Andromeda - Fortune Challenge
TITLE: Sweet Lady Luck
AUTHOR: Andromeda
FANDOM: Life on Mars
SUMMARY:
RATING: Blue Cortina for non-explicit adult situations
WORD COUNT: 1,000
EMAIL: fiandyfic@livejournal.com
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Dedicated to lozenger8 as an abject apology for writing more Hookerverse in 1973flashfic. What can I say? It just fit straight in with the Fortune Challenge. Beta'd by the ever fabulous darthfi.
DISCLAIMER: Life on Mars is copyright Kudos and the BBC. All Rights Reserved. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made.
Sweet Lady Luck
Sukey had never thought of herself as particularly lucky. She'd had a hard life and had only made it through this far through sheer dint of effort and the sort of cheerful optimism that moves mountains and wins wars.
She left home at fifteen, turned her back on the old mill town, its industry already slowing as more and more people moved to the big cities. She'd not seen her mother in five years and her father, well, if he was her father, none of the family ever recognised that. Certainly not her father, who took plenty of advantage in the fact.
So she ran away; packed her few belongings and went to seek her fortune in the big city. A fortune that never really materialised, though with effort she could describe herself as 'comfortable'. Jobs had been hard to come by as a young girl with no skills or qualifications. A bit of bar work here and there, some dancing in dingy clubs, but the best money by far could be earned on the streets. Over time she'd grown to like it, at least some of the time. She'd kept herself out of most trouble, although she'd had her fair share of nasty punters, most had been nice enough. But it was by being a quick learner and through knowing when to keep her mouth shut and not luck that kept her alive.
Then, one night, her luck changed.
It had been a tough night already. Her first trick had been a real nasty piece of work. Rough, violent and, to add insult to injury, skipped out without paying. Her pimp, not happy at this turn of events, had given her even more to think about. She'd cleaned herself up the best she could in the dimly lit toilets of a seedy club, realising that she would have to work doubly hard to get together enough to cover his cut as well as the rent that was due.
Which was why, when the battered old Rover pulled up, her heart had sunk.
The copper was one she knew vaguely by sight. She had seen him down at the Station once or twice when she had been pulled in. DI Hunt, that was what Phyllis had called him.
He looked her up and down, assessing, before moving across and opening the front passenger door.
"Get in."
So he was not taking her down the station, he was after a perk on a slow night. That was a common enough occurrence, she had probably blown or been fucked by half the coppers in Manchester over the years. Though she was slightly surprised to add the Inspector to the list. The few Inspectors she still did favours for had started out as Sergeants or Constables looking for relief. She just hoped that it would be a quick job, she was still mindful of her owings.
Sukey gave Hunt directions to a place she usually used for her copper 'clients' - out of the way, not too far that she couldn't get back working quickly - and he drove there in silence.
When he stopped the car, she immediately reached out towards his crotch, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her abruptly.
"No."
She pulled back and he let her, hands on her knees, suddenly nervous as to what he might do.
"What do you want?"
He didn't answer her straight away, instead pulled a packet of fags out of his coat and wordlessly offered her one before taking one for himself. He lit both cigarettes and took a deep drag before saying "I just want a chat."
Sukey sighed. "Look, Inspector, either pull me in or send me on my merry way. Unlike some folk, I've work to do."
Hunt raised an eyebrow at that. "Bad night?" he nodded towards her eyebrow where a cut caused by Billy's ring had obviously started bleeding again.
"Something like that."
"You're Sukey, one of Wakefield's girls, aren't you? Did he do that?"
Now this was dangerous territory. She kept silent, her lips pressed in a thin line and glared at Hunt.
He nodded thoughtfully, taking one last drag of his cigarette before throwing it out of the window. "You're a good girl, discreet and intelligent. I want you to do two things for me. Firstly go straight home tonight. I don't want to see you on the streets again before morning."
Sukey stared. "You've got to be kidding me. I'm not doing this for my pleasure, you know. I've got to work tonight or it'll be worse for me than this."
Hunt held up a finger, silencing her. "Don't worry about old Billy, we pulled him in an hour ago. He's not going anywhere tonight. Just go and get some sleep. You look exhausted." He held up a second finger and continued. "Secondly, I want you to go round to the Station first thing tomorrow morning and tell Sergeant Dobbs that I sent you. You know her, don't you?"
Sukey nodded.
"Good. She comes on shift at six. If you can catch her as she starts, then she'll have a proposition for you."
"What sort of proposition?"
Hunt sniffed. "One that you won't turn down, I assure you. Don't forget, six o'clock on the dot."
It was an obvious dismissal and Sukey turned, getting out of the car. Hunt leaned over, winding down the window and she bent down to face him. "Mind you go straight home though. This offer only stands if I don't see you again tonight."
Sukey nodded. "Thank you, Inspector Hunt," she said, though she wasn’t quite sure what she was thanking him for.
He pursed his lips and nodded to her as she stepped back from the car and he drove off.
She watched his car disappear into the distance. Yes, her luck had finally changed.
fin
AUTHOR: Andromeda
FANDOM: Life on Mars
SUMMARY:
RATING: Blue Cortina for non-explicit adult situations
WORD COUNT: 1,000
EMAIL: fiandyfic@livejournal.com
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Dedicated to lozenger8 as an abject apology for writing more Hookerverse in 1973flashfic. What can I say? It just fit straight in with the Fortune Challenge. Beta'd by the ever fabulous darthfi.
DISCLAIMER: Life on Mars is copyright Kudos and the BBC. All Rights Reserved. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made.
Sweet Lady Luck
Sukey had never thought of herself as particularly lucky. She'd had a hard life and had only made it through this far through sheer dint of effort and the sort of cheerful optimism that moves mountains and wins wars.
She left home at fifteen, turned her back on the old mill town, its industry already slowing as more and more people moved to the big cities. She'd not seen her mother in five years and her father, well, if he was her father, none of the family ever recognised that. Certainly not her father, who took plenty of advantage in the fact.
So she ran away; packed her few belongings and went to seek her fortune in the big city. A fortune that never really materialised, though with effort she could describe herself as 'comfortable'. Jobs had been hard to come by as a young girl with no skills or qualifications. A bit of bar work here and there, some dancing in dingy clubs, but the best money by far could be earned on the streets. Over time she'd grown to like it, at least some of the time. She'd kept herself out of most trouble, although she'd had her fair share of nasty punters, most had been nice enough. But it was by being a quick learner and through knowing when to keep her mouth shut and not luck that kept her alive.
Then, one night, her luck changed.
It had been a tough night already. Her first trick had been a real nasty piece of work. Rough, violent and, to add insult to injury, skipped out without paying. Her pimp, not happy at this turn of events, had given her even more to think about. She'd cleaned herself up the best she could in the dimly lit toilets of a seedy club, realising that she would have to work doubly hard to get together enough to cover his cut as well as the rent that was due.
Which was why, when the battered old Rover pulled up, her heart had sunk.
The copper was one she knew vaguely by sight. She had seen him down at the Station once or twice when she had been pulled in. DI Hunt, that was what Phyllis had called him.
He looked her up and down, assessing, before moving across and opening the front passenger door.
"Get in."
So he was not taking her down the station, he was after a perk on a slow night. That was a common enough occurrence, she had probably blown or been fucked by half the coppers in Manchester over the years. Though she was slightly surprised to add the Inspector to the list. The few Inspectors she still did favours for had started out as Sergeants or Constables looking for relief. She just hoped that it would be a quick job, she was still mindful of her owings.
Sukey gave Hunt directions to a place she usually used for her copper 'clients' - out of the way, not too far that she couldn't get back working quickly - and he drove there in silence.
When he stopped the car, she immediately reached out towards his crotch, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her abruptly.
"No."
She pulled back and he let her, hands on her knees, suddenly nervous as to what he might do.
"What do you want?"
He didn't answer her straight away, instead pulled a packet of fags out of his coat and wordlessly offered her one before taking one for himself. He lit both cigarettes and took a deep drag before saying "I just want a chat."
Sukey sighed. "Look, Inspector, either pull me in or send me on my merry way. Unlike some folk, I've work to do."
Hunt raised an eyebrow at that. "Bad night?" he nodded towards her eyebrow where a cut caused by Billy's ring had obviously started bleeding again.
"Something like that."
"You're Sukey, one of Wakefield's girls, aren't you? Did he do that?"
Now this was dangerous territory. She kept silent, her lips pressed in a thin line and glared at Hunt.
He nodded thoughtfully, taking one last drag of his cigarette before throwing it out of the window. "You're a good girl, discreet and intelligent. I want you to do two things for me. Firstly go straight home tonight. I don't want to see you on the streets again before morning."
Sukey stared. "You've got to be kidding me. I'm not doing this for my pleasure, you know. I've got to work tonight or it'll be worse for me than this."
Hunt held up a finger, silencing her. "Don't worry about old Billy, we pulled him in an hour ago. He's not going anywhere tonight. Just go and get some sleep. You look exhausted." He held up a second finger and continued. "Secondly, I want you to go round to the Station first thing tomorrow morning and tell Sergeant Dobbs that I sent you. You know her, don't you?"
Sukey nodded.
"Good. She comes on shift at six. If you can catch her as she starts, then she'll have a proposition for you."
"What sort of proposition?"
Hunt sniffed. "One that you won't turn down, I assure you. Don't forget, six o'clock on the dot."
It was an obvious dismissal and Sukey turned, getting out of the car. Hunt leaned over, winding down the window and she bent down to face him. "Mind you go straight home though. This offer only stands if I don't see you again tonight."
Sukey nodded. "Thank you, Inspector Hunt," she said, though she wasn’t quite sure what she was thanking him for.
He pursed his lips and nodded to her as she stepped back from the car and he drove off.
She watched his car disappear into the distance. Yes, her luck had finally changed.
fin