I was on the internet looking for prompts since I've never written a fic in response to a prompt before. The prompt I found was "Everything isn't always black and white." The idea for this came to me, a missing scene from S3E5.

"What did you say to him?" I demand as Gene walks up the stairs. I hurry near the platform and repeat myself.

"What did you say?"

Gene leans over the side to reply and I think about how fucked up this is. This is not Gene Hunt's world, it isn't even Sam Tyler's, it's mine. I gave up thinking the others weren't real long ago, but it doesn't stop me shivering at the situation, Gene addressing me from on high like the lord of this world, or one half of a messed-up Romeo and Juliet in a perverse balcony scene.

"I told him the truth, that City are gonna cane United next season."

And with that, he turns around and goes back inside. I don't hesitate, I storm up those stairs and catch up with him. I already gave him the opportunity to flat out deny having anything to do with Sam Tyler's death and he didn't take it. I'm not messing around anymore, I want the truth. I need the truth.

"Gene," I say. Ahead of me, he stops and I wonder for a moment if he's going to refuse to look at me and start walking again, but he turns around and fixes me with an angry glare. It doesn't faze me.

"What did you do to him?"

"Bevan? I shot him, did you miss it?"

"I'm not an idiot, Gene, don't treat me like one," I retort, the blood boiling in my veins. Gene doesn't look abashed, if anything, he scowls harder and moves as though to turn away. I continue quickly, "What did you do to Sam Tyler?"

"Nothing that concerns you Drake," Gene replies. God, if only he knew. Whatever has happened to Sam is my future.

"I think I have a right to know if my DCI is a murderer or not," I say coolly.

Gene turns now to face me fully, something he hasn't done since the stairs. The look he fixes me with frightens me. A cocktail of emotions fight their way across his face: anger, betrayal.

"Is that what you think, Alex?" he says, so quietly that I barely hear him. "Or is that what Keats has made you think?"

An inability to look him in the eyes betrays me. Through the blur of tears that are covering my eyes, I see his shadow lifts its hands to its face in despair.

"Why won't you tell me?" I choke. "What are you hiding that is so bad that you can't tell me?"

Gene doesn't answer but his eyes are pleading with me. Don't ask. Don't come so close. Please, Bolly, leave it be…

"Because the way I see it is, Sam is either alive or dead. And, whatever has happened to him, you were involved. Am I right?"

Now Gene is avoiding my gaze. He stares at the floor, stock still. I swallow the bile that is rising in my throat and a crazy idea comes to me. I should leave it, give up. I don't want to know, I don't like this side of Gene Hunt. I want to believe that I have been depending on a good man all this time and the more questions I ask, the more of the real Gene Hunt I will see.

Then I think recklessly, is this what Sam thought? When Sam hitched his ship to the same port I did, did he choose to ignore the devil in Gene? Is this why Sam never came back after he jumped off the building? Is the same going to happen to me?

Gene looks up as I move to stand in front of him. I take his gloved hand in mine, it twitches but he doesn't pull away.

"Is Sam Tyler dead?"

His answer, when he finally gives it, chills my blood and I rip my hand from his and run back outside. I don't understand. Or at least I do, but I don't want to. Keats was sodding right all along. I'm the most frightened I have been since I pitched up in this world and I don't know where to go, who to turn to.

"Everything isn't always black and white, Bolly."