If An Illusion Is All I Have
Chapter 11: Little Girl
Author: Jess_Who
Fandom: Ashes To Ashes
Pairings: Alex, Gene, CID, Molly, etc
Rating: 12A (Rating may change)
Disclaimer: Only a fan, not the owner.. :'(
Spoilers: None really. Set in 1982
Note: Beta'd by the exceptional Rantandrumour.
Chapter 10: The Cat
....A2A...A2A....
When Alex stirred into consciousness it felt too soon. It felt too early for her mind to be alert at such an unreasonable hour and for a drawn out second she considered keeping her eyes closed.
Alex shuffled about in a vain attempt to get comfortable, but as she did so her cheek grazed across the gritted surface underneath.
With the beginning of a headache parading its way around her fragile skull, she opened her eyes to be blinded by images being thrown forward by her muffled brain.
The mental film displayed itself in flashes, grainy and imperfect, but none the less showed the house that would be and was her home in disrepair. Before Alex was able to take in either familiarities or differences, there was a shudder in the motions of her minds memory.
A sharp crack. Pin pricks of light. Strong hands pulling at her limp and helpless body. The darkness chasing away the daylight.
Alex blinked several times in quick succession to clear her sight and turned her head at the sound of muffled sobbing. Sobbing that silenced at her movement.
Terrified she tried to move away, but because her legs and wrists were bound it proved to make it a fruitless action.
"Who's there?" Alex asked, her voice rasping.
"Mummy?" a small voice replied.
With her heart in her throat Alex prayed that she had not imagined the voice calling her. Doing the only thing she could do, Alex turned her head and in the dim light she tried to make out the figure next to her.
Alex shook her head, her eyes wide and unblinking, her mouth closed tight as she held her breath. Molly. She stared at her daughter. Molly's face was filled with hope and a brilliant smile blossomed before Alex's eyes. Even though Alex's heart soared with love she closed her eyes with a feeling of resignation and breathed in the scent of the damp muskiness of the room and the weak scent of fruity shampoo coming from her daughter. Alex's eyes shot open. Molly was still there. "You didn't disappear."
"Mum, you're here?" Molly asked. "You're really here. Are you okay? She paused, staring at her mother. Oh Mum!" Alex scooted closer to her daughter, pulling against the bonds that kept her hands behind her back. They didn t move, however and she had to make do with burying her face into her daughter s neck, yearning to hold her as she cried.
With her face buried in Molly's hair, Alex committed every second to her memory before pulling away with evident reluctance.
Alex changed positions awkwardly and manoeuvred her still tied hands she could reach her boots.
"They took your gun," Molly stated quietly.
"They? How many are there?"
"Just two men," Molly said sitting forward and hooking her arms around her knees. "What are you doing?"
There was a metallic clatter as the object Alex searched for slipped from her fingers and onto the basement floor. "Pen knife. Molls, I can't see where it went." Alex's fingers grazed the ground, unseeing.
With the dexterity with which only a child can move, Molly crawled over her mother's legs and scooped the component off the floor.
"I need you to cut me free."
Molly pulled at her mother's bonds and with some misgivings brought the sharp edge over the hard industrial zip ties. Molly let out a squeak in shock as the blade slipped, cutting half way through the plastic and narrowly missing stabbing Alex with the pointed end. "I can't do it."
"You have to," Alex commanded.
"But whatever angle I'm at I am going to hurt you."
Alex sighed gently. "Molly, we can't stay down here bound and helpless. They are going to come and the only weapons we have are surprise and a little knife."
"Sorry," Molly uttered, her voice subdued.
"Oh sweetheart, I know you don't want to hurt me. I'd chop my left leg off to get you out of here."
Molly giggles as she slowly dragged the blade over the plastic cord, "How would you get out?"
"I'd beat the bad guys with my leg and get Gene to carry me up the stairs."
"Gene?" The cord snapped as Molly gasped out his name, the knife grazing Alex's palm and splitting the skin.
Alex hissed as she sat up, smiling despite the pain. She took the pen knife and made quick work of the band surrounding her ankles. "Gene Hunt, he's my DCI."
"Gene Hunt," Molly repeated in awe, "Before you... before-"
"I got shot?"
"No after that when you..." Molly choked on a sob, "You said his name."
"Oh!" Alex expressed with shock. "Was I shouting?" she asked with amusement in an attempt to move away from the heavy topic.
"No, you said it quietly under your breath. I was sat so close only I heard it," Molly said weakly, her eyes diverted as she watched her mother slice through the binding around her own smaller wrists with little interest.
"What else did I say?"
"Nothing. Just Gene."
"Oh Molls, I'm so sorry," Alex said, her voice constricted with the pain she had unknowingly inflicted on her daughter. "I fought so hard. I thought I had to save my parents to get home, but it didn't work. For two years I've been battling to get back to you." Alex pulled Molly against her chest, rocking them gently as she cried mutely, her fingers stroking though the long tangle of Molly's mousey brown hair.
"Do you love Gene?"
"Molly, I was always coming home. You're my little girl. I love you too much to just leave you like that. I thought I was still in a coma, I had no idea." Alex drifted off, pondering how long it would have taken for her to realize she was dead and how much longer it would have taken for her to accept she would never see her daughter again.
"Mum?" she whined, irritated that her mother was avoiding her question.
"It's complicated. We're not 'involved', we haven't even kissed, but we are close. Just friends."
"You love him, don't you?" Molly persisted.
"He might not feel the same though. He said he would tell me when this is all over and you are safe, but he has never really been that sort of man."
"Mum! Just give me a straight answer."
"Yes!" Alex said with such speed she was shocked by her honesty.
Molly smiled. "Knew it."
"How could you possibly have known that?" Alex laughed.
"The way you talk about him." Molly looked down.
"You read my case files," Alex summarized.
"I didn't," Molly said shaking her head.
"Molls, I know when you're lying."
"I only read a little bit." At her mother's arched brow Molly sighed, "Maybe all of them."
"What did I tell you about reading confid-"
"You weren't there thought, were you?"
Alex paused for a moment before letting the remark pass.
"Is Sam here and Annie?"
"Annie's still in Manchester I think, but Sam's not here, not anymore. There was an accident before I got here."
"What happ-" Molly's question was interrupted by the creak of old floor boards.
Alex quickly stood, motioning for Molly to do the same. With her hands on Molly's shoulders she pushed her against the wall, so they would be out of view as their captors came down the slender stair case.
"Molly," Alex crouched down so her mouth was level with Molly's ear, "When I say run, don't look back. Just run. Find Gene or Shaz Granger."
....A2A...A2A....
Chapter 12: She Ran
Author: Jess_Who
Fandom: Ashes To Ashes
Pairings: Alex, Gene, CID, Molly, etc
Rating: 12A (Rating may change)
Disclaimer: Only a fan, not the owner.. :'(
Spoilers: None really. Set in 1982
Note: Beta'd by the exceptional Rantandrumour.
Chapter 10: The Cat
....A2A...A2A....
When Alex stirred into consciousness it felt too soon. It felt too early for her mind to be alert at such an unreasonable hour and for a drawn out second she considered keeping her eyes closed.
Alex shuffled about in a vain attempt to get comfortable, but as she did so her cheek grazed across the gritted surface underneath.
With the beginning of a headache parading its way around her fragile skull, she opened her eyes to be blinded by images being thrown forward by her muffled brain.
The mental film displayed itself in flashes, grainy and imperfect, but none the less showed the house that would be and was her home in disrepair. Before Alex was able to take in either familiarities or differences, there was a shudder in the motions of her minds memory.
A sharp crack. Pin pricks of light. Strong hands pulling at her limp and helpless body. The darkness chasing away the daylight.
Alex blinked several times in quick succession to clear her sight and turned her head at the sound of muffled sobbing. Sobbing that silenced at her movement.
Terrified she tried to move away, but because her legs and wrists were bound it proved to make it a fruitless action.
"Who's there?" Alex asked, her voice rasping.
"Mummy?" a small voice replied.
With her heart in her throat Alex prayed that she had not imagined the voice calling her. Doing the only thing she could do, Alex turned her head and in the dim light she tried to make out the figure next to her.
Alex shook her head, her eyes wide and unblinking, her mouth closed tight as she held her breath. Molly. She stared at her daughter. Molly's face was filled with hope and a brilliant smile blossomed before Alex's eyes. Even though Alex's heart soared with love she closed her eyes with a feeling of resignation and breathed in the scent of the damp muskiness of the room and the weak scent of fruity shampoo coming from her daughter. Alex's eyes shot open. Molly was still there. "You didn't disappear."
"Mum, you're here?" Molly asked. "You're really here. Are you okay? She paused, staring at her mother. Oh Mum!" Alex scooted closer to her daughter, pulling against the bonds that kept her hands behind her back. They didn t move, however and she had to make do with burying her face into her daughter s neck, yearning to hold her as she cried.
With her face buried in Molly's hair, Alex committed every second to her memory before pulling away with evident reluctance.
Alex changed positions awkwardly and manoeuvred her still tied hands she could reach her boots.
"They took your gun," Molly stated quietly.
"They? How many are there?"
"Just two men," Molly said sitting forward and hooking her arms around her knees. "What are you doing?"
There was a metallic clatter as the object Alex searched for slipped from her fingers and onto the basement floor. "Pen knife. Molls, I can't see where it went." Alex's fingers grazed the ground, unseeing.
With the dexterity with which only a child can move, Molly crawled over her mother's legs and scooped the component off the floor.
"I need you to cut me free."
Molly pulled at her mother's bonds and with some misgivings brought the sharp edge over the hard industrial zip ties. Molly let out a squeak in shock as the blade slipped, cutting half way through the plastic and narrowly missing stabbing Alex with the pointed end. "I can't do it."
"You have to," Alex commanded.
"But whatever angle I'm at I am going to hurt you."
Alex sighed gently. "Molly, we can't stay down here bound and helpless. They are going to come and the only weapons we have are surprise and a little knife."
"Sorry," Molly uttered, her voice subdued.
"Oh sweetheart, I know you don't want to hurt me. I'd chop my left leg off to get you out of here."
Molly giggles as she slowly dragged the blade over the plastic cord, "How would you get out?"
"I'd beat the bad guys with my leg and get Gene to carry me up the stairs."
"Gene?" The cord snapped as Molly gasped out his name, the knife grazing Alex's palm and splitting the skin.
Alex hissed as she sat up, smiling despite the pain. She took the pen knife and made quick work of the band surrounding her ankles. "Gene Hunt, he's my DCI."
"Gene Hunt," Molly repeated in awe, "Before you... before-"
"I got shot?"
"No after that when you..." Molly choked on a sob, "You said his name."
"Oh!" Alex expressed with shock. "Was I shouting?" she asked with amusement in an attempt to move away from the heavy topic.
"No, you said it quietly under your breath. I was sat so close only I heard it," Molly said weakly, her eyes diverted as she watched her mother slice through the binding around her own smaller wrists with little interest.
"What else did I say?"
"Nothing. Just Gene."
"Oh Molls, I'm so sorry," Alex said, her voice constricted with the pain she had unknowingly inflicted on her daughter. "I fought so hard. I thought I had to save my parents to get home, but it didn't work. For two years I've been battling to get back to you." Alex pulled Molly against her chest, rocking them gently as she cried mutely, her fingers stroking though the long tangle of Molly's mousey brown hair.
"Do you love Gene?"
"Molly, I was always coming home. You're my little girl. I love you too much to just leave you like that. I thought I was still in a coma, I had no idea." Alex drifted off, pondering how long it would have taken for her to realize she was dead and how much longer it would have taken for her to accept she would never see her daughter again.
"Mum?" she whined, irritated that her mother was avoiding her question.
"It's complicated. We're not 'involved', we haven't even kissed, but we are close. Just friends."
"You love him, don't you?" Molly persisted.
"He might not feel the same though. He said he would tell me when this is all over and you are safe, but he has never really been that sort of man."
"Mum! Just give me a straight answer."
"Yes!" Alex said with such speed she was shocked by her honesty.
Molly smiled. "Knew it."
"How could you possibly have known that?" Alex laughed.
"The way you talk about him." Molly looked down.
"You read my case files," Alex summarized.
"I didn't," Molly said shaking her head.
"Molls, I know when you're lying."
"I only read a little bit." At her mother's arched brow Molly sighed, "Maybe all of them."
"What did I tell you about reading confid-"
"You weren't there thought, were you?"
Alex paused for a moment before letting the remark pass.
"Is Sam here and Annie?"
"Annie's still in Manchester I think, but Sam's not here, not anymore. There was an accident before I got here."
"What happ-" Molly's question was interrupted by the creak of old floor boards.
Alex quickly stood, motioning for Molly to do the same. With her hands on Molly's shoulders she pushed her against the wall, so they would be out of view as their captors came down the slender stair case.
"Molly," Alex crouched down so her mouth was level with Molly's ear, "When I say run, don't look back. Just run. Find Gene or Shaz Granger."
....A2A...A2A....
Chapter 12: She Ran