A/N: The last chapter - thanks so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited, followed!

Some of the dialogue has been borrowed from the scripts - full credit to Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah for their respective talents. And I suppose by that measure I should give a spoiler warning...though I'm not entirely sure that it's needed ;)

Chapter 4

They drove to Lancashire the same morning, rain lashing against the windscreen, Alex not daring to look out at the changing landscape as the miles passed by. Gene remained none the wiser, asking her only the once what all the rush was about and leaving it alone when she admitted that she couldn't tell him. Her mind had lied to her often enough before; perhaps this was another elaborate trick or else a misguided attempt to uncover the reason why she was here, once and for all.

That had always been the problem in the past: she had always focused on herself, raking over the details of her own life, and failed to make the deeper connections.

It took hours, and the storm had stopped by the time they arrived at Farringfield Green. The place from almost every dream she had had for the past two weeks. She mapped out the location as though she had known it from years ago, leaving a clueless Gene trailing in her wake. Everything was as she remembered it. The dilapidated farmhouse with its creaking weather vane. The scarecrow standing upon the top of the hill. She took unrivalled care in unpinning the epaulette from its shoulder, passing it into Gene's hands before she fell to her knees, using her hands to dig. She was terrified of what she would find, terrified that she had been wrong all along. At her back, she was aware of the fact that Gene was pointing his gun at her, though she wasn't scared of him or anything he would do. She knew that it was instinct, drummed into him since he was nothing more than a boy.

He was a skinny lad, needed fattening up.

Her heart sunk like a stone, the tears streamed from her eyes as she discovered the warrant card, passing it after a few moments into the hands of its rightful owner. There was a haunted look in his eyes, one that remained as they went to the farmhouse together, Alex shivering in her coat underneath the grey sky. Faded red white and blue bunting hung everywhere amongst the wreckage, and she listened to him as he recounted, the past coming back clearer than the present.

Yeah, it was Coronation Day. That was a funny one. His first week on the beat.

The pieces were all falling into place, the distance lessening with every word spoken. Though she had no recollection of the time he described she was so consumed that she felt as though she was living his re-emerging memories with him. It wasn't as strange as it seemed, not that she was now aware that by being here, past this particular revelatory moment, she was part of the story.

Her heart broke for him, for a life so full of promise snatched away, a death marked by sudden fear and terrible injustice, a shallow grave that he didn't deserve. Left for all of those years, alone and forgotten.

We make ourselves into what we wish to be. It's too difficult to do that in the real world, with so many factors waiting to tear you down. Somewhere else, somewhere better, the game is different and the options are endless. You could do almost anything, if you wanted. Chase the outlaws from the pictures you watched, wide-eyed with wonder. Find a hero in a true form, when you had always considered it a figment of your forming imagination.

A different life, but one no less meaningful. A role that was undeniably important. The protector of lost souls, all those who had gone forgotten. Not on his watch.

The rain had followed them up and started again, the sound of thunder muffled by the shelter the Quattro provided. Sitting in the passenger seat she looked at him with new eyes, ones that were still brimming. His head hung low, chin near resting upon his chest. 6620 gleaming within his gloved fingers. Underneath his sorrow and grief she saw nothing different about him. She saw only the man he was meant to be, if only life had been kinder. And yet fate had been the stronger force; funny, she had never really believed in it until now. It hadn't fit with her field of thinking. After years, holding onto all she had known even as it slipped gradually from her fingers, her heart won the battle against her head.

She saw the man that he was.

As she linked her fingers with his in the space between them, she felt the warmth of his skin even beneath the layer of leather, and was irrevocably relieved, yet more so when those steel-blue eyes looked towards her.

"Tyler knew, didn't 'e?" He didn't turn away as she nodded slowly in answer to his question. "Smart arse."

"I think he didn't want to hurt you," she said, stomach twisting as she wondered whether she had done the right thing in bringing him here, making him remember when he would have rather gone on forgetting. "He knew what all of this meant to you. Didn't want dismantling it to be your last memory of him."

She heard him sigh heavily, and felt helpless. The standard responses echoed in her mind from her previous life. You've been through a lot. The mind takes time to heal. He wasn't a client and she wouldn't treat him like one. She'd usually look to him for what to do, she realised, and so she was lost.

"Never got to say goodbye properly. Seven bloody years, and that's 'ow it ended. 'e wouldn't let me go to the pub with 'im and Cartwright, said I'd 'ad enough for everyone in there. Think I told 'im to piss off. That was the last thing I said to 'im. After everything..."

His voice wavered as though he was near to breaking down. She had never even contemplated him crying and thought that the reality would break her.

He held back, sniffing as he reared his head.

"I'm sorry, Alex," he uttered, causing her to stare at him in confusion. "That you 'ad to leave 'er. It's not right."

"It's not your fault." The tears stung fiercer at her eyes at the thought of her daughter, but she managed to smile at him, knowing that she had another duty. "It'll hurt me every day, I know that. But I couldn't ask for things to be any different. It wouldn't be fair."

She wanted Molly to live her life, more than she had wanted to recover and go back to living her own. She hoped that her daughter lived to be a hundred or more, achieving all that the generations before her couldn't even as they strived.

The smile grew upon her lips as she raised her free hand to her chest. "And I'll always keep her, in here."

She was happy to see the flicker of recognition upon Gene's face as she drew a circle around her breastbone.

If she couldn't be with Molly, there was no better place that she could be. Here she could go on living, not being lost to the both of them, drifting into the unknown.

"You know, when I first came here I can't tell you how scared I was. Spent half my life studying psychosis, and there I was." She inhaled deeply as she cast her mind back. "Thought I was as mad as a bag of bees."

Gene raised his eyebrows. "But you looked good though."

"I was dressed as a prostitute."

"My point."

She shook her head swiftly, the image forming again before her eyes, the sunshine that was now absent almost blinding her. "And there was this car, and those boots."

She paused to take him in again, the vision of him different now but barely changed to her. She smiled.

"And you. Gene Hunt."

He blinked slowly at her as the rain hammered harder against the roof. "My real name is Nigel Perkins."

Alex frowned in confusion, having read the name on the warrant card for herself not that long ago.

"No, I'm joking. It's Gene Hunt."

She smirked. "You know, you're the most difficult, stubborn, obnoxious, misogynistic and reckless human being I've ever met."

"Come on," he fixed a stare at her, "surely you've missed one out."

Oh, there were so many things she could label him as. Such wonderful and inexplicable contradictions. She was far past the point of analysing.

"And yet somehow," she went on, curling her fingers tighter around his, "you make us all feel safe." She smiled as she looked into his eyes, releasing the popper and easing the glove from his hand, sparks running the length of her spine as skin met skin. "Because that's who you are, Gene. You've never changed."

Connected to her gaze, he was silent and contemplative for a moment or two, and she thought she was on the verge of some historic victory.

"It's over, Bolly," he uttered, resignation seeping back into his tone. "It's no use trying to cheer me up."

She stayed calm, not feeling like it was an effort. The storm was outside, it couldn't touch them in here.

"It's not over. It's only the beginning." She hadn't believed a lot in the past two years or more, but this was her lifeline. "We carry on, rally the team. They have to know the truth, Gene."

He looked at her and she saw flashes of his younger self coming back to life momentarily, the nineteen year old who for all his ambition and idealism was deathly afraid of real confrontation.

"It's the only way we can all get through," she continued, knowing that she had to be the one to kick-start him into action. "Together."

You and me. Of course, the others too. He loved his team, held them dear like they were family. There had to be a reason why they had stayed so long, after all.

"Can't leave 'em alone for five minutes. 'oo knows what'll 'ave happened."

Alex smiled as she saw him rallying before her eyes, getting back to himself.

He turned back to her after staring through the droplets that covered the windscreen, his eyes clear and intensely blue.

"Thank you, Alex."

She nodded quickly, tears clouding her vision. She blinked them back as she brought his hand to her mouth, placing a kiss in the centre of his palm. He trembled a little beneath her lips, she felt and embraced it. He had let her in to the most truthful part of himself and there was no way she would ever get out.

"Given the state I'm in, I should let you drive."

Her eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Another one over your 'ead. Not very quick on the uptake today, are we, Bols?"

A slow smile grew on her face, and she studied his movements as he placed the shining epaulette carefully on the dashboard in front of him. He let out a sigh that she heard in the depths of her heart before it was drowned out by the roaring engine of the Quattro.

"Best get you back down South before you start goin' even more batty than you already are."

They'd expected that some things might have gone awry in their absence, but neither had prepared for the scene that greeted them as they burst back through the doors.

"What in the name of bloody Nora 'as gone on 'ere?" Gene exclaimed, looking accusatorily at the three remaining figures that populated CID so late in the working day. "Raymondo, 'ave you seen fit to go on an office bender whilst Drake and I 'ave been away?"

The place was in an absolute state. Desks overturned, cabinets crashed to the floor with the paperwork they contained spilled out everywhere. The door to Gene's office was half-smashed in and hanging from its hinges, blinds half-open half-closed.

"It was Keats, Guv," Chris piped up from a corner of the room that had suffered the least destruction. " 'e came out of 'is office lookin' all serious. Asked where you were, boss...I mean, Ma'am. When 'e saw that you and the Guv weren't 'ere 'e just went ballistic. Started trashing the place, screaming. Kept sayin' 'it's over' and 'it's too late' over and over again. It was weird."

"Always thought 'e was a psycho," Ray added, whirling his finger in a circle to his temple.

Alex glanced around at the mess, tiptoeing through the wreckage towards her desk, the singular one that had remained standing. Left upon it was an old photograph of the farmhouse at Farringfield Green, a cold shiver inching down her as she dared to think how differently the situation could have gone.

"It was really scary," Shaz murmured, bringing her hand away from her mouth. "I thought he was going to do something horrible."

She looked as though she might burst into tears on the memory, and went willingly when Chris pulled her into an embrace.

"He just kept saying your names," she went on, looking between Gene and Alex. "Saying that there was nothing he could do, that he should have stopped it. Because it was all too late."

Alex looked over at Gene, who gave her the smallest quirk of a smile.

Ray was rummaging in the debris that was his desk, exasperated as his hands fumbled. "If the bastard has nicked my cans, there's going to be hell to pay."

"Hang on," a flicker of recognition sparked upon Chris's face, his arm draped around Shaz's shoulder. "If 'e kept talking about you, Guv, and you, Ma'am, and saying all that...'ave you two done the business?"

"Chris!" Shaz shrieked, tapping him on the chest. "That's private."

Alex felt herself flushing under their scrutiny. Sensing her discomfort, Gene stepped forward.

"First the traffickin' lark and now this, your detective skills are comin' on leaps and bounds, Christopher."

Chris smiled proudly at the Guv's appraisal, letting the magnitude of what had just been revealed pass him by for the moment. Alex almost hoped that the floor, as desecrated as it was, would open into a sinkhole and swallow her up.

"That's ace. I'm happy for you, Ma'am, Guv," Shaz chirruped, smiling wide at the both of them. Her hand was still placed upon Chris's chest, and she leaned her head closer to his ear. "Finally," she whispered, a smirk playing on her face.

Sidling up behind them, Ray tapped Chris on the shoulder. "You owe me a tenner, mate. And three pints."

Chris frowned, turning at the waist. "Yeah, but we don't actually know that they did that..."

"Come on, they must 'ave. If the Guv's got anything to do with it."

As Alex was about to curl herself into a ball and will herself to disappear, Gene raised his voice.

"Alright, you bloody perverts. What myself and DI Drake get up to in the privacy of 'er 'ome or anywhere else is none of your business. And I don't want you bettin' on it, either."

Her honour partly redeemed, Alex went towards Gene, covering her hand over his as it rested by his side.

"Oh bloody hell, so it begins," Ray remarked.

"Gene," she said to him, her voice quiet and her eyes flickering up towards his. Urging him silently they both knew what he had to do, as the others remained temporarily naive.

"Might as well get on with it," he replied to Alex, earning a small and slightly reluctant smile from her.

You're doing the right thing.

"Look, there's a few things that you should know. I should 'ave told you all a little while ago but things got in the way. Thankfully I've 'ad DI Drake to 'elp me see clearly again, and so it can't wait any longer."

Ray, Chris and Shaz exchanged uncertain glances, watching Gene as he strode towards what was left of his office. Alex braced herself against her desk, her stomach turning a little. She had no idea what their stories were but Gene did. It was his world after all. But whatever had happened, they had all suffered to be brought under his wing. She hated to think of it; none of them deserved it.

"Granger," Gene muttered, curling a finger. "Ladies first."

Shaz went, looking over her shoulder back at Chris, and Alex felt her heart fissuring before anything had begun.

One by one they went, and all emerged pale and shaken to the core. Shaz had screamed before she had left the room and came out crying for her mum, bundling herself into Alex's arms. Ray had a face like thunder, fists balled as he paced the bombsite of CID, spoiling for a fight. Chris was a quiet as a mouse, sitting himself down on a chair in the corner that was still upright, mulling things over before he went over to comfort a sobbing Shaz.

She should have noticed it as a precursor. And yet as awful as it was, she knew it would sink in with them all. The news was so much better coming from Gene, as opposed to Keats cackling it with delight. All they needed was time, and they'd all proved themselves more than capable in the recent weeks.

Given his reaction, perhaps it wasn't a surprise that Chris was the one to break the silence. "Maybe this explains the stars."

"Chris?" Alex uttered his name shakily.

"I saw stars, Ma'am. Last night, after the Guv told Luigi to get me a drink. There were loads of them. I thought I was going doolally."

Unfurling herself from his arms, Shaz nodded, her red-rimmed eyes looking towards Alex. "I saw them as well. After what happened with that creep McClean, when the Guv said I could make it into CID." Shaking only slightly, she smiled weakly towards Chris. "I s'pose it makes sense, now."

Chris smiled back, and then nodded towards Ray.

"What?" Ray barked back, clearly on edge. "I 'aven't seen any bloody stars, you poof."

Shaz crept closer to him, placing a hand upon his arm. "You told me you did. After the arson case, and the Guv told you 'well done'. It's alright, Ray, it's happened to us all."

"What about you, boss...er, Ma'am?" Chris asked.

They came rushing back towards her; the galaxy from the night before when she was lying beneath Gene, feeling as though she was within touching distance of heaven.

"Yes," she murmured, nodding her head. "Yes, Chris, I've seen stars."

"It must have 'appened to the Guv as well," Chris remarked, feeling another rush of accomplishment, bolstered by Shaz smiling towards him.

"I don't give a toss," Ray shouted, shocking them all. "I just want to know what 'e thinks gives 'im the right..."

Knowing he was being talked about, Gene emerged from his office having steeled himself with a scotch or two. Alex saw the weariness he wore as he stood in front of them all, and had the overwhelming urge to go forward and put her arms around him, stroke his head and whisper that the worst of it was over; nothing could shake them now.

Ray charged like a bull towards him instead, causing Gene to stumble back against the open doorframe.

"Steady on, Ray," he said, his hands resting on either side of the frame. "I know this is a shock..."

"Too right it's a bloody shock. Findin' out that your life isn't anythin' it seems. That it's not even a life." His eyes were flaring as he spat his words out, Alex bracing herself for another brawl as Gene remained silent. "Fourteen years I've been with you, and all I wanted was to make you proud. You were better than any DCI I've ever 'ad. The best." He shook his head as he looked down briefly. "But you turned out to be just the same. All you did was lie to me. To all of us."

Gene looked crushed as he let Ray's words cut into him. Alex couldn't take it.

"He didn't lie," she raised her voice against the echoing silence. "He'd just forgotten." She looked desperately at Ray, pleading with him to see sense, not to lose all of the belief he'd held for so long. "Don't walk away from him now. Please."

Instead of hearing her, his eyes remained fixed angrily on Gene.

"Is that it?" Ray continued. "You gunna let your bit of skirt do the talkin' for you now? Pathetic."

"Go," Gene said, finally, taking his eyes away from Alex's watery gaze. "All of you. It's Luigi's last night, give 'im a good send off." He fished in his pockets, handed a wad of notes out towards Ray. "It's on me."

Ray said nothing, refusing to take the money, and walked away without a glance back.

"Chris?" Gene uttered, offering out his hand. "Shaz?"

"I think I'm going to go home, Guv, if that's alright," Shaz replied apologetically. "It's been a long day, I'm tired."

"I'll go with you," Chris said, looking at Shaz as she turned towards him. "Just to check you get there okay."

Alex prayed that she hadn't led Gene along the wrong road in convincing him to reveal the truth. He'd had enough for one day without the thought of his team deserting him one by one, never to return. She was always going to stay with him, she knew that much.

Gene nodded in acceptance as Chris and Shaz gathered their things. "S'a good idea. We've got work to do tomorrow, same as usual. Or not, but we've still got a duty to do."

"Yes, Guv," Shaz nodded.

"See you then, Guv, Ma'am," Chris bobbed his head to them both before leaving, his hand guiding Shaz out of the door.

"Well, looks like it's up to you and me then, Bols. Fitting I s'pose, as we've given Luigi enough trouble over the years."

Alex gazed up at him, hardly believing he had switched so easily back into his old mode and yet finding a comfort in it.

"Ray will come round," she reassured him as he pouted. "Give him a chance to let off some steam. In a few days he'll be back to worshipping the ground you walk on."

"Wish I 'ad your optimism, Bolly," he sighed. "But there won't be enough time for that. Tomorrow is all there is. So Raymondo 'ad better come round ruddy sharpish."

She frowned for a moment, before the heavy realisation sunk in. She was fooling herself – she wondered when she would ever stop – if she thought things would go back to how they had always been.

Gene looked at her, confirming all that she now knew before he even said anything.

"They know too much now. I 'aven't got a choice; they 'ave to go."

She read the sadness in his eyes, the arrow pierced her within her chest. She was the one who had handed him the gun and made him fire. And once again, she was caught by the bullet, by nothing but her own doing. She swallowed thickly, her mouth parched, the ache that had swiftly built within her refusing to go away.

"And that means that I have to go, as well."

He broke gaze with her for a moment, giving them both a chance to face the inevitable.

"Too much of a clever clogs for yer own good, Bols."

She searched his expression desperately, the quiet resignation in his eyes too much for her to bear. This couldn't be happening, she couldn't have died in vain. The silence stretched on, consuming her more than ever before.

"Dunno about you, but I need a bloody drink. Or several, preferably."

"No!"

She grabbed onto his sleeve before he could turn to slink back to his lair. His eyes flashed as he looked into hers, everything between them falling down to this particular moment. She was utterly desperate now, but she didn't care.

"No, Gene," she managed, her breath coming too quick, "I won't leave you. I can't! Not now. Not after everything."

There was the smallest trace of a smile on his face, which left her even more bereft.

"I know I'm good in the sack, but not that good." He stretched his hand out, long fingers brushing against her cheek and making her shiver painfully. "Chin up, Bolly. It won't be that bad. We'll both get a bit of peace at last."

She shook her head, unable to stop the tears from starting to fall. With a gentle stroke of his thumb he caught one as it rolled its way down. Bloody bastard. Even when I want to hate him, he makes me love him even more.

"But...but it doesn't make sense," her words shuddered, "how can we know too much? I know you, Gene, more now than ever. This is your world. You can't be alone in it. That's not fair."

He sighed heavily, wrenching his hand away. "No-one said anything about 'fair'. I've been lucky to get what I've been given. Not everyone gets a second chance. And if they do they don't always get a say in where they end up."

Alex nodded, though it was a reflex action more than anything.

"Contrary to popular belief I don't make the rules, Bols. Wish I did. This place existed before me, probably wasn't as good but there you go. The Super's not just there to make everything look official. There's a whole bloody bunch of suits above 'im, an' it doesn't do well to piss them off. If I step out of line they couldn't give a shit about all the years that have gone by, everythin' I've done. I'd be transferred quicker than a virgin in a brothel." He paused, steadying himself as he looked her firm in the eyes. "An' there wouldn't be any comin' back from that."

She breathed in; even now this place was so much more complex than she had ever realised.

"Whoever they are, they can't make me go. Not if you say so." She noticed him resisting the urge to put his head in his hands while she refused to listen once again, but of all the times now was not the one to stop. "You need me, Gene. And I..." - her voice still held its small tremble. "I need you."

"Alex."

His utterance of her name was all the confirmation that she needed.

"I had to leave my daughter without any choice, without a chance to say goodbye." She had to lay her hands upon him again, and it spoke volumes that he didn't push himself away from her. "I can't leave you too. I won't. It'll kill me, Gene."

The intensity of his eyes were at odds with the faintly amused expression that flickered upon his face.

"Think you're forgettin' something rather important there, Bolly." He let a rare, unguarded smile bloom upon his lips, and she thought how beautiful he looked, cherishing it before it faded. "I've been a selfish bastard for too long, 'avin things my own way. Fuckin' typical, when the one thing that I want the most comes along."

Her heart ached within her chest, and yet at the same time she felt at ease, knowing that he felt the same tie to her as she did to him. It didn't make the hurt any less, not when she was aware that they could have had so much more in the time before these past couple of days - damn all their stubbornness, the need to outdo the other - but at least there was purpose. Joined irretrievably with tragedy, but wasn't that what all the best love stories were made up of?

"Gene," she said softly, uncertain whether she was able to speak anything else now for the rest of time.

He stayed stoic for a minute or two. "Can't let Luigi down, though an early night isn't a bad shout. Got the kids to look after tomorrow, and I don't mean those three."

Gathering herself she straightened her shoulders, dabbing the remnants of tears from her eyes. Gene fixed his gaze upon her, and even though it was rather ridiculous of her to think of it, she hoped that she didn't look an absolute state.

"Not sure I fancy a night on me own," he rasped, the look in his eyes causing her to all but fall apart. "Still got room in yer posh bed for a bit of rough like me?"

She smiled, doing what she could to forget all that was around the corner and just focus on one hour at a time. Just focus on him; he was all she had.

"Always."

It wasn't what she would have expected as a last hurrah, but it was fitting. Not just because of Molly and all that she had left behind. Cases like this one were exactly why she had entered the police force back in the other world, and it felt like she had come full circle.

With the others at the station seeing to the files, it was down to the two of them to bring the children back to their respective homes, fed and washed and as much at ease as they could be considering they had been through such a traumatic experience. Alex fussed over them, gave them reassuring words and hugs to the younger ones who craved the contact before they were able to sink back into the arms of their mothers. Gene told them stories of criminals that weren't too scary and cheeky jokes that were age-appropriate, giving them a warning not to go skipping off with strange blokes again before taking the two bags of penny sweets that he'd purchased out of the pockets of his overcoat, picking off any bits of fluff that had got stuck to them with careful glove-clad fingers.

She had smiled to herself all the while as she observed him, fluffing up the hair of each child before seeing them back over each threshold, receiving the cries of gratitude humbly from each relieved parent. He had insisted that he was no good with kids but she saw no evidence whatsoever to support his statement, knowing that it was just another part of his act. She willed herself not to spend too long imagining a world that had both Molly and Gene within it, though it was the most wonderful place to occupy for as much as she would let herself be indulged.

They took the Quattro back to the station for the final time that day, and Alex had never wished for any car ride to go at a slower pace. The inevitable could only be put off for so long. Gene didn't go at his usual break-neck speed, and as she glanced across at him, catching sight of blue irises in the rear-view mirror, she knew that he had the same idea.

He dumped the remaining sweets onto Chris's desk as they passed, much to DC Skelton's delight, and shut the door of his office once Alex was inside, closing as much as he was able the blinds that were now buggered.

She closed her eyes against the glug of scotch filling up one glass and then the other, opening them again to see Gene with his legs stretched leisurely out upon the desk.

"Here's to a job well done," Alex uttered, raising her glass into the air. She smiled at the wearied look he returned to her. "You know, I don't think a couple of them wanted to leave your side."

"Yeah, well they're alright so long as you get to give 'em back after an 'our or so," he grumbled, putting the facade back into place again, for however brief a time. "And they're a bit too bloody young to pass for new recruits just yet."

God, she had done so well at pushing it to the back of her mind. She glanced up at the clock on the wall that seemed to be ticking at double the speed, taking a long swig from the glass in her hand.

His eyes were on her again and she was powerless to resist their force, letting herself be pulled into the depths of his gaze.

"Weren't bad though, were we, Bollykecks?"

The sound that left her was somewhere between a sigh and a whimper. She found herself both wishing he would look away from her and never wanting him to stop, so that she would bring every trace of memory with her, sustaining her for however long it took for him to do all that was required of him.

Before she could open her mouth to form proper words, the phone rang loudly, making her shoulders jump.

Gene eyed her with uncertainty, unfurling his legs and curling his fingers around the receiver.

"Hunt. Hello, Sir. Yes. Now? Yeah, I can be there."

The call lasted less than two minutes, Gene extending to his full height once he'd put the phone back into place.

"Super's commanded me. Should smarten up."

Alex watched as he adjusted the knot of his tie, counting the beats of her heart while his palms smoothed down the front of his jacket. A quick check of himself in the little mirror balanced on top of a cabinet, and then his attention was back on her.

"This is it, Bolly. The time of reckonin'."

Her heart was beating far too fast, breath catching in her throat. She stood up on legs that felt like lead, bringing her eyes in line with his, at least for a few seconds before he decided he'd rather gaze at her crimson-stained lips instead.

"Sod it. People get less time for murder than what I've done 'ere." He drew his eyes back to hers, his expression set and determined. "You and me, Bols. Let's do a runner to Torremolinos. You bring a ridiculously skimpy bikini, I'll bring the baby oil. We'll be set."

She pursed her lips, needing the time to steady herself.

"Gene..." she shook her head lightly, wishing she had more confidence to throw all caution to the wind but being too terrified of the consequences.

"Bleedin' 'ell woman," he huffed, "I'm offerin' to do what you begged me for and I still can't bloody win. If this is what it's goin' to be like then maybe I am best off out of it."

She managed a small smile, running her hand over his shoulder.

"Go," she uttered. "I'll stay here."

He pouted, drawing himself back. "Shouldn't be too long. Don't you think about gettin' off without me."

"I'm taking every second I can, Gene."

She sat back down on the edge of the chair, watching his back as he went and trying to swallow away the lump in her throat. She listened to the chatter of CID as she remained in his office, smiled politely and declined Shaz's offer of checking out another restaurant down the road in Luigi's absence, watched the lights go off one by one. Alone she sat in the near-darkness, the ticking clock keeping her company while she waited for his return.

Close your eyes, count backwards from a hundred. All she could feel was Gene's arms around her, his breath against her ear, rocking her as she sobbed helplessly into his shoulder.

See you around, Bollykecks.

The door banged against the wall, her eyes flying open at the sound.

"Gene?"

He looked past her as he strode back into the room, his gaze fixed on the target of his half-full glass. Alex watched him, feeling suspended in the air as he knocked back the rest of the whisky in one swoop, letting the empty glass rest in his hand for a minute before placing it incredibly carefully back down onto the table.

His eyes met hers for mere seconds, and then he was moving again, out into the main space of CID. With a solitary light left on, he was a bright spot in the room.

Alex's steps were held in a trance as she followed him, knowing without doubt she had to brace herself for the worst but not ready to let go. Not yet. This can't be it.

The little old radio stood upon the desk, aerial extending to a preposterous distance in order for it to work properly. Alex watched Gene's fingers run over the dial, waiting a few seconds before he switched it on.

The song was already halfway through playing when the sound hit both of their ears.

#It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best-selling show
Is there life on Mars?#

"Can't stand that bloody song," he said, the beginnings of a smirk starting to curve the corners of his lips upwards. "Tyler never stopped playin' it."

Alex narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth to question.

"You gunna 'elp me to pack, Bols? Not that there's much I want to take with me. Except a posh, mouthy tart with a 'ead full of brains and the common sense of a grain weevil. Don't s'pose you'd know where I'd find one of those?"

"Gene? Are you saying...?"

"Bloody 'ell. I should take the bit about the 'ead full of brains back, I reckon. Good job you look as good as you do."

He smiled at her and simultaneously her heart and head soared skywards. Without a second's delay she barrelled herself into his arms, causing him to take half a step backwards.

"Oh, Gene," she sighed, her hands bracing against his torso, finding him warm and solid beneath her fingers. "Tell me I'm not dreaming. Tell me this is real."

She heard him snicker, felt the rumble within his chest and his hands travelling up and down her back.

"As real as you can get, Bolly."

She smiled as she pillowed her head against him, burying herself against his embrace.

"No time like the present," he uttered, breaking the blissful silence in the safe knowledge that there'd be much more of this to come. "Best be on our way. Pub?"

Alex looked up at him, unable to take the smile from her face as she gazed into the eyes that always held her captivated.

"Pub," she replied.

The night was cool and calm, the sky above playing host to the most beautiful array of shining stars. In either life Alex had never seen such a sight, certainly not in the skies of central London. In the short distance the windows of the pub glowed gently, signalling the warm welcome that was to be had within. All five stopped in their tracks, eyes raking upwards, breath holding still for seconds.

"What d'you think it's like inside?" Chris wondered aloud, his gaze captivated.

"What do you think, you twonk?" Ray answered him with a disbelieving look on his face. "It's a boozer." He pointed up towards the sign hanging outside. "It's our boozer."

"Yeah, I know," Chris defended himself, "but y'know, it's been a while since we were in there. Nelson might have redecorated."

Ray shook his head, glancing towards Gene and Alex who stood a little further back. "Bleedin' 'ell. And I 'ave to spend all eternity with this numpty."

"Don't listen to him, baby," Shaz said, circling her hand into Chris's.

He took his eyes from the wondrous sanctuary of the pub and smiled towards her. "You'll like it, Shazza. Nelson does Ringos and everything."

"Fab," she exclaimed, nuzzling a kiss against his cheek. "As long as I'm with you then I know it'll be the best."

"Awww," Chris smiled goofily. "I love you, Shaz."

"And I love you right back," she replied, before they shared a smooch in front of the others.

"Love's young dream," Ray pulled a face of disgust as Chris and Shaz went hand in hand, disappearing behind the door of the pub. "I'm tellin' you, there best be a load of fit birds in there. I'm not playin' third wheel for the rest of time."

"Don't be such a tart, Raymondo," Gene barked, albeit warmly. "There'll be booze on tap. Go and get a round in."

Ray shrugged reluctantly. "Alright, Guv. Aren't you coming? Everyone'll want to see you."

Gene smirked. "Yeah, won't be long. But I'd like a moment, just Drake and myself. Before I get bloody charged at and rung dry."

Ray looked between the two of them, shaking his head but smiling. "You won't have to put your hand in your pocket all night, Guv. I'm guessin' for a lot longer than that."

Gene nodded, watching as the familiar face of Nelson put his arm around Ray and welcomed him inside. In the starlight, Alex watched him, saw the crooked smile falling into place upon his lips. His eyes were shining in a way she had hardly glimpsed before; except for when they had been together, as close as it was possible for two people to be.

She reached for his hand, wanting for nothing more than his happiness as her fingers curled around his.

"It's not what I expected it to be," she said honestly, trying to remember how many times she had stepped inside an old-fashioned pub in her life. She could count on the fingers of one hand.

"Come on, Bols. They've got a saloon bar," he nodded in approval, bottom lip jutting out. "Gotta be fancy enough for you."

"I'm a girl of simple tastes, Gene," she answered, smiling as he frowned.

"Oi, I 'ope you're not including me in that."

"Of course not."

She smiled, stepping into the light that spilled out onto the street from the open door of the pub, cupping her hand to his cheek, breathing him in as she stared into his eyes.

"I could be anywhere with you and it would feel like home."

"You are a soppy tart, Bolly," he appraised, his hands planting themselves on her waist and his head inching nearer towards her ear. "But between you and me, I don't reckon I could do without you either."

He pulled her closer to him and they shared breath before their lips met, the kiss starting off slow and soft but swiftly increasing in passion. Alex placed her palms against him, allowing his tongue to slip into her mouth, the blood fizzing in her veins when she pondered that this love was safe in their hands; he was hers for the rest of time, never more than a pint and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to separate them.

He hummed his approval, eyes raking over her as they broke apart, although their hands remained firmly upon one another.

"This is it," she sighed, smiling as she looked from Gene to the glowing pub, and back again. "Are you ready to leave this all behind?" she asked, feeling it was necessary. Even the most pleasant of changes could rock a routine, especially for someone as firmly entrenched in them as Gene.

His eyes were firm upon her as he parted his lips again, nodding his head once. "Been waitin' a long time for this."

She smiled, feeling affinity with him. "A lifetime."

He slid his hands upwards, and she giggled as she unbuttoned her coat to give him a glimpse of the short red dress she was wearing as well as allowing him a fondle of the silk. As he gazed down, she saw his eyes going wide.

"Christ on a bike!" he growled. "S'pose I shouldn't take the name in vain an' all, considerin'. But I think you might just tempt the man 'imself, Bolly. Dressed up like that."

She couldn't stop herself from letting out a pleased laugh. "Well, seeing as it's heaven, I thought I'd better make an effort. I mean, I'm assuming that I can change once I'm inside."

"No need, Bols," he replied. "Not unless it's into yer birthday suit. And I want to be the only one who gets that privilege. Jesus, those pints are going to go to waste, unless I can palm them off on Ray."

Alex smiled at him, letting out a gasp as his fingers crept beneath the hem of the dress.

"Nelson better have a bloody room ready, that's all I can say. Because I don't plan on lettin' you out for a very long time."

"Oh, Mr Hunt," she said, smirking as she let her own hands wander, catching the gorgeous glint in his eyes. "Forever is a long time. But I'm looking forward to every single second."

A/N: And they lived a very happy afterlife behind the doors of The Railway Arms...

I have a headcanon that Gene and Alex are soulmates (okay, I assume I'm not alone in that) and that Gene won't be allowed to move on from the copper world until Alex arrives, and by the same thinking he'll only be let go by the higher powers when he sees fit to move Alex on. In short, they're always destined to be together! (yes, I am a soppy tart as well)

I have such a soft spot for Chris, so I guess subconsciously made him the one to figure out the spooky stars - and that Gene and Alex had got it together.

Oh, obviously Life on Mars? written by David Bowie.

So that's the end of that one; I hope you enjoyed and I'd love to know what you thought :)