I didn't think there'd be any more Galex from me before Christmas. Apparently, the muse had other ideas, and I just do what she tells me! Hope you enjoy.
Sadly, I don't own these two. If I did, their lives would have been very different …
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In The Bleak Midwinter
Chapter 1
"Gene. Just admit it, will you? We're lost."
She blew on her hands and wondered if she'd ever feel her toes again. He looked over at her, trademark pout firmly in place.
"The Gene Genie is never lost, Bols. Unerrin' sense of direction, moi."
She rolled her eyes.
"Well how come we've passed this signpost twice already? Face it, Guv. We're in the middle of nowhere in a raging blizzard and the heating's not working. People die in weather like this, you know."
The windscreen wipers were struggling to cope now and visibility was down to a few yards. She heard him sigh in defeat.
"Fine. What d'yer suggest, then? Park up and huddle together fer warmth?"
She glanced over and caught the wicked gleam in his eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. Even at a time like this he was still trying to flirt with her. She imagined being crushed against his broad chest and a shiver ran down her spine. She realised it wasn't entirely down to the cold.
"I'm sure we passed a cottage last time we came this way. Let's stop and ask for help, we can't stay out here all night …"
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Earlier that day they'd driven out into the middle of nowhere to interview a witness, even though the forecast was for heavy snow. She'd warned him, but would he listen? He was the Guv and the odd snowflake wasn't going to stop him obtaining vital evidence. So here they were at seven o'clock on a December night, cold, hungry and lost. She was trying very hard to resist saying "I told you so", mainly because it looked like they were going to be spending the night together and she was more interested in staying alive than getting one over on him.
She slid further down in her seat. It was Christmas Eve tomorrow. What if they were stranded for days? It wasn't as though she had any major plans, but being frozen to death definitely hadn't figured, even if it was with Gene. She glanced surreptitiously over at his familiar handsome profile, and decided that maybe sharing some body heat wasn't such a bad idea under the circumstances.
"There. See, Guv?"
They skidded to an inelegant halt, and tried to make out the details of the small stone building a few metres back from the road. Everything was in darkness.
"Doesn't look as though anyone's home, Bols. Might 'ave ter break in."
She wrapped her arms round herself, teeth chattering.
"I don't care, Gene. We need to get inside out of this weather."
He touched her arm and she caught the look of concern in his eyes before the light over the dashboard faded.
"Stay here, OK?"
She nodded gratefully. Why hadn't she put more sensible clothing on? At least he had his long coat. Thank God, they might end up sleeping under it yet. She had a sudden vision of the two of them close together, his arms wrapped round her as she snuggled into his body, and the thought warmed her considerably.
The blizzard was howling round the car now, and she could hardly see a thing through the passenger window, but she thought she caught the distant tinkle of breaking glass. Seemed he had needed to break in after all. Soon after, Gene reappeared and opened the boot. The wind moaned louder and a cold blast whipped through the car. She shivered, pulling her leather jacket tighter round herself.
"Get inside, Bols. Place is deserted, but the front door's open now. There's a torch in the glove compartment."
She didn't hesitate, stepping out into the storm with her head bent, feet slipping and sliding around in the snow. It was really coming down with a vengeance now, thank God they'd found somewhere to shelter.
She stamped on the stone-flagged floor of the hallway, trying unsuccessfully to restore some feeling in her feet and then Gene appeared out of the dark, slamming the door against the howling gale. His coat was covered in a thin layer of snow, his hair was damp, and there were snow-flakes stuck to his long lashes. He was carrying a blanket, a pair of Wellington boots and a shovel, retrieved from the boot of the Quattro, and she gave him a watery smile.
"Nice to know you travel prepared, Guv. Don't suppose you've got a St Bernard waiting outside with a nice nip of brandy too?"
He grinned at her, and she thought again how amazing his eyes were, shining clear blue in the torchlight. He put the boots and the shovel down and produced a hip flask from his coat pocket.
"Several more where that came from, Bols. Right, let's 'ave a look around, shall we?"
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The cottage appeared to be a converted outbuilding, small but cosy and all on one floor. There was a living room with an open fire, a narrow kitchen, a tiny bathroom and one double bedroom at the back. Next to the fireplace were some logs and a stack of old newspapers, and Gene passed her the blanket while he wandered about in the kitchen looking for something to light a fire with. She sat down gratefully on the two-seater sofa listening to the wind rattling the windows, still shivering violently but relieved to be out of the storm. Gene returned with some matches and began to build a stack of logs, tucking the newspaper around them. Soon he had a healthy blaze going, and she smiled as he turned back to her.
"Sometimes your Neanderthal tendencies have their uses."
He grinned, sitting down next to her and rubbing her cold hands to get some circulation back into them.
"I'll 'ave yer know I've got many hidden talents, Bols. Jeez, woman, yer freezin'."
They both became aware of their close proximity in the small room, and he stood up awkwardly.
"Get closer ter the fire, luv. I'm just off ter explore a bit. Power's off, so I'll need the torch. Won't be long."
By the time he returned she was starting to feel more human, even though her feet were still like ice-blocks. Her eyes widened and she caught her breath at the sight of the vision in front of her. He'd shed his wet shoes and trousers and donned a pair of faded jeans and some thick socks in their place, and the suit jacket had been replaced by a pale blue sweater. She looked him up and down in mute admiration, deciding that she rather liked the casual Gene. He was holding a tin of soup triumphantly in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.
"Look Bols. Oxtail and a decent Burgundy. Don't know who owns this place, but at least they've got taste."
Her face fell.
"I'm not keen on oxtail, although I'm hungry enough to tackle pretty much anything food wise at the moment."
He grinned.
"Lucky there's some girlie tomato as well then, isn't it? I've left yer some clothes on the bed, probably too big but at least they're dry. Cooker's gas so I'll get this soup on ter heat while yer get changed."
She smirked at him.
"Wot?"
"You're full of surprises today, Guv."
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When she got back he was sitting on the sofa sipping from a mug of steaming hot soup. He'd acquired a small table from somewhere, and a couple of glasses of wine were poured ready and waiting. Several candles were lit around the room now, and the flickering firelight gave it a warm and romantic feel. She perched next to him sipping the cream of tomato gratefully, feeling the heat of the liquid warming her from the inside. After a couple of mouthfuls of good wine she decided there were definitely worse places to be than cosied up in front of a roaring fire with Gene Hunt. Their eyes met and a spark flew between them.
"Thanks, Gene. I'm feeling better already."
He chuckled, looking her up and down. She was wearing an oversized pink jogging suit with a picture of a kitten on the front and a thick pair of woolly socks.
"Hmmm. Well they might have taste in soup …"
She fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously at him.
"Don't you like it? I was thinking of getting one myself."
"Not nearly slutty enough, Bols. If yer've got it, flaunt it, I say."
He grinned wickedly at her, silver eyes gleaming in the candlelight, and she felt a shiver of desire run through her at the thought of being alone with him all night …
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Love to know what you think. If you like it, there will be more …