He lay flat on his back, raindrops bouncing off the weathered northern skin. He was unable to get up from the cold concrete ground of the London backstreet, though not for lack of trying; he had writhed on the floor, limbs flailing in all directions, looking like a bizarre ladybird. Hunt was utterly humiliated and in a considerable amount of pain. Not the best of combinations.

The bins to his right began to smell, doing nothing to help his situation. He swore loudly, thumping the ground in sheer annoyance. The feeling of utter powerlessness was infuriating. What if he wasn't found? What if he was found? It was difficult to work out which was preferable: being left here to rot or having the entire team see him like this, watch the respect he had taken years to obtain being demolished in a heartbeat. Gene Hunt wasn't weak.

"Guv?" a voice carried on the wind.

"Oh shit." he muttered, as his skimpily dressed colleague appeared in the mouth of the ally.

"Gene?" High-heeled footsteps got ever louder as Alex hurried towards him.

" 'ello." He murmured, glumly

"What happened."

"Oh nothing. Just fancied a sunbathe." She raised a shaped eyebrow. "Look, Bolls," He lowered his voice now, just a hint of desperation in his words which Alex couldn't fail to notice. He had never spoken to her like this before. He lifted his head off the ground to look her full in the face, staring at her imploringly and continued, "Are there others looking for me?" She nodded. "I don't want them to see me like this. It's-" He broke off, unable to continue, letting his head fall back onto the concrete.

He hadn't expected her to understand. How could she understand? It wasn't the same for her. He couldn't be seen as helpless. His whole world hinged upon his being untouchable, indestructible. He had to be the strong one, he had to be there. If he had cracks, it would translate tenfold upon the team as a whole.

"Please Bolly," he said, looking up at the grey sky, still as immovable as ever, sprawled on the ground.

Her heels clicked away, and a moment later Alex's voice carried distantly from what sounded like several yards away,

"Look, there's no point. He'll just be on the piss somewhere, you know him. Go and get a drink, he'll be in tomorrow. I'll look for another half an hour or so, but he won't be there. No need to worry."

As the muttering subsided and cars pulled away, Gene once again heard Alex's familiar approach. She knelt beside him, allowing him to look into the increasingly familiar hazel eyes, currently full of concern. He grinned sheepishly.

"What happened."

"I was having a fag, see, and these blokes were pissing about with needles over there," He indicated an area behind to the bins. Alex glanced over, and indeed, there lay a used hypodermic needle poking out almost inconspicuously. "There was a scuffle and…erm…well, I…erm." Colour rushed to his cheeks. Alex averted her eyes. "I…well I did me back in." He said, the words tumbling out of his mouth.

It was difficult to admit. Here he was, vulnerable, sprawled in an alley like a junkie. To admit it was almost to admit defeat, or at least the start of defeat. He was old, past it. Soon he'd become a liability, a bloody invalid. He would never be as he once was. With a crash, the wave of his own mortality broke upon him. He was middle aged, overweight and now he was crippled, and what did he have to show for it? A faster car might help.

While the mid-life crisis reared its ugly head, Alex continued to stare at her DCI, dumbstruck. It was strange to see him like this, utterly hopeless and, (dare she say it?) a little bit scared. She steeled herself as she struggled to find the right words.

"It's…" She hesitated, "It's not really anything to be ashamed of," He gave a low noncommittal grunt. "No, really, it isn't. I mean…I did my back in once. When I was pregnant with Molly, a few days before I went into Labour. I was just the same-" She was cut off as Gene interrupted abruptly.

"But it's not the bloody same. For one thing, you'll have had a belly the size of kingdom come and secondly, I don't have the imminent prospect of pushing something the size of a watermelon out of my arse." He turned away again, sulking.

"Come on. Let's get you up."

After much awkward manoeuvring, swearing and grunts of pain, on Gene's part, They managed to negotiate him into a standing position if sorts, leaning heavily upon Alex.

"Where's your car?"

"Yer not driving my car!"

"Well who is going to drive your bloody car?"

He answered her with a grimace, but did not complain as she reached for his keys out of his trouser pocket as they made their ungainly way towards the Quattro, parked just around the corner. She lowered him into the passenger seat awkwardly as he winced in pain.

"Shit Bolls!"

"Sorry."

The drive to Alex's flat was short and uneventful, Gene sat over-rigidly in the passenger seat, and stifled moans of pain every time they rounded a corner.

"You should go to the doctor's you know Guv."

"I've only done me back in. I'm not a poof."

Alex unlocked the door as Gene attempted to hobble unaided behind her, but as a particularly nasty stab of pain shot through him, he fell against a wall and began to slide down pathetically, only to be caught by Alex and hauled into the flat.

"I'd offer you the bed, but I don't think it'll do you much good." She lowered him, instead, onto the carpeted floor. "I'm just nipping out. I'll be about quarter of an hour."

"What am I supposed to do till then? I've got a lovely view up your skirt at the moment." Alex stepped away hastily, crossing to the shelf and retrieving a copy of 'Jane Eyre,' dropping in the floor next to Gene.

"Read that."

"You got Jugs?" She shook her head, stifling laughter.

"See you in a bit."

Gene hastily put down the book as the handle turned and Alex re-entered the room.

"All right?"

"Well it could be better Bolls, Jane's just been locked in the room where her uncle died for a fight she didn't start."

"I've got curry."

"Have I ever told you that I love you?"

She smiled as she set the takeaway down on the table, opening the foil wrappings to pass her DCI a Bhaji.

"Thanks love."

Alex sat crossed legged beside him, talking and laughing whilst they ate.

"Erm, Guv, you've got Vindaloo on your face."

"Where?"

"Here." Alex pulled a tissue from a box to her right and proceeded to wipe the food from his face, grinning.

"Christ. I have lost it now. Next I'll be calling you Alma and I'll need help to have a shite."

"Don't be stupid."

"No, I think it's best if I just accept it. Soon you'll be helping me in the shower and wearing a nurses uniform."

"You're not old, Gene."

"I just hope I don't start pissing myself."

"Look. Gene, Guv, you've just done your back in, it's not as if this is the end."

"I'm not what I was Bolls, I'm old."

"No, you're not what you were Gene, you're better."

She leant in towards him, suddenly becoming aware of his blue-grey eyes scrutinizing her, his breathing quickened, reminding her, inexplicably of a rabbit caught in a trap, struggling, but becoming frozen with fear as the hunter approached. She hesitated for a moment, before kissing his cheek delicately, lingering there for the briefest of moments, before straightening up to look him full in the face. His expression was unreadable as she looked on, worried she had made a wrong move.

"I don't tend to kiss old men, Guv."

He studied her for a second before giving his measured reply.

"Oh I don't know. If I were a bird I might go for Bruce Forsyth."