Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! They are much appreciated! Again, this story is unbeta'd, and i don't own ashes.

Catherine was sobbing. This morning started out like any other day. Now she was sitting in a police station, Matt was under arrest, and she was supposed to be someone else. She was vaguely aware that Shaz was sitting next to her. Slowly she stopped crying and looked at Shaz through watery, red eyes.

"I want to see Matt."

*

Gene finished his conversation with Annie and walked into CID. Ray was sitting at his desk, feet up, smoking.

"Ray! I want to know what happened."

"Right, Guv. Well I went and grabbed some cocaine from evidence, and got a warrant. When I got there, he wasn't home, so I went down to the docks where he works. I didn't need the cocaine, Guv. I caught the bastard with crates of it on his boat, so we can get him for supplying and use of it. That should be a nice sentence."

"Okay, so we have a man who kidnaps a police officer, brainwashes her, and makes her his wife, who is also a cocaine dealer," said Chris, slightly lost.

"Yes, Chris," said the Guv. "We're dealing with someone really messed up here. I'm gonna go interrogate. You two come with me."

Ray and Chris got up and followed Gene out of the room to the interrogation room. However, when they got there, Shaz was standing outside the door.

"Shaz, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay with Al...Catherine."

"She wanted to see her husband, Guv. Since you weren't interviewing him yet, I thought it would be okay. She's a wreck."

Gene looked through the window. Catherine was staring at Matt like a lost child. Matt was speaking, and she was nodding. He really did feel sorry for her.

"Right. It's time to interview this bastard." Gene walked toward the door, and swung it open.

*

Shaz had let her see Matt. Catherine was growing to like the woman, even though she was police. There was something about her that she liked, possibly the fact she hadn't been corrupted by Hunt.

Catherine walked into the interview room. Matt was sitting in the chair behind the table, arms cuffed behind his back.

"Matt?" she whispered.

He looked up. "Catherine," he said, a smile crossing over his face. It quickly disappeared when he saw the state she was in.

"Honey what's wrong?"

"I don't know who I am anymore Matt. They are saying that I am some woman named Alex Drake. They showed me a picture, and she looks exactly like me. Our fingerprints are the same too." Her voice cracked slightly.

"Catherine, Honey, don't worry. You know how to tell who you are?"

"How?"

"Just think, love. Who do you feel like? Do you feel like a copper, like someone who would respect Gene Hunt? Or do you feel like my wife, who I love, and who loves me back?"

Catherine thought. "I...I feel like your wife."

"That's who you are then. You are my wife Catherine, and you know I have not done anything to you but love you. As far as the fingerprints, those can be faked."

"And the picture?"

"I don't know about that. But if you feel like Catherine, then that's who you are."

Catherine nodded, feeling better. At that instant, Hunt swung the door open. He pointed at her.

"You, out. Shaz will take care of you. As for you..." he looked at Matt. "Welcome to Hell."

Catherine cast a glance at Matt, who nodded, and exited the room. Shaz was waiting outside.

"Come on ma'am. Let's get you a cup of tea."

*

Gene settled into the seat across from Matt, glaring. Matt looked uncomfortable. Ray sat next to Gene, and lit a cigarette. Chris stood behind them both, doing nothing.

"Matt Williams, do you know why you are here?"

"Apparently, I was arrested for drug shipping," he responded sarcastically.

Gene let his tone go.

"Thats why you were brought here, but we actually found another interesting tidbit, Mattie boy."

"Oh really? And what would that be?"

"Your wife appears to be a DI that's gone missing."

"I don't see how. Catherine never seemed to like the police. With good reason, I might add. Corrupt bastards the lot of you. In fact..." Matt was unable to finish his comment as he had been lifed out of his chair with Gene's face uncomfortably close.

"You better shut your face you wet, snivelling little bastard! Here's the facts. I have a woman in my office who believes she's your wife. Fact is, she's not really your wife is she? She's a DI that you kidnapped and tortured and then bloody BRAINWASHED!"

Matt looked up at Gene smugly. "No comment."

Ray stood up. "Just admit it. We know you did it!"

"Are you going to charge me with something, or just keep climbing out onto a limb?"

There was a thud as Gene's fist met Matt's chin and Matt fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Are you gonna charge him Guv?" asked Chris.

"Only on the drugs," Gene sighed. "As much as it pains me, we have no evidence of him kidnapping Drake. Like Annie said, she could have hit her head wrong, and he decided to take advantage of that. He'll go down for a while on the drugs charge with the amount of cocaine he was shipping. Hopefully Drake'll recover in the time he's in prison and we can nab him on kidnapping too."

"Well how do we get Drake back?" Ray asked.

"She won't come back." Everyone in the room jumped, they hadn't realised Matt had returned to consciousness.

"What do you mean?" Gene asked worriedly.

"After she got over the sickness-that took a while, it was really bad, we nearly had to take her to the hospital... Anyway, after she was better, her brain was so blissfully empty. She was just waiting for something to grasp onto. Like a clean slate, just waiting for the chalk to write on it."

"How did she lose her memory Willliams?"

"As long as she knows who truely loves her, she won't come back."

"You don't truly love her though do you?"

"Charge me or let me out."

Gene stood up, knocking the chair over.

"Charge him Chris."

He walked out angrily, running into Catherine. He hadn't realised she had been standing outside the door. She looked at him with pain and confusion in her eyes.

"Her brain was so blissfully empty..."

"Catherine..." he said, concerned.

"My life, my entire life, is just a giant lie." She looked at him again, this time her eyes held tears. Catherine was so confused. Just as she had decided that she couldn't be that DI, her world had been shifted again. She was passing by the interrogation room on the way to the ladies, and heard Matt's voice. Now she was lost again. Gene just looked at her with pity in his eyes.

"I'm supposed to be Alex Drake?"

"No Catherine," he said softly. "You are Alex Drake."

"If that's who I am...I want to live her life."

"What?"

"Gene, I want to remember."

TBC...