China Girl

(An Ashes to Ashes Fic)

Chapter 7 –

An occasional Dream

Alex was just falling asleep when she heard her name being called somewhere in the distance; or at least that's what it sounded like and for a moment her heart skipped a beat at the thought that it could be Gene. But reality sank in as she realised there was no way that was possible as it was only the very early hours of the morning.

'Alex? Alex can you hear me?'

There it was again. A voice, slightly crackling, calling her name. She wasn't quite sure whether or not she should be scared. After all there weren't many nurses around at this time and she was sure that Jeanette hadn't been caught by the police yet.

She shivered. Why couldn't anyone just leave her to sleep?

'Alex? It's me, Sam…'

'Sam' she whispered into the darkness, half-expecting to see him pop-out from behind the curtain, but then she realised. The radio!

Turning around, she picked it up from beside her and placed it on the bed so that she would be able to hear what he was saying, slightly clearer.

'Alex, I need to talk to you…Can you hear me Alex?'

'Yes. Yeah Sam I can hear you! What's happening?'

'I can't talk for long Alex; but I needed to talk to you. To let you know that you haven't got long before you have to tell them, and they have to believe you. Somehow'

'But how? Sam; how can I make them believe me?'

'You'll find a way. I know you can do this Alex; you just have to believe in yourself. Gene trusts you; he'll try to make sense of it all…

…I have to go know Alex…Good Luck'

'It's all about timing this life…'

**

It was cold outside, walking the streets in the early hours of the morning, and she shivered slightly in the crisp, night breeze, pulling her coat around her for extra warmth.

She walked briskly, not particularly feeling safe, out on the streets of London, alone, at this time. She didn't even know why she was here at all, but something about it just felt so right; as though it was where she was meant to be. Just like he'd said in the dream.

Thinking about it now, she realised just how mental it sounded. Going to London, simply because of what someone had said in a dream. People had dreams all the time and they didn't walk around in the early hours of the morning because of them. But this hadn't been like an ordinary dream, this had been different. It had felt so real.

She was almost there now.

Fenchurch East.

She climbed the concrete stairs two at a time, pushing the heavy door and not waiting for it to swing shut behind her, as she hurried through the corridors, to find her destination.

She'd never been here before, but she'd been in various police stations, so it wasn't that difficult to work out where everything was. Now all she had to do was find CID.

**

Sitting up in her hospital bed, Alex contemplated what Sam had told her.

Everything felt so confusing at the moment; she needed to re-gain control of the situation, of her life.

'Make sure she concentrates, she's easily distracted'

'When the Brain dies, it keeps trying to make connections for up to seven minutes'

'Keep making connections'

'It's all about timing this life'

So many things whirling around in her head, she couldn't think straight anymore. She couldn't breathe.

And what about Molly? What if she couldn't see her again? What if everything that Sam had told her wasn't real? What if it was just her sub-conscious, making her see and hear things that weren't there? How were the two worlds really connected?

So many questions, and no-one to give her any answers.

She was loosing perspective of everything.

**

Gene awoke with a start as he heard a door slam somewhere in the station.

Normally he wouldn't have worried, knowing that it would most likely be Alex, but this time it couldn't be her.

Picking up his hip-flask and putting it safely back in his jacket pocket; he glanced at the clock on the wall. 5:10 AM. Shit.

He hadn't meant to stay at the station over-night; there was just no point in going home. He had thought about staying at Alex's, but had eventually fallen asleep in his office, with his feet on the desk and hip-flask in hand.

He heard another noise. Another door slam.

And then a figure. Standing just behind the double doors of CID.

And so he waited.

He remained glued to the spot, watching and waiting as the doors slowly creaked open to reveal…

'Bloody hell!'

'Guv?'

'Annie?'