Random fic found when clearing out the office.
We've been packing up the office today for our move tomorrow and in amongst the endless rubbish for the recycling pile and official bits and bobs, I found a scrap of a story I wrote for a Yuletide request. I looked up the request, and my effort would need serious work to match, but it amused me. So I typed it up, not having time for much else this evening. It's not DW; it's New Tricks. (And how I ended up watching that is a seriously long story that I'll leave for another time. It involves a murder mystery party.) And it is just a teaser, as anything else would be seriously disturbing.
***
Title: Idle Conversation
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 472
Characters: Sandra Pullman, Gerry Standing
Summary: Gerry asks Sandra a personal question that might possibly be a proposition.
“And you can take your arm off me now,” said Sandra Pullman, still with a smile fixed to her face as she and her subordinate, Gerry Standing, reached the car. “Are they watching us?”
He said, “Think so. Anyway, come on, darling, let’s get you home.”
“Gerry,” said Sandra, opening the door, “I may have been forced to pose as your wife for expediency’s sake, but from this moment on I’m your boss. Save the endearments for the next brainless bimbo who hasn’t got the sense she was born with.” She got inside and slammed the door.
He did the same. “Okay, okay. Just kidding. Mind you, have you ever thought about… well?”
She turned the key in the engine, frowning slightly. “Ever thought about what? Did the guy seem jittery to you? I think we unnerved them.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” he said under his breath. “I was only wondering. You know.”
“No, I don’t, Gerry. You’ll have to spell it out for me.”
He coughed as she drove away. “Hey, mind the parked cars -.”
“Do you want to be murdered when we get back to the office?”
“It wasn’t on my to do list for today, no. Look, we made a convincing couple back there-.”
She smiled to herself. “Yes. We’ve certainly got the twenty-years’ bickering thing down pat.”
“So,” he said, pulling at his seat belt, “I was only wondering if you ever… Nah. Forget it.”
Sandra had to bite back amusement. “You and me, you mean?”
“Well, yeah.”
She paused for a long moment, looking in the rear view mirror. “I dreamt about it once.”
“You did?” he said, and gulped.
She turned right at the junction and then gave a slow smile. “Yes. It’s called a nightmare, Gerry. Why, have you -? No, wait, I don’t want to hear.”
“Nah. Course not. Very professional, that’s me. Ask anyone.”
She turned back into the car park and pulled into the space. “Really?”
“Yeah. Really. Not my type, anyway.”
Sandra raised an eyebrow. “I thought your preferences were a bit too generic to be described as a ‘type’.”
“Never crossed my mind,” he said. “I was only making conversation. You know how it is.”
Sandra rolled her eyes, got out of the car and then leant back in. “Liar,” she said, before shutting the door.
Gerry shrugged to himself as he got out and she pressed the key to lock the doors. You don’t ask, you don’t get, that was his philosophy. This was one of those times when he asked and still didn’t get, but he knew that was all for the best. It’d be a disaster. Nah, more like a catastrophe followed by World War Three.
“Be worth it, though,” he said to himself. Then he grinned and followed her back to the office. “Wouldn’t it just!”
***
***
Title: Idle Conversation
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 472
Characters: Sandra Pullman, Gerry Standing
Summary: Gerry asks Sandra a personal question that might possibly be a proposition.
“And you can take your arm off me now,” said Sandra Pullman, still with a smile fixed to her face as she and her subordinate, Gerry Standing, reached the car. “Are they watching us?”
He said, “Think so. Anyway, come on, darling, let’s get you home.”
“Gerry,” said Sandra, opening the door, “I may have been forced to pose as your wife for expediency’s sake, but from this moment on I’m your boss. Save the endearments for the next brainless bimbo who hasn’t got the sense she was born with.” She got inside and slammed the door.
He did the same. “Okay, okay. Just kidding. Mind you, have you ever thought about… well?”
She turned the key in the engine, frowning slightly. “Ever thought about what? Did the guy seem jittery to you? I think we unnerved them.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” he said under his breath. “I was only wondering. You know.”
“No, I don’t, Gerry. You’ll have to spell it out for me.”
He coughed as she drove away. “Hey, mind the parked cars -.”
“Do you want to be murdered when we get back to the office?”
“It wasn’t on my to do list for today, no. Look, we made a convincing couple back there-.”
She smiled to herself. “Yes. We’ve certainly got the twenty-years’ bickering thing down pat.”
“So,” he said, pulling at his seat belt, “I was only wondering if you ever… Nah. Forget it.”
Sandra had to bite back amusement. “You and me, you mean?”
“Well, yeah.”
She paused for a long moment, looking in the rear view mirror. “I dreamt about it once.”
“You did?” he said, and gulped.
She turned right at the junction and then gave a slow smile. “Yes. It’s called a nightmare, Gerry. Why, have you -? No, wait, I don’t want to hear.”
“Nah. Course not. Very professional, that’s me. Ask anyone.”
She turned back into the car park and pulled into the space. “Really?”
“Yeah. Really. Not my type, anyway.”
Sandra raised an eyebrow. “I thought your preferences were a bit too generic to be described as a ‘type’.”
“Never crossed my mind,” he said. “I was only making conversation. You know how it is.”
Sandra rolled her eyes, got out of the car and then leant back in. “Liar,” she said, before shutting the door.
Gerry shrugged to himself as he got out and she pressed the key to lock the doors. You don’t ask, you don’t get, that was his philosophy. This was one of those times when he asked and still didn’t get, but he knew that was all for the best. It’d be a disaster. Nah, more like a catastrophe followed by World War Three.
“Be worth it, though,” he said to himself. Then he grinned and followed her back to the office. “Wouldn’t it just!”
***