Scott & Bailey 1. I Dare You

**Note: **This is going to be a series of short Dodson/Murray one-shots from a list of AU prompts on tumblr (friend requested all the prompts in relation to this pair, thanks again Nessa).

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><p><strong>AU:<strong> _met at a party while drunk_

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><p>She could only see the back of the woman, which at least made staring easier. Gill, herself, was wearing a knee-length black dress while knocking back as much of the bar's vodka as she possibly could. At twenty-six years old that volume was large and she made use of it whenever she got the chance. Janet Scott was next to her, she was the one who persuaded them to go to the New Year's Eve party after she and her current boyfriend - Andy something or other - had parted ways.<p>

"Who is that?"

"Huh?"

"I'm not blind, Gill, you haven't taken your eyes of that woman all night."

She shrugged, finally taking her eyes off the stranger, "Never seen her before tonight."

"Are you going to make a move?"

"What?! God know! I'm not attracted to her." Gill would not believe that feeble attempt of denial had the roles been reversed.

Janet raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word. She knew Gill was almost always with a young male, usually a couple of years younger, but there had been times where flirtation and occasionally more had occurred with the same sex.

After a little while Janet looked over at her friend and rolled her eyes at the fact she was still fixated on the woman in a purple shirt and smart dress trousers. "Dare you to go slap her arse."

She never backed down from such a challenge and with the fearless attitude alcohol had given her she was not worried as she wandered across the room.

It was not a hard hit but neither was it just a nudge.

After the contact had been made she was immediately face-to-face with the taller female, "Oi!"

Running a hand through her shoulder length dark hair she apologised. "Sorry, the blonde bitch at the bar told me to… Can I buy you a drink to apologise?"

Hearing the slightly slurred voice of this woman she laughed, she was not entirely sober but she was a damn sight better than this, "I'll take one but I'm not sure if you need another."

Gill put on the most serious expression she could muster, "I can handle my drink. Anyway who are you?"

"Julie Dodson, DS. Yourself?"

"Wait, you're a cop?"

"Yes or else why would I be at a staff party?"

She didn't know what she had thought - she guessed Julie had been alone but it never quite clicked in her intoxicated brain that she was there for a reason. "I thought you were some random that had crawled in from the street and we were simply tolerating."

When it neared midnight they were still drinking together in a corner of the room. Everyone else was trying to find a person to kiss as tradition dictated but they were unsure they could stand, let alone talk to someone who was not sharing in their level of drunkenness.

"You not got some bloke waiting for you right now?"

"Not my type," The truth was glaringly obvious from that statement. Gill had had suspicions of this variety since the start of the night and to have it confirmed made her smirk. Their eyes continued to meet across their wine glasses - mixing drinks was not a clever plan but Julie had been on wine and Gill convinced her it would be less expensive for her to swap.

As the countdown began they placed their drink down on the table and leaned back in the corner booth they were shabooth Julie raised a hand to the woman beside her's cheek and gently ran a thumb across her bottom lip.

Their mouths met in the messiest of kisses as hands got tangled in hair or travelled down further. None of the other guests noticed because they were participating in the same sort of activity. Breaking apart they rested their foreheads against the other.

"I'm Gill, by the way," she muttered as she trailed kisses along her jaw.

That was the night Gill started to call Julie 'Slap', nobody else knew that the physical version of it had in fact been their first greeting. Even Janet had long ago forgotten the events of that evening and only rarely was nearby when the two women were in contact.


	2. Have Your Cake and Eat It

**AU:** _met at a coffee shop_

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><p>At the front of the queue in the coffee shop, she placed her hand into the small handbag which was hanging over her shoulder, "Oh, bollocks! Must have left my purse back at work. I have… £2.70." That would cover one of her items not both. She mentally cursed city centre pricing once again.<p>

A female voice from behind her interrupted the desperate searching, "What are you needing?"

Turning her head quickly to check if she knew the person she shook her head, "No, it's fine, I'll just leave the cake." That treat had been a spur of the moment addition, she was in need of the caffeine more. It was not that she was immune to acts of kindness but this close to the police station she was more hesitant to accept them.

For Gill Murray it was a rarity to spend the lunch break out of the office so the novelty of taking a chair was palpable. The atmosphere at work was stifling after a case went to hell and she had to escape it.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here? Every other place is taken." That was not entirely the truth but the dark-haired woman was too interested in the document so correctly assumed she would take little notice of her surroundings.

"Go ahead." Gill answered, quickly glancing over the top of her glasses finding the woman from the queue standing there.

"This is yours," Julie commented as she pushed a small plate across the table. On it was a slice of the chocolate cake Gill had been craving.

"You shouldn't have, regardless of anything else as if I need any more calories stuck to my stomach."

Julie cast an appreciative glance up and down, "I don't see anything wrong with you."

"Just because I allowed you a seat doesn't mean you have to be nice."

"Fine, you fat-arsed bitch." Gill smirked against the edge of the mug, both pairs of eyes lighting up with amusement.

"I don't know how you can drink that milky crap."

Gill sat back in the chair after putting her paperwork back inside her bag, hugging the latte in her hands. "Let me guess, you have espresso shot after espresso shot in there," she said, motioning to the mug opposite.

"That would be heaven, yes."

"I am so sorry I don't make it to your standards."

"No problem, not everyone is perfect."

Using the fork provided she stabbed at the cake, not even pretending to be delicate. As the frosting touched her lips she couldn't help but moan a little. She realised in that second she needed to take more time and pleasure in eating, there were few things that could beat this. Surprisingly, talking to this woman was also making her feel calmer about everything else, excluding Janet she had hardly any other people to simply chat to.

Glancing down at the watch on her wrist a while later she sighed, "I should be getting back to work. Thanks again for the cake, if we ever meet again then I'll repay you."

"How about same time next week?" It had came out before sensible thoughts entered her head - they had never met before this afternoon, knew nothing about the other yet she wanted to see see her again.

Gill was taken aback for a moment before smirking slightly. "I can't guarantee it - the job means I just grab the nearest energy source whenever I get a second to breathe."

"Well, you know where to find me."

Once Gill had left they both attempted to unscramble what they had just experienced. Either of them could actually have been been a psycho stalker, waiting on a chance to slit the the other's throat, yet they were fascinated by them. When she got back to her office - her purse helpfully waiting on the desk - the DCI flicked through the diary on her desk and made a note for 'coffee' the following week. She could always score it out but maybe, just maybe, she would have something to look forward to.


	3. Escaping

**AU:**_ librarian/avid reader_

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><p>She could almost set her watch by the appearance of her. Could also tell you exactly which section of the library she would head straight to. To look at her there was nothing to suggest she would read romance books but she did - nothing smutty, just boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after.<p>

Gill. That was her name. She used to only know it because it would pop up on the screen whenever her card was scanned but eventually small talk had started. Now she understood that she arrived at the library to wind down after a week at work. The only reasons she would not show up was if work overran by several hours, otherwise she would grab some food and head straight over to her form of escape.

She would sit in one of the comfortable chairs which lined the back wall for an hour or so and eventually take one to the desk to borrow for a week. Julie had been known to stand and watch the other woman as she read, smirking at the little habit she had of tapping a tuneless beat against her thigh.

Tonight she had arrived later than usual and barely nodded in acknowledgement. Her irritation was visible and she immediately gave off an air of not wishing to be disturbed. As the minutes ticked by the silence grew to an almost unbearable degree - most nights were the same yet usually when the library was this quiet with only this pair present they would interact.

When Gill eventually strolled across the room to the desk, weaving around the various aisles, she sighed and rested her forearms on the surface.

Glancing up at the librarian Gill smiled softly, "You know, I read hundreds of crime stories when I was pregnant - must have read all of Val McDermid's series and Ian Rankin's by the end of the first trimester. Kind of ironic that I would read about ending lives when bringing a new one in to the world."

"If you need recommendations on anything I could give you some. Romance isn't my forte but I suppose I should offer my services once in a while." She said with a shrug, showing that she would not mind either way, the answer she received however was not expected.

"Do you want to come with me for a drink or a meal or whatever?" It was the first time that the idea of socialising outside the realm of these four walls had been brought up.

"I don't technically finish for another half hour but I could meet you there." She didn't know where 'there' was but in that second she could not care less.

"I can wait for you, I'll be over in the corner," she said, waving over to her usual hideaway.

Julie was the last staff member on shift that evening, and the need to close up the library on time was the only reason she had not immediately taken up the offer. Thirty minutes later, Gill did not move as the lights began to be dimmed which made Julie sit down in the chair beside her after closing the doors.

Spinning around in the chair to face her companion, Julie tried to ignore that she could feel their legs brushing together. "What's different about today? You seem a bit uptight."

After a brief pause in which Gill considered how to answer she began to speak, "My divorce was finalised today. We've been separated for a year or so but that's it. I am now officially single."

Julie felt that it suddenly made sense why she went for romance novels, whether Gill realised it herself or not it was compensating for what she lacked at home.

"As much as he was screwing a bunch of tarts he wasn't the only one at fault. I had stopped caring to a point. He at least had some taste in women, if I was able to attract women that age, hell why not?!" It was the closest she had been to telling anyone that in the past couple of years she had been recognising that she was actually feeling an attraction to females. Julie picked up on it and nodded slowly.

"So are we going out?" Gill knew as she asked that her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

Julie scrunched her eyebrows together, deciding to broach the subject which had been bothering her for a few moments, "Is this a date?"

There was not even a hesitation before the response was uttered, "Are you still available?" She was shocked to feel no form of regret as the words left her lips.

As much as she enjoyed reading there was an even bigger pull to this building and she was staring directly at her. They had flirted with each other since Julie first got the job and, although it was probably a comfort date she needed after the day she'd had, Gill wanted more.

"If your reading habits are the opposite of your life will I have to loan you romantic tragedies after this?"

Gill could not help but smirk as she replied, "Bit hopeful that we'll end the night happy."

"The amount I've thought about you means I wouldn't have it any other way." Julie was sickened by how soppy she was acting - she was the least romantic person out of everyone she knew - but faced with Gill, she had no control.

"I do not blush that easy, slap."

"I'll have to try harder next time," Julie commented, nudging the smaller woman who simply rolled her eyes.


End file.
