I am so sorry about the lateness of this update, I really wanted to be more regular with this but I just started at a new college and the work just got on top of me. I'll try harder to be more consistent, sorry again!

Enjoy!

"Well team, we've got some bastards to catch."

Alex looked up at her colleague, "Could I speak to you alone Gene?"

"Guv," He corrected her gruffly.

"Guv," She confirmed, slightly bewildered by his sudden hostility; wasn't she 'Drakey' just a moment ago?

The Guv looked her up and down through narrowed eyes, shooing the others away with a flick of his hand, "Chris, take down thighphone man's details – I have a feeling he may be our new colleague, Raymondo go collect the crime reports – see if there're any new scum on the streets. And Shaz-"

"Tea and five sugars, I know Guv," She finished quietly, turning away.

"No," Gene barked defiantly, "Go find that new Skipper, you're g'na need a DC warrant card are you not?"

Shaz's eyes widened and her face broke out into a beautiful smile, "Oh... Thanks Guv!"

The three officers bustled out of the room, congratulating Shazza on her promotion before setting out on their individual tasks. The office seemed very empty without them, an odd atmosphere was settling.

"That was a really good thing you did for Shaz, she really-"

"This whole relationship thing isn't going to work out for us DI Drake."

Alex stood frozen, not daring to look up to Gene's cold expression above her. The way he spat her name almost hurt more than his statement, the evident disgust crumbling away some of her "all is well" façade. Sure their kiss had been last minute, more of a goodbye-last chance thing really, but Alex had not expected such a rejection. Especially one before she'd even breached the topic.

"It's not you it's me, I hope we can still be friends, etcetera etcetera," Gene recited scornfully, with just a hint of that condescension which he knew very well Alex hated.

"What so that's it then?" She snapped, "A female shows you the slightest bit of affection and you run screaming like a twelve year old?"

Gene stood, "You can leave now, DI Drake."

"God, maybe Keats was right; you are forever in the mind-set of a teenager."

As bitingly as Alex spoke she did not move the stone pout on Gene's face.

"Get out of my office, DI Drake."

Alex span on her heels to face the door, however she only made it a couple of steps before she turned again, "Look me in the eye and tell me there's nothing here. Say to my face you don't feel something. Go on!"

The Manc' lion narrowed his eyes, tracing a line up his colleagues body with his eyes before resting just above her head, "If I remember rightly it was you who kissed me, bolls, I just went along for the ride."

"Oh sorry did I miss the part where we had dinner together, danced and then you nearly compromised an investigation because I didn't bloody sleep with you?"

"I was made for a fool, Bolly. I were promised a shag with sexy posh bird and then I were let down. Excuse me for being disappointed."

"So that's all I am to you then? A "sexy posh bird" that won't put out?"

Outside the little bubble Gene and Alex had created for themselves and their quarrels, Shaz sat with her colleagues admiring her shiny new warrant card.

"The Guv and ma'am are at it again," Ray pointed out, pointing the papers in his hands at the door.

Shaz looked up, "I don't know, it seems different than before. More emotional, y'know?"

"All sounds the same t'me, right Chris?"

Chris had a look of a deer caught in the headlights, torn between his lover and not looking like a poofder in front of his homophobic best friend.

"You agree with me, don't you Chris?" Shaz pressed, a hint of danger in her tone.

"Erm well you could say it's er-"

"Normal. Righ'?"

"I-I.."

The slam of a door and the clomping of heels silenced CID immediately.

"Well you can just piss off then."

Alex's acidic tone's aftertaste was all that was left in her wake as she flew out of the office. Every eye was on the Guv, who was scrutinising the door which had closed with an almighty crash behind her. Slowly his snakeskin boots strode towards his three favourite officers, who sunk down in their chairs as he approached.

"Skelton." Gene barked.

The boy in question stuttered to life, "Y-yes Guv?"

"Please send a maintenance bill for the hinges of the door to our esteemed colleague, and also let her know if she leaves this office again during work hours without permission from me I will not hesitate to fire her."

"Right."

And with that Chris scuttled out of the room. He may not be quite the mouse he used to be, but he wasn't stupid enough to mess with the Guv when he was in the mood. Ray on the other hand-

"Women and their hormones, righ' Guv? Bet she came back for more o' the manc lion and you shot'er down, good one."

Both Shaz and Gene's eyes bore into Ray's skull, dimming his macho façade slightly.

"I mean I-"

"Ray please leave your bone headed mysonogonistical-"

"Misogynistic, Guv," Shaz whispered.

"I know what I mean!" He spat, "Mysogo-bollocks in the bin where you found them and get back to work. I might be having a little tiff with lady-bolls right now but that doesn't give you an excuse to disrespect a senior officer!"

Ray looked down at his shoes, scuffing the floor with the toe, "Yes Guv."

"Now then," Ray flinched, anticipating further dressing down, "'av you got those crime reports or not?"

Weeks' worth of crumpled paper from games of paper football found their way onto the floor, followed by half a mug of cold, rank coffee before Ray held out a thick wad of paper enclosed in a stained card folder. Gene grabbed it roughly, flicking through the selection quickly, pouting the whole time.

"Petty thefts, domestics, bloomin' underage drinkin' – none of this is important enough for our time!"

"Well that's all there is, we're on top of the big stuff," Ray retorted, leaning back in his chair.

Simultaneously as Gene turned his back on CID to go back into his office, the double doors revealed a determined Alex trailed by Chris. Gene strode back into the centre of the room, holding back a smug smirk.

"Nice to see you have returned DI Drake, I'd like you to-"

"I did not," Alex grabbed the interview room keys from Gene's pocket, making sure push them into his leg hard before retrieving them, "come back for you."

"Oi! What are you doing with those?" The Guv yelled at her retreating back.

"I am holding my own investigation in light of the witness who has just come forward," She retorted, her voice conveying more of the anger she was feeling than she'd wanted.

Gene followed her with quick heavy steps, "Investigation into what?"

Alex's head whipped around for a moment, "A possible serial killer."

The door to CID slammed in Gene's face.

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