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Unfortunately I own nothing to do with Ashes to Ashes, I do however own this story.
It had been a week since the two detectives arrived from Nottingham and Gene's mood had not improved, if anything it was getting worse day by day. He was persistently rude to DI Gordon and snapped at the rest of the team constantly. Alex was starting to get fed up of his behaviour, which had led to several heated discussions and was starting to put a strain on their relationship. She couldn't understand what could possibly be bugging him so much, but he refused to talk to her about it and she was feeling rejected and confused.
Gene, on the other hand, knew exactly what was pissing him off. DI Mitch Gordon had waltzed into his Kingdom like he owned the place, doing exactly as he pleased. He may have been able to tolerate the cocky twat if it hadn't been for the fact that he flirted so obviously with Alex. Gene never used to be a jealous man but then again he'd never really been in love, until now, and he's found he'd become increasingly protective of Alex. He consoled himself slightly that Alex didn't seem to return Mitch's affections, but he figured it would only be a matter of time before she did. He had banked on Mitch and Tom only being there for a few days, but apparently they had no leads as of yet and still had a lot of ground to cover, which frustrated Gene even more.
It was late afternoon and the Guv and DI Drake were in the middle of yet another full-blown argument, their second already that day. The rest of CID were trying to make it look as if they weren't watching but in reality they were all trying their best to hear what their two senior officers could possibly have found to fight about now.
'Are they always at each other like that?' asked Tom. 'I don't think there's been a day that we've been here that they haven't had a disagreement about something.'
Ray scoffed, 'Disagreement?! That's the understatement of the century.'
'Yes. Their relationship is strange. I've never seen anyone treat their superior the way Alex does Mr Hunt.' DI Gordon added.
'Well they are together, so it's bound to be different isn't it?' put in Chris.
'Together? As in a couple?' Tom inquired. Chris merely nodded in reply, still trying to hear what was going on in the Guv's office.
'Well, that certainly explains a few things.' Said Mitch with a look of disbelief on his face. 'But I just don't get it. What's Alex doing with a man like Hunt, I wouldn't have thought he'd be her type at all.'
Shaz bit her tongue and tried to keep her temper under control. She didn't like DI Gordon one bit, he'd been stirring things between DI Drake and DCI Hunt since he arrived and he was far too charming for his own good.
'Actually DI Gordon, Ma'am and the Guv's personal relationship has never affected their work. They've treated each other that way since the day Ma'am joined. They used to fight all the time when DI Drake first joined, although not quite as much as this.' Shaz then looked concerned. 'When they became a couple the arguments toned right down, but the last week or so they seem to have been at each other's throats the whole time.'
'S'true. Hasn't been this bad for a good few months. And now it's like a bloody warzone round here. Yer say one wrong thing and yer lucky if the Guv let's yer live. He's been like a bear with a sore 'ead this past week.' Ray said bitterly.
'Yes. I had noticed that. I don't think he likes me very much.'
'Oh I don't know. He's been a bastard to anyone who so much as looks at him funny the last couple of days. I wouldn't take it personally, mate.' Ray stated.
Shaz however, raised her eyebrows and turned back to her typing. She had a feeling that the Guv's attitude towards DI Gordon was very personal indeed, and that it wasn't going to get better any time soon. Secretly she hoped that the Guv would put DI Gordon in his place and wipe that fake smile off his pretty face. It was out of character for Shaz to develop such a strong disliking for anyone that she knew so little, but something about DI Gordon got her back up and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
At that moment the Guv's office door flung open and DI Drake came storming out and headed straight for the double doors. Gene appeared in his doorway and shouted after her.
'Drake! Where the bloody hell do yer think you're goin'?!'
Alex came to a halt just before the doors and spun round to face her DCI. It was evident on her face that she was trying desperately to control her temper. She glared at him for a moment, clearly filled with hate for the man stood opposite her.
'You told me to get out of your sight, sir. So I'm doing just that.' She hissed at him, her voice shaking with contempt. Alex turned on her heel and strode through the doors out of CID calling over her shoulder as she went. 'See you tomorrow, Guv!'
'Fuck!' was all DCI Hunt said before slamming his office door where the team then watched him kick is waste-paper bin across the room before grabbing his coat off the back of his chair and storming out again.
The whole station stared after him in stunned silence. It was a split second before Shaz registered the situation and promptly got up and ran after DCI Hunt. 'Oh God! I can't believe I'm doing this, I must have a death wish.' Was her last thought before she shouted at the retreating figure of her DCI.
'Guv, wait!'
Gene stopped and looked around to find Shaz running to catch up with him. 'What do yer want Granger?' He ground out.
'Erm…' Shaz didn't know how to start. 'Er...Are you going to find DI Drake?'
Gene had a face like thunder and looked positively terrifying. 'Not that it's any of your business. Yes I am. So what the hell do yer want?' Gene spat at her.
'Wow. It must have been some fight. I've never seen him this angry before. I must be really stupid.' But she carried on regardless. 'I…I just don't think that's the best idea.'
'What?!' he shouted, furious.
'Well…It's just she looked pretty upset and you…' Shaz fought with the sensible part of her brain and continued. 'With all due respect, Guv, you're hardly in the right frame of mind to see her right now. It'll end up in another argument and you'll both regret it later.' She said in a rush and then mumbled. 'Sorry sir. I'm way out of line, it's not my place to say.'
DCI Hunt looked as if he was going to explode at any second and Shaz was genuinely scared, wishing she'd kept her big mouth shut. He glared at her furiously for a long moment before his expression eventually softened a little. Shaz let out a little breath of relief.
'Yer right Shaz.' A look of defeat and torment settled in his eyes and it broke the young WPC's heart. He closed his eyes, rubbed his forehead as if trying to push his anger out of his mind and exhaled slowly. He looked like a broken man.
'Oh God. I don't know what I'm doin 'ere. I jus'…I can'…' He shook himself, knowing he had to get a grip. 'Oh fuck it. I can't leave those twonks in there on their own anyway can I? Thanks Shaz.'
DCI Hunt's last words were back to their usual gruff tone and his eyes were once again cold and unreadable. Shaz, realising her DCI's moment of weakness had passed, nodded and followed the Guv back into CID. No-one commented on their reappearance and the station was deadly quiet. Everyone was working hard for once, avoiding looking at the Guv, all afraid that if they did they would be his next victim.
The rest of the afternoon passed slowly. Gene spent it in his office, desperately needing a drink but knowing he needed a clear head if he wanted to sort things with Alex later. So he sat there with his feet on his desk, watching the seconds tick slowly by on the clock. The rest of CID, tactfully, stayed out of the Guv's way, only venturing into the lion's den when absolutely necessary. Even DI Gordon had enough sense to steer clear of the station for the afternoon.
At six 'o' clock on the dot Gene grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and headed out of his office. He knew things couldn't go on like this with him and Alex for much longer, but he had no idea what to do about it. The whole situation with DI Gordon was making him insecure and he hated himself for it, he was even starting to resent Alex to a certain extent for making him so vulnerable. In truth he had no idea what he was going to say to Alex when he got to her flat and suddenly found himself feeling ridiculously nervous. In his moment of self-doubt he found himself looking at Shaz with a helpless expression, she gave him a small, definite nod and a reassuring smile, encouraging him to go for it.
Alex had got home just after four and had collapsed in tears as she had shut her front door to the world. She had no idea what was going on with Gene and it was tearing her apart. The cold stares, the angry brush-offs and the flaming rows were all starting to get to her, hitting her like ice cold water and breaking her heart a little more each time.
She sat slumped against the door, reduced to a sobbing wreck. Turning it over and over in her head to try and work out what she could possibly have done wrong. She just didn't understand it, she could think of nothing that could possibly provoke this kind of reaction from him.
At first Alex thought that he was jealous of DI Gordon and that was the reason for his foul mood. Alex couldn't remember any time that she had encouraged Mitch's affections, had even subtly rebuffed him a few times and she thought Gene knew that. 'Then why is he being this way with me?' She had dismissed the idea of jealousy fairly quickly as it didn't explain his anger at her and had no other ideas to go on.
She hadn't meant to cause an argument that afternoon, she had merely wanted to have a discussion with him about a theory she had on a recent jewellery blag. But the atmosphere was already tense from a previous disagreement, she was feeling confused and hurt and he was being stubbornly uncooperative. Inevitably her temper had got the better of her and it had turned into a massive row, one of the worst they'd ever had.
Alex knew she shouldn't have stormed out, but she was so angry she couldn't bear to look at him anymore. She also knew that her composed exterior was quickly crumbling and that she would have broken down in the middle of the station if she had stayed there for a second longer. She had hissed those last words at him in utter contempt, it had the desired effect but she couldn't have spoken the words any louder without the emotion cracking through anyway.
She cried for what seemed to her like hours. In real terms it was barely fifteen minutes. She eventually gathered her resolve and tried to a get a grip of herself. The sensible part of her brain scolded her, 'That's what you get for allowing yourself to fall in love with an insensitive bastard. Stupid girl.' Alex knew it was foolish of her to have fallen so completely for a man that clearly didn't care about her anywhere near as much as she did him. The other side argued back, 'You can't help who you fall in love with though can you?'
She pulled herself together and went to have a long hot shower to clear her head. By the time she had sorted her hair and reapplied her make-up she was starting to feel a little better. There was still a gaping hole in her chest, but she tried her best to ignore it and went to sort herself some food.
She had just finished the washing up when she heard a sharp knock at her door.
'Bolls?' came the gruff voice, slightly muffled through the door. 'Open up, it's me.'
Alex dried her hands and went to the door. She opened it slightly to find the tall masculine figure of her DCI leant casually against the door frame. She hated herself for appreciating how sexy he was when she should be furious with him.
'What do you want, Gene?' she said wearily, keeping her voice impressively wobble free, despite the turmoil that was going on in her brain.
'Can I come in Bolls?' he asked.
'I'm not in the mood for another fight. I said I'd see you tomorrow.'
'Alex, please?'
The pleading in his tone broke her resolve and she stepped aside, ushering him into the flat. 'I'm never going to be able to refuse this man am I?'
Gene went over to sit on the sofa and Alex joined him, sitting just out of reach. The couple sat it silence for a long while before Alex became frustrated.
'Why are you here Gene? Do you want something, or are you just intending on sitting there all night?'
Gene exhaled sharply. 'I'm sorry Bolls. I shouldn't have said some o' those things today.'
'What's up with you? You've been in a fowl mood for days now.'
'I know I've been a bastard recently. I jus'…Jus' a lot to think 'bout, that's all.'
'Gene. Talk to me. I'm worried about you.'
'It's nothin'.'
'Now I know that's not true. Please tell me Gene.'
Gene was getting annoyed now. 'I said it's nothin' Alex. Just leave it, will yeh?' he got up and made his way to the door. 'I'll see yer at work tomorrow all right Bolly?'
'You're not staying?' Alex asked in surprise.
He didn't meet her eyes. 'Not t'night. Need some space. See yer in the mornin' Bolls.' Without another word or even a glance in her direction he let himself out of her flat and closed the door behind him.
Alex just sat there, stunned. 'What did he mean by "Need some space"? Oh God, he's going to end it, isn't he? Men always say that before they stop retuning your calls.' The harsh reality hit Alex hard and she all of a sudden had difficulty breathing. The hole in her chest that she had been doing her best to ignore burst wide open and the pain was almost too much to bear.
Gene stood outside her door for few minutes, deciding whether to go back in there and admit everything. 'You should have explained Hunt. She deserves better than this. Better than me.' That final thought made up his mind. He knew exactly what he had to do now, he couldn't keep messing her around. With that he stepped away from Alex's door and descended the stairs back out onto the street and over to the Quattro. He roared off into the evening, heading straight home, not wanting to have to spend the evening with the team in Luigi's.
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