DISCLAIMER: New Tricks and its characters are the property of the BBC. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Written for concorddawn as part of the Christmas Wish-list 2008. Thank you to Ann for the beta.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Your Last Warning
By ralst
"Shut up Gerry!"
The noise level suddenly dropped as all eyes turned on Sandra, the extent of her fury finally understood. "If any of you have a problem with this, I suggest you either deal with it or leave," she seethed, her voice barely above a whisper and all the more frightening because of it.
Gerry shrugged. "I don't have a problem." He wanted to say more; tell her that she was, despite being a bird, the best boss he'd ever worked with, and that even though he sometimes came off as an ageing Lothario, he wasn't a narrow-minded prick. But, instead, he kept quiet and allowed the air to clear.
"Equal Opportunity guidelines state quite clearly that no officer shall be discriminated against because of his or her sexual orientation," Brian interjected, the subject whirling around inside his brain and collecting a slew of trivial facts that were only seconds away from spewing forth in an avalanche of words. "The 19-"
"That's quite enough, Brian." Jack reached for his coat, checked his pockets twice to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, and then turned to face Sandra. "I'm going to the pub." His eyes met hers, and for the briefest of moments, she softened her regard and allowed him to see the uncertainty that lurked beneath. "Why don't you phone your new friend and have her join us?" He smiled. "A baptism of fire."
Under normal circumstances, Sandra would have balked at the idea of introducing her new, and decidedly female, lover to her colleagues, but Jack, Brian and Gerry weren't just the people she worked with; in some strange and inexplicable way, they had become her best friends and family. "Any of you takes the piss, and I'll have your balls in a vice."
The three men shared a fond smile; things were back to normal.
The End