Gene & Alex: The early years
Never say never, eh? After being overwhelmed by the reviews of my (then ONLY) story in here, I have decided to write the OTHER one I had in my head for a while. Inspired by a lovely artwork I saw on Facebook months ago, picturing Gene and Alex as schoolchildren sleeping underneath a blackboard, this idea slowly formed in my head. It does not follow the show's storyline, it is AU, although some events and information we know about them two as children are incorporated. Some references are also thrown in as "tributes" to the original show. Hope you like and enjoy!
"Wowww…Look at that pink lunch box, eh? I wonder what it's got inside! Eh, Tommy, don't you?"
"Yeah, sure do Jim!"
"Wanna tell us, little girl? No? Why don't we see for ourselves then, eh?"
They had cornered her near the cupboard at the back end of the school corridor, right next to the girls' toilets. Two boys, the budding school bullies, both aged 12. Although the school was of high standards and most children came from middle/upper class families, there were a few less well-to-do kids in there as well. But Jim and Tommy were not that; their parents were wealthy and very middle class; it was just unfortunate they had idiots for children.
The little girl was scared, yes, but tried to look brave, defiant. She had clutched her (indeed VERY) pink lunch box in her bosom and refused to hand it over to them without a battle, however short. Bets were against her of course, as she well knew, as they were two of them (even though they shared one low IQ number between them), older and taller than her and they were…well…boys.
And just as Jim was about to snatch that bravely defended lunchbox from the girl's tiny little hands…
"Oi! Why don't ya leave that girl alone and come face someone your size, eh? Or am I too big for ya, you pair of twats?"
The two boys were blocking her view but recognised the voice, the accent. She had seen the boy before, in the yard, and heard of him from other kids AND teachers, but never thought their paths would ever meet…Not like this, at least.
"Hehe! It's the Northener! Hey, wild boy, do you really think you can handle the both of u…", but before Jim had managed to finish his challenge, the boy had punched him right in the face whilst hurried to get the other one into a tight headlock.
"Go away, both of ya, NOW! And don't let me catch ya near this, or ANY other girl again, got it?"
Both boys started running away, the one massaging his neck whilst the other was holding his bloodied nose. And NOW…she could see him clearly – the tall frame, the long limbs, the sandy blond hair, with a long, thick fringe flopping over his left eye, making it almost invisible, which was a shame because his was the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen, not only in real life but in the movies as well. No handsome movie star of any era had this boy's eyes…And she was ecstatic that the they were at the moment staring at her, belonging to a boy close to her age and not some aging (or even dead) moviestar…
"Hey, you ok? My name's Gene. Gene 'Unt. They're gone now, they'll never bother you again, and if they do, you call for me, OK?" He looked flustered and shades of his former anger towards the bullies were still visible but he had now relaxed and tried to look calm and pleasant to the shaken little girl in front of him.
"M-My name's Alex Price…n-n-nice to meet you", was all she could muster, although she wasn't sure whether her sudden stuttering derived from her minor ordeal of a few minutes back or from the effects the presence of this boy had on her. She had already decided that he was simply the bravest, strongest, kindest boy she had EVER met in ALL her 7-year life! Oh, AND the most handsome as well…The knight of her own, as she had been dreaming for sooo long!
"No problem, Little Lady", he said smiling, affected by her shyness, her absolute cuteness but also her piercing gaze. He could never have thought that a little girl could look straight into his already battered 13 year old soul at all, let alone that fast! The prim and proper accent and slight mannerisms half irritated him, half found endearing.
At that moment, Jim came back with a bandaged nose, his sidekick, Tommy, following behind quite apprehensively and Mrs Tennison, the over middle-age but very middle-class headmistress, looking distressed.
"Eugene Hunt! You again, eh? Do you realise that you BROKE THIS BOY'S NOSE? And you almost choked the other one to death? There'll be severe punishment for you, young man, these PREPOSTEROUS behaviours will NOT be tolerated, do you understand?"
Gene simply decided to accept his fate and hung his head, ready for his "severe punishment", when a little, but surprisingly strong, voice came from somewhere behind him:
"He was protecting ME, Mrs Tennison, those boys were really…nasty to me and he…well…he saved me…" Looking up to look adoringly at his face, she was met with his surprised but warm gaze. So, was that the beginning of his first REAL friendship in all his 13 year old –pathetic- existence?
"Oh…Price…did not quite realise…these two just told me…" Mrs Tennison was looking thrown, she had just assumed that the troubled boy from the working class family and THE NORTH had just become himself a troublemaker. It wouldn't be a first; his frustration and obvious problems at home would quite often turn into aggressiveness in his school life; yet, even to Mrs Tennison, he did not seem a wasted case, there was something about that boy that made him…special.
"Well, they just told you LIES!", Alex spat, polite enough not to be facing Mrs Tennison but rather her two tormentors.
"Right…well…this, of course, requires a proper discussion with all of you AND your parents", her sentence broken by the look of horror on the face of Gene Hunt and she understandably backtracked, "but only IF necessary…But I am sure there will be no need for that, eh? You two, back in my office!", and with that, she guided the two boys back from where they came from.
"Thanks…Thank you for…you know…" Gene was still surprised, impressed and thankful to the little girl, and his awkwardness showed.
"Ha! It is ME who should be thankful, you silly boy!", was the cheerful reply, from a girl who had just found a new sun to admire in her little and quite lonesome world: Gene Hunt.
"You have quite a posh accent, Little Lady, don't think I understand 'alf the words that 're coming outta ya mouth!", it was Gene's time to tease. "You're like…some people are drinkin' wine and the rich uns more expensive stuff, champagne an' all? What's the name of that champagne I once 'eard, Bollanger? Bollinger? Yeah, Bollinger! And you're a like mini Bollinger, you're…Bolly!"
"Ha- ha, very funny…Eugene!" they were now walking down the long corridor towards the yard, towards the light, teasing and laughing, a little girl and a barely teenaged boy with such different backgrounds and life stories yet so destined to…
He would call her Bolly and she would call him Genie.