AN:
Title: Cards
Words: 660
Romantic Pairings: Gene&Alex.
About: Ashes To Ashes
Inspired by the word prompt 'Card', thanks to my brother throwing random words at me until I found one I could ACTUALLY work with :)
It was March 13th 1982, at twenty-five minutes past four that afternoon it had been nine years since Alex Drake has been born, except her older self was re-experiencing a lonely 1982 for the second time. She had remembered how Evan had let her invite a few of the girls from school round for fizzy pop and fairy cakes, she had found it a little childish but it was nice to interact with other kids, overall they had had a good time until the awkwardness of the parents coming to pick up their daughters, how they looked at young Alex with a sadness in their eyes that she knew screamed out 'that poor little girl with no mum and dad'. Still, now with many more years of life experience to her name, she still felt the same loneliness she had felt as a child, but this time it had nothing to do with the loss of her parents. She stared to the few cards that she had placed on the coffee table, there was a joint one from Chris and Shaz, surprisingly there was one from Ray, there was one from Viv and a few off various other members of CID.
"You've really let me down" she sighed, nobody to hear her but the walls.
She filled her empty wine glass again and drained a large mouthful from it, placing it back on the coffee table in the empty gap where his birthday greetings should have been. Alex had always liked to think that she didn't need a man, that she was a strong and independent woman who could hold her own, but the moment that she walked into the office and received nothing from him but a 'yeah, have a good one', her heart had sunk and she felt her world come crashing down around her. Luckily the knock at the door drew her from her thoughts before she had a chance to feel even sorrier for herself, if it were possible.
"Oh come on Bolls, don't leave me stood out here all bloody evening"
She was unlocking the door like a shot, pulling it open to see Gene stood there with a huge bunch of flowers, a box of expensive looking chocolates and a card.
"Come in" she smiled.
He walked into the flat and handed her the gifts "I'm sorry that I didn't give you these earlier, I don't really see the point in buying cards, you throw them away in the end so it's a bit of a waste, but you looked pretty disappointed so I went out and got you one"
She placed the flowers and chocolates on the kitchen unit and opened the envelope, pulling out the card with 'Happy Birthday To Someone Special' written across the front in a fancy font. Opening up the card she read the printed message 'Hope your birthday is as special as you are to me, because to the world you may be one person, but to me you are the world' along with his scribbled writing at the bottom saying 'To Bolly-Kecks, happy birthday, love Gene x'.
She looked up to see him looking awkwardly at anything but her, placing the card down beside her gifts she smiled and closed the space between them, cupping his face in her hands and pressing her lips against his.
"Thank you Gene" she whispered as she pulled away "That card is beautiful"
"Yeah well...don't go pinning it to your notice board or sticking it on your desk, if anyone finds out that the Gene Genie bought a poofy card I'll have to kick your arse"
"God, your such a gentleman, aren't you?" she laughed, stroking her thumb across his cheek "How about, I get another glass and you help me finish off my wine?"
He nodded "Okay, as long as next time you kiss me I get to have a feel of your arse"
She smiled playfully "It's a deal"