Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Ashes to Ashes... except my DVDs and my ideas.

Ok this is a one-shot based on series 2 episode 6 where Trevor Riley's guys attack Gene and break into Alex's flat, taking things a bit further. Hope you enjoy.

Holding On

"You got a light mate?"

"Sure-" Gene's response was cut off as a baseball bat smashed into his back. He didn't have a second to register what was happening as the sudden onslaught of fists and feet came at him from all angles. The blows ceased after a while and Gene felt himself being dragged away from the light of the streetlamp and dumped behind some shrubs. A final kick in his side and the men left.

It took a few minutes for Gene to come to properly; at last he staggered to his feet, tasting the blood in his mouth from the cuts on his face. His ribs, back and sides ached from the beating and Gene knew immense bruises would already be forming. Wiping blood from his mouth and nose, the Guv tried to think.

"Trevor Riley. Bastard." He spat more blood onto the pavement and pulled his coat around himself, wincing slightly. His vision wavered for a moment and Gene rubbed the back of his head which was throbbing. Walking the short distance on to where the Quattro was parked, he leant against the side of the car and pulled out a fag. Gene lit it and drew in a good lungful, exhaling the smoke steadily in an effort to pull himself together. Stubbing the cigarette out with the heel of his boot, he – knowing what Alex would say if he got behind the wheel with possible concussion – set off slowly back towards Luigi's on foot.

Thankfully he hadn't been far from the restaurant when he'd been attacked so Gene was soon making his way carefully up the stairs to Alex's flat. He figured he could beg the loan of her sofa for the night, and maybe some ice to ease the bruising on his face. This thought wasn't ideal; he knew his DI would want to know what had happened and the experience was a little too fresh in his mind to make Gene feel like reliving it for her benefit. Trying to get some kip in the Quattro was, however, much more unpleasant an idea, so the Guv braced himself for Alex's questions and fussing as he approached her door.

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Alex was asleep. A noise outside woke her up with a start. She pushed the covers back and got out of bed, the sounds getting louder and her heart beating faster. The room was shadowy, splashes of light from the gap in the curtains lit Alex's way as she crossed to the bedroom door apprehensively. A sense of fear was growing rapidly inside her but the idea to hide back under the covers came too late.

With a crash that made her gasp, the front door was forced open and three men burst in.

One of the men was in her living room. A loud shattering of glass told Alex that he had smashed her television. The other two intruders pushed their way through her bedroom door causing Alex to back away quickly... but not quickly enough.

A tall dark-haired man with a black balaclava hiding most of his face grabbed Alex's arm and pulled her towards him. The sinister glint in his eyes penetrated the gloom as he looked her up and down.

"Lucky catch eh boys?" He sneered, pressing the end of the wooden bat in his hand first against Alex's throat, then down her chest. She struggled but his grip was too strong. The other two sniggered, peering round the first man to stare at her.

Alex felt very vulnerable; dressed only in her black silk nightshirt, with no gun and outnumbered three to one. She tried again to pull her arm from his firm hold.

"Let go of me!" Alex shouted, hoping that someone, anyone, would hear and come to her rescue. "Someone help me, please!"

The man pushed her backwards.

"Shut up!" He growled threateningly. Alex stumbled as her legs hit something solid and the tall man took the opportunity to force her down onto the bed. She made to call for help again but he hit her sharply across her face with his hand. Her lips and cheek stung from the blow and the scream died in her throat.

He had evidently given the bat to one of his accomplices because one hand was now pressed down over Alex's mouth while the other grazed the inside of her thigh.

"Might be the best way to get our point across..." He sneered before sliding his hand up her leg. "Go shut the door." The man instructed to one of the others. "We wouldn't want to be interrupted now would we?" He turned back to Alex, his hand roaming freely across her body, his palm against her lips, preventing her from crying out.

"There's someone coming boss!" At this news, the tall man released Alex and disappeared out the door behind the other two.

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Sounds of a commotion were coming from Alex's flat. As Gene made his way increasingly quickly down the corridor, three men came hurrying towards him. Before he was able to take in much about their appearance, they had shoved past him and scarpered down the stairs and out into the night.

Concern for Alex mounting, Gene ignored the pain in his back, shoulders and head and ran to her door. It was wide open, the chain ripped from the wall.

"Alex?" He called as he hurried inside. "God," Gene breathed at the sight that met his eyes. Papers littered the living room floor, a lamp had been knocked over and the TV looked like it had had a baseball bat put through the screen. Trevor Riley's guys again.

"Alex!" Gene shouted again, praying that he wouldn't find her in a worse state than he himself was currently in. He opened the door to her bedroom cautiously, dreading what he would find inside.

Alex was sat, huddled on the floor at the end of the bed, her arms wrapped around herself, her bare legs drawn up in front of her. She was trembling. Her head was bowed, her face hidden by her curls. As he watched, her shoulders shook. Gene knew that she was crying, overwhelmed by shock. Or at least, that's all he hoped it was.

"Alex?" This time his voice was quiet, not wanting to scare her. She looked up in alarm but got shakily to her feet, pulling her nightshirt down to cover her thighs a little more. Sure that it was indeed him, Alex moved closer before throwing her arms around Gene's neck. He held her tightly, relieved that she was alright.

Gene could feel her breath warm against his skin as Alex sobbed into his shoulder.

"It's ok, they've gone, you're alright Bolls, you're safe, and I'm here... I'm here." He spoke softly, stroking her hair comfortingly.

When her tears had subsided, Gene spoke again.

"They lay a finger on you?" He could feel Alex shaking her head against him.

"No... No, I'm fine." Gene could tell from her voice that she wasn't being entirely truthful. They pulled back and met each other's gaze. Alex was horrified to see the cuts and bruises already darkening his face; she touched his cheek gently.

"Looks worse than it is." He assured her gruffly as he raised a hand to mirror her action. She flinched slightly but didn't stop him as his fingers brushed against her cheek, which was pink from where the man had hit her. Gene ran his thumb lightly over her lips; they were bleeding a little.

"I'm fine... You're the one we should be worrying about, you could have been killed!"

"Takes more than some southern scumbags to get rid of the Gene Genie, Bolls." He said, trying to reassure her. "But it's so low, weak... cowardly, getting someone from the back, and hurting you Bolls, a woman, that's a line right there." Alex watched him carefully. "Just so glad you're alright, if I hadn't been... God knows what they would have done."

"He made his intentions pretty clear." Alex's voice was low as she held his gaze. She swallowed more tears as Gene held her tighter, trying not to think about what would have happened if he hadn't come to her rescue.

They clung to each other in silence for a moment, until Alex pulled away and took Gene's hand. She guided him through to the other room and down onto the sofa. Carefully Alex picked her way past the broken glass from her smashed TV and into the kitchen, returning with a handful of icecubes wrapped in a tea towel. Sitting down next to him, she pressed the bundle gingerly to the bruise on his cheek. Gene covered her hand with his own, grateful for the relief the ice provided, easing the dull pain in his jaw.

Gene shrugged off his coat, failing to hide the pain from Alex. Her hands were gentle as they eased the coat off his shoulders and down his arms. Draping it over the back of the sofa, she reached for his shirt. Alex avoided Gene's eyes as she undid the buttons, sliding the material off as she had his coat. He dragged his eyes away from her face and looked down at his chest at the sound of Alex's gasp.

Numerous bruises were blossoming over his skin. Alex placed her palm over his heart, then traced a bruise with her warm fingers.

"Gene..."

"S'not that bad Bolly." He told her, attempting to pull his shirt closed again but Alex stopped him.

"Let me... please..." Gene's hands dropped from her wrist at the look in her eyes. He was silent, simply watching Alex as she soothed his injuries; one hand holding the bundle of ice to each bruise, the other flat against his body. Her head was down as she concentrated on her task.

Once his front had been done, Alex indicated for him to turn around so she could continue on his back. Gene obliged, moving gingerly due to the ache. Her hand was once more warm and soft on his bare shoulder as she applied the ice. The pressure on one particular bruise, between his shoulder blades, made Gene groan in pain.

"Sorry." Alex whispered, and Gene could feel her breath on his exposed skin. She withdrew the ice and the dull chill was replaced, just for a fleeting moment, by the warmth of her lips. All thoughts of discomfort were pushed from Gene's brain by the sensation, but it was gone before he could fully appreciate how nice it felt.

A couple of minutes later and Alex stopped, having tended to each area of injury. Gene shifted on the sofa to face her. She reached across him for his shirt, helping him pull the garment back on and watching as he re-did the buttons. Her hand rested briefly on Gene's thigh as Alex got to her feet and moved away. She returned after a moment with the familiar blue blanket and a pillow from her bed. Gene took it gratefully, kicking off his boots while Alex shut the front door.

He watched as she reached up to retrieve a spare key from the top of the door frame. Without her heels on she could only just reach, Gene observed. Her black nightshirt rose up an inch or two as Alex stretched out her arm, the silk revealing more of her smooth pale skin; Gene had to tear his gaze from her. Alex locked the door with the key, the chain hanging uselessly now, and turned back to him.

"I'll just..." Alex gestured towards the debris of the broken television.

"No you leave it. I'll do it in the morning." She nodded and smiled wearily at him.

"Night Gene."

"Night Bolls." Alex was outside her bedroom before Gene said: "Thanks Alex... for, you know..."

"You're welcome. And thank you for, well... you know..."

"My pleasure Bolls. Get some sleep, ok?" She nodded again.

"You too Gene." She disappeared into the bedroom, leaving the door open. Knowing that Gene was just in the other room was very comforting, but Alex couldn't help but replay the events of earlier that evening. If Gene had he been a couple of minutes later... She pushed the thoughts from her mind and got back under the covers.

Alex lay awake for a while, listening to the sounds of Gene attempting to get comfortable on the sofa, and trying not to fall back into the memory of earlier. An image of his battered and bruised face and body flashed in front of her eyes and she felt a slight twinge of fear at what Trevor Riley was capable of. Seeing the Guv, the Manc Lion like that was horrible, especially because Gene was supposed to be the strong, dependable hero. He was the rock to which Alex had found herself clinging as the whirlwind of this frightening and puzzling and mad world she had landed in tried to drag her further and further into the unknown.

Trevor Riley would get what was coming to him, Alex was certain of that. The exact manner of his – although deserving – revenge was not yet known to her, but she was already protesting to it. The things the bastard had done to people, to them both, meant he needed to pay, but Alex didn't always agree with her boss on the best way to do it.

Despite this, Alex reassured herself, Gene would always be there, so he would always be there to save her when she needed it, and be there to protect her. He would be there to hold on to her, and in return, she was there to hold on to him.