OK, not beta-d just yet, i was just aware of the wait you guys have had to endure. If there are any major typos or anything, just PM me.
Chapter 5
"Alright lads, off you trot," Gene said, pulling up outside his house in a Ford Transit.
"Where do you wan' 'em, Guv?" Chris asked, barely audible given the size of the box he was holding.
"Well in the house would be good, Christopher," Gene barked. "What're you doing?" he asked, watching Alex and Shaz picking up boxes.
"We're helping out. It's my stuff you're carrying," Alex said.
"Blokes job, Bolly. You just make sure Ray isn't mooching through your gear and Chris hasn't broken anything. As for you, Shaz, you're preggers. You can't be lifting this stuff. Go put the kettle on."
"It was good of the Super to lend you this Transit, Guv," Ray said.
"Lend? Oh yeah, it was. Good bloke," Gene said.
"It was good of him to let us all have the morning off too!" Chris added.
"Yeah well, like I said, good bloke," He said, pleased with a morning outside the office.
---
"All the time I have worked for you, Guv, I never knew where you lived," Shaz said, picking a dining chair up from the van and sitting on the lawn.
"Well I'm not expecting any visits, got it?" Gene warned, picking up a box.
"Loud and clear. Fancy a cuppa, Guv?" Shaz asked.
"Cheers, Shaz. Make sure you put enough in there for Chris and Ray, too," Gene said, heading into the house.
"So, how you doing then, Shaz?" Alex asked, pulling up a chair. Considering the time of year, the weather was on their side as the boys unloaded the van while Alex and Shaz sat on dining chairs in the middle of the lawn.
"Not too bad, thanks, ma'am. Three months now, gunna start getting a big belly," she said, sighing as she rubbed her stomach.
"Ah yes, but just thing of all the new clothes you'll be able to buy," Alex said, watching Shaz' face light up.
"Why the chairs, ma'am? I thought you were just bringing your clothes and stuff?" Shaz said, gesturing to the van.
"Have you seen the chairs in that place, Shaz? There isn't any. There is a couch, a TV, and an old armchair for furniture," Alex said, "And everything else is at least ten years old," Alex added. Having only been in Gene's house three times, it was enough to tell Alex that they were better off at her flat. But now Molly was here, her place was overcrowded and they needed more space.
"Hey, Guv. Wait up," Ray said, trying to catch up with Gene as he made his way upstairs.
"What do you want, Raymondo?"
"Well you know yesterday you told me to be spontained with Nina?"
"Spontaneous, Ray, yes. Did it work?"
"Not really, Guv. I picked her up at her place and she invited me inside while she finished getting ready."
"Nice one, Raymondo!" Gene said, proud he could help.
"Well I thought so too," Ray said. "So when she were finished, I took 'er 'and like you did with DI Drake and twirled 'er around all fancy like," he said, explaining, "but then it all went wrong," he added, sitting down on the top of the stairs.
"How? All you had to do was kiss her. Have you forgotten-"
"Nah, that was all good and tha'. Thing is, I lowered 'er to the ground like you did, but then I dropped her. She knocked her head on the hearth and she went out cold. I didn't know what to do," he said, burying his head in his hands as Gene sat beside him.
"You're supposed to tell me you rang an ambulance, Ray. Is she ok?" Gene asked.
"Oh, yeah. She's fine now. Am gunna go and see 'er tonight in 'ospital. She needed a few stitches on her head but that's abou' it."
"Unbelievable! I didn't say you had to do what I did, Ray. Just surprise her like. Should of just got 'er a bunch of flowers or something," Gene said, frustrated at his Sergeant.
"But flowers aren't my thing," Ray said, confused.
"Exactly. She knows that, so by buying them, you are surprising her. She'll think they're all nice and stuff. You know how birds get when you but them flowers. Chocolate's a no no. You buy them chocolate and they start going on about trying to lose weight. And before you know it, you're volunteering to go to the gym with 'em. Trust me, 'ave been there," said Gene, shuddering at the thought of using a treadmill.
"Well when I go to see 'er tonight, Guv, I'll bring 'er some daff's or something," Ray said, finally understanding. "That way, she wont think I'm all soft or anything 'cause you're supposed to bring flowers to 'ospitals," Ray said.
"Daffs? Why bring her daffodils? Get 'er some lilies or roses. More romantic like," Gene said.
"I haven't got money to waste, Guv," Ray said, shocked at the thought of splashing out on expensive flowers.
"Do you like this girl, Raymondo?" Gene asked, watching Ray nod he added, "well buy her some decent flowers, not sumink you can pick up at the local garage. When has my advise ever failed you before? Exactly," he said, getting up to go downstairs to collect more boxes from the van.
"Didn't have you down for the romantic type, Guv," Ray called, surprised at Gene. At this remark, Gene stopped dead on the stairs. Gene Hunt was not romantic.
"I'm not. But to be in a relationship, you gotta come to a compromise. If I do a few things that she likes like buying her some nice flowers or we go out for a nice meal and in return, she does a few things that I like, but my interests do not concern you, Raymondo," he said, making his way out. Different bird, same Guv, Ray thought, smiling to himself.
---
"Ma'am? Where do you want this?" Chris said, grabbing a box out of the van.
"Anywhere you like, Chris. You okay carrying that box? It's a heavy one. Got all my books and ornaments and stuff," Alex said.
""Yeah babes, put it down. Don't want you to hurt yourself, just get another one and Ray can get that one," Shaz said, looking on at Chris, straining all of his muscles.
"I can manage, ladies. Just because Ray's all macho and the Guv's the er Guv, it doesn't mean I'm not capable of a bit of man power," he said, almost dropping the box.
"Well only if you're sure, Chris," Alex said, trying to sound like she believed him. "Watch how you go."
"I think I know the route by now, ma'am," Chris said, sure of himself. To try and prove to them that he could do it, he held his head high and headed inside. Just as he reached the threshold, he tripped on the step and fell flat on his face. Miraculously, he still managed to hold on to the box. "See? None of its broken or anything," he said, proud of himself. Picking the box up once more, he took one more step and the base of the box fell through. Looking on, both Shaz and Alex tried to contain their laughter and hide the grins on their faces. "Sorry. You put too many things in the box," he said, trying to justify his actions.
"Twonk," Ray said, watching Chris on his knees as he gathered Alex's belongings. Sitting on the edge of the boot of the van, Ray added, "We're almost done in there, ma'am. Us men need a reward for all the hard graft," he said, causing a grin and a wink from Gene and a snigger badly covered with a cough from Alex. "Fancy going to Luigi's?" he continued, trying to ignore the childish sniggers from everyone else.
"Yeah, sure. It looks like it's gunna start raining anyway," Alex said.
"We're in London, ma'am; it always looks that way," Ray said.
"True. I could do with a drink, actually," Alex said, getting up and putting the chair inside.
"You could always do with a drink, Bolly," Gene added, shrugging on his coat.
---
"So, what do you think of your new pad?" Gene asked.
"Well it's a lot better with me in it," Alex added, pouring herself another drink from what amounted to their third bottle.
"Sure is. Not so sure about those stupid cushions, though," Gene added. "What's the point of hundreds of cushions chucked on every inch of the house?"
"Scatter cushions, Gene. Just a bit of decoration to our bedroom. It just lightens things up a bit."
"For what it's worth, you light up every room, Bolly."
"I'm still keeping the cushions," she said, smug.
"Fine," he said angrily. Worth a try.
---
"Chris? I believe it's your round," Gene slurred.
"It's always my round, Guv," Chris protested.
"So what are yer waiting for? Go get 'em," Ray added.
"Same again, everyone?" Chris asked, knowing he wasn't going to be able to get out of it.
"Looks like it, Chris. Nothing for me though, I need to go pick Molly up," Alex said, getting up and shrugging on her leather jacket.
"Don't you worry about that, Bolly. I'll go. You'll never be able to drive the van anyway. Not with the amount of rubbish you've drank," Gene said, causing Alex to sit back down.
"What about you? You've drank just as much as me," Alex protested.
"I, Bolly, have driven home a lot worse than I am now. I can drink this lot under the table and still manage to drive home in reverse," he said, self-confidence oozing from his drunken form. He had a point. He certainly wouldn't drive home if there was a chance of scratching his Quattro, Alex thought to herself, and therefore agreed.
"Well, drive carefully," she warned.
"No worries, I'll be back in ten minutes," he said, but Gene could see that that was the problem to begin with, so he added, "ok, fine. Fifteen," and then he left, car keys swinging from his fingers.
---
Standing outside Luigi's, he realised his Quattro was low on petrol and decided to take the Transit. He got inside, took a swig from his hipflask and started the van. On his way over to the school, Gene couldn't help but feel pleased at how well everything was going. Alex was happy, Molly was happy, his team was happy. Everything was going to plan. This was the life that Gene Hunt wanted. And he was going to hang on to it as long as possible. So Layton was on the loose and Evan was proving a few problems, but no one could stand in the way of Gene's happiness.
Turning the radio up, he didn't realise the figure stood in front of him until it was too late.
"Tim?" Gene said, slamming the brakes on as the van screeched along the road. But looking up once more, the figure that was Timothy Price had disappeared and all was heard was a scream. The scream of a child.
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Ok, hope you enjoyed it. Not the best chapter, but in terms of the story, it's about to get a whole lot worse for our favourite DCI.