You know the drill by now: Characters are not mine. I am not trying to make any money, just want to have a little bit of fun is all.

As the news slowly sunk in, Alex's vison blurred. She didn't even notice that Gene had punched Keats in the face and kneed him in the groin. A moment later, she felt Gene's hand on her shoulder.

"Bolly... I'm sorry."

Without realising it, Alex started to speak.

"9:06, always it was 9:06. Now I know why. I should have known all along though, shouldn't I? That was why the only messages I got were from within this world-from you or rather the person you used to be. That was why I had seen the stars along with Chris, Ray and Shaz. Why in all these months I had had only one dream about Molly. And even then, it had nothing to do with getting back home; it was about my discovering the truth about this world, and you trying to keep me from doing so."

Gene listened, and when Alex stopped to take a breath said, "It's time, Bolly. Molly will be all right. You'll like the Railway Arms, they've got a Saloon bar there. "

"What do you mean? Can't I stay here with you, help you? You shouldn't be doing this on your own Gene."

"It's the way of the world, Bolls. If you keep staying around, I'll start to wonder if I'm always right. Can't have that, now can we?"

Along with the despair and grief, Alex started to feel anger as well. She stared at the man who had been her friend as savior these past three years, her heart breaking.

"All of my struggles, all of my efforts... and now you're trying to tell me that it was all for nothing? That I should just go into the pub like a good little girl? No, Gene! I won't believe that. Maybe I can't go back to Molly, but that doesn't mean it's time for me to just move on."

Taking a deep breath, Alex revealed the truth that she had been hiding from Gene since she first returned to the place. The shock of discovering the truth of the ghost copper's identity, as well as the true nature of this world, had been so great that she had almost forgotten that news report. Keats' insistance of hanging around and trashing CID hadn't exactly helped matters either. If she couldn't convince Gene to let her help him, then maybe she could convince him to go into the pub.

"Your grave... it wasn't just dug up here, but in my world, the real world as well. Your body will be identified. You have no idea just how much forensic science has advanced. You will have the dignified burial that you were denied. Don't you understand? You've had the full career that you should have had. You have helped so many. You've earned the right to enter the pub."

Gene looked unconvinced. Alex knew why. That cowboy hero in him had already mentally prepared for the Western ending where the lone drifter remains alone at the end of the picture. There was also the understandable fear of the unknown. But still...

"Times are changing here. You've seen it yourself. The cowboy method isn't as accepted as it once was. There will be more rules, regulations, red tape. I know you, Gene. You were not made to be restricted like that. You would find it suffocating."

Alex started to cry again, harder this time. Gene reached out for her again. Alex jumped back. She was starting to feel desperate. It couldn't have been for nothing, it couldn't have been. There had to have been a reason for learning the truth about Gene and this world. Why uncover the truth if Gene was just going to revert back to the staus quo? It made no sense. She had to get through to him somehow, there had to be a way.

"Please, just go through that door! I didn't go through three years of fighting just to have you jump back on that bloody treadmill! If you stay here, you'll forget again; and I can't... I can't-you shouldn't have to go through the pain of remembering all over again. Reopening the wounds. Keats will force you to remember again, you know he will. The next soul that comes along..."

Alex swallowed hard. A theory had formed in her mind, ever since she first learned the truth about Keats. The more she thought about it, the more certain she became that she was right.

"He had tried to bring you down before using Sam; taking on the form of Frank Morgan. Right after Sam jumped I checked his hospital records. At the time I had thought that Sam had borrowed the name and face of his surgeon to be his boss from Hyde in what I thought was a dream. But now, after seeing how Keats operates, it was he who had borrowed the image of Doctor Frank Morgan."

Speaking of the devil, at that moment Keats staggared to his feet. Without even turning around, Gene punched him in the face again, sending him sprawling on the pavement.

"Sorry about that, Bolls."

Alex choked back a laugh. She wasn't sure if she was getting through to Gene or not. He did appear to be thinking over what she was saying, at least. But whether or not he agreed... that remained uncertain.

Alex stared down at the scarf in her hands. It looked like Molly's, smelled like hers too. The idea of Keats being anywhere near her daughter made Alex's stomach churn.

"Molly's scarf... I-If he can make th-this appear, then how hard is it to make himself look like whomever he chooses? He knows what the future holds, what's beyond this place. That's how he was able to do it! And he'll never stop, Gene. Never."

"I know Bolly, that's why I have to stay. I can handle him."

Dammit! That wasn't what she had intended at all. And just when she thought he had gotten through to him too. She had to keep trying though. She wasn't going to give up that easily, not without a fight.

"But in the pub... he can't touch you there. You're not being a coward by going in. Sometimes it takes more courage to walk away. Don't let him have power over you anymore!"

Stop being so goddamn macho! She wanted to scream. But she knew that it wasn't just himself he was thinking of, it was the others. There would always be lost souls, as long as there were coppers. And Keats would always be there too, in one form or another. Those souls should not be left vulnerable to his infuence. Someone had to stay to look after them.

But why did that someone have to be Gene?

Alex took a deep breath. There seemed to be only one answer left. The only way to ensure the safety of those future souls, and that Gene would have peace. And she realised it was what she really wanted.

"If you're worried about future souls, don't be. There's still someone to look after them. Me. That is why I was brought here. Why I was haunted by your former self. I was being groomed to take your place so you could be at peace."

"Are you out of your mind Bolly?" Gene looked floored. Clearly it had never crossed his mind that Alex would ever think about making such an offer. "I know you mean well, Bolly-kects, but you can't stay here."

"The only way I'm going through those doors Gene, is if you carry me. One way or another, you're going into that pub."

"What about your daughter? You'll start to forget again too if you stay."

Alex's eyes stung with tears. He was right, she would forget again. Her baby girl. But at the same time...

"Oh, Gene. Molly's too young to drink yet, and it'll be years before I see her again... I-if I can't be with her, then at least here I can actually be of some use."

What was that quote from Star Trek? 'The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few or the one.'

"W-when the time is right Gene, I will remember. Same as you have. And I will join the rest of you in the pub when the next copper comes to take my place. You may have created this world Gene, but it can exist independently from you now."

"I don't know Bolly..."

Alex reached out and put her hands on Gene's shoulders.

"I learned that when Keats tried to destroy CID. I was the one who made the celing reappear. Me."

Gene shook his head. "I can't let you do this, Bolly."

Alex pulled him closer. "Don't you trust me to take care of your city, your world?"

"You're turning down the chance to go into Heaven Bolly. You know, paradise?"

"So are you, and that doesn't answer my question."

Gene grew thoughtful. Finally he said, "Yes. I trust you."

Alex withdrew. "All right then. Get going, mush!"

"Oi! Not so fast there."

"Now you know how I felt."

"Sorry Bols."

"You should be."

Gene rubbed his eyes. He looked so tired, and still so uncertain. Just what was it going to take? Must he be so stubborn? Alex was starting to run out of ideas.

"Bolly... Are you really sure that this is what you want?"

"Like you said, M-Molly will be fine. I was, wasn't I?"

"Yes, you are."

"Molly has Evan, and Peter. And your baby... your world, will have me. And future coppers. None of us will let this world die."

Alex wondered about Gene's supieriors. Were they real coppers like she and Gene? Constructs to help flesh out this world and whom symbolized Gene's struggle to continue to belong? Maybe a bit of both? Whoever or whatever they were, they clearly viewed Gene as a relic. The old fashioned method that no longer worked.

That was why Keats had taken on the forms of Frank Morgan, and the D and C officer Jim Keats. God only knew what his real name was.) That was how he nearly suceeded in luring Sam and her away from Gene. Gene's cowboy approach, not to mention distinctly non-politically correct language and attitude to those who did not know him. Ray and Chris had no difficulties because the attitudes of their time periods were still quite similar.

But if this world continued to move forward in time due to the collective memories of the new coppers, it would be harder and harder for Gene to win coppers over to his side; and all to easy for the likes of Keats to win them over to his.

Should she tell him this? He seemed so uncertain still. Wanting to go, but wanting to stay. Not wanting to appear weak. Not wanting to leave her all alone. Alex suspected that Sam was probably the only other one who had picked up on what went on behind that macho mask. It wasn't just her psychology training, though that certainly helped, it was due to how close they had become.

She had meant it when she said the only way she would enter the pub was if Gene carried her. And he knew she meant it too. She also had a sneaking suspision that Nelson was the only one who could enter and exit the Railway Arms whenever he wished. Otherwise, wouldn't Sam have come out to welcome his friends home?

Gene wouldn't carry her in though. That would mean leaving the world he created completely unprotected. So the choice that he was weighing, was either going in alone or staying out here with her. He had been here for so long, his stubborn will having created a new life for him. The idea of moving on clearly scared him.

"Gene... whatever it is you're going to say to convince me to go into that pub, tell it to yourself. Because you're the one that needs to hear it the most, okay?"

Gene nodded, then looked up at the sky. Alex followed his gaze. The sky was brightening, it was almost sunrise.

The sound of Keats groaning and cursing drew the coppers' attention.

"Dammit, what part of 'get the hell out of here' don't you get?" Gene demanded, kicking Keats as the latter pulled himself up on his knees. Keats' response was to laugh as he crawled backward. The sound made Alex's stomach churn. If you can feel, you're alive... not the defintion of 'alive' that she was used to, but still 'alive.'

"You two are pathetic! Go ahead, Hunt. Runaway like the scared little boy you really are. You should have gone with me, Drake. Hunt goes through those doors, it's all over. You'll never be able to escape, because there is no grave for you here. Hunt was right, you will forget Molly. And no-one will be around to help you remember her. At least with me your memories would be safe..."

Alex tightened her grip on Molly's scarf. Why on Earth had she almost trusted this man-no, not a man. A monster. His true colours showed now, same as they had back at CID. Why did she allow herself to consider betraying Gene? Looking at what Keats was now, she could not believe it.

"Shut. Up." Alex hissed.

Keats pulled himself up with the aide of a lampost, looking very unsteady on his feet. If one didn't know any better, they might suspect he was drunk. But his eyes... they were filled with madness and hate. He had failed in his goal, this time at least. And he very clearly hated to lose.

"All alone," Keats sing-songed. "If you stay here, that's what you'll be. You'll never see your precious little girl again, Alex."

"I said, SHUT UP!" Alex lunged forward, shoving Keats. The next thing she knew, the scarf was around his neck. Not Molly's scarf. His. The weapon he tried to use to lure Alex to hell was now being used by Alex herself, to send him back to where he belonged.

She pulled tighter, as his speech became a hoarse gurgle. Keats' face went from pale, to red, to purple, and still Alex squeezed. Why Gene didn't rush in and stop her, she did not know. In the heat of the moment, it was as if Gene had vanished. There was only her, and Keats.

Finally, hands grabbed her wrists, trying to make her let go.

"Bolly, that's enough!"

"No, he has to die. What he did... he doesn't deserve to live!"

If Viv could go through the agony of dying again, so too could Keats. Alex was going to make sure of that.

"Come on, Bols! That's murder. You really won't get into the pub if you do that."

"So?"

"So," Gene said softly, in a very un-Gene like way, "You'll never see Molly again. Think about that."

Alex released the scarf, and Keats fell to the pavement, still making hoarse groans.

"That's it, Bolly. I'm still here. You did right, believe it or not. Don't let that slimey bastard drag you down with him."

Alex cried hard into Gene's shoulder. She cried over the loss of her daughter, the fact that Gene had died so young and was still not yet ready to crossover. She also cried for all the souls yet to enter this world. Someone would always have to remain behind. Someone would always have to forget, in order to make sure the devil did not easily win.

When she finally lifted her head, Keats was no longer there.

"Crawled back under his rock, I guess," Gene said, not bothering to hide his disgust.

"Guess so," Alex mumbled. Thanks to her loss of temper, Gene might never go into the pub now. So much for convincing him she was up for the job. She still wasn't going into the pub under her own power though. The two of them would stay outisde together if they had to.

"How... how did you know to stop me?" Alex finally asked. If anyone hated Jim Keats more than she did,(a rather difficult task, to be sure) it was Gene.

"His eyes..." Gene said softly. "He didn't look scared at all. He looked smug, like this was all some sort of joke."

"To him it probably is."

"Good thing he lost then, eh?"

"This time..." Alex gently pulled free from Gene's arms and sat down on the kerb. Gene joined her a few seconds later.

"Still not going in the pub," she muttered as Gene pulled out a cigarette.

"Not going to force you, Bols."

Gene sounded so tired and weary. Alex had to admit she felt exhausted as well. The afterlife wasn't quite what they had claimed it would be in Sunday school. It really didn't feel at all different from being alive. Would that change if they entered the pub? Would they suddenly be strong and healthy, able to drink as much as they wished without ever getting a hangover? What decade was it there? Was it a timeless place? If Gene went through those doors, would he be given the keys to another fast car to drive? It would certainly meet his standards of paradise, and frankly Alex really couldn't picture him without one.

The sun was starting to rise in the distance. She supposed at some point one or both of them would have to return to CID. She wasn't sure just how much of this place was real, but she suspected that the higher ups, however real they might be, might want things to get back to order. Lost souls still needed guidence, after all.

For now, though, she was content to stare at the brightening sky.

"I wish you would go into the pub, Gene. But I won't try to force you either. I think we both know it would end in a stalemate."

Gene nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask.

"Don't want to drink in there, might as well out here; might warm you up a bit."

Come to think of it, it was cold out here, Alex realised as she took a sip from the flask.

Gene continued to puff thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "You really sure that this life is what you want Bols?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Sorry for callin' you a liar, Bols."

It took a few moments for Alex to remember what he was talking about.

"Apology accepted. I don't fault you for forgetting, but I do for your doubting me."

"I just said I was sorry! What more do you want from me?"

"Nothing! Except maybe going into the pub. But if you're really not ready yet..."

"This is my kingdom, I can't hand over the keys to just anyone."

"Am I 'just anyone'?"

"No, you're not," Gene answered quietly.

"Is it because I'm a woman?"

"Not sure," Gene said truthfully. "You're right, though, things are changing around here and I'm not so sure it's for the better. The old ways don't work as good as they used to."

"You do deserve Heaven, Gene. Don't you think so?"

Gene didn't answer, and Alex didn't press him further.

Despite the contiuing rising of the sun, the lights within the Railway Arms remained unaturally bright. Alex stared at it for the longest time, trying to see if any shadows would appear in the windows. None did.

"You ready to head back to CID?" Gene asked.

"Might as well," Alex said sadly. It was going to be lonely without the old team there. Getting used to the new recruits was going to take time. She was going to miss Chris, Ray, and Shaz so much... Alex knew she wouldn't forget them, at least. After all, Gene had still remembered Sam and Annie. What would be forgotten was the why and the how they left. What she learned from them, she would never, ever forget.

"Gene, can we hail a cab, please? I still feel a bit numb from the cold."

"It's not that far a walk, Bolly. The exercise will warm you up." Noticing that Alex was now glaring at him, Gene relented. "All right, fine."

As they turned the corner, the once deserted streets now flowed with traffic. Alex hailed a cab, and settled in the backseat with a sigh of relief.

"Much better."

They rode the rest of the way back in silence.

Once back in CID, they saw that the lights were out and the place was deserted. Alex ran her hand across the desk, Gene's numbers still carved into the wood.

"Almost got him in," she whispered, wondering if the ghost copper was a seperate entity from the man she had come to know, and if so, could he hear her? "He's just not ready yet, I'm afraid."

Alex joined Gene in his office to see that he was looking over a brocure for a Mercedes 190 D.

"Huh, not really the sort of car I'd expect you to drive," she noted.

Gene opened his mouth to reply when Alex felt a sudden presence behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a little girl in a school uniform, her hair covering her eyes.

"Good bye, Mummy. I love you."

"Molly... I love you, too. Please know I tried my hardest. We'll be together again someday, you'll see."

"Bolly? You all right?"

Molly vanished, and Alex turned back to Gene.

"Y-yes, I'm fine."

Gene didn't look convinced. Alex smiled at him. "Really, Gene. It's just been a long day is all."

Gene removed two crystal glasses and a bottle of scotch from his desk drawer. He poured them each a serving, then raised his glass in a toast.

"You and me Bols. Sapphire and Steel, un-bloody-breakable."

"I'll drink to that."

They had no sooner downed their drinks when they heard a comotion outside. Alex looked through the door and saw that CID was filled with coppers once more, and they were all gathered around one particularly agitated indivdual.

"What have you done to my office? And which one of you jokers took my I-phone?"

"Oh, dear," Alex said. "Here we go again."

"'Scuse me Bols."

"Don't be too hard on him Gene, he's had a bit of shock."

Gene smiled, "Good thing you're still around after all, I guess. For his sake anyway."

Gene opened the door and called out to the still sputtering I-phone owner.

"A word in your shell-like pal."

The end.