(Untitled)

[unbreakablelion]

Who: Gene Hunt, Alex Drake
When: Afternoon
Where: CID Office, Fenchurch East
What: Awaiting a visit from Discipline and Complaints
Warnings: Gene's potty mouth

Comments

[bolliknickers]

The door to CID swung open, and it was like she'd never left. The same checkerboard ceiling, the lingering smell of tea and stale cigarettes, the messy desks and untucked shirts. Yes: she was earlier than she'd been expected, earlier than the Higher Ups had told her to be... but she couldn't stay away..

Because he was still the same, and her chest still clenched at the sight of him, as if she'd never left.

"Hello, Gene."

[unbreakablelion]

Any words Gene had been about to give to his team instantly dried on his lips. Thankfully he was leaned against a desk or else his legs may well've given way beneath him. His face paled as though he had seen a ghost - which was quite ironic really, given the situation.

For a moment he thought he was mad. That he had imagined it. But the fact that the rest of the team seemed quiet happy to eye Alex up, he was pretty convinced it was real.

He gave a slight cough to try and get rid of the lump in his throat. "... Discipline and Complaints?"

[bolliknickers]

His face was worth it. More than worth it. Alex was definitely aware of Gene's new team assessing her where she stood, but as she walked slowly into the room she only had eyes for the Manc Lion himself.

"Yes," she confirmed. "I've been sent by the Higher Ups to do what I can to help get the department running a little more smoothly. CID is... very important to them."

[unbreakablelion]

"Right, well, um, good, yes... Let's step into the office shall we?" Gene didn't feel much like a lion right now, more like a kitten about to be devoured by a rottweiler.

At the numerous wolf-whistles and comments regarding Alex and her very fine posterior Gene shot his team a warning glare. "Right, you lot. Back to work." He claps his hands together for emphasis. "Chop, chop."

He pushed himself off of the desk and moved to the door of his office, pushing it open for Alex.

[unbreakablelion]

"Weak? In the general sense of the word it’d be the DC you saw earlier. DC Robert Timms. He’s physically weakest and has a lot of self doubt and nervousness about him. It’d be like a foal to the slaughter, if Keats got his hands on him."

Gene pulled into a car park, and parked the Quattro, but made no attempt to get out of it. His hands resting on the wheel, tapping in thought. "DS Michael Phillips is a bit of a loose cannon. Power hungry too. Could be manipulated easily."

He leaned back in his seat, pulling a hip flask from his pocket, taking a swig. "We both know what Keats is capable of. Look how he drove a wedge between us."

oops, wrong journal!

[bolliknickers]

"I think, then, that those two should feature in our first order of business. We need to do some real team-building, Gene. Make sure your men know they're appreciated. That you value them and all they bring to CID."

Alex had been so sure of herself, so smugly proud of her own intelligence -- and she'd had so much faith in him. When she thought about how easily Jim had played her, it left her quite furious, really.

"We can do this," she promised, resting her hand on his leg in solidarity.

[unbreakablelion]

Gene rested his hand on top of Alex's. "All it takes is one seed of doubt and everything falls apart." He had been so angry when things began to fall apart between him and Alex. He had felt betrayed. But really, he couldn't blame her, his explanations regarding Tyler's death weren't eactly filled with believabilty.

He frowned a little. "'Team-building'? Sounds rather girly if you ask me." He regretted not telling Chris, Shaz & Ray how much he valued them and how proud he was of them until it was almost too late, but he was just an old mule stuck in his ways. Showing that kind of appreciation and kindness was hard for him.

[bolliknickers]

And that was a pang of guilt, right in the middle of her gut. Everything falls apart. It had been her fault, really, for letting Keats get to her... Alex sighed and turned her gaze out the window for a minute.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never did say that, but I am. I'm so sorry I let him get close."