This fic is a continuation of my post S3 Ep 8 one-shot 'Last Orders' so it would be helpful to read that first.

I'd just like to say many thanks to Vintage1983 for being my Beta Reader on this fanfic.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please leave a review if possible. All constructive criticism is welcome.

The Slow Road to Heaven or the Fast Lane to Hell

Chapter 1

The muted grey light of a winter's morning began to creep into the room as Alex Drake opened her eyes. She wrapped herself tightly around the sleeping form of the man for whom she had postponed paradise. Although, at that moment, it didn't seem she had delayed it at all. She felt like she was in heaven. She had wanted to know why she was sent back in time; it was what she worked for her whole life, getting to the truth. The final revelation in this world was that it was a place for the dead and dying. It was a kind of purgatory where they could lay their demons to rest and find peace, or stay tormented for all eternity. This wasn't what she imagined it would be like to be dead, and it still felt somewhat macabre to dwell on it. But, it didn't change what she was, and the man she couldn't be without was dead as well, cut down at the age of twenty-two. She eased back slightly to look at his face, so peaceful in sleep and not at all like the tragic ghost that once haunted her. He had been a man, but really not much more than a boy, now he had finally grown up. Her heart swelled with love for him and although it was no more than an illusion, she felt alive. It all seemed so real now as it always had.

Gene Hunt began to stir and his eyes flickered open.

"Morning, Bols," he said with a sleepy smile.

Alex didn't reply, and she instead decided to greet him in a more direct manner. Her lips sought out his as she further tangled herself around his body. He looked so gorgeously ruffled with his unshaven face and wild hair, she wanted to devour him.

"Steady on, Bolly, I don't want to have to arrest yer for GBH," he jested with a wicked grin as he took charge and flipped her onto her back.

She fell back giggling as she surrendered herself to the paradise only he could take her to.

Later, as they recovered in each other's arms, Gene began pondering higher matters. He held Alex in a firm embrace with one arm as he slowly stroked his other hand over her hair.

"What were it like? In the pub, I mean," he tentatively inquired.

She let out a heavy sigh as she thought of the best way to explain it.

"It was like every good thing that ever happened to you, and every good feeling you ever had, all at once," she eventually said, unsatisfied at her failure to capture its true essence in words.

"Sorry but I can't really explain it, I think it's something you just have to find out for yourself," Alex shrugged.

Gene looked suddenly sheepish.

"I only wanted you to be safe, from Keats I mean, and to do what I knew I had to do," he said as he struggled with his emotions.

He had longed to be with her like this. It was his unspoken duty which had left him resigned to letting her go, because he knew it was the right thing to do. He never expected her to return to him, or that it was even possible for her to.

"I know and I understand; I just wasn't ready to leave all this behind, to leave you behind," Alex said.

She moved to kiss him once more, and traced idle patterns over his bare chest with her fingers.

"I'll see Molly again, one day. But she has a long life ahead of her first, and I know she will make the most of it. I love you Gene, so much that I can't be without you, in this world or the next," she said as her eyes pooled with tears.

Gene saw the teardrops begin to fall down her cheek and he gently brushed them away.

"Bloody hell woman, what have I done to yer? I never knew I had such a way with the ladies," he said with mock alarm.

"There's no getting rid of me now yer poor mare."

He was all ready to dive under the covers with her again when he noticed the time. It was just after nine in the morning and they had a new DI to whip into shape.

"C'mon Bol's, this'll have to keep for later. Get yer knickers on, we've got work to do," Gene barked commandingly.

Alex knew it was going to feel different walking back into the station after everything, and with no Shaz to greet her or the familiar sight of Ray and Chris at their desks pretending to be busy. There was still Gene, though. Her constant, as he always had been in this world. The work continued, regardless of the changes and officers were busy milling about. A few familiar faces remained but there was no sign of DI Bryan Freeman, the new arrival.

"Where the bloody hell is he? He's late," Gene growled in his usual short-tempered manner.

"Well we weren't exactly punctual ourselves, were we?" Alex said with a smile.

"Maybe I should go and look for him. I know what he's going through right now and I can help him," she offered with concern.

"C'mon then, let's go and knock him out of bed," Gene said as he shrugged his coat back on, ready to go.

She wasn't sure that DCI Hunt's blunt methods were what DI Freeman needed at that moment.

"No, I think I should go alone. He'll be in a state, and he'll be confused and scared. I think he might respond better if it's just me rather than if we both go charging in there," she cautioned

Gene looked hurt.

"Oh right, and I don't know what he's going through, is that what yer saying? I wouldn't understand, eh?" He questioned with bitterness.

Alex moved to softly stroke his cheek.

"I know you understand, but he might find it easier to talk to me, that's all. We're a team, aren't we?" She said as she gently squeezed his hand.

He couldn't fight her when she looked so appealing.

"Oh go on then," Gene huffed with resignation.

Alex knocked loudly on the door of Luigi's former flat. There were no signs of life to be heard from within, so she knocked again and waited. After a few minutes, there was a clattering and the sound of breaking glass. The door flew open to reveal a dishevelled looking young man. He looked to be around her age with boyish good looks and a disconcerting ginger mullet.

"DI Freeman, Bryan? I'm DI Alex Drake, we'll be working together at Fenchurch East," she explained softly.

"Never heard of you, and I've worked there for over ten years now. I don't know any of you lot and I don't know what' the hell's going on," he said as he ruffled his hair in bewilderment.

"Why don't I come in and we can have a chat. I do know what you're going through, believe me," She said as she moved past him and took a seat at the kitchen table.

There was a near empty bottle of red wine on the table and the broken pieces of another one on the floor.

"That won't help," she said gesturing towards the bottles.

"Who the hell are you again? You come barging in here, telling me my business. So I had a drink, so what? There's something weird happening here, I don't know what but I know it's not right," Freeman said, his eyes full of fear and confusion.

"Sit down Bryan, tell me what happened. How did you end up here?" Alex coaxed him in a soft and sympathetic tone.

Freeman closed the door and slumped down on a nearby chair. He put his head in his hands and ruffled at his hair again, in a nervous way.

"I can't remember what happened. It's just like a dream, I mean it's like when you try and think about a dream you had, and it slips away. I just know that I don't belong here. This isn't my world," he stated.

He felt sure of that even if he couldn't be certain of anything else.

Alex pondered on what he'd said for a moment, before the truth dawned on her; this one must already be dead. The memories of the life he had just departed from were fading fast. He would remember again, one day. She gave him a sad and pitying look as he continued to rub at his eyes, in some doomed attempt to wake himself from a nightmare he couldn't even recall.

She felt the best thing would be for Freeman to keep busy, and so she set about trying to motivate him into action.

"Why don't you clean yourself up a bit and get dressed, hmm? We can go over to the station together. DCI Hunt is waiting and he isn't a patient man," she warned.

"I, I'm not sure I feel up to it," he stuttered.

"Come on, I think it will do you good. It's best to keep busy and get on with the job, it's what us coppers do, right?" She counselled.

DI Freeman gave a weak nod of his head. He slowly got up and shuffled off to get ready.

Alex gave him a reassuring smile, but she knew it wouldn't be an easy ride, for any of them.

Gene was sat in his office talking to an unfamiliar WPC, when Alex and Freeman arrived in CID. The new DI got seated at Ray's old desk while Alex went to sit in her old familiar place. She looked on with curiosity through the Gov's office window. After a few minutes, Gene led the WPC out into CID and got her settled at Shaz's old desk. He then turned in Alex's direction with a grimace.

"Bolly, a word, now," he commanded.

She swiftly jumped out of her chair and followed him into the office closing the door behind her.

"How's he getting on?" He nodded his head in Freeman's direction.

"He doesn't remember anything about how he got here," she explained.

"Oh, right," Gene said as he cottoned on to the fact his new DI was dead.

"That was WPC Julie Brent, by the way. It turns out she's brown bread an all," he said with exasperation.

"The new Super sent her; he said that since I've still got you, I can handle the extra workload. Oh, and that's not all, we've got a DC Gary Palmer arriving sometime today. I've also been informed DI Freeman is a DS here, so I've got to demote him too," Gene's face had been growing redder the more flustered he got.

Alex sat wide eyed as she took in the information he was relaying.

"Did the super say anything else about them?" She inquired.

"No. It doesn't work like that, they'll have forgotten like I did, like you will. We'll have to start from scratch and knock 'em into shape or die trying," he said sardonically.

Alex sighed; she wouldn't forget. It was the price she had to pay for crossing the threshold of the Railway Arms for the second time. She knew Gene would start to forget the truth but she would make sure he remembered what was important.

"Well it looks like we've got a new team then," Alex said with all the enthusiasm she could muster for his sake.

"I bet yer sorry yer came back now," he said although he sincerely hoped she wasn't.

"No, I'm not sorry. I told you that you needed me and I was right," she assured him.

"We'll do this together, Gene."

She took his hand in hers and they entwined their fingers in a show of solidarity.

The usual business of CID rumbled on, with the new arrivals doing their best to fit in. It helped that they couldn't remember their pasts. It made things easier, for now. Alex kept craning her neck every time someone new entered the office, in hopes of catching the first sight of DC Palmer, who was still to arrive. It was getting on for lunchtime when the doors of CID swung open once again. In burst a bewildered looking young man in his mid-twenties.

"DC Gary Palmer, I presume," Alex muttered to herself as she got up to greet the new arrival.

"DC Palmer, Gary, we've been waiting for you to arrive. Why don't you take a seat and we'll get you settled in," she said as she escorted him to Chris's old desk.

"I think I'm in the wrong place," the young man said as he slumped into his seat.

His face was blank and his eyes stared straight ahead.

"I'll get you a cup of tea and we'll have a little chat," Alex said sympathetically.

She was just about to head off into the kitchen when Gene charged out of his office.

"No time for a tea break Bolly, we've had a shout. A body has just been pulled out of the river. C'mon jump to it and bring the cast of Rentaghost with yer," he barked out as he marched towards the doors.

"Oh, Bugger! We'll have to take a car from the pool. The Merc's not coming 'til next week," he pouted.

"A Mercedes? We are going up in the world," Alex grinned.

"Let's bloody hope so," Gene replied as he disappeared through the door.