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Author: Sarah (aka surrendersomething)
Rating: PG
Summary: (2/3) John&Claire. Vignettes depicting moments in the lives of our favourite detective sergeants.
Characters: Claire Stanton, John Boulton
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with The Bill, its characters or storylines. The plot of this story however, is all mine. Song lyrics in bold italics in this chaptertaken from "Feel Like Making Love" by Roberta Flack (first set of lyrics) and "Carry You Around" by Ani DiFranco (final set of lyrics).
Authors Notes: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! Tammy, TBFF Nat, Gem and Sammie - you guys really made me smile, I'm glad you're enjoying this! Here is the second chapter, and I promise I'm working on the third as we speak. As always, any feedback is much appreciated!
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In a restaurant, holding hands by candlelight,
While you're touching me, wanting you with all my might.
That's the time I feel like making love to you.
That's the time I feel like making dreams come true.
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Tucking her freshly straightened hair loosely behind her ears, Claire leant towards the mirror in concentration, brandishing a tube of lip gloss in one hand. Shaking her head briefly at the unusual show of vanity, she applied a painstakingly perfect layer of gloss before returning the tube to its rightful place in her bag, slipping her feet into a pair of surprisingly comfortable heels before standing and giving herself a critical appraisal in the full-length mirror. Satisfied with what she saw, she turned to the door, allowing a smile to cross her face in anticipation of the evening ahead.
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“Would I be tempting fate if I said I was looking forward to tonight?”
His head snapped up at the sound of her voice, eyes glued to her figure as she made her way carefully down the stairs. The light green dress clung perfectly to her body, before floating down to end around her knees, complimented by matching shoes that looked to him slightly dangerous. Making a mental reminder not to get on the wrong side of her, he allowed his eyes to travel back up to her face, matching her smile with one of his own.
“You look gorgeous,” he commented softly, taking both her hands in his as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Pulling her close, he allowed his cheek to rest on her hair, breathing in the slightly heady mix of her fruity shampoo combined with the distinct fragrance he could only describe as her. “And forget about fate. Tonight is just you and me.”
Taking a step back, she allowed her own gaze to travel along his body momentarily, before reaching out to grasp the lapels of his jacket, pulling him close again and pressing her lips to his.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she offered eventually, smiling slightly self-consciously. He laughed, brushing her hair from her face gently before letting his hand linger on her cheek. Lowering her eyes slightly before looking back at him, she kissed him once more. “You know you won’t get out of taking me out that easily!”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, moving away to grab her jacket, holding it out for her instinctively and receiving a kiss on the cheek for his troubles.
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Lifting her glass to her lips, she smiled, tossing her hair gently out of her face as they both leant back in their seats slightly. Catching his eyes, she tugged her lower lip between her teeth coyly, reaching across the table to link her fingers with his.
“How did you hear about this place? The food is beyond words,” she commented softly, gesturing with her free hand to the meal they’d just finished.
“Believe it or not, I heard Kerry talking about it a couple of weeks ago. Some… “Mark” had brought her here?” he said questioningly, receiving a nod from Claire at recognition of the name. “I meant to bring you sooner, but everything got a little crazy.”
“Tell me about it,” she agreed with a slight sigh. “Well, I’ll tell Kerry that this Mark has impeccable taste,” she added, a slight glint in her eyes. “I suppose I’d have to add that the company had something to do with it…course she’d never think for a million years it’d be you, so our secret’s safe for now,” she added cheekily, having no real intention of revealing their relationship to anyone else.
Apart from the fact that no one would believe her, she was almost enjoying the secrecy – it meant that the time they did spend together felt more special, in a way. Allowing herself to relive select memories of their relatively short relationship to date – the time they’d been caught in the rain together after a shift, an event which had eventually led to their first kiss; the first time he’d taken her out for dinner; the first time she’d woken up next to him – she was only brought back to the present by the gentle squeeze of his hand.
After she offered a slightly sheepish smile, he just raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking what had had her so deep in thought. She simply responded with a slight shrug, not wanting to be the one to break the comfortable silence that had settled over them.
Not that she’d needed to worry – it was in fact the curse he muttered under his breath that broke the silence.
“John?” she asked, realisation dawning moments later as he retrieved his phone from the inside pocket of his jacket. Shaking her head as if to brush off his apologetic glance, she gestured towards his phone, which he reluctantly flipped open to read the message. “Work?” she guessed, accurately reading the look of frustration on his face.
“Rod,” he confirmed, pulling a face. “The DI wants everyone in immediately, apparently.” Meeting his gaze for a couple of seconds, she reluctantly reached for her own phone, removing it from her bag, only to see the tell-tale message symbol as she flipped it open.
“Kerry” she told him, holding up the phone. Signalling to the waiter as he put his phone away, he smiled apologetically before reaching for her hand again.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” she replied immediately, leaning across the table to kiss him. “Just seems like we never get any time together when we’re not exhausted, y’know?” He smiled, resting a hand on the back of her neck and kissing her once more, lingeringly, before sitting back in his seat.
“We will, I promise.”
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If the population of CID were at all surprised by the arrival of Claire Stanton in an evening dress and heels entirely unsuitable for work, the only visible signs of this were a few appreciative glances from the male members. However, they all found it incredibly hard to conceal their surprise at her arrival being followed directly by that of John Boulton attired in a suit also entirely too posh for work.
Multiple pairs of eyes followed the pair as they took the only remaining seats in the room, and as the DI began to talk, his team all began to put two and two together…and reach five. With the possible exception of Mickey therefore, none of them were surprised when the DI requested a word with his two sergeants at the end of his impromptu briefing.
Meeting the inquisitive eyes of Kerry Holmes as she stood up, Claire shook her head briefly, a gesture which clearly meant “later”. She received a muted wolf whistle from Rod and a mere raised eyebrow from Don as she crossed the room, all adding to the acute embarrassment she was feeling. Meanwhile, John received a slap on the back or look of congratulations from every man he passed, on account of them all putting two and two together and going way beyond five, to reach somewhere around ten.
“You…are dead,” Claire muttered threateningly, leaning back slightly as he caught up with her just before the DI’s office.
“You know you love me really,” he replied, amused slightly by her flushed cheeks.
“Just be glad that I do.”
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And I know the fact of your presence will dominate my memory
of this restaurant, this table, this day and this town.
Because I carry you, baby…I carry you around.
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fin.
Chapter Three (Coming Soon)
June 2004, Sarah Dives.