A/N: Tissue Warning! In fact, I'm issuing a tissue warning to all (ten-ish) remaining chapters of this fic. I'm going to buy bloody shares in Kleenex. That's what I get for planning out stories under the influence of bloody pregnancy hormones. The baby may have arrived but the tissue warnings remain!
Anyway, here it is, a bit earlier than I expected – sorry the chapter is so long, feel free to take a tea break mid-way :D
~xXx~
Chapter Eighteen
2012
"Stringer, you're supposed to be on sick leave for at least one more week; your ribs are clearly still giving you trouble and you're too emotionally involved." DCI Huston couldn't have been more surprised to see Kim arrive in CID, especially when she arrived asking for a car and a gun. "I can't let you out on the street searching for Layton."
"You're not 'letting' me," said Kim, "that's a decision I made myself."
"DI Stringer –"
"Listen," Kim said urgently, "what brought me back to the force anyway?" she paused and watched him look at her blankly. "It was tracking down Layton with Alex and Robin." She closed her eyes, "I mean, DI Drake and Chief Inspector Thomas. It showed me it was still in my blood. I learned more about Layton than the rest of this department put together trying to track him down. So did DI Drake. If anyone's going to be able to find him, don't you think we have a better chance than most?"
DCI Huston stared at Kim. He tried to glare. He tried to tell her he didn't like her attitude, but that would have been a lie. She had exactly the attitude they needed for finding the bastard. That was the attitude that had people chasing her for fast track schemes and the like. Eventually he conceded.
"Alright," he said, "do what you have to. But you are to check in regularly, and if there's any sign of him you call for back up. Agreed?"
Kim nodded. She wasn't sure about calling for back-up but Huston didn't have to know that.
"Thank you, sir," she said. His permission wouldn't have made any difference to her anyway. Nothing was going to stop her from pursuing Layton with Alex.
It felt strange to be back in CID after spending so much time in hospitals, as a patient and as a visitor. She had almost forgotten the buzz that went through her veins from being there. But there was a different buzz filling her body as she checked her gun and made sure her radio was functioning correctly. There was a strange feeling in the air and it was growing stronger all the time. Things were moving. Kim couldn't begin to guess what the outcome of the search would be – with two people desperate to swap sides of the line between life and death and with Layton the central theme anything was possible.
"You can run but you can't hide," she mumbled to herself as she prepared to meet Alex to begin their search. Arthur Layton was a rat who needed capture – with any luck he'd have left them a trail of droppings to follow.
~xXx~
1997
"This just feels really surreal," Robin said quietly as he sat in the back of Gene's Aston Martin. He immediately regretted saying that. He hadn't meant to speak out loud. It was just a throwaway thought and now he'd committed himself to expanding upon it. He could see from Gene's expression that he wasn't going to let that one pass.
"You mean he experience of spending yer evening in a car with this level of class?" he asked.
Robin closed his eyes and sighed.
"I wasn't talking about the car," he said,
"How can you not talk about the car?" Gene challenged, "the paintwork's perfect, when I get Bolly back she'll be able to make her face up in that. The interior's spotless and so comfortable me backside has been thanking me ever since I bought it. Steers like a dream. And I'm on the verge of purchasing my dream pair of furry dice." He looked at Robin in the rear view mirror. "I know you didn't mean the car, Batman. Spill it. What did you mean?"
Robin rubbed his forehead and leaned back, staring out of the widow as he did so.
"Sometimes I have trouble understanding the fact that I'm back over here," he said quietly, "it… it feels weird. And then there's all the stuff that goes on here…" he glanced at Gene. "I was going to tell you… but then there was Sniff the Snout and the cue ball and…"
"Tell me what?" Gene asked.
"I heard something when I was coming back to the station," Robin said quietly, "after finding out what I could on the streets."
"This had better not be a guessing game," said Gene, pulling out his flask. He'd had the good sense to refill it before the stakeout began but he was starting to wish that he'd brought a full bottle along. They'd only been there an hour and already Simon had made fourteen attempts at playing I-Spy. Gene wasn't sure he could survive attempt number fifteen, especially not if it was 'river' again.
"There was a radio blaring out of a car," Robin explained, "and I heard something from home." He paused, "from Kim."
He was aware of the dark expression that Simon took on. He could see it glimpsed in the rear view mirror. He tried to ignore that. The message was important.
"I take it Stringer wasn't informing you she'd had her brain pierced?" Gene commented.
Robin bit his lip.
"We're not the only ones on Layton's case right now," he said, "I heard her say he'd been taken to hospital after taking an overdose."
Gene lifted his flask.
"Couldn't happen to a nicer man," he said, the images of Layton firing the bullet into Alex's head still fresh in his mind. He shuddered as he took a swig. In honesty he wished he'd never watched the tape. He didn't know how he was ever going to forget what he'd seen.
"Something's happening," Robin's voice was barely above a whisper, "isn't it?" he looked at Gene, desperate for him to give his suspicions a foundation. "Something's happening tonight.
Gene carried on staring out of the window.
"Let's see what midnight brings, "he said.
Simon glanced around to the back seat. He caught a glimpse of Robin then looked away again. If something was 'happening' that night there was no way of knowing for certain which way things were going to go. Was Alex coming back - or was Robin going home? The thought of losing him again pulled darkly at his soul.
They fell silent for some time and watched, waited, anticipated what was coming. There was no way of knowing what lay ahead but the buzz in the air couldn't be denied.
~xXx~
The car pulled up a safe distance away.
"I don't know why we have to get here so early," Nailer complained, "we're going to be sitting here for hours."
"You've never been on a stakeout before, have you?" sighed Victoria.
"Well, no," said Nailer, "I'm not on the right side of the law for that."
Victoria tried not to smile. She tried not to allow herself to acknowledge that she was warming to him more and more as the day had gone on. After her desperate exit from Fenchurch West she had spent most of the day trying to come to terms with what she had done; abandoning the good side of the law for a life she could never have imagined wanting to pursue. All her life she had wanted to do the right thing; she had wanted to bring truth and justice to the world, and as a child she'd had a highly idealised image in her mind of the law and of keeping the streets free from those who wished to do harm to others.
Reality had not lived up to her childhood dreams.
In truth, Victoria found her memory gaps disturbing. She remembered little if anything prior to joining Fenchurch West. How had she reached the post of DI? She didn't know. She couldn't remember where she worked before, nor anything about her career. The first thing she really remembered was being involved in a car crash and Keats sweet-talking her into working for his station. The sweet talking didn't last for long.
Now as she sat in the car with a wanted escapee beside her she couldn't imagine how Keats had managed to trap her in that place for so long, for all those months. more than a year and a half of that nightmare had passed by before she managed to break free. That wasn't like her. she used to be strong. Why had she let him keep her fight buried for so long?
Nick Nailer was not like other ne'er-do-wells. He was a strange case, she thought as she watched him carefully. He was such a powerful name on the streets and yet he had a set of morals that most people on the right side of the law could never hope to live by. she couldn't make him out. All she knew was that he'd offered her an escape. She was going to take it and run with it. Helping him get Layton away from his old business was the least she could do – especially since his tainted drugs were in danger of wiping out half the city.
"Mister Nailer," she began, "Not that I mean to pry but… I think I need to know your plans when Layton arrives.
"Might be best if you don't know," Nailer told her, and she frowned.
"That's what I was worried you'd say," she mumbled.
Nailer looked at her seriously.
"Just one act, one night," he said, "and then it's over. For both you and me. Time for a new start somewhere else. Somewhere your friend Keats and his grubby fingers can't bother you any more. Somewhere I don't have to worry about business dealings or shipments going astray or getting double crossed or winding up with a knife in my back. Fresh start, Vicky. Don't get many chances for those."
Victoria allowed herself one brief smile as his words sank in. She was getting away from it, away from everything; away from her shitty excuse for a life and a job. Sometimes exits come in an unexpected way – and whatever Nailer had done in the past he was offering her another chance in life. For that she would always be grateful.
~xXx~
2012
"It's not exactly the Fiat but it will do," Kim let Alex into the car she'd borrowed, "it was quicker doing it this way than going home and getting it, anyway."
Alex felt a buzz travelling through her as she climbed into the passenger seat. How long had it been since she'd done any work? How long gad it been since she'd been able to do the job she thrived on. It was one of the reasons that she and Gene were so close – the job meant as much to each as it did to the other. Neither ever felt pushed out by its importance – they shared the same view and the same passion for their work. The same passion that she felt sparking inside of her right then.
"Did your DCI give you any trouble?" she asked.
"Nothing that's stopped me getting a car, a gun and a radio," Kim pointed out.
"True," Alex smiled dryly.
Before Kim could even start the car the radio crackled into life. She glanced at Alex, almost nervously.
"Go ahead," she said and awaited news.
It was DS Fullerton's voice that came over the speaker.
"Call from the public about an IC-one male, mugged near the recreation ground. He was taken to hospital… turns out… he's a known dealer. And one of Nailer's old friends."
Kim glanced at Alex, biting on her lip.
"Shit, is that a coincidence?"
Alex's eyes were laden with emotion.
"I don't think I believe in those any more," she said.
Kim looked down. Neither did she.
"Anything to link the attack with Layton?" she asked.
"One witness gave a description of a man fleeing the area shortly after the mugging occurred," Fullerton told her, "sounds a lot like Layton."
"The recreation ground" Alex said quietly, "That's not far from –" she flinched. It hurt even thinking about it. She didn't want to finish that sentence. Luckily Kim had a feeling she knew what Alex was trying to say.
"The barge?" she whispered. The look in Alex's eye confirmed it. She closed her eyes for a moment then asked the DS, "What direction was he heading in?"
"West." Said Fullerton.
Kim bit her lip.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"The search is focusing around East India dock," Fullerton told her, "if you want to get over there –"
Kim took a deep breath. She knew that was not where Layton was heading.
"Thanks," she said.
"East India?" Alex repeated.
Kim shook her head.
"We both know that's not where he's heading," she said quietly, "we'll do this alone."
Alex nodded. She agreed completely.
"Let's do it," she whispered."
With the starting of the engine, a wave of energy travelled through Alex and Kim. Somehow it felt like the final leg of a journey and now their fight was almost at an end. But with a pang of sadness they couldn't help but feel their time together and the friendship they'd shared was over too. With one last glance between them and a wobbly smile Kim pulled out of the car park. They were almost there now.
"Come on, Ma'am," Kim said quietly, "let's get you home."
~xXx~
1997
Keats twitched and shuddered as he sat in the car in the middle of the darkness. Staking out the stakeout. That's what he was doing. He couldn't bear the feeling of being so out of control any longer and cutting the energy off at the source was the best way to get back in control.
Of course, the thought of killing Robin was a bonus. He wasn't going to deny that. He wasn't going to even pretend he had any qualms about killing someone who shared part of the same gene pool that he did. He'd hated Robin from long before he knew the truth about him. The fact that Robin was the first – and so far only person – who had refused to fall for Keats's usual line about helping them home in exchange for their help still made his blood boil. Even after showing him the tape, the one that had managed to get Simon onside in 1985, Robin hadn't budged. He'd made up his own mind about who to trust. Keats did not like that.
"Bloody independent thinkers," he mumbled crossly as he watched Gene's car through his own binoculars.
It wasn't just that. There was something far greater that was building up the anger and bile aimed in Robin's direction. The part that almost killed Keats inside. Kim. He had struggled ferociously against the very human feelings he felt for her all the time she was there in the nineties. He'd used gas and air, and a strange hypnotic presence to get what he wanted physically but he could never achieve the thing he truly wanted – to make her love him back.
And now who'd won her heart? Only his nerdy, gay half-brother.
Just thinking about it brought the violent anger to the surface again and he punched the door of his car with a furious scream. Kim was his for the taking, he had her eating out of the palm of his hand for months and months. He had her under his spell. He had her right where he wanted her, but he never had her heart. Without that, he had nothing.
"Never mind," Keats hissed, "I'm sure she'll do you proud at your funeral. She always did look good in black."
If Robin had already been dead this wouldn't have been an option. He'd have been practically indestructible, just like Gene and Simon. But his heart was still beating out there and that meant his soul was good for the taking. As long as he could stop anyone from daring to try sending him home then he'd be killing Robin in 1997 and 2012 simultaneously.
"There's a joke about killing two birds with one stone in there somewhere," Keats said smugly as he carried in watching and waiting; biding his time.
This was his night. It was going to bring rewards in all shapes and sizes.
~xXx~
"There he is," Simon hissed, hogging the binoculars, "that is him, isn't it? Gene?" He glanced around. "Gene?" Gene was bathed by the glow of his Gameboy. "Oi! Gene!" he elbowed him crossly causing the Guv to swear profusely and turn a killer glare on him.
"I was this bloody close to catching that Snorlax then!" he cried.
"What?" cried Simon, "what are you even… Pokémon isn't out for another two years!" he snatched the Gameboy from Gene and stared at the screen. He was indeed playing Pokemon. The words 'Snorlax has fainted' adorned the screen. "What the hell?" he glanced behind him. "Rob? Pokémon?"
Robin shrugged.
"I've been here a week, Simon, I don't get how this stuff works," he protested.
"Gene, does this world make deliberate anachronisms?" Simon asked.
"Do you mind? I'm not afraid of bloody spiders," Gene said haughtily.
Simon closed his eyes.
"Not arachnophobia – oh, never mind, forget it," he handed Gene the binoculars "Look, can we forget about spiders and Pokémon and get back to the stakeout? The rat's just turned up."
"I haven't got a Rattata yet either," Gene commented before he realised he had two pairs of eyes on him and should probably keep his mouth shut about his Pokémon exploits. "Alright, let's see what's going on."
He took a good look at the car which had pulled up a little way away from them and the ratty man who had climbed out from inside it. The area was more or less deserted, about to go under development a year or so down the line, and for Layton's purpose was ideal.
"How's he getting in the drugs?" Robin wondered, "boat? Lorry?"
"Could be carrier pigeon for all I care as long as we get him," said Gene.
Robin's eyes scanned along the water front to the pier that stretched out a barge beyond it. While it wasn't quite in the same state of disrepair that it had been when he and Kim had been held on board it had certainly seen better days. It made him shudder to see it again. The time he spent as the hostage of a crazed Keats/Layton hybrid was the most terrifying of his life. He hadn't seen the barge or been to the area since he'd carried Molly from the boat. Although in a different time and a different world being back made him feel anxious.
"Batman, even in the darkness I can see you've gone a very interesting colour," Gene commented.
Robin swallowed
Sorry," he mumbled, "not my favourite part of London. That's all."
They watched as Layton passed the time by sampling his own goods, presumably before he added the personal touch to the stuff, then sank back against a couple of abandoned crates to enjoy the moment.
"All the stupid anti-drugs campaigns in the nineties," Simon commented, "really they should have just put a picture of Layton and been done with it. That would have been far more effective."
They fell silent as they watched and waited. Midnight was edging closer, the latest shipment just minutes away. All they had to do was bide their time and then catch the rat. The air was laden with promise and the anticipation building all the time.
This was a night that had been a long time coming.
~xXx~
2012
#...When the weather is fine you know it's the time
For messin' about on the river
If you take my advice there's nothing so nice
As messin' about on the river…#
"Oh fuck off," Kim told the radio tactfully as they drove along.
She wasn't even sure why she'd put the radio on. The ride had been strangely silent and she supposed her initial thought had been to give them a distraction. But as the thought of getting to the barge loomed large songs about bodies of water were not welcome.
"Kim?" Alex asked quietly, "Do you have a song?"
Kim glanced as Alex in the mirror. She frowned, unsure what she meant.
"In what way?" she asked, "I'm not much of a singer –"
"No, I mean," Alex closed her eyes, "a song that keeps… appearing. Connected with going over there."
Kim swallowed and nodded.
"I think so," she said quietly, "I mean, not at the time… but lately. I think me and Rob had the same one. It was playing when Rob came back to the barge for me and Molly. And it played in the car in Manchester, just before…" she flinched. She didn't want to think about that. "Why? Do you?" she paused, "It wasn't that stupid river one was it?"
"No, no," Alex shook her head, "No, I had one. Thanks to Mister Layton." She could still hear his voice – "I'm happy, hope you're happy too –" that song haunted her. She could never listen to it again, knowing what it meant for her. She wondered why music seemed to be so closely linked with the people who passed into Gene's world.
Their destination was close by now. Kim could see the barge in the distance as she drove closer. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweating. She wasn't sure she was ready for this. Finally she pulled up at what she hoped was a safe distance away and took a deep breath.
"This is it," she whispered.
Alex nodded. She found her eyes starting to gloss over with tears.
"Uh-huh," she whispered. She couldn't even look at Kim. In her heart she knew this was goodbye. While she needed to get back to her home and to Gene she was going to leave behind a very dear friendship and that was hard to accept. Finally she took a few deep breaths and prepared herself for whatever lay ahead. "Let's do this then," she whispered.
Two doors of the car opened simultaneously and two very determined figures stepped out from within.
The moment had arrived.
~xXx~
The moment had arrived; the moment to feel that surge of bliss through his body again. Layton knew things hadn't gone to plan last time. He knew he'd used too much. At the time it had seemed like a good idea but on reflection it had been so long since he'd last used anything that it had been far too much for his body to cope with. He was going to be sensible this time. Rather that than end up back in hospital in a vomit-covered smock.
Preparing his ill-gotten gains for injection was like wooing a long-lost lover. It was familiar. Almost comforting. It had been a part of his life for so long that when he was thrown in prison it wasn't just being denied the drugs, going cold turkey and missing the high that affected him but losing his narcotics had been like taking away a big chunk of his life; of his personality, even.
His eyes focused on the needle and he found himself smiling. He needed this. Oh, he'd waited long enough. Luckily the dealer he'd mugged had quite a kit with him so Layton had everything he needed to enjoy himself.
At first he tried to block out the noise and the voices. He couldn't really focus on anything but the approaching hit. But soon he came to realise that the voices were getting closer and he knew that he wasn't alone.
Shit! Fucking shit!
He thought he'd be safe enough there for now. The old barge was abandoned, decrepit and devoid of purpose. No one should have been anywhere close. Unless –
Bloody pigs. Had they followed him there? Or just checked his history and made the connection with Alex's shooting? Either way it didn't matter, someone was coming and there was no way out.
Shit.
This couldn't be it. No, he'd worked too hard at making his escape to find himself trapped in such a simple way. This wasn't it, it wasn't over. The voices were coming closer now and he could hear heels clip-clopping along the pier. The voices were quiet and hushed but still he could tell they were female and one sounded very familiar. It had been years since he fired that bullet but he would never forget her voice.
And now, here she was, on his trail. He closed his eyes, breathing hard. What was this, payback? Or his opportunity to finish what he started that day in 2008? Either way he needed to act quickly because time was running out.
He only had one course of action. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. He quickly scrambled to the side of the barge, beside the entrance. The footsteps were edging closer along the pier. He knew their owners would soon enter and he had to be ready. He closed his eyes and counted slowly to three, trying to keep his cool. He only had one chance. All or nothing.
This was it.
The moment she stepped onto the barge he grasped her tightly with one hand and pulled her towards him. The shocked gasp she let out reverberated around the empty boat and around Layton's mind. He knew he'd be replaying that forever, along with the gunshot that put her into a coma all those years ago. He gripped her tightly; he wasn't going to let her go. This was it, this was the moment that had been a long time coming… the gunshot on the barge… the confrontation on the roof… the car chase – and now –
He gave a noise akin to a war cry as he gripped his needle tightly and plunged it into her neck, squeezing out the contents into her body, bringing pain to her flesh and fear to her mind.
"You're not taking me back," he hissed as he let her go and she dropped to the ground, coughing and choking, her fingers scratching for the needle in her throat. She forced her eyes open to take a good look at him. There was a look of fear on his face. She had the strangest feeling that it was stronger than her own. He seemed to freeze, aside from trembling as he stared at her. What had he done? Now what had he done? Oh god, more guilt… more guilt to add to his load. His hands were trembling and his mouth felt dry. He staggered back and gave a gasp as he watched her; her body starting to respond to the drugs he'd pumped into her. Her eyes were anguished, anxious and desperate as she stared at him, wacked by sensations and reactions that she wasn't used to.
It felt as though time had slowed to a snail's pace and that eons had passed instead of mere seconds. Layton's mind raced and his heart pulsed. He wanted to run but his feet felt frozen to the ground, and that's when he found himself staring into the barrel of a gun.
~xXx~
1997
"There," Nailer sat up a little straighter, "there he is, the slime-riddled bastard."
Victoria scowled as she saw him reach for his gun.
"I am really not happy about you having that," she said.
Nailer looked from Victoria to the gun and back again. Then he held his weapon in her direction.
"You have it then," he said.
Victoria stared at him, her mouth open.
"What?"
"We'll make it your call," said Nailer, "coward like Layton doesn't need a gun in his face to get scared anyway. And you've probably had more experience with one of these than I have anyway." He noticed the look of confusion on her face. "I run a clean business, Vicky," he explained, "I don't like getting my hands dirty either. I'm not saying one or two of my men haven't dabbled in the darker side, and sometimes they take liberties… make decisions without my say so that leads to the mortuary… but no, I'm not a murderer." He held it a little closer, "so take it."
Victoria hesitated, then very slowly took the gun from him. She shook her head slowly, unsure what to make of the gesture.
"Alright," she said quietly.
"I give you my word, this will be over quickly, cleanly and painlessly," Nailer told her, "and at the end of it the city will sleep a little easier, and I'll buy you coffee."
"Coffee?"
"To pay you back for all the stuff I drank this morning," Nailer explained.
"I thought after everything I've risked today I'd be worth more than coffee," Victoria told him.
"Never said there wouldn't be a nightcap too," said Nailer. He watched as a truck started to back up into the deserted wharf area with Layton eagerly making his way across to it. "Looks like things are moving," he said. He glanced at Victoria. "Time for us to join the fun."
Victoria felt her stomach lurch with anxiety. This was not her side of the law – and yet it certainly felt like she was doing more than she'd done in all her time at Fenchurch West. Something about the confident smile on Nailer's face helped her to let go of her nerves. As she gripped the gun and opened the door of the car she felt alive. That was more than she had in more than a year.
~xXx~
"Layton's goodies have arrived," Robin hissed, passing the binoculars over to Gene.
"Wonder how much he keeps for himself?" Gene mused, "About ninety percent, I'd reckon." He reached for his gun and checked that it was loaded and ready.
"How come I don't have a gun?" Robin asked.
"You don't need a gun, people see the dog drool and run a mile," Gene told him.
Robin scowled. He was going to have to get faster at thinking up rebuttals for Gene. He was too used to sparring with Kim and didn't think Gene would appreciate threats of piercings in awkward places or comments about arses.
"How long should we wait?" Simon asked.
"We need to see money changing hands," Gene told him, "and at least catch sight of the goods." He watched through the binoculars as the driver of the lorry jumped from the cab and moved round to greet Layton with a handshake. They spoke for a few moments, causing Simon to comment,
"Bet that's a riveting conversation. Layton strikes me as quite a conversationalist."
Three pairs of eyes looked on as Layton followed the driver to the back of the lorry and watched as he opened the container on the back. As the man climbed inside Layton pulled a bundle of notes from his pocket and began to flip through them.
"Stand by," Gene told Simon and Robin as they awaited the right moment but all their plans and intentions went out of the window the second two figures approached the back of Layton and caught him unawares; one, male, who grabbed him and yanked him around before pulling his arms behind his back so hard that the cash flew up in the air and blew around them in the drizzle-riddled breeze. The second person, a woman, held a gun aloft, pointed first at Layton and then at the driver, standing just inside the back of the truck.
"What the buggering hell?" Gene cried.
"Oh god, that's Nailer," cried Robin.
"Who's the bird?" asked Gene.
Simon squinted into the darkness.
"I don't believe this, but," he shook his head slightly, "She works for Keats at Fenchurch West. DI Stone."
Robin's jaw dropped.
"Victoria Stone?" he asked, his voice shaking.
Simon nodded.
"How did you know?" he asked.
"That undercover detective I told you about?" Robin began, "the one they used to get Nailer?" he nodded towards Victoria, "that's her."
Simon and Gene turned to him with shocked and doubtful eyes.
"You have to be joking," cried Simon.
"No," Robin shook his head, "Fifteen years from now he'll think she's the love of his life."
"He seems fairly keen on her already," Gene commented.
"So now what the hell do we do?" cried Simon.
Gene looked at Nailer
"Looks like we might be getting a two for one deal," he said, "Let's see if we can nick Nailer too." He tried to ignore the withering looks. "Oh come on," he growled, "someone had to say it! I seem to remember you were both scrapping to get the first pun in the last time we caught this particular gentleman!"
Gene began to open the door beside him but found Simon's hand grasping his shoulder to hold him back.
"Wait-wait-wait," he said quickly. He jabbed a finger out in front of him, "Who the hell is that?"
"What?" Gene followed the direction of Simon's finger to see another figure running toward the chaos, "what the flaming hell is happening tonight? This is supposed to be a bust, not a Benny bloody Hill chase!"
~xXx~
When he saw them, he couldn't believe it.
The moment he watched Nailer and Victoria accosting Layton and threatening him at gunpoint he felt as though he'd either lost his marbles or was in serious need of a new pair of spectacles.
Keats had only had one thing on his mind that night – bringing an end to Robin's life. The very last thing he had expected was to see the woman who had managed to escape his wrath earlier that day and the drug baron who a nationwide search had been on for together, interrupting the moment. Keats swallowed hard. He could feel pressure building in his head, a violent need to lash out that could explode at any moment. His eyes flashed with hatred for Victoria, the one who refused to be seen and not heard, the one who'd fought back and fled from the life to which her habit had imprisoned her.
This was wrong… every part of this was wrong and rotten and he wasn't going to let this happen. Victoria was his. His toy. His verbal punching bag. His victim. She was going nowhere.
Before he knew what he was doing Robin was forgotten and the only thing on his mind was to grasp that woman and drag her back, quite literally, to hell. Dead or alive, he didn't care. He'd have her soul or he'd kill her spirit, it was all the same to him. He tore across the yard towards her and grasped her around the neck, causing a splutter and a gasp to rise from her lips.
"Well fancy seeing you here," he cried as he pulled her roughly, turned her over and pushed her to the ground. She grasped the gun and aimed it at him but before she had a chance to fire his foot sprung towards her and kicked the weapon from her grip. "That's why girls shouldn't play with guns," he told her.
"Vicky!"
Keats turned with shocked eyes to Nailer. He had somehow managed to forget he was there for a start. In addition, he couldn't believe the horrified and anxious tone with which he'd cried her name. Before he had a chance to respond he found all one hundred and ninety pounds of Nick Nailer flying in his direction. Not for the first time that day a fist made contact with his face, adding bruises to his collection and knocking him backwards. He staggered a little before pulling together all the rage and extreme anger in his body and taking a flying leap at Nailer where he knocked him to the floor and returned the favour with a fist to the cheek.
"You were safer inside, Nailer," Keats hissed.
"Funny, you were safer when I was inside too," Nailer wasted no time in getting to his feet and gripping Keats by the arm, throwing him against the side of the lorry. He tried to punch him again but he just about evaded the flying fist.
"Too many years on the powder affecting your reactions?" Keats asked with a sardonic laugh but he was so busy attempting to mock Nailer that he didn't notice Victoria's hand grasping for his collar before it was too late as she gripped him firmly and held the gun to the side of his head.
"I'm worthless," she hissed, "I need the job more than you need me, I'm a failure, I'm a waste of space… ring any bells, sir?"
Keats wasn't scared of the gun. He knew it couldn't harm him. But he had never seen such a dose of anger in someone's eyes before and that made him nervous. He grabbed Victoria's hands and pulled them from his collar, pushing her backwards as fast as he could.
"Yes," he spat, "it does ring a bell. Sounds like your CV."
Like a melee another fist joined the fray, throwing in one good, hard punch at Keats's face before grasping him by the arm and slapping on some handcuffs.
"You really have a way with the ladies, don't you Jimbo?"
It took a few moments for Keats to realise that Gene had not only managed to arrive in time to get in another punch that day but had also handcuffed him to the back of the truck.
"Let me the fuck out of these!" he cried, pulling and tugging on them, causing a heavy jangling noise but little else.
"No can do, jimbo," Gene told him. "I still owe you an arrest from earlier. But silly me, forgot the bloody handcuffs last time. Never mind, that's two sets of charges now. Jim Keats, I am arresting you for the assault of DI Victoria Stone and Nicholas Nailer."
"You think these will hold me?" Keats sneered, jangling the cuffs again.
"Nope," said Gene, "but I also know you won't try anything while people are looking at you. You have to wait until the coast is clear before you 'disappear'. And guess what? Suddenly I'm finding you so fascinating that I think I'm going to pull up a comfy chair and get a bowl of popcorn."
"Gene?" Gene turned for a moment to see Simon dragging a twitching, struggling Layton towards him, "look what I caught."
"Well, well," Gene looked fairly smug, "even better. Saves me having to stare at you. Got you a captive audience now." He took hold of Layton from Simon's grip and asked, "Handcuffs, Shoebury?"
"Uh," Simon dug around for a pair, "here."
Gene happily applied one end of the cuffs to Layton's wrist and the other to Keats's free arm.
"Trying to decide which one I'm feeling most sorry for," he said.
"Me!" cried Keats, "feel sorry for me! He smells like an aerobics instructor!"
Robin emerged from somewhere with the driver of the truck who'd attempted to abscond during the kerfuffle.
"One more for the collection," he said. With nothing better to do he cuffed the driver to the other two and tried to resist making a joke about the Human Centipede.
"Oh shit," Gene's sudden urgent cry caught everyone's attention, "Bloody Nailer –"
All eyes turned to the figures of Nailer and Victoria who were running together towards a silver car. Gene made to run after them but Robin grasped his arm and held him back.
"No, wait," he said.
Gene looked at him in utter confusion.
"Have you lost your mind?" he asked, slightly disturbed that after a year of attending the gym Robin was actually strong enough to hold him back, "that is a wanted criminal with a lifetime of glory attached to his recapture!"
Robin swallowed, knowing that what he was asking went against everything that they worked for but he just couldn't let Gene do it.
"I don't think Nailer's going to give you any trouble, Gene," he said quietly, I think he just wants," he paused, "a chance. A life." He looked at Gene seriously. "After all, that's what this world is for, right? Giving people another chance? A chance to solve their problems? A chance for the life they never had."
"For coppers, yes," cried Gene, "not for people with a list of misdemeanours the length of Jimbo's list of failures."
Robin shook his head.
"Then do it for Victoria," he urged him, "she never got to have that second chance. She lost it the moment Keats drafted her into Fenchurch West."
Gene watched as the silver car sped away, a squeal of tyres the last reminder that Nailer had ever been there. He sighed. He supposed it was too late now - even if Robin hadn't made him think again.
"What's your interest in Nailer's welfare anyway?" he asked.
Robin closed his eyes for a second.
"He talked some sense into me when I needed it," Robin said quietly, "he helped me accept happiness. Let him have his turn."
Gene shook his head as he stared at Robin. He had a feeling he'd missed out on something major there, but this wasn't really the time to ask.
"Fine," he said, "but you'd better give me a full account of Nailer's agony aunt qualities when all this is over."
"Fine," Robin nodded.
Simon approached, clutching a radio.
"Back up are on their way to bring this lot in," he said.
"Oh good," Gene turned to them, his arms folded, "might go with them. See if they'd lie to join me in a chorus of ninety nine green bottles."
Simon looked around.
"Where's Nailer? He asked, "did he get away?"
Gene glanced at Robin.
"Ask the poetic one," he told him, a faint sound of a siren catching his attention. "bloody hell, they didn't waste any time."
Simon glanced at Robin as Gene walked away.
"Well?" he prompted.
Robin sighed.
"Long story," he said quietly. His eyes travelled around to the barge. He had been trying to ignore it but now that things were calming down and the excitement was over for the night he couldn't stop his mind going back to that terrible day spent tied up, at the mercy of Keats.
"Robin? Are you alright?"
Robin looked at Simon a little guiltily.
"Sorry," he said quietly, "I was miles away."
"You look…" Simon wasn't sure how to finish that sentence. He'd never really seen Robin's expression so haunted.
"Sorry," Robin said again, "It's... it's the barge", he shuddered and pulled his coat around him, "I wasn't expecting to ever see that place again."
"What happened?" Simon asked quietly.
Robin stared ahead, trying to keep himself disconnected from his words.
"It was when Keats took a holiday in Layton's body," he said quietly, "he somehow had access to his memories. He knew the place was empty and abandoned so that's where he took me, Kim and Molly while he held us hostage." He sighed, "technically we weren't even hostages since he didn't demand anything in exchange for us. We were what he wanted. He just wanted us to suffer." He shook his head. "I never expected to have to go back." He nodded to a spot on the road, close to where Nailer had parked. "That's where I parked my car," he said quietly, "when Keats told me there was a bomb on the boat. I didn't know if he was bluffing or not. I parked my car there and left the radio blaring out while I went back for Kim and Molly because I knew when I heard the music again we'd…" he took a deep breath, "we'd all be safe."
Simon stared at Robin's distant expression as he tried to deal with something he still hadn't really processed, even all those months on. He stepped a little closer and said quietly,
"You know, that's one of the important things about this place. He paused as Robin's eyes rose to meet his, "the chance to face your fears."
Robin's line of sight turned back to the barge. He knew what Simon was suggesting. It wasn't as though he hadn't considered it too. But the thought of going over there and setting foot in the place they'd been held was too daunting.
"I don't think I can," he said, his voice shaking.
Simon looked to the barge.
"I'll go with you," he offered.
Robin chewed on his lip and looked from Simon to the boat. The sound of the river filled in the silence as he thought it over. All those nights he'd had fevered dreams reflecting the horror of what they'd been through, all the times he'd flashed back to that boat. Maybe fate had brought him there for a reason. Maybe he did need to face it. Maybe he needed to go back to move on. He hated the way it still haunted him from time to time. Perhaps this really was his chance.
"Rob?"
Robin glanced up. He must have been silent for quite a while. He bit his lip and said a little guiltily,
"Sorry, I was miles away." He swallowed and looked at him seriously. "I think… I think that you're right," he said, "I need to face it. He stared at the barge and took a step forward. "I'm going to face it."
Simon nodded slowly.
"Need some company?" he asked quietly.
Robin nodded.
"Yes please," he whispered.
~xXx~
2012
Kim looked Layton right in the eye as she held up her gun.
"You are one sick bastard," she hissed.
For a moment Layton stared at her. He was more worried by the spark at the back of his memory than he was by the gun in her hands. She looked familiar but he couldn't place her at all to begin with, then it came back to him in an explosion of memories as her features fell into place. It was the hair that fooled him; the last time he'd seen Kim she'd had long, dark hair. Now with a short blonde crop in its place she looked like a different person.
But he remembered. He knew who she was. He remembered.
The weirdo woman up on the roof who kept rattling on about tattoos, trying to make him talk. Fuck, he hated that. Two things he couldn't stand – people looking at him and people trying to make him talk.
What was this? The annual general meeting of people he'd shot? His eyes moved to her neck and there it was; the scar from his bullet. He started to panic, his fear rising inside of him as the past came back to haunt him, standing right there, threatening his life. His mind shut down and his body reacted without any sense or logic. He couldn't help it.
He reached out to grab the gun but Kim wasn't letting go. The more he fought for it, the tighter she held it. He gripped her hands and tried to force her into dropping the weapon, their hands moving wildly around as they both fought for control until with one sharp movement Layton yanked the gun from her grasp, firing off a bullet which grazed her shoulder.
Her scream was loud but short, quickly dissolving into a string of expletives instead but those too died quickly as the realisation that Layton now had the gun in his possession overcame her.
"Fucking ruined my life!" he cried, his mind twisting like a spiral staircase, "think I wanted to spend years on the run? Think I want to go to prison for shit I didn't do?"
Before anyone could react he quickly fired the gun two times, the first shot at Kim and the second at Alex, then he spun around and fled the scene as quickly as his limbs would allow.
The first shot missed Kim by inches and buried itself instead in the side of the boat. It took her a couple of moments to calm herself down, to stop hiding behind her hands and to realise that she was no longer in danger of getting a bullet in her flesh but her relief was short-lived as she turned to Alex and saw the state of her friend; the person she'd become so close to, the woman she'd found so inspirational and strong.
There was a bullet wound on her chest. Blood was seeping from within, staining the fabric of her clothes and slowly dripping down to the ground where it began to form a pool. The needle was still sticking out of her neck while the contents that Layton had prepared were surging through her body, a body that wasn't used to it, especially not to such a large dose – albeit smaller than the amount Layton was used to. Her head spun and she was on the verge of vomiting from the intense nausea that grasped her but none of that blocked out the one desperate thought in her head.
With eyes wide, she stared at Kim as she dropped to the ground beside her, picking up her hands and squeezing them. Her fear was growing. The pain was all-consuming from the wound on her chest but it wasn't enough… it still wasn't enough and that's what scared her more than anything – the closing of a door.
"Kim," she whispered, her voice shaking as she barely managed to force out the words, "help me."
Kim froze on the spot. She stared at Alex's suffering, failing body and just couldn't move… couldn't speak… The sight of her was so hard to bear. It broke her heart. She didn't know what to do for the best.
"Ma'am –" she whispered,
"Please," Alex's breathing was heavy and laboured, "Help me, Kim."
Kim swallowed. She tried to shake herself out of her daze.
"Ma'am… y-yes," she started to talk at speed, "yes, of course, I'll call for an ambulance," she reached for her phone, "we'll get you to hospital and they'll –"
But her words faded away as she watched Alex weakly shaking her head. Tears began to fall from her eyes, cascading down her pale cheeks as she begged for something that she knew she had no right to ask.
"No," she whispered, "Kim, I mean…. I mean, help me."
Kim started at her. The look in her eyes, the trembling of her lip, the tears that continued to fall all told her exactly what she really meant. It stirred up a horrible churning through Kim's belly and gave her a cold shiver that ran from head to toe. Her bottom lip began to tremble and tears began to spill from her own eyes. Her hands were shaking now as she gripped Alex's harder, trying to show her warmth and friendship in the coldest moment of her life. She knew what Alex was asking. She knew very well. Her thumping heart and racing pulse gave her an extra hint as she began to nod, her body now shaking uncontrollably.
"Yes, of course," she whispered, "of course I will, ma'am," her words became broken by sobs; hysterical whimpers and big, gulping tears that she couldn't begin to control. She began to look around, her eyes scanning the boat for something, anything that might help. There was rubbish and debris, litter from an occasional tramp and even one or two unwelcome mementoes from Keats's visit to the real world. One thing stood out; a piece of tarpaulin lying nearby which she grasped in her shaking hands and bought back to Alex.
"Please," Alex whispered. She knew time as running out. She was about to give in to the drugs and the pain, she knew she could black out at any moment. She didn't want to give an ambulance crew the opportunity to save her life. No heart massage, no oxygen, no defibrillators. It had to end now. Her life had to end now. "Please, Kim," she whispered, the tears still filling from her eyes as they threatened to close.
Kim knelt carefully beside her and scooped up her head into her lap. She breathed in deeply as she thought back to her exit from Gene's world, how Alex had brought her comfort in her last moments as she began to ebb away. She wanted so much to offer Alex the same. It was the very least that she could offer to someone she regarded with such affection and respect. She grasped the tarpaulin firmly between her thumb and fingers on each hand, making sure her grasp was a strong as it could be. Then, her hands trembling wildly, she held it above Alex's face as she whispered,
"Thank you… for being the kind of friend… I didn't think I'd ever have." She closed her eyes and choked out a violent sob. "I'll miss you, ma'am."
"One day," Alex whispered, fast losing the strength and ability to speak, "see you again – one day."
Kim held the tarpaulin a little closer to her face, then whispered,
"Please… when you get back… will you tell him I love him?" She watched Alex tearfully nod in silence, then saw her eyes close as she awaited the inevitable. This was it; it was time to go home.
With hands that shook and trembled at every inch, Kim brought the bright blue plastic down over Alex's nose and mouth, pressing it hard, her fingers covering as much of the area as possible. As she sobbed and wailed she felt Alex judder beneath her fingers, her body trying desperately to breathe, involuntarily doing all it could to stay alive. There was a strange energy all around then, a tingling that spread through Kim's fingers to her arms and right through deep into her body. She kept the tarpaulin pressed down, her hands holding it all the way around, until finally Alex stopped moving and her body went very limp against her.
Kim opened her eyes at last. She stared at Alex; her skin turning from white to blue. She swallowed and gasped for air between her sobs; sobs that filled the air with their volume and desperation. When she was absolutely sure that the final breath had left her body she dropped the plastic and stared at her face, the face which had been so wracked with pain and despair just moments before. With a slight gasp and another choking cry Kim saw something in Alex, something that made everything worthwhile;
The peaceful smile that was left upon her lifeless face.
~xXx~
1997
Robin hesitated at the entrance to the pier, his hand against the side rail and eyes fixed forward. His heart was racing as his mind replayed myriad flashbacks to the last time he was there. He could see himself running onto the boat, his chest covered in slashes from a crazed Keats, blood pouring from his wounds. He could hear the music booming from the car, fading with every lunge forward towards the barge. He could feel the pain from his wounds all over again and his hand rose involuntarily to his chest. He fought against the tears that threatened to start filling up his eyes. He wasn't going to give into those. It was more than he was prepared to allow. He wouldn't give Keats the satisfaction.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. It shook him from his thoughts and he looked quickly behind him where Simon was looking anxious.
"You don't have to do this if you're not ready," he said quietly. It was the first time that Robin had seen genuine concern and care on Simon's face with no ulterior motive. For once thoughts of trying to get Robin back, away from Kim were the furthest thing from his mind. He was starting to understand how much they had been through on the other side of the line and how much those terrible events had changed them. Now all Simon wanted to do was to take away the pain.
"If I waited until I was ready I'd never do it," Robin told him quietly. He turned and stared down the pier, towards the boat again. It was now or never. He just had to do it. He took a deep breath which he let out very slowly, then with deliberate, strong steps he began the walk towards the barge. He heard footsteps behind him as Simon stayed a pace behind. He knew this was Robin's journey; he was the one with the demons to face and he had to let him do so. But he wasn't going to go through it alone.
Robin found himself at the end of the pier. He closed his eyes and steeled himself for what came next. He felt Simon's presence right there over his shoulder, matching him almost step for step as he placed one foot, then the other, onto the barge and closed his eyes.
"This is it," he whispered.
Simon tiptoed after him into the darkness. Only a few shards of light brought the slightest hint of illumination to the barge. Robin's eyes scanned the place as he began a slow walk inside.
"Grim," Simon commented quietly.
"Believe it or not it's even worse in two thousand and bollocks" said Robin. He flinched. "I meant twelve. Two thousand and tw- shit, I've been here a week and I'm picking up the lingo…"
Simon smiled into the darkness. For the addition of ink, metal and muscles there were some things about Robin that hadn't changed and never would.
"So, what, does Layton live here or something?" he asked.
"I don't think he lives here exactly," Robin tiptoed through the darkness, "but he uses it as a place to hide… to carry out business… anything he needs to be out of sight for." He froze at a quiet, strained sound. "What was that?" he spun around.
"What?"
"Didn't you hear it?" he could make out Simon shaking his head in the darkness. "It sounded like…" he paused, unsure what it actually did sound like. "Like an animal or something. Like it was hurt."
"Could be a fox," Simon suggested, looking around, "or a badger? Do they live on boats?"
"What - no," Robin cried, "they live in sets."
"What am I thinking of then?" frowned Simon.
Robin couldn't think of any animals that lived on boats.
"Sailors?" he suggested. Just then he heard the sound again, a pained whimpering that was followed by a very human cry. "Shit, there it is again."
"I heard it," Simon hissed, starting to look around. The dim light made it hard to see where the sound was coming from but their eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness which at least gave them a chance.
"I think it came from over here," Robin hissed, heading back in the direction they'd come from. His eyes scanned left and right but he couldn't see any sign of anyone to begin with. As they moved slowly by, one shard of light trough the doorway illuminated what seemed at first to be a pile of clothes and plastic but as they approached it they heard a sob and a quiet plea for help.
"Shit, there is someone," Simon commented unnecessarily as he followed Robin quickly to the heap on the floor. He watched as Robin bent over and moved some of the debris away.
"Oh my fucking god –"
Simon felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.
"What?" he whispered.
He watched as Robin turned back to him, his eyes as wide as the moon and his face full of shock.
"It's Alex," he whispered.
"Alex?" Simon repeated in a gasp of astonishment, his legs giving way as he found himself on the floor beside them, "It can't be –" he stopped taking as he managed to make out her features in the darkness, "Oh my god, Alex… Alex," he sat, open mouthed, shaking his head, "Where the hell… mean, how…. What the fuck…?"
"Alex," Robin pushed the hair from her face and tried to help her sit up, "Alex, are you alright? What happened –"
He stopped abruptly as she gave out a cry of pain and clutched her stomach, fear running through her veins.
"Help me," she cried, her voice filled with fear, "the baby –"
"W-what is it, Alex?" Robin asked urgently, "what's the matter?"
Alex gave a tearful gasp.
"I think it's coming," she cried.
Robin looked at Simon in horror, who was presently retreating a few inches and looking green, even in the negligible light.
"B-but it can't be," cried Robin, "you… isn't it too soon?" he watched her close her eyes and nod tearfully.
"Far too soon," she whispered.
"Shit," Robin's heart raced as he stared at her. He had to work out what to do and he had to work it out fast. He glanced back at Simon who was busy trying not to throw up at the suggestion of a baby arriving imminently and spreading gunk all over the barge.
"What the hell are you doing standing there?" cried Robin, "call an ambulance! Get Gene!"
"Aren't we supposed to be getting hot towels or something?" Simon gulped.
"That's clean towels and hot water," cried Robin, "and the hot water part is a bloody fallacy! You don't need that!"
"W-what about for making tea?" Simon gulped.
"Does she look like she wants tea?" cried Robin. He glanced back at Alex, "We'll get you help as soon as we can," he said, "we'll call an ambulance."
"Layton," Alex whispered.
"What?
"Layton," her eyes glistened with tears, "he put a needle in me… injected…. Oh god –" she stopped talking as she doubled up in pain again.
Robin turned back to Simon.
"What the hell are you doing still doing, waiting here?" he cried, "Go and call a bloody ambulance!"
"But… but you said it's too early…" Simon tried to get his words out, "how… how pregnant is she exactly?"
"I don't know," cried Robin, "I don't know how long passed while I've been here…"
"Twenty six…" Alex whispered, "I'm twenty six weeks."
"Shit," Simon closed his eyes.
"What are you waiting for?" cried Robin.
"I'm trying to work out how the hell to explain that a pregnancy that should have been delivered four months ago is arriving three months prematurely!" cried Simon, "she was bloody due in October!"
"Just get the fucking ambulance!" cried Robin, "we'll deal with that when the time comes." he watched Simon get to his feet. "And get Gene!"
He turned back to Alex's terrified, pained face as he heard Simon's footsteps running from the boat to make the call. He found himself shaking. He couldn't have been more surprised by her arrival if she'd been donning a fake beard and doing Evan impressions. He stroked her hair back and tried to keep his cool.
"We'll get you help right away," he whispered, "it'll be alright. Everything will be alright."
Alex closed her eyes, breathing in deeply as another wave of pain filled her abdomen. She was terrified; her fear for the baby overpowering her senses, and the pain making it difficult to cope, but there was one thing that helped to keep her spirits alive. With her heart racing and the tiniest smile on her lips she closed her eyes and whispered two words, the words shed been desperate to utter for so long.
"I'm home."
~xXx~
2012
The tears trickled silently down Kim's cheeks as she cradled Alex's head and shoulders in her arms. She stroked her hair back away from her face and looked at the peaceful smile that graced her lips. She knew that she was where she wanted to be. She knew she was back in the right place. She knew she was home. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to miss her.
She knew the last few minutes would haunt her forever. She could still feel the sensation of the tarpaulin in her hands and Alex trembling and shaking as she involuntarily fought for breath. She would never forget the electricity in the air either. Something happened that she couldn't explain; a powerful exchange of energy. She could still feel a tingling in her fingers.
Gently she lifted Alex's head, slid her legs from underneath it and laid her head carefully on the floor. She shakily got to her feet to begin all the things she wished she didn't have to do – calling in to the station, a fruitless call to the ambulance crew, disposing of the tarpaulin –
But she knew it was worth it for Alex's sake.
Her journey was at an end. Her ticket home was a one-way affair. It was over, all over.
"Goodbye, Ma'am," she whispered, "be happy."
~xXx~
#...All this talk of getting old
It's getting me down my love
Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown
This time I'm comin' down
And I hope you're thinking of me
As you lay down on your side
Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again
Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again
But I know I'm on a losing streak
'Cause I passed down my old street
And if you wanna show, then just let me know
And I'll sing in your ear again
Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again
'Cause baby, ooh, if heaven calls, I'm coming, too
Just like you said, you leave my life, I'm better off dead
All this talk of getting old
It's getting me down my love
Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown
This time I'm comin' down
Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again
'Cause baby, ooh, if heaven calls, I'm coming, too
Just like you said, you leave my life, I'm better off dead
But if you wanna show, just let me know
And I'll sing in your ear again
Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again
Yeah, I know I'll see your face again
Yeah, I know I'll see your face again
Yeah, I know I'll see your face again
Yeah, I know I'll see your face again
I'm never going down, I'm never coming down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more
I'm never coming down, I'm never going down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more…#
~ The Drugs Don't Work – The Verve