"What does it say, Gerry, is she?" Sandra asked hurriedly
"All it says is that her mother is an S. Pullman and that she's legally illegitimate – you didn't register her dad on the birth certificate?"
"Christ, no I didn't. He didn't want to know, why should he be registered as her father?"
"Okay, well, how are we gonna tell her? I mean, we can't just walk in and say you're her legal mother, can we?"
"I don't know. And I mean there are tonnes of legal crap to sort out and everything." Sandra shook her head "I just can't believe it's her."
"I know. All you need to worry about is here and now, everything will be OK, yeah?" Gerry told her reassuringly "Right, I'll go in and ask her about her birth mother off record, you can come in when you're ready, okay?"
Sandra nodded slowly. As Gerry went to enter the interview, she grabbed his hand. She moved closer and instinctively he pulled her into a hug.
"It's gonna be okay. I promise."
"Thanks, Gerry. Thank you."
Gerry nodded as he entered the interview room.
"Right, Amelia, can you tell me about your birth mother, what you know?" he asked, sitting down.
"She had me when she was 20, she worked shifts... actually she worked for the Met. She said she couldn't look after me on her own, that it was fairer if I had someone who could. Her name was Sandra, it said in the note, Sandra Pullman."
Gerry nodded "Right, ehm, do you know where she might be now?"
Amelia shook her head "Not a clue. Anyway, why does this matter?"
"D.S Pullman needs to talk to you." Gerry answered, nodding at Sandra.
Sandra bit her lip as she turned the door handle. This was it. This really was it. She inhaled deeply as she sat down.
"Amelia, I..." Sandra started. She tentatively reached across for Amelia's hand, taking it in her own perfectly manicured one.
"I'm your mother." Sandra finally said "And I'm sorry. Really, really sorry." She glanced up at her daughter, who was looking a mixture of stunned and elated.
"Why?" Amelia smiled "Why are you sorry?" she continued as she got up slowly "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault, I mean, obviously you had to work!"
Sandra got up and walked towards Amelia, shaking her head and saying softly; "Yes but I could have found a way, I could have got a different job, I could have had you and you could have had a mother."
"No. Look how successful you are here! You love it. And anyway, I've seen you now."
"Come here." Sandra whispered as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug. She stroked Amelia's long, blonde hair as Amelia breathed in the scent of Sandra's perfume – a mixture of berries and spices, oddly.
Just at that moment, Brian opened the door. He appeared shocked by the sight of Sandra and Amelia hugging each other, and was about to run off when Sandra said to him; "It's not what it looks like – honest."
Brian looked at Gerry, confused. "What's she on about?"
"Her daughter." Gerry informed him, nodding in Sandra and Amelia's direction.
"Her daughter... what?" Brian looked at Gerry, stunned.
"Look, go to the office, I'll explain in a bit."
"No, I'll explain. Get Jack in the office, too." Sandra interrupted
"Right." Gerry replied, leaving the room with Brian.
"My colleagues." Sandra told Amelia "Gerry, Brian and Jack – I've worked with them for about 4 years and Jack even longer."
Amelia nodded "Shall we go into... your office?" she asked
"Follow me."
"Jack, Brian, this is Amelia." Sandra announced as Jack and Brian stood by the sofas
Jack and Brian both shook hands with Amelia, Jack appearing completely bamboozled by what was happening.
"Amelia is my daughter. She's fourteen." Sandra added
"Good God, another Pullman?" Jack smiled "Not thinking of becoming a police officer, are you?" he asked jokingly
"Yeah, actually, I am." Amelia told him, slightly confused "Why?"
"Must be in the genes. Your Grandad was a cop as well, bloody good one at that." Jack told her
Amelia raised her eyebrows "You knew him?"
"Your grandfather was a good policeman, very good. Just like your mum in many ways." Jack answered
Sandra blushed "Jack, I'm the one meant to be telling her the family history, not you!"
Jack held his hands up in mock surrender "Alright, alright!"
Something seemed to occur to Sandra at that point in time as she stopped smiling and started to grimace.
"Oh, hell."
"What?" Gerry asked
"She's got to meet my mum."
Amelia laughed "I'm not all that bad am I?"
"No, but she is!" Sandra replied with a smile "I'll take you to meet her on Saturday."
"Hang on a minute, you're fourteen, shouldn't you be at school?" Gerry asked
"Nah, Easter holidays." Amelia smiled "Perfect opportunity to go shopping." She said loudly, practically in Sandra's ear.
Sandra smiled "Right, Amelia, my desk's in there, there's a laptop and some other stuff if you want to use it, we need to get on with the case."
"Can't I stay in here?"
"Won't you be a bit... bored?" Sandra asked
"Nah, I'll tidy up."
"Atta girl!" Gerry practically yelled "Can you cook?"
"No I bloody well can't!" Amelia shouted from the other side of the room.
"Take after your mother, you do!" Gerry laughed as Sandra took the opportunity to hit him on the arm.
At the precise moment that Sandra began pretending to attack Gerry, the door opened.
"Sandra, what the hell are you and Gerry doing?" Strickland yelled
"Nothing, sir." Sandra said as she tried to get her hair back to normal
Strickland frowned "And who's that?" he asked, spotting Amelia
"This is..." Sandra paused
"Amelia Pullman." Amelia shook Strickland's hand firmly, using the overly polite method that her mother employed whenever she was in trouble, amusing the whole team hugely as his face largely resembled a startled bird that had just landed on a live wire.
"Amelia is my daughter, sir." Sandra informed her boss as Amelia stood next to her mother, trying to stop herself from laughing.
"Daughter? What? Right, er, well, I've got to go out, I'll see you all later... make sure you make progress on that case!" Strickland added, exiting the room hurriedly. As soon as he'd left, the whole team burst out laughing.
"You should have seen his face!" Jack told her "Brilliant!"
"Amelia, if you ever get into trouble with him, bat your eyelashes and be overly polite. That's what your mum always does and it always works!" Gerry advised Amelia
"Right, back to work. Can you make me some tea, love?" Sandra asked Amelia
"Fine, anyone else?" she replied, flicking her long hair back
"Me!" Gerry shouted quickly
"Please." Jack smiled at her
"Yes, I'll have tea please. In this mug!" Brian handed her the AFC Wimbledon mug he always drank his tea from.
"Okay, I'll bring the milk and sugar in."
"And the biscuits!" Gerry called as she walked out the room.
"Don't push your luck!" Amelia shouted back quickly
Next part will be Sandra&Gerry... possible fluff xD Depending on how I feel :L