Fic: The Kept Man (38/40), brown cortina, dakfinv
Title: The Kept Man (38/40)
Author: dak
Word Count: 2162 this part; [70,622 overall]
Rating: brown cortina
Warnings: angst, sexual situations, swearing
Spoilers: 1.04, 1.05, 1.07, 2.08
Pairing: Sam/Warren, Sam/Gene
Summary: AU. Sam woke up with amnesia when he landed in 1973, able to only remember his name, and ended up in the grasp of Stephen Warren. When he and Gene Hunt finally cross paths it starts a chain of events that will either save Sam or damn him.
A/N: From an idea from talcat given via culf . 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
“Feeling better?” Annie asked hopefully as he emerged from the shower a half hour later. She had two cups of tea waiting for them, with even a few biscuits setting out.
“A little,” he shrugged and she handed him his tea. “Thank you,” he took a sip, happily surprised that it was exactly the right temperature. “Annie, you really don’t have to stay. I’m fine now. Or at least close enough to it.”
“And I told you it’s alright,” she playfully admonished him and sat down with her own cup. Sam sighed and settled himself across the table from her.
“You must have better things to do with your time.”
“DI Tyler, why do I get the feeling you want me to leave, so that you can leave as well, without the Guv knowing?”
“I’m that transparent, am I?” He laughed.
“Well, I do have a degree in psychology, sir. You’re clear as day to me,” she smiled.
Sam set down his cup, hoping Annie didn’t notice he’d flinched when she said “sir,” and began toying with one of the chocolate biscuits. “I’m going a bit stir crazy, is all.”
“You’ve only been here a few hours. It’s barely one o’clock.”
“I know, but I don’t....I don’t like feeling that I’m trapped here. I need to get out. Go somewhere.”
“You can’t go back to the station. Not today.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Sam sighed and slouched in his chair. “But I need fresh air, Annie, and, as much as I appreciate, really appreciate, your company, I need some time to myself.”
She clearly wasn’t convinced and Sam knew he had to offer something in return. “Look, why don’t you call your mate and I’ll meet at the chip shop just down the road here, say five o’clock?”
“Well...”
“If he can’t make it, then you can show up in his place, alright? It’ll be good for me to get out, Annie.”
“Long as you promise you’ll be there. Guv’ll have me scrubbing cells for a year if I lose you,” she warned.
“Don’t worry,” he smiled. “I always keep my promises.”
*
By the time Gene arrived back in Manchester, he was far enough away from Morgan to pretend the man didn’t exist. It would be a few days, maybe even a month before the implications of what he’d just done finally began to emerge. Until then, he could pretend everything was fine. After all, one problem was solved. Tyler’s job was secure.
As he parked the Cortina in front of the station, he was relieved to see no ambulances parked outside. Maybe Ray hadn’t finished Edwards off, then. Of course, it was possible the scum was already at hospital but, at least for today, Gene was going to attempt to be optimistic.
The bored glance and tired yawn he got from Phyllis as he passed through reception was enough to tell him that none of her charges had copped it. Maybe Ray hadn’t tried hard enough. When he lumbered into the squad room, the huge grin he received from Carling told him that wasn’t the case, either.
“Take it you have some good news for me, Raymondo?”
“Four solved homicides, Guv,” he continued to grin, wildly chomping his gum.
“My, you have been busy. Care to fill me in?” Gene slowly stripped off his gloves, concealing his eagerness for the news.
“With ‘is boss gone an’ the, uhm, minor concussion DI Tyler gave ‘im, it were harder to get Edwards to shut up than it were to get ‘im to talk.”
Chris spoke up from the background. “He also may have been under the impression that ‘e’s got some deal, like. Which don’t happen to include the multiple assault chargers we’ve got on file. Called some folks up. Loads more willin’ to testify once they heard Warren weren’t no more, anymore.”
Gene crossed his arms and sat on the empty desk behind him. “If you two aren’t careful, you might be mistaken for detectives. Now, you were sayin’ summit about a few solved homicides?”
Ray was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, excited as he was to tell Hunt the news. “You know how you an’ Warren agreed on tryin’ to keep drugs outta the city?”
“He did always keep a clean patch,” Gene sniffed, still reluctant to admit how much he and the bastard had in common.
“ ‘Parently, Denny Gwen started sneakin’ into ‘is territory. Got to thinkin’ he was too big for ‘is own.”
“And Warren found out,” Gene concluded.
“Din’t take ‘im long, specially when that Yvonne girl were more high than not. Y’know how he din’t like ‘is girls strayin’ too far. So, ‘e finds out from ‘er where she gets ‘er stash from. ‘Stead of jus’ offin’ ‘im, ‘e tells Charlie ‘e’d like to hit Gwen where it hurts.”
“He uses his contacts to track down Gwen’s supplier, pays the bloke off to sneak the lethal batch in with the rest,” Gene could see the knots of the case unraveling in his mind. “Gwen’s clients start dying, word gets out his stuff’s no good, either he loses his business or he loses his life. Probably both.”
“You got it, Guv,” Ray turned and smiled proudly at Chris.
“No. Sam did,” Gene whispered.
“What?” Ray asked, not paying attention.
“What about Yvonne Bettis? Why did Edwards dump her?” He quickly changed the subject.
“Like I said, Guv. She OD’ed on the bad stuff while at the club. Warren din’t want any bodies there, not even if it were just a junkie.”
“Warren knew she might get given the lethal cocaine, but he didn’t even warn her to use a different dealer,” Gene thought out loud.
“He were a cruel bastard,” Ray shrugged.
“Yeah,” Gene sighed. “That he was.” The images from the now destroyed photos flickered through his mind. “Good work, Sergeant. Write it all up, get the file on my desk, and you’ll have the honor of buying me a few drinks tonight.” Gene pat him on the back as he made his way to the office. He shut himself inside and settled his tired body at the desk, lost deep in thought.
They’d worked as a team, his men. In a backwards, unorganized sort of fashion, but a team nonetheless. Each of them had discovered a different piece of the puzzle and because of each of them, it had all come together, just like it was supposed to. It wasn’t perfect. They weren’t perfect. Chris was constantly acting like a lost puppy, Ray was still smarting over being rejected for the DI post, and Tyler, well Tyler was completely off his rocker, but still they had managed to solve this.
Gene wondered what they could do when they were back to normal. He wondered if he’d even be around to see it.
*
No money meant he didn’t have many options as to what to do with his free time, and Sam found himself stuck to aimlessly wandering the streets once again. He didn’t mind it as much. Almost anything was better than being cooped up in that flat for hours on end. Being outside, at least he could find things to distract him from his thoughts.
Unlike the other times, he kept a sharp eye out for where he was walking. He knew it wasn’t necessarily the brightest idea, but Sam soon found himself back on his childhood street. Well, one of them at least. He remembered now, having to move quite a bit as a child.
He knew why head gone there, even if he shouldn’t have. He needed to see his mum. True, he wasn’t her Sam right now, but she would always be his mum. Even just another glance of her loving face would be enough to help him through this painful maze. Until he was arrested for stalking, he thought cynically.
Still, even that didn’t prevent him from strolling down that peaceful, residential street. All the warm houses inviting to their families, though not to him. He wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t see her at all, despite the trip. He’d have to be lucky enough to catch her outside, and luck wasn’t something he had in spades right now. He could knock on the door, make up some excuse for needing to be there, but he wasn’t sure if he had the strength to maintain such a lie.
As he turned the corner of his street, his heart leapt as he realized no lies would be needed. His mum was outside their home. He didn’t see himself, though now that he knew the child was him, it was probably better that way. His joy quickly died as he realized what she was doing.
His mum was hastily packing up a car, filling it to the brim with whatever she could grab. Sam stood back and watched as a hefty man helped her carry things out of the car. No, he wasn’t helping, he was throwing their things, her things, out the door.
“Mr. Carroway, please,” she begged of him. “I’m moving everything as fast as I can. I don’t appreciate...”
“I’ll tell you what I don’t appreciate, Mrs. Tyler. I don’t appreciate not getting my three months rent.”
“She’s leaving today. Isn’t that good enough for you?” A second woman emerged from the house. Sam smiled despite himself. His Auntie Heather had always been the more fiery one between them. When he was a boy and was caught sneaking an extra biscuit, he couldn’t appreciate her temper, though now it seemed to come in quite handy.
“She and that brat of hers should’ve left three months ago,” Mr. Carroway snarled.
“Don’t you dare talk about my nephew like that. You keep this up, I’ll be calling the police.”
Sam decided to take that as his cue. It was such an unwise decision, he knew that, but he needed to interact with familiar faces. He needed to be close to his family. “Is there a problem here?” He asked casually as he sauntered over.
“This doesn’t concern you, lad,” Carroway sneered.
“Actually, it might.” Sam pulled his warrant card from his pocket and flashed it at the obese man. “Detective Inspector Tyler. Now, you wouldn’t be harassing these women, would you?”
“I’m clearing my property of useless tenants, Inspector. That’s all,” Carroway tried to stand his ground.
“Well, they seem to be capable enough on their own. So I think you can either leave them to it on your own, or I can hold you at the station until they’re finished. Which would you prefer?”
Carroway looked Sam up and down before walking off in a huff. “You have until three, Mrs. Tyler.”
“Are you alright?” He turned to his mum and aunt. “He didn’t break anything, did he? Because I could bring him up on charges, if he did.”
“No, no I don’t think so,” Ruth smiled politely.
“Thank you very much, Detective Inspector, but if you’ll excuse us, we have a lot of work to do,” Heather politely smiled as she crossed her arms. Sam remembered she was always protective of her little sister.
“I could help, if you wanted,” he asked hopefully.
“We’re fine, thank you,” Heather replied before Ruth could get a word in. Yes, she was most certainly protective.
“Well, have a nice day then,” he waved awkwardly and walked off down the street, remembering the first time this had happened. He’d been playing in his room when he heard the shouting. His mum had then gone upstairs and told him not to worry. An hour later they had fit everything they could into Auntie Heather’s car and spent the next few months living with his gran. His dad had disappeared during that time, after some friend’s wedding, and it had taken Mum awhile to get on her feet.
He’d never seen her despair though. She was always a positive woman, a strong woman. Not as vocal as Auntie Heather, but just as brave. Just as smart. His heart ached as he thought about what she must be going through now. The only family she had now was Auntie Heather and himself, and he was lying, maybe dying, on a hospital bed somewhere in the future.
He wondered how many days she visited. How many hours she spent by his bedside. He wondered how much it hurt her to see her only son decaying in front of her eyes. He wondered if she debated switching off life support. He wondered how long it would take for her visits to taper off, until it became too unbearable for her to keep seeing him like that.
Sam was sick of wondering. He was sick of wandering. He’d been here long enough, tossed about this orange and brown tempest for too long. He wanted to see his mum, his Auntie Heather. He just couldn’t think of a way to get back to them.
_____
Part 39
Author: dak
Word Count: 2162 this part; [70,622 overall]
Rating: brown cortina
Warnings: angst, sexual situations, swearing
Spoilers: 1.04, 1.05, 1.07, 2.08
Pairing: Sam/Warren, Sam/Gene
Summary: AU. Sam woke up with amnesia when he landed in 1973, able to only remember his name, and ended up in the grasp of Stephen Warren. When he and Gene Hunt finally cross paths it starts a chain of events that will either save Sam or damn him.
A/N: From an idea from talcat given via culf . 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
“Feeling better?” Annie asked hopefully as he emerged from the shower a half hour later. She had two cups of tea waiting for them, with even a few biscuits setting out.
“A little,” he shrugged and she handed him his tea. “Thank you,” he took a sip, happily surprised that it was exactly the right temperature. “Annie, you really don’t have to stay. I’m fine now. Or at least close enough to it.”
“And I told you it’s alright,” she playfully admonished him and sat down with her own cup. Sam sighed and settled himself across the table from her.
“You must have better things to do with your time.”
“DI Tyler, why do I get the feeling you want me to leave, so that you can leave as well, without the Guv knowing?”
“I’m that transparent, am I?” He laughed.
“Well, I do have a degree in psychology, sir. You’re clear as day to me,” she smiled.
Sam set down his cup, hoping Annie didn’t notice he’d flinched when she said “sir,” and began toying with one of the chocolate biscuits. “I’m going a bit stir crazy, is all.”
“You’ve only been here a few hours. It’s barely one o’clock.”
“I know, but I don’t....I don’t like feeling that I’m trapped here. I need to get out. Go somewhere.”
“You can’t go back to the station. Not today.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Sam sighed and slouched in his chair. “But I need fresh air, Annie, and, as much as I appreciate, really appreciate, your company, I need some time to myself.”
She clearly wasn’t convinced and Sam knew he had to offer something in return. “Look, why don’t you call your mate and I’ll meet at the chip shop just down the road here, say five o’clock?”
“Well...”
“If he can’t make it, then you can show up in his place, alright? It’ll be good for me to get out, Annie.”
“Long as you promise you’ll be there. Guv’ll have me scrubbing cells for a year if I lose you,” she warned.
“Don’t worry,” he smiled. “I always keep my promises.”
*
By the time Gene arrived back in Manchester, he was far enough away from Morgan to pretend the man didn’t exist. It would be a few days, maybe even a month before the implications of what he’d just done finally began to emerge. Until then, he could pretend everything was fine. After all, one problem was solved. Tyler’s job was secure.
As he parked the Cortina in front of the station, he was relieved to see no ambulances parked outside. Maybe Ray hadn’t finished Edwards off, then. Of course, it was possible the scum was already at hospital but, at least for today, Gene was going to attempt to be optimistic.
The bored glance and tired yawn he got from Phyllis as he passed through reception was enough to tell him that none of her charges had copped it. Maybe Ray hadn’t tried hard enough. When he lumbered into the squad room, the huge grin he received from Carling told him that wasn’t the case, either.
“Take it you have some good news for me, Raymondo?”
“Four solved homicides, Guv,” he continued to grin, wildly chomping his gum.
“My, you have been busy. Care to fill me in?” Gene slowly stripped off his gloves, concealing his eagerness for the news.
“With ‘is boss gone an’ the, uhm, minor concussion DI Tyler gave ‘im, it were harder to get Edwards to shut up than it were to get ‘im to talk.”
Chris spoke up from the background. “He also may have been under the impression that ‘e’s got some deal, like. Which don’t happen to include the multiple assault chargers we’ve got on file. Called some folks up. Loads more willin’ to testify once they heard Warren weren’t no more, anymore.”
Gene crossed his arms and sat on the empty desk behind him. “If you two aren’t careful, you might be mistaken for detectives. Now, you were sayin’ summit about a few solved homicides?”
Ray was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, excited as he was to tell Hunt the news. “You know how you an’ Warren agreed on tryin’ to keep drugs outta the city?”
“He did always keep a clean patch,” Gene sniffed, still reluctant to admit how much he and the bastard had in common.
“ ‘Parently, Denny Gwen started sneakin’ into ‘is territory. Got to thinkin’ he was too big for ‘is own.”
“And Warren found out,” Gene concluded.
“Din’t take ‘im long, specially when that Yvonne girl were more high than not. Y’know how he din’t like ‘is girls strayin’ too far. So, ‘e finds out from ‘er where she gets ‘er stash from. ‘Stead of jus’ offin’ ‘im, ‘e tells Charlie ‘e’d like to hit Gwen where it hurts.”
“He uses his contacts to track down Gwen’s supplier, pays the bloke off to sneak the lethal batch in with the rest,” Gene could see the knots of the case unraveling in his mind. “Gwen’s clients start dying, word gets out his stuff’s no good, either he loses his business or he loses his life. Probably both.”
“You got it, Guv,” Ray turned and smiled proudly at Chris.
“No. Sam did,” Gene whispered.
“What?” Ray asked, not paying attention.
“What about Yvonne Bettis? Why did Edwards dump her?” He quickly changed the subject.
“Like I said, Guv. She OD’ed on the bad stuff while at the club. Warren din’t want any bodies there, not even if it were just a junkie.”
“Warren knew she might get given the lethal cocaine, but he didn’t even warn her to use a different dealer,” Gene thought out loud.
“He were a cruel bastard,” Ray shrugged.
“Yeah,” Gene sighed. “That he was.” The images from the now destroyed photos flickered through his mind. “Good work, Sergeant. Write it all up, get the file on my desk, and you’ll have the honor of buying me a few drinks tonight.” Gene pat him on the back as he made his way to the office. He shut himself inside and settled his tired body at the desk, lost deep in thought.
They’d worked as a team, his men. In a backwards, unorganized sort of fashion, but a team nonetheless. Each of them had discovered a different piece of the puzzle and because of each of them, it had all come together, just like it was supposed to. It wasn’t perfect. They weren’t perfect. Chris was constantly acting like a lost puppy, Ray was still smarting over being rejected for the DI post, and Tyler, well Tyler was completely off his rocker, but still they had managed to solve this.
Gene wondered what they could do when they were back to normal. He wondered if he’d even be around to see it.
*
No money meant he didn’t have many options as to what to do with his free time, and Sam found himself stuck to aimlessly wandering the streets once again. He didn’t mind it as much. Almost anything was better than being cooped up in that flat for hours on end. Being outside, at least he could find things to distract him from his thoughts.
Unlike the other times, he kept a sharp eye out for where he was walking. He knew it wasn’t necessarily the brightest idea, but Sam soon found himself back on his childhood street. Well, one of them at least. He remembered now, having to move quite a bit as a child.
He knew why head gone there, even if he shouldn’t have. He needed to see his mum. True, he wasn’t her Sam right now, but she would always be his mum. Even just another glance of her loving face would be enough to help him through this painful maze. Until he was arrested for stalking, he thought cynically.
Still, even that didn’t prevent him from strolling down that peaceful, residential street. All the warm houses inviting to their families, though not to him. He wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t see her at all, despite the trip. He’d have to be lucky enough to catch her outside, and luck wasn’t something he had in spades right now. He could knock on the door, make up some excuse for needing to be there, but he wasn’t sure if he had the strength to maintain such a lie.
As he turned the corner of his street, his heart leapt as he realized no lies would be needed. His mum was outside their home. He didn’t see himself, though now that he knew the child was him, it was probably better that way. His joy quickly died as he realized what she was doing.
His mum was hastily packing up a car, filling it to the brim with whatever she could grab. Sam stood back and watched as a hefty man helped her carry things out of the car. No, he wasn’t helping, he was throwing their things, her things, out the door.
“Mr. Carroway, please,” she begged of him. “I’m moving everything as fast as I can. I don’t appreciate...”
“I’ll tell you what I don’t appreciate, Mrs. Tyler. I don’t appreciate not getting my three months rent.”
“She’s leaving today. Isn’t that good enough for you?” A second woman emerged from the house. Sam smiled despite himself. His Auntie Heather had always been the more fiery one between them. When he was a boy and was caught sneaking an extra biscuit, he couldn’t appreciate her temper, though now it seemed to come in quite handy.
“She and that brat of hers should’ve left three months ago,” Mr. Carroway snarled.
“Don’t you dare talk about my nephew like that. You keep this up, I’ll be calling the police.”
Sam decided to take that as his cue. It was such an unwise decision, he knew that, but he needed to interact with familiar faces. He needed to be close to his family. “Is there a problem here?” He asked casually as he sauntered over.
“This doesn’t concern you, lad,” Carroway sneered.
“Actually, it might.” Sam pulled his warrant card from his pocket and flashed it at the obese man. “Detective Inspector Tyler. Now, you wouldn’t be harassing these women, would you?”
“I’m clearing my property of useless tenants, Inspector. That’s all,” Carroway tried to stand his ground.
“Well, they seem to be capable enough on their own. So I think you can either leave them to it on your own, or I can hold you at the station until they’re finished. Which would you prefer?”
Carroway looked Sam up and down before walking off in a huff. “You have until three, Mrs. Tyler.”
“Are you alright?” He turned to his mum and aunt. “He didn’t break anything, did he? Because I could bring him up on charges, if he did.”
“No, no I don’t think so,” Ruth smiled politely.
“Thank you very much, Detective Inspector, but if you’ll excuse us, we have a lot of work to do,” Heather politely smiled as she crossed her arms. Sam remembered she was always protective of her little sister.
“I could help, if you wanted,” he asked hopefully.
“We’re fine, thank you,” Heather replied before Ruth could get a word in. Yes, she was most certainly protective.
“Well, have a nice day then,” he waved awkwardly and walked off down the street, remembering the first time this had happened. He’d been playing in his room when he heard the shouting. His mum had then gone upstairs and told him not to worry. An hour later they had fit everything they could into Auntie Heather’s car and spent the next few months living with his gran. His dad had disappeared during that time, after some friend’s wedding, and it had taken Mum awhile to get on her feet.
He’d never seen her despair though. She was always a positive woman, a strong woman. Not as vocal as Auntie Heather, but just as brave. Just as smart. His heart ached as he thought about what she must be going through now. The only family she had now was Auntie Heather and himself, and he was lying, maybe dying, on a hospital bed somewhere in the future.
He wondered how many days she visited. How many hours she spent by his bedside. He wondered how much it hurt her to see her only son decaying in front of her eyes. He wondered if she debated switching off life support. He wondered how long it would take for her visits to taper off, until it became too unbearable for her to keep seeing him like that.
Sam was sick of wondering. He was sick of wandering. He’d been here long enough, tossed about this orange and brown tempest for too long. He wanted to see his mum, his Auntie Heather. He just couldn’t think of a way to get back to them.
_____
Part 39