Alex looked down at the man sleeping next to her as she pulled her knees tight into her chest. A huge smile crept onto her face when she wondered how she had gotten there, how she had fallen in love with Gene Hunt, she didn't know how she got there, but all she knew was she was happy. For the first time in a long time she was genuinley happy. She leaned over and brushed away a whispy bit of hair out of Gene's face and watched him sleep. Her mind wandered to the events of last night: they had been fighting the sexual tension between them since day one, but in the recent months it was becoming harder and harder to fight. She had been pushing him away, or at least trying to in hopes it would make things easier between them, him doing the same. It was only when they had the argument of all arguments that the tension and desire overwhelmed them.
"EXCUSE MOI. I WAS TRYING TO SAVE YOUR RUDDY BLOODY LIFE" Gene slammed his hand down on his desk.
"I CAN TAKE CARE OF MY BLOODY SELF!" Alex shouted, pointing a finger into Gene's chest. "I DON'T NEED YOU"
"I'LL REMEMBER THAT NEXT TIME SOME PSYCHO NUTTA' IS TRYING TO KILL YER!"
"YOU THINK YOU'RE SO HIGH AND BLOODY MIGHTY DON'T YOU?"
"THAT COMING FROM YOU?! GO SPIN YER LARDY DA POSH BOLLOCKS SOMEWHERE ELSE! I'VE GOT SCUM TO CATCH!" Gene spat.
"Do you know what?...I'm done" Alex threw her badge onto his desk before walking out of his office, slamming his door so hard behind her the picture of 'The Manc Lion' came flying off.
"DRAKE! WHERE ARE YOU GOIN'?!" Gene shouted after her.
Alex stormed out of the station, ignoring Gene, Shaz and Chris calling after her. She was done. She was done with Gene and she was done with 1983. She had been trying to get home for the past two years and no matter how hard she tried, she was stuck here. Maybe quitting was how she was going to get home.
She looked down at her watch as she walked into Luigi's. 2pm. It's got to be evening somewhere in the world! she thought to herself as she ordered a bottle of wine. Downing glass after glass of wine, she worked her way through at least three bottles before Luigi refused to serve her anymore. It was 6:43pm when a very drunk Alex Drake finally stumbled into her flat, still pissed at Gene and now pissed at Luigi too. Who did Gene Hunt think he was? She could look after herself, she was a DI for christ sake. She certainly did not need some sexist, overweight pig ruining her operation just because he thought she couldn't handle herself going undercover as a prostitute to bring down one of London's biggest gangsters. Before she knew it, she was passed out on her couch her face squashed between a pillow and the arm of the sofa.
Loud, frantic banging on her front door pulled her out of her sleep, her hangover already starting to kick in.
"Alright, alright, i'm coming" Alex moaned as she walked to the door.
"What do you think you're doing?" Gene spat, inviting himself into her flat.
"What?" Alex hadn't quite put together what he meant due to the fact she had just woken up from passing out on her couch due to drinking Luigi's bar dry.
"Quitting on me. Embarrasing me like that. Nobody quits on me unless I make 'em! Here, yer gonna need this" Gene threw her badge back at her.
"What are you doing here, Gene?" Alex asked, her voice raised.
"What dya mean 'what am I doing 'ere?!'. I'm 'ere t' stop you making yet another stupid mistake-"
"-Oh here we bloody go again!" Alex spat, raising her arms in the air. "All you have done is undermind me lately. I am not a child. I do not need you telling me what to do and making all my decisions for me!"
"The only decisions you've made lately are one's that'll get yer killed. I've already lost one DI, I ain't loosing another one, even one as annoyin' as you!"
"I've been undercover before. Been in far more dangerous situations. So why now? Why do you care?!" Alex looked him square in the eye.
"Because I love yer, Bolls!" Gene blurted. "For the life of me I don't know why, but I do. I can't get yer off my mind. All i bloody do is think of yer, think of bein' with yer. It's like yer in me veins! Yer a good cop, I know that but I ain't gonna let you waltz in to some dangerous situation. I can't loose yer, Alex. I can't!" Gene wanted to slap himself for blurting all that out. He was the Gene Genie, the Manc Lion, not some soppy bollocked, nancy fairy. He didn't go around declaring his love for people. Especially ones who didn't love him bck. There was no way she could love him. She was smart, beautiful, miles out of his league. He was just some bitter, sexist pig from Manchester.
Hearing them words made something in Alex's chest swell and butterflies emerge in her stomach. She knew he liked her, that there was sexual tension but never in a million years did she think he loved her. Hearing them words come out of his mouth made her realise that she too loved him, a lot. This was more than some unresolved sexual tension. A hell of a lot more. Alex could see Gene internally beating himself up for blurting what he just said.
"l love you too" she whispered as she stepped closer to him, taking his face in her hands and plunging her lips to his.
The kiss was heated and passionate at first, his hands working their way from her hips, up her back and into her silky brown locks, hers still holding onto his face as if she were holding onto something for her life. Slowly the kiss turned more sweet, more loving, once they had got through some of the sexual tension. Alex broke off the kiss and looked up into Gene's eyes.
"I'm sorry" she whispered.
"I'm sorry too, Bolls" Gene placed a soft, sweet kiss on her forehead.
Alex snaked her hand down from Gene's face and wrapped it around his tie and pulling him towards the bedroom.
Gene had the biggest smile on his face. She had never seen him like that. Vunerable. Right now, the Gene she was more used to seeing was there and snoring like a drunken sailor. She reached down for Gene's shirt that was somewhere on the floor and threw it on while she was in the kitchen making tea. She had no food in but smiled at the sight of Garibaldi's and a few other objects in her cupboard. She headed back into the bedroom, tea and Garibaldi's in hand, to find Gene sitting up in bed.
"What?" Alex laughed nervously, not able to read his expression.
"You. Wearing nothin' but my shirt and holdin' a packa Garibaldi's, gives me the 'orn!" Gene smiled.
Alex bit her lip and smiled as she sat back down in her bed, handing Gene one of the mugs.
"So...about last night...did you er...did you mean what you said?" Alex asked nervously, not knowing how Gene would react.
"Every word of it, Bolls. I'm not used t' bein' a soppy fairy but it's been three years and it just slipped out"
"I'm glad it did, though"
"Me too"
"Gene?"
"Yes Alex"
"Is there an 'us'?" Alex asked, yet again nervous and unsure how he would respond.
"That's up to you Lady Bolls"
"Do you want there to be?"
"More than anything...And if you repeat that to anyone i'm going to put itching powder in yer knickers"
"So, if there's an us, you're all in?"
"Well, I ain't gon go shouting it all round CID but yeah"
"Okay then"
"Okay then what?"
Alex leaned over and kissed Gene to make make herself clear. They were together. As dysfunctional as it seemed, they were together. Gene pulled her closer to him, before flipping her on her back and ripping his shirt off her and once again exploring her naked body. Oh Gene Genie, you lucky son of a bitch! Gene thought to himself a Alex let out giggles.