So this has taken FAR longer than I thought (And wanted) it would take and so my sorries! I've been crazy busy as of late, but I shall try and keep a bit more time back for writing and updating this little old fic of mine!
Your thoughts are so appreciated and so if you have a moment, I'd love to hear what you think about this chapter and if you're still enjoying this story!
Enjoy, people!
MBRB'xoxo
Settle down with me
And I'll be your safety
And you'll be my Lady.
I was made to keep your body warm,
But I'm cold as the wind blows,
So hold me in your arms.
Kiss me - Ed Sheeran
'Go to the lake?'
'No'
'Get a coffee?'
'No. The world's your lobster and you want to get another coffee?' Alex ignored his jibe.
'It's Oyster. The cinema?'
'No. Why don't you just come back to mine?' Gene eventually said with a frustrated sigh. They had been sat in a rather dingy park for the last twenty minutes, Alex trying to find something for them to do and Gene dismissing every idea without fail. He was sat watching her from on the grass that had definitely seen better days as she kept her feet on the ground and rocked herself back and forth on a swing that creaked and moaned with every movement. Alex raised her eyes from where they had been watching the ground pass beneath her feet as she swung slowly, surprised at his suggestion. She wasn't really sure what to say at first, a small wrinkle of confusion forming between her brows.
'Why didn't you just say that half an hour ago?' she asked him. Gene looked across at her as she slowed to almost a stop.
'I didn't think you'd want to' he said bluntly with a shrug. Alex looked mildly surprised, wondering why he would assume she wouldn't want to go back to his house. A small silence passed between them as Alex thought about what he had said and started to move herself on the swing again.
'I'd like to' she eventually said, her voice quieter than it had been moments before. She didn't know why, but going to Genes house hadn't really crossed her mind before. He was such a private person that seeing where he lived and meeting his parents was something that she hadn't really thought he'd want her to do so soon.
'Come on them, your Ladyship' Gene told her. There was a moment in which he slowly clambered to his feet with very little grace and waited for Alex to stop her swinging and join him. She smiled to herself a little at his complete lack of poise and then stood up from her seat and tucked her hands deep into the pockets of her long woolen cardigan. The wind had become bitter as they had lounged about and she was feeling the effects of it now, regretting her choice of foregoing a coat.
'How far is it?' It occurred to her that she hadn't a clue where arounds he actually lived. He loved driving and so whenever they were going somewhere, he usually just picked her up from wherever she was and she couldn't recall him talking about his home very much - especially not specifics like where it actually was.
'Not far, Pricey. Don't worry, you won't have to walk very far in those bloody ridiculous shoes' he inclined his head down towards her calf length brown heeled boots and she let out a little noise of protest at his insult to her footwear.
'These shoes are really comfy, thank you very much. Besides. You wouldn't want me to be shorter than you when we're out and about, would you' she teased. Gene didn't reply - she hadn't expected him to - and instead just lead her to his beloved car.
x-x-x-x
As the engine cut and the music that had been blasting stopped mid song, Alex turned to look out of the window to the house that Gene had pulled up to. It was nothing spectacular, nothing flashy, but it was quaint and tidy-looking. Terraced houses lined the streets, each looking almost identical in structure and nothing that Alex hadn't seen a hundred times before; four window, one door, a small garden out the front in a range of different states. The house that Gene had stopped at and was now walking towards was pale blue in colour with the garden clean and well kept. It was a stark contrast to the off-white house that stop to the left of it with it's ripped trampoline and occasional neglected plant twined with a forest of untamed weeds. The garden matched the woman who was walking down the path perfectly and Alex felt a small quiver of nervousness in her stomach as she tried to look the woman over as surreptitiously as she could. Her grey tracksuit bottoms tucked into a pair of fake uggs that were clearly not at their best did nothing for her levels of class.
'The fuck are you lookin' at?!' a high pitched yell was emitted from her and Alex jumped slightly, not realising that her sideways glance had changed to a very unsubtle stare. The woman was looking at Alex with both her arms outstretched a little in the classic 'come on then' stance, her body language oozing annoyance. Gene looked up from where he had been fitting his key into the lock and twisting it in a rather specific way and placed a hand on the small of Alexs' back, ushering her inside quickly.
'Sorry about her' Gene told her with a hint of embarrassment, one hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck. 'She's ... a bit - you know' he told her. Alex shook her head and waved a hand in dismissal.
'Don't worry about it' she reassured him. The woman had startled her but it was clear to her that Gene was uncomfortable about his next door neighbours harsh tone and so she waved it away. Taking the chance, she glanced around into the hallway that she was now standing in. There was a dark patterned carpet which contrasted with the magnolia walls that were covered with an assortment of pictures and paintings, both hand-painted and prints of famous artists work. Alexs' eyes flitted from picture to picture, taking in the face. There was Gene pouting out from his frames at a range of ages, sometimes with another younger boy and sometimes with a woman who she assumed was his mother. A slightly crumpled drawing clearly done by a child had been smoothed out, placed behind glass and then hung next to a strangely complimentary print of a Picasso classic. Alex couldn't help but give a small smile at the sight of the wall and then turned back to Gene who had been taking off his shoes.
'Ready?' Gene asked her, indicating to her to take the lead to go upstairs. Alex nodded to him as she finished slipping off her shoes and then made her way cautiously up the stairs. As they reached the landing, Alex stopped and looked behind her to see where it was that she was supposed to be going. She found herself in a small hallway with a bathroom at the end and 3 closed doors. Gene pointed her towards the door on the left and she opened the wooden door that lead to Gene Hunts bedroom.
Stepping inside, Alex looked around, her eyes scanning over the room quickly before she focused on the details. It was a simple teenage boys room with a double bed pushed against one wall that had he ceiling sloping down above it, a wardrobe with a chest of draws next to it against another wall and numerous posters filling the available areas where the walls were empty.
'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?' Alex asked with one eyebrow raised in question, a twitch of amusement playing at the corner of her mouth.
'I'm all three' Gene confirmed with a wink. Alex let out a snort of laughter and turned to have a look at what other posters he had hanging up. A poster from the original version of True Grit hung side by side with one from The Shootist just above his chest of draws and a new looking ipod docking station in which Genes' Ipod was sat.
'Seems John Wayne is my competition' she said wryly, walking over to the Ipod, interested in what he had last been playing. Gene also walked further into his room, slumping down onto his bed and punching a pillow into submission to support his back as placed it behind him.
'There really is no competition between you, Price' he told her. Alex looked over at him to give him a sweet smile at his words, a flutter of happiness shooting through her stomach.
'Noone can replace Johnny boy' he finished, wiping the smile of Alexs' face instantly and causing her to give him a rather unimpressed glare. The sight of her frowning at him tickled Gene and he let out a tiny shot of laughter followed by a reassuring wink. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, turning back to his Ipod and unlocking it with the little click that indicated the control of the music was now hers. Without really looking at what had been midsong, she pressed play and listened to the beat that filled the room. She raised her eyes in surprise as Mumford and Sons filled the room, the base of 'Little Lion Man' ringing out. The thought of Gene being a Mumford fan hadn't crossed her mind and now that she was hearing it, it still didn't really make much sense but she supposed he never did really conform to expectations. She gave him a little look of approval and then moved on to the desk that was on the opposite side of his room where an assortment of papers were scattered over its surface, hiding most of its dark wood from view. On closer inspection, the subject of the papers was mainly school work; subjects all mixed in with each other in an untidy mess. One sheet of what she assumed was economics sat on top at a slight angle, a pen dropped carelessly on top of it where Gene had begun to label a carefully drawn graph with 'Quantity Dema-' and then stopped halfway through. She reached out and shifted the paper to one side slightly and pulled his diary towards her a little, looking at the various appointments and plans he had scribbled in there. Most days had 'Rugby' with a time and place after it or what homework he had been set on that date. Picking up his discarded pen, Alex leant over quickly and jotted something down on the current date.
'What're you doing?' Gene asked, having watched her quietly. Alex ignored him until she had finished a couple of seconds later and then straightened up, turning to him with a little smile.
'Nothing' she told him, walking over to where he was sat and away from his desk and diary in which she had written 'Alex visits the Hunt household for the first time' followed by a little heart. Gene would soon forget that she had written anything at all and sit down to complete his homework, the added date catching his eye and bringing a private smile to his lips as he read it and shook his head at his daft tart of a girlfriend.
'Is your Mum not home?' She asked him, curling her feet up beneath her beside him on the bed. Gene shook his head no in response.
'She finishes work in a bit' he told her, glancing at an alarm clock on his beside table behind her for confirmation that his mother would be home within the next half an hour or so. Alex let out a little 'ohh' of understanding and nodded, her fingers reaching down to run up the seam of her skinny jeans and then play with the hem of her cardigan.
'Your house is really nice' she waved her free hand around his room and Gene nodded his thanks at her. A comfortable silence engulfed them as Alexs' phone buzzed and she sent a quick reply to the message that Annie had just sent her. In that time, the song that had been playing came to an end and another soon took its place. Realising what it was that was now playing, Alex lifted her head and then looked at Gene with a blank expression for a second before bursting into laughter.
'The Script?!' she said through her giggles. Gene raised an eyebrow, surprised at her raucous laughter.
'What's wrong with The Script?' he asked as For The First Time played in the background.
'Nothing. Nothing's wrong with it' she had a hand hovering in front of her mouth which she then fanned infront of her face for a second, trying to compose herself. 'There's nothing wrong with them. I just didn't expect you of all people to be listening to a boyband singing about love and sentimental-ness' she explained. She wasn't really sure why it had tickled her so much, but there was something about the contrast of Gene Hunt who was so masculine and male listening to people singing about women who broke their hearts etcetera.
'Shut it, Nutjob' he scolded her, a twinkle in his eye and his hands reaching out to twist around her waist and pull her closer to him. 'I can listen to what I want to listen to' he pressed a kiss to Alexs' temple as she nodded her head in agreement.
'Of course. Sorry. I just ... it was...didn't... it was unexpec- different' she seemed to have found the word that she had been looking for and dropped her voice to a more confident, serious tone. 'Different. It was different' she tried to look serious, her face angled down a little and her brows dropped every so slightly in an attempt at looking concentrated. She clearly wasn't fooling Gene who rolled his eyes and pushed her away from him slightly by her shoulder. His playful shove shattered her already flimsy resolve and she giggled again, moving closer to Gene and moving so that her legs were draped across his, her hands linked around his neck.
'I'm sorry. I love The Script' she mumbled, her bottom lip sticking out in an over exaggerated pout.
'Yeah, you'd better' Gene both out-mumbled and out-pouted her with very little effort, enjoying the sensation of her holding herself close to him.
'Kiss it better?' Alex asked. Gene nodded with a barely visible sly smile, shifting forward and bringing his lips down to meet hers.
x-x-x-x
Alex felt her stomach fluttering as she made her way down the stairs behind Gene. As promise, she had come home not long after Gene had said that she would and he had told her that she had better come and meet her. Alex wasn't really sure why she was so nervous; she had been a little jittery when meeting Peters' parents but now her stomach was positively doing flips. It occurred to her that maybe it was because she was desperate to make a good impression on Genes' mother. Sure, she had wanted Peters Mum and Dad to like her, but now that she was meeting Mrs Hunt, she felt that she needed her to like her. Gene could feel her caution and reached behind him to take her hand to reassure her that it was okay. He and his Mum had been through so much together that she was the one person that Gene could be 100% himself in front of. He was getting there with Alex, but in front of his Mother, he had no qualms about showing affection to Alex and so gave her hand a small squeeze as his Mum stood at the bottom of the stairs faffing around with her bag.
'Alright?' Gene asked her, the sound of his voice causing her to lift her head.
'Heya, love' she greeted him with a smile, her thick mancutian accent evident in her few words. Her eyes travelled over him and to where Alex was half hidden behind him smiling shyly.
'And is this the Alex that I have heard so much about?' she asked brightly. Gene rolled his eyes. His mother was a friendly looking woman with bright eyes and dark, slightly untidy hair. Her face showed slight signs of ageing - the odd wrinkle appearing at the corner of her eyes and between her brows but they were counterbalanced by the laughter lines that were around her mouth. Not large but not thin enough to look frail, she was a woman who looked approachable and trustworthy and Alex took an instant liking to her.
'It's not going to be anyone else, is it?' he told her dryly. Alex tried to hide a little smile as his Mum reached out and slapped him on the shoulder lightly.
'None of your lip, young man' she tried to frown but her cheery smile couldn't be hidden so easily. She turned back to Alex once more and pushed Gene aside to get a better view of her. Gene had moved so that he was at the bottom of the stairs and now leaning against a wall looking over Alex along with his Mum. She was pulling nervously on the sleeve of her cardigan feeling particularly self-concious now that she had the pair of them looking her over from top to toe.
'Well it's lovely to meet the famous Alexandra' she said eventually, stepping forward to give Alex a welcoming hug. Alex instantly felt her stomach unclench and a sigh of relief pass her lips.
'Nice to meet you too' she replied.
'Come on, come on. Can't keep you standing there on the stairs' she was bustled through to the living room which was as homely as the rest of the house; ornaments and books lining the shelves and a friendly, warm atmosphere.
'So Alex, how is it that you can cope with Gene when noone else I have ever met has been able to keep him under control?' she asked as Alex sank into one of their patterned sofas, Gene sitting next to her and his Mum sitting opposite them in a single seater. Alex giggled.
'You just have to show him who's boss, I guess' Alex explained with a smile. Her response caused Genes Mum (she realised that she didn't know her name yet) to throw her head back and let out a stream of laughter that could only be described as infectious.
'Oh, I like her, Gene' she said as her laughter died. Gene raised his eye brows in a 'I can see that' kind of a way whilst putting an arm around Alex's shoulders.
'She's alright' Gene teased. Alex and his mother both looked pretty appalled at his comment but his little wink and nudge of her shoulder indicated that he was kidding. Alex was surprised at how at home she felt already when she had been so nervous minutes before, but with Genes arm around her now and his Mums' bright smile, it was impossible to feel uncomfortable and out of place.
'You'd better be treating her right, Genie. A girl like that will have a queue of boys waiting to take your place' he was warned and Alex blushed a little as she laughed. Turning to him slightly, she played along.
'Yeah right, Guv. To quote Beyonce; 'I can have another you in a minute'' she laughed at his deadpan expression of unimpressed-ness and was happy to hear the trickle of laughter coming from the single seat opposite them.
'Noone else would have her, Ma. She's far too gobby and is a bit too big for her boots' he scolded. Alex raised an eyebrow at him and slapped his shoulder, a small 'ah' of protest escaping her. Alex couldn't keep the smile off her face. It was so nice to see Gene at home and bantering with his Mum. She could feel in his body language and tone that he was far more relaxed here than he was when in the company of their friends at school and she felt that little bit closer to the real Gene; the one who felt comfortable with his arm wrapped around her and her head leant on his shoulder, teasing her with his Mother.
'I highly doubt that, Gene. You don't call him 'Guv', do you Alex? It goes straight to his head, you know' Alex laughed a little and pulled an apologetic face.
'I'm afraid I do. He doesn't often reply to 'Gene' or 'Oi, you''
'I don't know how he managed to get people to call him that, you know. Bullied them into it I expect' she pondered. Alex nodded in agreement as Gene pouted beside her.
'Is this how it's going to be from now on?' he sighed. Alex nodded and then pecked his shoulder that was available to her happily and then took out her phone to type out a quick text. Knowing that Gene always kept his phone on vibrate and so it wouldn't be too obvious that she was texting him, she pressed send and then subtly put her phone away. As she thought, Gene pulled his phone out moments later and read the message that had appeared on his screen. A moment passed before;
'Nim' Genes Mum looked up instantly and Alex looked at him a bit confused. He was looking down at her, straight into her eyes, his own full of smugness.
'What?' His Mum asked him as Alex just crinkled her brow in confusion.
'Mums name is Nim' he told her, inclining his head towards his mother who was looking completely confused. Alex, however, had gone past confusion and was well on her way to mortified.
'Gene' she hissed.
'Her name's Nim' he repeated.
'Okay, thanks' she mumbled to him, trying to hide the blush that had crept onto her cheeks.
'Why do you keep saying that?' his Mum asked him, a hint of bewilderment in her voice.
'Pricey didn't know your name so she text me asking it' he explained, holding up his phone where her message was still showing.
What's your Mums name? I don't actually know it! xx
Beside him, Alex was burning red and ready to kill Gene. Nim was apparently finding it absolutely hilarious, as was Gene from the smirk that was on his face.
'Don't worry about it, love' Nim eventually said once her laughter had faded away, as had some of the colour in Alexs face. 'At least you asked! Eventually' she gave Alex a reassuring wink. 'It's actually Mary but everyone calls me Nim. Can't even remember why now!' she then explained. Alex studied her face and decided that Nim suited her far better than Mary did. She had an air of being young and fun as her nickname reflected, someone who would be up for a laugh despite whatever may have happened in her past. Alex smiled in acknowledgement and then turned to Gene with a frown.
'It was obvious that I wouldn't want you to say that out loud' she scolded. Gene just gave her a smug smile in response.
'It is obvious that I don't want you to favour my Mother to me!' he countered, a pout firmly in place. Alex rolled her eyes and then crossed her arms over her chest in a mock sulk.
'Well I do now' she mumbled. Nim looked on at the young couple with a small, private smile on her face. It was so lovely to see Gene relaxed in the company of another person, let along a girl. There had been times that she doubted that he would find anyone - not because he was unlovable, but because his walls were so highly build and carefully constructed that she doubted anyone would ever be able to break through. And yet here was Alex, her legs now curled beneath her and her body weight shifted so that it was mainly supported by Gene looking perfectly at home. Nim knew that it took someone pretty special for Gene to be able to let them in and from the small amount of time that she had spent with Alex, Nim could say she was pretty sure Alex was exactly that.
'I'll let you two fight this one out and make myself scarce' Nim said with a smile and rose from her chair. Gene and Alex looked like they were about to protest but she threw a halting hand up before they were able to and shook her head.
'No, no. You don't want an old hag hanging around' she laughed and made her way out of the room and towards the kitchen where she was decided what she was going to make for dinner.
'Your Mum's really nice' Alex said to Gene who nodded in agreement.
'Yeah, she's not bad for an old bird' he said with a little smile that made Alex laugh.
'And you're not bad for a bad boy' she told him, one eyebrow raised.
'Bad boy?! Where the hell did that come from?' he asked. Alex giggled and reached up to play with the collar of his rugby style shirt.
'Only bad boys try and embarrass piss their girlfriends off in front of their mothers' she explained, her voice low.
'I guess I must be a bad boy then' he agreed, moving his face a little closer to hers as her suggestive voice sliced straight through him.
'Mhmm'
'Mhmm' he repeated her mumbled of agreement and then pulled her suddenly to him, his hands clasped around her and cutting off her loud giggle of surprise with a kiss that she welcomed without even a hint of protest.
TBC...
