Body of Evidence
"So are you going to come out on all our cases now?" Sandra asked Strickland as they enjoyed their Chinese take away.
"Somehow I don't think you would really like that," he replied giving her a look over the glass of wine he was enjoying with dinner.
"Oh I don't know it could be fun" she teased knowing full well that if he were to actually do that she would likely kill him.
"Why don't I believe you?" he smirked calling her out. "So how was the case?"
"Fine except I feel that my computer is massively unprotected even with anti-virus and the met's firewall." She mused unhappily drinking a good portion of her own wine.
"That feels about right" he admitted the more he knew the less safe he felt about all this technology was. "Something is bothering you other than computer safety I can tell," he told her noticing she was staring off into space.
"I don't think Brian is happy with Steve joining the team." She informed him with a sigh.
"Okay other than Brian being Brian why?" He had been expecting this and he thought she had too and was prepared for it but it appeared he was wrong.
"Well Brian and Gerry both basically said they were unhappy with my decision before we started the case. But Gerry has since warmed to Steve." She tried to explain to him, it had quickly become clear Gerry had found a new drinking buddy which meant they would soon be fast friends.
"That is the way Gerry is," he observed.
"Yes it is Gerry can get on with just about everyone." She replied fondly with a smile.
"Except me" he added, he didn't take it personally but he knew Gerry wasn't his biggest fan.
"That's not true, he doesn't like higher ups but I think he gets on with you pretty well now." She informed him, she knew what Gerry could really do if he disliked someone.
"Actually he has been fairly good to me since we got together years ago." He had to agree, she might have been right about Gerry coming around to him.
"I didn't exactly give him much choice." She added filling both of their glasses back up.
Once they finished with dinner instead of cleaning up the food they agreed to move over to the sofa and they brought their wine with them so they could enjoy another glass while curled up together under a blanket.
"Oh Gerry could have found way to continue disliking me, they all could have, all three could have let it slip and that would have been our secret out." He reminded her that all three of her boys could have messed things up for them long ago.
"He did hit you," she added.
"I deserved it" he admitted, that had not been a good couple of hours for either of them.
"No comment" she couldn't help but smile and laugh. That incident was one she would like to just forget about. She felt that way about most of their fights but that one had been their first and was their worst. The incident with Fisher was still a close second in her mind though, it was just another incident she would much rather forget about.
"Really?" he asked laughing as well. He had known full well at the time that she thought he deserved Gerry's punch to the jaw.
"Yes, back to what I was talking about." She said she did not need nor did she want to go down memory lane regarding all their fights. "Gerry is fairly easy going, but Brian he doesn't like change. And I kind of snapped at him, but …what he said…I just don't quite understand and I got short with him." She told him unhappily. She felt bad when she had to yell about Brian but this wasn't even one of those times she just lashed out at him and she did feel really bad about it.
"Dare I ask what he said?" Only when pushed or stressed did she say mean things to Brian and it had him a bit concerned.
"He said we were a family and I told him we were a team," she replied softly.
"Why would you say that, they are your family?" He asked confused.
"Because Gerry Jack, Brian and I are family and now Jack is gone therefore now it just the three of us" she blurted out. It was the truth they were a family but the team as it was no longer a family.
"Ah and no one can replace Jack and they can't be part of the family" he clarified.
"Exactly" she said more harshly than she meant to. "Just because Steve joins our team doesn't mean he joins the family. I would have thought they would understand this, Brian of all people I would have thought would understand. I don't know why Brian would have thought it was going to be any different. They were upset because they didn't get a say on picking Steve but what difference was it going to make? No one that I could have interview for the job could come in and become part of the family. It doesn't work like that and I thought Brian would know that, I can't believe he even tried to argue that we could still be a family that way. But no I have to come off as the bad guy for stating what I thought we all understood." She moaned at him taking a large drink of her wine.
"This is an adjustment for all of you just give it time. Everyone deals with change differently; I can't tell you what Brian was thinking. But if you just give everyone time to deal with the change and adapt I am sure everything will work itself out. I am not saying Steven will become part of the family but things will get more comfortable around the office. You have to learn how Steve works and he has to learn how you three work." He made a mental note to drop by and have a little talk with Gerry and Brian, they deserved to know what Sandra was actually thinking and she was unlikely to ever explain it to them herself. It was dangerous territory to talk to the guys behind Sandra's back but every so often he found he needed to.
"I think Brian feels like Steve is stepping on his toes," she lamented to him. She was worried that Brian wouldn't adjust instead he would just get more upset about it and when Brian was upset he withdrew from the people he cared about and who cared about him.
"Again it will take time, he just needs to find his place, you picked Steve for a reason trust yourself, I do." He reminded her leaning over and kissing her.
"Thank you" she replied.
"Everything I said was true" he told her sincerely.
"I know but thank you for saying it. Maybe I should give Ester a ring just so she can keep an eye on him just to be safe." She said still thinking about Brian.
"It couldn't hurt she does know how to get him to come round to things." He agreed with her and they were both silent for a minute. "Did you happen to tell Steve about us?" he asked suddenly concerned about Steve's reaction to their relationship.
"I didn't" she answered him quietly. She was unsure of what to do about that whole issue.
"Do you think Brian and Gerry did?" he questioned unsure if he wanted them to or not.
"No I don't think so," she told him thinking about it. Brian certainly didn't and while Gerry was warming up to the man she didn't think he would share something so personal with the man at least not so soon. He boys had been very careful over the years when it came to her secret something she great appreciated.
"Are you going to tell him?" he asked nervously.
"I will have to at some point or things will be a little weird in the office. Finding the right moment is the hard part." She didn't really want to think about it right now. She honestly felt she needed to get to know the man better before she could share her biggest secret with him. She had to know he was willing to keep it a secret.
"I know but again you chose him you have to trust him. It seems to me you are being a little like Brian," he countered.
"Excuse me?" she squealed trying to no choke on the wine she just drank. She loved Brian but she couldn't see how the two were similar in any way.
"You chose Steve, offered him the job that was just the first stop, now you have to trust him the way you trust Gerry and Brian." He told her with a knowing look.
"I can't do that I will accept him as a member of this team to do the job. That is all I need to do," she argued with him. The trust she had with Gerry and Brian had developed over the years it was not something that could materialize in a few weeks of working with a person.
"I suppose that is true" he gave in to her he was not in the mood to argue. And trust did have to be earned over time.
"This team, Gerry Jack and Brian they were the first team I have ever stayed with long enough to create a bond with. When you climb the ladder and everyone else is trying to as well people are constantly coming and going. You get to know people but you don't bond with them. And I can't do it again, I can't bond with Steve or anyone else not like I did with Gerry, Jack, and Brian." By the end a few tears escaped her eyes, this tended to happen whenever she actually talked about Jack.
"Okay" he said wiping the tears away. "Do me a favor and just give it time, change is hard on everyone. But first I am going to take you upstairs and put to bed because I think you will feel a little better once you get some sleep. I might even suggest a hot relaxing bath I can feel the stress in your shoulders you need to relax a little more." Since Jack had left he had been very focused on taking care of her because he knew she was taking it hard and he wasn't sure she would worry about herself enough. He made sure she actually ate through the day and did all he could to make sure she got some sleep at night.
"Okay" she sighed, Strickland moved to get up but she stopped him. "Promise me you'll always be here with me?" She knew she was being sappy and needy but the whole Jack thing still had her feeling vulnerable. He sat back down and cupped her face in his hands.
"I will always be here for you with you" he kissed her cheeks where a few tears had fallen and then she kissed her lips. "But first I think am going to make love to you before you take that bath."
"Okay" she agreed happily resting her forehead again his. "Are you going to deal with the dishes too?"
A/N This chapter ends the arc of Jack leaving and everyone dealing with him begin gone especially Sandra, I felt it was important to show how she felt about bringing a new member in. Hope this chapter doesn't feel like a filler or repetitive from earlier chapters. Thanks for reading and the reviews.
