DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ashes to Ashes or the characters featured. The lyrics and inspiration used for this are taken from 'Temptation', written and performed by Heaven 17, and released in 1983.

Hello everyone! I was browsing through some other fantastic fics and I stumbled upon a song fic contest by XTimeGirlX, where you have to shuffle your iTunes and use the first song that plays as an inspiration for a fic. Obviously, from the title, you can see that this is based on 'Temptation' by Heaven 17, and coincidentally was released in 1983. I highly recommend you listen to this song, it's utterly fantastic, plus I'm sure it will help you get a good idea of the context! Plus, it's rather a fantastic Galexy song ;)

This is slightly AU due to the distinct lack of plot and characters etc. And, it will be in two parts; the first part will be rated 'T' for language, and I can assure you that I certainly gave into the 'Temptation' to write part two, which will most definitely be an 'M' rating. ;)

I really hope you enjoy my first songfic! :) MissLP x

Temptation

Alex Drake, after working on a mountainous pile of paperwork for two hours, decided to take a coffee break. She wandered through the empty office of C.I.D – everyone had gone out on a surveillance job – and walked into the kitchenette, and found a mug and the necessary ingredients to make her favourite coffee – milky, two sugars.

She sighed as her thoughts trailed off. The arrival of Jim Keats and his ridiculous Discipline and Complaints procedures had made Alex uncomfortable. After all, it was she who was shot, so D&C had insisted on investigating the incident. They had insisted on investigating Gene Hunt. Gene had done nothing wrong – it was an accident. She bit her lip as she thought of Jim Keats, with his coiffed, greasy hair that could drive Duran Duran mad with jealousy and his ridiculous glasses that would, in the very near future, give Top Gun a run for their money. He was always whittling on about Sam Tyler, and how Gene was hiding something. Alex cursed herself for ever trusting Jim and for ever doubting Gene. Where the Guv is, is the right place to be.

Things had been significantly better between Alex and Gene lately. Jim bloody Keats, she knew, was out to separate them. But how could he? Alex knew that her relationship with Gene was deeper than a purely professional relationship, even deeper than a friendship. The burning connection of sapphire and emerald gazes from across the room undeniably dug deeper than a simple platonic friendship, not to mention the violent churning of the stomach whenever he walked into the room or spoke to her. Their corner in Luigi's, where the cheap house rubbish flowed swiftly and constantly, had welcomed them back after weeks of distance. Her thoughts surged backwards; she smiled as he thought of him in the garage when she was first dragged from the hospital in her post-coma daze. It took a lot of nerve for the Manc Lion to apologise – but he apologised to her. She knew them, in that moment, that she trusted him. She sighed again, as her thoughts re-confirmed that both herself and Gene were in a mess. They were in a mess together. Unbreakable.

'And in at number two in the charts this week, and just missing out on the number one spot is none other than Heaven 17, with Temptation!'

The voice from the radio broke her thoughts of Gene. She smiled as the hit from 1983 played out of the radio – she turned the volume up.

'I've never been closer, I've tried to understand.' She happily sang along with the opening, the kettle just finishing its boiling as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Gene, who had been sitting alone in his office perusing paperwork, had seen Alex drift into the kitchenette to make herself a coffee – milky, two sugars, of course – and decided to follow. It appeared that the scotch in his office was in short supply, so a tea with five sugars would have to do. As he neared the kitchen, he heard the echoes of the radio accompanied by another voice. Bloody hell. Peering around the office to check that nobody else was about – Ray, Chris and the other lads were out on a surveillance job and Shaz was sorting out a mix-up of paperwork with Viv – he quietly made his way over to the kitchenette, pausing at the doorway to lean in slightly.

Alex continued singing – there's no one in the office, why not? – and left her coffee on the counter, instead standing in a pose as the opening synth line weaved its way through to the chorus.

'That certain feeling, carved by another's hand, oh!
But it's too late to hesitate, we can't keep on living like this-'

As the drums and the brassy chords began to blare from the speaker, the music took over her as she started stamping her foot in time with the music, her head thrashing wildly as she carried on.

'Leave no track - Don't look back!'

Gene froze in the doorway, shocked by what he was seeing. Flamin' Nora. Bolly's like a ruddy lark. He tried to suppress a laugh as Alex grabbed the milk carton to simulate a microphone and sat seductively on the table, her legs crossed and torso stretched back as she continued singing.

'All I desire – temptation, keep climbing higher and higher – temptation,
Adorable creatures – temptation, with unacceptable features – temptation!'

Gene quietly sneaked into the room, inching impossibly close to Alex, oblivious to him whilst completely immersed in her Wembley Arena performance. Her, singin' and sittin' like tha'...gives me the 'orn.

'Trouble is coming – temptation, it's just the high cost of loving – temptation,
You can take it or leave it – temptation, but you'd better bel-'

'Nice pipes yer've got there, Bolls.'

Alex screamed as she leapt of the table and span around with fright, dropping the milk carton to the floor and knocking her mug flying across the counter.

'Fuck, Gene!' Her face rapidly flushed a bright scarlet, her eyes wide as she breathed in heavily, her chest heaving. 'Wh-what...How long have you been standing there?'

'Long enough to 'ear an earful. Yer pipes could give Aretha Franklin a bloody good run fer 'er money.' Gene grinned as he stepped over the split milk carton and turned the radio down.

'Oh, God.' Alex covered her face with her hands. 'I can't believe this. I didn't think there was anyone in! I'd just assumed you went out on surveillance with Ray, Chris and the lads...' Thoroughly mortified, Alex dropped herself into the chair under the table, leaning forward and placing her head in her hands. This is the most embarrassing thing I have ever experienced. Ever. This most definitely tops the time when I was really drunk and suggested to an archaeologist that he look at a tampon and tell me which period it came from...

Gene, abandoning the split milk on the floor and the smashed mug decorating the counter, sat opposite her. 'If ignorance was bliss, Bolly, yer'd be orgasmic. I was watchin' yer from the very moment yer started beltin' away. Yer had bloody no idea.'

Alex removed her head from her hands, gingerly looking up at Gene. He tried to stifle his sniggers, but it was unsuccessful; a roar of laughter echoed around the room, causing Alex to chuckle along with him in utter embarrassment.

'Guv, please don't tell the rest of the team. It'd be so embar-'

'You've got to make me an offer that cannot be ignored...' Gene crooned along with the quiet radio.

'Oh, stop taking the piss, Gene!' Alex stood up as Gene continued humming. 'I just...' She found that she couldn't dignify her embarrassment with a plausible explaination. The shame that flooded her drove her to storm out of the room - anywhere just to get out of Gene's presence.

'Bolls, watch the milk!'

Another cry of shock fell from Alex's lips as she slipped in the pool of milk on the checkered floor, causing a loss of balance. She desperately tried to grip the counter to stop her falling, but a big shard of her mug cut deeply into her hand, causing a searing pain to surge through her arm. She fell to the floor, the milk absorbing itself into her clothes as she gripped her hand.

'Shit! Bolls, are yer alrigh'?' Gene jumped up and cautiously knelt over Alex, the milk soaking into the knees of his suit trousers.

'Yeah, I'm fi- ah, shit!' Another searing rush of pain spread through her hand. A crimson cascade poured out of the wound and down her arm.

'Fine my bloody arse. Let's get yer ter first aid.'

With the help of Gene, Alex manoeuvred herself over the milk on the floor. No use crying over it. Hurrying through the office, the pair rushed down to the front desk, weaving through the small group of people that had been brought in and continuing around the corner to the first aid room.

Alex settled on the hard bed as Gene searched for the first aid kit. The searing pains had faded away into a dull ache where the shard remained lodged in the wound. Hearing a grunt of annoyance from Gene, she looked up to find him suddenly staring down at her hand.

'Shit me, Bolly Kecks.' He crouched down and took her hand into his. 'That's one bloody nasty cu' yer go' there.' He looked tenderly into her eyes, a glimmer of worry settling in his gaze. She smiled in reassurance. He placed her hand gently back onto her lap before standing up quickly. 'The bloody twats in 'ere don't 'ave a ruddy first aid kit. I'll be back in a mo, Bolls, jus' pu' a bit o' pressure on there to stop the bleedin'.' He placed his fingers to the area surrounding the wound in demonstration of his instructions. He looked at her for confirmation – she nodded.

'Righ', I'll be back. Don' yer go temptin' any adorable creatures, yer go' me?'

-0-0-0-0-0-

A light knock on the door broke Alex's reverie. Why would Gene knock?

'Yes?' she answered curiously. The door opened to reveal Jim Keats, holding a first aid kit in his hands. An ominous darkness settled in the atmosphere – a chill shot through Alex's body.

'I heard you had a bit of an accident, Alex.'

He walked over to her and set the kit on the bed next to Alex. She tensed up as he began extracting a pair of tweezers, an anti-septic pad, a roll of bandage and some tape. He lined them up, in order.

'Yes. I- erm, I smashed a mug, and cut my hand.'

'May I?' Jim pierced Alex with a forbidding stare. He did not wait for a reply as he crouched down and took Alex's hand into his own.

'Wow, your hands are freezing, Alex.'

Alex said nothing as he inspected her wound. She looked around nervously, attempting to divert her thoughts as Jim gripped her hand. He reached for the pair of tweezers by her leg, and carefully manoeuvred them over the ceramic shard in her hand.

'I didn't know you knew first aid, Jim.' He momentarily looked up at her and smiled – the grin did not disguise the menace in his gaze.

'Well, there are a lot of things you don't know about a lot of people.' The inference caused Alex to breathe in suddenly.

'What do you mean by that?' An edge of bitterness had formed in Alex's voice.

'You know, Alex. Don't deny it.' He carefully gripped the shard of ceramic with the tweezers, and slowly began extracting it from her hand. She grimaced as the aches in her hand heightened in pain. She paused before she spoke, allowing him to fully remove the shard.

'Deny what, Jim?'

He didn't answer as he stood up. He picked up the antiseptic pad and placed it gently over Alex's bleeding injury.

'Ow, shit.' Alex bit her lip as a stinging sensation replaced the dull ache. She noticed the small smirk that had appeared on his face; his eyes glowed.

'You know, Gene Hunt is more hassle than he is worth, Alex,' Jim said suddenly from the pause in conversation. 'Are you sure I cannot tempt you into helping me? I can help you, Alex. I can help you get home.'

She glared at him. 'Lead us not into temptation, Jim. The Lord's prayer.'

'Heaven 17.' Jim chuckled as Alex extracted her hand from his grip. She glared up at him, the silence settling over them causing Jim's face to distort to one of anger.

'You are making a mistake, Alex.

'I suppose I'll have to learn from them.'

The door suddenly swung open with a crash, signifying Gene's entrance.

'Bolls, I've go' the-' He stopped as he saw Jim looming over Alex. 'Jimbo. Such a displeasure ter see yer.'

'My sentiments exactly, Hunt.' He spun away from Alex and walked over to Gene, who towered over the smaller man. 'Your D.I seems to have had an accident, Gene. I don't suppose this one was your fault as well?'

Gene's lips formed into a pout as he snarled at Jim. 'Let's jus' say that we 'ad a bit of an incident with a radio and some milk. Nothin' too incriminatin' I 'ope, Jim.'

Jim took a step away from Gene as another smile formed on his face. 'But deliver us from evil,' he whispered to Alex. With a final glare at Gene, Jim picked up the mug shard, pocketed it, and lingered at the open doorway.

'Step by step, and day by day. Every second counts...And it seems you won't break away, Alex.'

-0-0-0-0-0-

After bandaging Alex's wound, a shower and a change of clothes, both Alex and Gene met in Luigi's. The Italian grinned a knowing smile as they entered together.

'Ahh, Signor Hunt! Signorina Drake! How are you-a both?'

'Alrigh', Luigi. A bottle of yer 'ouse rubbish, if yer wouldn' mind.'

'Of course. Beautiful Alex,' he said as he turned towards her. 'You look-a gorgeous.' As his eyes trailed down her body, he noticed the bulky bandage on her hand. 'You are hurt, Signorina!'

'Just a little accident, Luigi, nothing to worry about.' She flashed a reassuring smile at him.

'If you're-a sure. I'll-a give you a free meal, on the house! And the wine, too.'

'Luigi, you really don't have to-'

'Signorina, it is fine.' The little Italian flashed a grin at her before bustling behind the bar, leaving Alex and Gene to head over to their usual corner.

'Never thought I'd say this, yer know, bu' I agree wi' Luigi, Bolls.'

'About what, Guv?'

'Yer do look rather gorgeous.'

Alex attempted to laugh nonchalantly as a rosy tint appeared on her cheeks. 'Hardly. I've got a whopping great big gash in my hand, I smell of milk and I thoroughly made a first-class tit out of myself earlier.'

A rare smile appeared on Gene's lips. 'Yer know, Bolly, yer no' bad at singin'. Never mentioned i' before.'

'I save it for karaoke nights. It's always nice to give the lads a surprise.'

She raised her eyebrows as Luigi hurried over with the bottle of wine and the glasses. Sensing that the pair were engaged in not only their conversation but each other as well, he swiftly left them alone.

As their conversation continued, the two police officers got increasingly more tipsy; they were oblivious to the fact that the other members of the team had stumbled in a lot later than usual. Alex had requested that the radio be put onto a mainstream station, seemingly forgetting her earlier debacle until Gene brought it up again in conversation.

'Yer know, Bolly, yer didn't half look sexy on tha' table, earlier,' he slurred.

'Well, I've always been a fan of doing it on a table.' She winked at him before getting up from her chair.

'I'm going to get some more wine, Gene-'

'Don' yer bloody dare, yer've 'ad enough.'

'Oh come on, Gene...I'll sing for you, again.' What the hell am I doing? She realised her mistake as soon as the words had tumbled out of her mouth. Gene would never let this go.

'Alrigh' then Bolly, yer on. In fact, so is yer song.'

From the blaring radio, Temptation began playing. Alex froze for a moment, and then cackled hysterically.

'You're not being serious.'

'Oh, yes I bloody am, Bolls. A deal's a deal.'

'Gene, you don't expect me to-'

'I expect yer ter keep yer promises, Madame Fruitcake!'

Alex looked around the restaurant to find her colleagues staring at her expectantly. Shit, when did they arrive?

Thinking on her feet, she grabbed a bottle of wine from the counter and walked over to Gene. A deal's a deal. He'll certainly get a good deal out of this.

'Okay. I'm not one to break promises, Gene. I'm going to go upstairs. In five minutes, leave and come up. I'll be waiting.' She took a breath before leaning in further, her lips lingering merely centimetres from his ear as she began singing softly.

'You've got to make me an offer that cannot be ignored.
Let's head for home now, everything I have is yours...'

TO BE CONTINUED...