When Duty Isn't Enough
Author: Firebird
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Neither Hot Fuzz nor its characters, settings etc. are mine. Original characters are, as the name would imply, original and belong to me.
**
The rain beat steadily down on the car, the wipers sweeping it aside to reveal the road to Buford Abbey stretching out before them, illuminated by the headlights. It was early December and that, combined with the rain, meant that the afternoon sky was already almost as gloomy as night. It matched the mood of the car's two occupants as Lily pulled up outside Buford Abbey Railway Station.
"Well, here we are." She shut off the engine and the only sound was the plunk of raindrops on the roof.
"Yeah." Nick turned in his seat and met her eye.
"You'll put them away, Nick? For those kids in the woods, and all the others."
"I'll do my best." He pulled her close and kissed her. "I'll miss you," he murmured against her hair.
"Me too." She sighed. Silence reigned for a moment before she pulled reluctantly away. "You'll miss your train."
He stepped out into the rain and collected his suitcase and the bag containing his dress uniform from the back seat. Lily walked with him into the station, then out onto the platform.
"You don't have to wait with me; you'll only get cold."
"I don't mind."
She watched until the train pulled away, then walked into the small station cafe to steady herself with a cup of tea before the lonely drive home.
**
Nick stowed his luggage and settled himself into a seat on the slow local train that would carry him on the first leg of his journey back to London. He gazed out of the window as the train began to pull away, watching Lily as she stood alone and forlorn on the platform. The train gathered speed and she was lost from sight. He swallowed and leaned his head against the back of his seat.
His mind flashed back to the station that morning.
It had been a subdued group of officers who had gathered in the squad room. The Inspector was the first member of the Sandford service to be called to London to give evidence in the trial of the NWA members. It was likely that at least some of the others would also be summoned to the City at some point, but as practically the entire village were witnesses in one way or another the decision had been made that, in the majority of cases, statements would simply be read into evidence and the witnesses contacted by video-link if further questioning were required.
The two new constables had been sent out on patrol, so only those who had been present on the fateful day when the NWA had finally been taken down were there to see Nick off. The conversation was stilted, heavy with things left unsaid, and the officers lapsed repeatedly into silence. Danny was particularly subdued, no doubt thinking of his father. Nick had quietly taken Tony aside the previous day and given him permission to sign Danny off on leave and send him home if he thought his performance was being too badly compromised, but he appreciated that his best friend would rather be at work than sitting alone brooding over the 'if onlys' of his father's actions.
"Well, I'll miss you all," he told them finally, "but I'm confident that you'll manage in my absence. You have my number, though, so you can contact me if anything important comes up."
They nodded.
"You will be coming back, right?" Danny asked suddenly.
"Of course I will. I've never met a team I cared for as much as I do for my sergeants and constables here in Sandford."
"And your detectives," added Cartwright.
"No, I left you two out on purpose."
The laughter that comment evoked eased some of the tension in the room.
He was already in the foyer when he heard Doris' voice behind him.
"Chief?"
"Doris?"
Suddenly, she flung her arms around his neck, catching him off-guard.
"You really will be coming back, won't you?" she asked.
"Of course I will," he reassured her, returning her embrace awkwardly.
She stepped away, and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes.
"No-one here took me seriously before you came along," she told him. "They treated me like some sort of joke, like a little girl playing dress-up." She gave a small smile. "Think maybe that's why I used to act like I did: at least then they didn't think of me as a kid, eh?"
"You're a fine police officer, Doris," he told her.
She nodded. "Thank you, sir."
**
It was fully dark by the time he changed trains for the express which would take him into London. He thought of Lily, probably curled up on her sofa with a fire burning and a cup of tea in her hand, and wished he was there beside her.
His mobile beeped in his pocket.
'1 New Message: Lily'
He smiled and opened the message. Three little words: 'I love you.'
He tapped out a reply: 'I love you too. xx'
He stared blindly out into the darkness, images of his life in Sandford playing before his mind's eye. Danny, Lily, Doris, Tony... he had made some good friends in the last two years. Good friends who had suffered because of Frank and the NWA. His old scowl returned as he thought of that, and he knew that he would do everything in his power to keep his promise to Lily.
**
Paddington Station was crowded and noisy, everyone hurrying to get somewhere else, and Nick was momentarily shocked, as though he had dived suddenly into icy water. He had only been back down to London once since he moved to Sandford, and the press of people was both disorientating and disconcerting after so long in the tranquillity of rural Gloucestershire.
"Nicholas!" Hearing his full name was a further source of disorientation after so long hearing 'Nick' from his friends and 'Chief' or 'Inspector Angel' from everyone else. But there was David Rogers, his old Inspector, waving to him through the crowds.
"Inspector."
"Please, Nicholas, I think we can go with Dave now," he replied, clapping his former P.C. on the shoulder.
"Dave. I wasn't expecting anyone to meet me."
"Oh, I know, but we thought the least we could do was send someone along to pick you up. Have you eaten? Fancy a curry?"
"Uh, sure." The last thing Nick wanted was to make polite conversation with one of the people who had first conspired to ship him off to the back of beyond for being an embarrassment, and then attempted to lure him back to London in an effort to avoid further embarrassment. He had his private suspicions that these same individuals had also had a say in his appointment to the position of Inspector, presumably knowing that he'd hate it.
"So," Dave asked brightly as he took a swallow of his beer in the garishly bright restaurant to which he had guided them, "how are things in Sandford?"
"They're pretty good, actually." Nick sipped his mineral water. "My team have developed a lot in the last couple of years, and I've just appointed a couple of new P.C.s."
"And what about your personal life?"
Nick thought for a moment, and decided that he didn't particularly want to discuss Lily with Rogers, or anyone else he had worked with in London. "It remains personal."
"So, no desire to return to London, then?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Right then."
The meal passed awkwardly, and Nick was relieved when he could close the door to his hotel room and sit down on the bed. He pulled out his wallet and opened it to the two photos he carried there. The first was a formally posed picture of the Sandford Police Service at the official opening of the new police station. The second was a picture of him with Lily, their smiling faces close together. He looked at them both for a long moment, then sighed. The worst part, he thought, was not knowing exactly how long he would have to remain in London.