Disclaimer: As always nothing belongs to me!

Chapter Three: "You are armed, aren't you… sir?"

Ray's car screeched yet again as the driver did another hard handbrake turn in the hurry to reach their destination. "Boss, I 'ave never seen you drive like this before," the car's owner stated, and they again speeded along a straight road.

"Well I have never needed to get somewhere like this, have I?" Alex replied as she changed gear. She wished she had Gene's Audi which was powerful in both engine and physical presence but Ray's Ford would have to do.

"Drake, slow down!" Marks shouted, white in the face, "And for Heaven's sake put a seatbelt on if you insist on driving like a lunatic!"

"Are you a vicar or a police officer?" Alex exclaimed, "And don't tell me how to drive, seeing as you can't… sir."

Ray and Chris sniggered from the backseat and Alex gave them a grin in the rear-mirror. By the time Alex slammed the brakes on to show their arrival Marks was almost a shivering wreck.

"I think a careful and pre-considered plan of action should be taken," Marks said, "These people might be armed."

No one listened to his idea, and Alex heard Chris mutter, "We are armed too, what a utter twonk." And for once Ray had no choice but to agree with him.

"You are armed, aren't you…sir?" the sergeant asked, not sounding at all worried about the answer.

"I don't have a gun, as I believe a no casualty situation can still be achieved," he replied.

"Idiot," Ray said quietly.

"What did you just say sergeant?" Marks exclaimed.

"He said you're an idiot and I have to agree," Alex said, "and you're loudness has just taken away any form of surprise we had. You wait by the car."

"You cannot order me what to do!"

"You have come to a hostage situation without being armed knowing that the scum in there most likely has some sort of weapon!"

"I thought that-"

"Shut up and stay by the car while Ray, Chris and I do some real policing!"

And with that Alex and the others left their complaining superior officer by the car as they made their way towards their target.

"For a moment there, Bo- Ma'am I thought you were gonna agree with him, seeing as you are a, er…, a psychologist thing," Chris said, after a minute's silence.

"I might be a psychologist," Alex said, "and I might know how to defuse a hostage situation using words, but when some bastards take the Guv, then I take a leaf out of his book and use physical violence and threat to get him back."

They entered the building, in which one of the snouts had told them Gene might have been taken to, with extreme caution; any problems now and their Guv might be in immediate danger. They had to be careful! With their guns before them they crept along corridors and with Chris trying hard not to make a sound they passed almost silently through the ground floor to the one above.

This floor was mainly old offices and so to save time Alex had them split up and check in different directions. She didn't know what was happening to Gene but the longer they took to find him the less his chance of survival became. Trying to forget this thought Alex moved along the right corridor in a hurried manner, anticipation building before each door, and despair as each revealed an empty room. She had reached nearly halfway down the corridor when she heard Ray calling her. "Boss!"

She ran towards his voice, trying to forget the tone of concern he had used. Racing along her passage and turning to the left she was so caught up in Ray's discovery that she almost knocked Chris to the floor as he too made his way to Ray's shouting. Mumbling an apology, but not stopping to see if he heard or was following, she continued on her path and if Ray hadn't of stuck his head out of a door she would have flown right past it. As it was she did an emergency stop and turned to the sergeant. "Ray, what… where…?"she asked in a flustered voice.

"Ma'am", he replied, "you have got to be ready to enter. He's in a bit of a state."

Ray had her full attention, especially since it was the first time he had ever called her 'Ma'am', but as soon as the words "He's in…" were out of his mouth, Alex had stepped past him and into the office. Even in the dingy light she could clearly she the man in front of her.

Gene was propped against a wall unmoving. She sprinted over to him, dropped to the floor next to him and quickly checked his pulse. She almost sighed with relief when she felt the strong beat under her fingers. Knowing that he was only unconscious now, she examined the wounds on her fiancé's body.

Gene was definitely battered and bruised and although Alex had seen him in a worse state, these still made her feel nauseous. His face was purple and yellow and small cuts and scraps covered most of his face, but it was the cut just under the right side of his chin that worried her the most. From the look of it, it was deep and had been bleeding profusely; it was certainly going to scar. She could almost hear his what his reply would be when he found this out, and was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear a rasping, "Bols…", until Chris and Ray exclaimed joyfully, "Guv!"

Alex turned her head so quickly she felt dizzy but this was nothing, when she saw Gene's bright eyes staring at her. "Gene," she said, and burst into tears. Even though she knew it hurt him, he pulled her to him and held her to she stopped.

"So," he asked quietly wincing, "who 'as been in charge while I was away?"

"Technically it was the Boss," Ray replied.

"Technically?" Gene said dangerously.

Alex didn't want this conversation right now and stood up, "It doesn't matter now, all that matters is that we get you to the nearest hospital. Where's the Quattro?"

"Round the back. The bastard scum drove it here. If there scratched my car I'll bloody kill them with my bare hands!" he stated.

Alex laughed, "You've got the keys though?"

"Yeah. Convinced 'em might not be the best idea riding around in a car which there is only one of in London. In the end they agreed and chucked me the keys telling to drive myself home. Bastards!"

"Come on then, lets get you to the nearest A and E. Chris, Ray help him," Alex said.

The immediate reply was indignant, "I am not going to bloody 'ospital, and I do not need those two twonks' help!"

"Whether or not you like it you are going to hospital, and you obviously do need help otherwise you would have already left!"

"Fine. Fine. But anyone finds out and I'll bloody murder the lot of yeh. Got it?" Gene stated, viciously.

There was a mumbled "Yes Guv" and Alex smiled triumphantly as he got to his feet with help. Giving Ray's keys to Chris and taking his place holding up Gene she said, "Drive his Twatness back to the station. Do not tell him where Ray and I are, and definitely do not tell him we've got the Guv. I want to shock the fucking bastard!"

Chris shot off, while Ray and Alex supported Gene on his way to the lift and out the back to the legendary Audi Quattro. Gene automatically moved towards the driving seat, but Alex pushed him to the passenger side. "You can't drive if you haven't got the keys!" Gene stated as Ray tried to seat him, and Alex moved to the right side of the car.

"Good thing I've got them then isn't it?" She said, dangling them from her finger.

"'Ow the hell did you get them?!?"

"Swiped them from your pocket as I helped you, didn't I."

"Scheming mare!"

"Get in the car, Gene."

"Fine," and finally he allowed himself to be put in the passenger side, when the door shut and Ray moved round to climb in behind the driver's seat, he gave Alex a smile of appreciation. When she sat down in the car, Gene was still moaning about car abuse. She switched on the engine, and spent a second caressing the power she could feel under her fingertips.

"If you love the car so much Bols, why don't you marry it instead."

"You know I might just do that," she said, as she pulled away, "it doesn't smoke, drink and it isn't vulgar or rude. She smiled at the look of offence that flickered across his face for a second.

"Yeah maybe, but I bet I'm better in bed," he answered, and she could feel the smirk on his face, and Ray's cough of laughter from the back seat made her twist her lip in a smirk of her own.

"Maybe," she replied neutrally, "but I wouldn't yet would I? I mean bed is only where we sleep. The Quattro might be better there than you."

Ray actually laughed now, and she knew that Gene especially needed some dignity left and continued, "But it doesn't beat you anywhere else I know of."

Ray stopped laughing and started choking as Gene replied, "What like the Station showers for example?"