Disclaimer - Kudos and BBC own Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes
Back to the Beginning?
Alex sat at her desk typing up reports from the last case they had worked on. The rest of the team were out on a drugs raid across town. Alex sighed, she was bored. She really wanted to be out with Gene and the others but knew he'd only worry even more. There was no way she would be allowed to go on a drugs raid, even Ray had started getting over protective. She hated it. Glaring at the last few lines of the report she couldn't help but smile as Annie placed a mug of tea on the desk in front of her.
"You ok?" Annie sat at her own desk, aware that Alex looked a million miles away.
"Yeah, thanks. Just want to get this finished. God I feel so fat" She shifted in her chair as Annie rolled her eyes.
"You are not fat, you're pregnant" Annie smiled as she drank her own tea.
"Um," Alex shrugged. She still felt like a blob. Annie couldn't help but see the irony.
"Three years ago it was you ringing me worried about transferring to Fenchurch. Now look at you. Married to the Guv" Annie laughed as Alex nodded.
"I was not worried."
"Yes you were. You phoned me the night before you left Vice to ask if Gene was as bad as Sam said he was. I was just glad my best friend was transferring from a division you hated." Annie drank her tea as Alex nodded.
"I did hate Vice. Molly was too little and it wasn't long after my divorce was it? Anyway it was you that told me about the Guv being like a bear with a sore head at university. Sam made things worse. What was it he called him? An overweight, alcoholic with an unhealthy interest in male bonding" Alex raised her eyebrows. "After working for that idiot in Vice it really made me think Gene was going to be a total nightmare"
Annie smiled. "So you fell for him when exactly? It was blimming obvious the two of you fancied each other from the moment you arrived" Annie was enjoying teasing her friend. Things had been too serious for a long time. Plus it was a rare occurrence to get the Squad Room to themselves.
"I dunno. It wasn't that obvious. Was it?"
"Yep" Annie nodded, her brown curls bouncing around her head "Well you did practically fall into his arms with in the first five minutes of meeting him" Annie laughed as Alex's jaw dropped open.
"I fainted. It was boiling and my DCI had insisted I dress as a tart. I hadn't even eaten. You know I was due to come here to get things sorted with personnel the minute I finished the case with them. I didn't expect Gene, Chris and Ray to turn up" Alex blushed furiously at the memory.
"You didn't make it easy for him though" Annie laughed.
"Oh and you and Sam got together in such a straightforward way?" Alex raised her eyebrows as Annie nodded.
"Compared to you and Gene yes we did" Annie was giggling as Alex shook her head.
"So, him going back for you when you and the guys were being shot at was the first time you realised you liked him? C'mon Annie!" Alex had forgotten how fat she felt.
"Well, being almost killed does wake you up a bit. Anyway I knew I liked Sam along time before then" She smiled at the memory of them kissing outside the original Railway Arms. It seemed like a lifetime ago, she hadn't even thought of Manchester for a long time. London seemed like home now. She shrugged when Alex didn't answer.
"Wouldn't have followed him down from Manchester if he wasn't the one would I? When this place was put on Special Measures they sacked the previous DCI and DI's. They only wanted Gene but he refused to come unless he could cherry pick his team. I was amazed when he picked us lot. I mean he moaned about how useless we were in Manchester, then he wanted us all to up sticks and head here" Annie laughed at the irony of it all.
"I'm glad you did come. Its nicer being able to gossip in person rather than over the phone" Alex shifted again in her seat.
"You ok?" Annie asked as Gene and Ray stormed through the Squad Room doors. Neither looked happy. Ray threw himself in to his chair as Gene stormed in to his office, slamming the door. Alex and Annie exchanged glances as silence settled across the room. In seconds Gene had threw his coat over the back of his chair and realised he'd heard Annie ask if Alex was ok. He was in the doorway of his office in seconds.
"Bolls? You alright luv?" He was only slightly calmer as Alex nodded her head.
"Yeah"
"You sure? You look, well you don't look fine" He watched as Alex smiled slightly. She was only two weeks away from starting her maternity leave. She'd put it off for as long as she could get away with. She knew Gene was desperate for her to give up work for a while. She knew she'd be bored.
"I'm ok" She smiled reassuringly as Annie made her way back to her own desk as Sharon, Chris and Sam joined the team. No one looked happy.
"Right, you lot. Can anyone tell me what the bleedin 'ell went wrong out there?" Gene bellowed across the Squad Room as Sam rang a hand over his face.
"What went wrong Guv is they knew we were coming. Someone must have told them there was a drugs raid planned" Sam leant on Annie's desk as he spoke. Annie glanced at Sharon who shook her head. The raid had not gone well.
"I know that Ethel" Gene ranted as Sam shrugged.
"Question is who told the little scrots we were going after them?" Gene walked across the room as Alex stood and followed him to the White Board. Gene stubbed his finger against the picture of Arthur Morris. Alex frowned as she looked at the picture.
"It can't be one of us. Who else knows the raid was on for today?" Alex turned and propped herself on the edge of Chris desk. One hand on her tummy she took a deep breath.
"Good question Bolls. I want this scum under lock and key before he can start up somewhere else again. We worked too hard to let the likes of him sell this crap on our turf. Chris, Ray go and feel a few collars, see what the news is about cannabis factories around here. Sharon you and Sam get round the usual snouts, see where he's hiding. Annie, Alex" He stopped as Alex raised her hand.
"I know, go through the paperwork. Find something we haven't seen before. I know" Alex pushed herself off Chris' desk wincing slightly as she did so. She didn't see the worried glances pass between Annie and Gene as she made her way to her desk.
author's note. I wasnt going to write any more A2A for a while but then I had this idea. Let me know what you think.x
