Title taken from a song sung by Al Jarreau on the Moonlighting soundtrack. Lyrics can be googled. I've decided to bite the bullet and write a sex scene, but I've tried to avoid smut and instead attempted eroticism. Let me know if I've succeeded! Unfortunately I don't own Alex, Gene or the rest of CID. If I did, they'd be having a lot more fun!

Since I Fell For You

The team had been working on a case – a string of jewellery thefts across the city that had culminated in a successful arrest earlier in the day. Unusually, their main suspect had been a woman. Alex had borne the brunt of more than her usual quota of sexist banter and innuendo and was feeling exhausted. CID were celebrating in Luigi's, which was fast becoming a warm, smoky sauna. Luigi had lost the battle with Chris for control of the cassette player and a compilation of New Romantics' hits were coming from the tinny speakers. It was noisy and hot. People were drunk and making wrong choices in various nooks and crannies. Everyone was having a good time. Except Alex. Unhappy with the way the investigation had ended she was brooding alone in the corner.

When Gene found her, she was working her way morosely through the stock of house red. He had arrived a few minutes earlier, his grey eyes automatically scanning the clientele, searching her out. Being unable to see her, he had strolled nonchalantly through the bar, ignoring shouted invitations and offers of drinks, his glances flicking into corners until, finally, he found her. For a moment he remained perfectly still, watching her, noting how alone she seemed, how vulnerable in the shadows of others' enjoyment. And so he'd joined her in her corner, shared her wine and let her talk. In exchange, he could look at her – the way her eyes flashed in the gloom, how white her teeth were, the wet fullness of her lips as she sipped from the glass. She had a theory, and when Alex had a theory she would sell it's worth with everything she had. At the moment, her glass was being waved at Gene as she emphasised certain points of her argument, the wine sloshing up to the rim but never actually spilling over. Gene had settled into a pleasantly warm, alcoholic haze, and found himself fascinated by the swirling liquid, watching it intently and toying with the idea of leaning across the table and kissing her to shut her up.

"You're not even listening!"

"I am." Head snapping up, his eyes left the wine glass to focus on his DI.

"Well, what do you think then?"

"About what?"

Alex narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "About my theory."

Flashing a fleeting smile in her direction before finishing the last of his wine, Gene signalled Luigi for another bottle. "I disagree."

Alex glared at him and threw back the remainder of her own wine, banging the empty glass onto the table. "Which particular part of my theory do you disagree with?" Her voice was icy in the warm room.

"All of it."

"You weren't even listening!"

Alex could feel her blood begin to boil, heart thumping in her chest as she faced his smug, superior face. He was so bloody irritating. She had never in her life met a man who could infuriate her as much as this man did. The raising of an eyebrow, the twitch of a smirk, and her heart would begin to hammer with rage, her pupils dilate as adrenalin flooded her system preparing her for fight or flight. So far, flight hadn't come into it. All she wanted to do was grab him and…….what?

"It's all bollocks Bolly. And do you know how I know without having to listen to it?" He looked directly at her, a satisfied smile playing around his mouth as he waited for a response. God, he loved winding this woman up.

"Oh, do enlighten me DCI Hunt," the sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "You know how utterly fascinating I find your opinions." Sliding her elbows across the table, she rested her chin on her hands, gazing at him with mock adoration. Gene mirrored her actions until they were nose-to-nose, eye-to-eye.

"The reason I know it's all bollocks, DI Drake, is because if it comes from you, it'll be something to do with psychiatry, women's intuition or voodoo. And all of that, DI Drake," his eyes remained locked with hers as he snatched the bottle from an anxiously hovering Luigi. "- is bollocks."