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Slightly out of breath, Gene reached the CID office to see Alex stood stiffly in his office, at the window looking out at the kingdom that is Fenchurch East. He saw the reflection of her face in the window; her eyes looked frozen in an empty stare, framed by running eyeliner. She looked even more beautiful than ever in Gene's eyes. He stepped into his own office and instinctively shut the door.

"You took your time," Alex teased.

"I've never understood how you run in those bloody heels," Gene retorted, glad that Alex was keeping her sense of humour throughout this ordeal.

"I got used to it." Gene saw her expression darken again in the reflection. The reflected Alex's eyes snapped to meet his, flicking away almost as suddenly. She resumed scanning the skyline, looking for she-didn't-know-what. Alex couldn't believe that there was a time where she hadn't believed that this world was even real.

"Alex…" Gene said as softly as his gruff voice could manage.

"Can you remember the first time we met, Gene?" Alex interrupted with what Gene assumed was a rhetorical question. "I was dressed like a prostitute and was a damsel in distress. The Quattro raced into focus and, little did I know, I was about to meet you. DCI Hunt and his team. And his bloody snakeskin boots…" Alex gave a small chuckle. "I can't imagine what you must have thought of me, and your first impression couldn't have improved when I swooned in front of you.

"Then I was brought back here. Fenchurch East CID. To the team's surprise, none more than my own, there was my name on a desk: DI Drake. I didn't know how, or why, but I was in the 1980's and I was still a copper. At first, I thought I had used Sam Tyler's mental constructs as my own. I thought it was all in my head.

"I saw things, Gene. The clown, images of my daughter, the barrel of a gun… Some days I thought I had traveled back in time. I wish that it had been that simple. I fought so hard, trying to figure out how to get back. I heard the doctors talking to me, the hospital monitors beeping. But then, when I woke up, I heard you, Gene, talking to me in another hospital bed.

"Honestly? There are still a lot of things I don't understand and I probably never will. Big questions constantly looping through my mind making me feel like my head's about to explode. But, the most perplexing of all? How did I come to fall for a man like Gene Hunt?"

At this point, Gene felt like his heart was going to burst through his chest. This was the real Alex Drake; she was baring her soul to him, knowing that it could be her only opportunity to do so.

"You caused me so much heartache, Gene. I was fighting to get back to my daughter but was terrified by the prospect of leaving you behind. So many times when we were alone together, I wanted to tell you how I felt, but I knew that it would make things so much more difficult for both of us. I never thought that you would find out the truth about me and keeping it from you killed me. There were times when I was sure that you were about to make your move, but you never did.

"I didn't know how long we would have together and the logic voice inside of me told me that it meant that I couldn't tell you that I loved you. You were either a dream, or someone who lived in a different time; clear signs that a relationship would be impossible. Now that I know how real all of this is, I realize that my feelings were legitimate and our chances had increased from none to slim."

At this point, Alex turned to face Gene and was met by a face of empathy, silently telling her that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"I can't have my old life back. I can't have my daughter back. I'm grieving but it's tinged with relief as I don't have to fight anymore. I've lost so much already, Gene. Please don't make me lose you too. The impossible dream of staying here with you is tangible now. One wish coming true is a hell of a lot better than having everything ripped away."

Alex turned back to look out of the window, noticing the sky had become overcast making the room darken in the absence of the moonlight. She saw Gene's reflection move towards her and she jumped as his arms slid around her waist. He had bent down slightly in order to rest his head on her shoulder. They both gazed out at the city, lost in the moment; lost in the warmth of the other body.

"Say something, Gene. Tell me what's going on inside that head of yours."

"I'm thinking about all of the time I've wasted not telling you how you make me feel, now that I know that you've felt the same way all along. I'm thinking about the time in Luigi's when you asked me, if I could do anything, what would I do. You leant in, ready for the kill, and I took the bloody moral high ground, saying how drunk we were. I'm thinking about the time in the vault, when you snuggled into my chest and looked up at me expectantly, wanting comfort. I'm thinking about all of the times you were screaming at me and it was I could do not to laugh and take you in my arms."

Gene nestled below Alex's hair to kiss her neck. Her entire body shook, an eternity of unspoken emotion between them being broken. Both Alex and Gene accepted the silence, not even wanting to move. It was perfect.