No Place Like Home

"BOLLY, BOL'S"

Gene's increasingly desperate cries followed her as she kept running…"No, no I'm home, I am home" Alex kept repeating to herself, like Dorothy another fugitive in a strange land telling herself "There's no place like home" She had to get away from his voice, get back to Molly…where was Molly? She said she would wait outside…

"MOLLY, MOL'S"

Alex stopped in her tracks and headed back towards her room, frantically looking and calling, but there was no reply. Molly was gone and there were no Doctors or nurses, the whole place was strangely quiet and empty. A sudden sharp pain in Alex's side left her gasping for breath and clutching at the doorframe for support, she looked down in horror as a bloodstain began to spread from the source of the pain turning her white hospital gown red. Alex staggered into the room and back to her bed, the T.V was now silent and the screen black, she slumped down her mind a jumble of all that had just happened and all that had unfolded a world away. The dripping of the tap on the small hand wash basin opposite the bed snapped Alex's mind back to her present predicament, looking over at the hand basin she noticed her reflection in the mirror above it. Instinctively her hand went up to the bandage covering her head and she slowly and carefully pulled it back to reveal what she had been half expecting and half dreading…there was no bullet wound there.

"But I'm home" Alex said in a shaky voice that held no conviction, she picked up Molly's card again and pressed it to her breast as the T.V screen began to flicker to life once more…

Gene was still there but he wasn't shouting anymore, he was looking off to the side listening, maybe the nurses were returning, his eyes were wide and wild and he had an air of mania about him, then he focused his attention back to her and began in a quiet strained voice "Alex I've got to go now, but I just wanted to say…" he paused drawing breath and bowing his head, "Sorry…I don't just mean for putting you in here, but for everything, I still haven't got a bloody clue what the hell all that stuff was about that you said before, but I never thought it would come to this" he stopped and rubbed at his face as if desperately trying to hold back the tide of emotion that threatened to break through and shatter what was left of his resolve.

Alex couldn't help but be moved by the scene in front of her, despite all that had been said and done, she reached out to Gene on the T.V screen trying somehow to comfort him and let him know he wasn't alone. In that moment Alex felt the room begin to spin and a crescendo of voices and beeps made her cover her ears as the pain in her side began to throb again, her eyes started to close as she felt herself falling back and everything faded to black.

Gene was preparing to leave Alex's hospital bedside but a thought that had been dancing around his mind wouldn't go away, and so mainly because he feared he would never get the chance again, he decided to act on it and bent down to lightly brush Alex's lips with his own. He closed his eyes savouring the feel of her soft skin against his rough cheek then as he slowly pulled away his eyes opening, he snapped back in shock as he found himself looking into a pair of confused and sad hazel eyes…

They were both unable to form any words, Alex knew she never really made it home and that was killing her more than any bullet would ever do and Gene was lost in confusion, relieved that she was awake but without any clue as to how they could ever put the broken pieces back together again.

Both were saved from the awkward uneasy silence by the sound of raised voices and commotion in the corridor outside. The nurses were calling for the Doctor as a gruff voice cut in…

"DCI Bennett and this is DI Lucas we're here to find DCI Hunt we have reason to believe he might try and get to DI Drake here in the hospital"

The Doctor entered the room first gasping in shock firstly at the sight of Gene standing by the bedside then at Alex herself who still had tears streaming down her face.

"DI Drake!...glad to see you're back with us" he barely got the words out before DCI Bennett, a burly man in his forties and DI Lucas a tall scrawny man in his early thirties, barged in past him and catching sight of Gene rounded on him.

"DCI Hunt!…DI Drake now you are awake perhaps you can tell us how you ended up being shot by your DCI, especially as I understand it, you were suspended from duty at the time "

Alex struggled to find her voice "Yes it's true DCI Hunt had suspended me from duty the evening before" she managed in a quiet tone.

DCI Bennett who looked like he had a lower tolerance threshold than even the mighty Gene Hunt himself, started in a sharper tone at Alex "We have it on good authority that you and DCI Hunt argued and that he made a threat on your life the evening before he shot you"

"Well yes we argued but if you are implying that DCI Hunt meant to shoot me then that isn't what happened" Alex looked over at Gene but his head was bowed he didn't look up to meet her gaze.

"I was being held at gunpoint by Jenette Rivens, the sister of Tiny Tim who we had arrested earlier in connection with our enquiries into Operation Rose, DCI Hunt was just trying to protect me but I thought I could get free, during the struggle Jenette fired her weapon and DCI Hunt returned fire…turns out he isn't as good a shot as he likes to think" Alex tried to force a weak smile, but Gene still couldn't look in her direction.

DCI Bennett seemed satisfied by her explanation and as it wasn't his main concern in seeking out DCI Hunt anyway, he turned the conversation to that aim.

"Well that's the end of that then! Now regarding Operation Rose we will be needing all the evidence that you've gathered so far, we've already arranged for Carnegie and the rest of 'em to be transferred"

Gene stirred to life "Hang on a bloody minute…"

But he was cut off by Bennett "The Commissioner has appointed us to clear up this mess, he wants the matter dealt with swiftly the Met can't afford to be dragged through the mud in another scandal, the public's confidence in us is already hanging by a thread"

Gene was growing redder and angrier "My team put their ruddy lives on the line to get those collars, and for what another bloody cover-up, more lies and papering over the cracks"

Bennett was as robust in his response "I appreciate what you and your team have done, and the Commissioner won't forget your contributions but this is the way it's going to be, the guilty will be dealt with and the corruption will be rooted out once and for all"

Gene wasn't satisfied "Carnegie and the rest of the rotten bunch will get pensioned off will they? If they promise to keep schtum for the rest of their days about what a load of bent bastards they really are!"

Bennett was eager to get on with his job "DCI Hunt I know how this must seem to you, after Super-Intendent Mackintosh and everything else, but sometimes we have to do things for the greater good…see the bigger picture. Now if we could get back to the station and get all the paperwork sorted. DI Drake may I wish you a speedy recovery" he said with a cursory nod in Alex's direction"

Alex had remained quiet mainly because she was still reeling from all that had happened, and now to hear DCI Bennett's declarations it appeared that her involvement in Operation Rose was at an end, Martin Summers was dead but the nightmare she thought was far from over.

DCI Bennett and DI Lucas who had remained silent with a grim expression throughout, swept out of the room informing Gene that they would meet him at the station. Gene stood looking battered and defeated he risked a sideways glance at Alex who he thought looked so fragile she might shatter into a thousand pieces before his very eyes, he wanted to reach out to her but if he had felt adrift before he felt positively lost at sea now. Alex was the first to break the silence…

"I know you can't believe it now, but things will get better, the Met will be cleaned up we have to look forward"

"What to the FUTURE" Gene said bitterly emphasizing the last word, recalling Alex's proffered explanation about who she really was.

"Gene" she could feel the tears filling her eyes again.

Seeing the tears in her eyes Gene couldn't help but be affected as the guilt jabbed at him again, she wouldn't be in here if it wasn't for him, if he hadn't let Jenette get between them.

"Sorry Bols…I'd better get back to the station, don't want Bennett and his mob ransacking the place"

Seeing a tear zig-zagging it's way down Alex's face Gene reached out instinctively to brush it away, Alex covered Gene's hand with her own and held it to her face.

"Will you come back later…please" she asked desperately needing him to be close to her despite the awkwardness and the uncertainty.

Gene slowly nodded "Might have company though, Ray, Chris and Shaz will want to see ya…you should have seen Ray fretting for the ambulance to hurry up after….well…"

Alex's mind drifted back to Gene's kiss, she felt sure it was the connection between them that had pulled her back to him, she wanted to feel it again.

"Gene" she began hesitantly feeling her confidence slip away…"could I…I mean would you…please kiss me again before you go" she felt her face burning red but she really felt that it would help them both to feel that connection that had become so important to them.

Gene was shaken by Alex's request, not that he didn't want to kiss her again but he was shocked that she wanted him too, he took in her pleading eyes and the flush on her cheeks and knew he would do anything she asked of him. He slowly bent down and leaned forward to gently brush Alex's lips with his own, lingering on the feeling of her soft lips against his as a sensation of warmth and love flowed through him, Alex felt it too it did her more good than any medicine could ever do and as Gene gently pulled back and their eyes met, they both felt that the healing had begun.