Santa Genie Baby
Chapter 1
"Bolls are you do anything tonight?" Hoping to keep what exactly he wanted to ask her, confidential, Gene whispered this out of earshot to his unconvinced female Detective Inspector colleague.
"Yes, I'm having a well deserved shower" Gene knew deep-down, as much as amazing and naughty as this essentially sounded, conjuring up a stunning and beautiful image of his DI, being unclothed whilst preserving herself in the steaming see-through shower. He knew this probably wasn't the best time to be getting carried away.
Although her explained reasons for not staying for on the house drinks with the team in Luigis, did start to become a tad suspicious. One bitterly cold day in late November, he'd caught her quickly bungling a folded green outfit into her desk drawer, when he'd managed to gotten round to asking her what she'd concealed away, she claimed it was a thick woolly scarf she bought for herself on one of the Fenchurch Street Market stalls. As he walked away and walked back towards his office, this definitely bugged Gene. Luckily It didn't take him too long before he was soon putting a brilliant proposed plan together, one on hopefully uncovering the real reason behind her questionable absence every evening. "Bloody hell I'm not too much of a genius, but this had better bloody work because if it doesn't, I'll look like a right Muppet and have a slapped face like a clown" Nevertheless he was eagerly determined to investigate one way or another.
Around the late afternoon time – early evening time, Gene momentarily left the station 30 minutes early than normal. He was going to follow Alex, yes he knew this would be a too out of character thing for him to and might end up embarrassing Alex if she discovered he'd been following her. But it would be the only way possible. Shortly after 5:15pm, Alex finally left the station on her own carrying what appeared to be a heavy shopping bag in her left hand. She seemed delighted as she walked out from the station car park, she looked around back and forth at the nearby street before eventually getting into a blue Lacetti car.
"Maybe she's got a Thatcherite wanker of a boyfriend, yeah that's it and he's taking her for a fancy meal somewhere." A pang of uncontrollable jealously soon caught him off-guard, although in his mind he presumed it was just down him being simply concerned about someone he regarded as a close friend.
After his gut feeling continued to force into following where Alex was going, out of the blue he pulled the Quattro up in Kingsmith Avenue on the right hand side of the road. Alex and her rumoured beau had already pulled up on the left hand side of the road, just outside of the Fenchurch East Community Club. Gene watched on closely, as both car passengers got out of the Lacetti together. "Show your bloody face, you fairy" he whispered to himself.
The unseen car driver did in fact reveal themselves to Gene. It wasn't a bloke that Alex was with; it was a younger blonde hair woman, who was presumably in her mid twenties. They disappeared inside after a minute or so.
"I'd better go" Gene thought this would be best, but then again, the half price refreshments and the promise of fresh mince pies unambiguously written on the notice board outside the community club was already tempting him inside.
"One drink that's all." Gene pledged to himself as he jumped out from the Quattro and dashed across the road towards the Community Club Main entrance.
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There was hardly nowhere to park yourself or to be seated as Gene soon realized, the bar area and the stage area was beginning to resemble like being at a Rolling Stones gig. The only difference was that the stage performance area was decorated with drooped silver and gold tinsel and blue-red Christmas lights had been tightened at the back of the stage.
"What's all this in aid of?" Gene asked one of the customers.
"Charity mate, thanks to the local Charities. Group of singers perform every night and from what I have heard they must raise in the region of over £1500 each night. Just wait till you see the lead singer, she's got a great voice, you're new aren't you I think it's guaranteed she'll definitely win you over." The guy behind the bar informed him.
"You must be joking, the only music that wins me over is Herb Alpert's." Gene laughed off his comment. He wasn't too much of a fan of any performed Christmas music.
"Herb who?" The barman didn't have a clue who Gene was talking about, this annoyed the DCI.
Around 20 minutes later, the first group came out primed onto the stage; they consisted of three naughty elves. They'd been arguing and their unsolved argument had taken an unwanted knock to their confidence, however this didn't seem to affect the lead singer who solider on regardless.
"This is the girl I mentioned, I heard her name's Alex" The barman announced and stopped what he was doing at that moment, just so he could watch her singing.
Gene couldn't believe it, where the bloody hell did this incredible singing voice come from. So many questions zoomed through his thoughts as he watched on whilst standing amongst the huge crowd. Yes the barman ultimately proved to be very right in the end, Gene did feel much won over by whatever song she sung to the cheery crowd.
"Should I go and speak to her?" He soon contemplated on maybe doing this.
"Yes you should. I'm sure she'll be pleased to meet one of her admirers." This barman was beginning to become highly annoying and too persuasive, a lot like Luigi tended to be when he attempted to play matchmaker for two people who he believed we're right for each other. Gene remembered because Luigi had done the same for him and Alex.
"No, no bloody chance." Gene decided not to.
"Go before I get you kicked out for not paying the entrance fee. Don't think I didn't notice Mister" The barman told him.
"Alright...Alright I'll go and see her." Gene finally agreed to do this; he didn't want to feel nagged anymore. He slipped unnoticed into the backstage area after Alex's group had finished singing. As he walked undetected throughout the corridor, he carefully dodged a few bad-tempered performers. As he approached the third dressing room on the right hand side of the corridor, he overheard Alex's name getting a mention.
"Alex you were amazing, I don't know why you haven't written and sent a demo to a few record producers here in London by now. They'd sign you up within days" One of her group members suggested, he couldn't see who was talking to her though.
"I don't know about that, I love my job at the moment, it means the world to me and I think my DCI would be sad to see me leave." Alex sighed, she wasn't entirely sure.
"Hey who are you, what are you doing backstage here?" A tall tanned man dressed in a glittering dress asked after tapping him on the shoulder. "Well are you going to answer my question then?" Gene was trying not to look directly at this person who appeared to be very camp and who must have had a voice louder than an opera singer.
Gene struggled, for the first time ever with what answer to respond with. All he could reply with. "I need to speak to Alex; I'm a friend of hers."
"Gene" Alex awkwardly bumped into him outside of her dressing room just as he was explaining himself properly to the drag act. She looked shy and ashamed, so much so that she went back into her dressing room, he followed her inside.
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She couldn't quite believe it, the actual nerve of him. Gene Hunt had developed some sort of a temporary Sherlock Holmes personality and had annoyingly been investigating rather too much which eventually left her feeling cheesed off as soon as they'd bumped into each other. At first she hadn't become aware of the observable fact that he had shrewdly ensured that he was quietly hidden away amongst the thrilled audience members, while watching her entertaining and performing on the Fenchurch East Community Club stage as part of her Festive Harmony group. Alex knew her friend was right that she had a very exceptional harmonious voice whenever she stepped forward to the front and begun pleasantly singing the chorus line to each song.
"Come on admit it, you're going to start taking the piss, like you always enjoy doing. You're thinking of comparing my singing to an Austrian Yodeller." She suggested, while concentrating on wiping off some of her applied make up from both of her cheeks.
He was standing, conspicuously alongside her make-up mirror stand. His hands concealed away in his jacket's pockets, she just really needed to know, just why on earth he was smiling flirtatiously at her. Had he been the only person in the audience that wasn't a outrageous audience member and had actually been following the true meaning of the performed songs.
"Good grief Bolls, I never had you down as a lead singer and more importantly for having such a bloody sexy voice. Don't start getting your knickers into a right twist, I won't tell anybody back at the station, as if I did, Raymondo will prove to be a right pain in the arse by flirting with all of the pretty birds from the singing groups. Your secret is safe with me." Gene did genuinely mean what he discussed with her.
"I'm staggered, the Manc Lion actually believed I was that good. I should be getting home" Alex still felt slightly uneasy seeing as she was still in her elf dress.
"Bolls stop fretting woman will you for crying out loud. I'll drive you home and I'm not taking no as answer." Gene gladly offered to drive her home. Straight away she knew that nearly almost every conversation they shared between one another about looking out for someone they cared about, she knew he would prove the win every time, she had no choice and so agreed with him this time.
"I can't believe I'm driving an elf home tonight." Gene couldn't hide his glee as soon as they began to leave the community club together. Alex had overheard him and suddenly hatched a plan about getting her own back on him for coming here unannounced. She envisaged what it might entitle, she simply couldn't wait to see the look of surprise on his face especially when she would reveal it.
End of Chapter