It's All In My Head

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Chapter 3

The day had dragged immensely; minutes feeling like hours and hours feeling like days. As first days went, this one had been the most frustrating that Alex had ever experienced, even worse than the part time waitressing job she had taken in university with the beer bellied manager who used to try and cop a feel at the end of every shift. Alex had cleared the files from her desk; she had even managed to keep her cool when Ray Carling had dumped another stack in front of her with a smirk. She had arranged the folders in alphabetical order and into corresponding categories, putting them away before slumping down into the office chair, letting out a long and weary sigh as Hunt caught her attention; stood playing darts, shoulders broad and shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow, a half smoked cigarette hanging loosely from his lips as he threw his final arrow before stepping forward to pluck them from the board. She had to admit that whilst she was going to be here her time would be, somewhat interesting? Never before had she met an officer of the law as brazen and bad-mannered as him.

The office door flung open and Hunt stood in the doorway for a moment, taking a packet of cigarettes out of his trouser pocket, followed by a book of matches. He popped a cigarette between his lips and struck a match, lighting the cigarette as he walked, casually dropping the match into Rays cup of tea as he passed by.

"Nice work newbie, I haven't seen half of those case files since that one Christmas the missus decided to smile for a change"

"I need a drink…"

"Hmm, you're starting to sound more like my kind of woman Drake!" Gene smirked, rubbing his hands together joyously "Is this where you get your girly knickers in a twist and try to drink the big boys under the table?"

"Try? Don't make me laugh"

"So I take it we'll be seeing you in The Railway Arms later then?"

"I don't think so, tonight I've got a date with a bottle of wine and a very large tin of magnolia paint" she smiled sweetly "If I have to sit looking at beige walls after the day I've had I will go insane!"

"You already are love" He chuckled, taking a long drag of his cigarette and blowing out a plume of smoke towards her "So then, I'll be seeing you tomorrow, bright and early"

"Yeah, tomorrow"

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Alex stood back to appreciate her handy work, it had taken two coats to cover the nasty beige but she was happy with the results. She went through to the bathroom and took a fresh towel from the airing cupboard before switching the shower on. Stripping down to nothing, she tossed her paint covered clothes into the basket by the door and stepped into the shower, letting the water pour over her skin and wash away the stress of the day.

The loud knock at the front door disturbed her, and she reluctantly stepped out of the spray and switched it off. She wrapped the towel around herself and went to answer it, not even thinking that it could be Gene or Sam or one of the other men on the team. Luckily for Alex it wasn't any of them, instead it was Annie Cartwright.

"Hey, I didn't get a chance to say hello earlier on so I thought I'd introduce myself, I'm Annie" she smiled "I was so happy when Sam said there was another woman on the team"

"Nice to meet you, I'd shake your hand but I need them both to hold this towel on"

"Sorry!" Annie laughed "Look, you should come join us in the pub; it's good to get to know the team outside of the office"

"I suppose I should show my face, even for a little while, you'll have to give me some time to get ready though"

Alex let her into the flat, going through to the bedroom as Annie sat down on the sofa to wait. For a moment Alex didn't know what to do when she stepped into the bedroom, it was unfamiliar to her; she had no idea where anything was. She opened both doors of the big oak wardrobe and her eyes were immediately drawn to a long sleeved, maroon coloured woollen dress. She pulled it from the hanger and laid it out onto the bed, moving to the chest of draws and opening each compartment to see what was where. She took a pair of black knickers from the underwear draw and sat on the bed beside the dress to put them on. The dress was thick enough that she wouldn't need to bother wearing a bra. She quickly dried her hair and applied some makeup, putting on the dress and pairing it with a pair of knee high, tan leather boots.

"Let me warn you, the lads all seem to sit together in the pub, I usually sit with some of the women from uniform" Annie called "I know I'm part of CID now but it's still a boys club"

She left the bedroom, switching the light off as she left "Even Sam sits with them?"

"Yeah, I prefer talking to the girls and he always comes over later on when the rest of the team have had too much to drink and are getting rowdy"

They left the flat and walked the few minutes down the road to The Railway Arms. The fog of cigarette smoke took Alex by surprise as they walked inside, even more so when Gene rose from his seat in the corner with Sam, Ray and Chris and began to walk towards her.

"Cartwright, I think your future husband wants a word" Gene stated, his trademark pout settling on his lips for a moment as he leant against the bar "So, what are you drinking then Drake?"

She sat herself down on one of the barstools, placing both elbows on the bar and resting her chin on her hands "Red wine please, a very large glass"

"I thought you had painting to do tonight, surprising how Cartwright managed to pull you away with nothing but the idea of a girly chat and a cheap bottle of red"

"Oh I'm sorry, are you jealous?" she quipped, eyebrows raised and a playful glint in her eyes.

He scoffed, forcing a laugh "Me jealous of Cartwright? I don't think so love"

"Actually, forget the glass of red" she slid off the barstool and leant closer "Make it a bottle, I'll be sat with Annie and the women from uniform"

Gene watched as she sashayed over towards where Annie was now sat, turning back to the bar when he felt Sam tap him on the shoulder "Don't say a word Tyler"

"You're going to cause trouble if you try battling her, Guv" Sam muttered, his voice low and almost a whisper "She's smart, it won't end well I can promise you that"

Gene shook his head and handed Nelson a ten pound note from his pocket "She's feisty, it'll take her a couple of weeks to settle into the swing of things but I can tell already she's going to fit in nicely"

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It was the sound of glass clinking on the wooden table made Alex look up from picking the chipped nail polish from her fingers, having been paying no attention to the conversation that Annie and the other women were having. Stood in front of her was Gene Hunt, an empty pint glass in one hand and the other wrapped around the neck of a champagne bottle.

"Me and the lads had a bet that this stuff is your choice of drink" he indicated to the label on the bottle; Bollinger.

She frowned "I've tried it once or twice, but how exactly is there a bet on this?"

He placed the glass in front of her and picked up the bottle "They all reckon you can't hold your drink, whereas I on the other hand think there's still hope for you yet"

After peeling back the foil he removed the metal cage, popping the cork and beginning to pour the drink into the pint glass, pausing every few seconds to let the bubbles settle until the glass was filled to the brim.

"Drink up Bolly; let's see if you've got what it takes to be part of this team"

She watched as he turned and walked away, going back to join Sam, Ray and Chris. Annie sighed, shaking her head as Alex slid the pint of champagne towards herself and sipped the liquid until it was low enough not to cause a spill.

"You're not really going to fall for this, are you? They're just trying to get you drunk so that they can take the piss when you're hungover tomorrow"

"Hunt seriously seems to underestimate me, he thinks I'm just some posh bird that's trying to be one of the guys" she grinned, picking the glass up and drinking a huge mouthful "He'll see, there's more to me than meets the eye"

Alex watched as Gene sat back down beside Ray, lighting a cigarette that seemed like the thousandth one she'd seen him smoke that day. She caught his eye as he looked towards her, and she lifted the glass to her lips, taking a few extra gulps when she saw the smirk tugging at his lips.

The pint of bubbly alcohol was empty before Gene had even had the time to sink his own drink and order another, so the empty champagne bottle joined the empty bottle of wine which was shortly joined by a twin as the women laughed and chatted. By the time that Nelson rang the bell for last orders Alex had drunk more wine then she could ever remember drinking.

"Right.." Gene started, tugging on his camel coat as he approached the table "I'd best get you home then"

"Home? I'm a long way from there"

"Not really love, you're flats only round the corner" he began, downing the last few mouthfuls of his pint "I'll walk you round"

She shook her head firmly "No, I think I'd rather go alone"

"Walking on your own at this time of night? Don't make me bloody laugh woman"

Gene linked his arm through hers and lifted her to her feet, noting that she was a lot less unsteady than he was expecting. Outside the wind was picking up, giving the evening an icy chill that made the hairs on Alexs arms stand on end, even the thick wool of her dress couldn't keep her as warm as she'd have liked to be. She could feel his eyes on her as they walked up the stairs to her flat, and once outside her front door she turned and leant against the wall to fish her keys out of her handbag.

"Would you like to come in for a coffee?"

"Tar love but not tonight, I'd best be heading home before the missus locks me out for the night"

She nodded, clearing her throat and suddenly finding the set of keys in her hand more interesting than eye contact with him "Oh yeah, for a second I forgot that you're married"

"Yeah I am, why are you disappointed?" his tone was clearly amused and she could picture him smirking, pleased with himself.

"Of course not, it's just that I got the impression you were the love them and leave them type, that's all"

"Well, you should get yourself to bed Bolls, early day tomorrow"

She nodded, chewing her lip "Hmm, yeah, early day.."

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So sorry that it's been over a month since I updated, I just haven't had any inspiration to write until today when I finished this chapter off! Hope you enjoy! TPAS x