Gordon Spikings looks at the two of them, sat close together. Usually, Dempsey leans against the wall but he's chosen to sit beside his partner.
Gordon had taken Harriet Makepeace to one side on the dockside last Thursday when it was sunny outside. He said she should return on Tuesday, tie it all up at the museum and then report back at 9am sharp. He'd added, as they stood watching Dempsey looking oddly nervous on the dockside, that her partner hadn't been his usual self.
Gordon mentioned that the American had been drinking with Dan and that maybe he had more to say about his feelings towards… her. Gordon felt that he could let Harriet work it out but she'd looked impatiently at him and he realised not talking was the heart of the matter. Thus he said something along the lines of 'if you bloody love Dempsey, tell him because he's bloody terrified'. He might also have said that the Yank was a liability without her.
They're good, he'll give them that. He's no idea how their weekend went, but they both look better. Dempsey has shaved and his hair looks tamed. He has a sparkle in his face and he keeps looking down at his lap.
Ah. Makepeace's hand is rested on his leg. She snatches it back when Gordon looks across and sits primly in her seat waiting for whatever grilling is about to come along. She's dressed in red, the lipstick seems to match her dress and there's a gentle calmness about her.
"I trust you had good weekends?" He'll disarm them with small talk. He was told to do this in his management training on keeping up staff morale.
"Yes, boss," Dempsey nods, a smile tugs at his mouth.
"Lovely sir, thank you for the extra time to deal with … things," Makepeace adds with a hint of a blush on her face.
"And you've resolved your misunderstanding?" He has to check, he's the boss.
"Yes," Makepeace confirms. Dempsey nods.
"Anything we can do here?" Gordon isn't sure what resources there are to help, but he won't lose Makepeace again.
"Do you want a new partner for example?" He prays she'll say no.
"That won't be necessary. I don't want to work with anyone else." She's firm. Beside her, Dempsey's hand twitches as if he wants to throw an arm around her.
Makepeace glances at her partner and he looks encouraging at her.
"I think the situation with Swaeby got to me more than I thought. I've talked to James. I have the support I need, with him." Makepeace explains hesitantly at first. "Dempsey did nothing wrong."
Gordon is slightly taken aback by this. As he looks at the American, he sees a tenderness there and wonders just what hell his Sergeant went through and what he, their boss, was so stupid to miss.
"Thank you, Dempsey," He says, which seems rather inadequate. He feels inadequate. "I have rather underestimated what you've both been through these past few months."
The American nods. There's a sharpness in his look that Spikings takes as a warning. He returns the gesture. He will do better by them, next time, if there is such a time. He hopes not.
"So this letter… " He holds up Makepeace's resignation letter. She takes it from him and, to his surprise, she hands it to Dempsey.
"There you are." Makepeace tells him and he looks at it with a delighted grin. "Go on, do you worst but not with the gun, we talked about that."
"I was gonna take it outside and shoot it," He confides and Gordon can't help but smile.
Instead, Dempsey begins to shred it, as Gordon hands back her identity card. "I gather Dempsey already gave you back your gun which is probably just as well."
He looks at his desk and picks up his notes, ready to get them back working again. "I'm afraid it's undercover… "
"Boss, we… I had another question." Dempsey looks cautiously across the desk, he's still shredding the letter. "I was wondering about the other paperwork you had."
"Oh that paperwork…" Gordon wasn't going mention it today. He thought he'd give them time to settle down a little. He's actually not that surprised that it's on Dempsey's mind this morning assuming the weekend went as well as it seems.
Makepeace looks curiously between them both but says nothing. Yet.
Gordon finds what he needs in a blue folder, next to his mug. He sorts through it, before handing it over to Dempsey. The American puts down the torn letter and signs his name where necessary and hands it back. He grins at Makepeace.
"I'll get that upstairs today." Gordon leans across the desk and holds out his hand. Dempsey takes it and they shake as gentlemen should, "Welcome to the UK."
Harry looks at them both, "You mean… what was that all about?"
"Making it official so the chief can stop threatening to drive me to Heathrow." Dempsey says and grins at Makepeace, "There's no reason for me not to stay. Hey.."
Dempsey looks apologetically at Gordon as their Sergeant's face crumples, "It was meant to make you smile, but if the prospect is that bad."
"Sorry sir, I wasn't expecting to have him here for life," Makepeace comments when she's composed herself and Dempsey has put his arms around her, fulfilling the role of boyfriend, lover or whatever he was with easy grace. He is, however, looking wrong-footed at her words until she beams at him in a way that Gordon never thought she would when they first met.
"Life huh?" Dempsey comments. Gordon sees a discrete stroke of his thumb on Makepeace's cheek.
"We can talk about that later. I think the boss has work for us," She picks up her badge and studies it. "Sir, are there any rules we ought to know about, in case well, he hangs about like an escapee from Battersea."
Dempsey looks up from the origami he's creating in confusion, the reference to the dogs' home is clearly lost on him.
"I imagine you'll have to feed him, take him for walks and, ahem… give him a warm bed for the night." Gordon bites the inside of his cheek, "Keep him on a tight leash. I don't think there's anything else I'd need to know, he's already exceeded at destroying things."
"I'm making sure you don't get the tape out and stick back together…" Dempsey rips another corner.
"I think you've done, honey…" Makepeace picks up the waste bin and watches the confetti that was her resignation letter fall from Dempsey's hands.
There's a momentary silence between the three of them, Gordon looks at the pens on his desk. Makepeace shrugs and Dempsey grins.
"The new case…" Gordon clears this throat.