DCI Gene Hunt (manc_lion) wrote in saveatlantisic, @ 2016-12-25 16:52:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !log, *abby, *jen, alex drake, gene hunt |
The days had crawled by as Gene impatiently waited for Christmas to arrive. Back in Daytona, there has only been a few days left. But then they were suddenly brought here where it was a year later, but only November. He’d stubbornly stuck to his plan though. Come Christmas Day he was going going to muster up his courage and propose to Alex. And now the day was finally here.
Gene exhaled a breath and steeled himself before banging on her door with his fist. “Open up… Police,” he joked. With them living in separate flats again, he felt like back in the 80’s when he’d visit her place above Luigi's. Inside, Alex rolled her eyes. Her roommate was out at the moment and she’d been waiting for Gene to arrive. But she hadn’t been expecting this. Pushing herself up from the couch she smirked a bit. Stopping just short of the door she crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side, yelling through the door “Got a warrant?” “Yes, my size nine boot! Open the bloody door, Bolly.” Gene yanked his other hand out of his coat pocket to prevent himself from fiddling with the small velvet box. Alex rolled her eyes and unlocked the door enough to stick her head out. “Technically this is an illegal search then,” she smirked a bit more. “But I suppose since I’ve nothing to hide I could just grant you access.” “I’ll give you an illegal search,” he replied as he pushed to door open. Gene pulled Alex into his arms and kissed her firmly on the lips, carefully walking her backwards into the flat. “And seein’ as you’re my bird, you always grant me access to that gorgeous body of yours. Happy Christmas, Bols.” Alex wrapped her arms around Gene’s neck, hoping that he’d remembered to shut the door behind him. She tried to steer the two of them back towards the couch so as not to bump into the oddly placed table her roommate had in the flat. “Well, it wouldn’t be sporting for me to deny you access as you haven’t done anything wrong,” she teased. Kissing him again she smiled. “Happy Christmas Gene. Only year and a few months off this time.” “Don’t remind me,” he grumbled. But all things considered, even he had to admit that Atlantis was a step up from Daytona. “Hard enough for the two of us to get time together with us livin’ apart again. I miss wakin’ up with you next to me, Alex. So you’d better not cut off me access or you’ll be doin’ my paperwork for the next year,” he mock threatened her. “Oh no,” she mock cried. “Paperwork. A fate worse than death.” But in all reality it somewhat was. Alex chuckled and pulled Gene onto the couch. “We should look into whether there are free units that we could move into. I’ve gotten rather used to you being my only roommate. And I rather miss it.” She smiled, the one that said she was understating the point. “How are you making out with yours?” “I’d already tried that when we first got ‘ere and was basically told no.” Gene pulled away long enough to remove his crombie, carefully draping it over the back of the couch and making sure the left pocket was the one facing outwards. He’d dressed casually in a black button down shirt, jeans, and his trainers since it was a holiday and hopefully they wouldn’t be called into work for an emergency. Gene lifted his arm so she could snuggle in and he kissed the top of her head. “As for the roommate, Padma’s not bad. Nice girl… magic user from England. You’ve definitely rubbed off on me though, Bols. Not once ‘ave I slipped up and referred to ‘er as a Paki.” The separation was annoying and it was killing them. In Daytona they’d had the chance to move in together as they’d wanted. She had to wonder if space was really so at a premium here that they had to be extremely strict about who moved where or if this was just another social experiment… “You have to…” she turned to him, looking up before the back of her brain reminded herself that he was from the 80s. She’d spent so much time there that Alex had never thought she’d get used to being in a time similar to her own, but she had and now had to remind herself. Although it had to be stated that Gene had done a pretty good job adapting to the future. With a shake of her head Alex reached up and patted him on the head, leaning back into his arms. “Well done Gene. Gold star.” Gene rolled his eyes and pulled his head away when she started patting it. “Get off, woman… I’m not a dog.” He was smiling though, making it clear he wasn’t actually upset. But still, the Manc Lion had an image to maintain. He sat there quietly for a few minutes as he held Alex, thinking about how to best ask her what was on his mind. “Alex… you and me. We’re good together, right? Fightin’ the rot together, challengin’ each other, and we make one ‘ell of a team…” Alex let out a laugh and winked at her boyfriend, making a mental note to get a packet of gold stars if they existed here. If not she’d make her own. She wasn’t above a bit of fun. When Gene started speaking again, Alex had leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, just enjoying the closeness. “Of course we’re good together.” She opened her eyes and turned Gene’s head with her hand, making him look at her. “You alright?” It always concerned her when he started asking questions like this because that rare moment of self doubt meant more than he was thinking about it, she worried he actually was concerned himself.. “Fine, Bols. Just ‘ave somethin’ on my mind. Nothin’ to worry your pretty little ‘ead about.” He frowned slightly, that familiar pout already settling into place as his blue eyes searched her green ones for any sort of clue that this was the right time. “Bolly…” Of all the things he could have said, that was the one thing that she didn’t accept. “When you have something on your mind like this, it’s my job to worry,” she pointed out. “You know you can tell me. Whatever it is won’t have me going off screaming into the night.” Gene nodded and gave her a little nudge so she’d sit up, giving him a little space to reach into the pocket of his coat. As his fist closed around the small velvet box, his heart was pounding in his chest and he swallowed to wet his throat. “We’ve been through alot together, Bols. London, Daytona, ‘ere… but no matter where we are or what’s ‘appenin’ around us, it’s always you and me. We’ve got a connection, Alex. What I’m tryin’ to get at is that you’re important to me and I… well, I love you.” It wasn’t rare for Gene to say these kinds of things when they were in private. But what caused her to tilt her head the other way was the question of where they were coming from. Normally it happened after one of them went through something traumatic. Which… hadn’t happened all that recently if she was being honest. But the sincerity in his voice and the clear nerves that he was feeling which were obvious in the way he was looking were foreign. “I love you too. Gene… what’s going on?” She was concerned now. Was he feeling alright? This was somewhat out of character for him. Bringing his hand back into view and opening his fist, Gene revealed it to Alex and slowly opened it. “I’d planned to ask you on Christmas back when we were livin’ in Daytona. Well, now it’s finally Christmas ‘ere.” He shifted away from her and off of the couch, getting down on one knee so he could do this properly. “Alex Drake… you’re a bloody trouble magnet and you can be a complete fruitcake at times. But I love you and you make me a better person. Will you marry me?” Alex’s eyes widened and she thought she felt her jaw drop open, but she couldn’t be sure. She couldn’t move her eyes from Gene. Was she imagining this? Had she finally gone insane or was he actually doing this? Hadn’t he said at one point that he didn’t want to get married again? She thought she remembered that. But this… here… Alex tried to say something but all that came out was. “I…” There was a small pause as she tried to get over her mental stupor and instead of that she threw her arms around him, sliding off the couch. “You’re a bloody idiot. Making me worry like that. Of course I will!” Gene breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her tightly, resting his cheek in her hair. “Oi! Watch it with the idiot comments, Lady Bols.” He smiled and pulled back, taking the ring out of the box and sliding it onto her finger. “I didn’t mean to make you worry, but you know I’m not good at this sort of thing. And give a bloke a break! Do you know ‘ow nerve wrackin’ it is to try and propose to your missus?” “What? You are,” she replied with a laugh. She watched as he slid the finger on and then leaned in to kiss him. Breaking it she leaned her forehead against his and let out a calming breath. “I’ve practically been your missus for longer than either of us will admit, Gene.” “You don’t think it’s too fast? I mean, yeah… we’ve known each other for about 4 years now. But it wasn’t until Daytona that you and I finally stopped denyin’ ‘ow we felt. So… about 6 or 7 months I think?” Gene stood up and guided Alex back onto the couch so they could actually relax now. Sitting back down, Alex grabbed Gene’s hand and offered him a soft smile. “Gene, we wasted so much time already. Whatever time we have here I don’t want to spent it apart. We literally had three years and then realized we were dead. And the one time I should have ignored your instructions, I didn’t.” She paused there moving her hand so she was stroking his cheek. “No more time wasted.” Gene nodded and smiled faintly, pulled her into his arms and holding her close. “No more time wasted,” he agreed. “Now I just need to find out ‘ow the ‘ell marriages work in this place.” He kept hold of her hand and looked down at the ring on her finger. It wasn’t a diamond because it just didn’t seem the right stone for her. Instead, Gene had chosen a red ruby, flanked on either side by two small sapphires. “Always thought you looked good in red,” he commented with a nod. The ring seemed to catch the light, making the colors even more vibrant against her finger. It was one of those things that most people wouldn’t have expected from Gene, something like this. His reputation was something he so carefully crafted that most would never have suspected. “I’ll have to keep that in mind for future reference,” she replied with a small smirk. “I’ll be if we were to check with the public records office they’d tell us. I thought I saw one.” “Then I’m leavin’ that part to you, Bolly-kecks. What sort of weddin’ would you like?” he asked. Gene looked down at the ring and smiled at how good it looked on her finger. “The ring… you do like it, right?” “It’s perfect,” she said honestly. “Though I would have said yes if you’d used just about anything.” She glanced down at the ring and it caught the light again. “Honestly, we know practically no one here. It’s you, me, Gwen and Anwen. Oh, and Jack's kind of gotten to know us. So I’m thinking something relatively small.” She sighed thinking about who wasn’t here, those who they knew who were missing. “We could invite Jarvis,” he suggested. The other Englishman had been spending more and more free time lately with the pair of them and despite being even more posh than Alex, Gene got along with him. “But agreed. Somethin’ small for us and a handful of friends. I’ll see what I can sort out in terms of a honeymoon, or whatever passes around ‘ere. Normally I’d suggest a week or two in Spain, but I don’t think that’s an option.” “We always seem to end up in places where we can’t leave,” Alex said with a sigh. “Just another way of keeping track of us I suppose.” Alex smiled ever so slightly. “Jarvis would probably enjoy the ceremony. Let him bring someone with him. Gwen and Anwyn of course. Maybe a few people from the station. But you know that I don’t need anything huge. Just wish that the others were here for this.” “We could’ve left, but then what was the point? No tellin’ if we’d ‘ave gone back to Daytona, or me to Fenchurch and you to the Pub. Told you before, Bols… no matter where I land, doesn’t matter so long as you’re there. We’re a team.” Gene caressed his fingers up and down her arm as they talked. He spoke softer as he continued, remembering their missing friends. “I miss ‘em too. Sam and Annie would’ve loved you. As for Shaz, Ray, and Chris… well, it was their time. End of. I’d already kept them with me for too long, especially Ray and Chris.” “Don’t think that any of them would have believed we’d actually do this,” Alex said with a small smile. “Wherever they are, they’ve earned being happy. And after all this time, so have we.” “Exactly.” Gene nodded and leaned in to kiss his fiancée, then chuckled softly. “By the way… I do have a proper Christmas present for you too, along with a bottle of Bollinger to celebrate.” “I certainly have a reason to get you a gift, but after this, I think you’d be off the hook for anything else this holiday,” Alex said with a tilt of her head. “I could think of somethin’ you could give me,” he said, waggling his eyebrows and smiling mischievously. “Assumin’ your roommate is gone for a while?” Alex reached over and pushed his shoulder slightly, playfully. “Well, I did already get you something,” she said as if she were musing on the subject. “Honestly? I never know when she’s going to pop in. Gene pushed up from the couch and grabbed his coat, draping it over his arm. “Right. My place it is. Padma’s going to be out for a while and she said I could ‘ave the place to myself for awhile today since she knew I was poppin’ the question. Grab my present and we can swap ‘em while I fix us some lunch. Then some quiet time… just us.” Alex didn’t even have to think about it. She got up off the couch and made her way over to the side table where she’d stashed the box containing his christmas present. “Just remember I have to be home by midnight or I turn into a pumpkin,” she teased as she grabbed her coat. “Daft tart.” He shook his head and gave her a playful smack on her arse. “Mush, woman.” |