Fic: The Art of Being Lost and Found (38/?), blue cortina, dakfinv
Title: The Art of Being Lost and Found (38/?)
Author: dak
Word Count: 1111 (this part); (55,292 in total, so far)
Rating: blue cortina
Warnings: none here
Summary: Post 2.08. When the Guv goes missing, CID is saddled with an inept "interim" DCI. To find Gene, and the truth, Ray must team up with a hated enemy.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15
Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28
Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37
Ray was unsure what woke him. He did not remember falling asleep, but suddenly his eyes were open and the world was quiet in a way it had not been before. For a moment, he thought he was home in bed. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noticed the second bed beside him and remembered the journey to London.
As the second bed became clearer, so did the figure upon it. Sam was sitting on the edge, facing away from Ray and towards the curtained window. He was slouched forward as if staring into his lap, but Ray could not see him clearly. He wondered if he should say something, but his brain was still foggy from sleep and he could think of nothing to say. The longer he watched, the harder it became to simply close his eyes and fall back asleep.
As his brain became more focused, he realized Sam was not sitting there quietly but whispering to himself. Against the little better judgement he had, Ray tried to figure out Tyler’s words. Sam was too quiet, though, and his voice was no more intelligible than the wind.
He continued to listen, slowly becoming aware of the pauses in Sam’s speech; it was as if he was conversing with someone. Finally, there was a heavy sigh and Tyler shifted on the bed. Ray thought he heard him mutter the word “right,” before he leaned over then rose from the bed.
Ray quickly shut his eyes, feigning sleep, as he listened to Sam shuffle across the room and enter the bathroom. The door clicked shut and Ray, eyes still closed, listened for movement, running water, anything. There was nothing. He waited to hear Sam emerge from the bathroom, but fell asleep before it happened.
When Ray woke again, sunlight was streaming into the room. He cracked open his eyelids, but the light was so blinding he had to shut them immediately and roll over in bed. Some bastard had opened the curtains. He couldn’t remember groaning but he must have as he threw the duvet over his head.
“Good morning.” The twat spoke loudly, breaking the peaceful early morning quiet. Ray definitely groaned that time, a protest to the vocal intrusion. “I thought you wanted to get an early start,” the poncey voice continued to prattle.
“Bugger off” is what Ray thought he mumbled, but the words were too garbled even for him to understand.
“You’re cheerful this morning, aren’t you? Guess you don’t want this coffee, then.”
Ray tossed back the duvet, twisted round in bed, and stared at Tyler with bleary eyes. He couldn’t see much detail, but Sam was sitting cross-legged on his bed, a cup of something in his hand.
“Wha’ coffee?” he grumbled, sniffing the air for the smell of blessed caffeine.
“The coffee I bought from the shop round the corner.”
Ray shot up in bed and threw his feet over the side.
“You went out?”
“I woke early. Couldn’t sleep,” Sam sipped from his cup.
“You went out on your own.”
“Came back, didn’t I?”
“And you bought coffee?”
“I haven’t had coffee in awhile. Or even a decent cuppa.”
“I thought you didn’t have any money?”
“I don’t. I took it from your wallet.”
“You bastard,” Ray grabbed his wallet from the night stand and quickly searched through it.
“I did get you some. Should still be a bit warm.”
Ray carefully counted his bills and change, relieved that there were only a few pence missing.
“Can you believe that in the future, people will pay four pounds for a cup this size?” Sam laughed, swirling his cup.
“No one in their right mind’ll pay four quid for a bloody cup of coffee,” Ray tossed the wallet aside and scrubbed a hand through his hair. After a yawn, he grabbed the untouched cup of coffee sitting on the stand. He took a sip, surprised to find that it was indeed still hot. Tyler must not have left that long ago. He took a second sip, then noticed that Sam was not sitting idly on his bed; there were open files scattered all around him.
“Thought you said you couldn’t handle reading those,” Ray nodded to the folders.
“That was yesterday. When I was tired. I do better in the morning, if I’m not drugged out of my mind, at least.”
“Speaking of which...” Ray searched the floor for the old paper bag.
“I already took them.”
“Sure you did.”
“Count them,” Sam tossed Ray the bag, which had been beside him on the bed. “I took them with the coffee.”
“You never take ‘em with owt.”
“It helped them go down better.”
“Don’t believe you.”
“So what are you going to do, Carling? Double dose me so that I’m useless until the evening? Make me sit here unattended and drooling while you search for Gene on your own?”
“From now on, I watch you take them.”
“Then wake up earlier,” Sam rolled his eyes and turned a page in the file.
“Find owt?” Ray asked, scratching his stomach as he watched Sam read the file.
“I’ve been able to rule a few out. Those too old. Those too young,” he pointed to various piles on the floor. “These are the likeliest possibilities, but there’s nothing concrete,” he sighed. “We should ask your mate Reggie about the local gangs. See which ones would be ruthless enough to use a child in the way the letter described. What?”
Ray blinked and looked away, suddenly aware that he must have been staring at Tyler.
“Nowt. It’s...”
Sam cocked his head and furrowed his brow.
“What?” he demanded.
“It’s like you’re...you, is all,” Ray muttered.
“Hm. Well, it’s amazing what a lack of electroshock can do.”
Ray stretched and, with a wide yawn, rose from the bed.
“’M getting a shower. Keep reading. Then we’ll go see Reg.”
“Ray?”
“What now?” he sighed, looking back at a Sam who suddenly seemed more unsure than he was mere seconds before.
“I know why we’re here, but if we get the chance...could we go visit Buckingham Palace?”
“We’re here to find the Guv, who could be injured or worse, and you want to play the happy tourist?”
“I’ve always wanted to see the changing of the guard. And, once this is over, if I’m going back to Fox Hollow...” he shrugged, clearly embarrassed by his request, if the blush in his cheeks was any indication.
“Only if we have the time. We ain’t here for sightseeing, you know,” Ray shook his head and stomped into the bathroom, only partly glad that Tyler was coherent this morning.
Author: dak
Word Count: 1111 (this part); (55,292 in total, so far)
Rating: blue cortina
Warnings: none here
Summary: Post 2.08. When the Guv goes missing, CID is saddled with an inept "interim" DCI. To find Gene, and the truth, Ray must team up with a hated enemy.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15
Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28
Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37
Ray was unsure what woke him. He did not remember falling asleep, but suddenly his eyes were open and the world was quiet in a way it had not been before. For a moment, he thought he was home in bed. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noticed the second bed beside him and remembered the journey to London.
As the second bed became clearer, so did the figure upon it. Sam was sitting on the edge, facing away from Ray and towards the curtained window. He was slouched forward as if staring into his lap, but Ray could not see him clearly. He wondered if he should say something, but his brain was still foggy from sleep and he could think of nothing to say. The longer he watched, the harder it became to simply close his eyes and fall back asleep.
As his brain became more focused, he realized Sam was not sitting there quietly but whispering to himself. Against the little better judgement he had, Ray tried to figure out Tyler’s words. Sam was too quiet, though, and his voice was no more intelligible than the wind.
He continued to listen, slowly becoming aware of the pauses in Sam’s speech; it was as if he was conversing with someone. Finally, there was a heavy sigh and Tyler shifted on the bed. Ray thought he heard him mutter the word “right,” before he leaned over then rose from the bed.
Ray quickly shut his eyes, feigning sleep, as he listened to Sam shuffle across the room and enter the bathroom. The door clicked shut and Ray, eyes still closed, listened for movement, running water, anything. There was nothing. He waited to hear Sam emerge from the bathroom, but fell asleep before it happened.
When Ray woke again, sunlight was streaming into the room. He cracked open his eyelids, but the light was so blinding he had to shut them immediately and roll over in bed. Some bastard had opened the curtains. He couldn’t remember groaning but he must have as he threw the duvet over his head.
“Good morning.” The twat spoke loudly, breaking the peaceful early morning quiet. Ray definitely groaned that time, a protest to the vocal intrusion. “I thought you wanted to get an early start,” the poncey voice continued to prattle.
“Bugger off” is what Ray thought he mumbled, but the words were too garbled even for him to understand.
“You’re cheerful this morning, aren’t you? Guess you don’t want this coffee, then.”
Ray tossed back the duvet, twisted round in bed, and stared at Tyler with bleary eyes. He couldn’t see much detail, but Sam was sitting cross-legged on his bed, a cup of something in his hand.
“Wha’ coffee?” he grumbled, sniffing the air for the smell of blessed caffeine.
“The coffee I bought from the shop round the corner.”
Ray shot up in bed and threw his feet over the side.
“You went out?”
“I woke early. Couldn’t sleep,” Sam sipped from his cup.
“You went out on your own.”
“Came back, didn’t I?”
“And you bought coffee?”
“I haven’t had coffee in awhile. Or even a decent cuppa.”
“I thought you didn’t have any money?”
“I don’t. I took it from your wallet.”
“You bastard,” Ray grabbed his wallet from the night stand and quickly searched through it.
“I did get you some. Should still be a bit warm.”
Ray carefully counted his bills and change, relieved that there were only a few pence missing.
“Can you believe that in the future, people will pay four pounds for a cup this size?” Sam laughed, swirling his cup.
“No one in their right mind’ll pay four quid for a bloody cup of coffee,” Ray tossed the wallet aside and scrubbed a hand through his hair. After a yawn, he grabbed the untouched cup of coffee sitting on the stand. He took a sip, surprised to find that it was indeed still hot. Tyler must not have left that long ago. He took a second sip, then noticed that Sam was not sitting idly on his bed; there were open files scattered all around him.
“Thought you said you couldn’t handle reading those,” Ray nodded to the folders.
“That was yesterday. When I was tired. I do better in the morning, if I’m not drugged out of my mind, at least.”
“Speaking of which...” Ray searched the floor for the old paper bag.
“I already took them.”
“Sure you did.”
“Count them,” Sam tossed Ray the bag, which had been beside him on the bed. “I took them with the coffee.”
“You never take ‘em with owt.”
“It helped them go down better.”
“Don’t believe you.”
“So what are you going to do, Carling? Double dose me so that I’m useless until the evening? Make me sit here unattended and drooling while you search for Gene on your own?”
“From now on, I watch you take them.”
“Then wake up earlier,” Sam rolled his eyes and turned a page in the file.
“Find owt?” Ray asked, scratching his stomach as he watched Sam read the file.
“I’ve been able to rule a few out. Those too old. Those too young,” he pointed to various piles on the floor. “These are the likeliest possibilities, but there’s nothing concrete,” he sighed. “We should ask your mate Reggie about the local gangs. See which ones would be ruthless enough to use a child in the way the letter described. What?”
Ray blinked and looked away, suddenly aware that he must have been staring at Tyler.
“Nowt. It’s...”
Sam cocked his head and furrowed his brow.
“What?” he demanded.
“It’s like you’re...you, is all,” Ray muttered.
“Hm. Well, it’s amazing what a lack of electroshock can do.”
Ray stretched and, with a wide yawn, rose from the bed.
“’M getting a shower. Keep reading. Then we’ll go see Reg.”
“Ray?”
“What now?” he sighed, looking back at a Sam who suddenly seemed more unsure than he was mere seconds before.
“I know why we’re here, but if we get the chance...could we go visit Buckingham Palace?”
“We’re here to find the Guv, who could be injured or worse, and you want to play the happy tourist?”
“I’ve always wanted to see the changing of the guard. And, once this is over, if I’m going back to Fox Hollow...” he shrugged, clearly embarrassed by his request, if the blush in his cheeks was any indication.
“Only if we have the time. We ain’t here for sightseeing, you know,” Ray shook his head and stomped into the bathroom, only partly glad that Tyler was coherent this morning.