A Very Secret Santa

Disclaimer: New Tricks belongs to the BBC. I'm just borrowing.

Rating; T

Pairing: Sandland.

/

"What's this?"

Brian and Jack looked up as their friend held up a small cream coloured envelope. Brian finished off hanging up his coat as Jack wandered over and switched on the kettle. They had all only just got into the office, and it was a few moments before he noticed a similar envelope on his desk.

"Hullo, I've got one as well. You got one too." Brian nodded towards Jack's desk. Jack picked up the envelope.

"Maybe it's a Christmas card." He shrugged.

"BLOODY HELL!" Gerry's exclamation made them both jump.

"What?"

"It's three tickets, two adult one child, to the boxing day match at Stamford bridge. These things are like rocking horse shit, impossible to get. Oh my God! Gerry junior has been selected to be a mascot!" Gerry's eyes started to fill. Jack looked confused.

"What, he's got to wear a silly costume..."

"No you fool. Mascots are the little kids who get to walk out onto the pitch with the players." Brian explained.

"Who...?" Gerry looked at the envelope. It was all printed by a printer, so no handwriting to recognise. "What's in yours?" He asked. Brian looked at the envelope in his hands. He opened it nervously, then gasped.

"It's dinner for two at the Ritz hotel, then two tickets for a west end show of my choice. The telephone number of a taxi company, taxi there and back, all paid for in advance..." He looked up at his colleagues. "Esther will love this."

Jack looked at the envelope in his hand. He opened it carefully, wondering what on earth could be in his envelope. He read it slowly, not quite able to believe what he was reading. His eyes filled with tears. Gerry and Brian gathered round, concerned.

"What is it mate?" Gerry asked. Jack smiled softly.

"It's a pass for the first day of next summers Chelsea flower show, where the new rose from Austin's will be unveiled, it's to be called 'My Mary'."

The other two men looked at him in shock.

"What does it take to get a rose named for someone?" Gerry asked. Jack shrugged.

"I suppose you have to ask a rose grower." He answered. They all looked at each other.

"Do you think Sandra?..." Brian inclined his head towards the office where their boss and friend usually resided.

"I can't see who else. And she's not here yet, normally she's here by now." Jack observed.

"Conspicuous by her absence." Brian agreed.

"Well, here she comes, we can ask her." Gerry nodded towards the door. The outer door swung open and the lady in question came bustling in.

"Sorry I'm late guys. The traffic was crap this morning, and I got caught by Strickland in the lobby."

"Nasty!" Gerry grinned, making the others chuckle.

"What's that?" She asked, indicating the envelopes they were all holding. They all looked at each other.

"You didn't leave these?" Jack asked. Sandra shook her head.

"Never seen them before. What are they, cards?"

"And the rest." Gerry told her, showing her the contents of his card. She shook her head as she saw the contents of the envelope, then gasped as the other two showed her the contents of theirs.

"I'd love to be able to take the credit for this, but I'm sorry to say this is nothing to do with me." She whispered. Brian went over to her office door and peeped in.

"There's one on your desk." He told them. He disappeared inside, and came back a few moments later holding out an envelope identical to theirs. "Go on, open it." He prompted. She gingerly took the envelope and turned it over in her hands.

"Same as ours. Name printed." Jack observed. She opened it and slid out the contents. She gasped.

"Oh lord. It's an all expenses paid weekend break at the Swan spa. The full pamper package, massage, jacuzzi, sauna and all the rest. I can pick the date." She looked up at them, her eyes glowing. "You lot really don't know anything about this?" They all shook their heads. "Then who?"

"Heads up! Strickland's coming." Gerry interrupted. Their department supervisor bustled into the UCOS office, stopping short with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Everything all right?" He asked, a little bit unsettled at the atmosphere in the room.

"Fine Sir. Someone has been playing secret Santa, that's all." Sandra explained. Indicating the envelopes.

"Oh, well, that's all right then." He stuttered. "How are we doing with the Pearson case. Any chance it will be cleared up before New Year? It will boost the departmental figures if I can get the paperwork in by then."

"We'll do our best Sir." Sandra smiled sweetly.

"Good...Good. I'll leave you in piece then." He nodded and left the office.

"Burk." Gerry muttered.

"Guys, you get started, I'll be right back." Sandra had a puzzled look on her face. The boys all stared at her as she jogged out of the office as fast as she could in her high heeled boots.

"What's that all about?" Brian asked no-one in particular. The others shrugged. "Oh well. I'll get a brew going then, shall I?"

/

Sandra got into the lift and pushed the button for Strickland's floor. She knew her boss would be half way there, he always took the stairs rather than the lift. The lift stopped and let some more people in at the next floor. They all exchanged merry Christmas's and dispersed at other floors. Eventually she reached her goal and stepped out of the lift, just in time to see him enter his office. She approached the door and knocked softly.

"Come in." Came the reply. She opened the door and slipped inside, closing it softly behind her. As she turned, he was stood with his back to her, hanging up his suit jacket. He turned and was slightly surprised to find her there.

"Sandra? Did I forget something?" He sat down behind his desk and started to roll up his sleeves. Sandra gulped, this had always been a habit of his which she found strangely arousing, she mentally slapped herself.

"No Sir. But I suddenly remembered how, when I bumped into you in the lobby, you asked me if I had been to the office yet. I'm wondering if it maybe had something to do with these envelopes." She held out her envelope, a question in her eyes. He blushed slightly.

"I really don't know what you mean." He stuttered, taking the envelope, turning it over in his hands. She smiled.

"You're a hopeless liar you know." He looked up at her and shrugged, handing the envelope back.

"Happy Christmas." He said.

"But these gifts...They must have cost a fortune. Not to mention difficult to arrange."

"It depends who you know. As for the cost, well I have little else to spend my money on." He stood and walked over to the window, peering out at the city. Sandra was a little concerned, he had never been particularly caught up in the Christmas spirit, even before his divorce four years ago, but this year he seemed particularly down.

"Sir, If you don't mind me saying, but you don't seem yourself at all." He laughed softly.

"I'm not even sure who I am, I've been playing parts for so long." He sighed.

"Kaye gave birth to a little girl three weeks ago."

"Kaye, that's your ex-wife?"

"Yes. She and Marcus married the summer after she divorced me. Hannah is their first child together. Marcus has two daughters from his first marriage, and with my two that makes five."

"Do you feel like you've been left behind?"

"It's more complicated than that. Marcus' first wife left him and the girls, she never had anything more to do with them. As a result, the girls have huge separation anxieties. Marcus and Kaye want to build a stable family for them, and evidently, my visits with Roo and Mione used to upset them, so I've been asked to keep my distance, for the sake of the family unit. The new baby just re-enforces the fact that I don't have a family any more." The look of utter dejection as he spoke nearly broke her heart.

"And your two are ok with this?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Apparently." He confirmed. He shrugged. "It's not their fault. I was a pretty crap husband and father. I was never there, working every hour I could to give Kaye the life she wanted. I just kept on aiming for the next promotion. In the end, it all meant nothing. Marcus is a multi-millionaire producer. He can give them everything and never have to go to work. I could never compete with that." He was still standing with his back to her, his shoulders tense. Sandra couldn't believe what she was hearing. To imagine what it must feel like to be asked to stay away from your own family, she could only imagine the hurt. But the very fact that he was sharing his personal life with her was almost unimaginable. He was a strictly private man, keeping his family and personal life completely separate from his professional. She quietly walked up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you going to stay away?" She asked in a quiet voice. His head dropped, he nodded silently.

"No choice. As I said, money's no problem for them, I can't compete in the courts. Roo and Mione know I love them, and that I'll always be here when they need me. For now that's they best I can hope for."

"Sir, can I ask you a question?" Strickland turned to face her, a shy smile on his face.

"If I can ask you one first." She shrugged and nodded. "Why, when I've asked you countless times, won't you call me Rob, or Robert?"

"I don't know. I think it's because I trusted Don Bevan, Jack used to call him Don, and he acted as though he was a friend, and the whole time he was just trying to get us shut down."

"Bevan. I'll never forget the 'friendly advice' he gave me when I took over. He told me 'just be completely friendly with them, and DSI Pullman prefers to be called Sandy'. I must have come across as a total arse."

"He set you up!" Sandra couldn't help but smile. Strickland nodded shyly.

"I fell for it hook, line and sinker. I must have come across like a spaniel puppy. I'll never forget that look you all gave me."

"What look?"

"The 'what a complete tosser' look. Still that was preferable to the 'look what's crawled out from under it's rock' look that came later."

"I'm sorry. I never realised..."

"It's ok. If I had wanted to be popular, I wouldn't have become a DAC. But please, call me Robert. Even if it's only at times like this, when we're alone."

Sandra smiled.

"I'll try. Now, can I ask my question?" He nodded. "Why did you set up these surprises for us, I assume you haven't bought the staff in your other divisions gifts like these." She watched as he lowered his eyes.

"They're just a thank you. These last few years have put us all through the ringer, and yet you and the boys have constantly raked in the highest clean up figures of any department in the met anywhere. On top of that, we took down Ricky Hanson, and we exposed a corrupt senior police officer. I just wanted to show my appreciation."

"But they don't know it was you."

"They'd probably think there was some kind of catch if they knew I had sent them. Besides, I just wanted to make someone happy. Thought it might make me feel a bit better."

"And has it?" He didn't answer for a moment.

"I hope they liked them." Was all he said. Sandra smiled sadly.

"They liked them. But they should know who sent them, they'll not let it rest until they find out."

"Tell them if you think it's best. But make sure they know there's no strings attached, It's just a token of my appreciation." He sat back down behind his desk, gathering up papers and turning on his laptop. Sandra wandered around the desk to his side and perched on the edge, making him pause in his actions.

"Robert." His name didn't trip easily off her tongue, it was going to take some getting used to. He looked up at her. "Why did you share all of this with me? Not that I mind, but it's very out of character for you." He sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"I don't know. I suppose I just needed to confide in someone." He smiled wryly.

"And I was the first person who asked?" She finished. He shook his head.

"It wasn't that. I think you are the only person who won't use the information against me. I can trust you." That simple statement made her heart swell. She had always denied the attraction she felt towards him, she had experienced first hand how workplace relationships could turn sour and she had refused to be drawn into that position again, and there was also the complication of her team, who despite working for her, made her feel like a teenager again at times and they definitely would not approve of him as a choice of partner.

But sitting here, looking down into his honest blue eyes, all she wanted to do was stick two fingers up at the rest of the world and follow her heart. She knew he had been attracted to her for some time, and for the first time in a long time, she felt the urge to do something to make herself happy, to hell with what was appropriate.

She trailed her fingers lightly around the collar of his immaculate white shirt, she could see his adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed nervously.

"Is there anything that would give you a happy Christmas?" She leaned down and whispered in his ear. He turned his face towards her.

"There is. But I would never dare to dream." His voice was low and rough. He raised his hand to her face, trailing his fingers along the contours of her jaw.

"Why not."

"Because you've never given me the time of day before. Why would you now, unless you feel sorry for me." Sandra felt that she should be angry at that comment, but the emotion in his face made her want to weep. She stood up and placed one hand on the arm of his office chair, she turned it so he was facing her and placed her other hand on the other arm. Her face was inches from his and she could feel his breath on her lips.

"Maybe for the first time, I'm seeing the man behind the image. And maybe I like what I see." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. The touch was feather light, almost non-existant, but it was the trigger they needed, because a few moments later, Sandra found herself standing, gathered into his strong arms holding her possesively, her arms wrapped tightly around his back, their lips and tongues duelling, locked in a mind-bending, time-stopping kiss, so full of repressed passion, that any doubts she had evaporated away. Eventually they pulled away from each other, both a little shell shocked. Robert smiled.

"Will you have dinner with me tonight?" He asked, his eyes alight with passion. Sandra nodded.

"On one condition." She smirked, he raised an eyebrow. "We extend that to include breakfast." She completed, smiling as he blushed.

"If you are sure, I don't want to go too fast."

"It's been six years. I think we've thought about it for long enough, don't you." He smiled.

"So long as it won't cause you any trouble with the team." He added, she laid a finger on his lips.

"You leave them to me." She leaned in and stole another kiss. "Let me know what time tonight." She left the office, taking with her the image of him watching her, the grin on his face rivalling a cheshire cat. As she wandered back towards the UCOS office she felt like skipping.

This was promising to be a truly merry Christmas.

/

Merry Christmas to all my readers, and a very happy new year. I may do a naughty little prologue to this. XXX Sarah.