This is my first songfic, and was inspired when listening to Adele's Someone Like you. I am a massive GALEX fan so don't usually write sad stories but I could resist. For anyone reading Unbreakable the new update should be up soon. I haven't given up on it.

Disclaimer- I don't own anything. Ashes to Ashes and the characters belong to Kudos and the BBC. Song lyrics belong to Adele.

A bit of Background. This is set after series 2 and Alex has made it back to 2010. Molly was sent to live with her father whilst Alex was in a coma and is still there so Alex is alone.

Alex stood outside Fenchurch East Police station. It had been many years since she had been here. 27 in fact. Or had it been months. Just the two months since she had awoken from her coma. When she had awoken she had tried so hard to forget all of them but one person stuck in her head. Gene Hunt. She wished so badly she had told him how she felt. But now it was too late or so she thought. Once she was well enough to leave hospital she had researched Gene and found he was real. He had existed and still worked in the police at Fenchurch and that is why she was here. She stood at the steps still doubting whether she should go in. Would he remember her? Had she ever really met him or was it all a dream? She was broken from her thoughts by a noise and she looked towards the door and noticed a group of people heading towards her. Alex ran and hid down by the steps out of sight but still watching the people leaving the police station. She could hear them shouting and laughing and when she looked she could see it was everyone, Ray, Chris and Shaz. She could see Chris with his arm around Shaz as happy as ever with Ray walking along side laughing at something Chris had said.

She looked but couldn't see Gene just some others she remembered from CID. She heard a door slam and looked away from the street where everyone was heading to what looked like Luigis' but back to the door. There she saw the most painful sight she had ever seen. Gene Hunt with his arm around another woman. He looked the happiest she had ever seen him, much happier than he ever was with her.

It was nothing she told herself, just a friend but deep down she knew it was more, the look in his eye, the lack of his harsh tone in his voice as she shouted to his team to buy him and the Mrs a drink. Wait Mrs. Gene was married. No he couldn't be. He told her he would never marry again. Or had he, it was all a dream. Alex didn't know what was real or what was not anymore. She had to follow to find out more. She hung back and followed them all into Luigis', the smell of the steak and chips pizza took her back to 1982 with Gene shouting to Luigis about getting him a pint. The whole team together laughing, joking.

She watched as they took their seats in their usual places but her seat next to Gene was taken by this woman. Alex sat by the bar alone in a place she could watch over her team but not so she would be spotted. Luigis walked towards her.

"Signora what can I get you?"

"Ermm a bottle of house rub... red." She had to stop herself. She never called it house rubbish but after all the nights sat with Gene it had just become a habit of hers. Luigis returned immediately with a bottle and glass. She stole a glance to Gene which didn't go unnoticed by Luigis.

"Do you know Mr Hunt Signora?"

"Yes well I used to. A long time ago. The woman he is with is she his...?"

"His wife, yes. They are so happy. I haven't seen him this happy in years. Not since his DI. Well but that is another story for another time, I must go." With that Luigis turned to leave Alex alone.

"Thank you Luigis"

"Your very welcome..." he said turning back to face Alex, expecting her name.

"Alex. My name is Alex."

"Ahh Alex, that was her name too." And then he had left.

He was married. Gene was in fact married. It had been 27years since she had last seen him. She hadn't expected him to wait from her had she? Well maybe part of her was hoping he would be there and accepts her with open arms and they would live happily ever after but that only happens in fairy tales. And this was life not a fairy tale and in life you don't always get a happy ending, she learnt that many years ago. Alex noticed the radio was being played throughout the restaurant. She couldn't help but relate the song.

I heard that you're settled down.
That you found a girl and you're married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.

She looked back over at the group to find Gene looking at her. She caught his gaze then he looked away. He looked so shy and she couldn't catch his gaze again. He looked like a young boy so different from the Gene she remembered and loved. Not that she still didn't love him, just in a slightly different way. She wanted to protect him he looked so vulnerable.

Old friend, why are you so shy?
It ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light.

She wished so badly she hadn't come but she couldn't bring herself to leave. Just seeing him made her feel so much better but she wished he would remember her. Just a little, then he would talk to her and she could explain everything. She wanted to talk to him but she couldn't. He would have to be alone and the only way that would happen was if he came to the bar and she knew Gene Hunt and he would never go to the bar. But then again, did she know Gene Hunt? Was he the Gene Hunt she knew and loved back in the 80s? She knew she better leave but she wasn't giving up without a fight. She would just let him go to another woman.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,
but I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I hoped you'd see my face & that you'd be reminded,
that for me, it isn't over.

Maybe she should just leave and forget all about him. He was happy now and she would have to move on. But she didn't want to, she didn't want anyone else. She wanted Gene. It was either Gene or no-one. Looks like it would be no-one then. She would have to grow old alone knowing that He was with someone else. That thought caused her heart to break. If only she had told him how she had felt when she had the chance then it all could have been different.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you two.
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said:
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead"
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah.

She thought back to all the good time they had shared. The speeding round town in the Quattro, catching the scum of London in whatever way he felt fit. She remembered the birthday party they had held for Viv and Gene's face when she turned up in the gold dress. She knew as soon as she saw it in the show he would like it. The time they both had to sneak out of Luigis to work on the whole SuperMac problem without being caught. Most of the team thought they were getting together. How Gene and her had laughed about all the rumours but deep down she wanted them to be true. They were the best days of her life and she couldn't ever talk to anyone about them as no-one else knows about them.

You'd know how the time flies.
Only yesterday was the time of our lives.
We were born and raised in a summery haze.
Bound by the surprise of our glory days

Her mind flashed to her last few days with CID. The time they stood in his office as he confronted her about the tape. The tape she had made about him, doubting him. The time she told him the truth, how she was from the future and he didn't believe her. He threw it back in her face.

'Talk to me Alex if I mean anything to you at all' He meant more to her than he ever knew. And he never would. They had had so many arguments most about silly trivial things, his use of violence, speeding around but none of them suck in her head as much as their final one. The one he questioned her as a mother. That was like a knife to her heart but it was all over and she tried to forget them and remember all the good times they had together as she would be able to change nothing now.

Nothing compares, no worries or cares.
Regret's and mistakes they're memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

She looked back to the group to find Gene heading towards her. She looked quickly away and back at her drink and waited. It wasn't long before he was stood next to her at the bar. "Luigis." He called across the bar

"Two minutes Mr Hunt." Gene took a seat next to Alex and waited. She kept her gaze forward in order to avoid contact. He reached over and knocked her arm, the shoot of electricity she felt all those years ago was still there.

"Sorry."

"No problem." Alex looked up and caught his gaze. A slight look of recognition crossed his face, well she hoped it had but she could have been seeing things she wanted to see.

"Do I know you?" Gene asked his look intensifying.

"Ermm I used to drink in here a while ago."

"Might have been before my time. What's your name?" Alex didn't know what to do. If she told him her full name would he realise, but if he did he would ruin what seems to be the best thing which ever happened to him. And as much as she wanted him, she loved him enough to be unselfish and want what was best for him.

"Must be, and Alex." She raised her hand to shake his, hoping she didn't look to forward.

"Alex, I'm Gene, Gene Hunt." He said looking quizzically at her. "I had a DI called Alex once."

"Yen I know, what was she like?" Hoping her digging would bring back some memories.

"Honey."

They both turned to look in the direction of the voice. It was Gene's wife.

"I best go, see you around Alex." And before Alex knew Gene was gone.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you two.
Don't forget me, I beg, I remembered you said:
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead"

She had done all she could and he still didn't remember her. It was over and she would just have to move on without him. There was nothing she could do. Unless she did what Sam had done, that is what it took to go back, buts she still had Molly, she had fought so hard to get back to her and she was coming back home soon hopefully and Gene has happy. She couldn't ruin this for him. He meant to much to her to do so. No she would leave him to get one with his life with his new wife and without her.

She took a pen from her bag and the mat from under her glass. Luckily it was a plain white with 'Luigis' in a simple font. She wrote upon it her message and handed it to Luigis with a request to hand it to Gene once he was alone. She said her goodbyes to Luigis, collected her things and took one last look at her team. Then she walked from the restaurant knowing it would be the last time she ever would be there.

Some hours later Gene went back to the bar from another round, there he was handed the card Alex had left for him. Wrote upon it was the words "I wish you all the best in life, All my Love your dear Bolly. X"

"Bolly?" he whispered, he remembered calling someone that once but he didn't know who or when. He pictured a woman in his mind, she was tall, slim, and with bouncing curls around her face, but her face was a blur. He didn't know her name or where she was from, he thought he had worked with her once, as a DI maybe, but he couldn't remember. His thoughts were broken by the calls of his team, shouting for their drinks. He slipped the message in his suit pocket, picked up the drinks and headed back to the table where he belonged.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you two.
Don't forget me, I beg, I remembered you said:
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead"
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah.

Well there we are. It is a little longer than I expected, but once I started writing for these two I couldn't stop. Please let me know what you think. All criticism welcome, just try not to be too harsh.

Steph x