Title: Only A Game
Fandom: Life on Mars (UK)
Rating: G
Length: 200
Summary: CID is not a happy place

To say there was an atmosphere in CID would be an understatement.  Everyone seemed to be affected, everyone apart from Gene Hunt.  The DCI was extremely cheerful, whistling whenever he came out of his office.  Sam Tyler and Ray Carling were snarking at each other even more than usual, snapping every time the other spoke.  The only thing they agreed on was shouting at Chris Skelton who had opened Gene’s door to ask the Guv something.  The emerging sound of what sounded like the chanting of “Three Nil; Three Nil” was more than they could bear.

There had almost been an explosion when Phyllis Dobbs had come into the office, winked at Annie Cartwright and said, “It’s only a game.”

Once she had left, the prevailing sense of a shared toothache resumed, with much muttering and groaning, interspersed with the occasional “how could that have happened, it was going so well?” and “he’s not going to let us forget it in a hurry”.  Even the prospect of going to the Railway Arms seemed less attractive.

The headlines on the newspaper said it all.  “City through to FA Cup quarter finals.  United out due to two goals scored in injury time.”