Uniformed officers are keeping the press well back to where they can barely get a long lens picture of the house. Andrea nods to the uniforms that let her under the scene tape; they know she'll relieve the hungry media soon.
"Hello." Terry greets in his usual black leather jacket, worn in the heat, cold and in between. He was once heard to say it keeps him cool.
"What's the latest?" Andrea asks as she scans the armed officers who have a formidable presence and thankfully don't have to use their weapons too often. She spots the negotiator, a mobile phone to his ear and not far from him she makes eye contact with Neil.
"The negotiator arrived a six, he hasn't made up a lot of ground, particularly because this guy doesn't want anything, he's just distraught because of his wife's actions. It's making it a little harder to get him out of there, especially when there's nothing to bargain with." Terry sighs frustrated. "His name is David Adams, thirty- five, no children, works at some sort of manufacturing plant, married ten years and no weapons in the house other than the kitchen knives we believe."
"No one's considered going in?" Andrea asks watching Neil.
We don't have any visuals, our people at the side can't see anything, we think he might be in the centre of the house and we don't have a vantage point."
"Do we know this guy?" Neil makes eye contact this time.
"Nope, no record not so much as an overdue parking ticket but that doesn't mean we assume he's not capable of harming anyone." Andrea looks back to the press beyond the safe perimeter and when she comes back Neil is making his way towards her. Terry sees him coming, "I'll catch you later."
Neil wears a cautious smile when he's three steps from Andrea and Terry is well out of line of sight. It seems odd that he smiles during such a serious event, even though it's only a tiny sliver and it's careful.
"Did Terry fill you in?" He stands next to Andrea looking towards the house.
"Is there anything new?"
"We've got two armed officers moving into the backyard to try and get a better view of what's going on inside. There's not a lot of cover, the backyard is mostly grass. The negotiator has found out both hostages are bound and gagged but not hurt. Mr. Adams has spent most of his time talking about the good times in his marriage and what a good bloke he is to his wife and bemoaning about why she's done this to him. We're running with it to a certain extent because we figure that's all he really needs, someone to listen to him."
"Does the press have any details?" Andrea asks thought she assumes the answer will be no.
"Did the Super tell you, nothing is to get out or be denied or confirmed? We don't know if he has a TV or radio on in there and we don't want to take the chance something will upset him further." Neil is adamant; the press could seriously damage the delicate negotiations.
"I figured as much before I got here and the Super told me the same thing." Andrea casts her eyes back over the waiting media who have little to do but make suppositions and report no changes to the situation…a dangerous thing in its own right. "Happy Birthday by the way," Neil's instant smile puts her at ease to comment further.
"Thanks, you remembered," His smile grows to as large as he allows at work. She still loves the way his eyes smile as well. They close slightly and lose their seriousness.
"Of course I did." Andrea says softly and looking at him, indicating once again they may not be together but she still cares.
"Not a great way to spend it." Neil admits, looking back to the scene.
"Are you…doing something tonight?" Andrea's not sure when she's asking, she doesn't think she's looking for him to be alone and for her to fill the space.
Neil presses his lips together and shifts, "Yeah Colin and I are going to eat out." Andrea gets the impression he might have just wanted to invite her, then again maybe she just wants him to want to invite her.
"How is he?" Andrea pushes the inclination aside.
"Growing up too fast, spending all his free time with his friends and girlfriend…doesn't need his dad anymore."
"I'm sorry; I knew you were getting close again." Andrea glances back at the press.
"Oh we are, he's just got his own life, and he's more independent." Andrea senses some loneliness. "How's Cally?"
"I've been feeling a bit guilty lately; I've been so busy with work." She glances across at Neil.
"I'd like to come and visit." Neil shifts again.
"She'd love that." Andrea feels herself slipping from her professional mask. "I'd better go do this, they're looking at me." In one conversation she goes from wishing he'd ask her to dinner to being almost glad to get away.
Andrea turns on the charm for the press weaving her way until they feel as though they've got something more although they don't really. For all their yelling and shouting most understand in this type of situation the release of information has to be measured and careful, for the sake of those in danger.
She nods to the uniformed officers once she's dodged a few questions and batted a few others off and generally passed the time chatting about other things than the case with some of them. A relationship is necessary. They know she'll be back; it's just a matter of more happening. She walks carefully but deliberately back to Neil.
"The negotiator has made some progress; we could have the wife and the boyfriend out soon." Andrea nods.
"This is a little close to home, it could have happened to you and I." As soon as she's said it she wonders why she did, but more prominently she wonders what response she'll get.
Neil shakes his head. "This isn't Philippa's weapon of choice, she likes to keep up appearances at all times, and this is far too public for her." Andrea nods and swallows. "I'm still trying to figure out why she's allowing me to divorce her; I'm still waiting for…"
"Her to defend it?" Andrea braves and its part of what Neil's thinking.
"Maybe because I'm divorcing her it implies I'm unhappy not her, it's my failure." It's as if Neil didn't hear her, lost in thoughts he expresses out loud. "The reasons for the divorce are sealed and she is a continent away. She's left all her friends and colleagues behind, this way even though she realises it's over she can minimise the embarrassment." Then it's as if Neil has a realisation of his own about what he's been talking about. "I probably shouldn't be talking about this with you."
"If you want to talk I'm here." Forget how inappropriate it might be, how difficult it might be, what it might lead to…she just wants to be there for him, propriety and other rules be dammed. For a minute till they're interrupted he's going to let her be there for him, he's going to suggest they meet somewhere neutral and he's going to talk to her about not just Philippa but them.
"Guv," Terry nods his head towards the house and Neil steps quickly over, shortly after that two frightened people run out of the front door, the armed officers guide them to safety and then to the waiting medical assistance.
Behind her cameras click madly, Andrea checks her watch, seven thirty yet she feels like it's the end of a twelve hour shift.
Andrea allows them to continue to take the photos as the couple are driven to hospital via the other end of the street; their long lenses will do then little good.
"Andrea." They call but she can't help watch the ambulance go wondering what might have happened if she and Neil had been discovered, were Neil's words true? "Andrea."
"I'll have a statement for you when this is over and you'll have the opportunity to question the senior officers on the scene in due course," She walks away to little objection.
"What's happening?" Andrea asks Terry, noticing some action at the front of the house.
"He's cut off communication; they're preparing to go in." Terry walks away and Andrea knows the only thing to do now, like the rest of the morning is to wait. Neil shifts from one foot to the other, casting his eyes over hers, the next few minutes will be crucial but there's also something personal in his look.
Andrea shifts uncomfortably as things start to take too long and she can feel the press getting twitchy. David Adams walks out unaided, hands in the air and Andrea's heart sinks, she's seen that look it's the same one Neil wore when she told him about her job with Bruce. She turns away as he drops to his knees, next will be flat on the grass, she can't stand to watch that and the shattered look on his face. He doesn't need the heavy gun presence, he's too distraught to do harm to anyone, and he's hurting too much on the inside. As he's put in the back of an area car Andrea wishes he could have realised he'll get through it and his marriage might just survive but he couldn't see that or think straight at the time.
"He had the knife pointed towards his chest, he was crying about how life without her isn't worth it…" Smithy comes up next to her, she hadn't realised he was approaching.
"Smithy promise me one thing, promise me someone will take into account the fact he's utterly devastated by the betrayal of his wife." Andrea's voice has more emotion in it than it should.
"That'll be up to a jury." He says businesslike but then it falls into place.
"This guy you were seeing, you cheated on him."
Close enough is good enough. "His reaction is justified, just not his actions." The car with David Adams inside speeds away.
"Hey, do you want to meet for a drink tonight and talk about it?" Andrea snaps back from where she's been staring. She hesitates to accept the offer because of her earlier conversation with Neil, she felt sure he was going to ask her the same thing. She doesn't see Neil step out from behind an unmarked car, his eyes going directly to look for her, he's going to ask her if she wants to meet and talk tonight.
"Might help to talk to someone about it, some more," Smithy raises a hand of friendship and rests it on her upper arm. The action doesn't go unnoticed by Neil.
"Just a quick one," Andrea says trying to be as non-committal as possible in case Neil catches up with her later, she's unaware he's seen the whole exchange and is starting to ask himself if Smithy is more than on the radar, if they're involved. That being the case Neil feels a greater sense of loss at the opportunity that's no longer there rather than any anger that she's moving on. "I've got to get to Sun Hill before the Super starts the press conference."
"The Bank hotel at seven," Smithy smiles but Andrea's focus is elsewhere.
Adam Okaro, Jack Meadows and Neil Manson present a united front, stepping out of the station in rank order and preparing to take the onslaught together. Andrea studies their body language and their actions, each man composed and measured.
Occasionally she rolls her eyes at the questions there's no way will be answered and when Adam Okaro ends the information press conference she stays behind till they've dispersed, new information won't be forthcoming for another 24 hours.
Andrea goes straight for her phone realising she hasn't kept Louise up to date. She's annoyed, though not from the lack of updates but because the multiple phone calls from Andrea would have dragged her away from the documentary meetings.
"I'll be back in an hour." Andrea looks at her watch, she has one more thing she wants to do, rather one more person she wants to see.
Andrea stays in the halls for twenty minutes or so with a cup of coffee in hand; stopping to talk to the people she used to work with. She hopes to run into Neil, he wasn't in his office after the press conference.
By the time it becomes necessary for her to leave, Neil's still illusive. She leaves the card squarely in the middle of his desk, his name clearly on the envelope.
Although she started the day feeling comfortable only to leave it on his desk, she'd have preferred now to have handed it to him and have pressed a little more to talk.
Neil's avoiding her, knocked off his perch of confidence by Smithy's hand on her arm, now he just doesn't know, before it was a little simpler. He asks Terry if Andrea's left and the affirmative answer means he heads back to his office. That's where he finds the card.
The message may be simple but it doesn't make the card any less complex. It can never be just a card, there's too much gone on between them for that. It has a meaning or reason. The paw print of Cally's is cute and although the message is simple and Andrea's signed her name, he's unsure what to make of it. Still he puts it in the bottom of his desk drawer, buried with the photo of them together. He looks at the photo for a moment; it's everything he misses about them. He remembers the feelings that created the look on his face. Then he puts it away.
"Hey." Smithy surprises Andrea appearing beside her at the photocopier. "You weren't about to photocopy a body part were you?"
Andrea screws up her nose but smiles. "Tomorrows press release." She starts the machine whirring, looking at the casually dressed Smithy up and down. "What time is it?" Suddenly it dawns on her why he's here.
"Quarter to seven." Smithy says picking up a sheet that has come out of the copier.
"Busy body," Andrea snatches the paper from him, she honestly hadn't realised it was as late as it is, the office is still busy though in the back of her mind she thinks maybe she was unconsciously avoiding the date. Busy at work or lost track of time are weak but not implausible excuses. "So did you think I wouldn't show?"
"Unless you were planning to be fashionably late you would have left by now…I knew you wouldn't come unless I came and got you, you were hesitant from the start." Smithy's right, he's seen straight through her without knowing the reasons.
Andrea picks up the copies of the pro-active press release and heads back to her desk. "You don't want to talk…I thought women talked everything like this almost of existence." He says, the second half to himself more than anything.
"I'd like to be able to talk it out of never having happened but I don't want to talk about it anymore so can we just go out and have fun?" Andrea's look tells him she needs him to be something uncomplicated and easy in her life. She also needs a distraction from wondering what Neil's reaction to the card was. Each time the phone had rung that afternoon she'd expected it to be Neil.
"We could go to the movies and then you'd hardly have to talk at all." Smithy offers and Andrea smiles as she turns off her computer.
"I talk all through movies." Smithy rolls his eyes and laughs once, "Come on lets get out of here."