Heya. This is my first Ashes to Ashes story so please be kind, I hope I've got the character's right. A huge thank you to XTimeGirlX for being my Beta and just generally inspiring me to continue writing as her stories are so wonderful! Please please review, I would really love to hear your thoughts on my story, good or bad. Thanks! Deborah x

Alex had been feeling hot all day. She held her head in her hands as she wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. CID had been relatively quiet the past few days, a couple of things stolen, missing people, the usual. Nothing Alex could really fight to solve, nothing that would unite her and Gene against the world.

The quietness worried Alex, something big had to happen soon. Why else was she here? With little reference to her old life in 2008, it was easy to get caught up in 1980's and the people she found herself with. Some days she got up, went to work, came back to Luigi's with the team, got drunk then went to bed – no thought of life outside the world she was in and no thought of Molly.

She barely heard the opening of Gene's door or the clicking of his cowboy boots across the floor. It wasn't until a familiar "Oi, Bolly!" was shouted that she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Are you going to grace us with your presence or shall I wait until you've finished deciding what knickers to wear tomorrow?"

"Sorry, Guv," Alex took a deep breath, "Carry on."

"Right, I've had a call, apparently a Mrs Suzanne Ellis came home from shopping this afternoon to find her husband dead in their hallway. Three bullets to the chest."

An image of Layton with the gun flashed in front of Alex's eyes.

"Uniform has sealed off the house so we need to get our arses down there and find out what happened. The Super's been on my back about 'how necessary' this department is. We need a good case to shut 'im up and this could be it. Shaz, find out if there's any record of Peter Ellis in our files."

"Yes, Guv" she replied and promptly left the room.

"You three," Gene barked and indicated to Ray, Chris and Alex "with me!"

He swished the end of his coat and stomped out the office. Alex stood up too quickly, her head pounded painfully and the room span. Ray and Chris stopped at the door and turned to Alex.

"You coming, Ma'am?" Chris said with a cigarette in his mouth.

Alex didn't respond, only stood there and rubbed her head. "You alright, Ma'am?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, Chris. I'm fine." Alex snapped herself out of it and lead the boys out of the station, Ray staring at her arse and the way it moved perfectly with every step in her tight jeans. He shook his head in disbelief that his DI was so 'shag-worthy'.

They pulled up in a small housing estate, parking outside number 32. There was a small open garden at the front of the house; plants neatly decorated, grass freshly cut, a garden chair sitting against the front of the house by the door. Alex noticed these things, and judging by the size of the house came to the conclusion that these people were doing financially alright.

Alex followed Gene into the house and almost bumped into him when he stopped abruptly. The body of Peter Ellis lay a few feet from the front door. He was wearing a suit and tie, clean shaven, dark hair, with three bullet wounds in the chest, blood had seeped through his pale blue shirt partially turning it crimson.

"Looks like he was shot from his front door. Poor bastard." Muttered Gene, "What do you think Bollykecks?"

"Don't think so Guv. The body's not close enough to the front door to have been shot from there-"

"Bullets can go a lot further than a couple of feet ya know." Gene interrupted, "Or did they not teach you that in psychiatry school?"

"What I meant, was that if he was shot as soon as he opened the door his body would be next to it. He must have opened the door to let this person into the house, entered the hallway, then was killed."

"So you think Mr Ellis knew his killer?" interrupted Chris, who along with Ray, was standing under the door frame annoyingly close to herself and her DCI.

"Yes I think he did." Alex's eyes scanned the body again, her focus landing on the bullet wounds in the chest. She saw another image flash before her, of Layton's bullet hurtling through the air. She suddenly came over all hot, her body sweating. As she took a few deep breaths she held the door frame for support.

"You alright Drakey?" asked the Guv in his gruff voice

"Yes. Yes. I'm fine." Alex stated quickly as she looked up. "Will people stop asking me that?! Where's Mrs Ellis?"

"She's in the kitchen with one of the plods."

Alex carefully stepped around the body to enter the kitchen ahead. As she left, Ray muttered "Feels like every day is time of the month for her."

"Raymondo. Show some respect for your superior officer!" barked Gene.

Alex signalled for the uniformed officer to leave as she entered the room. Mrs Ellis sat perched on a contemporary looking but probably most uncomfortable bar stool, which couldn't be easy for a heavily pregnant woman.

"Mrs Ellis, I'm DI Alex Drake. I understand you were the one who found your husband's body. I know it's distressing, but could you please tell me what happened?"

"Well I'd just gone out shopping, getting things for the baby, y'know." She rubbed her hand soothingly over her enlarged stomach. Mrs Ellis was a beautiful woman but covered it up with too much make-up Alex thought. She had blonde hair with soft curls which was brushed out in a typically 80's style, along with her bright eye-shadow and strongly rouged cheekbones. Although heavily pregnant, she still seemed up to date with the 'latest' fashion. She held tightly in her hand a white embroidered handkerchief. "I'd only gone into town, out of the house for nearly two hours. When I came home, I um..." Mrs Ellis wiped her eyes. "I opened the door... and just saw him lying there. Blood everywhere....and he was cold. I rang the police immediately." She began to sob a little harder. "What if I had been home? What if they killed me and my baby?" Her crying became more hysterical.

Alex stepped over to Mrs Ellis and stroked her arm comfortingly. "You're safe. We'll make sure of that." Mrs Ellis nodded to show her understanding. "Did you see anything unusual before you left? Anyone lurking around the estate?" Mrs Ellis simply shook her head. "And your husband didn't have any enemies of any sort?"

"No."

Alex made her way out of the kitchen. "I'm sorry for your loss." She added as she left the room.

"Anything from the wife?" grumbled Gene through a cigarette that was wedged between his lips as Alex returned to the hallway "Or just the simple 'open door, dead body on floor'?"

"Hey, that rhymes." Giggled Chris

"Shut up!" barked Gene, he then raised his eyebrows at Alex as means of repeating his question.

"Pretty much, Guv, she was out shopping, came home and found her husband on the floor." Alex held onto the wall as another hot dizzy feeling swept over her when she saw another glimpse of Peter Ellis on the floor. Gene wanted to ask if she was alright – she looked like hell, but thought better of it.

"Did Mr Ellis have any enemies or anything like that?" asked Chris while Ray flicked through a woman's lingerie catalogue, piping up with the occasional "Cor!"

"No. Mrs Ellis couldn't think of anyone," replied Alex, taking deep long breaths "nor did she see anyone dodgy looking hanging about before she left."

"Right you couple of twats, and one posh tart, let's get back to the station and see if Shaz has found anything about our mysterious Mr Ellis. Plus, looks like Bollyknickers should be in bed."

"Was that an offer?" asked Alex after Ray and Chris headed out towards the car

"And what if it was?"

Alex blushed and looked away from Gene, catching sight again of the bullet wounds in Mr Ellis' chest. A quizzical and concerned look appeared on Gene's face as Alex began to sway a little, "Bolls?"

She felt hot again. As she stared at the bullet wounds she saw Layton's gun this time as well as the bullet that was flying towards her. Her temperature was rising, she couldn't breathe. Her vision blurred while her head span.

As her eyes rolled, Gene rushed over to her instinctively, perfect timing as her knees gave way and she collapsed in his arms.

Alex blinked a few times; Gene's face above hers began to focus. Their faces were inches apart, eyes locked as they scanned inquisitively, the heat from their breathing burning each other's skin.

Gene's arms wrapped tight around Alex's waist supporting her as her legs were unable; he freed a hand and placed it on her forehead.

"You're burning up, Bolly." His gruff voice whispered

The introduction of speech seemed to awaken Alex from her trance, her eyes torn away from his as she found her feet again. As she stood up, Gene removed his arm from her waist, but he did not return it to his side. He left it hovering around her as if an invisible barrier was keeping them from touching; his arm ready to catch her again should the barrier fall.

Alex stared at her feet avoiding Gene's eyes, she was embarrassed to have needed him to catch her and even more so because she liked it.

"You should go home, Alex."

The use of her name slightly shocked her; he wasn't saying it as her boss but as a concerned friend.

"I'm fine, honestly, Gene." She tried to state reassuringly. She left the house and joined Ray and Chris who were waiting by the Quattro, unaware of what just happened.