Alex's jaw dropped for a split second. Then she snapped it shut and pursed her lips. He was winding her up again she could feel it. The ignorant, insufferable, ungrateful oaf. She opened her mouth to deliver a stinging retort, but he got there first.
"Did you think I didn't pay attention, Bolly." He glared at her. "Or did you think that I am some kind of Neanderthal. I grew up in the school of hard knocks, Miss Privilege, we didn't all have your fancy education, but we had to learn and fast."
Gene swung his legs down off the bed, and leaned forward, his arm was on fire just above the elbow joint, no serious damage he thought to himself, and smiled grimly, then levered himself to his feet. Abruptly the room seemed to sway. He focused on Bolly, acutely aware that a tirade was pouring from her lips, both her hands were on her hips, and she was leaning forward in that aggressive way that made him want to act like Captain Caveman and jump her right then and there. He tuned out the aggressive torrent that was breaking over his head, instead concentrating on keeping himself upright. He felt lightheaded and very nauseated, and Miss Bossy Bolly Knickers would have to keep for the moment.
Alex spluttered in fury, and concern. He was struggling. Half of her wanted to hit him over the head with a heavy object, the other half wanted to soothe away his pain, mother him with pillow plumping concern and feed him chicken soup.
Whoa, where did that one come from Alex my girl. Alex was startled by her own reaction, and why she was reacting this way. Her next thoughts did nothing for her jangled nerves, two hours have passed and I'm still fixated on Gene, why? Where is Molly?
Pulling herself together, she straightened up. "Whatever you believe, this is my life, this is my home, my bedroom" she looked down at her clothes, "my wardrobe. And whatever you think may be going on, I am not mad, this is 2008."
Gene scowled at her, he obviously wasn't getting through, "Bolly! Right now, I'm prepared to take a few things on trust, because three hours ago we were running for our lives in a run down warehouse, and now we're here. Since I don't know where here is, and in some deep significant way, the only way I'm going to get any answers is by relying on a posh tart with the disposition of a love starved cobra..." He took a step forward towards her, and his knees almost buckled. He grabbed the door handle in an effort to keep himself upright, and retain some dignity. "Your call."
Alex was outraged, and strangely, slightly mollified by his weirdly left field compliment. She reached out to take his hand. Gene felt her touch on his skin, well whatever this is, this is real, he also felt a very strong urge to just let go. His head was swimming, the heat radiating from the wound in his arm, contrasted strangely with the ice chill he was feeling.
All Alex's instincts were on fire, she wanted him, she needed him in the worst possible way, and Ms Alexandra Drake didn't need anybody. For a few long seconds, they stood looking at each other, holding hands, the message was clear in their eyes.
A door slammed.
"Mum!"
Alex let go Gene's hand and spun round, "Molly" she cried, racing for the stairs, she scrambled down them, and flew into the arms of her daughter. Gathering her close, Alex crushed Molly to her. "Sweetheart, I was so afraid that I'd lost you."
Molly eased back from her mother. "But Mum, why would you think you'd lost me?" She looked puzzled. "I was only at school." She stared at her mother, something was indefinably different; Molly was a serious and intelligent child, and sensitive. Something was definitely going on, she started to form the question.
A noise from behind her mother made her look up. A large man, dressed in black, was coming down the stairs. His expression wasn't particularly friendly, but his steely blue eyes softened a little at the sight of the child, and in that split second, Molly felt she could trust him.
Alex took a deep breath and got to her feet. "Gene, this is Molly, my daughter." Her eyes pleaded with him, why she wasn't sure, but Gene was ahead of her. He held out his hand, "Very pleased to meet you, Molly."
Molly put her slim little hand into the large one offered to her, and her fingers were enveloped in what felt like a bear's paw. But the gentle strength of his handshake convinced her. She smiled up at him, suddenly brimming with confidence, "Any friend of Mum's is a friend of mine; pleased to meet you."
Her daughter's sudden cocky confidence made Alex blush, and glance up at Gene. But his expression was unfathomable.
Gene was having a hard time of it, in that second of taking Molly's hand, and her confident comeback, a hint of the woman had peeped out from the child's eyes, and knocked him for six. Whatever this was, and the evidence he could see was adding up to the strangest place he'd ever been in his life, he would be protecting these two women with every ounce of his being. The sound of a discussion broke in on his brief reverie, and he roused himself sufficiently to pay attention.
"Evan's coming to dinner!" Molly was saying. His Bolly was looking flustered, and pleased and angry all at once. Typical he snorted. His glare met Bolly's above her daughter's head. "Shall I make myself scarce, so that you two lovebirds can be alone?"
"Lovebirds?" Molly put her head on one side. "What do you mean by lovebirds?"
"Nothing!" Alex hastily put her hand on her child's shoulder and steered in the general direction of the stairs and her homework. "Gene was just being funny." Her scowl was easily as black as his. "Besides, where will you go?" she muttered out the side of her mouth as she passed him into the kitchen.
"Since it isn't my style to play gooseberry to a posh tart and her posh nancy feller, I expect I'll manage" he shot back, irritated that his hackles were rising so much over the smooth beggar. There was something that really annoyed him about Mr Fancy Pants White, the pet poodle of Ms Caroline Price, certificated broom stick carrier and official harridan representative of all pond scum. He determinedly fanned the flames of his annoyance, because truth be told he was feeling like he'd been run over by a truck. 2008, somewhere past teatime by his guess, and not a cuppa in sight. "Bolly, aren't there any biscuits in this mess!" he poked around the inside of the nearest cupboard in search of sustenance. "My stomach thinks my throat's been cut." Lips pursed with annoyance, she turned and handed him a plate. He lifted the corner of the sandwich and peered between the slices of bread suspiciously. "What is it?"
"Cheese and salad." she growled. Her eyes narrowed, and he snatched up half the sandwich and devoured most of it in one bite. Their eyes met and challenged each other. Alex was the first to look away, annoyed with herself for giving in.
Upstairs, Molly reached out and pushed her bedroom door open a little further with her toe. Homework didn't hold nearly the attraction that listening to her mother and Gene did. Molly could sense the tension between them, but she felt it was a good tension, she wasn't even sure why she should think that tension was good, as that wasn't quite the way her dictionary described it, but this felt like...she paused for the right word, and startled herself by pronouncing the word she was thinking of. "Family." She paused. Homework could wait. She pushed it to one side and slid quietly out of her bedroom door, carefully negotiating the creaking floorboard at the top of the stairs. Slipping into a good vantage point, she sat down on the top step and listened intently. She could hear her mother's footsteps, quick, impatient, and his heavier tread, slower, more measured, murmured voices. Molly settled in to await developments.
Gene parked himself heavily on the kitchen bar stool. He polished off the rest of the sandwich and watched Bolly busying herself with saucepans, a sardonic expression on his face. Alex, fully aware of his scrutiny, determined not to rise to the bait. A small thrill was coursing through her, Gene was on her turf now. She was the secure one, knew exactly who she was, where she was and what she was all about. Well DCI Gene Hunt, the boot's now on the other foot.
The door bell rang.