Til Death Do Us Part
Chapter 2
Gene sat scowling at his desk, wondering how on Earth he had managed to take an already messy situation and make it infinitely worse. He thought over his actions from the previous evening, and still couldn't fathom out what had possessed him to act the way he had. He wanted Alex almost from the first moment he had laid eyes on her, there was no denying that, but he had managed to keep his desires in check. However tempted he might have been at times, he had always stepped back before things went over the line. He couldn't blame the drink, because he'd drunk twice as much as he had last night many times in the past, and still been the right side of pissed afterwards. He had to acknowledge that he had been feeling increasingly desperate about holding on to her lately, what with coming so close to losing her after the shooting. He had feared that she wouldn't want to come back to his team, and he'd been more relieved and grateful than he had ever been before, when she did come back. Now he'd ruined everything. The sex had been amazing, and he couldn't help but feel ripples of arousal as his mind filled with images of Alex, naked and writhing beneath him, but it shouldn't have happened, not like that. Now it seemed he had monumentally blown it, because she was the one woman, the only woman, who had ever affected him so deeply. Is this what love felt like? He shuddered and shook his head as he wondered when he had turned into such a softy.
In his reflective state, Gene had missed Alex's entrance, and as he stared absentmindedly out of his office window, he was jolted out of his private agonies by the sight of her sitting at her desk. She was determined not to show any outward signs of the turmoil she felt inside. She had briefly considered calling in sick to avoid the awkwardness with Gene, but knew it would do no good in the long run. Alex found she had slept surprisingly well, after collapsing on the bed following Gene's abrupt departure, there were no bad dreams and she awoke feeling refreshed. It was only when she felt the wet stickiness between her legs and noticed the dark bruising around her shoulders, that the full impact of what had transpired between herself and Gene the previous night, hit her. If it were not for the physical evidence, Alex could have believed that it was just another of her fevered dreams. It wouldn't have been the first time that she had imagined him finally throwing caution to the wind and claiming her as his own. She had to admit to herself that she had wanted it to happen and that was why she couldn't ask him to stop, even though the timing felt wrong. She sat with her head bowed at her desk, not daring to look up for fear that she might meet his eye, and instead pretending to be engrossed in a file just in case he should be glancing in her direction.
Ray mooched in and immediately fell into conversation with his male colleagues, as they discussed the arrangements for Chris's stag do that night. Alex rolled her eyes as she heard talk of strippers and heavy drinking, it didn't surprise her in the least that he had planned such an evening for his friend. Then Chris and Shaz walked in as Ray led the others in a chorus of I'm Getting Married in the Morning.
"Give over will yer," the groom-to-be said looking embarrassed.
"Aww, I think it's sweet," Shaz said smiling.
"Not getting cold feet are we?" Ray goaded Chris.
"Course not," he snapped as he sat down and tried to look like he was busying himself with the papers scattered on his desk.
"Alright, keep yer hair on. What's up wi you this morning? Been practising too hard for your wedding night, have yer?" Ray sneered.
"Leave it will yer," Chris said sharply as he got up to go into the kitchen.
"It's just pre-wedding nerves, that's all," Shaz said with a reassuring smile.
Alex was worried that there was more to it than that, and wondered if she should go after him. Gene suddenly came bounding out of his office and she cringed, as she thought of herself daring to advise Chris on anything after the mess she had gotten herself into.
"Super wants a word, don't know how long I'll be," Gene said to no one in particular, and all the time avoiding looking in Alex's direction as he swept out of the office.
Alex couldn't deny that she was relieved at his departure, but she knew it would be short lived and they would have to face each other at some point. She didn't quite know how to feel about him either; she knew it was fear that had made him flee last night. She had seen the same look in his eyes after Trevor Riley's thugs had given him a beating; it was a fear of losing control and of being powerless, something she knew Gene hated. He also had a similar expression after he had accidentally shot her, that look was embedded in her mind. However, when she thought of him making love to her she couldn't help feeling aroused, it was all she had imagined and more, the way he felt inside her was making her shiver with excitement as she brought it to mind. She was angry at his cowardice though, when it came to confronting his feelings, but she was pretty sure that hadn't intentionally set out to hurt her. Although she had told him that he wouldn't be getting another invitation to share her bed, she knew she hadn't meant it, and if she could get him to be honest with her, and more importantly himself, about the way he felt, then maybe they had a chance. Alex decided that she would make it easy for him, just not too easy.
The day wore on uneventfully, with Chris still seeming quiet and distracted. Alex had tried to chat to the groom-to-be a few times, but he had brushed off her concerns and agreed with Shaz's earlier assessment that it was just pre-wedding jitters. Gene had succeeded in avoiding any contact with Alex for most of the day, his meeting with the Super had gone on all morning and it was the one time that he was grateful for it, even if his mind was elsewhere throughout. Then he had slipped out for a long lunch with some fellow senior officers, it was almost 2 pm when Alex finally caught sight of him disappearing into the gents toilets. She spotted DC Collins coming out of the door and accosted him before he could get away.
"Jimmy, have you seen the Guv?" She asked knowing full well that he had.
"Yes Ma'am, he's just gone in," he confirmed.
"Anyone else in there?" Alex asked casually.
"Err, no," replied a puzzled Collins.
Alex merely responded with an innocent smile as DC Collins made his way back to CID. He turned to look back down the corridor only to find it empty, she had disappeared inside the gents. Gene hadn't really needed to use the facilities; he was just trying to find a way of killing more time before he had to go back into the office. He had gone into one of the empty cubicles and sat down, deep in thought until a voice coming from directly above him made him jump.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to avoid me," Alex said.
She peered through the narrow gap at the top of the cubicle, and tried to adopt a serious tone, despite the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Bloody Hell, Bols. If I was trying to avoid you I'd be daft to hide out in here, wouldn't I? You're in here more than I am. I'd think we had another George/Gaynor situation on our hands, if I didn't know better," he said in his usual boorish manner.
"Yes, well, speaking of knowing better, we are both grown-ups, aren't we? So we had sex, we've still got to work together. It's not like every time I see you I'll be picturing you naked, or imagining you bending me over your desk, or anything," she said trying to maintain her serious façade but barely managing to suppress her amusement.
"Well I'm glad you think it's so funny," He said angrily.
He was hurt by her flippantness and failed to find any humour in the situation.
"Oh, Gene, you were the one who couldn't get away fast enough afterwards. Was it really that bad?" She asked knowing full well that wasn't the reason he had fled.
"It wasn't that, I just, bloody Hell woman, shouldn't you be doing some work or something, instead of giving ruddy psychiatry sessions in gent's toilet cubicles?" He growled with increasing irritation as he grew more and more flustered.
"Let me in?" Alex appealed.
"There you go again with your psycho-twattery!" Gene snapped as he misunderstood her.
"No, I mean let me into your cubicle." She explained with a smile.
"What if someone comes in? How'll it look?" He questioned.
"Whereas, me talking to you over the top of a toilet cubicle is an everyday occurrence." Alex said trying to point out the ridiculousness of their current state.
"Come on then." He said, reluctantly getting up.
She jumped down off the toilet seat and moved past him, and she squeezed in as close to him as possible, so that she could close the door behind her.
"And they say romance is dead," Alex laughed as Gene hesitantly moved to kiss her.
He brought his lips tentatively against hers at first, but as he drew back she smiled and pulled him closer. They deepened the kiss, their tongues hungrily exploring each other's mouths, as their hands began to roam.
"I was so sure I'd buggered things up between us," he said as they paused to catch their breath.
"Well luckily for you, with my knowledge of psycho-twattery, I could see what was really going on with you when you ran out last night," Alex said knowingly.
"Alright, Clever Knickers, it's just the way you make me feel, I dunno, I'm no good at putting it into words," Gene said falteringly.
"It's alright, I know," she said as she moved to kiss him again.
"So, about me bending you over my desk?" He said playfully.
They both collapsed into giggles, just then they heard someone enter the toilets, and Alex quickly crouched onto the toilet seat so as to conceal her presence from any prying eyes. She had to bury her face against Gene's chest to stifle her laughter as they could both hear the distinctive sound of Ray humming along to a Culture Club song as he emptied his bladder. Gene had to pretend he was coughing to mask his sniggering, and so alerted Ray to his presence.
"Is that you, Guv? I wondered where you'd got to," Carling said.
"I'll be out in a minute, Raymondo, everything alright?" Gene replied.
"Yer, I suppose, Chris has got a right strop on though, oh, and Drake's vanished, you haven't seen her, have you?" He asked.
"Have I seen DI Drake? Nope, don't think so." The Guv lied as Alex pushed her face closer against his chest to stop her giggles being overheard, but a small squeak escaped.
"What was that?" Ray asked with suspicion as he heard the strange noises coming from the cubicle.
"Just me shitting coal blocks. Now, get back to work." Gene snapped sharply, and as they heard Carling leaving, they both collapsed into laughter again.
Later that evening, they were all gathered in Luigi's sharing one last drink before the lads went off to indulge in Chris's stag do shenanigans. Shaz had decided against a hen night, opting instead for a few drinks with Alex before heading home for a family meal. Chris was still looking a little bit pensive, but he was already well on his way to being drunk and the rest of the gang were lining up his drinks.
"Don't overdo it, baby," Shaz fretted as her fiancé knocked back another pint.
"Blimey, she's started the nagging already," Ray said mockingly as he ordered Luigi to refill the glass.
"Keep an eye on him, will you? He's been a bit out of sorts today," Alex said quietly to Gene as she was still very concerned about Chris.
"Course he's out of sorts, he's about to get wed," Gene said with exasperation.
Alex rolled her eyes.
"I hope you're going to behave yourself as well," she said as she threw him a suspicious look.
"Yes Boss," he said raising his eyebrows with a wicked grin.
"I can't say that I approve of an evening, spent ogling naked women, but I suppose it is traditional, sort of, for a stag do I mean," she said resignedly.
"Don't worry, there's only one naked woman I want to be ogling." Gene said as he winked at her.
She knew that her feminist sensibilities should be outraged by his comments, but instead she found herself blushing and giggling like a school girl.
"Thanks, I think," she said confused over what she should feel, but then Gene often had that effect on her.
"How's about I slip away early, and come back here to tuck you into bed?" He said with a mischievous grin.
"Yes, but only if you promise to stay the night this time," Alex said.
"Oh, okay, but you'd better not snore," Gene huffed with mock indignation.
Shaz and Chris enjoyed one last kiss before he was dragged away by Ray. She and Alex waved the boys off as they settled down for one last drink together, before the bride-to-be left for home.
"I can't believe it's finally happening, this time tomorrow, I'll be Mrs Skelton." She beamed with contentment.
"I'm so happy for you, Shaz." Alex said, taking her hand and gently squeezing it.
"You seem a lot brighter today, Ma'am." The WPC said noting the twinkle in her friend's eyes.
Alex blushed involuntarily as she thought about everything that had happened with Gene since they had last been sat together in Luigi's.
"Yes, well, I took your advice, I cleared the air with the Guv, and it's all good," she said with a smile.
"That's great," Shaz said awkwardly, as she suspected her DI and DCI had been doing more than just talking.
They sipped the last of their drinks and Luigi came over to wish the bride-to-be well for her big day. She got up to embrace him as she said her goodbyes, and then Alex walked outside with her.
"Well that's it then, I'll see you at the church tomorrow," she said as she affectionately hugged Shaz.
"Are you sure you won't come with me? Mum wouldn't mind setting an extra place for dinner," her friend asked hopefully.
"No, thanks, you go and be with your family, anyway I've got plans tonight." Alex said.
"Oh right," Shaz said knowingly, as she recalled how her DI and DCI had been whispering conspiratorially earlier.
"Good night Sharon Granger," Alex said purposefully with a smile.
"Night Ma'am," she replied with happy tears in her eyes, as she thought it would be one of the last times that she would ever hear anyone call her by that name.