This one's been nagging at me for weeks and my sleep was suffering, so it seemed the sensible thing to do was to write the thing.
Inspired partly by Gene's mention of retiring to Spain and partly by a certain favourite film, its pretty much AU although there are plenty of references to and borrowings from the series. Love playing with these characters, although clearly they don't belong to me …

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Casablanca

Chapter 1

Gene Hunt stood tall, surveying his kingdom: chest puffed out, feet planted firmly apart, thumbs hooked in pockets, he was every inch the sheriff, minus the Stetson. Happy to wear casual clothes when off-duty, he still felt the need to make the effort at work so tonight he was attired in a sharp charcoal grey suit teamed with a crisp white open-necked shirt and his beloved crocodile boots, a fixture even during the summer months. Thank God for air conditioning, he thought: the Gene Genie does not, under any circumstances, wear sandals.

It was early by Spanish standards but already many of the tables were occupied, mostly with locals and ex-pats enjoying a pre-dinner drink but he spotted one or two tourists in evidence even though the season had barely started. Sam looked up from cleaning glasses and grinned at him.

"Evening, Guv"

"Evening, Tyler."

It was their standard greeting even though neither of them had been on the force for over two years now, and Gene appreciated Sam's little gesture of respect. He took a swift leap to one side as Annie came flying out of the kitchen with a heavy tray of tapas, narrowly avoiding a collision.

"Oops! Sorry, Gene."

"My fault, luv. I should know better than ter lurk right in the middle of the flight path."

He watched her weave her way expertly between tables and deposit the food in front of a couple of young women at a corner table, one of whom particularly caught his eye. Attractive, blonde, well stacked, and not part of the usual crowd, he noted: he'd go and greet them in a while.

His gaze travelled around the room as if seeing it for the first time, and he nodded to himself in satisfaction. Polished wood and original stone mingled easily with modern chrome, and an eclectic mix of mirrors of all shapes and sizes reflected light around the place. One wall was glass panelled from floor to ceiling giving an unhindered view over the terrace and down towards the sandy bay. To the left of the bar was a snug area with sofas and an open fire where daily newspapers, magazines and books were always available. Whatever the time of day, there would usually be someone happily hunkered down there with a coffee and a novel, especially in the winter months when the fire was particularly inviting.

He had to hand it to Annie, she'd got both the décor and the ambience spot on, and it was her idea to concentrate on serving tapas which had proved a great success both with the local clientele and the discerning tourists who tended to frequent the north of the island. She'd also chosen the name, Bar Casablanca, with its nod to the exotic and the romantic, and he'd grown quite attached to it now even though he still hadn't seen the film.

Majorca hadn't been the obvious choice, but when Sam and Annie showed him the photos from their honeymoon he'd been taken with the rugged beauty of this part of the island, a million miles away from the tacky resorts further south. Soon after the estate agent had faxed through details of the property, the three of them had flown out and been so bowled over they'd completed the deal in a matter of days.

Gene had the comfortable one bedroom apartment above the bar, and Sam and Annie were currently renting a little place just round the corner while they saved up a deposit for a house of their own. He had to admit it had all gone very smoothly: even though he was the major shareholder, decisions were routinely made between the three of them and disagreements were rare.

He worked his way round the room, greeting the regulars and stopping for a chat with the occasional new face, amused to realise that he was getting almost as good at this front of house stuff as Sam. Genial Gene. Now there was a novel idea.

Finally, he found himself standing in front of the two women he'd noticed earlier.

"Evening, ladies. I trust the food is ter yer satisfaction?"

The dark haired one had a slightly sulky expression, but the blonde smiled flirtatiously up at him.

"Lovely, thank you. You must be the famous Gene, then?"

"Infamous, some might say. Nice ter meet yer both."

He held his hand out and they both shook it, the blonde holding on to it a tad longer than necessary.

"I'm Katie and this is Susan."

"Are yer stayin' in the area, then?"

"Just round the corner. Only arrived yesterday and the holiday rep recommended Bar Casablanca, so we thought we'd come and give you a try."

Her eyes dropped briefly to his lips, and he didn't miss the implication.

"Well I'm very glad yer did. I need to go and tackle some paperwork but if yer like I can come back and buy yer both a drink later, maybe share some local knowledge?"

She positively simpered then, gazing up at him from under her lashes.

"Oh, please. We'd be very grateful."

He glanced down at her generous cleavage and wondered exactly what grateful meant.

"It's a date, then."

He flashed her the smile that few women could resist and made his way back over to the bar, intending to get a drink to take into the office with him. As he moved between the tables he briefly caught sight of his reflection and had to admit that living out there definitely agreed with him. The sun had brought out the natural highlights in his blond hair, his clear blue eyes were dazzling in his tanned face, and the healthier lifestyle meant he was several pounds lighter than when he'd first arrived. All in all, he felt pretty good about himself.

"Uh oh. Guv …"

Sam nodded in the direction of the door, and Gene spotted the familiar figure of his ex making her way up the steps. Bloody woman, did she never listen to anything he said? He thrust his hands deep into his pockets as she sashayed towards him, swinging her hips seductively.

"Carmen. Ter what do we owe this pleasure?"

She ran a finger teasingly down his chest, leaning in close, her voice breathy.

"I missed you, Genie. Take me upstairs and I'll do that thing, the one that you like so much …"

He felt the inevitable twitch in his groin and was almost tempted, but if he let her back in again he knew he'd never be rid of her. She was undeniably attractive with her dark almond-shaped eyes and buxom figure, and God knows she was great in the sack, but she was also clingy, demanding, petulant, and insanely jealous. He knew the regular clientele had got used to her antics over the last couple of months, and most were sitting back ready to enjoy the show. He crossed his arms, frowning.

"Firstly, I'm workin'. And secondly, what part of 'we're finished' did yer not understand? It's over, Carmen. Deal with it."

She pouted seductively, pressing herself against him and murmuring terms of endearment in his ear.

"You know you don't mean that, Genie. When we are together it is fireworks, no?"

"Well there 'ave been a couple of good bangs, I must admit."

He paused to enjoy the discreet chuckles from his audience.

"Trouble is, luv, yer just too hot ter handle. I've had enough. Once and fer all. Comprende?"

She took a step back and drew herself up to her full height, her eyes flashing, her chest heaving, and unleashed a tirade of Spanish swearwords, most of which he now understood. He had to admit she was impressive when her passions were roused, and he fought against the vision of her writhing underneath him as she ran her nails down his back.

"Bastardo! You know you cannot live without me. Within a week you will be crawling on your knees, begging me to come back to you."

She threw him her best haughty glare, and he raised a laconic eyebrow.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall you've been the one spendin' most of the time on yer knees recently, luv."

The chuckles turned to guffaws, and she opened and shut her mouth a couple of times before tossing her head, turning on her heel and stalking out, attempting to make a dignified exit. Gene breathed a sigh of relief and Sam grimaced.

"Ouch."

"Too harsh?"

"Just a bit. Still, we both know she'll be back for more, don't we?"

Gene shook his head in disbelief.

"I know. Yer have ter admire her tenacity, I 'spose."

Sam passed him a beer.

"Big mistake, getting involved with that one. What on earth possessed you, Guv? She's got trouble written all over her."

Gene took a slurp, smacked his lips and leaned over the bar.

"I couldn't 'elp it. She does this thing, yer see. Like Linda Lovelace …"

Sam held his hand up in protest.

"Whoa, way too much information, thanks."

Gene smirked.

"Maybe I should get her ter have a word with Annie? I'm sure she could teach her a thing or two."

Sam jabbed a finger into his chest, but his lips were twitching.

"I'll have you know I'm a happily married man. And a very satisfied one, if you catch my drift."

"Lucky bugger …"

Annie appeared through the kitchen door with another tray of food and caught them both grinning at her.

"What?"

Gene patted her backside affectionately.

"Just remindin' him what a lucky sod he is, luv."

She smiled flirtatiously up at him, and winked.

"Not in front of the old man, Guv."

As she moved into the crowd she glanced back, pursed her lips and blew Sam a kiss. Gene rolled his eyes.

"Think I'm goin' ter throw up."

"You're just jealous."

"Course I am, mate. Who wouldn't be?"

Sam saw the brief flash of pain in Gene's eyes before he wandered off in the direction of the office, and sighed heavily. Poor bloke, almost three years and he still hadn't got over her. He watched Annie chatting happily to a couple of the customers and wondered how he'd cope if he lost the love of his life. He shuddered, understanding exactly what Gene was going through. Still, at least he'd got the two of them and the bar, hopefully someone would come along and take her place eventually, put an end to this string of meaningless relationships he'd been indulging in ever since they'd moved out here. He looked across at the blonde, wondering if she might be the one, all the time knowing that she wasn't. The Guv was nowhere near ready to move on yet, and Sam wondered if he ever would be.

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So. What do you think? I'd love to hear from you, especially if you want some more. :)