What I Go to School For

Summary: Sam/Nate. AU version of the current storyline. Nate is appointed as Safer Schools Officer at Deansgate Comprehensive but is distracted from his duty by a teacher, named Samantha Nixon.

Reviews are appreciated! Not sure how long this fic will be, I'll just see how it goes! Xx

Part 1:

"I don't know why I got saddled with this job," Nate moaned to Beth as they walked towards the canteen together. "I don't even like kids, and they won't wanna listen to me."

Beth smiled, accepting the door that Nate held open for her. "Oh, I don't know," She grinned even wider. "I'm sure some of the girls will listen to you."

Nate sent her a look. "Thanks, Beth." He replied sarcastically, joining the end of the queue. He knew he shouldn't complain about his new position, he really was honoured that he had been chosen out of all of the officers to represent the station at the local comprehensive school, but it still wasn't a job he particularly wanted. He'd never really been interested in helping to rehabilitate wayward teens but it would certainly make the job more interesting.

Nate and Beth took their trays over to a table where several other of the uniformed officers were already sitting.

"Congratulations PC Roberts," Dale Smith said as they took their seats. The other officers at the table mumbled their own congratulations too.

"Thanks serge," Nate smiled, knowing that his sergeant would have had something to do with his promotion.

"When do you start?" He asked.

"Not till Monday," Nate replied, but part of him had wished that it was sooner. Mainly because the sooner he started, the sooner he would be able to finish but mainly because he really wanted to sink his teeth into the challenge and hated waiting around for things to happen.

"Take the rest of the week off," Smithy offered. "Just come in for briefings and your training session with the Superintendent."

"Thanks," Tucking into his lunch with more fervour than the shepherd's pie deserved.

Nate came into the station on Friday morning for his training briefing with Superintendent Heaton. He was eager to start and wanted to learn everything as fast as possible. He knew he would have to know what he was talking about in order to get through to the kids at the school, and most of all he wanted them to like him.

By the time Monday morning came around, Nate was itching to get to the school. It was something he had never experienced as a child, but today would be totally different from his own school days.

On Monday morning, Nate was greeted by the headmaster and his deputy. They introduced him to the staff and gave him a map of the school campus.

"I don't expect you to remember everybody's names, and not everyone is here today, but I'm sure you'll learn who everyone is soon." The headmaster, Mr Davis told Nate who nodded, trying to hold onto everything he had learned already.

A woman approached Mr Davis, pausing their conversation. "Sorry I'm late, Brian, there was an accident at the end of my road this morning."

"It's alright," Brian replied. "While you're here you really should meet PC Nate Roberts, he's our Safer Schools Officer from Sun Hill station."

"Nice to meet you," The blonde woman, who seemed to be becoming more attractive to Nate by the moment, offered her hand to him and he shook it.

"Nice to meet you too," He replied, and he meant it.

"I should be going, registration starts in a few minutes. I'll see you around." She smiled at him and turned away, leaving a hint of her perfume in the air.

Maybe, Nate thought, this assignment would be even better than he had hoped for. It wasn't until after she was out of sight, that he remembered he didn't even know her name yet. He could ask Mr David, he supposed, but he was sure that if he did the headmaster would see right through him.

"Have you met the new Safer Schools copper?" Samantha Nixon asked her friend the history teacher.

"No, what's he like?" Emily Walker asked, looking at her friend with interest. Her Year 10 class were still on their way back from morning assembly and she savoured the few moments of adult conversation she had left.

Samantha felt a guilty smile twist at her lips, and a faint blush coloured her cheeks. "He's pretty gorgeous," She admitted. "Makes the uniform look really good, if you know what I mean."

Emily laughed. "I'm looking forward to seeing him then." Opening a folder and taking our her lesson plan. "It's about time we had some fresh blood around here."

"I agree," Samantha replied whole heartedly. "I have to warn you though, he's pretty young."

"Oh Sam, you're awful." Emily laughed. The first few pupils were beginning to arrive. "I'll talk to you at break."

Samantha walked to her office, a perk of being the head of the English department. As she walked she barely paid attention to where she was going. The halls were quiet and empty, with all the students in their classes. Her head was full of lesson plans and she was considering which assignment to give her Sixth Form students, when she realised she was heading straight for the attractive policeman she had met earlier.

She managed to stop short of walking into him, and changed her course to avoid his path but he had had the same thought.

"Sorry," She laughed as they danced around each other. She was grateful, for more than one reason, that they were alone in the corridor.

"Oh no, it was my fault." Nate replied, blushing a little. "I was wondering if you could help me," He said, noticing the enticing beauty of her green eyes for the first time. "I can't find Year 7B, it says it's right here on the map but I can't find them."

Samantha smiled kindly, taking the map from his hands and turning it around. "That should make it easier."

Nate knew that he was going redder in the face by the second. He'd been here less than an hour and he'd already embarrassed himself in front of the most beautiful woman he had possibly ever seen.

"Thanks, that should definitely make it easier." He replied, trying to laugh his mistake off. "I don't think I caught your name earlier." He added, wanting to make the most of this time he had alone with her.

"The kids called me Ms Nixon, but you can call me Samantha." She smiled.

"Well, thank you Samantha, I'd better go and see these Year 7s." He said, hating to have to leave her but knowing he had a job to do here.

"Good luck," She called after him, watching him walk away. She wondered if he'd cause more trouble around here than he prevented.

Nate tried his hardest to concentrate as he talked to Year 7 about being safe and staying out of trouble, and answering their questions. Still, the whole time he was talking to them he was thinking about Samantha. Thinking about her long light blonde hair, her sparkling green eyes, her petite but curvaceous body. He fantasised about seeing her in the hallway again, this time not making a fool of himself but asking her for a drink; for a dinner or just kissing her. He knew he would never be offered another promotion ever again if he yielded to his desires but Samantha was just too tempting to forget about.

He pointed to a boy in the front row who had his hand up. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Sam," The boy replied, and Nate was beginning to believe that he had imagined it but fought hard to concentrate on asking the male Sam's question.

Finally, it was lunch break and Nate followed the Year 9 tutor to the canteen. He had just finished talking to Mr Bishop's class about community safety and it had been much more of a challenge than the Year 7s had provided. He wondered how good he would be at this job, but forced himself to try harder, after all getting close to Samantha depended on it.

"You can sit on the top table with us," Lance Bishop told Nate, who nodded gratefully his stomach growling. Lance laughed. "I hope you're not too hungry, school food is still crap."

Nate smiled. "The food in our canteen at the station sucks too." He replied, as the two men joined the line.

Samantha and Emily were already in the canteen when Nate and Lance arrived.

"That's him!" Samantha pointed as subtly as she could to where Nate stood in line, his back to them. She had just finished telling Emily about what had happened in the hallway earlier that morning.

Emily took a good look at where Samantha was pointing and nodded slowly and approvingly.

"Not bad, not bad at all." She decided, her eyes scanning Nate from head to toe.

Samantha laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "And you haven't seen his face yet!"

"I don't always share your taste in men Sam, but I'll fight you for this one!" Emily laughed, pushing her plate away and picking up her coffee instead. Samantha coughed, pointing at the engagement ring on Emily's finger, but the brunette shrugged it off. "Just because I'm engaged doesn't mean I can't look!" She protested.

Nate and Lance carried their trays up to the table at the end of the room where the rest of the staff sat.

"Look now," Samantha mumbled under her breath, seeing the two men head in their direction.

"Gosh, he is young." Emily said, finally getting a proper look at him now.

"Mind if we sit here?" Lance Bishop asked, placing his tray down next to Emily's.

"Go ahead," Emily replied, looking across at Samantha and smirking.

"Did you find all your other classes okay?" She asked Nate.

He grinned. "Yeah, thanks for that."

"You're welcome," She replied with a smile also, leaving Emily and Lance looking at each other knowingly.

After the pleasant surprise of spending nearly all his lunch break with Samantha, even if Emily and Lance were there too, Nate's afternoon was harder than he had expected. His first challenge was to talk to the Sixth Form who were quiet and uninterested in his talk. He tried to make it as interesting as possible, trying to think of the kind of talk he would have wanted to listen to when he was their age. Talking to Year 11 was harder still, they all had their mind on other things, exams and the opposite sex and were clearly not at all interested in what Nate had to say. Those who could be bothered to listen, picked holes in his points. He couldn't blame them though, he had been one of those kinds of kids when he'd been at school.

Nate was relieved when the last lesson came to an end and he headed off to see the headmaster.

"So, how was your first day?" Brian Davis asked, pouring Nate a coffee and leaning against his desk.

"It was good," He said, trying not to let meeting Samantha alter his judgement of the day. "Most of the kids were pretty receptive, and today was only the beginning."

Brian nodded, impressed with Nate already. "So, we'll be seeing you tomorrow then."

"Yes, sir." Nate replied, with a smile.

Mr Davis laughed. "You're not at the station now Nate, you can call me Brian."

Nate smiled. "Thank you, Brian. I'll see you tomorrow." He finished his coffee and left the office, looking forward to getting back to his apartment and away from teenagers for a few hours.

Nate was making his way out of school towards his car when he heard heels behind him, rushing to catch up with him. He stopped, turning around with curiosity to see who it could be. He was surprised to find Samantha Nixon running after him, strands coming loose from her blonde ponytail and her breasts and hips swaying with her movement.

"Hey," He smiled, unable to form a sentence that would pass for coherent.

"Hi," She smiled, slowing her pace to match his more leisured one. "Running in heels is not recommended," She laughed.

"I'll bear than in mind." Nate replied, his mind racing with reasons why she had been running after him. "Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine, I was wondering if you'd like to go for a drink with me," She paused. "Tonight?"

Nate was almost sure she was playing with him, he didn't do badly with women but he never got this lucky either. He would like nothing more than to have a drink with her, especially if it ended up at either of their homes, but his tongue was moving before he could stop it.

"Thanks Samantha, that's really kind of you but I'm going to have to say no." Shocked by what his own mouth had said, Nate walked away without even saying goodbye. In doing so he missed the hurt and disappointed look on Samantha Nixon's face.

So, what did you think? Xx