Incase you hadn't guessed, this is a sequel to A Reputation to Uphold. If you haven't read that, then you wont understand much of this.

And thanks for the Beta duties of Ashgurl2897

Disclaimer: I do not own Ashes to Ashes. All the rights belong to Kudos, the BBC etc etc. Just not me :(

Chapter 1.

It was Monday morning and the sun was fighting its way through the clouds, eagerly spreading its rays through the dark streets of London, while Alex Drake lay in bed with a man she could call her own. He lay there, propped up on his elbow, just looking at the beauty before his eyes as he listened to the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. Out of all the men in the world, he couldn't believe that she had chosen him. She could have had any man she wanted, but instead, she chose to spend her life with him. A fact he was truly grateful for and planned to prove it by making her happy with every beat of his heart.

The true beauty of it all was that Alex was also blissfully happy. She had both Gene and Molly under one roof, in the same decade. Gene had suggested that they moved to his place, and she and Molly had accepted, much to his delight. He didn't know how much more of the sofa bed he could take. So, as Monday began, they lay there, surrounded by boxes in her living room, ready for the big move. Alex moving in with him meant more than just convenience; it was reassurance that she was there to stay. There would be no more talk of her leaving, of her missing her daughter, or of having to say goodbye. She was here to stay, and she was all his. Every last inch.

--

It was eight o'clock in the morning. Gene knew he would have to wake her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It seemed such a waste to wake her peaceful form. Alex lay there, facing him as the whispers of breath tickled the little hairs on his chest. He reached across, stroking her jaw line with his forefinger and she started to stir. He pulled away as if burned. She turned over, allowing the rays of the winter sunshine to surround her figure with a warm glow. God, she was beautiful, but she was clearly demented to go for a man that his best friend once described as an 'overweight, over-the-hill, nicotine-stained, borderline alcoholic homophobe with a superiority complex and an unhealthy obsession with male bonding'. But she did, and she loved him for it.

Lost in his reverie, Gene hadn't noticed that Alex had woken and was looking directly at him. He could quite happily get lost in those hazel orbs and stay there all day if they didn't need to go to work or take Molly to school.

"Morning," she said lazily, snuggling in closer.

"Mornin', Bolly," he said, kissing her on her forehead.

"Do you think you could stop talking now?" Alex asked.

Gene didn't have to be asked twice. He shut up immediately, leaned back against the bed sheets and pulled Alex onto his chest so he could kiss her.

The sagginess at the centre of the sofa bed had rolled Alex and Gene in very close together. Because it was warm in the sitting room, they'd gone to bed with very little on, so their very nearly naked bodies were brushing roughly against each other.

"London is a very sexy place," Alex said, feeling her way around Gene with her fingertips.

"Yes…I had noticed that," he replied, sliding the slim strap of her camisole slowly down her shoulder. With his lips against her earlobe, he added, "But you know what's even better?" He said wiggling his eyebrows in the process.

She ran her fingernail around his belly button and lower into the tangle of hair below, then her lips found his damp, minty mouth and she kissed him luxuriously.

"Perhaps, you'd like to show me," Alex said, halfway through their kiss.

Just as Gene prepared to demonstrate, they could hear Molly pottering around in her room, a sound which tore them apart. The moment had passed. Molly emerged under a minute later complaining that she would be late, frantically trying to find her school things.

"What you looking for, Molls?" Alex asked.

"My bus pass. Have you seen it?" Molly asked, lifting boxes and opening cupboards.

"Gene will be your driver today, Molly. Wont you, Gene?" she asked, tugging at his boxers. All of a sudden, Gene was incapable of words and merely nodded. She really did wear the trousers in their relationship.

"Ok, Molly. Give me twenty minutes and I'll drive you," he said, adjusting himself as he walked to the bathroom.

"Twenty minutes? We'll be late!" she exclaimed. She clearly had never been passenger with Gene Hunt in his Quattro.

"Late? Not on my watch, Molly. Trust the Gene Genie," he said, noticing the look of worry across her face.

--

"Wow! Five minutes flat. Never seen anyone drive like that," Molly exclaimed as the car stopped outside St Mary's.

"Just don't tell your mother, Molly. She'll kill me," he warned, hoping she wouldn't rat him out. Instead of answering, she got out of the car and winked through the window before running to the gates to meet her new friends. She had only been at the school for three weeks and she had already made a group of friends. She was just like her mother. Molly may have arrived at school on time, but Gene Hunt was late. Starting his car up again, he pushed the pedal to the floor and raced towards the station.

--

"Ok, lads, daddy's back. Off to work you go," he said, standing at the entrance to the squad room as he walked towards his office, making sure he let his fingers trail past Alex's arm as he passed, and causing her to blush furiously. Even though they had been dating for several weeks, Gene still had the ability to make her go weak at the knees and act like a teenager. She thought those feelings wouldn't be as strong now they were finally together. Thinking that all the flirting would stop because the goal had been reached, how wrong she was.

Just as Gene reached his chair, Alex was standing in his doorway, leaning on the doorjamb.

"Thought you might want filling in, Guv?" she asked and was greeted with a raised eyebrow and that playful look in his eyes. "On the new case," she added for clarity. These days, Gene was finding double meanings in most of what came out of Alex's mouth.

"Go right ahead," he said, still clinging to the thoughts surrounding Alex.

"Ok, well it's Evan White," she started, knowing his name made Gene cringe. "Since Bonfire Night, we have been trying to link Evan to my kidnapping, as you know. Because we haven't got any evidence, we couldn't get a warrant, so I have had an idea." She paused, waiting for Gene's reaction. "Now instead of kicking his door down," she said, directing her last remark at Gene, "we have invited him to help out with the investigation on trying to find Arthur Layton," she said, causing Gene's face to distort. "Now he doesn't know that we know about his involvement, so he thinks that we are asking a favour and it wont look suspicious. And being the man he thinks he is, he has accepted. So, all the time we are asking for 'help' there will be officers searching his flat. So, as long as we put everything back how it was, he will never know." She finished, looking at Gene for some kind of reassurance, hoping for the go ahead.

"Sounds like a plan, Bolls. But what do we do about Alex Price?" Alex had forgotten all about that. She couldn't be dragged into this mess.

"Well, she will come with Evan. Chris and Shaz can look after her till we are finished."

"I hope you're not planning on turning my station into a crèche, Drake?" He warned.

"No, don't worry about that. Chris could do with the training really," she said, knowing that Shaz was pregnant. She could remember the look on Chris' face when he first found out; it was full of delight shortly followed by worry as he passed out in the middle of Luigi's. Yes, Chris defiantly needed help.

"So, if Chris and Shaz are looking after Alex, who is interviewing Evan?" he asked, quite happy for her to take control for now.

"You are. Ray and me are going to search his house."

"Ok, fine, go ahead. I'm sure Chris will be thrilled. He needs all the practice he can get." With his last remark, Alex left his office and went to tell Chris the news.

--

"So, Chris, I've got a favour to ask," she paused, hoping he wouldn't mind. In all seriousness, she was doing him the favour. With a swift nod of the head, she began, "When we bring Evan in, can you look after Alex Price?" she asked, noticing Chris' face lose all colour. "With the help of Shaz, of course. Me and Ray will search his flat, so it's all down to you Chris," she added.

"Whadabout Lewis and Poirot?" he said, turning around in their direction to find them asleep at their desks.

"Come on, Chris, it'll be good for you. It won't be long till you have a one of your own. You've got to start somewhere," she pleaded, hoping to convince him. Just as he was about to object, Shaz shot a smile at him across the room, and his mind was made up. He'd do anything to please Shaz.

"And are you ok to come with me, Ray? To Evan's house?" she asked.

"Yeah, fine. I wouldn't mind a mooch round 'is 'ouse anyway," he said, putting his head back into his dirty magazine, badly disguised by a newspaper. "But, I'm driving. And in my car," he said, remembering the last time he was passenger with DI Drake. He had ended up with a bloodied nose as she ran over Angus Ashton's car with a pink tank while they ran away from the Gay Rights Protest. He definitely didn't want to repeat that experience anytime soon.

"Don't worry, Chris, kids are alright," Gene said, completely missing the strange looks he received from Ray. "Gotta start somewhere," he said, heading to the kitchenette. Ray was completely shocked. He just figured that he had to put up with Alex's kid if he wanted to be anywhere near her, let alone sleep with her. Never for one second did he think Gene enjoyed Molly's company. To add to Ray's confusion, Gene asked if he wanted a cup of tea. The Guv making tea! He couldn't get his head around that one. Tea duties were always plonk jobs, even Chris on some occasions, but the Guv making and offering it was completely out of character. He even watched DI Drake leave the room like a lovesick puppy. His team was grateful that their Governor was happy. Alex was an end to his bad moods, but he wasn't as intimidating as he once was. Maybe he was going soft.

"Ray? Give me that magazine when yer done. And get yer feet off the desk,"Gene said, pushing Ray's feet to the floor. "Now if you lot need me, I'll be knocking ten bells outta the bloke in the interview room," he added, and stormed back out again. Maybe not.

Ok. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's the first of many. I hope to write up until the second series, but my updates will be slower from now on, but no longer than 10 days. Thanks for staying with me, and don't forget to review!