Thank you again for all the great reviews – glad you enjoyed the last chapter's little twist.
Disclaimers – Characters belong to BBC, Kudos and Monastic
Rated – M rated mainly for strong language (no smut alas)
Summary – Sam's back – or is he? The plot thickens.
Chapter 9
"Sam?"
Alex stared in bewilderment as Sam struggled in Gene's grip. Sam…Sam Tyler; the voice at on a tape, a picture in a closed file, a body in a morgue. He's dead, he's dead, the voice in her head screamed! Dead in 2008 and dead in 1982 – or maybe not?
Gene relaxed his grip slightly, "Sam? It's you Sammy boy?"
Sam spat in Gene's face and laughed, "Who the fucks Sam? Got the wrong man 'ave yer then copper?"
Breathing heavily Gene grabbed him by lapels and slammed him back against the wall, "Alright smart-arse, 'who are yer then?"
"Why should I tell you?"
Gene tightened his grip, "Cos otherwise I'll beat the livin' shit out of yer, now who are yer?"
"Dan..me name's Dan Taylor…ask anyone, Charlie will tell yer."
Gene looked into Sam's eyes and shook his head, wondering if this was it – had he finally lost it, finally gone totally doollaly? He looked over his shoulder at Alex who looked as if she had seen a ghost.
"For Christ's sake Alex – tell me I'm not going mad 'ere!"
She gently touched his arm, "No, you're not mad." Although I think I might be.
"Chris?" Gene said.
"Errm, it's Sam, I mean the Boss…DI Tyler."
"Listen," Sam sneered, "I don't know what you lot are on but me name's Dan Taylor – I'm Charlie Brewer's nephew! You can ask 'im."
Gene smiled and then went to turn away, quickly turning back giving Sam a swift punch in the kidneys.
"Liar! That's it, you Man United supporting nancy-boy! If you're windin' me up so help me I'll..."
"Guv…Gene," Alex intervened, "Lets get him back to the station, we can talk about it there…find out what's going on."
He nodded silently in agreement. What a day this was turning out to be. The thing he had fervently prayed for, wished for, had by some miracle had happened. Sam was alive, Sam was here right in front of him but this was rapidly turning into a nightmare.
"Right," he muttered, "let's get him back." He started to manhandle Sam away.
"Gene – you have to arrest him," she said.
"You what?"
"Look, whoever he is we have to arrest him! We just witnessed him carrying out an armed robbery – it's the only way we can take him in."
Gene sighed heavily, "Alright, alright – you do it then."
"Cuffs?"
"Bloody hell woman do I 'ave to do everything?"
Gene spun Sam around until he was facing the wall and snapped the cuffs on his wrists as Alex stepped forward. Gene grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and turned him to face Alex.
"Dan Taylor," she paused slightly, "aka Sam Tyler, I am arresting you for attempted armed robbery. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned…"
Sam smirked, "That's not 'ow it goes."
Gene slapped him on the head, "Shut it! Chris – you charge him and get him back to the car."
They watched as Chris completed the charge and then followed behind as Chris began to march the handcuffed Sam back along the alley and towards the Quattro.
"So?" Gene said, "Any theories oh wise one?"
"Theories?" she repeated, "So many it's making my head spin! But for now lets just say that he believes what he's telling you – he thinks he's Dan Taylor, Charlie Brewer's nephew."
Gene snorted, "Well that's a bloody lie for a start."
"How do you know?"
Gene stopped walking and turned to face her, "Cos I happen to know that Charlie Brewer is an only child!"
Alex smiled, "Ah." She gently touched Gene's arm, "You okay?"
He gave a wry laugh, "Fandabbydozy Bols! The best friend who I thought was dead, waltzes back into me life – except that he's turned into criminal scum who robs for a living, spits in me face and says 'is name's Dan! Apart from that I feel great."
All she wanted to do was take him in her arms and make the world go away, make it better somehow, but instead she said, "We'll sort it Gene I promise. We will get to the bottom of this…one way or another."
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Gene leaned on the wall outside the interview room smoking a cigarette and waited for Alex to emerge. She was in there, talking to Sam or Dan or whoever the hell it was! He took a long drag and closed his eyes. Who was he kidding? Course it was Sam – Alex, Chris, Ray – they all recognised him, he wasn't going off his trolley.
He laughed ironically. It should be one of the happiest days of his life – the day his best friend, his life-long brother-in-arms had been miraculously returned to him, back from the dead. But this wasn't the Sam he knew and it hadn't taken too long in the interview room to realise that. This 'Dan' was a sick, bitter, twisted individual who liked nothing better than to wreak violence on society without a thought for the consequences. In normal circumstances Gene would have no compunction about making sure he was banged up and then throwing away the key.
He should phone Annie. Trouble is, he hadn't the foggiest idea what he was going to say to her – 'Oh hello love I've found Sam and by the way he's a thieving scumbag who wouldn't recognise you or the kiddies if he passed you in the street.' How was he supposed to do that? To raise her hopes and then dash them again – she'd be heartbroken and rightly so. No, he wouldn't phone yet. Best wait and see what Alex could find out – if anything.
About time her psychology wotsits came in useful, though quite frankly he thought it would be actual psychiatry including men in white coats, and not psychology codswallop that Sam needed! It wasn't fair but he realised how much he was counting on her to tell him what was wrong and more importantly how to fix it. She had already warned him that this could be tricky and that she wasn't an expert in this particular area. Still, he was counting on her to at least help point him in the right direction. He looked up as the door opened and Alex came out.
"Well?"
"Not here," she said and started to walk towards the surveillance room.
He quickly followed her inside and then locked the door behind them. In a heartbeat she had wrapped her arms around him, her lips pressed to the side of his neck, one hand moving and slowly caressing the back of his head. No words were exchanged as he pressed his forehead to hers, eyes closed as they stood silently together. He brought his hands up to cup her face, as he kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose and finally taking her lips in a long kiss, gentle and yet firm, receiving the comfort she gladly gave.
They gradually unwound from each other's embrace, although Gene was reluctant to sever all ties and held on to one of her fingers as they talked.
She looked around, the dexion shelves covered in radios and VCR's,"I remember the first time I was in this room with you," she said.
"So do I," he laughed, "Thought you were a bleeding nutter – talking bollocks and waggling yer bloody fingers at me!"
"You grabbed my boob!"
"You were laughing at me! Besides, I 'ad to shut you up somehow, you were doing my 'ead in." He dragged her back towards him and slipped a hand under her jacket gently cupping a breast in his hand, his thumb brushing over the nipple, "Always did 'ave a thing about your tits ," he murmured.
"Anyway," she said reluctantly breaking contact, "do you want to know about Sam?"
"As long as you're not gonna tell me he had a deprived childhood and his Daddy didn't love him."
"No," she said patiently, "it's a bit more complicated."
"Oh joy!"
Alex ignored him, "My best guess is that it's some sort of psychogenic or dissociative amnesia probably brought on by post-traumatic stress…"
"In English Alex," he sighed.
"It means that as the result of a severe stressful event.."
"The car ending up in the river?" Gene said.
She nodded, "That would probably do it...and as a result he seems to have developed a continuous state of amnesia - he can't remember anything prior to the day of accident, he only remembers his life since then - nothing before."
"But he's not even the same person. I can understand how you can lose yer memory but...'ow can yer whole personality change?"
"The mind is..."
"An amazing organ! I know you keep telling me," he said.
"Well it's not only amazing but extremely complex. No one really understands exactly how it works, or why sometimes it doesn't work. But if you can't remember a single thing about your life – who you know, what you do, what you are, then its quite easy for another personality to develop, especially if there are outside influences."
"Brewer," Gene spat.
Alex walked over to where Gene was leaning against a desk and sat down beside him. If Gene's whole world had been turned upside down then so had hers – only more so! She honestly had no idea what was going on here. She had thought that this world was her creation, the people inside it hers. Even before Sam's untimely arrival she had begun to have her doubts, but now...was this her world or was it Sam's? Was she dead or still clinging on to life?
"Has Brewer been charged yet?"
He shook his head, "Not yet, too busy concentrating on the boy wonder."
"We need to find out what he knows, how Sam ended up working for him – he's the key Gene."
"In that case about time I unpicked his lock...you coming?" he said as he made his way towards the door.
"I think you and Ray should do this one, I need to make some calls, find the best way to help Sam."
Gene frowned, "You sure?"
"In this case Gene, I think the slightly more...robust approach would work with Brewer."
"Fair enough – robust it is then."
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Gene entered the interview room to find Charlie Brewer already seated opposite Ray. A large bruise was already developing on one side of his face while dried blood was caked around one eye.
"You alright Mr 'unt? Look like you've see a ghost or summat," he sneered.
Gene smiled menacingly, "And you, yer little toerag look like you've been in an accident."
"Yeah," Ray said, "resisting arrest apparently."
"Well Charlie, " Gene said, "if you don't start telling me what I want to hear you might just have another 'accident'."
"I dunno what you mean, you've got me fair and square for the blag, what else d'ya want?"
"I wanna know all about your friend Dan Taylor, or should I say your 'nephew'?"
Brewer smiled nervously, "Yeah well, he's like a nephew to me isn't he...no harm in that is there?"
Gene stood up and started to pace around the room, circling around the table behind Brewer, "We both know who he is Charlie so stop arsing around and tell me what happened."
Brewer smirked, "Honest, I dunno what you..."
Gene grabbed a handful of hair and slammed him down on the table, viciously twisting one arm behind his back. "Enough! Tell me what you've done to Sam Tyler."
Brewer squirmed in Gene's grip, "Wassa matter? Don't you like Dan then?"
"You fuckin..." Gene lifted him and slammed Brewer against the wall, "Don't make me kill me yer Charlie – I might just enjoy it too much."
"Guv!" Ray exclaimed.
"See Charlie, even Sergeant Carling's worried about yer – now that's not a good sign is it? Means I might be out of control, means I could do anything..."
"Alright, alright – its Tyler!"
"Tell me something I don't know," Gene said as he delivered a blow to the kidneys.
"You should be grateful – I saved 'is life," Brewer gasped.
"What?" Gene relaxed his grip slightly.
"I pulled 'im from the river didn't I?" he gasped. "We saw the car go in the river, me and Allsop went and pulled him out."
"Why?"
"I'm not a murderer! I've got standards you know! The others, they scattered but I couldn't just leave him there to drown could I?"
"So, you pulled him out – you couldn't just call an ambulance or summat?" Gene hissed.
"I dunno what I was thinking – I couldn't 'ang about for an ambulance, anyway he seemed alright – just spark out. Took him home and dried him out, but when he woke up he didn't know anything...so I just told him he'd been in an accident and he was my nephew."
"And what did yer think you were going to do with him?"
"He's a bright lad, I knew he would come in useful, besides I knew you'd find him eventually – wanted to see the look on your face..."
Gene grabbed him the lapels and hoisted him up until they were nose to nose, "This close enough for yer?" He threw Brewer away from him.
"Take him away Ray and charge him before I kill the bastard."
Gene waited until he had the room to himself and then slumped down on the nearest chair. God knows he should be grateful he supposed. At least Sam was alive, at least there must be some chance that the man he knew was still in there somewhere, that he would come back. Sam had always talked about leaving, going away...back home but Gene had always realised that Sam couldn't stay away - he always came back to where he was needed.
He rubbed at his prickling eyes, trying the banish the anger and tiredness he had suddenly become aware of. He needed to think, he needed Alex but most of all he needed a drink of industrial size proportions!
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It was late and Gene was slumped in his corner at Luigi's, the rest of CID sat around him, almost as if forming a protective barrier. Ray and Chris still sat the closest to him but the rest of the team were also in attendance, their loyalty unspoken but absolute. Alex had reluctantly gone up to the flat an hour ago, her face white as a sheet and pleading exhaustion. Gene had wanted to follow but she had insisted that he stay with the team, quietly speaking with Ray before she left to ensure that Gene would be looked after appropriately.
"Come on then Guv, time to get you up to the missus."
"Ughhhh?" Gene slurred.
Ray gestured at Chris and they each took an arm and began to manoeuvre him towards the door and up to the flat, both grateful for the proximity and the fact that Alex Drake was the Guv's girlfriend now.
"Wanna speak to Sam," Gene mumbled.
"No you don't Guv, not tonight eh?" Ray said, as they continued to heave him towards the door of the flat.
"Yeah Guv," Chris said as he panted with the effort, "speak to him tomorrow."
"Fer all the sense you'll get," mumbled Ray under his breath. He rapped on the door, eager to deposit his burden and be away.
Alex opened the door and was confronted by the sight of Gene being propped up by Ray and Chris.
"Ere you are then ma'am, safely delivered as promised."
Gene weaved slightly as he tried to focus, "Ello darlin', 'm not drunk, noooo, not me."
Alex smiled – well it wasn't as if this was totally unexpected, "No I can see that – put him on the sofa would you Ray?"
Ray and Chris manhandled him over to the sofa where he immediately slumped into the cushions.
"Thanks Ray, for looking after him."
Ray nodded, "Yeah well, we've all had a bit of a shock today I reckon."
Alex nodded as she remembered that Sam's sudden reappearance had affected everyone, Gene, Ray, Chris and of course Annie and her children. Ray and Chris rapidly left leaving Alex to deal with the aftermath - who was currently prone on the sofa snoring. She made her way over to him and knelt down beside him. Even drunk and incapable he was still somehow magnificent in his incapacity.
She brushed his hair away from his face and kissed his cheek. A startling blue eye opened, long lashes fluttered as he struggled to stay alert.
"Bolly-wolly, my lovely Bols," he mumbled happily.
"Yeah, I'm here Gene,"
He continued to try and focus on her face, "You are so beautiful – did anyone ever tell you that?"
She laughed softly and stroked his cheek, "They did actually."
He frowned and tried to struggle upright, "Who? Who told yer? I'll get the bastards...trying to hit on my bird."
"Shhhh," she soothed, "it was you, you told me remember?"
"Oh, well that's alright then," he said slumping back on the sofa again.
"Gene?", she said shaking him, "Gene?" Nope, he was spark out this time. She debated for a millisecond, the pros and cons of trying to get him to the bedroom, but logistics and common sense won out in the end. He could stay here – it was comfortable enough and she knew he would stagger to the bedroom eventually.
She made sure he was comfortable, removing his jacket and shoes and then going to find a blanket to throw over him. When she returned he was lying flat on his back, mouth agape slightly. She smiled as she tried to unbuckle his belt to make him comfortable.
"Can't keep yer hands off me woman," he muttered.
"Look whose talking!" she said as she removed his tie and then threw the blanket over him.
"Yeah, bloody lovely...love it...love you."
"Go to sleep Gene," she said kissing his forehead, "Love you," she whispered before leaving him and turning out the light.
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Gene woke to the high-pitched sound of the test tone slicing through his alcohol fuelled slumber. Alex must have left the television on.
"You can't have them both you know."
Gene sat up sharply to find a little girl dressed in red at the end of the sofa.
"What the 'ell?"
She clutched at the clown in her arms, "That's just greedy Gene, having them both."
He looked at the tv – the girl from the test card was missing.
"Who are you, what d'ya want?" he shouted.
"Sam or Alex," she said, "you'll have to choose."
"Listen, I don't know who the hell you are little girl but sod off home." Gene rubbed his eyes frantically trying to wake himself up from what he was sure was another dream.
"Don't you like me and my clown" she said.
"Yes Gene," a deep voice said behind him, "don't you like clowns?"
Gene span around to find a sinister clown figure staring at him with its peaked hat and somehow familiar painted face.
"Fuck...That's it, am never drinking again," Gene mumbled as he shook his head.
The clown moved and stood next to the test card girl. "Don't you believe us Gene...you have to give one up – which one will it be?" he said pointing at the television.
An image of Sam appeared as Gene made his way to the tv and knelt before it. Except he looked different somehow. He was wearing a smart suit and looked like he was standing on top of a building. The image of Sam smiled serenely and then started to run. Gene stared in horror as he realised that Sam was going to jump off the building.
"No Sam, no," he shouted as he banged on the television in frustration as the screen went blank.
"Not Sam then?" said the girl, "then it will have to be Alex."
Gene caught his breath as an image on Alex appeared on the screen. She was pale, very pale and lying with her eyes closed, a bullet hole in her forehead. He crept closer to the screen and groaned.
"No,no,no...please God," he moaned. A tear slid down his cheek as his fingers traced the outline of her face.
"Choose," they chanted, "make the choice, pick the one you want to save Gene."
"Nooooooooooooo," he shouted.
Gene started awake and sat up on the sofa. His heart was pounding wildly as he looked around the empty lounge, the television silent in the corner of the room. A dream, just a dream – wasn't it?
He ran his fingers through his hair as he stood up and made his way to the bedroom, discarding clothing as he went. He quickly slipped into the bed beside Alex and pulled her to him. He needed to touch her, feel her heart beating against him.
"Hmnnnn?" she mumbled sleepily.
He stared at her face, unable to make out all the features in the dark, but his fingers brushing away the hair from her forehead as he felt nothing but smooth skin under his touch. He kissed the spot where the imaginary bullet-hole had been, wishing it into oblivion along with all such imaginings.
"Nothing, go to sleep love, nothings gonna happen...I promise."
...to be continued
