Thanks for the reviews for the first part. Bit of a mega chapter for you now. Oh, and I re-uploaded chapter one to address some minor spelling errors! Thanks again to Gene'sGirl13 for betaing and putting up with my incessant rambling and questioning about this story!

Chapter 2

Previously…

"Who-?" Alex again found herself lost for words and could only point to the child he was holding.

"This is Jamie; me son."

Gene gently laid his son down on the sofa and removed his shoes and coat to make him more comfortable before ushering Alex into to kitchen.

"Y-you have a son?" she asked, finally finding her voice, as Gene closed the door, leaving it open just an inch in case Jamie wanted him. Suddenly things started to click into place in Alex's head; how he'd been so keen to help Reeks with the court hearing about his kids and how good he was with Donny.

"Yeh. It ain't that surprisin'!" he protested, taking his whiskey from Alex.

"Sorry, it's just that you've never said anything about a son."

"No, well...I don't like me private life bein' the subject o' station gossip, so I keep it ter meself. I see 'im when I can and 'e's never wanted fer ewt."

"I'm not suggesting that you're a bad father, Gene."

"That ain't what it sounds like," he huffed.

"I'm sorry. It's just a shock and I'm a little taken aback. How old is he?" Alex asked, eager to change the subject. She was never sure when trying to age a child; some were tall for their age, others behaved like they were younger than they actually were.

"Four...nearly five."

"So he's here for a visit? That's nice-"

"Not exactly, 'e's..." Gene sighed and collapsed into a chair at his kitchen table, taking a swig of his drink. "'E's goin' ter be stayin' wi' me from now on." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, "'Is Mam's dead, Alex."

12 hours earlier...

Gene Hunt stared at his son, now sleeping peacefully in his hospital bed. He could feel his own eyelids beginning to droop but he didn't want to fall asleep; Jamie needed him. He'd been working late at the station alone when the phone call had come to tell him there'd been a car accident and that Jamie was in hospital. He'd dashed out of the station, earning a few strange glances and stares on the way, and fired up the Quattro. He was sure he broke most of the Highway Code in getting to Manchester but he didn't care. All he'd been focussed on was his son.

When he'd arrived he'd been quickly ushered into a side room and informed that his ex-wife had been driving herself and Jamie home from her mother's when they'd been hit at a crossroads by a drunk driver. Thankfully Jamie had escaped with minor cuts and bruises. His ex-wife hadn't been that lucky; she'd borne the brunt of the impact and hadn't survived. Gene had been extremely saddened by the news. Granted, his marriage hadn't exactly ended on the best of terms, but he wasn't made of stone. He had loved the woman once; he'd wished her no ill will. But more than that, he felt for his son who was now without a mother.

The doctor had given him time to take in the news before asking him to sign some forms and taking him to see his son. Jamie had woken up briefly and was chuffed to see his Dad but had soon fallen back to sleep.

Gene was still sat staring at his son when the matron approached,

"Mr Hunt, the doctor is confident that your son can be discharged. You can take him home when he wakes."

"T-take 'im 'ome?" Gene stuttered, panic surging through him. "Me? I ain't got the first clue about raisin' a kid." The matron fixed him with a stern look; she didn't have time for this.

"What exactly did you think was going to happen Mr Hunt?" scolded Matron. "That boy has just lost his mother; he needs you. You're all he has left, God help him!"

Gene looked down at his son once more; his head spinning with the sudden changes in his life. It was barely recognisable. Yesterday he'd been free as a bird, making plans for nothing more than next night's drinking session in Luigi's and thinking up new half-insults to wind Bolly up. Now, here he was. Gene Hunt. 47. Single father of one.

Back to the present...

"Does he know?" Alex asked, "About his mother?" Gene shook his head.

"I didn't know what ter say ter 'im, Bolls. 'E just thinks 'e's stayin' 'ere til she gets better. 'Ow d'yer explain ter a little lad that 'e's never goin ter see 'is Mam again?"

"I...I don't know," Alex answered honestly. "I guess you just have to be sensitive. Whatever you tell him he's not going to fully understand."

"It's all bollocks! I mean, what's 'e done ter deserve all this?" Alex tentatively reached out to touch his arm; she was unsure how he would react to being comforted. Surprisingly he didn't flinch; if anything he seemed calmed by it, accepting what she was offering.

"He's not done anything Gene. It's just one of those things. At least he's still got you."

"Me? Oh , 'oo are yer tryin' ter kid Bolls? 'E'd be better off wi'out me."

"Don't say that!" Alex snapped. "Don't ever say that. I know what it's like to lose both your parents. I would never wish that on anyone!" Gene was slightly taken aback by her outburst; he'd forgotten she'd lost her Mum and Dad at a young age; car crash she'd said.

"I'm sorry Bolls, but I can barely boil an egg; 'ow am I supposed ter take care o' 'im?"

"You'll manage, and I'll be here to help," she promised. He looked up at her and gave her a small smile.

"Thanks," he offered as a yawn overcame him.

"Have you even been to bed today?" she asked concerned.

"No. Why? Yer offerin' ter accompany me?" he teased.

"In your dreams Hunt," she replied with a grin; glad to see a glimmer of his old self returning

"Every night," he threw back. Alex tried to fight the blush appearing on her cheeks and chose not to respond; their teasing could only go so far and they were already both emotionally charged.

"First rule of parenting," she informed him, "sleep when they sleep. Go on, off you go," she urged.

"I can't. What if 'e wakes up?"

"Then I'll be here. You're shattered Gene and Jamie looks like he's probably a bundle of energy when he's awake; you'll need to be able to keep up with him. We'll be fine," she assured. Gene wasn't convinced but suddenly found himself too tired to argue with her.

"Wake me if yer need me," he instructed as he stood up. Alex ushered him to the hallway,

"I will," she promised, "now go on."

Alex spent the next two hours trying to sort out the house; making it feel a bit homier and welcoming for a child. She started in the kitchen, clearing the dirty dishes that had accumulated, before she set about on the cupboards; throwing away out of date food and the like. Being the methodical person that she was, Alex Drake liked lists. So she routed out some paper and began to make some. She started with a food list; trying to remember all the things Molly had liked to eat when she was a little girl, before moving on to a child proofing list. She had a feeling Gene wasn't going to like this one; the first thing on the list was to move his alcohol out of it usual place. Leaving it in an unsecure bottom cupboard wasn't very safe. It wouldn't take much for Jamie to get his hands on it. Once she'd tackled the kitchen, she retrieved Jamie's luggage from the car. It didn't look like Gene had packed much; there were only two small bags. She unpacked them into several piles on the living room floor: trousers, tops, underwear, toys, again making a list of things he might need as she went.

When that was done she returned to the kitchen to make herself a drink and to scope out any possibilities for a nutritious meal. She was kneeling down exploring the freezer when she heard the soft foot falls on the carpet; too soft to be Gene's.

"D-daddy?" a small voice called out. Alex stood up slowly, for she'd been obscured by the freezer door and didn't want to frighten the little boy.

"Hello," she said with a smile. "My name's Alex. I'm a friend of your Dad's," she explained.

"Where is Daddy?" Jamie asked sleepily

"He's upstairs taking a nap. Just like you were. Would you like a drink?" Jamie nodded and sat down at the table. Alex managed to find a bottle of lemonade in one of the cupboards so poured Jamie a glass, before joining him with her cup of tea. The two of them sat staring at their drinks for a few moments; neither knowing what to say. Alex was beginning to think that the silence would never end and wracked her brain trying to come up with a conversation starter. In the end it was Jamie who spoke first.

"I ain't bin ter Daddy's 'ouse before," he stated, his Mancunian accent shining through. "D'yer know if 'e's got any toys?" Alex smiled at the little boy, oblivious to the major changes taking place in his life. She longed for the days when all she had to worry about was what she was going to play with next.

"Your Daddy brought some toys for you from your other house. They're in the living room." Alex picked her words carefully; avoiding mentioning his mother. On hearing that there were in fact some things to play with, Jamie gulped down his lemonade and jumped off the chair,

"Did 'e bring my cars?"

"I think so," Alex said, trying to recall exactly what was in the bag. "Why don't you go and have a look?" Jamie raced into the other room, Alex had been right; he did have a lot of energy.

"They are here!" he called to her. "Come on Alex. We can play races."

Several races later, Alex decided it was time to wake Gene; it was nearing half past five and Jamie would be getting hungry soon. Leaving the young boy playing, she made Gene a brew and took it up to him. She'd never been upstairs on her previous visits, let alone in his bedroom and she began to feel nervous as she knocked lightly on his door. All she got in response was a snore so she entered quietly. Placing his tea on the bedside cabinet she couldn't help but stare at him; he looked so peaceful, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Alex hated the thought of waking him and dragging him back into this nightmare but she knew she had no choice; Jamie needed to see him.

"Gene," she called lightly, but he just grunted and rolled over onto his side, facing away from her. She tried again, this time shaking his shoulder gently, "Gene!" That had the desired effect. His eyes shot open. Alex apologised immediately, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"S'alright," he told her with a smirk, "S'not every day I wake up next ter a gorgeous bird." The events of the previous 24 hours came flooding back to him and he suddenly became serious, "Everythin' okay?"

"Jamie's awake," she informed him. "He's fine. He's playing with his toys," Gene threw her a confused look; "I brought his stuff in from the car," she explained. Gene gave her a nod of appreciation. "He's quite the little charmer," Alex told him.

"Takes after 'is ol' man."

"Really? I've seen no evidence of this," she chuckled, enjoying the banter between them; things almost seemed normal.

"Cheeky mare!" he countered, trying to hide his smile. "'As 'e asked about 'is Mam?"

"No; not even mentioned her. He was too busy worrying about not having any toys."

"Well thank goodness fer small mercies. Let 'im 'ave a few more 'ours o' ignorance." Alex nodded; knowing from personal experience how devastating the news was going to be for him.

"I was going to make a start on dinner. Is there anything that Jamie particularly likes? Or dislikes?"

"I don't know Bolls," Gene admitted, sighing sadly as he ran a hand through his hair. Alex gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I'll sort it. Why don't you take a shower before we eat," she suggested. To her surprise Gene didn't argue and headed straight for the bathroom, leaving her to tackle the food.

After a quick consultation with Jamie she discovered that his favourite food was fish fingers, but as there weren't any in the freezer they settled on burgers, chips and beans – without the bread buns. Either she or Gene would have to go shopping tomorrow. Jamie brought his colouring book to the table and began to colour a picture of a dog,

"I like dogs," he told Alex as she was dishing up. "Do yer think Daddy would get me one?"

"Not likely," Gene announced gruffly as he entered the kitchen, "dirty, smelly-"

"Daddy!" cried Jamie running to meet him, cutting Gene's rant short. Gene bent down, picked him up and gave him a big squeeze,

"'Ey up there mate. Yer alright?"

"Yeh, Alex 'as bin playin' wi' me!" he declared.

"Oh yeh?"

"Yeh, we played cars. She ain't as good as yer though!"

"No surprise there, kid," he replied, shooting a smirk in Alex's direction as he set Jamie down on his chair and ruffled his hair. Alex could see that, despite his own anxieties about being a parent, Gene was a good father; he loved his son and Jamie obviously idolised him. That strong relationship was the most important thing; everything else, the cooking, the cleaning, could come second.

Dinner was going well, Jamie was chatting away to them both without a care in the world. There was a moment when Gene even let himself think that there wasn't much to this parenting lark; keep them fed and watered and it'd all be fine. But he thought too soon; this was the calm before the storm. He supposed he should have seen it coming; things were never this easy for him. Jamie was telling Alex about his friends from school when it all came crashing down. It wasn't his fault though; he didn't know that upon asking his next question his life was never going to be the same again.