Chapter 4: "Well aren't you a regular little Chad Varah. Next you'll be telling me to call MAN 9000 and get it all off my chest"

"Jerry Springer and Jeremy Kyle would be really proud of you now, Gene!" Sam shouted into his Gov's face the next afternoon as they stood outside the Lost Property room, trying to decide on the best way to deal with a potential armed robber-come-rapist in their charge waiting to be formally charged. Sam had just barged into the room having heard screaming and pulled Gene off the skinny little man who was lying on the floor crying and spilling blood from his nose and a cut over his eyebrow and bundled him outside to calm him down.

"I don't care what no poxy arsed scientists have to say now, Sam - they can take their theories and poke them up their arses!" Gene retaliated, drawing a cigarette from the packet and putting it between his lips. Sam smiled despite himself

"they're not scientists… they're… oh, never mind" he finished lamely, catching the 'continue at your peril' look that he'd just been sent. "What I'm saying, is that you've, well you've got issues, Gov" Sam attempted again.

"Issues?" Gene took a drag of his cigarette and looked at the younger man "issues?" he repeated at Sam's nod.

"With using violence against suspects. And anyone in general, actually. You need to talk more and punch less" he continued, remembering the bruises he'd woken up with that morning following their fight yesterday. Gene looked at him and blew some smoke out of his mouth.

"The only 'issues' I've got, Sammy boy is you spouting off crap like that! I'm bloody fine, now piss off!"

"I am not going to let you go in there alone with him, who knows what you'll do!" Sam exclaimed, putting his hands on his chest to stop him as Gene made to go back into the room. Gene looked at Sam's palms flat against his chest and smirked.

"Now who's jealous?" Gene whispered into his ear and grinned at Sam's surprised look. It was the first mentioning of the 'incident' that had been made all day and it caught Sam completely off guard.

"Oh, grow up" he fired back, pulling his hands away as though he'd been burned before following his Governor back into the interview room.

They got through the rest of the day without any real incident and each avoiding the other as much as possible. Sam found his mind wandering many times that afternoon. Wandering to Gene and to Annie. Wandering over how Annie, whilst very nice and lovely, didn't make him feel half as alive as Gene. Wandering over how the one, quick kiss he'd shared with Annie hadn't exactly set his soul alight. Wandering over how he'd struggled to control his body's reaction when Gene had pinned him against the wall yesterday and how it was only the complete fear of getting himself torn limb from limb that had kept him from embarrassing himself. Wandering over how at some points in the morning, when Sam found his gaze had found its own way over to Gene, he'd found his own matched by that of Gene watching him. He'd held his gaze for a split second longer than necessary and had looked away. Annie found herself unintentionally shunned throughout the day, and Sam cursed himself for being cruel to her. None of this was her fault really. It wasn't her fault that he didn't want her. He made a note to talk to her at some point soon.

Sam deliberately took his time finishing up his paperwork that evening and soon enough, the others had all made their way to the Railway for some after shift drinks. Annie had gone through the doors with one last look at Sam, who failed to notice it. When he was sure everyone had left, he made his way to Gene's office and stopped outside the room to compose himself before he pushed open one of the doors.

"bugger off home, Tyler" Gene grunted at him. His feet were up on his desk and a bottle of scotch was standing with its cap off, whilst Gene nursed a double measure of the liquid in a glass between his fingertips. His eyes were closed and his head tilted back slightly. Sam ignored him and tried to move his eyes away from the long expanse of neck the Gov was exposing, sitting the way he was.

"I'm surprised you've still got enough glasses left to still drink here" he commented, moving away from the doorway and making his way further inside the office. To his surprise, Gene grinned.

"yeah, well it helps to know the ladies in the canteen - I suppose they've got to be useful at something since they're crap at making anything resembling food" he answered before he lifted his head and actually looked at Sam for the first time.

"Gene, we need to talk" Sam said, acknowledging the shiver of tension that immediately went through his superior.

"What is it with you and talking Tyler? Do they teach you to do lots of it in Hyde, do they? It's all you ever want to bloody well do" he took his feet from his desk and reluctantly admitted defeat as he reached down into a box beside his desk and took out another glass. He gestured for Sam to sit down anyway, and when he did he poured him a generous measure of Scotch.

"Talking helps, Gene. It does. A problem shared is a problem halved, and all that" Sam tipped his glass to his Gov and took a sip.

"Well aren't you a regular little Chad Varah. Next you'll be telling me to call MAN 9000 and get it all off my chest" Sam looked at him blankly and Gene rolled his eyes. "Samaritan's, Sammy Boy, Samaritans." Sam snorted and ran a hand over his face. He didn't ask how Gene Hunt knew either the name of the founder of, nor the telephone number for the Samaritans though it did stick at his brain for a long time after the conversation finished.

"I'm just saying, Gov. This is something we need to talk about" he'd finished his drink - probably far too quickly, but he felt the need to be more relaxed than he felt now if he was going to pressure Gene into opening up to him. He reached for the bottle and first topped up the Gov's glass and then his own.

Gene looked at him then, level and unquestioning, for a long time. Then he sighed a sigh more familiar from those with the weight of the world on their shoulders. "Okay Sam, you want to talk? Let's talk." he drained his glass in one gulp and poured himself another.

(information about The Samaritans found out from here: