55A/n. This is just a very quickly written chapter to get them out of the bar because I was getting a bit sick of the talk/memory/talk/memory rut I was finding myself in. So enjoy this little filler chapter and I hope to have something actually interesting happening soon!
MBRB'xoxo
She was slightly breathless with the sheer impact of the flashes of memory. It wasn't everyday that you realise that you seemed to be forgetting not only a major part of your memory from your childhood, but also several years of your life that you lead whilst in a coma. How was this even possible? Come on Alex, you're a psychiatr – psychologist. Shit.
'Okay, so my mind created a world for me to live in whilst I was in a coma. And that world was in 1981 because that was the year that my entire life changed. That makes sense, the mind does incredible things…' she mumbled to herself as her thoughts jumped and leaped about in search of a way that this whole thing could make any form of sense.
'Your mind doesn't do incredible things, Lady, it does bloody mental things' Gene cut in, adding his two cents worth which was not appreciated by Alex as he propped his head on his hand, the picture of boredom and earned himself a hard scowl. She didn't bother to reply to him though, and instead continued her thinking aloud.
'So a second in a coma was days, weeks, months in 1981 –'
'You were there 'til 83' he added helpfully. This time, Alex barely even physically acknowledged that he had spoken but she did pause for a second, considering what he had said.
'Yes…1983. 3 years. How could a brain possibly create such a large scale world when it is under such trauma in the first place? How could each construct be so complete and seem so real? And the places that I went…there were entire cities in my head. Entire countries. Each house was so detailed. The brain cannot completely imagine new faces, it's impossible. People in dreams are all people that you have seen before, if only briefly, but surely I could not have put an entire life and personality to each and every one of them… how would that work?' Gene allowed her to keep on babbling for a good couple minutes more until he had enough of her talking to herself and making him look like he was sat with a fruitcake, so he interrupted her, causing her to look up at him in surprise as if she had completely forgotten that he was there at all – which she had.
'Gene. God, sorry. I just… I just don't understand' she sighed, leaning her head on her hand and looking at him with tired eyes.
'Yeah, as you said a million bloody times. Look, I don't get it either but can you stop calling me a flamin 'construct' cos I'm not.' It had really started to piss him off after the gabillionth time she'd said it. 'I will not let you take credit for creating this –' he motioned to himself 'in your pretty little head because frankly Drake, I know you and you don't have the imagination to come up with something so wonde'ful.' He gave her a sarcastic smile which she returned before her face fell again briefly and then was replaced with a wide-eyed grin and a triumphant laugh. Gene frowned at her. Why the hell was she laughing now?
'What?' he snapped. Her laughing in his face as she was gave him the impression that she was laughing at him and Gene Hunt did not like to be laughed at.
'You're right. You're so right, Gene! You couldn't have been in my head because you're here! You're in front of me right now. You can't have been in my head because you're not in my head!' her expectant smile indicated that he was supposed to, what, understand this crazy explanation? Because he really didn't. He didn't understand a word that came out the woman's mouth. Taking a deep breath, Gene put both his hands on the table to brace himself, and began to stand up.
'Anyway, it's been… hell. But can we continue this crazy talk some other time? I think I have a free window when hell freezes over?' he looked down at her surprised face and didn't give her a chance to reply. 'Great. See you then' he started to walk to the door of the little bar and he tried to ignore Alex's cries of protest as he suddenly walked away from the table, but he still found his feet stopping as he reached the door. He wanted to leave. He needed to leave because he wasn't sure how much she remembered. How much she knew about him. Sure, he couldn't remember everything about her and his memories were far from complete, but he was pretty sure that hers were even less whole than his. And he wasn't too sure if he wanted her to remember. She was settled here again. She had her daughter back and he distinctly remembered her daughter – Molly was it? – being the one thing that she longed for. So surely it was unfair of him to confuse her even more and allow her to remember all the things that had happened back in the 80s. Maybe it was best if he really did just leave and let her live her life with her daughter as she wanted to do. So why had he stopped when she had told him to wait.
'Since when were you the one giving out the orders, Bolls?' he asked her, his tone reasonably harsh but she detected the ever so slight joke in his voice. She also noticed the casual way that he had called her Bolls again, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And it actually felt like it was.
'Since you were in my world, Guv' she replied with a devastating smile on her lips. Oh. That's why she had been smiling. Her use of his nickname was – god help him for turning into such a yuppie twat – like being home. Some familiarity in such an unfamiliar place.
'Come back to mine? We still have so much to talk about and I don't know about you, but I just want to relax a little' she waited for his answer and he was unsure if he should say yes or no. Seeing his indecision, she tried to convince him further.
'I have an unopened expensive bottle of wine in the kitchen' she tempted him, knowing he could never say no to the offer of a drink.
'Alright, Bolly but you better keep your frumpy clothes on. This isn't a date and I don't want the sight of you in those godawful frillies ruining my drinking appetite' he warned as he followed her out the bar and into the street. Alex couldn't help but laugh at him. He was just so Gene.