A/N

Well I said it'd be a quick update and before I know it it's been a month! I've had this chapter written for a while but had to do some tweaking, I fear if I tweak anymore I'll go mad, so here it is, hope you enjoy it... I'm still unbeta'd so all spelling mistakes, plot holes etc. Are my own =0)

Chapter 25

"Where is it?"

"Where's what?" said Alex, "I've no idea what you're talking about"

After the van had stopped, Reynolds had put a hood over her head before bringing her outside. He'd half dragged her up the stairs, the acoustics had given her a good idea where she was, the Church. She damned herself and Ray, they'd insisted the Vicar closed the Church to the public, for safety, and now CID thought Gene was safe and she was with him, the operation wouldn't go ahead.

"The file Alex, where's the file?"

"What file?" she said, trying to sound nonchalant has her heart hammered in her chest

"Oh don't give me that" he laughed, "we both know you have it, we know you have Artemis"

Alex didn't respond

"I'll take your silence as a yes. I need that file... we need that file"

"We?"

"Yes Alex, you and me"

"What are you talking about? You and me?"

"Oh come now, surely you remember..." he snorted, "maybe not... perhaps you were right, it was too much"

"What? What do you mean? What's too much" she felt herself starting to panic, he was insane, that was the only explanation

"You don't remember transferring in? You don't remember what Hunt did?"

"How he took Molly away from you"

Alex's mouth dropped open, "He... he..."

"Took her away Alex... a cold mother, weren't they his words? It hadn't been the first time he'd said them though, had it?"

Alex closed her eyes, trying to remember

"Before you even transferred... before"

"Before?" she whispered... her eyes darted, memories slowly surfacing, Molly, laughing, they were in a park, there was someone else there, a man, she couldn't see his face though

"It's coming back... isn't it Alex?"

"My little girl" she said her eyes filling with tears, "why's she here? She shouldn't be here"

"Where else would she be?"

"Why... what... please, please tell me"

"I think you should hear it from him" he nodded to one of the five men who were standing guard at the bottom of the staircase.

They sat in silence for the few minutes it took for the man to return dragging Gene behind him. Throwing him to the ground, Reynolds walked over and ripped the hood off.

Alex let out a gasp as she saw Gene laying there. His face a multitude of angry purple bruises, his lip split, and hair matted with blood. Tears sprung to her eyes, she didn't know if she was crying for Gene or because of him.

"There's the manc lion" spat Reynolds as he kicked him fiercely in the stomach, causing Gene to groan in pain; Reynolds pulled his leg back to strike him again,

"Stop!" shouted Alex running over to where Gene lay, "leave him" she cradled his head in her hands, pushing back the hair from his face, his eyes staring into her, she moved her hand down to the tape that covered his mouth, and gently pulled it back.

"Bolly" he whispered, his arid mouth too dry to say anything further.

Alex turned to Reynolds, "You... you did this to him?"

"He wouldn't tell me what I needed to know"

"And what do you need to know?"

"He knows Alex"

"Knows what?"

"Who you are... what you are"

"And what am I?" she asked Reynolds indignantly

"A spook Alex, like me, you are Artemis... you know, Artemis.."

"I know what bloody Artemis is, I've got the bloody file" she shouted, "but how the hell am I Artemis"

"Goddess of the Hunt, Alex, clever name, you thought of it"

"Me?"

"Yes, when you requested the transfer, you said you wanted to be the one to bring him down"

Alex sat there, Gene's head still cradled in her hands; she glanced down at him, seeing the hurt in his eyes, if she hadn't know better she'd have thought his eyes were full of unshed tears

"But.. but.. the file, it.."

"Yes yes, Molly, blah blah blah" he mocked her, "She's not yours"

Alex felt as though the wind had been knocked from her, "She.. she.."

"Oh come on Alex, it must be coming back by now... Edgehampton, the trial, you wanted to be part of it"

"I.. I.."

"You're my DI" Gene whispered quietly causing Alex to look down at him, "whatever this bastard says, you're my DI Alex, don't listen to 'im"

Alex felt two strong arms around her, dragging her off Gene

"Get off me" she screamed, fighting against the man, but he was too strong

"He's of no use now" said Reynolds

"But if it's him you wanted to bring down, why-"

"We needed you back first, you belong to me" he snarled

"I don't belong to anyone" she retorted, "especially not you"

Slap

She winced as Reynolds' hand connected with her face

"I think you'll find" he said, his face inches from hers, "that you are" he turned back to the men standing around Gene, "get rid of him"

Alex screamed and struggled against the man, "leave him alone, don't you bloody touch him or-"

"Or what Alex?"

She watched helpless as Gene was dragged away, every punch thrown, ever kick delivered, she heard, it felt like it went on forever, but it could only have been a few minutes. The men returned,

"It's done" one of them said

"Nooooooo" shouted Alex, tears spilling down her cheeks, fighting her hardest against her captor, "No.. you bastards, no"

TBC