Team Building Troubles

Author: Kate
Category: Bill
Language: English, Rated: T
Genres: General/Humor
Chapters: 1, Words: 1,911, Reviews: 2
Published: 5-4-09
Status: In-Progress

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Adam Okaro sends some of his officers on a team building exercise to improve the relationship between CID and uniform. Who is chosen to attend and what trouble do they cause?




Disclaimer: The Bill and its characters don't belong to me. They never have and never will. I'm just playing with them for a bit. Can I please have John and Claire? They're not in the show anymore after all.

Team Building Troubles

Chapter 1: Special Assignment

It's a cloudy mid March morning and is quite chilly for the time of year. Up in his office Superintendent Adam Okaro is watching his officers come into work for the start of the morning shift. He has yet to discuss with them his most recent idea and is sure it won't go down too well.

He turns his attention back to the window to watch the few late comers arrive, unaware that they are being watched. Adam Okaro decides to wait 20 minutes before walking down to the briefing room.

Meanwhile downstairs in the ladies locker room the female officers are chattering amongst themselves whilst they get changed. The door opens again and one last person walks inside causing everybody to fall silent and look at who it is.

"Morning Andrea," a few of them call out in greeting. The rest just return to there previous conversations.

"Morning," Andrea mumbles, guessing what they are going to say next. Every morning for the past three weeks they have had this same conversation and each time Andrea refuses to give them anymore information often wishing she had never said anything on the topic to begin with.

"Are you going to tell us who this mystery lover of yours is? Is it someone from the station? Do we know him? What's he like?" asks Yvonne desperate to find out the details.

"How many times are you gonna ask that, it's getting old?"

"Come on, put us out of our misery," plead Honey and Kerry.

"No, you've got to come up with something better than that."

"Just tell us one little thing then, is it someone from the station?" Yvonne begs.

"If I answer that do you promise not to ask about him again?" Andrea says with a sly smile gracing her face.

"Yes," they chorus.

"Ok ... yes," Andrea says and then quickly leaves the room leaving the others with puzzled looks on their faces.

Andrea walks to the briefing room, a smile still on her face, inwardly laughing at how confused her friends are. Inside the briefing room, many of the other staff are stood in the room chatting with their friends about who knows what. Andrea spots DS Hunter in one corner of the room and wonders why CID are in the room instead of having their briefing separately upstairs.

Yvonne and the other girls are next to walk into the room. They walk over to their usual spot where Andrea is already waiting. Yvonne notices they are sanding right next to some of the boys from CID, but pays them no attention and returns to her conversation. Andrea on the other hand is more than curious as to why they are downstairs and when she catches the DI's attention, she silently asks him the question that is plaguing her mind. Neil shakes his head silently indicating that he doesn't know anymore than she does on this topic.

"Hey Andy, snap out of it," Yvonne's voice cuts through their silent conversation.

"What?" Andrea asks completely confused and assuming that Yvonne must have just asked her a question that she failed to answer.

"I said are you coming to the pub with us tonight?" Yvonne says sounding slightly exasperated.

"Oh yeah, whatever," Andrea answers without really thinking about it.

Yvonne turns back to her conversation with Kerry and Honey, leaving Andrea to return to her thoughts, that is until, Inspector Gold, the Superintendent and Smithy enter the room.

"Ok everybody listen up," Superintendent Okaro's voice rings out across the room instantly silencing all of the other conversations, "before Gina here, hands out your assignments for today I've got an announcement to make. Some of you have been chosen to take part in a special assignment, one that will involve both CID and uniform working together outside of the station, so can the following people wait behind at the end of the briefing." A rustling of paper is heard as the superintendent straightens out a list of names, "DI Manson, DS Hunter, DS Nixon, PC Hemmingway, PC Stamp and PC Dunbar. Thank you."

Superintendent Okaro takes a step back allowing Inspector Gold to finish the briefing. 15 minutes later the majority of the relief are dismissed from the briefing room, the six officers named earlier remaining obediently in the room. "Ok," starts Adam to the remaining occupants, "you have all been chosen to take part in the special assignment I mentioned earlier. I was given a memo from the Borough Commander the other day asking me to pick six people from this station to take part in a team building exercise. You are the chosen people. A bus will be waiting in the yard at 8am tomorrow morning to pick you up and take you to the mystery location. You will be given the rest of the day off to prepare yourselves for the trip, has anybody got any questions?"

"Who is gonna look after CID?" DI Manson asks immediately.

"I'm sure DCI Meadows can cope for a few weeks without you."

"How long is this trip for? Where are we going and what will we be doing?" questions DS Hunter sounding quiet excited at the idea.

"The trip is for one week at a mystery location that I am unable to disclose, what I will say though is that it may involve you getting very muddy so don't pack anything that you don't want to get ruined. Is that everything?"

When no one says anything else Inspector Gold dismisses them all from the room. "I want you all to be on your best behavior at all times," she adds as they leave.

"I think that went quite well don't you?" Adam Okaro says to her after they have all left the room.

Four Hours Later

Andrea is at home busily packing for the trip. She pulls several items from her wardrobe and drops them onto the bed ready to pack into a suitcase. A knock on the door breaks her concentration. She drops the cream colored jumper she is holding onto the bed and walks to the door to answer it.

"Neil," she says surprised to see him, "Shouldn't you be packing for the trip?"

He doesn't answer, he just presses his lips to hers for a kiss. Automatically sensing that something is amiss, Andrea reluctantly breaks the kiss and invites him inside.

"What's the matter?" Andrea asks him concerned, "What brings you here at this time?"

"Do I need a reason to come and see you?" Neil asks trying to divert her line of questioning.

A silent conversation passes between them, both conveying their thoughts through actions rather than words. "When I got home, Phillipa was in," Neil says aloud, "I told her about the trip but she didn't believe me; we had a big argument and I just stormed out."

Andrea pulls him into her arms and holds him close feeling all of his emotions wash over her. She pulls apart slightly to look into his eyes. They stay like that for what seems like hours but is really only a few minutes, drawing strength from each other. A phone starts ringing from Andrea's coat pocket somewhere in the hallway. "I better get that," she says reluctantly stepping out of his arms and going in search of the intrusion.

Andrea fishes the phone from her coat pocket and looks at the caller display; Yvonne. Andrea presses the answer button and waits for her friend to speak.

"Hi Andz, about going to the pub tonight, I'm not so sure it's a good idea now, I mean the Super's gonna go nuts if we turn up drunk in the morning, so maybe we should leave it for another night yeah?"

"I'd forgotten all about it to be honest, but yeah your right, so I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, bye."

Andrea switches the phone off and puts it back into her jacket pocket, before returning to Neil's side who is now looking at her questionably.

"Yvonne," Andrea explains, "Canceling the girly night out she was planning for tonight, not that I remember being asked to go in the first place."

A comfortable silence settles between them, both deep in thought. "Are you packed for the trip?" Andrea asks.

"In the car," Neil answers, "You?"

"Almost," Andrea states getting up and returning to her bedroom to finish off her packing, silently hoping Neil will follow her.

He sits down on the edge of the bed after following her into the room, and watches as she puts item after item into a small pale blue suitcase. When she's finished she zips it up and sets it on the floor in front of the wardrobe. Neil stands up, and walks behind her putting his arms around her waist. Andrea jumps in shock, not having heard him move, but quickly relaxes and begins to enjoy the feel of his arms wrapped snugly around her middle. They stay like this for a long time, relaxing in their comfortable embrace.

They only separate when the rumbling of their stomachs reminds them that they have yet to have anything to eat. They wonder down to the kitchen and rummage through the cupboards for something edible. On coming up empty handed they instead decide to go down to the local fish shop.

They are back in the flat within 15 minutes and settle down on the sofa in front of the TV whilst munching on their dinner. The evening passes quickly and at about half past ten they make their way to the bedroom to get some sleep. After changing into their night wear they curl up together under the blankets neither worrying about having to leave in the middle of the night to maintain their secret.

...

To be continued