I don't own Ashes to Ashes
Sorry about the delay – unbeta-ed for now as I'm just trying to get as much writing done as possible before S3 – hope it's alright!
Promise for less angst next time!
----
The photographs of the gloves hit the table with a loud snap, skidding out across the surface of the interview table as Joe Ellison's eyes fell down to each square picture in turn.
"You better start talking Ellison," Gene growled, his voice low and menacing as it rose from his chest. "Because I don't appreciate being treated like a gammy wart on your foot, and I'm two minutes away from chargin' you with conspiracy an' obstruction of justice!" His eyes burned angrily, flashing dark blue as Ellison picked up the closest picture with trembling fingers.
For a moment, there was no response, simply an awed silence in which Ellison seemed to struggle for words, and then, suddenly, out of the blue, he smiled, his face splitting in two as his teeth seemed to slice across his features, the force of it causing the lines of his face to crack and splinter like plasterboard, joy shining from his eyes as he looked from one to the other of them in wonder.
Both Alex and Gene exchanged brief glances before Gene spoke, his voice evidently un-amused as he did so. "When you're quite finished grinning like the Cheshire cat with a Royal knob up 'is arse, why don't you explain what's so god-damned funny? Because I'm not seeing it myself! Your paws are all over the damn things, and unless you do some bloody quick explainin', I'm gunna see you done for wasting my time and leading the investigation to a halt when-!"
"Gene!" Alex murmured, shaking her head and halting him with a warning look before turning back to Joe. "Can you explain why your fingerprints are on the gloves, Joe?" She asked softly, folding her hands primly on the desk before her, not once breaking eye contact as she kept her voice level and calm. Gene snorted, rolling his eyes as his arms crossed firmly over his chest, toe tapping impatiently beneath the table while he looked at Joe expectantly.
The older man's face had crinkled in thought and confusion as he glanced from one to the other of them, evidently bemused. "Because I moved them," he said, frowning as he looked at them both again. Gene stared for several seconds, waiting for either Joe or Alex to say something else; when neither of them did, he half laughed to himself.
"Well, that's alright then," he said, standing up and waving his arm mockingly in the direction of the door. "I'm sure that'll help us greatly in court; you're free to go." He waited, watching as Joe glanced at Alex, and then stood up slowly; Gene decided to ignore the look of warning Alex sent his way as Ellison rounded the table and moved towards the door. The second he passed him, Gene's hand slammed into his chest, pushing him brutishly down into the chair Gene had just vacated. "Start talkin' Ellison, or I'm gunna kick you so 'ard in the nuts they'll retreat up yer own arse!"
"Gene, please," Alex murmured, glowering darkly across at him as he scowled right back. "What is threatening him going to do?"
"Well Bolly, I'd imagine it'll loosen 'is lying tongue and make 'is bollucks shrink to the size of raisins if he's got any sense!" His retort was smooth, and Alex could only roll her eyes in disgust.
"Do you actually have a shred of empathy in you?" She asked, voice clipped and tight.
"No," he replied simply, turning back to Joe and bending down so that their faces were on a level. He met the terrified eyes for a few moments before he spoke; "start talkin'," he warned softly. "Because I've got a bastard big pen and a charge sheet , and they say you're lookin' at ten bloody long years of male affection that'll make even a bent poofter like you long for a fanny an' a pair o' tits ter sink yer teeth into!"
"Gene, is it really necessary for you to-?"
"I just moved the gloves!" Joe said, shaking his head vigorously. "I didn't kill Rosa, I just moved the gloves. They were in the bin bag – all I did was move them! She told me to get rid of them, an' I did! I never saw 'em again! I didn't kill her!"
Gene perched on the desk, arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrow as he glowered down. "So you got rid of 'em, an' you thought you'd just leave out the whole 'concealin' evidence' malarkey?" He could see Alex rolling her eyes and shaking her head in disbelief, but he ignored her, pressing on without giving Joe the opportunity to answer. "Because in my world I can string you up by yer bollucks fer that sort of thing, and-!"
"But in this world," Alex interrupted acidly, "you're a policeman, and he is a suspect, and perhaps we should treat him as such?" Her voice trailed into sweetness as she blinked up at him innocently. Both Joe and Gene stared at her, Gene in evident anger, Joe in positive awe.
"Well, you're the psychiatrist," Gene growled, "why don't you tell me how I should be doin' it? Or better yet, why don't you do it yourself? And while yer at it, I'll go practise homophobia and racism and whatever else it is you like to accuse me of on a regular basis- I could do with a hobby."
He expected her to argue, to tell him to grow up; he was more than a little surprised – though in hindsight he realized that he shouldn't have been – when she smiled sweetly at him and nodded towards the door. "Fine," she conceded, "close the door on your way out, will you?"
He blinked, glaring at her for several seconds, ignoring the way Ellison glanced between them like a spectator at a tennis match, before Gene stood up, seeing the equal surprise in Alex's own eyes as he did so. "Don't get too attached, love," he murmured to her coolly, reaching for his cigarettes and lighting up as he blew the smoke directly into Joe's face, ignoring the other mans look of fear, and the sweat that trickled down Joe's brow. "Some blokes just prefer a bit of jiggle down under rather than up above, if yer catch my unsavoury drift..." He combined the words with a one-handed grab at the air next to his hip, followed by another in line with his chest; Alex rolled her eyes in disgust.
"Loaded with ambiguity as it was, I'm sure I got the jist," She drawled, glaring at him pointedly. Gene smirked, leaving the room without any further hesitation, except to blow further smoke in Joe's direction.
The moment the door closed, Alex smiled encouragingly at Joe, her tone soft and apologetic. "I'm very sorry you had to hear that," she said sincerely. "But we do need to know why those gloves have your prints on them, I'm afraid; at the moment, you could very easily be implicated as an accomplice."
"But I only moved them!" Joe protested, his eyes filled with evident confusion. "She gave me the bin bag, she said to get rid of them an' I did!"
"But you didn't destroy them?" Alex said, her tone careful as she pried gently onwards.
"She didn't tell me to!" Joe answered, shaking his head. "She said get rid of them! I got rid of them! She never saw them again, I never saw them again, and he never saw them again! I got rid of them!" His voice was edged with panic and fear, and he began wringing his hands repeatedly in his lap. "I didn't kill her!"
"I know you didn't kill her," Alex assured him, spreading her hands calmly. "I just need you to explain why you were there, and why you didn't tell us about the gloves before... can you do that?"
Joe shook his head instantly, but at the look of imploring Alex sent his way, he quavered slightly, glancing around the room as though terrified someone were watching him. The nervous glancing continued, but a moment later he leaned forwards, beckoning her closer with his hand, his jaw trembling as he went to speak. Alex shifted slightly closer, not taking her eyes from him as he gulped hard, then whispered softly. "She said she'd get me killed," he murmured, his lip shaking. "She said- she said I'd seen what he did and he'd- she said he'd do it to me if I told you..."
Alex waited, expecting more, but feeling her frustration when it wasn't forthcoming. With effort, she nodded encouragingly. "What happened next?"
"I can't tell you!" Joe wheezed, shaking his head vigorously as tears sprung to his eyes. "He'll kill me! She said he'd kill me! She'll get him to-!"
"I promise you," Alex said, her voice strong and level above his wavering cries, "both she and her brother are locked up very tight; they can't get to you here. You have to trust me; I can help you, but you have to tell me what happened."
Joe continued shaking his head, pressing his fist to his mouth as the tears brimmed over, running down his face. "She'll get out... she'll kill me... Don't want to do it- you can't make me!"
"You're right," she agreed softly, nodding slowly. "I can't make you. But if you don't help us, you could end up in prison; all I'm asking is that you try... can you do that?"
He shook his head, and Alex had to restrain the large urge to groan in annoyance. Instead, she nodded, breathing deeply before she spoke. "Ok... how about, you don't tell me?" She suggested quietly, watching as Joe's face crinkled with mistrust. "How about I guess, and you simply nod or shake your head? That way, you don't tell me anything I don't already know... would that work?"
Joe's eyes narrowed, but he nodded slowly, wetting his lips almost nervously before speaking again. "Can nod if it's not important...But, if it's tellin' you anything I just- just won't talk..." he met Alex's eyes, his jaw tight, but Alex nodded swiftly, smiling encouragingly as she did so.
"That's fine," she said softly. "Now, for every question you answer as nothing, I'm going to tap the desk, alright?" He nodded. Smiling encouragingly, she spoke quietly, "I'm just going to ask a few simple questions first, ok? Just shake your head, or nod, or say nothing."
Joe nodded slowly, gripping his elbows as he settled back into the chair, the sweat coursing down his brow as he bit hard upon his lip.
----
"Are you Joe Ellison?" He nodded slowly, rocking slightly on his chair as he pushed his hand against his mouth.
"Do you like chocolate?" Another slow nod, then silence.
"Have you ever eaten cheese?" A nod; yes.
"Did you ever get married?" A shake of the head; no.
They went on for several minutes, simple facts that were utterly meaningless and that, had Gene been present, would have been scorned and snorted at. Eventually, they started to make progress, and she could feel the room become slightly tenser as the man opposite her seemed to clam up with discomfort the more questions he answered.
"Did Rosa ever mention Ciaran to you?" A shake of the head, followed by a ragged breath.
"Did she mention an angel?" He shook his head again; no, she didn't.
"On the night that she died, did you know she'd be at the warehouse?" A sob, then another shake of the head as his lip quivered again.
"Did Sophia come and get you?" No, he answered with another shake; she hadn't.
"Your house is near to the warehouse, isn't it?" He nodded his head in confirmation, his eyes hard.
"Were you woken up from your sleep?" She asked, wetting her lips and watching him carefully as he nodded hesitantly, apparently considering whether this information would be too much.
"Did you hear screaming?" He met her eyes, glanced downwards, and then looked away; she tapped the desk next to the tape player with the flat of her palm.
Slowly, she started to make way; he'd woken up to screams, left the house to learn what was causing the commotion, walked into the warehouse to find Ciaran and Sophia bent over Rosa's body. He'd been scared; he'd seen Ciaran as he tried to burn the wallet, he'd run away, but Sophia had found him, told him to be quiet, to say nothing to anyone unless he wanted to end up like Rosa...
It was slow work, and Alex could see the clock in the corner of the room ticking slowly towards six, but she didn't stop, keen to strike while the iron was still hot, to learn as much as she could about Joe's involvement before he recoiled back into his shell of despair. Every piece of information she learned was another ten questions to be asked, and every now and then the silences in which he couldn't speak were filled with his sobs, his ragged breathing, and the habitual scratching of his skin.
Every so often, Alex saw Gene walking past outside, peering in with a look of frustration on his face; he didn't interrupt, and she made no attempt to leave until she was finished.
---
"I admit I was a little in the wrong," Alex ground out, her teeth threatening to shatter as she tried to ignore the look of smug superiority that was spreading itself across Gene's face. "It would appear you may have been right about Joe's involvement, but I was right in saying that Sophia didn't know the gloves were-!"
"I'm sorry, could you just repeat that?" Gene asked, grappling in his drawer and pulling out a tape recorder, before pressing firmly down upon the record button. "Now, tell me again that I was right and you were wrong..."
"I'll admit that Joe didn't tell us everything the first time," Alex conceded tightly, tapping her foot with evident impatience. "And I'll admit that I shouldn't have eliminated his involvement, but you have to admit that I was right about Sophia and-!"
"Right," Gene said, smirking to himself and cutting off the recorder as he stood up. "Well, now that you've finished arsing around in there for two hours more than was necessary, tryin' to wheedle out what we could've found in five minutes, I'm horny, hungry, and wound up like a stripper round a maypole; you gunna sort me out, or am I gunna have to resort to a five-knuckle shuffle in the bogs?"
Alex looked at him for several moments, feeling her stomach flip ever so slightly at the idea of taking him home right then... But he was smug, and grinning like the Cheshire cat himself as he watched her expectantly – so she smiled sweetly as she shrugged."Well," she murmured thoughtfully, "I'm afraid you'll have to settle for the shuffle..."
Gene paused as he shrugged his coat on, his smugness deteriorating into a dark glower as he looked across at her, watching with annoyance as she busied herself with a file. He took a moment to admire her tits as she bent over, and then, deciding that the best course of action was persuasion, walked around the desk to settle himself behind her, hands resting lightly on her hips. "Course I will," he agreed, resting his head on her shoulder as his hips aligned with hers, lips teasing the base of her ear gently. "Shuffle in the bogs... Fancy joining me?" His lips stayed against her skin as he breathed deeply, waiting for her response; Alex did nothing but roll her eyes before she spoke again, her voice soft.
"Did Sophia say anything?" She asked, flipping the page and scanning down half-heartedly as she ignored the soft whispers of his lips against her neck, and the trickling of warmth that shot from the point of contact between lips and skin, right down to the centre of her body.
"Denied it all," Gene said, not pulling far away from her in the slightest, even as he began shaking his head, his hairs teasing against her flesh as he moved. "She said we're a bunch of conniving bastards an' the evidence is all circumstantial..." He shrugged half-heartedly before his lips found her neck again, moving slowly and deliberately across the warm expanse of skin.
"So she's banking on Joe's discretion?" Alex murmured questioningly, her voice slipping from vaguely interested into work mode, and eliciting a small grunt of annoyance from Gene.
He drew away from her with a reluctant sigh, realising that the moment for persuasion had slipped through his fingers as she pursed her lips in thought; he simply shrugged then, rolling his eyes. "Wouldn't you expect him to shut it?" he asked, scratching at the back of his neck. "If I'd watched some bloke lop off bits of 'is Missus, I'd probably keep it shtum an' all!"
Alex laughed, shaking her head as she broke from her thoughtful reverie to glance back at him. "Would you, really?" she teased. "I don't imagine you'd be too worried about a seventeen year old boy turning a knife on you." Her voice was joking and playful, and Gene chuckled, tugging her back against his chest as he shrugged slightly.
"Maybe not," he admitted, hand slipping under her blouse and across her stomach to caress warm flesh. "But then, I'm not ortismatic, and I don't believe the word of some skanky bitch who sticks slabs of skin in 'er rubbish bags..." His lips were almost returned to her neck when she spoke again, and Gene gave up with another loud groan.
"It's autistic," Alex said, rolling her eyes at him, apparently unaware of his desire for a topic change as she carried on. "And it's part of his condition; he takes things seriously, even when he doesn't need to... that's why he's so threatened by you; he believes it when you threaten him, which is why he reacts so badly when you try and ask him things."
Gene chuckled, finger tracing around her belly button with deliberate intent as he spoke jokingly into her ear. "Yeah," he murmured, "well if you can't 'ave a joke at the expense of a poof, all funs gotta be gone from the world." He was only teasing, but he felt her stiffen angrily in response, and a moment later he let go of her with a reluctant groan, awaiting the inevitable tirade as she rounded upon him.
"Why does it bother you so much?" She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. "He's still a man, he's still got feelings, and he's still evidently upset by-!"
"I know 'e's got feelin's!" Gene answered without thinking, his voice slightly strained. "What I'm bothered about is what 'feelings' he puts where!"
"Oh for God's sake," Alex snapped, rolling her eyes as she snapped the file on the desk closed and began shaking her head. "This is ridiculous; Joe likes men, you like women- he has no desire to shag you, so please keep your medieval attitude on homosexuality to a minimum! The fact of the matter is that he's helped us; he's given us information, and now he needs us to make him feel safe!"
Gene stared at her for several seconds in disbelief, before blinking and shaking his head. "You want me to let him off, don't you?" He said, crossing his arms over his chest as he narrowed his eyes upon her.
"He's not well, Gene," Alex replied, placing the file in Gene's in-tray as she went on, "he didn't have a choice!"
"Of course he had a bloody choice!" Gene snapped back at her. "Everybody-!"
"He thought she was going to kill him!" She said exasperatedly, waving her hands around for emphasis. "He couldn't have said anything!"
"Alex," he growled, "we could've ended this bloody case six months ago if it wasn't for him! He knew exactly what happened from day one, and he didn't even try to tell us!"
"He couldn't have told us!" Alex repeated, stamping her foot slightly. "He'd promised he wouldn't! She'd made him promise that-!"
"He managed to tell you just now!" Gene spat, slamming his hand on the filing cabinet in agitation. "If he can do it now, he could've done it then!"
"She's in jail now!" Alex defended angrily. "They both are! Of course it was easier to say it now! He doesn't think they can touch him!"
Gene groaned, running both hands through his hair in frustration before he spoke, his voice angry. "They'd have been in jail an' unable to touch 'im six months ago if Ellison hadn't crapped his tweed trousers and spurted more shit than spunk!"
"Oh for God's sake, Gene! He was terrified! He thought he was going to die! Of course he didn't want to-!"
"You know what bothers me, Alex?" Gene said, his voice a soft growl that was as angry as it was confused. "What bothers me is that you want to let everybody off, no matter what they've done! First Amanda, then Ciaran, now Joe... What exactly do you want, Alex? You can't cry about every bloody case we work on, alright?"
"You didn't want Ciaran to go either!" Alex retorted, her eyes flashing with anger and hurt as she jabbed him in the chest. "You agreed as much as I did that he didn't deserve it, so don't you dare-!"
"Wrong, Alex," Gene growled, catching her wrist and pushing her slightly away from him. "I agreed he shouldn't have needed to do that for her.... I know he deserves to go down, Alex – I know that! It pisses me off and it fucks with my head, but he broke the law, and he killed somebody, so however much of a bitch the victim was, or how much he loved her, he's still goin' to prison! And just because Joe finally decided to tell us something doesn't mean I have to let him bugger off out of 'ere!"
Alex shook him off, shaking her head in anger. "He won't last one minute in there – I promised we'd keep him safe! He told us everything he knew, Gene! That deserves something at least! I can't-!"
"Alex, all he's told us is that Sophia told him to get rid of the gloves, that he left them in her cupboard where he knew she'd never look 'cause she was shacked up with McKellen, an' that she was trying to keep Ciaran out of jail so she could keep gettin' laid by the dead girls Dad! Any twat with half a brain cell could make that up! He hasn't got any proof that he didn't kill 'er, or that he wasn't more involved! All we've got is his word! And even if he's tellin' the truth, he's still withheld evidence fer six months; you might believe 'e couldn't tell us because of some bloody promise she made him make, but it ain't fer us to decide whether to let 'im bugger off into the sunset with a dildo an' a packet o' lube or not!" His voice was exasperated and disbelieving, but Alex stared at him in evident disgust.
"You don't seriously believe that he deserves to be in jail, do you?" She asked bitterly. "He's completely unstable!"
"I ain't denyin' he's messed up, Alex," Gene conceded evenly, his eyes not leaving hers as he went on, "he's got more personalities than he's got hairs, but yer can't just let him off 'cause he's a bit twitchy! Any old sod could come out with all that 'don't tell' bollucks!"
"He's going to secure Sophia and Ciaran's convictions with that information!" Alex argued strongly. "Isn't that worth a little leeway?"
"Yes," Gene agreed, nodding tersely. "Or at least it would've been, if he hadn't waited six months to decide to tell us! We brought him in the day after she died and he said zilch, Alex! An' if that were any other bloke you'd be begging fer a conviction!"
"If it were any other bloke he'd deserve it!" Alex retorted.
"Any bloke would deserve it!" Gene spat back. "He's not just buggering off out of this station Alex- it isn't up to us!"
"He's unstable!" Alex shouted. "He needs help! We should help him, we shouldn't-!"
"He can see the fancy men in white coats, an' if he's as fucked as you think he is, then they can give him some pills, an' then he'll get off an' go back to fishin' shits out of his bum-chums arse!" Gene's tone was final, and Alex bristled angrily.
"Why are you being-?"
"Why are you getting such a bee in yer bonnet about him anyway?" Gene snapped suddenly. "He's been laughin' at us behind our backs, an' playin' us like Scrabble! Why are you so keen to see him let go?"
"Because he doesn't understand!" Alex hissed. "He won't survive in there - you know that!"
"I know alot of things Alex, an' half of 'em should never see the light o' day, but he is not gettin' off for being autwatsic!"
"It's autistic!" She retorted, angrily stamping her foot. "You weren't in that interview room when I was speaking to him, Gene! You didn't see him! He was terrified! That woman scared him half to death- of course he wouldn't tell us what happened! You've already admitted yourself that if it was you, you wouldn't have told anyone either!"
"That's beside the bloody point!" Gene spat, agitatedly running a hand through his hair. "It's still against the law! There are alot of things I might do that I shouldn't, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't deserve a span inside if I did!"
"But you can't just-!"
Gene interrupted her coarsely, cutting over her with angry finality in his voice. "Alex, I'm not having this argument with you! It's Friday, it's late, an' I need a drink an' a shag; either come with me an' enjoy it, or stay out of the bathroom for the next two hours!"
He slammed out before she could respond; Alex stood staring in disgust for several moments, before she grabbed her coat and followed after him.
---
"I don't agree with you," Alex said flatly as they clambered into the car an hour later, having downed the best part of a bottle of red wine in Luigi's by herself. She fastened her seatbelt easily, and Gene sighed, slightly more relaxed through the haze of alcohol, and beginning to shake his head slowly as he put the key into the ignition.
"You never do, Bolly," he murmured, glancing from left to right very briefly before pulling out of his parking space. "But getting yer knickers in a knot about the 'ole thing ain't gunna change my mind; he's still a scummy scrotum, an' I'm still keepin' him in, so save yerself the aggravation and accept it."
Alex hesitated, and Gene expected her to retort bitterly, but when she spoke, her voice cracked slightly, quieter than before and quavering through the air. "Of all the people in this case, Gene, do you really think he's the villain?"
He glanced across at her as they rounded a corner, his eyes searching for several moments before he sighed softly. "No, Alex," he murmured, reaching across to touch her hand gently. "I don't think that; you know I don't... If anyone deserves the blame, it's Rosa... But we ain't the judge or the jury; we're just coppers- it ain't up to us who walks free an' who doesn't..."
"I know," Alex said softly, nodding to herself as she glanced out of her window. "It doesn't make it any easier, though, does it?"
Gene shook his head, driving slowly as he eyed her warmly and carefully. "No," he agreed, squeezing at her hand before moving to change the gear, watching as she turned her face back towards him, head lolling back upon the headrest as she met his eyes. He smiled slightly, lifting his hand to her cheek and brushing away silent tears with a gentle thumb. "But at least we're doin' something," he concluded, glancing back at the road for a moment as she bit down on her lip.
Alex could only nod, allowing his fingers to tangle around hers as they drove home in silence; he showed no desire to speak as they drove the now familiar route, his hand occasionally tightening against her own when he caught her drifting too far into her thoughts.
When they arrived, he said nothing, unclipping her seatbelt and opening her door before letting himself out. When he had walked around the car, she was still staring blankly ahead of her, her lip trembling as she lost herself in her mind; without a seconds hesitation, he lifted her from the seat, tugging her familiar body against his chest as he lifted her out and closed the door with his foot. Though she said nothing, her arms went straight around his neck, her head resting upon his shoulder as she breathed deeply of his scent. Gene held her like fragile glass, unlocking the door with difficulty, before carrying her inside, his lips resting lightly on her forehead.
"Alex?" He murmured, setting her down upon the stairs and kneeling down to her level; she looked at him, but it felt as though her eyes passed right through him. With a sigh, he leaned closer, brushing her forehead with his lips.
"Why do we do it, Gene?" She whispered softly, her voice cracking. Gene hesitated, then traced down her cheek with gentle fingers.
"We make a difference, Bols," he told her, one hand tangled in her curls as he rested his head upon her own. "It's all we can do."
She sighed weakly against him, one of her hands sliding to the back of his neck familiarly, stroking at the small growth of hair. Without another word, Gene caught her spare hand, leading her upstairs with his fingers wrapped firmly around her own. She stood awkwardly at the bottom of the bed, and Gene slowly removed her clothes until she stood only in her underwear; he tucked her into the bed with a light press of his lips against her forehead.
"Back in a minute," he murmured, stroking her hair gently when she caught his hand. "Gotta feed the dog..." his lips found hers for the briefest of moments before he drew away again, reluctantly pulling himself away from the warmth of her as he went downstairs.
Five minutes later, when he was back beside her in their bed, curled warmly against her body, his lips found her neck, gently caressing as she lay silently at his side.
"Alex?" Gene murmured into the dark, his eyes closed.
"Yes?" she whispered back, her hand stroking slowly up his spine, voice betraying the tears that had slipped from her eyes minutes before.
Gene waited for a moment, his breath hitching slightly before he spoke again, softly and hesitantly; "Don't get a transfer..." he said eventually. "Please... just- just don't."
He felt her smile against his cheek, felt her hand stroke tenderly through his hair, and then she moved closer, arms tightening around him as she murmured her reply into the darkness; "I won't."
Gene smiled back without thought, resting his head on the pillow alongside hers, just as Fitz slipped quietly through the half-open door, jumping with surprising elegance onto the double bed as he settled himself across their feet; not bothering to protest, Gene shifted his foot slightly, gathering Alex into his chest as he drifted off to sleep.
-----
I promise, the angst abates for a bit in the next chapter... only two or three more to go now! Hope you're still enjoying it!
Mage of the Heart