I'm back! Sorry about the short chapeters but figured more frequent and shorted chapters is better than one huge chapter every 6 weeks or so! Anyway, I started my A levels officially this week so things may go a bit wobbly from here but I will try! Would be great to know if there are any readers still around and reviews are appreciated more than you will ever know! Thanks! And enjoy!`
"Look, stay at mine tonight." Gerry offered, in a more 'You need to' rather than 'You can do' voice. He couldn't leave Sandra alone tonight and there was no way on Earth he was leaving her here alone. After a slight hesitation, Sandra nodded gratefully, wiping her eyes again and thanked him. At this point she would have usually made a joke about his notorious love life, but she was exhausted, she couldn't even muster the energy to comment. Within minutes, she was ready to go. She had finally agreed to report what had happened but knew from her own experiences of dealing with these kind of issues, that it took a few days to get everything going.
They'd got back and she jumped up to sit on the counter, legs swinging underneath, in his beloved kitchen.
"Food?" He asked, rubbing his hands and glancing at the time. 17:20. Really? It had gone that quickly?! It had felt 5 minutes since he had found the note and the day had been going so well before then. Sandra was in her teasing mood, which he adored, and she was about to head out with him on an hour's drive. That was probably his favourite part of the day, talking to her on whatever subject they fancied for however long it took, especially when she was in that humorous mood. Even after three marriages, he felt more at home talking to Sandra than he ever had with any of his exes.
"Depends what ya got?" She smirked, obviously brightened by the prospect of cuisine. Rule one: Gerry thought Food is always the answer. He smiled back, content with the improvements in her mood, albeit not a brilliant improvement. But then what did he expect for someone who'd just been followed, stalked out and broken in to? And this wasn't just anyone. This was Sandra.
"Okay," He tailed off, opening the fridge and scanning the contents to figure out what to whip up. "Chicken..." His eyes climbed up the shelves in the fridge. "With broccoli, beansprouts, mushrooms..."His voice faded into a whisper as he spun around and leapt over to the cupboard to dig out the dried noodles." Not perfect, but it'd do. He turned to grin at Sandra, and saw her mirroring the expression before he'd even so much as smirked. He loved that smile- not the one she used at the casual joke, or even the one she had for about a week after Strickland walked into that door. No, this was more devious, but so radiant and perfect. He didn't see it all the often, and less so when they were around other people- even if they were Jack and Brian.
"What?" He chuckled, holding the noodles up in one hand, and the chicken in another, as she gazed over to him from the chair, still grinning herself.
"Nothing," But she maintained the smile. "So, what's for tea?" She questioned, only as enthusiastically as Sandra did when it involved something edible, as she jumped down from the side.
"Hoisin chicken stir fry!" Gerry announced, rather more triumphantly than he intended, but Sandra smiled back again.
"Okay! What should I do?" She asked, rubbing her hands and stepping forward to him so they were a lot closer than normal, if they weren't squashed up in Gerry's stag, off to question somebody or other.
"Buggered if I'm letting you cook!" Gerry laughed "And don't think that's because I'm being a gentleman. It's because I actually want a kitchen still standing at the end of it!"
Sandra crossed her arms, taking stance, tongue in cheek thinking of some smart remark to counter his teasing, but couldn't. Instead, she jumped forward and snatched the noodles from him.
"What would I do without you, Gerald?" She fluttered her eyelashes, opening them to a blue blue sparkle that had marveled Gerry ever since they met. "However," She began, jerking the noodles away when Gerry attempted to grab them back. "Contrary to popular belief, I can boil bloody noodles." And she strutted off to the kettle.
They continued in a comfortable silence for the next few minutes, as the kettle boiled and Gerry browned off the garlic and chicken together in the pan.
"Gerry?" Sandra softly started, as she turned from what she was doing to face him, at the other side of the kitchen.
"Hm?" He answered casually, stirring the chicken, but stopped when his eyes met hers and he knew whatever was coming was a big deal for Sandra to say, due to the seriousness on her face. That meant it probably involved emotions.
"I don't know what I would do without you, you know. Well, all of you. But you..." She tailed off, as he took steps closer to her.
He rubbed her shoulder, trying not to grin like the cheshire bloody cat. She's saying this because she's vulnerable Gerry. And you're just there.
"Me too." He said, rubbing the top of her arm, as she relaxed and leant back against the counter.
He looked her in the eyes, and mistakenly thought her eyes were just extra sparkly. Quite the opposite, and quite a rarity for the Detective Superintendent. Gerry tried not draw a quick breath as a tear fell from both eyes, simultaneously.
"I'm scared Gerry." She mumbled, and went to wiped the tear quickly, but Gerry caught he hand, and held it tightly, pulling her closer, wrapping her into a hug for the second time in a day. Things must be bad if she hasn't smacked me already. Gerry's inner voice recalled, which was true but he was just grateful he was there when she needed him most.
