New chapter once more, thank you for all the support on this one.
Waking up is hard to do
Sandra was awake first, to say she had had a good nights sleep would have been a lie.
After Gerry had rolled away from her, and spoken about the potato Sandra had let her mind drift. Now that she was only half awake and totally aware of the warm body only inches from her own her mind had wonder to some not so innocent thoughts.
She had found that being in the same bed as Gerry Standing was a far more difficult test of will than she had ever imagined. Once the sun had come up Sandra had crept out of that bed and fled like a frightened school girl. Now in Gerry's kitchen brooding over a hot cup of coffee. Sandra now pondered why she had acted so cowardly, she was usually so strong about things like this, it didn't matter what other people thought of her. Relationships were unimportant when it cane to her personal life. One night stands were hardly her style either, but she could always walk away, she kept a distance between herself and anyone she was seeing, maybe this was it, that distance couldn't be created between herself and Gerry, she was involved with him weather she liked it or not.
Ok so they hadn't slept together, or kissed for that matter, but they were involved on a far deeper level than Sandra had ever thought.
Was sleeping in his bed just a test for them, to make sure that they could deal with this tension that had been building between them since well, since they first met.
If it was then Sandra was not sure weather she had passed.
Gerry woke up to an empty bed. He was not surprised, he thought he had felt Sandra get up a while ago and he had once again claimed the whole bed to himself in his sleep.
Stretching the kinks out of his back from sleeping so stiffly Gerry could smell the distinct smell of coffee and toast. The aroma encourage him to his feet, slipping on a shirt as he went deciding that being topless in the middle of the night was one thing. In board daylight after a hard nights sleep was another. Gerry made his way down the stairs to find Sandra staring out of the window. Even first thing in the morning, her hair slightly scruffy and clad in loose fitting shiny pyjamas she still looked wonderful. He took the only second he had just to look at her before she turned around and regarded him with her icy blue eyes.
"Morning Gerry, coffee pot has just boiled and I have toast on, although I am sure you already knew that." She said, her voice was warm enough but Gerry could feel the other shoe begin to drop before it hit the floor.
"I think I will go and stay with another friend tonight, not that it hasn't been great here but with the broken radiator and all, I don't want to impose on you." She said as the toast popped out of the toaster and Gerry was startled by its appearance.
"Oh ok, but you know it's no problem, I can probably fix it now that I can get a better look at it." Gerry said he was disappointed to say the least that she was leaving, but not surprised.
"Well I kind of told them to expect me, but if you can get it fixed it would save me moving all my things again." Sandra replied as she buttered the toast and then handed Gerry two slices.
He was surprised at just how easy that was to convince her to stay. Maybe she was just worried about imposing on him. Not wanting to bring up last night Gerry sipped on is coffee and bit into his toast. The silence between them was slightly uncomfortable, but it seemed like neither of them was willing to break it, that or they didn't know what to say.
"I am going to grab an shower and head in." Sandra said suddenly and she stood up and deposited the remainder of her uneaten toast in the bin and placed the dirty plate on the side.
Gerry watched as she exited the kitchen without looking back, he was puzzled by her behaviour, not only that but he had no idea how to react to it. Shouting, cussing and calling him names that he knew how to deal with. This quite slightly brooding woman was a completely different story and Gerry decided to go and see if he could fix that radiator so he would have another night to try and figure it all out.
As Sandra stood under the shower she allowed the spray to wash away her insecurities, why was she doing this, she knew she had no where to go. Brian or Jack was well out of the window now, because if they said anything to Gerry he would know she was avoiding him. She hoped he would fix the radiator so she could stay. She could cope with staying as long as she didn't have to share bed with him.
Getting out of the shower and putting Superintendent Pullman back on duty as she stepped out of the steamy bathroom Sandra felt better almost at once.
The drive to work was as uneventful as usual, they had taken separate cars once more and Gerry had even managed to fix the radiator in the spare room.
He noticed that Sandra did not take much persuading to stay after that. He was surprised however at just how happy that made him feel.
Pulling into the car park he noted that Jack had already arrived, closing the door to his beloved Stag Gerry headed on upstairs. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder and noting that Sandra had yet to appear. Wondering just where she might have gotten to Gerry pushed open the doors to UCOS to be greeted with an excitable Brian.
"Ha Gerry you're here, I have found something very interesting in the Fletcher case." The northerner said leading Gerry over to his desk where Jack was already seated.
"Shouldn't we wait for Sandra?" Jack said not wanting to have to sit though the explanation twice as the older man focused his gave on Gerry.
"Do you know where she is?" Jack asked and Gerry's face flushed against his will.
"How the hell should I know, I'm not her keeper." Gerry replied a little more angrily than he should have done.
"God you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Jack said giving his friend a scowl as the blonde in question strolled trough the door.
"Morning boys, I brought donuts." Sandra said a merry tone to her voice and Gerry had to shake his head. This morning she was the quite brooding one, now he was anxious and getting mad at Jack for no good reason. While miss ice cool was smiling away and had even managed to bring in elevenses.
"Oh good, but Sandra I have found something which might blow the Fletcher case right open." Brain said taking one of the pre offered doughnuts and chewing it with his mouth wide open.
Gerry was less enthusiastic to take a sugary treat but the soft smile on Sandra's face made him take one, and give her a smile in return.
"Ok Brian let's here it." Sandra said settling in for one of Brian's usual epics.
Two hours later and a report to Strickland on their somewhat limited progress, but progress non the less Sandra was now sat in her office, the door was closed and the slice was giving her too much time to think.
She couldn't stop thinking about last night, and not just the fact that she had spent it in Gerry's bed. She was weighing up what it all meat, she enjoyed his company, he made her laugh, she trusted him with her life, and he was her friend. Sandra sighed she was looking at the same report that she had been staring at for the past half an hour and she realised that she had read none of it.
"I have to do something about this." She thought to herself, she realised that she had been thinking about good reasons to pursue what ever this was with Gerry.
Sandra was under no illusion that Gerry was attracted to her, that his thoughts towards her was not always strictly platonic, but then again she could say the same thing about herself the past few months, and certainly last night. However she knew that Gerry would never try anything, not without some encouragement anyway. Sandra let a small smile cross her lips, while she was scared of what this would mean she also couldn't deny her increased pulse rate at the thought of it.
"Then why am I so desperate to hide the fact that I am staying with him from Jack and Brian." She said softly to herself. Was it the fact that she was ashamed of him, or that she was ashamed of her feelings.
Shaking her head slightly Sandra didn't know what to do, tapping her fingers absently on the desk she glanced out of the window and caught Gerry looking at her. She smiled quickly and turned her attention back to the monitor.
Gerry had tried not to watch her, he really had, but she was acting like nothing had happen last night, like when she walked into the office this morning, she was saying hello to him for the first time that day.
Now she was staring at the wall like it held the answers to the universe, Gerry didn't know what was going on in her head, but he was sure it was something to do with him.
As Sandra turned her gaze to him and locked eye contact Gerry was sure he was going to get a scowl and some indication to get back to work. He received neither however as a small smile grace her lips and she turned away from him almost in embracement.
"Hey Gerry you sitting there all day ort are you coming to the pub." Jack said coming over to Gerry's desk and tapping him on the shoulder.
Gerry had not realised the time, it was well past five and Brian had is cycle helmet already in place and was doing up his chin strap.
"Oh yeah sure, what about Sandra?" He asked trying to sound uninterested in the answer.
"Say's she is staying here, got some work to do." Jack replied already half way out of the door as Gerry heard his mane being called.
"Gerry can I have a second?" Sandra said leaning on the doorway to her office and Gerry approached her cautiously. He thought she was going to tell him she wasn't staying tonight, that she had decided to stay with her friends instead. He couldn't believe how disappointed that made him feel. With no time to really examine that emotion Sandra was already talking.
"Do you have a key I could use, I will be finished here soon and I would like to just get home, it's been a long day." Sandra said and Gerry noted that she did look tired. Neither of them was going to mention why they were both feeling the effects of a lack of sleep though and Gerry just nodded fishing around in his wallet.
"Here just take my set, you will be back before me anyway." He said handing her the shiny silver key and allowing his hand to brush her's for a just a second longer than necessary.
"Thank you I will see you later." Sandra said and with that she had turned and shut the door. Gerry was once again confused, one minute she was all nice and polite, even shy and cautious, the next she was slamming the door in his face and virtually dismissing him.
Turning on his heel and leaving the office Gerry was determined to have it out with her tonight, job and his physical safety be dammed, there was only so much he could take of this.
Sandra had only waited five minutes after Gerry had left to make her exit, she rushed to her car climbed in and headed straight for Gerry's house. She realised that she had been acting pretty strange all day and even Brian, who had the emotional awareness of a kettle even picked up on it.
It was time to take action, she was not a shy woman by nature, usually if she wanted something she would just go right a head and take it, no hanging around no beating about the bush.
Pushing open the door to Gerry's house Sandra kicked off her shoes, bending over to place them neatly in the cupboard next to the door before walking in to the kitchen.
Sorting through cupboards Sandra found the things she needed, never having been much of a cook Sandra thought that she could at least do spaghetti bolognaise, using a premade sauce from a jar, and pick a decent wine from Gerry's extensive collection.
Deciding that she could leave the pasta to cook while she went upstairs to shower and change Sandra was quite pleased with herself.
The butterflies she was now feeling in her stomach seemed less distracting now, and she was able to take a deep breath and calm herself. She realised that since making the decision to ask Gerry if she could stay at his house she had been after something else too. It took her a night in his bed to realise what but now her mind was made up she was going to follow through with her plan.
Climbing into the shower Sandra hung her head and let the hot water cascade down her body, relieving the tension that had built up there though the day. For once it was not caused by the stress of work, but by the stress of her feelings.
Or lack of them, she thought bitterly to herself. Huffing slightly and reaching for her shampoo Sandra washed her hair like she had done a million times before, but for some reason the sent of her shampoo seemed to fill the air. She realised that it was now covering up the sent of Gerry's shower gel and she didn't like it. there was something very comforting about having Gerry's sent around her seeing his things while she bathed. Shaking her head and snapping herself out of the girlish indulgence she finished with washing her hair and turned off the shower.
Grabbing a towel and beginning to dry herself off she heard the door bang. Her heart thumped hard along with the sound of the closing door as Gerry's voice filtered through the closed bathroom door.
"What in the hell have you done to my kitchen."
Ok so what is or was Sandra's plan? How is Gerry going to take the news? Let me know what you think so far and if you would like to find out what happens next just ask and I will provide you with the answers.