about the slight worry he had felt when he had watched the last couple leave. But now, a glass of wine in his hand, his tie pulled down, the top buttons of his shirt undone, he felt relaxed and comfortable as he laughed about a silly joke Tom had made. It probably wouldn't have been as funny if they had all been a bit more sober. But it was past 2am and they had all had their share of drinks.
Around a quarter to three Cully fell asleep in Simon's arm. "Time I got her to bed I suppose." He gently roused his wife again and Cully sleepily mumbled her goodbye to Ben and good night to her parents before letting herself be pulled up the stairs to where she and Simon were staying.
"I suppose that's my clue to get a cab..." Ben tried to stand but felt he had trouble keeping upright. Due to being called out he had not had the chance to get a proper meal and had only had some of the snacks that had been standing around the place. But how many drinks? Too many, that was obvious.
"Why don't you just take the second guest room for the night, Ben?" Tom looked at his wife for backup.
"Oh yes, absolutely. Just let me get you some covers."
"Ah no, that's not necessary..." He caught himself on the arm of the sofa.
"I think it is, Ben. Don't force me to make it an order!" Tom said it with a twinkle in his eye that showed he was only amused at the state of his Sergeant, not angry with him.
This time Ben just nodded. "Thanks..." he mumbled, a bit ashamed of himself despite Barnaby's amusement.
It didn't take Mrs. Barnaby long to prepare the second guest room and Tom to propel his swaying Sergeant up the stairs to said room.
Ben had crept into bed after fumbling his way out of his suit, glad he was wearing a t-shirt underneath. The tee and his boxers seemed all right to sleep in he mused. He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. So he never noticed the Barnabys standing in the door to his room together, smiling at the sleeping form.
"He's a good lad, Tom,"Joyce whispered.
"He is, love. He is." Tom replied. "Happy New Year, Ben," he said once more before they closed the door silently and headed to their own bedroom.