No Interruptions

Summary: Alex/Gene. Missing scene at the end of 2x04. What if Alex hadn't taken the call at the end of the episode, where would her and Gene's conversation have led? Oneshot. Reviews are appreciated! Xx

"Signorina, the phone for you." Luigi said, approaching the quiet corner table where Alex and Gene were talking over their third glass of alcohol.

Alex looked up at him, torn between finishing this admittedly awkward conversation with Gene and answering the phone call. To be entirely honest, she wasn't sure she was in the right state of mind to be speaking to anyone, the three glasses of cheap red wine on a nearly empty stomach were taking their toll.

"Can you take a message for me please, Luigi? And tell whoever it is that I'll call them back?" Alex smiled sweetly, taking a sip of her wine.

Gene raised an eyebrow at her. "He your personal secretary now?" Alex simply ignored him.

She waited him out, not about to bring up the topic of conversation that Luigi had just interrupted. If he wanted to discuss it, he would have to do the work himself.

"So, you and Jackie 'it it off eventually then, eh?" Gene asked, swirling his Scotch around the bottom of his glass. It meant that he could deny, even to himself, that it was too difficult to look Alex in the eye at this moment. Especially seeing as he had already called her 'Alex' once already this evening. He didn't want her to think that he was going soft on her. Today had certainly been a challenge though, and although he hated to admit it, it had been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. He had never banked on seeing Jackie again, and finding out she was pregnant had certainly been a surprise and a half. But, perhaps, finding out that he wasn't actually the poor bastard's father had been more of a shock. Gene was sure Alex would have a way of psycho-analysing that for him, but it was the last thing he wanted to hear. No, he was far more interested in deciphering what Jackie and Alex had been saying at the bus station.

"She's not bad," Alex considered. "I think she went up in my estimation once I found out she'd hadn't slept with you."

Gene did look up at her now, his eyes hovering on her's. He wished he hadn't drank so much because then maybe he could have read the expression in her gaze.

"You seemed quite chummy," He said almost bitterly as he lit himself another cigarette and took a long drag.

Alex shrugged a shoulder and didn't bother to swat away the cloud of smoke that escaped from between Gene's lips. He wasn't quite sure how else to continue, to get the information he wanted without directly asking for it. He wondered why things were far more complicated with Alex than they were with any other woman he had known.

"Something bothering you, Gene?" She asked, and he knew it was an obvious dig at the way he had called her by her proper name earlier on. She was definitely a piece of work, this one. "Because if it is," She continued. "You could just come out and ask me."

She was baiting him, Gene was sure of that, but was she also flirting with him too? It was impossible to tell. He sent another plume of smoke out from his parted lips before even thinking about replying.

"I'm just 'interested' to know what the two of you were talking about at the bus station earlier," He finally said. "But it doesn't mean I'm gonna stay up all night worrying about it neither."

Alex smiled smugly, raising her wine glass to her lips again. She knew she was one of the very few people who could rile the infamous Gene Genie.

"She wanted to know if something was going on..." She paused, setting her wine glass down and concentrating on toying with the stem. "If something was going on between us." She finally forced herself to drag her gaze up to look him in the face.

Part of Gene had already suspected this was the case but the rest of him, the part that knew how far away he was from the kind of man Alex would be romantically interested in, had rejected it.

"And what did you say?" He replied, looking straight back at her and finding to his own surprise that he was doing something resembling flirting with her.

"The truth." Alex replied, not breaking eye contact with him and waiting for his response. "What else would I say?"

"I don't know, Bolly." He said, and there was an almost exasperated edge to his voice.

"Chris and Ray suspect it too, you know." Alex stated calmly. "You can't really blame them really."

"Oh, no," Gene replied with casual interest, or at least that was what he had intended to do. "And why would that be?"

Alex could see that his eyes were on fire and she had to look away before she became engulfed in those flames.

"The sneaking around, the whispered conversations, accidentally falling asleep in your office..." Alex ticked the points off on her fingers as if this was a routine case they were talking about.

"You might have a point there," Gene conceded, stubbing out his cigarette but making not move to light another. Alex waited him out again, determined not to be the first to cave. This had to be on his terms, she knew him well enough to accept that.

Finally, he reached out and roughly covered one of her hands with his.

"We could always give them something to talk about." He suggested, his eyes answering a question which Alex answered immediately. Setting aside her wine glass, she allowed him to lead her through the empty restaurant and up to her flat.

Luigi watched them leave together and this time he knew better than to disturb them, no matter who was on the telephone.

Not sure how I feel about the ending, it didn't quite go as planned, but I'm posting anyway. Hope you enjoyed. Xx