I know a lot of people have already written down ideas very similar to this but this is my view after Alex has gone to the Railway Arms and Gene is left at Fenchurch. Please review afterwards!
I do not own Ashes to Ashes or any of the characters!
Missing You – Ashes to Ashes FanFic
It had been roughly three weeks since Alex and the others had entered the Railway Arms and things seemed to be going okay. Okay for all of them except Alex. Occasionally one of the team would catch her smile but she quickly changed her mood, she felt it wrong to smile, especially when Gene and Molly weren't there with her. She'd lived without Molly for roughly three years so the pain of not being able to see her was fairly manageable and she'd dealt with it already but the pain of saying goodbye to Gene was getting unbearable.
Every day someone or something reminded her of him and it hurt. She wished they'd had more time together, she loved him more than anything and she'd never got the chance to tell him that. If this was heaven then she wanted to live in it with him, he was her heaven, her constant.
They all had separate apartments at the Railway Arms, luxury apartments with everything they could possibly want and more. Alex loved the apartment but it felt empty, she felt alone a lot of the time.
The others had noticed how sad she seemed and Shaz had explained how it was because of the Guv. Alex had loved him and now she had to live without him it was hard for her. Shaz and Annie both helped Alex a lot, trying to take her mind off things and do girly things that would stop her feeling as if her world had been torn apart.
Most days Alex wouldn't drink with them, she knew it seemed selfish but she sat at the bar alone, nursing a bottle of wine. There was only one person she ever wanted to sit next to her and that was Gene Hunt. She often sat there with her head resting on one clenched fist with her eyes closed as she relived another evening with Gene in Luigi's in her mind. It made her smile, just knowing she had him in her company somehow.
Shaz was concerned about her friend, she understood completely but this wasn't the old Alex that she remembered. A discovery Shaz had made that day made her even more wary of Alex's health and the depression she was close to sinking into.
Annie was casting a worried glance over to Alex and Sam had followed her gaze, also feeling bad for her. Shaz noticed what seemed to be the train of thought and spoke up.
"I know we're all worried about her, that goes without saying," she started, "she has a lot to get through and it's going to be tough but I think she's struggling."
"What d'you mean Shaz?" Sam asked her, hoping Alex wasn't in any kind of trouble.
"Well when Annie and me were round at hers today I found a notebook in the bin," Shaz continued, "I know I shouldn't have been so nosey and it wasn't my place but I was intrigued so I took it out and opened it."
"What was in it?" Chris asked.
"Signatures," Shaz finished.
"Signatures?" Ray questioned not quite catching on.
"Yeah, it was her hand writing and she'd obviously been practising it," Shaz carried on.
"But she already has a signature, I mean I'd understand practising your signature if you were young or if you'd just got married but why did she need to?" Sam asked.
"It wasn't entirely her signature, Sam you were almost there," Shaz said, keeping them in the dark for as long as possible.
"Oh, I think I know," Sam said before sighing sadly.
"It was full of signatures reading Alex Hunt, and Alexandra Hunt," Shaz concluded.
"Bless her heart," Annie said sadly as they all turned to glance at Alex who was completely oblivious to their conversation.
"We've got to do something." Shaz said, "I know she might get better in time, once she's had time to settle in but I just can't ever see that happening, she needs the Guv, she can't be without him."
"But he can't come here, he has a job in that world that he can't just leave," Sam pointed out.
"What if he had a replacement, somebody who he would trust to look after his kingdom so he'd finally come here?" Shaz suggested, "If anything he deserves to be here the most out of any of us."
"But the Guv'd never leave his kingdom to anyone else just like that," Ray said, putting a dampener on things.
"What if we don't give him a choice, send in a replacement who instructs him to come here?" Shaz continued.
"No," Sam butted in.
"What?" Chris asked.
"We can't force him to come here, not matter how much Alex needs him or he needs her it has to be his choice, when he finally walks through that door it has to be of his own willing to do so," Sam continued.
"You're right," Annie agreed with her husband.
"But the Guv's too stubborn to ever leave," Shaz persisted.
"Well why don't we give him a choice then. Send a possible replacement who gives him the choice to leave and if he wants to he can and if he doesn't want to he can stay?" Ray suggested, the first useful thing he'd said all night.
"Are you sure it'd work?" Annie asked, knowing this could be the plan that brought their team back together again at last.
"We'd need to speak to Nelson obviously," Sam said knowingly.
"Yes of course," Shaz agreed.
"Sounds like a plan then," Chris said cheerfully.
"Maybe we should just wait a couple of weeks first, see if Alex settles down and if the Guv decides to come anyway," Annie suggested.
They all nodded in agreement before turning back to their drinks and changing the topic of conversation for the night, knowing they had two weeks before they had any drastic plans to make.
Time passed differently in the pub to the purgatory world. Each week in the pub was more like a month for Gene. It had been three months since he'd let his Bolly go and he was destroyed. He no longer felt in control of his kingdom, no longer felt like he belonged. Time was moving forward, into the future and just as he'd been told so many times the future didn't appear to include him.
He had a new team, they'd arrived pretty much as soon as the old team had left and they were great, loyal and hard-working but they'd never be the same as the team he'd just let go. There was his new DI, Matt Valentine who was a cocky pain in the arse and more irritating than Sam Tyler and Bolly put together. Nobody would ever replace the woman he'd fallen in love with and he just wanted her back. Gene had moved everything out of Alex's desk and locker into his office and he kept it safe knowing it was all he had left of her.
Then there was a new DS, Josie Brown and a new DC, Zachary Knight and they were also assets to the team and they did their jobs well. The new WPC who had been sent up to take over from Shaz was a familiar face, she'd worked in the station for about four years, her name was Sarah Hilton.
No matter how hard Gene tried to get along with them or how hard they tried to fit into his new life and team it just didn't work and he just wasn't forgetting what had happened to his old team. He couldn't take this much longer, he needed to go to The Railway Arms; he felt his time in this world was drawing to a close.
He arranged a meeting with the super about a month and a half later feeling he could no longer carry on without Alex. He had to see her again, tell her how he really felt and hold her again. Slowly she was beginning to fade from his memory and he couldn't let that happen, some days it would take him hours to remember where she'd gone.
He was alone waiting outside the Super's office; nobody else seemed to be around. If he listened hard enough he could almost hear the click of Alex's boots on the floor and hear them talking together but it faded almost as quickly as it had materialised.
The Super eventually let him into the office and Gene took a seat in front of his desk. Superintendent Franklin had noticed how Gene looked tired and sad. He had a pretty good idea of what Gene was going to say.
"I know it's not really my place to ask and everything but I'm going to get straight to the point," Gene started, "I don't feel like I can be here anymore, like I can do this job anymore."
"You feel left out, the future eh?" Franklin smiled kindly.
"My new team are fantastic don't get me wrong but I can't do the whole cycle again, it could take years to get them to the Railway Arms and I just can't do it, I miss my old team," Gene explained.
"You want to go to the Railway Arms?" the Super asked.
"Yes sir," Gene confirmed.
"Well I should think that's possible, especially after all the work you've done here, for us, all the people you've helped here," the Super said, immediately seeing Gene brighten up.
"So I can go?" Gene asked hopefully.
"Well there is the small matter of a replacement. One should be sent down soon and you'll have to brief them about the job and then introduce them to the team but after that you may go." The Super explained.
"But how long will that take?" Gene asked, feeling his hopes had been snatched away again.
"Oh only about two weeks hopefully," the Super informed him.
"Good, thank you very much Sir," Gene said gratefully before getting up and leaving the office.
Back in The Railway Arms the team had managed to stay quiet about their plans around Alex who was gradually making progress but she was still heartbroken. They were planning to talk to Nelson that night, Sam and Shaz were going to do the honours, it was agreed they were the best people for the job.
Alex as usual was seated at the bar as the two approached and waited for Nelson to come and speak to them.
"Nelson we were wondering if we could have a word?" Sam asked politely, being careful not to let Alex overhear.
"Of course mon brav," Nelson smiled cheerily.
"Not here though Nelson, maybe out back?" Sam asked.
Nelson now looked more concerned and nodded his agreement before leading the two out behind the bar and away from the prying eyes of the punters.
Meanwhile Gene Hunt had just parked up at the bottom of the cobbled street, stepping out into the cold air he looked around him, observing the world he was about to leave before advancing up the street. He could hear the music and noise coming from inside the pub and he could see the bright lights shining out at him as if begging him to enter. He slowly made his way forward, towards the door.
Shaz and Sam were taken out into the store room by Nelson who was ready and willing to listen to what they had to say.
"Nelson," Shaz started.
"Wait," he interrupted her.
"What?" Sam asked.
"I have a new customer, I must go greet them out front, we shall speak later my friends," Nelson said before jogging back upstairs to the bar and then outside to meet Gene.
Gene smiled as he noticed Nelson and knew now he was even closer to seeing his Bolly again.
"Mon brav, you've finally come for that drink eh?" Nelson smiled as he shook Gene's hand.
"Yes Nelson I have," Gene confirmed, "but I also came for Alex, how is she?"
"She's doing ok mon brav, she's not 100% she still misses you and she looks sad a lot of the time," Nelson explained.
"Well I'm about to change that, you go ahead Nelson, I'll follow on," Gene instructed and Nelson did as he was told.
"Nelson what's going on, we need to speak with you," Shaz said angrily as she and Sam cornered him at the bar.
Many cheers and clapping distracted them and they turned around to see what all the noise was about. A crowd of officers seemed to have formed around the door, many with drinks in hand and Sam and Shaz took a while to realise it was Gene standing there.
"Bloody hell," Alex muttered under her breath, not bothering to turn round to find the source or cause of all the noise and commotion.
Alex made to stand up and leave, not wanting a headache to add to her problems and everyone quietened down slightly as they noticed Gene making a bee line for Alex.
"You not going to finish that then Bolly?" Gene asked as he leant on the bar next to Alex's half empty glass of wine.
Alex froze. She didn't want to turn around in case she was imagining him and it wasn't true but slowly she turned back round towards the bar and there he was, Gene Hunt, her constant, the man she loved.
"Gene," she breathed, not knowing what else to do or say.
"Told you I'd see around didn't I Bolly Kecks," Gene smiled and Alex waited no longer before running the rest of the distance towards him and he lifted her up and span her round before putting her down and placing a long gentle kiss on her lips.
"I love you," Alex finally gasped once they parted, their fingers still intertwined together.
"I love you too Bolls," Gene smiled at her, something he rarely did but on this occasion it felt appropriate. Alex made him feel amazing and he wasn't about to let her forget that.
There you go, that was just a one-shot I had to write down, it's not brilliant but there you go! Please review! Thanks!