Think I left me comfort zone somewhere back in 1974. If someone could feed it and take it for a walk occasionally, I'd be most grateful. Meanwhile, without the aid of a safety net ...

.

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Chapter 8

Sam perched on the edge of Gene's desk, crossing his feet at the ankle.

"So. Are you and the Guv … um … an item, then? Sorry, it's really none of my business, is it?"

He held a hand up in apology but she waved it away.

"It's fine, honestly. We're … something, probably too soon to say what exactly."

Sam grinned.

"Beauty and the Beast, huh?"

She smiled back.

"Beast? Who, the scary Manc Lion? Tickle his tummy and he's a pussycat, trust me."

Sam pretended to cover his ears.

"Whoa. TMI, Alex."

She giggled.

"Sorry."

He gave her a long assessing look before continuing.

"Be gentle with him, won't you? He's been very lonely recently. You'd never get him to admit it but his wife leaving hit him really hard."

She nodded.

"I guessed as much. I genuinely like him, Sam. Somewhere underneath that tough exterior lurks a caring, sensitive man."

He snorted.

"Sensitive? The Guv? Now that might be a claim too far."

She nodded, smirking.

"True. I'm working on him though."

"He really likes you too, he did nothing but talk about you when he came round yesterday."

"Oh, so that's where he went. I thought I'd scared him off and he'd gone back to the pub."

"Scared him off?"

Sam gave her a quizzical look and Alex shuffled her feet in embarrassment.

"We went for a walk in the park and I … um … ended up kissing him. It threw us both a bit, to be honest."

Sam raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.

"Hang on a minute. Are you saying the Guv went for a walk? Out of choice? Bloody hell, we'd better book the church now!"

Alex burst out laughing and Sam grinned, talking a sip of his whiskey.

"I presume you talked things through and got it sorted, then? You seem OK with each other now."

She felt her face turning a deep shade of crimson.

"You … ahem … could say that. Although there wasn't actually a great deal of talking involved."

"Oh? Ohhh … God … Sorry, I wasn't prying."

It was Sam's turn to blush and look away.

"It's fine. And you weren't, I volunteered the information."

He grinned at her again.

"No wonder he looks so bloody smug today …"

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Alex decided she liked Sam a lot. He wasn't like the others, he didn't treat her like she was Gene's bit of skirt, he talked to her like an equal, like someone with a brain in her head. Somehow he didn't seem to belong here any more than she did.

"So. Tell me exactly what happened, Alex. Gene gave us his version yesterday, but I'd like to hear it from you. And you never know, it might trigger some more memories."

She nodded, thinking back.

"Apparently I was found unconscious on the pavement outside late on Friday afternoon. I didn't know where I was, couldn't even remember my name and everything just felt … wrong, somehow. I know that makes no sense."

Sam gave her a wry grin.

"You'd be surprised. Anyway, carry on."

"Well, I heard Phyllis mention Gene's name and it sounded familiar from somewhere, so she brought me here to meet him. I must admit I wasn't quite sure about him at first but then I got the feeling that I could trust him somehow. Luckily he was kind enough to offer to take me in, and the rest you know."

Sam nodded thoughtfully.

"This will sound like a weird question, but I promise to explain later. Have you heard voices? People talking to you, or about you, almost as though you're somewhere else as well as here?"

She furrowed her brows.

"Not exactly. It felt more like a vague memory, although I don't see how it could be. I think I was in hospital, I could hear machines beeping and then someone said they were losing me …"

She looked up, surprised to see the look of understanding and compassion in his eyes.

"Tell me about London, Alex. Imagine yourself walking along the Thames and describe what you see."

She closed her eyes and tried to visualize it.

"The London Eye … the Millennium Bridge … Tate Modern … Tower Bridge …"

When she opened them again, he was looking at her with an expression of such intensity that it almost frightened her, and she noticed his hands were shaking slightly. When he spoke, his voice was barely more than a whisper.

"It's 1974, Alex. The millennium is twenty-six years off, the London Eye isn't even a figment of someone's overactive imagination yet and Tate Modern is still a working power station. And nobody here would have a clue what TMI stands for."

Her heart started to beat faster as she gazed at him in complete confusion.

"I … d … don't understand …"

Sam downed the rest of his whiskey.

"You and I, Alex. Seems we're both from the future …"

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He knew she was in shock, her eyes darting from right to left as she tried to process the information and make some sense of it. He took her drink, topped it up and put it back into her trembling hand.

"Take a sip, Alex. It'll help to calm the nerves."

She did as he asked and then put the glass down again, her eyes searching his.

"How is that … even possible?"

"Believe me, I wish I knew. The first time, I was hit by a car in 2006 and woke up here, but unlike you I could still remember where I came from. At first I thought I was going mad, particularly as I kept hearing voices from my old life, but it turned out I was actually in a coma in the future. In the end, I recovered and woke up back there again."

She shook her head as if to clear it.

"But … if that's the case, then how come you're here now?"

He gave her a lop-sided grin.

"Believe it or not, I chose to come back. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? A very wise barman once told me if you can feel, then you're alive. Here, I felt more alive than I'd ever done. Back there, I just didn't belong any more."

She got up and started to pace the office.

"So what are you telling me? That you're in a coma again?"

"Not this time. Let's just say I did the job properly the second time, so I'm here for good now."

"This is all too much to take in …"

She poured herself another decent measure and knocked it back in one.

"The file that I saw … it must have mentioned Gene by name. Some kind of dossier on your time here?"

He shrugged.

"I guess so. Which means something else, Alex. I think you must be a copper, it's the only explanation as to why you had access to it."

She sat down again, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Do you think this means I'm dead too, then? In the future?"

"Difficult to say. All I can tell you is that I've heard and felt nothing from my former life since I came back."

Her eyes filled with tears and she blinked them away.

"It's the most likely explanation though, isn't it? I haven't heard any voices or felt any connection to anywhere else so far."

He crouched down and took her hands.

"We don't know for certain yet, so don't give up hope. Anyway, it's not so bad here. You might actually grow to like it."

She gave him a watery smile.

"Because of the Guv, you mean? There is that. But why can't I remember, Sam?"

He straightened up again.

"That I can't answer. Although my memories are getting more and more hazy the longer I spend here, so presumably they'll eventually fade altogether."

"Is this really 1974, or are we in some kind of parallel universe or something?"

He smiled, watching the logical side of her brain taking over and trying to figure it all out.

"I'm not sure. Maybe everyone here is the same, they just don't remember any more."

She searched his eyes and he saw the sadness there.

"Perhaps I'm lucky in a way. I don't know what I've lost …"

.

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I know us writers of fic probably say it a lot but the reviews really do matter, specially when you attempt something a little bit different. Hope you're still enjoying - if so, I'd love to hear from you. :)