Fic: Steady As She Goes (63/86), blue cortina, dakfinv
Title: Steady As She Goes (63/86)
Author: dak
Word Count: 1011 this part; [114,188 overall]
Summary for Whole: After an accidental shooting at the station, Gene struggles to keep his team from tearing themselves apart while his and Sam's friendship is pushed to the limits.
Summary this Part: Sam tries to talk things out. The Missus talks to Gene.
Rating: still Blue-ish Cortina, uhm, what's slightly darker than blue?
Warnings: angst, swearing, violence, violent imagery, minor drug use, mild sexual situations, self-harm for whole
Spoilers: none here; see each chapter for specific spoiler warnings
Pairing: mild Sam/Annie, Sam/Maya, Gene/missus
Disclaimer: Belongs to BBC/Kudos
A/N: Please enjoy!
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 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40 Part 41 Part 42 Part 43 Part 44 Part 45 Part 46 Part 47 Part 48 Part 49 Part 50 Part 51 Part 52 Part 53 Part 54 Part 55 Part 56 Part 57 Part 58 Part 59 Part 60 Part 61 Part 62 Part 63 Part 64 Part 65 Part 66 Part 67 Part 68 Part 69 Part 70 Part 71 Part 72 Part 73 Part 74 Part 75 Part 76 Part 77 Part 78 Part 79 Part 80 Part 81 Part 82 Part 83 Part 84 Part 85 Part 86
She’d left the kitchen light on for him, bless her, Gene noticed as he pulled the Cortina up to the curb and switched off the engine. The rest of the house was dark. She must’ve gone to bed hours ago. Gene had meant to come home sooner but the wise Nelson, noticing the plethora of somber moods in his pub, had forgot to chuck them out at eleven.
He unlocked the door and entered as silently as possible, determined not to wake her as he stumbled home. Closing the door gently behind him, Gene was about to take off his coat when he spied another jacket hanging on the hook. That was when he heard the voices in the kitchen.
"He does care about you, luv. He always cares about any of his men."
"I know," Sam sniffled, "I know he did it to help me. I know I deserved it--"
"Sam..."
"No. I did."
Gene pressed himself against the wall, intent on listening without being seen.
"But how can I make it up to them if he won’t let me try?"
"Are you ready to try Sam?"
There was a long silence. For a moment Gene was afraid they had heard him. He flinched as a chair scraped against the floor, a clear indication of someone standing, but he couldn’t bring himself to walk away.
"I should go. I’ve bothered you enough already."
Gene heard the footsteps coming towards him.
"Sam," she called out and the footsteps stopped. "It’s not a bother. Honestly. As long as I’ve been married to Gene I’ve learned...I know how important it can be to talk to someone outside of the station."
There was more silence. This was Gene’s chance to slip away. Slowly backing down the hall, he felt for the doorknob with his hand.
"Promise me you’ll get some sleep, Sam. You don’t look well..."
Gene made it outside, quietly shutting the door and jumping into the Cortina, backing down the street til it was safely out of sight. About a minute later a short man in a dark jacket left his home, hands in his pockets, head hung low as he walked down the pavement away from Gene’s hiding place. Gene waited another five minutes before driving forward and parking his car for the second time.
He entered the house as if he had seen nothing, knowing she would still be awake. He hung up his coat and walked past the kitchen, acting surprised when he saw her sitting there.
"Oh. What’re you still doin’ up?"
"Give ‘im a case, Gene," she sighed tiredly.
"What?" Usually he was quite good at playing dumb.
"Don’t ‘what’ me, Gene Hunt," she said sternly, rising from her seat at the kitchen table. "Only one thing drags that strong a stench of booze and fags into my home and unless a pub decided to magically pop up in our sitting room, that one thing is you."
Nose like a bloodhound. Damn her.
"Give him a case," she repeated more forcefully.
"Sorry, didn’t know you’d become a DCI in your spare time. Was it those night courses you were taking?"
It took Gene a moment to realize he’d been slapped in the face.
"When have I ever, ever, in your whole bloody career told you how to do your job?" She screamed. "All the times I saw you cocking things up, with the way you constantly disrespect anyone that gets in your way, and I kept my mouth shut! Because that’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m your wife, not a copper, you think I don’t understand that? But that poor boy came to me for help because he’s tired and broken and alone and--" She broke off, a sob catching in her throat. She placed a hand over her mouth and shook her head, trying to clear Sam’s sorrow from her mind.
Gene reached out to hold her but she stepped away from his touch. Controlling her emotions, she dropped her hands by her sides and looked her husband directly in the eyes. "You lost Stu. Can’t you see how close you are to losing Sam?"
She pushed past him, running out of the kitchen and up the stairs, not stopping until the bedroom door was slammed shut.
Gene would be sleeping on the sofa tonight.
*
A file landed on his desk, scattering some papers and stirring him from his daze. Despite Mrs. Hunt’s words of advice, Sam had not been able to get any sleep last night. The girl was a constant companion now, always appearing as soon as his eyes would close. Sam caught himself zoning out several times that morning despite the pint of coffee flowing through his system.
"Lemme guess. Double-check the forms then file it in collator’s?" Sam yawned.
"Seems you’ve got your sparkling wit back, Mr. Wilde," Gene mocked. "Say thank you."
"What for?" Sam grumbled as he flipped open his newest non-assignment. "This’s missing proper witness statements, the investigating officer’s report--"
"That’s because it hasn’t been investigated yet," Gene hooked his thumbs through his belt loops and leaned back.
"You mean..."
"Went the whole week without landing yourself in hospital. Think that’s a record for you. You say you’re still a detective, Sergeant Gladys? Prove it. Take Skelton and go do some detecting."
Gene hadn’t seen Sam move that fast since he thought he saw Bobby Charlton buying sweets at the Paki shop.
"Chris!" Tyler shouted with a hint of what sounded suspiciously to Gene like glee.
"Yes, sir?" Skelton asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"Get your note pad. We’ve got a..." Sam had to recheck the file, "...a home invasion."
"We? Uh, right sir." Chris stumbled up from his desk and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. While Sam left the room, Chris shot his Guv a questioning look. Gene simply nodded and watched Chris scamper after Tyler.
"You’re welcome!" Gene shouted after him but Sam was already gone. It just wasn’t normal for someone to get so excited about a home invasion.
______
Part 64
Author: dak
Word Count: 1011 this part; [114,188 overall]
Summary for Whole: After an accidental shooting at the station, Gene struggles to keep his team from tearing themselves apart while his and Sam's friendship is pushed to the limits.
Summary this Part: Sam tries to talk things out. The Missus talks to Gene.
Rating: still Blue-ish Cortina, uhm, what's slightly darker than blue?
Warnings: angst, swearing, violence, violent imagery, minor drug use, mild sexual situations, self-harm for whole
Spoilers: none here; see each chapter for specific spoiler warnings
Pairing: mild Sam/Annie, Sam/Maya, Gene/missus
Disclaimer: Belongs to BBC/Kudos
A/N: Please enjoy!
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 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40 Part 41 Part 42 Part 43 Part 44 Part 45 Part 46 Part 47 Part 48 Part 49 Part 50 Part 51 Part 52 Part 53 Part 54 Part 55 Part 56 Part 57 Part 58 Part 59 Part 60 Part 61 Part 62 Part 63 Part 64 Part 65 Part 66 Part 67 Part 68 Part 69 Part 70 Part 71 Part 72 Part 73 Part 74 Part 75 Part 76 Part 77 Part 78 Part 79 Part 80 Part 81 Part 82 Part 83 Part 84 Part 85 Part 86
She’d left the kitchen light on for him, bless her, Gene noticed as he pulled the Cortina up to the curb and switched off the engine. The rest of the house was dark. She must’ve gone to bed hours ago. Gene had meant to come home sooner but the wise Nelson, noticing the plethora of somber moods in his pub, had forgot to chuck them out at eleven.
He unlocked the door and entered as silently as possible, determined not to wake her as he stumbled home. Closing the door gently behind him, Gene was about to take off his coat when he spied another jacket hanging on the hook. That was when he heard the voices in the kitchen.
"He does care about you, luv. He always cares about any of his men."
"I know," Sam sniffled, "I know he did it to help me. I know I deserved it--"
"Sam..."
"No. I did."
Gene pressed himself against the wall, intent on listening without being seen.
"But how can I make it up to them if he won’t let me try?"
"Are you ready to try Sam?"
There was a long silence. For a moment Gene was afraid they had heard him. He flinched as a chair scraped against the floor, a clear indication of someone standing, but he couldn’t bring himself to walk away.
"I should go. I’ve bothered you enough already."
Gene heard the footsteps coming towards him.
"Sam," she called out and the footsteps stopped. "It’s not a bother. Honestly. As long as I’ve been married to Gene I’ve learned...I know how important it can be to talk to someone outside of the station."
There was more silence. This was Gene’s chance to slip away. Slowly backing down the hall, he felt for the doorknob with his hand.
"Promise me you’ll get some sleep, Sam. You don’t look well..."
Gene made it outside, quietly shutting the door and jumping into the Cortina, backing down the street til it was safely out of sight. About a minute later a short man in a dark jacket left his home, hands in his pockets, head hung low as he walked down the pavement away from Gene’s hiding place. Gene waited another five minutes before driving forward and parking his car for the second time.
He entered the house as if he had seen nothing, knowing she would still be awake. He hung up his coat and walked past the kitchen, acting surprised when he saw her sitting there.
"Oh. What’re you still doin’ up?"
"Give ‘im a case, Gene," she sighed tiredly.
"What?" Usually he was quite good at playing dumb.
"Don’t ‘what’ me, Gene Hunt," she said sternly, rising from her seat at the kitchen table. "Only one thing drags that strong a stench of booze and fags into my home and unless a pub decided to magically pop up in our sitting room, that one thing is you."
Nose like a bloodhound. Damn her.
"Give him a case," she repeated more forcefully.
"Sorry, didn’t know you’d become a DCI in your spare time. Was it those night courses you were taking?"
It took Gene a moment to realize he’d been slapped in the face.
"When have I ever, ever, in your whole bloody career told you how to do your job?" She screamed. "All the times I saw you cocking things up, with the way you constantly disrespect anyone that gets in your way, and I kept my mouth shut! Because that’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m your wife, not a copper, you think I don’t understand that? But that poor boy came to me for help because he’s tired and broken and alone and--" She broke off, a sob catching in her throat. She placed a hand over her mouth and shook her head, trying to clear Sam’s sorrow from her mind.
Gene reached out to hold her but she stepped away from his touch. Controlling her emotions, she dropped her hands by her sides and looked her husband directly in the eyes. "You lost Stu. Can’t you see how close you are to losing Sam?"
She pushed past him, running out of the kitchen and up the stairs, not stopping until the bedroom door was slammed shut.
Gene would be sleeping on the sofa tonight.
*
A file landed on his desk, scattering some papers and stirring him from his daze. Despite Mrs. Hunt’s words of advice, Sam had not been able to get any sleep last night. The girl was a constant companion now, always appearing as soon as his eyes would close. Sam caught himself zoning out several times that morning despite the pint of coffee flowing through his system.
"Lemme guess. Double-check the forms then file it in collator’s?" Sam yawned.
"Seems you’ve got your sparkling wit back, Mr. Wilde," Gene mocked. "Say thank you."
"What for?" Sam grumbled as he flipped open his newest non-assignment. "This’s missing proper witness statements, the investigating officer’s report--"
"That’s because it hasn’t been investigated yet," Gene hooked his thumbs through his belt loops and leaned back.
"You mean..."
"Went the whole week without landing yourself in hospital. Think that’s a record for you. You say you’re still a detective, Sergeant Gladys? Prove it. Take Skelton and go do some detecting."
Gene hadn’t seen Sam move that fast since he thought he saw Bobby Charlton buying sweets at the Paki shop.
"Chris!" Tyler shouted with a hint of what sounded suspiciously to Gene like glee.
"Yes, sir?" Skelton asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"Get your note pad. We’ve got a..." Sam had to recheck the file, "...a home invasion."
"We? Uh, right sir." Chris stumbled up from his desk and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. While Sam left the room, Chris shot his Guv a questioning look. Gene simply nodded and watched Chris scamper after Tyler.
"You’re welcome!" Gene shouted after him but Sam was already gone. It just wasn’t normal for someone to get so excited about a home invasion.
______
Part 64