Chapter Text
June 1974
Sam looked up as a large hand slapped him on the shoulder. Gene, looking slightly bedraggled slumped onto the barstool next to his and Sam had to smile. "Hello there Pops, didn’t expect to see you in here on your day off. Thought you’d be home with Gladys and Gene Jr."
"Couldn’t leave you to run my team into the ground without checking up now could I?" Gene retorted as he motioned to Nelson and a glass of whiskey and a pint of bitter were put on the bar in front of him.
"On the house mon brave," Nelson smiled. "And congratulations to your Missus."
"Thank you Nelson," Gene lifted his whiskey in salute and then turned to Sam. "Gladys wants you to come by sometime this week for dinner."
"What night?"
"Whenever you’re hungry."
"Nonsense," Sam laughed. "Tell Gladys I’ll cook, she can rest. I’m sure Gene Jr. is keeping her up all night and you’re probably not helping."
"I am helping!" Gene retorted. "When she lets me."
"You’ve helped out with the baby?" Sam asked.
"I have," Gene answered with a wounded lift of his head. "He’s a tot not a timebomb, nothing to it."
"I’m impressed," Sam took a drink of his own whiskey. "Gene Hunt helping out with the women’s work. Taking care of a baby."
"That’s," Gene shifted in his seat awkwardly. "That’s what I came to talk to you about really Tyler."
"Baby sitting?" Sam asked. "Give you and Gladys a night out? Sure I can do that. You’ll leave money for a pizza and I promise I’ll make Annie leave by ten."
"What?" Gene looked at him skeptically. "You best not be having sex in my house with Cartwright anyway, Genie Jr. there or not. Not what I needed though -although Gladys will appreciate the offer."
"What is it then?" Sam asked.
"Wondered if you’d be his guardian," Gene mumbled.
"Excuse me?" Sam sat his drink down heavily. "What?"
"Wondered if you’d be his guardian." Gene repeated. "Gladys wanted to ask you to be the godfather and I thought since we were asking - might ask that as well."
"Course I’ll be Gene’s godfather Guv," Sam replied. "What’s all the rest of this though?"
"Since I had the day off," Gene shifted in his seat again. "Went to see the lawyer. Get all the paperwork in order."
"Paperwork?"
"Policing’s a messy business," Gene muttered. "Don’t have to tell you that. How many times have we been shot at and the like? Want to make sure everything’s in place if anything should happen."
"Anything should happen?" Sam repeated.
"Are you purposely being thick Tyler?" Gene sighed. "It was easy before Genie came. Always figured if something happened Gladys, well," Gene shrugged. "Gladys would have the house and my pension. Bit of an insurance policy. Figured she was young enough she wouldn’t be single long. Didn’t need anyone looking after her. Besides I knew Ray’d keep an eye out for her."
"Ray?" Sam felt his voice rise slightly.
"And you," Gene interceded. "Everyone on the team. But I figured no one would have to look after her long. Like I said Gladys is young and pretty, didn’t expect she’d be alone long."
"There you go thinking the worst of her again Gene," Sam shook his head.
"Nothing of the sort," Gene answered. "Told her when we first got married - anything happened she was to move on with her life. Find herself a new man and carry on. Not meant to waste her life mourning my old dead carcass. Leave that to Dorothy. She’ll be out there everyday spitting on my grave as it is."
"So?" Sam looked at Gene pointedly. "I don’t think I’m following here. Are you saying if you die I should marry Gladys?"
"What?" Gene looked at him. "No! That you are most specifically not allowed to do Tyler. My Gladys is off limits. You understand? Forget I even brought this up. Came in, invited you to dinner, let’s leave it at that."
Sam grabbed Gene’s arm as he pushed up from the bar stool. "I was winding you up Guv," he smiled. "That’s all. Finish telling me what you’re thinking."
"No."
"Gene," Sam yanked at his coat sleeve again. "Spit it out."
"It’s just," Gene looked around awkwardly. "Not many men interested in taking on another man’s kid. Just thought now if anything happens you could keep an eye out on them. Make sure Genie’s got a male influence around him." He looked over at Sam and smirked. "Of a sort."
"Gene I," Sam stammered. He’d never been asked to take on such a role before. He’d known other officers who had but not Sam. In 2006 DCI Sam Tyler wasn’t even shown baby pictures when his colleagues had added to their families.
"Not just that," Gene continued quietly. "Lawyer mentioned that Gladys and I should have someone in mind in case the worst should happen."
"The worst?" Sam repeated.
"If me and Gladys are both gone," Gene drained the last of his whiskey. "Motor accident or something. Said if we had someone in line then they’d have somewhere to put Genie and any other tots we have in the future. No need to send them to a home. Wondered if you’d be interested," Gene finished. "Thought about it a lot and you seemed like the best bet. Wouldn’t let him run wild, bring him up right, make sure the boy goes to school. Know he’d be fed, even get the rabbit food you harp on. Thought you might even be able to tell him some good stories about his old man."
"What about Ray?" Sam stuttered.
"Carling with a child?" Gene shook his head. "Rather take my chances with Crazy Floyd down under the canal bridge. You don’t want it Sam I understand. No hard feelings, just got to say so."
"I’ll do it," Sam answered firmly. "What do I need to sign? Anything happens to you I’ll help Gladys out. Be a good uncle to Gene Jr. Anything happens to the both of you I’ll fight heaven, hell and every judge between here and Brighton to keep Genie with me. You just tell me where to sign Gene."
"Don’t need you to sign anything Tyler," Gene said as he clapped the other man on the back. Catching Nelson’s eye he motioned for two more drinks and before Sam could reach his wallet had already paid. "Got another question for you though."
"All right," Sam looked at Gene warily as Nelson brought another round of drinks. What could Gene want more important than to find out if Sam would be Gene Jr.’s guardian?
"Gladys says she thinks of you sort of like Genie’s uncle." Gene said.
"Yeah, I know," Sam agreed. "Said that about your whole team, way we were all at the hospital. Uncles Ray, Chris, Sam, Aunties Annie and Phyllis. So?"
"Says we’ve got to agree on an acceptable name for me to call you," Gene replied into his drink. "Said it had to be something Genie could repeat in front of the minister without her being embarrassed so my favorite - Uncle Poofter - is out."
"Oh damn," Sam said dryly. "I did so like that one."
"Can’t call you Gladys either." Gene continued.
"She gets annoyed whenever you say the name Dorothy," Sam added and then shrugged. "Can’t blame her really. Dorothy hasn’t been very good about any of this has she?"
"You could say that," Gene agreed with a grimace. "So no poofter, Gladys, or Dorothy. Only things I could think of were Tyler or Sam. Guess I should ask what you prefer."
"You mean we can’t persuade her to change her mind about Uncle Poofter?" Sam teased. "I was going to have a cape made for the office Halloween party. Ray had agreed to go as my sidekick Captain Nonce."
Sam laughed loudly when Gene managed to spill a healthy dose of bitter down his front and began to cough violently. "Pull the other one," he wheezed. "It’s got a fruity surprise inside."
"I’m serious," Sam argued. "Thought it would be good for a laugh. Convinced him he could handcuff plonks to various things since they’d be the ‘villains.’"
"Think I should be the sidekick then," Gene replied. "I am the Guv after all. Anyone handcuffs the plonks it should be me."
"No can do pops," Sam snickered. "Got to set a good example for Gene Jr."
"So what do you want to go by you tosser?" Gene rolled his eyes. "Uncle Sam or Uncle Tyler? Remember I’m probably going to scream it in frustration at you a lot every time I argue with Gladys about how I can’t bring the boy to the pub."
"Always go with Auntie Samantha," Sam laughed.
"You know," Gene looked over speculatively. "I like the sound of that Samantha."
"I was joking Gene," Sam replied. "Really. Just joking."
Not surprisingly Gene wasn’t and from then on Sam became known as Auntie Sam permanently. It was the second thing Gene Jr. said (after ‘bird’ and much to Gene’s amusement he’d been pointing to a blonde in a lime green halter top and not a sparrow). Eventually even Gladys started referring to him that way. By the second Christmas Sam spent in the Hunt household, staying over the night before so he could be there when Gene Jr. woke to open his presents, he’d even started signing his gifts ‘To Genie Jr. Love Aunt Sam.’