The first thing I noticed about Sun Hill CID was the natural competitive rivalry, every office has it, its just some are more obvious than others, Sun Hill was one of these, There was Geoff and Danny competing against each other, although one is a Sergeant the other a mere DC, then there was Kerry and Mickey, it struck me that Kerry was desperate to be recognised for her brains not her brawn, and Mickey… well Mickey just wanted to be the clown. Then came Don and John, always trying to outdo the other although Don seemed to work more closely with the criminals rather than colleagues, John on the other hand took desperately large risks in order to catch the scum he was after, it all seemed a bit unnecessary in Johns case, as it struck me that he had the talent and balls to get whatever results he wanted without the risks.
Kerry and John seemed to be the most competitive, two fiery redheads both as stubborn as an ox, neither able to admit defeat and back down. Again they were an odd rivalry pair- a Sergeant and a mere DC.
Duncan on the other hand, sat back and let the world pass him by, with a fondness for doughnuts, Dunc wasn't the fastest cop in the yard but he was by far the most easy going, it must be the delectable Scottish charm. Duncan paired with anyone, he got on as equally well with John as he did with Kerry and Mickey, well, and the best you can with John Boulton.
And then I arrived, the office was thrown into turmoil, Kerry was pleased to have another female officer around, Don, Mickey and John found me suitable eye candy and would drool over me at every possible opportunity, Geoff accepted me as an officer nothing more. Duncan welcomed me with open arms- the typical Scottish welcome. Me and Duncan hit it off straight away, I liked him for his straight-talking no nonsense attitude, in me he found someone he could talk to and trust, some one who didn't pass remarks on his lavish lifestyle and frequently absent wife.
On my first day I was given a case involving Oranges and Arsenic, John passed comment about hitting the ground running and Don replied with 'Welcome to Sun Hill Claire, I hope you know how to juggle' I surprised myself at how easily the banter came as I coolly replied 'Oh I've been known to keep a few balls in the air'
The case was solved by knocking off time, I could see John was impressed and in the days following so began the beginning of our chequered relationship.
A long time ago a Sergeant once described me as 'ruthlessly ambitious, thinks nothing of shunning fellow officers' sure I'm ambitious, but recently I think I've found my niche- Detective Sergeant at Sun Hill.
The flirting began as harmless teasing and natural rivalry, followed by looks that lasted longer than they should have and the sneaky snatched touches.
Finally after months of flirting and teasing we got together, tentatively at first as I still wasn't sure of John, he was a bit to violent for my liking, but it turned out that there was a soft side underneath the iron suit. In time I found myself falling heavily for him.
Not long after my CIB boss pulled me in after work one night wanting a progress report on my suspect- Don Beech. I had nothing, I was in far to deep in this assignment, I was trained not to connect deeply with anyone in my surroundings but I'd really settled in at Sun Hill, SH was fast becoming my home and suspects, my friends. I knew from being so close to John that Don was indeed corrupt but it would have broken John's heart, to see Don go down because of me.
The very next day I resigned with immediate effect, I didn't want to be part of the investigation anymore, I wanted to make SH my permanent home.
It was three weeks before I plucked up the courage to explain to John why I came to SH, and who I really was, understandably he was upset and we argued, we split.
A week later and we were re-united over dinner with Don and his girlfriend Maggie, it was a lovely evening helped along by copious amounts of drink, by the end of the night we were in each others arms snogging like there was no tomorrow.
A few years passed and we were still together- we were solid, people commented that we were soul mates.
We had our ups and downs like other couples although it seemed that we had mostly downs, just over a year later we were married in a big church do, with white dress, the guest, the cake, the car, the whole darn thing.
Things haven't been right between us for a while now, arguments have been on the increase and John's taken to staying out all night after an argument.
After weeks of unhappiness it was decided we should have trial separation, to see if we could save our marriage, I desperately hope we can, I still love John and nothing will change that fact.
We have been together almost six years and married for almost three years and now, in the not to distant future there's the very real possibility of us getting a divorce.
With thanks to Shania Twain for writing 'No One Needs To Know' from which I borrowed a line for usage in this Fic.
This is the prologue to a six chapter story which takes place over the course of six years.
Please read and review and let me know what you think.