Dot Cotton sat at his desk in the open plan office of AC-12 and looked around at his new colleagues. . He couldn't help crowing to himself that this bunch of idiots thought they were getting somewhere in fighting anti-corruption in the police force when they had absolutely no idea who was working with them.
He couldn't help the shit eating grin that adorned his face. He hadn't believed his luck when he had been told that he was moving to AC-12, especially as his new orders were to keep an eye on the unit. He had wondered how he would accomplish the task and then Hastings had rung AC-9.
His eyes landed on Steve Arnott. He was the one that he was keeping a very close eye on. This relative newcomer was becoming a bit of a thorn in the side of the OCG and Dot had been ordered to do something about it. He watched Arnott and his partner Kate Fleming together. Dot knew her from her undercover work in TO-20. They looked very close, sharing some sort of joke together. A hand on her lower back as he showed her something.
As he continued to watch the pair he realised if he was to distract Steve from bringing down the OCG then his plan was probably going to have to involve separating him from Kate as they worked so well together. It was just how to go about it. He observed as they got closer physically. Was he imagining it or was Steve gazing at Kate in a way that wasn't professional? He grinned again as he suddenly knew how he could separate them.
Dot bade his time. This was something that wasn't to be rushed. First step was to try and become friends with Steve and get his guard down. What better than an invite out for dinner after Steve had had a particularly nasty chewing out from Hastings about possibly misbehaving and sleeping with a witness.
"So this nurse, fit was she?" Dot asked as they tucked in to some poppadoms.
Steve shrugged. "Alright,". She was his usual type except for some reason Steve found that brunettes were more his thing at the moment.
"Did you then?".
"Need to brush up your interrogation technique," Steve joked. He wasn't going to admit to anyone whether he was guilty of what he had been accused of. And definitely not to Dot. He had no idea whether he could trust him yet or not. They both laughed.
"Don't look-" Dot said.
Steve looked round. He couldn't help himself.
"What did I just say about not looking? There's a couple of birds behind you, I'm not formulating a scheme or anything-".
"There's three of them,".
"I'm a bloody detective inspector. I can see there's three of 'em. There's always one who's got a boyfriend or her period or summat,".
Steve laughed. "You were obviously off the day they did the gender awareness training,".
"I gave the gender awareness training,".
They both laughed again.
"This is bloody weird, Dot," Steve said. He didn't particularly like the man and yet here he was eating and having a a laugh with him.
"What- you and me working together?".
"Err yeah,".
"That's anticorruption, mate- beggars can't be choosers,".
They laughed again as waiter came over to take their food order.
"This is all on me by the way," Dot offered.
"No, honestly-" Steve objected. He didn't feel comfortable owing Dot anything.
"Hey. No argument,". Then turning to the waiter. "But first things first- can you go over and ask those ladies what we can get them to drink? No food, mind, I'm not made of money,".
Dot's current idea was to get Steve a bit drunk and maybe get him to sleep with one of these women. Kate was a bit pissed off with him about the nurse. If word were to get back to her about another one night stand, it would cause a few more arguments Dot was sure.
The waiter shrugged and went off to the ladies in question. Steve laughed with Dot as they waited for the waiter to return. It didn't take long.
"I'm sorry but they said they weren't interested," the waiter replied, wondering how the men would take the rejection. Steve wasn't particularly bothered. None of the women were his type.
"Their loss," said Dot, appearing to seem unbothered. That plan had failed and he needed to quickly think of something else. He was thankful that he could think very fast on his feet when he needed to.
The waiter stuck around whilst the men gave him their food orders and then left them alone again.
"Alright," said Dot as he broke a bit of poppadom and dipped it in a sauce, "here's a question for you. If you had to dip your pen in to the office ink, whose ink well would you chose?".
"I'm not answering that!" Steve said. There was absolutely no one he would answer it for. He didn't have a death wish.
Dot was not to be dissuaded from getting his answer. "It's Kate isn't it?" He prodded.
Steve remained silent but Dot noticed the flush in his cheeks. He had guessed right. Steve Arnott appeared to have a secret crush on his partner. His was definitely something he could work with. "I don't blame you," Dot confided in Steve. "She's the best of the bunch,".
"Dot!" Steve said in a warning tone. He wasn't really comfortable discussing his female colleagues like pieces of meat. If this conversation ever got back to them he would be finished. More importantly he would have to face Kate's wrath.
"What?" Dot asked. "I'm just saying that you are a lucky man getting to be her partner. Can't a man complement a woman these days? She's a very pretty lady, ".
"Sorry," Steve apologised.
"Eh," Dot said as he leant forward to whisper conspiratorially to Steve. "I bet she's adventurous between the sheets,".
"Dot! Stop it," Steve warned again, more forcefully this time. He wasn't going to talk about Kate in this way.
Dot held his hands up in apology. "Sorry," he apologised. "I get the feeling I'm stepping on your toes. I thought it was just office gossip but possibly not,".
"What's just office gossip?".
"You know," Dot said. "You and Kate," he said as he stuck a forefinger through the ring he had made from the thumb and forefinger in his other hand several times, imitating sex.
"You think me and Kate are sleeping together?".
"Are you?".
"No!" Steve retorted. "I thought you were a Detective Inspector. You're well off target,".
"Hey! I'm just repeating what DC Daniels told me," Dot said, making an excuse up.
"Pete Daniels?" Steve checked. He was a new DC in AC-12. Why on earth would he come up with a story like that?
"It's not just him. Most of AC-12 think you're shagging her,".
"Really?" Asked Steve. This was the first he was hearing about it. How on earth had he and Kate created the impression they were sleeping together?
"Have you ever?" Dot asked, breaking Steve from his thoughts.
"No!" Steve repeated. He wasn't liking this topic of conversation at all.
"Would you if she was up for it?".
Luckily the waiter arrived with their food preventing Steve from answering any more awkward questions.
For Dot however, it had been a very revealing conversation and he knew what he was going to do next.