Thanks as always for the reviews! Ownership of Ashes = Not me!
October 5th, 1983
Gene stared at the desk that had now sat empty for nearly a year. It had stayed untouched for days, but slowly the files disappeared from the surface. He himself had taken her name plaque from her desk. It hurt too much to look at. He had stuffed it in the drawer of a file cabinet that he never used. It went there with her other things. When the case went cold, he went into evidence and took her warrant card and gun. Those were the only things he had left of Alex. He had considered taking her jacket, but couldn't. It was covered in blood, which forensics had confirmed was her blood. He couldn't bear the sight of it.
Gene opened the drawer that held her name plate, warrant card and gun. He remembered Annie's eyes when he had given her Sam's jacket, which he had left in the office that morning. Since Sam's body was never found, his jacket served as closure and a memorial. That's exactly what Alex's things did for him.
Shaz knocked and entered the office. "Guv? I have the papers you requested."
Shaz had been growing round since her honeymoon. She looked at him in concern. "You're ready to this Guv?"
"It's been nearly a year. We haven't heard anything since the day her things arrived. You know as well as I do that she's probably dead. Superintendant Rivers has been on me for months. I have to." His voice was flat. Shaz could tell that he was convincing himself as well as trying to convince her.
"Can you clean out the drawers Shaz? It was never done, and the new DI'll need a desk."
"Yes, Guv. I'll get right on that." Shaz didn't look forward to emptying Alex's desk. She missed her almost as much as the Guv.
Gene took a swig of whiskey. He hadn't been drinking as much since Alex disappeared, and he didn't know why. Maybe he wanted to be sober in case she ever just popped up out of the blue. He knew that her suddenly coming back to existence was impossible, but it didn't stop him from hoping.
Ray entered the office. "Guv, we just got report of a bank robbery on Rimmel Street. Six hostages. Three of them are employees, three are customers."
The Guv looked up at Ray and stood. "Right," he said, emotion finally creeping into his voice. He was going out to do the only thing that brought him any happiness now, catching scumbags. "Let's fire up the Quattro."
*
Gene always liked to go into situations all guns blazing. His gut today, however was telling him to negotiate. Swallowing hard, he tried to remember how Alex did it. Gene gave Ray his gun, who looked at him like he had gone mad. And since Alex disappeared, he had in a way. He approached the door.
"This is DCI Gene Hunt," he called. "I am unarmed. I want to know what you want to release those hostages."
The robbers approached the door, hostage in tow. It was a woman, but her head was covered by a bag. She was wearing a skirt suit. The robber had a gun to her head.
"I'll tell you what we want," one of the robbers yelled back. He sounded young. "Get rid of all the coppers, and let us go. Then none of them will die!"
"The problem with that is we know whose vehicle is whose out here. If we let you bastards go, we can just track down the car. But if you let those innocent people go now, I can get ya a shorter jail sentence. I'll give ya one count of kidnapping instead of six, and attempted robbery. Whole hell of a lot better than if ya shoot one of them innocent people."
Ray and Chris approached behind the Guv. Then robbers made an extremely stupid move. They stepped outside in the front of the bank, leaving the hostage inside. One showed them two fingers, and started to yell something, but couldn't finish. Two shots rang out, and both of the robbers grabbed their feet swearing.
"Chris, you twonk, I swear that's becoming your bloody signature," Ray said appreciatively.
Chris and Ray moved to arrest the robbers. Without their masks, they looked about 15.
"That explains the idiot move," said Chris, happy that he wasn't being made fun of for once. "They're babies!"
One of the robbers spat in his face, earning a punch from Ray.
Gene walked into the bank. All the hostages were taking off the bags they had worn on their heads, except the one who had had the gun to her head.
"You all are safe, but we need statements from all of ya, so hurry up outside. He walked up to the woman, who was still sitting where the robbers left her.
"We need you outside, love. I know you've been through an ordeal today, but we still need a statement."
She still didn't move. Something in the way she was sitting reminded him of someone he knew, he just couldn't place it. He took the bag off her head, to see a mess of long brunette hair.
"Ma'am? We need you outside." Gene didn't lose his temper at her. She had been through so much today that she didn't need to go through one of his temper tantrums.
"God, am I goin' soft?"
"Right, sorry." She started to get up. Gene helped her, but was lost in his thoughts.
"It can't be! That voice sounds exactly like..."
The brunette turned around to face him.
"Bloody fucking hell."
He was staring into the face of Alex Drake.
TBC...