I know Mage has already posted her own brilliant bolt-on ending but I couldn't not write this. Let me know if you want me to continue.
Also it's the first time I've tried to theorise about A2A/LoM...assuming I carry on the fic there'll be some theory in chapter 2...so any concrit in that regard would be welcome.
"Don't ever waltz into my kingdom playing king of the jungle." Gene felt a pang of loss as he manhandled the new recruit into his office, remembering saying the exact same thing to Sam, it was too much after saying his final farewells to the others.
"Your kingdom?" The ponce in the cream jacket and ridiculous matching belt had the balls to give Gene's glare straight back to him. Whether it was bravery or stupidity Gene didn't yet know.
"Yes. Mine. My office, my department, my patch, my city. My. Bloody. Kingdom."
"I don't know who you think you are but I'm a DCI and you are in my office." Oh joy. At least Alex had actually been a DI before she came to him. Realising that even thinking her name was too painful for him if he wanted to keep his leonine persona intact, Gene pushed all thoughts of his former team aside and gave the bloke a shove in the direction of the coat stand. He wasn't sure if his head hit the stand quite hard enough to knock any sense into him but Gene knew he wasn't on top form, far from it.
"Look 'ere Helen Keller, it's my name on the door, not yours. If you're confused about your rank I suggest you check your warrant card…or a mirror. Nobody would think you were man enough to be allowed to dress yourself, let alone run CID. You look like a fairy." Helen's eyes narrowed.
"You sound like a homophobe." An overweight, over-the-hill, nicotine-stained, borderline alcoholic homophobe with a superiority complex and an unhealthy obsession with male bonding.
"Whatever. I can look at my reflection without flinching, something you'll have trouble with no doubt."
"I don't know where you get off-"
"And you never bloody will you great prancing poof."
"You have a serious attitude problem."
"I have a personality you can't handle. That makes it your problem sunshine."
"My name is-"
"Helen Keller, I believe I already covered that."
"How the hell have you managed to hang on around here with your prehistoric attitudes?" The door opened behind him, Gene didn't know who'd have the balls to interrupt one of his bollockings…not out of the staff he had left…but he'd make sure they never did it again just as soon as he answered the gobby bastard's question.
"I had a good team around me, the best…from the little I've seen of you, you've got a long way to go before you're even half as good as the bloody plonk!"
"I'm sure you meant to say DC Granger didn't you Guv?" Gene froze. He knew that voice instantly, had assumed he'd hear it in his sleep, see her face in his dreams…all that kind of bollocks. Auditory hallucinations were a kind of hell he hadn't anticipated…unless it wasn't a hallucination and she was now the voice of his bloody conscience. He refused to turn around. She wouldn't be there and then he'd want to quietly fall apart into a bottle or three of single malt. He had a new nutter to deal with and it wasn't even close to lunch time. As tempting as it was, he couldn't just get paraletic and wallow in his loneliness. He had to decide on the spec for his new Merc for one thing.
Helen was looking beyond his right shoulder. An extended hand thrust into his peripheral vision, Helen reached out to shake it, grateful for some common courtesy.
Fuck. It must be real, as real as anything gets here anyway.
"DI Alex Drake." Her voice was right by his ear. She was by his side again, literally. He still couldn't turn his face away from the officer whose name he didn't yet know. There'd be time for all that later. Right now he was prioritising.
"Piss. Off." Helen gave him a proper glare, clearly not liking the fact that he'd seemed to dismiss a woman, a DI no less, without even looking at her. From that Gene understood three things. Helen was no misogynist, he couldn't be bullied…and was going to be a complete and utter pain in the arse for the few months it took for him to either settle in or piss off, not that Helen mattered, not compared to the woman whose bare arm was touching his jacket. Gene had far more important things to think about than the latest stray but if said stray thought he could play them off against each other…or, god forbid, try to date one of them, it was best to nip the thought in the bud before it grew into a Venus fly trap.
"Don't get your knickers in a twist Helen. I meant you not her. Shut the door on your way out, there's a good chap." With no little chagrin he headed for the door, making Gene and Alex turn to move out of his way. They ended up facing each other. Clichés about sights for sore eyes and angels sprung into his mind but he supposed that was just her outfit. If all the birds in heaven were dressed like Alex was, Ray would be happier than a pig in shit. Her outfit consisted of a strapless white and silver sequinned mini-dress that somehow managed to toe the line between sexy short and prozzie short, the usual ridiculously high heels, and whatever held her hair off her face. She looked absolutely beautiful, not that he'd tell her.
Gene's gaze went to her eyes, they were looking right into his and quickly welling up with tears. He didn't linger on why his own might be burning slightly.
"Right. Well. You better get the blinds Bollinger Knickers. I'm not into exhibitionism."
"I'll try to remember that Guv."