Thank you to those that have read this story so far, those who left me reviews on the last chapter (supervixen, Celeste Martin, LouBelle04, wwedx, sash queen of the jungle, and the oofoof.) thanks to those of you from the great Ashes Facebook page as well for your support over the last week, as I had really bad writers block and was on the verge of giving up on this fic. Thanks guys! Xx
Chapter 10 - Secrets and Lies
A few weeks after their break in Portsmouth, Alex began to notice a change in Gene's behaviour. He seemed to be very secretive towards her, and was working a lot at night despite not having many cases on their books.
They hadn't had sex since that night in Portsmouth, and Alex was beginning to wonder if she was unattractive to Gene, with a scar on her stomach.
She had retreated into her shell again, back to her pre- Portsmouth behaviour, being exceptionally quiet, pretending to the girls that everything was o.k. when in fact her relationship with Gene was on rocky ground.
Alex had confined in her friend and colleague, Fiona about her feelings, especially now that Gene had been working every night until about 10pm, hardly taking an interest in his daughters, as though his mind was somewhere else.
"I just don't know what to say to him any more Fiona," Alex explained to Fiona one Thursday night.
"He HAS been acting strangely recently," Fiona agreed, "If you don't mind me asking is your… well you know still exciting?"
"The last time we had sex was in Portsmouth Fiona, but no it's not like it used to be." Alex replied.
"That was three weeks ago!" Fiona commented.
"I know and the most I've had since then is a bit of a cuddle."
"Oh Alex, we are women, we have our needs"
"But I don't feel like one Fiona…" Alex trailed.
"Is everything o.k. woman wise if you get my drift?" Fiona enquired.
"Well yes, except we might not be able to have any more children."
"You can always try," Fiona giggled, "more fun that way!"
"You're right!" Alex giggled in reply like a schoolgirl, "but he won't be near me Fiona, it's as if he's lost interest in me now."
"He's probably just worried that he'll hurt you Alex." Fiona suggested.
"Possibly…" Alex trailed thinking about Gene's strange behaviour.
"I'd better get headed," Fiona added, "It's getting late.
"I'll see you tomorrow at work." Alex smiled letting Fiona out the door.
Closing the door behind her, she checked on the girls, who were both sound asleep, tucked up to their necks, looking like little sleeping beauties.
She entered her and Gene's bedroom and began rummaging through a drawer, before finding what she was looking for, thinking to her self,
"If you're not going to make a move, I will!"
Gene parked the car outside the flat, finishing the contents of his hip flask and applying more of his aftershave to disguise the flowery smell that was on him.
He locked the car and entered the flat, checking on his daughters' en-route to his and Alex's own bedroom.
He opened the door and was met by the image of Alex standing in front of him, dressed in a nurse's outfit, complete with stockings and a stethoscope.
"Oh Lord!" he muttered closing the door behind him.
She stopped in front of him, placing the stethoscope over his heart.
She could hear through it, his heartbeat quicken, and his breathing become heavy.
"You seem to be ill," she spoke in her sultry tone, walking to the bathroom, swaying her hips.
"What's the diagnosis then nurse?" he asked following her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
"Me!" she huffed, pulling him into her, her back against the door.
As their mouths crashed against each other, their moans increased.
Alex wrapped her legs around Gene's waist, his trousers around his ankles. She pulled him into her. Within minutes she could feel she was almost there. Kissing him hard to stop herself from screaming out she felt herself come as he felt himself come over and over again, groaning her name into her neck.
"Wow!" she huffed, her face pink and sweaty.
They fell asleep that night in each others arms, holding each other tightly, Alex thinking,
"Now I feel like a woman again."
The next afternoon Alex was sat at her desk at work, smiling to herself about the night before.
Gene came out of his office with his jacket on and asked her,
"What you smiling at Bolls?"
"Oh nothing!" she smiled at him.
"Right then, I'm away to sort something out!" he said to no one in particular.
"I'll come with you, I'm bored here," she added getting up.
"No, erm… You need to pick the girls up don't you?" he replied looking slightly shifty.
"Where re you going then?" she asked.
"I don't need to tell you everything do I?" he replied, "I'll be home late tonight; I'll need to come back here to pick up a few things."
"You're always coming home late now Gene, don't you care about your family anymore?" her voice was getting louder as the anger built inside her.
"Well I have to work extra if we want extra money for Christmas don't I?" he shouted back at her.
Every eye in the office was on them as they stood nose to nose with each other.
"Oh forget it Gene, run off and do what you need to do, I'll play the perfect wife and turn a blind eye to it!"
"Oh you will, will you? How am I meant to feel when my WIFE will hardly let me touch her?" he bellowed.
The room was silent, the tears in Alex's eyes were threatening to spill over her cheeks, so she made a run for the door, reaching it just as they spilled over her cheeks, heading straight for the ladies toilets, followed closely by Fiona, who said on passing Gene, " There was no need for that Guv!"
Gene couldn't believe he had just embarrassed Alex like that, but he couldn't go and apologise or he would be late for his appointment.
Jack noticing his shifty behaviour decided to follow him.
Gene left the station, but instead of going to his car he turned left and headed on foot towards the junction and then turned right.
He stopped at a newsagents and looked back; luckily Jack was quick and dived into a nearby alleyway.
Gene stayed where he was and about ten minutes later a red Ford stopped and Gene got into the car. Jack couldn't get a clear view of who was I the car, but found it suspicious that if Gene had somewhere to be why did he not take his own car?
Jack returned to the office to find Alex and Fiona having a cup of at, Alex still visibly upset by her argument with Gene.
"Did you see where he went?" Alex asked, her voice still trembling slightly.
"No sorry." Jack lied, "Lost him as he rounded the corner," not wanting to upset Alex any more.
"Thanks Jack," she smiled weakly.
Alex got up from her desk and entered the kitchen, leaving Jack alone with Fiona.
"Jack," Fiona whispered, "you did see where he went, didn't you?"
Jack nodded.
"Tell me Jack," Fiona replied.
Gene stood outside the newsagents where he had arranged to be picked up that day. He looked around to make sure no-one had followed him.
He hated having to do this, especially all the sneaking around he was doing. He had been doing this now for nearly three weeks now, since he and Alex had returned from Portsmouth.
The red Ford pulled up just then, Gene looking around again before opening the door and getting in, greeting the driver with a smile and a wink.
"Where today then?" he asked before the driver pulled the car away from the kerb and around the corner to the left.
Two hours later Gene was dropped off outside the station where he returned to his car to put on some aftershave and drink some whiskey to cover that flowery smell that was on him.
He felt sick at the thought of what he had been doing and even more sick at the thought of being found out.
He entered the empty office and sat at his desk, pulling the paperwork out of the envelope he had been carrying. He knew that it would have to be filled out sooner or later, or endure Alex finding out the truth about his behaviour before the time was right.
Jack had explained to Fiona what he had seen, and she agreed with him when he had said that they couldn't mention it to Alex until they knew more information.
"He just wouldn't do that to her surely?" Fiona asked Jack that night in Luigi's.
"I know what I saw Fiona, I could hardly believe it myself, but you were their, you saw their argument earlier."
"They have been having a tough time lately though…" Fiona trailed taking a sip of her wine.
"WE all know that Fiona, but they should be helping each other, not being at each others throats. Or sneaking around."
"You know, Alex told me last night that he's been working late a lot, which is funny because we don't have many cases going on at the moment, which makes your theory sound right."
"I know, I hate to think it myself, cause them two are just meant to be together," Jack sighed.
"I know…" Fiona blushed as her and Jacks eyes met across the table.
"If he goes out tomorrow I'll take a car and follow him, then we'll know for sure." Jack added.
"Alex will need us if our thoughts are right," Fiona said glancing at Jack.
"Yeah, and he'll have some serious answers to come up with!"
"I'll see you tomorrow," Fiona smiled a half smile.
"Well, good-night Fiona," Jack said getting up from the table, placing a kiss on her cheek as he passed.
The next morning Gene and Alex had arrived at the station after another heated argument, which had started when Alex had asked him in the car if he would be home for dinner that night, since the girls hadn't saw their dad all week. The argument had continued into the office, and it looked as though it could erupt again at any second.
Gene entered his office, picking up his phone to arrange another meeting for today, and he was lucky, he could be picked up in half an hour.
Hearing Gene say this, he winked to Fiona, letting her know that their plan to find out what was going on with Gene was on.
Half an hour later, Gene put his jacket on and left the office without saying good-bye to anyone, Alex watching him leave, a wave of sadness rolling over her, a look of sad distant love on her face.
Jack followed a few minute later, driving an undercover car around the corner to the newsagents in time to see Gene stepping into the same red Ford as he had got into the previous day.
Jack followed the car to the outskirts of London, about a fifteen minute drive from the station until the Ford stopped outside a large detached house on a tree lined street.
Jack couldn't believe it when Gene stepped out of the car, a huge smile on his face.
It was only then that Jack noticed that the driver had exited the car also.
The driver was about 5ft5, had blonde hair cut into a bob, and was a very beautiful looking woman, who was being followed by Gene into the house, Gene still having a huge smile across his face.
Jack sat and waited, he waited about an hour and a half before he saw Gene and the blonde woman exit the house, both had smiles on their faces.
Jack floored the car and got back to the station in ten minutes, grabbing Fiona's arm and pulling her into the kitchen.
"We were right, I hate to say it, but we were right," he said hurriedly.
"Who is she?" Fiona asked, shocked to her core that her and Jacks suspicion was right.
"Some blonde woman," he replied.
"BLONDE?" Fiona shouted, causing Alex to enter the kitchen.
"What are you two up to?" she asked in her suspicious motherly tone.
"Erm… nothing," Fiona lied, not making eye contact with Alex.
"What is it?" She stood at the kitchen door, arms crossed over her chest.
"We've something to tell you Ma'am," Jack said softly.
"What?" Alex asked, unaware of what she was about to be told.
Gene arrived back at the station about an hour later, after disguising the flowery perfume smell on him.
"Where's Alex?" he asked upon seeing her empty desk.
He didn't get an answer from either Jack or Fiona, who glanced at each other.
"Where is she Fiona? You and her are friends, so surely she told you where she as going?"
"She went home." she replied bluntly, not looking at Gene.
"Is she o.k.?" he asked, to which Fiona shrugged her shoulders, refusing to make conversation with this man after what he had done to her friend.
"O.k. then, I'll go home and find out for myself then!" he shouted leaving the office.
Gene opened the front door of the flat to find a pile of his clothes in the hall.
"Alex?" he called.
"You complete and utter BASTARD!" she came out of their bedroom and slapped him around the face with so much force there was a clear red mark where her hand had made contact with his face.
"What the hell are you on about woman?" he asked.
"Who is she Gene? Who's the Slapper you've been shagging" she screamed.
"Alex…" he was cut of by her,
"Don't you dare Alex me!" she shouted.
"Would you just listen woman!" he grabbed her wrists to stop her from hitting his chest, tears streaming down her face so hard, she was beginning to find it difficult to breathe.
"Let me explain…"
Well that's chapter 10 - I really hope people don't hate me for coming up with this idea, it jumped into my head and I had to include it at this point.
Please review and let me know what you think.
Don't worry chapter eleven is almost finished so you won't have to wait too long for Gene's explanation…
Enjoy for now! xx