Title: When they work together…again.

Author: Loz

E-Mail: loz06(at)yahoo(dot)com

Rating: T

Category: Neil.Andrea...Who else? Oh and the supporting cast, can't forget them.

Series: Story number twenty one. What follows are titles and story ID numbers:

(1) After he's at her door – 2486705 (11) When they're back together – 2619492

(2) When the mighty fall – 2506192 (12) Life almost in balance – 2630121

(3) While his wife's away – 2525486(13) Life under pressure – 2666280

(4) While they're away – 2543010 (14) Trying to have a life together – 2699235

(5) When love's not working – 2543013 (15) Outside influences on their lives – 2704730

(6) Boundaries when broken up – 2562611 (16) When things start falling apart – 2727112

(7) What happens on the train – 2579012 (17) When they're approaching the end again - 2750079

(8) When they work together – 2595808 (18) Trying not to drift apart – 2891564

(9) When she wants him back – 2598312 (19) When the truth comes out - 2912317

(10) When they're stuck together – 2611364 (20) How things are going to be – 2954769

(21) When they work together…again - 2959211

Spoilers: So minor it shouldn't ruffle any feathers.

Archive (if applicable): www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net(slash)loz06

Feedback: The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated.

Summary: Work throws Neil and Andrea together again and this time it's an upsetting case, when they lean on one another for support old feelings come to the surface. In the meantime Neil's own personal situation is also changing and he finds the reflection he's forced into distressing.

Authors' notes: Bet you didn't expect another so quickly! Ahh I don't know anything about how to get divorced in England…or Australia for that matter, everything I know came from a British solicitor's webpage so I blame them for any inaccuracies.

Thanks: Cheers to Gem6, Lornz, Lisa Marie, Phoenix Angelwolf and Fabio (last but not least) for your reviews of the last section and any lurkers who are still reading and enjoying. Sorry I've been a bit lax with my own reviewing lately.

Disclaimers: I'll ask again, How about we work together and I join The Bill writing team…no I didn't think so, still have no association with the owners of those you read here.


Andrea sits up straight, her head spinning as she takes in her surrounds, the desk light the only illumination. She's still at the office; Louise has left…she looks at the clock, two hours ago. Andrea remembers she's on call and it's the phone that woke her with a start.

"Hello, Andrea Dunbar." She answers her voice thick with sleep; she rubs her eyes trying to feel more alive. There's a pause on the other end.

"It's me…Neil." The voice and words quickly clear her sleep fog. He jumps in before she can wonder if the call is personal or business.

"We need you on the high street in one of the lane ways, just following the flashing camera's and intrusive microphones." Neil says sounding frustrated by the intrusion.

Andrea kicks herself for thinking the call could be anything but business oriented.

"I'm on my way." She hangs up without saying goodbye; it's a word she doesn't ever want to say to him again.

At the scene which is easy to identify, late night revellers stopping by for a sticky beak crowd behind the media. The high powered lights on their cameras do a better job of lighting the scene than the scene technicians who almost trip over themselves collecting trace evidence.

Andrea indicates to the uniformed officers holding back the crowd she will only be a minute, the crime scene tape woefully inefficient, really it relies on the public's sense of decency. Neil stands next to an officer she doesn't know, he looks sombre, this one must be bad.

With a tip of his chin he steps away from the officer and walks towards her. He looks like it's been a long day. "You sounded terrible on the phone." He canvasses each inch of her face and shoulders finding she looks as bad as she sounds.

"Gee thanks, I was asleep at my desk." Andrea says with a 'you don't have to say it' tone. Neil hones in on something clinging to the arm of her black suit jacket.

"I wondered why the call didn't transfer to your mobile when I called the office, you can go home when you're on call you know." He plucks a hair off her. "Cally."

Andrea watches the single hair flutter to the ground.

"Thanks, I was planning to but I never quite got there." For the first time she notices he's wearing the tie she gave him. "You're working late."

"This is the third drugs case lately and they've gradually gotten a high profile in the media and that's becoming a problem, aside from the fact teenagers are dying in lanes." He sighs looking back to the scene.

"What have we got?" Andrea follows his look.

"Drug related death." The simple words make Andrea's good mood plummet.

"Another?" She says asking if the word related means there's a connection to the others.

"This one's sixteen we're guessing but he's a street junkie, track marks all up and down his arms, they're not…" Neil nods to the journalists waiting to be fed information or avoidance "…going to care like they did when it was a school girl from a good wholesome family."

The case reminds Neil of where he was in respect to his own sixteen year old son a short time ago. He'd almost envisioned Colin could have been this latest victim one day, he's more than happy and relieved to be where they are now.

"Same batch of ecstasy that killed the others?" Andrea suggests slipping with ease back into street copper mode.

"Looks like it, I'd like to know what they're putting in this crap, unfortunately for our latest victim, people are hardly likely to be outraged, just another junkie doing what they do best." Andrea can't remember Neil ever sounding as jaded and cynical as he does right now.

"It's sad, he must have family somewhere." Andrea feels melancholy as well.

"I need you to deal with them." Neil indicates to the crowd of media that haven't gotten smaller the longer they'd been ignored.

"How'd they find the scene?" Andrea looks past Neil's shoulder at her waiting mass.

"It's a fairy public place, busy place, anyone with a mobile phone who thinks they could make some money." Andrea nods understanding.

She puts their conversation on a personal footing. "Two weeks ago when I was at Sun Hill...I wish you hadn't have left so quickly when we we're talking." His focus comes back to her.

"I'd said all there was to say, I was being polite, and I couldn't very well ignore you. Besides you were on your way out." Andrea doesn't know if she believes him, he could have just smiled or waved if he's being honest, he sounds so cold compared to the note he left claiming he still loved her. He did walk past the room a few times according to Louise, was he just trying to pick his time or did he back out of what he really wanted to say when Smithy came along, all that time spent in the corridor to talk himself into something.

"Louise and I, we didn't and don't talk about you or us." Andrea looks at the scene seeing Phil making his way over.

"We're not together anymore so it doesn't concern me if you did." There's a pause and Andrea absorbs the blow, it's easier to believe he wasn't lying about being polite now. It's another reminder things aren't looking good for them getting back together, that slender hope she'd been holding onto. "I've got to get back to this."

"Guv," Phil says as they meet, Andrea watches as they swap information for a moment, Neil puts more distance between himself and Andrea and Phil replaces him.

"How's the job going?" Andrea continues to watch Neil.

"It's good…it's good." She repeats herself unable to find anything else to say.

"Why'd you leave Sun Hill Andrea?" She laughs at how naive the question is.

"Oh come on Phil, we couldn't be in the same station and be together, the scandal would be enormous and now, well we need space to get through the rest of this mess so there's even an outside chance we can get back together." If only Phil knew what an outside chance it had become.

"Sure." Phil says looking across the lane to Neil.

"Look I know you're just trying to help us, but I think you need to stay out of it." Andrea sighs; she and Neil are already complicated enough without more outside meddling.

"You got it." Phil holds up his hands as Smithy approaches.

"The DI needs you." Phil leaves without a parting comment.

"So how about that drink when this is wrapped up?" He smiles at Andrea.

"I'm on call all night." She glances back at the group of media and realises she's been longer that she promised the crowd controllers.

"Breakfast, you've got to eat." Smithy presses.

"I've got to deal with the press; I've been longer than I promised the gate keepers." Andrea says of the uniformed officers. Her reassuring smile, Smithy accepts.

As Andrea walks towards the salivating media she goes to work, wearing her most professional face. With her back to Neil she doesn't see him watching her charm, manipulate and work the journalists.

Eventually as the body is taken away, they disperse, satisfied there's nothing more to see, no more information to get tonight.

Neil stands alone watching the forensic team do their work.

"They'll call my office for more information in the morning, can you get together what Sun Hill would like the strategy to be, or draft when you want to say and I'll put one together. I'll take the heat off Sun Hill; let you get on with the important stuff."

Neil only nods in reply.

"Look, I'm sorry if I did or said something before, clearly we're going to have to work together." His silence irritates her.

"We can manage that; I'll get someone to call you in the morning." He walks off and Andrea shakes her head, she's either just been brushed off or there's an ocean of things he can't say. She also realises these cases are probably haunting him and keeping him up all night like they will her, though she can't say she has a teenage son the same age whom was suspected of being involved with drugs. Maybe that's the explanation for the earlier cold shoulder as well.

"Well?" Andrea jumps; having been miles away Smithy surprised her. It takes a moment of her looking at him strangely to work out what he means.

"O.k., I'm off at eight." She relents, mostly to stop him hassling her, there are new things to analyse about Neil and a media strategy to put together.


"You're not saying much." Smithy comments slicing through some toast and pushing it into the egg on his plate.

"Everyday is hectic, I have to plan ahead, I have to be proactive to prevent a barrage of phone calls from journalists all with the same question, I need to be organised, articulate, flexible and I need to have a cool head. Some days, like today, the plan goes out the window. So yes, sometimes when it's all over I just want to say and do nothing."

Andrea looks down at the breakfast he'd bought her; she'd pushed it around the plate like an anorexic since it was put in front of her. Being a weekday the café was empty except for them, most people already on their way to work.

Mostly she's tired; she'd spent a lot of time thinking about Neil, personally and his reaction to the case. It drained her mental facilities and she wondered if she'd ever stop thinking about him or being affected by his mood and presence.

Smithy is still in unfirm, having to start work again soon, Andrea's clothes feel dirty and well worn as they are. Although she's hungry she can't bring herself to eat…there are more important things right now.

"Sorry." Andrea smiles across at Smithy apologetically. "It's just there are kids dying out there and I'm not even investigating and all I can think about is what I can do to stop it or prevent others dying."

Smithy signals the woman who served and cooked their meal. "Can we get this to take away?" The woman obliges.

"You should go, I have to get back soon anyway, just promise me you'll eat." Smithy lays down his conditions.

"Thanks Smithy, I owe you one." Andrea concedes.

"Two." He decides and Andrea smiles, she hurries to her car with her shuffled breakfast.


"What are you doing here, weren't you on call last night?" Andrea opens the office door to find Louise Martin in her way.

"There was another death from ecstasy last night." Andrea informs her, it doubles as an excuse.

Louise sighs at the waste of life. "Was that all you dealt with…I don't suppose it matters this drug story is all anyone is going to be interested in."

"We need to be warning people again. I just hope Sun Hill can find where this stuff is coming from and the scum making it." Andrea says sounding frustrated by her lack of ability to do anything. "I'll give everyone the run down at the morning meeting."

"You can just leave something on my desk and go home to bed." Louise allows…Andrea has no reply.

"Is that the only reason you're here?" She's transparent to Louise. "A certain DI wouldn't be on this case would he?"

"A while ago he thought his son was into drugs, it's hitting close to home for him." Andrea doesn't feel she can lie to her new friend.

"God you two are hopeless, just get married already." The joke falls flat, "Get down to Sun Hill, you can run this one, call me if you need me."

Louise leaves and Andrea takes a short moment to congratulate herself on her first solo job.

"Oh and Andrea," Louise is back. "I don't care for what reason you're into this case, as long as you keep at it the way you are."