Disclaimer: Still not mine, I did ask Santa, but I suppose I havn't been good enough! ;-D

Twelve days of Christmas

Day four; Friday, nine ladies dancing

"Morning."

Sandra breezed through the office doors, humming the Christmas tune which had just been playing on the radio in her car. Jack looked up from his desk.

"Late this morning."

"On time, Gerry and Brian are late, You are early." She hung her coat and scarf in her office, then walked over to the kettle.

"It's just boiled, I'll have tea this morning." Jack looked at her over his glasses. "You look chipper this morning, no aches or pains."

"I am fine this morning, thank you, in fact I feel great." Sandra smiled. Jack frowned at her.

"Really! Careful, you're going to make me blush."

"Oh Jack, it's nothing like that. I spent yesterday evening in good company, we went skating, he took me for something to eat, before taking me home. A complete gentleman at all times."

"Does this gentleman have a name?"

"Yes he does, but I'm not telling you." Sandra grinned. She loved Jack, he had been like a second father to her growing up, he had watched over her as she made her way through the ranks, and had been the first to come on board when ucos had been formed. She knew he was being protective, and probably with good cause, her track record with men hadn't exactly been glorious, in fact when it came to romance she was a lousy judge of character, She smiled at him, "Don't worry, it's just a friendship, we've known him for years."

"We! So I know him."

"Jack! He's taught me to skate, and bought me a turkey roll, It's nothing." Sandra shrugged, she turned as the door opened.

"Morning. Have you got a minute?" Strickland smiled as he poked his head round the door.

"Of course."

"I've had a call from central records, evidently a request has been made for any unsolved cases which may fall under ucos' remit from the pre-computerised records," He held out a piece of paper to Sandra, "They have found some which may be of interest and are sending them over by courier, should arrive later today."

"It's less than a week before Christmas, we can't start any new cases now, we still have all the end of year audits to finish, and all this other paperwork to get rid of." Sandra started, Strickland held up his hands in submission.

"I'm not asking you to look at any of them, I was just letting you know they are coming, I assumed it was you who had made the request in the first place, anyway, I'll let you get on, I have a really exciting meeting with the commissioner and the council traders union to attend with reguards policing the January sales, I'd rather get teeth pulled, but I had better not be late. Will you let me know later?" He nodded at the piece of paper in her hand and dissappeared out the door. Sandra unfolded the paper and glanced at it.

"What is it?" Jack asked. Sandra looked up,

"Oh, just a memo to tell him when the files arrive."

"Right, that's why you are blushing."

"It's hot in here. Where are the others anyway?" She tried to change the subject. Right on cue, Gerry and Brian pushed the door open.

"Sorry!, Sorry. Blame Chris Hoy here, I got a last minute call to pick him up."

"Puncture. On the back, a bit of a faff to change, what with the gears."

"What have we missed?" Gerry inquired, the copper in him kicking in as he saw the looks Jack was throwing at Sandra, which Sandra was trying to avoid.

"Nothing." Sandra answered before Jack could speak. "We need to crack on, there are some more files arriving later which we will need to store untill new year."

"New files?"

"From central records." Jack answered, switching the kettle on, he still hadn't had his cup of tea.

"Oh brilliant!" Brian exclaimed. They all turned to look at him. "I have a friend, Pete, he was put in charge of the records archive a few months back, I told him if he ever came across anything interesting to let me know." He looked like all his Christmas and birthday presents had come in one go.

"Because we have nothing else to do." Gerry added sarcastically.

"It's just a few old cases, I thought it could be interesting." replied Brian, sounding wounded.

"One thing at a time." Sandra held up her hands, "Lets get all this sorted," she indecated the piles of assorted paperwork scattered across their desks, "Then we can think about Brian's files." She retreated to her office

Brian and Gerry looked at Jack.

"Later." He said cryptically, "Now who want's tea?"

A few hours later, Sandra came out of her office and headed for the door,

"I'm going to get something from the canteen, anybody want anything?" She asked with one hand on the door handle.

"I'm fine." Brian answered without looking up from his computer.

"Cheese and pickle sandwich, please," said Jack.

"Anything without prawns." Gerry added.

"Ok, back soon. You can get the coffee on." She let the door swing shut behind her. Gerry waited until she had dissappeared into the lift before looking over to Jack.

"Well, what was going on this morning?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh come on! When me and Brian arrived Sandra was bright red and you looked the same as I look when I have to deal with one of Caitlin's dramas,

I am a copper too, I can tell when something is up."

"I was just about to find out who Sandra's new bloke is, I have a suspicion but I don't want too jump to conclusions without proof."

"Why, is it some scrote we're going to have to keep an eye on." Gerry went over to the kettle and switched it on, "He's not married is he?"

"No, but if I am right, it could cause problems." He stood and went over to her office. "Keep an eye on the door."

Gerry went and stood by the door and looked out into the corridor.

"What are you doing?" Asked Brian.

"Looking for a note she got this morning." Jack called back from her office, a few minutes had passed before they heard him rustling through the waste paper bin, "Ah ha! Got it!"

"Heads up!" Gerry scooted away from the door and went over to make the coffee, Jack shoved the still folded note into his pocket and sat back at his desk. Brian hunched down behind his computer.

"Right, Jack they didn't have pickle so I got cheese and ham salad. Gerry, you got a BLT." She put their sandwiches down on the little table by the sofa where they all usually congregated to eat lunch.

"Didn't they have egg?" Asked Gerry.

"You're not allowed egg after last time. Remember." Jack answered. Sandra and Brian laughed.

"That wasn't my fault!" Gerry exclaimed, "The eggs were bad."

"It was bad alright!" Jack teased.

"Why do you all look guilty?" Sandra asked, looking around at them. Brian cleared his throat and stooped down behind his desk making a show of getting his lunch out of his bag. Gerry whistled a quiet tune as he stirred the coffee, Jack just shrugged.

"No idea what you're talking about." He said, and sat himself on the sofa, he was soon joined by Brian, Gerry put two steaming cups of coffee in front of them before going back for his own and Sandra's, then took a seat himself.

"Hmmmm." She glanced at each of them in turn, but gaining no insight, she got out the coronation chicken salad she had just bought herself and seated herself with them. "What time is the skating tomorrow?"

"I got tickets for twelve, I told little Gerry I would take him for something to eat after. If you're not doing anything else why don't you two come along, we can all get lunch after. Esther too."

"Maybe you should ask Strickland." Jack put in. Brian choked on a bite of his sandwich, Sandra, glared at Jack while patting Brian's back.

"Why the hell would I want to ask him!" Gerry laughed, "He'd only bang on about wasting time and better use of resources, and all that, he'd ruin Gerry's treat. I don't wan't little Gerry anywhere near that tosser." Sandra turned her glare on Gerry, Brian interupted before she could say anything.

"That's a bit unfair, He's never done anything like that when we've been in the pub, I don't think he'd ruin Gerry's day, he has got kids of his own after all."

"Yeah, maybe. But he's still a tosser. Not one of us." Gerry threw his sandwich wrapper in the bin and went out onto the fire escape to light up.

Sandra's stomach was turning over. A week ago Gerry calling Strickland a tosser wouldn't have bothered her one bit, she knew he wasn't being cruel, thats just how Gerry saw all the ranking officers who had to implement the rules and regulations, he had reguarded her in the same way when they had first met. Gerry was a good guy, but had never reached the same rank as her, Jack or Brian. His career had been dogged by suspicions and rumours, most of which she had found to be untrue. Gerry was a thief taker, pure and simple, he had no time for the way the force had to operate now, he didn't get public relations and community policing. He nicked bad guys, in his eyes that was that. He also had a personality problem with Robert Strickland. They had taken great pleasure in teasing him over his french heritage, but basically Gerry was a cockney lad, and he had little or no time for the upper class, which he considered Strickland to be a part of. It annoyed him more than it should, but Sandra knew there were good reasons for his dislike, Gerry has been shafted by his superior officers so many times, the distrust had been ingrained in him.

But now she had seen the other Rob Strickland, she felt herself wanting to jump to his defence. It was stupid, they had met up as friends a couple of times, It shouldn't be tearing her up so much to hear her boys talking like this. She stood quickly,

"Excuse me." She rushed from the room, heading up the stairs to the ladies, once inside she locked herself inside a cubicle before putting down the lid and sat down heavily with her head in her hands, she thought back to the note Robert had given her that morning, it had been a short but sweet hand written invitation to go for a non-turkey related dinner with him, restaurant of her choice. She had felt a warm glow when she had read the note, it had obviously shown on her face, Jack had noticed. She sighed, this was getting complicated, she found herself at odds with herself, on one hand she was enjoying the company of her superior officer, looking forward to spending time with him, she may have even started falling for him a bit, after all he wasn't bad looking, kept himself fit and was single, but she didn't want to alienate her team, they were her family, her rock. She felt a tear rolling down her face, it wasn't fair damn it! Why shouldn't she have a bit of fun. She scrubbed the tears from her face, her mind made up, she would accept Robert's invitation to dinner, she could talk to him, decide if she really was falling for him or not, take things one step at a time and hope her 'family' would understand.

She left the cubicle and checked her reflection in the mirror. Right, she thought, time to take a chance.

Back in the office, Gerry, and Jack had been left speechless by Sandra's hasty departure, Brian sighed, took off his glasses and cleaned them on his wimbledon shirt.

"What's up with her?" Gerry asked, a worried frown on his face.

"Maybe I should go after her." Said Jack, standing. Brian shook his head.

"Leave her be, she'll be fine. Just give her a moment."

"You know don't you?" Jack stared at Brian, he held up the note. "You have some idea what's going to be on here."

"I have no idea what that is, but I know who she has spent the last couple of evenings with, but It's not my place to let on. All I can say is, it's not what you are thinking and you need to trust her, stop trying to protect her, she really doesn't need it."

"Why do I feel like I'm missing something?" Gerry interupted.

"There's nothing to miss, just leave it alone."

They all started as there was a sudden knock on the door, a young man in a couriers uniform put his head round the door.

"I've got a delivery for a Mr Ucos."

"It's the name of the department pal, unsolved crime and open case squad." Gerry corrected him.

"Shouldn't it be ucaocs then?" He grinned, before he turned back to retrieve the boxes he had left outside the door.

"Smart arse." Gerry mumbled. The others grinned, the previous tension in the room dissappering. The courier returned with a sack truck with five large boxes stacked on it.

"Where do you want these?"

"Just leave them here by the door." Jack told him, he turned to look at Brian, "I thought you said it was only a few files."

"I didn't know it would be this many." The courier stacked the five boxes, then turned to Jack.

"I'll go and get the rest, where shall I put them?"

"The rest! How many have you got?" Gerry exclaimed. The courier looked at a delivery note he took from his top pocket.

"Twenty three."

The three men looked at each other.

"We had better find the Guv." Gerry stated.

Sandra knocked on DAC Stricklands office door, she waited nervously.

"Come in." Came his voice from the other side, she turned the handle and poked her head around the door hoping he was alone and trying desperately to think up an excuse for being here if he wasn't. She didn't need to worry, he was sat at his desk wading through a pile of paperwork. He smiled when he saw her, but his smile turned to a frown when he noticed the slight redness in her eyes. "Is everything alright?" He asked concerned. He stood up from his desk and came towards her, he shut the door behind her before gently taking her hand.

"It's fine, nothing I can't work out," She smiled giving his hand a gentle squeeze, not wanting to worry him. "I just wanted to let you know that I would love to go to Dinner with you tonight, and I really don't mind where we go."

"Excellent!" He beamed, "How about I pick you up at seven? Do you like cantonese?"

"I love it, and seven will be fine." she smiled back. Just then her phone began to ring, she looked at the screen and frowned before answering, "I've only been gone for a quarter of an hour, I'm ok, what's up?" Strickland frowned at the one sided conversation, then jumped slightly as Sandra suddenly screeched "How many! Bloody hell! I'll be straight down." She hung up and closed her eyes.

"Problem?"

"You had better come and see this" She sighed. He opened his door and held it open, gesturing for her to go first, as she went past him, she couldn't help but feel a little tingle in her spine as he placed his hand in the small of her back.

They soon arrived outside the door of the ucos office, Sandra pushed the door open to be greeted with a scene of chaos, file boxes were stacked in the middle of the floor like a small mountain, the three occupants of the office were all sat on the sofa looking a bit shell shocked.

"Brian, maybe you should give your friend a call and tell him not to send any more files over until you say so." Sandra stated. "In the mean time, we can't leave this lot here." She sounded cool and calm, but inside she was screaming profanities that would make a sailor blush. Strickland looked around the room,

"Why don't we stack the boxes over by that wall for now?" He said, indecating the space normally filled by Brian's bike, "After Christmas I'll see about getting a storage space cleared somewhere so you can go through them at your leisure." He slipped his Jacket off his shoulders and laid it on Jack's desk, before rolling up his sleeves and picking up a box, this prompted the others into action, soon all the boxes were stacked up neatly against the wall.

"Where am I going to put me bike?" Brian moaned. Jack looked at him over his glasses.

"I have a suggestion." He deadpanned, Gerry snickered and took the tea that Sandra had made, she passed a mug to each of them. They drank in a slightly uncomfortable silence until Strickland decided to break it, he put his empty mug in the sink and picked up his suit jacket.

"Why don't we all call it a day, It's two o/clock, and one perk of being boss is I get to call a poets day when I feel like it. See you all Monday, have a good weekend." He nodded to Sandra and walked out the door, it swung shut behind him.

"Poets day?" Brian looked puzzled.

"Piss off early, tomorrow's Saturday!" The others all chorused as they reached for their coats. Sandra laughed as she turned off the lights and let the door close behind her.