Decorated Officers
By Jaye Reid.
Written: 21.04.2000
Disclaimer: Okay, Southern Star and Mr. McElroy own them, not me! But I am seriously working on it! g
Authors notes: I have so many stories almost finished, and I should have been working on them today, but this challenge captured my imagination. (i.e. a story surrounding the renovation/moving of the office). The first line instantly popping into my head at the challenge criteria.
Dedication: To my friends who dare to join me in the pilgrimage! Only 57 sleeps!
~*~*~
"But what's wrong with blue?" asked Rachel as she carefully packed all the things on her desk into a box.
"Well they're not saying it wont *still* be blue," replied Helen as she leaned back in the doorway. "Just perhaps a new shade of blue or the old shade revitalized."
"Bloody waste of money if you ask me," stated Frank.
"Nobody did," replied Helen.
"How long will it take? Rachel moaned.
"Ah it wont happen overnight, it will happen instantly!" laughed Tayler as she wandered past.
"Ha! Haven't been in the force very long have you," snorted Frank as he swept everything on his desk into a huge box.
"Frannnnkkkk…. How the hell do you think you are going to find anything in that box now?" complained Rachel.
"Ya mean I have to find things again? Damn… thought I could just shove this box somewhere and forget about it."
"Story of your life eh Frank," smiled Helen. 'Well hurry up the painting crew are due to arrive soon."
Just where are we meant to work in the meantime?" asked Rachel.
"Cutter bar sounds perfect to me," replied Frank with a mischievous grin.
"Meals room Frank," stated Helen as she picked up one of Rachel's boxes for her and headed for the door, "just like everyone else."
"Everyone?"
"Yep everyone."
~*~
By the time Frank made his way to the meals room, Rachel was sitting at her new desk, which was actually just one of the tables in the room, and plugging her laptop into the powerboard supplied during this temporary relocation.
"Where am I supposed to sit?" he complained.
"On your backside Francis," she answered.
Frank tilted his head from side to side, mocking her words. God he hated it when she was in one of these smug moods. It seemed on days like this, everything that came out of his mouth could be twisted to mean something else.
Frank found a spare table and dragged it over so that it was now touching the front of Rachel's.
"You're not sitting there," stated Rachel looking up at him. Almost daring him to defy her.
"And why not?" he asked in an indignant tone.
"Because… now it is like one *big* desk and all your shit will end up over on my side," she retaliated.
"We have to work together Rachel and there is no point in me being over the other side of the room," he replied as he picked up his box and upended it onto the table top – it's contents half spilling onto the floor.
"Gees Frank… why is it that you have to behave like… like…."
"Myself?" he asked.
"Urghhhh… bloody hell, I'm going to make myself a coffee," she replied shaking her head.
Frank gave her a comical grin. She was making her own coffee? Must have seriously annoyed her he thought to himself.
"Hey Frank… give us a hand will ya?" Gavin called from across the room. He was moving tables from the corner.
Frank, who was always willing to try and show up the younger officers, sprung into action and started lifting tables over his head to move them.
"Just watch what you're doing will ya!" exclaimed Rachel as she tried to get out of his way without spilling her coffee.
After moving most of the tables, Frank collapsed quietly back in the chair opposite Rachel.
"Happy now?" she asked not bothering to look up.
"What do ya mean?" he asked, trying to appear relaxed when his heart was pounding hard in his chest. If he had a heart attack in here after that he knew he would never live it down. The thought of it actually *killing* him, never even crossed his mind.
"You."
"I'm fine," he replied as he sorted through the pile of things on his desk before locating a pen.
She screwed up her nose as she stopped to look at him. She could feel a headache coming on. "Will you keep your junk over your side!"
"It's not junk… it's work."
"You reckon?" she asked.
"I reckon," Frank replied.
"Holloway… what's all this junk?" asked Jeff as he carried his own box of belongings into the room. He stopped and looked down at Frank's table.
Rachel's dimpled smile spread from one side of her face to the other.
"It's not junk!" repeated Frank.
"Looks like it to me," said Jeff as he headed over to a table in the corner of the room, "clean it up will you. It is bad enough that we have to be in here, we don't need your usual chaos as well."
"Bloody give him chaos," Frank mumbled to himself.
"Come on Frank, hurry up and sort your shit out and we can get out of here for awhile," said Rachel.
"We got a job?" he asked enthusiastically.
"Nah," she whispered with a grin and leaning forward over the top of her computer, "but do *you* want to hang around in here?"
"Point taken," he replied and pushed all his things back into the box. "done!"
Rachel shook her head, closed the top of her computer and reached for her bag hanging over the back of the chair. She should have known that he would do something like that.
"Where are you two going?" called Jeff when he noticed them leaving.
Frank and Rachel looked at each other.
Rachel could see that Frank wasn't going to say anything.
"Ah, just got a couple of things to check out on this case Boss," replied Rachel.
"Oh.. okay then, fine," replied Jeff going back to unpacking his box.
"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Rachel as they headed down the stairs dodging the painters on their way up.
"You've got more creditability than me," he replied. "He'd have known we were 'skipping class' if I had said anything."
"True Frank… very true."
"Oh hell… forgot something. I'll be back in a tick," he said rushing back into the building.
"I'll wait for you in the car," she replied as he hurried back in the door.
They spent the day wandering around The Rocks, having lunch at Rozelle and soaking up the sun. Helen had called them on Rachel's mobile a couple of times during the day, but they managed to sound busy and convince her that they would be out most of the afternoon.
They wandered back into the office suspiciously 10 minutes before the end of shift to sign off and head back out again. They didn't waste anytime getting out of there and down to the Cutter bar… the last thing they needed was Jeff querying them.
Rachel and Frank were finishing their second beer and scotch respectively when Helen and Tommy wandered over to them.
"Have a nice day did we?" asked Helen as she pulled up a chair.
"Oh very hectic out there," said Rachel seriously.
"Really?" replied Helen with a smile sneaking out from behind her lips.
"Oh yeah," added Frank, "don't know when I worked as hard as I did today."
"That's interesting Frank, because I could swear it was *your* car that I saw parked all alone in the carpark at McLean Court. And it really *looked* like you and Goldie soaking up some rays down on Chinaman's Beach as I cruised passed that area this afternoon on the Nemesis," Tommy grinned.
"Us? Nah couldn't have been us," replied Frank shooting a glance at Rachel. "We weren't anywhere near The Spit today. We were ah…. we were around near Five Dock most of the day… weren't we Rachel?"
Rachel nearly choked on her beer.
"Yeah, yeah… Five Dock. Was the day that good? I barely noticed," she smiled.
"Like another orange juice there Tommy?" asked Frank standing up and taking Rachel's now empty glass and his own.
"Yeah, I'll have another orange juice," he replied.
"White wine thanks Frank," added Helen handing him her glass. "You *sure* you were in Five Dock today?"
Frank walked up to the Bar and bought the next round for all of them. He was glad he had hit the ATM on their way back from their leisurely afternoon out at the Rosherville Reserve. He couldn't believe neither of them had seen the Nemesis cruising by. But how else would he have known they were there?
He hadn't been back at the table for long when Tayler Johnson and Gavin Sykes joined the little gathering.
"What ya havin'?" asked Tommy, "Frank's buying tonight."
"I'm what?" said Frank in a stunned voice.
"So, did you find anything interesting out at Five Dock today Rachel. Anymore information that will help with the case?" asked Helen with a smile.
Frank looked at Helen and shook his head. He knew exactly what she was up to but he also knew he could do nothing to stop it without owning up to spending the day with Rachel sitting on the beach and discussing life and past loves.
"Beers?" asked Frank standing again.
~*~
"I figure you owe me about 30 bucks," declared Frank as he and Rachel wandered out to the car park.
"Me? Why me? It was *your* idea to goof off today down there. And it is not my fault that no one asked *me* to shout. You should be grateful that I stopped drinking after the first couple of beers. I could have really done with a full on session tonight. The worst of it is that the office is going to *stink* of paint tomorrow. It would have been better to have buggered off tomorrow instead of today," she replied.
"Well we could always find somewhere else to go tomorrow," Frank replied cheekily.
"Oh yeah… after Helen and Tommy tonight, you don't think they would find it a bit suspicious? Shit if we're not careful, people will start making all sorts of assumptions about me and you if we disappear for another afternoon again."
"Like what would they assume Goldie? We're bloody partners, we disappear together all the time," he remarked.
"Not like today and not down to a bloody beach. You know what they could say if they wanted to."
"Yeah, the same thing they could say about us leaving the bar at the same time tonight *together* too. Shit Rachel, as if we'd be screwing each other," laughed Frank.
"You find that funny do ya?"
"Bloody hysterical," he replied with a chuckle.
"Aw yeah… and it's funny because?" queried Rachel with a raised eyebrow.
Woops thought Frank, time think of something quick. "Well as if you'd go for a guy like me," he smiled.
"I've always said you were a charmer eh Frank. Come on, I'll drive you home. You've had too many to drink," she smiled.
"Oh well I will let you drive me home on *one* condition," he said as they reached her car.
"And that is?" she asked.
Frank walked up to her and whispered in her ear. "As long as no one sees us leave together… don't want people to talk and think your standards are slipping."
Rachel laughed out loud and took a friendly swipe at Frank, connecting with is upper arm.
"Get in the car Francis before I make ya walk home!"
~*~
Frank was still clowning around with Rachel as they walked into the office together the next morning. Rachel still felt uneasy about his teasing from the night before, but as she had taken him home, she had to pick him up for work the next morning. He had spent the car ride making comments about them arriving together, even though she knew they had done it countless times before.
"Hell this place does stink of paint," said Rachel as they approached the front counter where Helen was standing with Tayler.
"Funny about a freshly painted building smelling of paint," replied Helen with a wry smile. "I think you have been working with Frank too long. You're starting to sound like him."
"Love you too Helen," replied Frank. "When can we move back into our office?"
"Well apparently they have finished painting in there," replied Helen, "not that I have ventured up for a look. But I guess you can move your stuff back in, although you wouldn't want to stay in there. Perhaps you two could go out somewhere? I hear there were some suspicious goings on over around the Rosherville Reserve yesterday. Might be worth a look?"
"Yeah," replied Frank with a smile, "might just have to do that then."
Rachel shook her head and wondered how long it would be before Helen let this one slide. Knowing Helen it would be some time. Rachel wondered if Helen ever slipped up so she could get one up on her, but she decided that it was not likely in the near or distant future.
~*~
Frank let Rachel go up the stairs before him. She was keen to get her stuff out of the meals room and back into the sanctuary of their own space.
But what Rachel found left her stunned.
"Oh my god….. What the… who the… .why the….. FRRAANNNKKK! GET IN HERE!"
"Yes um…" grinned Frank walking into the office.
"What the hell? You had something to do with this didn't you? It can't stay like this, there is no way Jeff will… bloody hell Frank!"
"But I didn't think you liked blue?" asked Frank feigning as much of his altar boy innocence that he could muster.
"It wasn't great Frank but this? It's pink Frank…. bloody pink! I cannot… WILL not work in a pink office… do you understand?" started Rachel going into her rarely seen tantrum mode. "You did this yesterday didn't you? When you had to go back inside before we went. You spoke to one of the painters and got them to do this. Well you go and see who ever you need to see and undo whatever it was that you did! Or I'll… I will….."
"You will what?" asked Frank as he sided up to her.
"I don't know what I will do," she said almost to the point of hyperventilating, "but I will do it!"
"Rachel, Frank, what's the problem, I can hear you downstairs," asked Jeff sharply as he walked to their doorway.
"It's bloody pink!" stated Rachel.
"Yes," said Jeff looking from Frank's grin to Rachel's look of thunder, "ah… quite a lot of undercoats are. They should be finished in here by tomorrow so I guess you two will have to put up with the meals room for at least another day."
"Undercoat?" asked Rachel, looking at Frank.
"Yeah you know Rachel, the one they put under the main coat of paint," said Frank.
"So you didn't…."
"I didn't."
"Oh." she added sheepishly.
"Yes oh," replied Frank.
"Ah… want a coffee?" she asked with a smile.
"What? You make *me* a coffee?" asked Frank.
"You could make me one too if you want," said Jeff.
Rachel smiled and headed out of the office.
"Frank…" started Jeff.
"Yes Jeff. I will talk to the painters when they get back and get them to *repaint* the office," said Frank with a smile.
The End.