Hello There! You may know us from Last Minute, unfortunately Phoebe is taking so long her get her arse moving that I actually found time for a whole new story Idea! This is a little different from out current story (Don't worry still fairly Galex like!) but it's a little darker. We will be updating both at the same time and we really hope you enjoy this xxx

PS: OH! And we dont own Ashes! Tis sad, but true.

He didn't want to open his eyes. He could feel dust falling and settling slowly on his face. Not daring to move, not even daring to breathe; he lay as still as stone, face down on the floor. He could feel warm blood soaking though his shirt, his hands trembling as he held onto the one thing that was keeping him alive. He figured he had another minute until the pain really kicked in. His breathing became slower and slower as did his pulse. He gasped in and out trying to rid his mouth of the taste of blood. Using all the strength he could muster he squeezed her hand but kept his eyes firmly shut. He didn't want to open his eyes. He couldn't hear anything, or maybe it was silent, he didn't know. The screaming from just moments before was gone, leaving an uncomfortable ringing in his mind. Gene Hunt wasn't a religious man, but restricted by the fact he couldn't move there was only one thing he could do.

Please let her be okay.

Let her be alive.

He didn't want to open his eyes.

NINE HOURS EARLIER

Alex burst through the doors of CID that morning exactly thirteen and a half minutes late and immediately noticed four things wrong with the scene that met her eyes.

Number one, Ray was actually doing some work! He was pouring over a file on his desk and scrawling notes down on it before reaching for the phone nearest to him, not even stopping to look up when she entered. Two, Shaz was scowling behind her desk, opening and shutting draws with more force than was strictly necessary; quite unlike her usually happy chirpy self. Three, Chris staggered into the room, attempting to single handedly carry several cups of tea. Her eyes narrowed at him. He never makes tea! And finally, Gene Hunt was nowhere to be seen.

She sighed inwardly with relief. Tidying up her hair by tucking a few curls behind her ear, she walked casually towards her desk and sat down. With the inhabitants of CID so absorbed in their own business and Gene nowhere to berate her for being late, she relaxed. She shook off her white leather jacket across the back of her chair and rubbed her arm self consciously over the layer of foundation, hiding the bruise that had begun to develop. Nobody would know she was late.

'Interestin night las' night, Bolly?'

Alex, In spite of herself and much to Gene's amusement jumped about a foot in the air. She turned round to see him, leaning against the wall behind her desk, wearing the world's largest smirk on his face.

'What?' She asked, in the vain hope to sound innocent

'Why yer late!' He barked. 'I'm goin' ter assume the rest of us aren't jus' early.' He walked around to the front of her desk 'Interestin night?'

Alex looked down and began sorting though a mountain of paperwork. 'Yeah...' She replied quietly 'You could say that.'

Gene frowned gently at her for a few seconds. That wasn't quite the reaction he was going for. She continued to sort through the files, her hands trembling slightly.

'Yer alrigh' there Bolls?' He asked gruffly

She looked up 'Yeah' She replied in a cheery voice, smiling up at him 'No, Im great. Really'

He continued to keep her gaze for a few moments longer, unconvinced, before looking away and briskly changing the subject. 'Good, because we've got a case' He snatched a file from under Chris' arm, almost causing him to drop the tea and slammed it down on her desk. 'Get yer teeth stuck into that' and with that he walked back into his office, shutting the door and blind behind him.

That's it? She thought. No snide remarks about one night stands? Not even staying to pitch the case? No fire up the Quattro?

Alex began to flick through the file wondering what could have happened in the thirteen and a half minutes she missed that was making all her colleges behave so strangely.

Behind the glass door of his office Gene had poured himself a scotch. He looked at his watch, too early? He reminded himself not to be stupid. It was never too early for scotch. He swung his legs up onto his desk and leant back in his chair, thinking hard.

He had a file sitting in his lap. The front read: Detective Inspector Alexandra Drake, and just underneath that in red capitals read: EXTREMELY CONFIDENTIAL.

He was battling with his conscience. Although he liked to think he knew his Bolly well he couldn't help but wonder what secrets his DI could be keeping from him. Just then he could hear the moans and groans of CID though the walls as Alex began to brief them on the case along with the squeaking of somebody writing on a whiteboard. He grinned to himself. Bloody women.

At that very moment his curiosity got the better of him and he drained his glass before plonking it down on the table and flicking the file open...

Gene grinned to himself. For starters the complaint section was uncharacteristically large. He began to run his finger down the list.

Foul language – That didn't sound much like Alex

Ignoring standard police procedure – That sounded more like Alex

Taking unnecessary risks in an undercover operation – Definitely Alex

Storming a Homosexual Rights march, Hijacking the protesters pink tank and using it to run over one of the men's cars – What? He read the sentence again, then again to be sure and eventually decided to move away from the complaints section.

He looked though the pictures of her but stopped immediately when he noticed he was smiling. Bloody Poof.

Reading further down the page he began to read about her life before she transferred to the met. Suddenly something caught his eye, and his heart stopped dead in his chest.

Bolly...

'Chris?' Alex asked

'Yes Boss ...er Ma'am?'

'If you don't mind me asking, why does Shaz look like she's going to murder you in your sleep?' She looked over towards Shaz who was glaring in Chris' general direction. Chris looked a little uneasy.

'I don't know what's up with her recently B...Ma'am, one moment happy one moment sad, all I said was that she looked clever today and she went ballistic' He looked so confused that Alex couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

'Clever?' Alex asked

'Yeah. In a good way like. I like clever girls'

'I think maybe when Shaz asked how she looked, she wanted to hear pretty, not clever'

Chris' mouth formed into an understanding O shape and Alex laughed. 'Tell you what, you get a start on this...' She handed him the case report 'And I'll have a word with Shaz'

'Thanks Boss' Alex waited for a second 'Er...Ma'am'

'No problem Chris'

And with that she made her was over to Shaz' desk, unaware of the man waiting, and watching her from a corner of CID, the smooth handle of a gun, held firmly in his hand. He spoke quietly into a black radio, held up to his mouth.

'I have eyeball on the target'

He waited a few seconds, watching Alex talk with Shaz before lifting it to his mouth once more and whispering as quietly as he could.

'Lift off'

Dun dun dun! Lots of mystery and hopefully enough to keep you intrigued. Please please please take the time to review, it means the world. Until next time, take care x

Phoebe and Eliza xxx