Fairy tale Of Fenchurch Chapter One

'And they woke up and it was all a dream'. The worst ending ever. Boring, unoriginal and a bit of a cop-out, or so everyone says. For me, it would be the best ending. No Saints or God at a golden gate, No spaceship in the future and no mass murders who finally live out their desires. There was no other way to describe the past 3 years in this world than very, very weird. New cases come and go, murders get put in prison and new dishes on the menu at Luigi's, but the same people stayed in my life. The last few weeks had been tough. Tension had been high and the Guv had been angry the last few days, No doubt he felt guilty about Viv. Everyone missed him, he was a brilliant man, and a good friend to Gene. CID was quiet without him, but with Keats breathing down my neck to find out about Sam, I had little time to even think about him. Summer was near and it was the time of the year everyone can relax and enjoy themselves. The case on Sam Tyler is building up, I found out the truth from Gene. Sam wanted out of Manchester, Gene says he doesn't know why, did the 'real' world finally catch up with him? He can't have left there voluntarily, everyone says he was happy with Annie and the guys in CID. Everything leads back to Sam. Keats showed me the picture with the wind vane from the news report in the 'real' world, this must be connected with the copper which keeps haunting me. The copper leads to Gene, Gene leads to Sam, Sam leads to Manchester. Manchester. That's where I need to go. Find out the truth, the truth about Sam and Gene. Forget about Keats and what he wants. I need to go to Manchester. And I need to take Gene, Chris And Ray with me.

'Lady Bols, nice to see you make it into work, even if it is at lunchtime!'

Alex spun around, she hadn't expected the Guv here, she smiled innocently.

'Well, I was working on something.'

Gene pouted, stared intensely and sat down at his desk. Alex sighed, she was upset about walked out and leaving him in her flat alone, but she needed to think about them pictures. She had no doubt that she had ruined it now. She needed to talk to him. He looked up from his notepad, in which he had been franticly scribbling notes on, and stared at her, his piercing blue eyes drawing her into his office. The desk was cluttered and the room a mess, but still, Gene dominated the room. The bin was overflowing with screwed up pieces of paper and a bottle of whiskey lying cautiously on the top. She sighed again and leaned against the wall.

'Got a bee in your bonnet?'

She looked up, her eyes meeting his and becoming locked there. She moved closer to him and she could smell his aftershave and feel his breath. She blinked slowly and leaned in. Gene cleared his throat and whispered in her ear.

'It's not really the place Bolly.'

'Look, Gene I'm sorry about last night. I was just needed some air.'

He closed his eyes and turned his back on her. Gene moved up to the window and looked out at his team. He was proud of them all, even that dipstick Chris. Shaz was a determined woman and would get far, Ray was brave and a loyal right-hand man, Chris was becoming a modern copper, nevermind. He was young and had the chance to make his ways up the ranks. Then Alex. She had shaken the whole of CID when she arrived. Dressed as a tart, Mad as a hatter, she made an impression on them all. Gene grew to like her, but there was times when they clashed and argued and he would hate her. She was like Sam, someone who turned you upside down and changed your life. He just hoped she wouldn't leave him too.

'It's okay Bolly.'

Still with his back to her, she opened the door and walked out of Gene's office. CID was vibrant today, chatter and laughter flooded to Alex's ears. The tapping of the keys at Shaz's desk and the scratching of the pencil on paper at Ray's were the small contribution to the sounds. The warm smell of toast and tea came from the kitchen nearby and made Alex happy to be there for the moment. Her heels tapped rhythmically on the floor and stopped when she reached her desk. Her chair creaked as she sat down and she pulled at her pencil skirt to cover her modesty and picked up this week's case file. Her fingers flicked through the pages seamlessly, words scrambling together and the pictures losing its definition. Alex snapped the file shut and it flew off the desk and onto the floor. With a lot of attitude, Alex jumped off her seat and hastily picked it up and placed it back on the desk. She felt a gentle nudge and her feet fell from beneath her.

'Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up.'

Shaz extended her hand and helped her to her feet. Alex took a deep breath and retained from snapping at her. Shaz smiled at her, but Alex could still see the strain in her eyes. She wondered if she still was seeing the stars. Alex opened her mouth to say something about the stars, but instead changed the words.

'Err, Shaz, Where is the Guv's keys?'

She walked up to her desk picked up a pair of keys and handed them to Alex.

'Thanks Shaz, Could you round up Chris and Ray, tell them to pack a bag for a night, and meet me at Luigi's in an hour.'

Alex turned and walked towards the Guv's office and she heard Shaz shout to her 'okay'. She pushed the door open and it banged against the glass. Gene looked up with a face of thunder.

'You know, there is a thing in the police, we call it respect!'

Alex ignored the comment. She closed the door behind her and sat on his desk, barely escaping the glare from him.

'Go home, pack your bag for a day or so and meet me a luigi's. Don't take the car, walk there.'

'What's going on Bols?'

Alex glanced at him, her eyes full of emotions, begging him to understand that she needs to do this, and she needs him there with her.

'Please.'

Gene stood up, towering above her, and nodded his head.

'I'll be there, an hour.'

Pulling at his coat, he left her in his office alone. If this was a few days before she would have taken the opportunity to snoop in here. Things had changed, she trusted him and she knew it was vital to the next few days that they trusted each other blindly. How things have changed.

The warmth hit her immediately. Luigi's was comforting. The friendly owner was always there, full of happiness and his Italian accent always made her smile. It was dark in here, but she embraced it. She had taken the Quattro and checked it to ensure it wasn't being tracked. Keats can't know that she was going to Manchester. Not yet anyway. She slid into a booth at the far end of the restaurant, and took out the writing paper she had bought back in 1981 when she first arrived here. She sat there for 45 minutes, her wrist moving constantly, putting pen to paper and pouring everything into this letter. She did not re-read it; she folded it in half and placed it into the envelope. A single tear fell from her eye as she wrote the recipient down. Another fell as she put it in to small box, which contained a single photo. Her only sanctuary in this world. The last fell as she pulled the clasp on the box and put it away. Alex rubbed at her eyes, making them red but she didn't care. She laid her head down on the seat and let her eyelids drop. The sounds faded and she willed the sleep to come to her, free of the nightmares she usually incurred.

Authors Note: Please Rate And Review, I am to have a chapter a day until Friday. So will Be finished when Ashes Finishes.