'Bloody Hell!' Gary exclaimed, standing up in his seat, to get a better look. The relief along with the Borough Commander had traveled up by coach that afternoon as there was so many of them, they were driving along the country road towards the house, some of the others had stood up to nealing over to get a closer look.
As the coach turned into the Campbell residents, murmurs of excitement spread up and down the coach as the full view of the house and grounds came into focus. Instead of going round the roundabout and parking in front of the front door like Chris and Andrea had, the coach took the relief straight ahead and round the back of the house and came to a stop. There was a chattering of excitement as they all started to collect there things together and stepped down of the coach.
'Is it just me.' Smithy said turning is attention from the scenery over the lake to, Becky, Honey, Yvonne, Tony, Cameron and Reg who had just stepped down and were taking in there surroundings. 'But did Chris and Andrea forget to mention that there parent's were loaded?'
They all giggled.
'Right everyone!' the booming voice of Michael Campbell called 'If you'd like to make your way into the hall.' he pointed them in threw the double back doors which lead into the hall. As the relief made there way inside, Louse walked around the corner having just come out of the kitchen, and was moving towards her husband, smiling
'Hey.' kissed her husband. 'How was the trip?'
'Not to bad.' he embraced his wife. 'The traffic on the M11 though.' he stood, his arms still round her, he glanced over the grounds, then into the house. 'Were are the kids?'
'Oh they went out on the horses, what? She added as Michael looked at her one eyebrow raised.
'You kicked them out, again.'
'I did not!' she exclaimed, Michael laughed walking into the hall, an arm around his wife.
As there relief, made there way upstairs towards the bedrooms, Neil glanced at the photo's on the wall as he climbed the stairs behind Samantha. His eyes darted to each of them, showing Andrea and her brothers growing up. Them as children, Andrea's school photo's taken with her brothers, she and her three cousin's bridesmaids at her aunts wedding, family holidays, and family photo's showing Michael, Louise and all of the Borough Commander's children. They were aloud to pick there own rooms, so Neil purposely choice the one next to Andrea's. He opened the door and walked across the room taking in its surroundings. A double bed stood in the corner, it looked comfortable enough as Neil put his bag on it, and walked over to the window. He watched as two ducks took flight from the water and turned away, with a sigh. For the past three day's he had thought about nothing, nothing but Andrea and how he a treated her. OK, he got paranoid when the news article came out and then with Kerry, but now that Kerry was dead it made him feel worse. He hadn't just hurt her, but she had also lost one of her best friends, he wanted to tell her he was sorry, but that was easier said then done. She wouldn't go near him, she had been ignoring his calls and everytime he saw her at the station she had turned and walked of in the opposite direction. Neil walked over and sat on the corner of the bed which dipped under his weight. The truth was, he thought he was falling in love with her.
As the day carried everyone was getting settled in, and exploring the house and grounds. By late afternoon, Honey, Yvonne, Becky, Amber and the lads could be seen having fun in the pool. Whist the senior offices sat with Louse and Michael at the garden table, sipping Lemonade and talking high Met business. By late evening, everyone gathered in the dinning room for a spectacularly dinner. Everyone sat at a long table and Honey could be heard saying, 'God I feel like the Queen!'. After dinner Michael went into the kitchen along with Neil, Phil, Adam, Gina and Jack for coffee. It was now starting to get dark and Andrea and the other's were still not back. The weather had also changed, it had been a lovely sunny and hot day, now the weather had changed to rain, with thunder and lighting creeping in. As a paticuley loud crackle of thunder echoed over the house, Louise walked into the kitchen she looked worried.
'Michael.' everyone looked at her as she walked up to the table. 'I'm starting to get worried, it's nearly dark and the weathers terrible and there still not back.'
'They'll be fine.' he tried to reassure her, even though silently he had started to get anxious himself. 'Stop worrying, look have you tried there mobiles?'
'James goes straight to voicemail.' she walked around the kitchen bench. 'Chris's is switched of and Andrea hasn't even got hers.' she picked up Andrea's phone wish was on battery charge. 'Look normally I wouldn't worry, but look at the weather.' just then lighting flashed, light up the darkening kitchen. 'All of them went out without coats and Rachel's horse gets spooked when it comes to thunder -' she said in a rush before she was cut of.
'All right.' Michael got up and put his arms around his wife, trying to calm her down. 'All right, I'll call your father, and see if he's seen them OK.' he steered her into his empty chair at eh table between Gina and Adam. 'Now stop worring.' he walked over towards the phone, but before he picked it up there was another louder clatter of thunder which made him turn, and he saw the vivd out line of four horse go past the house, everyone turns to look out of the window. 'See I told you they'd be OK.' he says cheerfully, turning to face Louise. Just then Chris and Rachel come running into the kitchen socking wet.
'Where have you lot been?' he said, sitting back down at the table. 'Your mother's been having a panic attack.'
'We got caught up in that.' Rachel said panting and nodding towards the kitchen window were the rains was pounding loudly and heavy against the windows. 'It's rain you now.' she said sarcastically.
'Yeah we kind of noticed.' Michael said smiling. 'Where's your brother and sister?'
'There putting the horses away.' she said whist trying to rinse her wet hair.
'Oh sorry Adam, this is my youngest daughter, this is Rachel.' he nods at her, who gives and embarrassed sort of smile. 'And you already now Chris.'
'Sir.' Chris nodded at the Supt, before heading over to the sink, whist Rachel walked over to the fridge, just as Andrea and James came running in laughing and drenched to the skin, the minute Neil saw Andrea was holding James hand, he felt jealousy rise in him, however a small smile took over as she looked quite sexy even thought she was soaked to the skin. As it had been a lovely warm day a couple of hours previous they had all gone out without jackets on, but Andrea had also gone out with out a jumper on, which meant you could see right threw the white three quarter length shirt she had been wearing.
'Look at you lot, your all soaking.' Louise got up and walked passed her dripping children, 'Your all going to catch your death of cold and you madam ...' she turns to Andrea holding a tea towel. 'are going to catch Lamina.' she hands the towel to Andrea to help her dry of.
'Go on, say i told you so.' Andrea took the towel and started drying her sleeves.
'OK, I told you so.' she and stairs at her daughter who looks back and the pair burst into giggles.
'Oh and this is my eldest son, James.' Michael said to Adam nodding at James, who smiled and said Hi back. 'So were did you lot get to, we tried calling you but we couldn't get threw.
'We went over to granddads.' Rachel said coming back over carrying a bottle of water from the fridge. 'He wanted Chris and J to help him out with somethings.'
Right.' Louise said clapping her hands and grabbing everyone's attention. 'I want you lot to dry of and get a shower ...' Andrea looks for the first time at Neil and realizes he's been watching her. '...before you have your dinner.'
'I bagsey the shower first!' Rachel said as she walked around the table towards the hall, Andrea looked away from Neil, and put down her tea towel which was now as wet as her, but hadn't dried her of one bit.
'Use all the hot water and your dead.' she started walking towards the hallway to, keeping eye contact with her sister.
'First come first serve!' she made a run for the door laughing, Andrea at her heels aware that everyone was watching them including Neil.
'Don't even think about it!' As she chased her sister out of the kitchen, a low sound of laughter could be herd from the kitchen.
She turned of the shower and stepped out, grabbing a fluffy white towel she wrapped it around her and stepped out of her bathroom and walked in to her room. The storm had silenced but the rain could still be herd pounding on the windows. As she turned away from the window she realized she was alone, standing in the door way, hands in pockets looking at her, Neil.
'You've been avoiding me?' he said, softly there was no anger in his voice.
'What are you doing?' she a little taken aback, the house was full of there work colleges, her parent's were down stairs, and if anyone walked into the room a that moment they were bound to put two and two together, given the fact she was draped in a towl and he stood there, with out his jacket and tie making it look like they had just.
'I need to talk to you,' he said again in the same voice.
'What for, oh you think now that one of best mates has been shout and taken out of the picture, we can get back to normal.' she walked over to her bed and grabbed her dressing gown and pulled it on, feeling anger build up inside her.
'No that's not.' he began before she cut him of.
'What makes you think I'm going to put my self threw that again, just for you to back of when things get difficult.' there was no hiding the anger in her voice now.
'Look.' he said trying to remain calm walking into the room. 'I'm sorry, I got paranoid when Kerry found out and I couldn't see any other option.' Andrea rolled her eyes. 'But the one thing I am sure of is I don't want to lose you, when Kerry was shot and I heard you were in the front of the building, I panicked, I felt sick to the stomach when I heard you were you were at the time. And it made me realize that this is just more then an affair,' he paused trying to get threw to her 'I love you.'
Andrea, turned to the rain stained window, seeing his and her own reflection, she closed hers eyes on the last three words, however much she loved hearing them, it always made it worse and much harder.
'It doesn't change anything,' there was no anger in her voice now, she was calm, but holding back silent tears. 'This is and affair Neil and it always will be and I can't keep doing this is your going to back out every time it gets difficult, I can't keep putting myself threw that every time you run back to Phillippa.'
Neil could feel his heart sink, he new she was right, knowing he couldn't ever promise, this, but it wasn't easy for him, being town between the woman he was married to and the woman he loved and would die for, a high ranking job, with boss he kept disagreeing with every five minutes and a son who couldn't stand him. Andrea was the one thing who could get him threw all of these.
'Just go.' she said as a hidden and silent tear rolled down her face, she watched his reflection walk over to the door.
'I'm not giving up on you on us.' he said in a strong and confident voice, as the door closed behind him with a bit of a snap, Andrea walked over to her bed, and sat down, the bed dipped under her weight, wrapping her arms around her knees she let the tears flow as the thunder outside, began to start up again, leaving her alone in the dark and empty room.
