Alex winked. "Female intuition."

Alex could not have been more right when she made that statement in the hospital four years ago. Gene Hunt was the most perfect husband and father to her children that she could ever ask for. When Melody cried in the night, he had often hopped out of bed and tended to her before Alex could even switch on the light. Gene helped with changing nappies, shopping for clothes and toys and he even remembered to pamper and take care of his wife on top of this. Of course at work Gene was still the terrifying Manc Lion, and suspects couldn't believe it when they found out he was a father to a little baby girl.

Alex fell pregnant again only a few months after giving birth to Melody, and she had their first son baby Maxy Samuel Hunt a year and two months after Melody was born. Maxy was more of a handful than Melody as he cried constantly and didn't like being left alone, but Gene was always by his side, holding his podgy little hand. Alex didn't know what she had done to deserve such a loving husband.

Melody was now four years old and would be starting school in the coming school year. She had her mum's dark brown hair, wavy down to her shoulders, but she had her dad's startling blue-green eyes. Maxy too had inherited his dad's blue-green eyes, but they were huge and orb-shaped like his mother's. Maxy had Gene's sandy-blond hair and was the spitting image of him. Cheeky and full of mischief, the three-year-old was always getting up to something. He was a bit of a mummy's boy, something Gene secretly hoped he would grow out of, and in a bid to provoke this Gene had brought Maxy up to support Manchester City and love sport. Melody however had no interest in the sport and could run rings around her dad. With one of her Alex-inherited puppy-dog looks she could get whatever she wanted from Gene and he knew it. He loved both of their children, and couldn't believe how lucky he was to have had them with such a beautiful and caring woman as Alex.

"MUUMMYYYYYY!"

Alex rolled her eyes as she lightly cooked the vegetables for their dinner. Before she had a chance to stop what she was doing, Melody had burst into the kitchen, closely followed by Maxy.

"Mummy, it's not fair!" Melody insisted. "Maxy broke my Cindy, Mummy, look!" Melody thrust her doll at her mum indignantly, appalled by its lack of a head. Alex's jaw dropped.

"Maxy! Did you do this?"

"Noooo," Maxy whined, "well, yes, okay Mummy, but I only tried to find the dolly's brain! I looked in the head and it wasn't there. Maybe dolly's brain is in her tummy. I didn't look there."

"Brains are in your head, stupid," Melody barked, "but you don't have one so you wouldn't know –"

"Hey, hey, that's enough!" Alex said firmly. "Melody, don't say things like that to your brother." Alex crouched down so that she was on Maxy's level. "Listen sweetie, you can't go around and break people's toys. It's not good. If you want to know something, you check with Mummy, okay?"

Maxy nodded. "I just wanted to be like you, Mummy," he said quietly, "I want to be a psy…a psycho."

"Psycho sounds about right, son," Gene laughed as he entered the kitchen.

"Psychologist," Alex whispered to Maxy, ruffling his hair as Melody roared "DADDY!" at top volume.

"Hey Princess," Gene smiled, lifting Melody up and giving her a huge cuddle, "been a good girl for Mummy today?"

"I was a good girl," Melody nodded smugly, "Maxy wasn't a good boy though. Maxy was a…a…twat."

As Gene's eyes widened and Maxy tried to figure out if 'twat' was a compliment or an insult, Alex gasped angrily. "What did you say, Melody?"

"Twat," Melody repeated proudly, "Daddy says it."

"Wahey, why don't you kids go off and play?" Gene said hastily, ushering Maxy and Melody out of the kitchen. "Soooo…how are you, Bolls?"

Alex's eyes were flaming. "Twat?" she seethed. "What have I told you about controlling your language around the children, Gene? Ever since Maxy's first flipping word was 'bastard' you've had to watch yourself! And now our dear innocent four-year-old daughter is coming out and calling her brother a twat. Nice one, Gene. She starts school in September, I don't want them thinking she comes from a bad upbringing!"

Gene walked up to Alex and enveloped her in a loving hug. "Sorry sweetheart," Gene apologised, "I'll watch meself, promise. S'just hard when yer working wi' Tweedle Twat and Tweedle Div at the station. You bein' part-time really has put a spanner in the works."

Alex pulled away from Gene, but not before she placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "It's best for the children this way," she smiled, "remember, we discussed it?"

"Yeah," Gene huffed, "still don't like bein' away from you all day three times a week though."

"Well I'm all yours now," Alex grinned, slipping her arms around him as they kissed passionately.

"Eeeew! Mummy and Daddy are snogging!"

Gene whipped around. "MELODY, OUT!"

They heard the kitchen door slam and Melody scuttle up the stairs giggling to herself; no doubt off to tell Maxy what she saw their parents doing.

Alex and Gene walked into the sitting room as they waited for their dinner to be ready, Alex resting on Gene's chest. Suddenly she started giggling to herself.

"Somethin' funny, Bolls?" Gene smirked.

"Nothing," Alex sniggered, "that just reminded me of when Molly walked in on me and one of my ex-boyfriends in a similar situation when she was about nine. But that was a bit worse."

Gene snorted. "What, she walked in on 'er mum and boyfriend in the nude?"

Alex slapped him lightly. "No, but being the inquisitive child that she was she did keep asking questions. I'll never forget the look on her face when she said 'Mummy, why's that man got his hand up your top?'"

Gene laughed. "Naughty Bolls," he teased her, "letting strange men feel 'er up in front of 'er kid!"

"Yeah," Alex giggled, but then her lips formed into a tight line, "at least it wasn't Jack though," she mumbled.

Gene swallowed. They hadn't mentioned Jack for a good couple of years now. It was best that way, and Gene didn't really want to bring up Alex's horrific past with that man, especially what he put her through nearly five years ago.

"You never talk about your ex-wife, do you, Gene?" Alex frowned, turning to face him.

Gene breathed out. "Nothin' really to say, Bolls. Big tits, put me under her spell, turned out to be a nasty bitch, end of story."

Gene said this so bluntly that Alex knew the topic was closed. She swallowed.

"Well, you know what they say? First the worst, second the best…" Alex smiled.

Gene smiled back, kissing her. "Oh yes Bolls," he grinned, "the second one really is the best."