Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes Original Characters, Fenchurch East Police Station, the Railway Arms, Luigi's and Alex's flat are owned by Kudos Film and Television, Monastic Productions and the BBC. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.
Chapter Six
Caroline Price sat in a dingy little room in the Railway Arms, she looked around and tried to take a the look of disgust off her face, she could never understand why this had been picked as a portal to heaven.
Of all the places, she shook her head and collected her thoughts, these thoughts were insignificant, this place was one of trillions of places in heaven, so what if the unwashed masses wanted to come through this dingy pub.
Caroline patted down her skirt, she liked to have everything just right, and dust on a Chanel suit was just not going to cut it. To pass the time, she took her compact out of her handbag and checked her appearance, her hair and makeup were immaculate, she smiled at herself, she was a very attractive women she conceded, she had barely aged since she had last seen Alex.
Her beautiful headstrong daughter, she had heard the rumours that Alex would not leave the Railway Arms that she sat there waiting patiently for Gene Hunt to arrive. Caroline took a deep breath, held it and then let it out slowly. It did not bear thinking about, her daughter in love with an uncouth, boorish, slovenly man who was the antithesis of political correctness. She would never understand it. How could anyone love Gene Hunt? She would never be able to get her head around it. If only Tim was here to talk to about it, but she had not seen her husband in a very long time.
She mulled over everything for the hundredth time and was caught in this reverie, when Nelson bounded through the door.
"Alright Caroline", Nelson said chumily.
Caroline eyed her dreadlocked counterpart with a tight smile, I should be drinking gin and tonics with the girls right now she though crossly.
"Nelson, why did you summon me to this god awful place?".
Nelson smiled, Caroline was going to be a pill, he just knew it, "We have to do something about Alex".
Caroline arched an eyebrow "My beautiful daughter is in your filthy dingy pub sitting in the same spot waiting for Gene Hunt, what would you like me to do?".
"We have to find away to help her, the angels want to take her". Nelson said nothing else as he saw the shock pass over her face. She had not been expecting that had she, he tried not to feel smug but Caroline made it bloody hard.
"But but she has only been here three years".
"I know that but Alex was always part of their plan".
"No I won't have it, I don't want my daughter to be an Angel", panic and self righteousness began to take over, Caroline was not going to lose her precious daughter to the Angels.
Nelson sat down and calmly waited for Caroline to gather her thoughts.
She looked at him defiantly and smacked her hand down on the table in front of her "We will just have to get Gene Hunt here".
"Thank Christ for that Caroline, for a moment I thought you were going to let her go", Nelson tried unsuccessfully to keep the exasperation out of his voice.
"Oh my God, look at the choice, an Angel running around after everyone on earth, and they could not give a toss about you or being stuck here with a complete Neanderthal".
Nelson got up from the table and moved towards the door "Gene would like being called a cave man, he would think that's quite butch".
Caroline threw her eyes up to heaven "Is she still sitting there".
"Yep in the same place, staring at the door like a love sick teenager, do you want to see her".
Caroline hesitated she would like nothing better than to spend time with Alex and explain that she had known all along that Alex had been her daughter when they had met again in 1981 but she knew it was not the right time. Alex had to sort this thing out with that gorilla she was obsessed with.
Sadly she shook her head, "No it's not the right time".
Nelson nodded he understood, it was hard not seeing your family when they were so close, he knew only too well, he went to leave hoping that was the end of their conversation but Caroline called him back.
"Nelson, do you ever hear..." Caroline stopped mid-sentence.
Nelson turned to her and looked at her quizzically, he wanted to give her a chance to change her question but they both knew she would not.
"Tim, do you ever heard about Tim?".
This was not the first time Caroline had asked him that questions he smiled, looked her in the eye and lied. "No Caroline, I have not heard a thing".
Caroline nodded, this had been the answer she had been expecting. She wanted to howl and let out the pain and guilt that had been sitting in her chest for all these years but she could not, not in front of Nelson.
"Come on Caroline, I will see you out", Nelson gestured kindly to her and he felt a little sad for her. Caroline had always blamed herself for what had happened, she felt she had driven Tim to kill his family.
Even now he could see it in her thoughts, the guilt over Evan, even now she could not justify the affair, she did not know what had come over her at the time and wished that she could take it back. That Tim could be here with her and that they could make peace and she could apologise for hurting him so.
Caroline patted down her hair, and straightened her posture, she plastered on a smile and walked towards Nelson.
"Thanks Nelson".
They walked down the dark green corridor, they both knew without saying that the portal had been activated at the end of the corridor, the last door, blue brilliant light was beaming through the cracks, Caroline could go back to her place and be with her friends now.
Before she opened the door, she turned to Nelson, she gently kissed him on the cheek, encasing him in the waft of Chanel No. 5.
"You will keep me posted", she asked, all at once she was not Caroline Price imminent Barrister but a vulnerable woman who was worried about her only child.
Nelson hugged her, "Of course I will love, now be off with you, and I will keep an eye on Alex".
Caroline opened the door and in a flash of blue light she was gone.