Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews I fully appreciate it. Well as promised here is the next chapter and we have a bit of a confrontation between Gene and Alex plus a few bonding scenes between Gene and his kids in the next chapter but beware, it is not going to go so smoothly, especially where Gene Jr. is concerned.

Cuts both ways

"My office Alex" spoke Gene

"But...I need to..."

"Now Alex that is an order" rebuffed Gene and with that he turned on his heel and stalked off down the corridor.

Alex sighed deeply to herself, she felt herself shake with nerves as the team stared at her with open mouths and wide eyes.

"I am so, so sorry Alex, I never meant for any of this to happen" said Melody.

Alex just calmly grasped her hand and squeezed it, a reassuring smile on her face.

"It's not your fault, timing just wasn't right and accidents happen, I couldn't have prevented this from happening. At least it is all out in the open now. Just do me a favour and look after the kids for me" said Alex

"Sure Lexi."

It was then that Ray, Chris and Shaz approached Alex all wearing shocked looks and sympathetic smiles on their faces.

"So it is true then, Gene is the father?" asked Ray.

Alex just nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Shaz.

"Don't take it personally, it was just a lot to take in and I didn't have the heart to intrude on your lives, you deserve more than just some posh gobby knocked up tart coming to you with her personal problems" sighed Alex.

"Don't be stupid Guv, we would have supported you all the way and you are not a tart, you're a great copper" asserted Chris.

"Chris is right Guv, you're a pain in the arse but you're our pain the arse and I will jump off bloody tower bridge for you, you are the reason I am a DI today and I am dating a fantastic bird and its all down to you" said Ray.

"Wow, you have changed a lot ray" smiled Alex.

"Gene was wrong to treat you the way he did during and after Operation Rose, you deserve better ma'am" piped up Shaz

"Thanks you guys you're support means to world to me" sighed Alex

"DRAKE!"

"I better go; could you look after these two?

"Yes, sure Guv, we'll stay, I was going out to dinner any way with Melody, we might make a night of it" offered Ray

"I would like that Ray...if I come out alive that is" joked Alex

DRAKE IN HERE NOW OTHERWISE I WILL DRAG YOU IN THE OFFICE BY YOUR KNICKER ELASTIC!"

Alex sighed in despair once more and with a reassuring smile that didn't convince many people she went into the lion's den. She shuffled inside Gene's office where Gene was waiting for her with the door wide open, once she was inside Gene slammed the door behind her before stalking over to his desk and glared at Alex while Alex had her head slightly bowed, eyes averted to the floor trying desperately and failing to control the shakes.

"Look at me Drake."

When Alex refused to Gene advanced on her, grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes, rage and hurt radiating through his body and face but controlled himself. He despised men who used women as punching bags and he wasn't going to do the same to Alex even if she did deserve it for doing what she did to him. First she lied to him, then she humiliated him, then she left him alone and miserable with no respect from his team and now she swans back into his life just when he has finally started to pick up the pieces with the news that he was the father of her two kids, whom she had kept from him for nearly over 6 years. It was a lot for him to take and he felt like lashing out at her but kept himself in check he didn't want to scare her off, he didn't want to lose her, or the opportunity to see and get to know HIS children,

"I said look at me Drake."

Alex stared into his eyes, her orbed hazel eyes were widened in fear and she started to physical tremble, the effect that that man had on her and her body was enormous. She really thought that he was going to hit her and so she braced herself for it even though her heart told her that Gene wasn't that sort of man.

Gene, having now caught her attention let go of her chin and walked to the opposite of his office, hands in hair as he grunted in frustration.

You knew about this and you didn't think to tell me that I was a father?" Demanded Gene.

"I didn't know until a few days after I came to the States!"

"Bullshit Alex! Don't lie to me; I know that you are lying to me, you have known for a while. Remember the days before you left for the states? You were always sick and vomiting in the bathroom. For Christ sakes Alex, I might not be the brightest of light bulbs in the house but I do know when a bird is knocked up. You, Alex, just said that to convince them so it will make you look good in their eyes and make me the bad guy AGAIN! Shouted Gene as he stabbed her in the chest with his finger as he made that statement.

Alex quickly grabbed hold of his hand and grasped in so tightly that Gene thought his bones was going to snap.

"DON'T YOU DARE ACCUSE ME OF SUCH A THING! THAT WAS ALL YOU! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO ACCUSED ME ON FALSE EVIDENCE OF CORRUPTION! YOU USED MY OEN DAUGHTER AGAINST ME! YOU SLEPT WITH A COMMON SLAPPER WHO QUESTIONED MY INTERGITY, YOU SUSPENDED ME AND THEN YOU MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL OVER THE DAYS AND WEEKS AFTERWARDS JUST BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T HANDLE THE FACT THAT I WAS RIGHT AND YOU WERE WRONG! AND FOR THE RECORD, I THOUGHT I WAS SICK, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I WAS PREGNENT UNTIL I CAME TO THE STATES AND MELODY BROUGHT UP THE POSSIBLITY AFTER I TOLD HER THAT WE SLEPT TOGETHER!" screeched Alex at the top her voice, her genuine fury and hurt showing through emotionally and physically.

"And you expect me to believe that? After that freak story you told me about being from the future? I asked you for the truth and you pissed in my face!

"Doesn't give you the right to suspend me based on a tape."

"You knew more details about the blag, how was I suppose to know that you weren't corrupt?"

"Did I give you any reason at all in the past or is it because of your little ego?

"This is not about ego Alex and you damn right know it."

"Well tell me Gene! What is this all about? I want to know!"

"You kept me away from my own children. I had the right to know and you took that away from me!"

"Parenthood, Gene, is not a right, it is a privilege. Besides why would you care? Huh? You were going through the greater book of London with the amount of busty blonde bimbos that were half your age that you were flaunting in my face in Luigis. Plus there was the blantant flirting, the sniping the drinking, the smoking, the insults...the list goes on and on. How can ANY mother even contemplate on handing over such a huge responsibility to someone when that person didn't give a shit about the woman who is carrying the kids! What kind of father is that? That isn't a father Gene, those were the acts of a foul mouthed, over- the hill, nicotine stained, boarder-line alcoholic womaniser who doesn't deserve the right to see his kids! And I will be damned if I let you hurt my children. You questioned my abilities as a mother well guess what buster, those happy, successful and healthy kids were all down to ME GENE, NOT YOU, ME! Argued Alex.

Gene stood there, stunned, angry and hurt, she was right, he was an arsehole to her but that didn't stop him from landing the next blow which took Alex out for six.

"Fine, keep those bastard children of yours, they mean nothing to me or you."

The next thing he felt was a his nose cracking and his gut aching and himself sprawled on the floor with a furious Alex Drake standing over him breathing heavily while tendering to her knuckles, tears in her eyes.

"Don't you dare Gene! Don't you even go there! You can attack me in whatever form you like but don 't... don't...you even think about dragging the kids into it! They did nothing wrong! It wasn't their fault that I was dumb enough to ever have been in love with you and then even dumber enough to sleep with you! But I don't regret them, Eugene and Violet are my pride and joy! You cannot stop me or my children from doing what we want to do in life, I am a fighter Gene, I have fought all my life and your childish school boy antics is not going to stop me from cracking this case. You will not stop me. But at least you settled one matter, you have made it quite clear how you feel about your own kids so maybe you should keep away from them. I don't want you to hurt my children, your son is already starting to hate you anyway but it is your daughter who wants to get to know her daddy and I will not stand by and let you break her heart! Damn it Gene I won't let it!"

Alex turned on her heel and was about to open the door when Gene got up, grabbed her by the arm, spun her around and pulled her to him. Alex struggled in his grasp, managing to free herself and once again slapped him across the face in pure frustration, hurt and anger that had been bottled up inside her for so long. She staggered back to the door, breathing heavily while Gene stood there nursing his sore face and wincing from that last punch she gave him in the guts.

"Why are you doing this Alex?"

"Don't start that on me. Your manipulating games and baby blues will not work on me this time. You have made it quite clear how you feel and as a mother I will protect my little ones."

"Just like you were there for your other daughter, the one you don't talk about?"

SLAP

Gene again felt himself getting knocked backwards by Alex, his face stinging in pain. This was going to show in the morning.

"Don't even try that on me Gene. You have no right to comment on that when you know nothing about Molly or about the relationship. Just because I don't talk about it, doesn't mean I don't think about my little girl every day or miss her" said Alex, tears now streaming down her cheeks, her voice tired and wobbly.

"What do we do now? Where do I stand?" asked Gene, desperate to change the subject.

"You are nothing to me now Gene. We are just colleagues. You are my Super and I am your DCI. We spent one night together and we have two kids together, that is all. Nothing more nothing less. We will keep this relationship strictly professional. I can't believe I am going to say this but I will give you this opening. If you want you can see the kids but only if I approve of the time and place and if you don't want to see them then fine. Your choice, at least I can rest my guilty conscience knowing that I have tried." said a teary Alex, her voice weak and emotionally strained from their fight.

That last declaration shattered Gene's heart as he watched Alex open the door and ran out of the room and out of the corridor without a second glance at him.

Melody, Ray, Chris, Shaz, Miranda, Emma, Eugene and Violet were all waiting for Alex outside the station. All were planning a big welcome home gathering until they saw Alex run out of the station in tears and locked herself in the car. All of them shared a look of concern as they rushed over to her.

"Come on Alex, open the door up." Pleaded Melody.

"Stupid Gene, why did he have to go and hurt her AGAIN! Asked Ray.

"Mummy, mummy, why are you sad?" asked Violet.

"Told you, daddy hurt her and now she is crying, I knew it was too good to be true" snarled Eugene.

"He didn't!" yelled Violet.

"Look at mummy sis, how did he not hurt her!" yelled Eugene.

"He didn't, I know it" quietly rebuffed Violet.

"Alright that is quite enough you two, right now your mummy is upset, don't make it worse for her." Said Emma.

Both nodded their silence interrupted as Alex opened the door once more and grabbed her kids and pulled them into a tight embrace while tears started to flow down her cheeks as she sobbed in despair into her kid's hair. Ray, Chris, Shaz, Melody, Emma and Miranda, seeing how the fight with Gene badly affected her took matters into their own hands.

"Alright, going out to dinner is not an option, not when the ma'am is like this." Said Ray.

"You're right dear, how about we all head to Alex's place and have a meal in and swap stories, it might help" Suggested Melody.

"You're right Mel, you and I will take Alex and the kids. Shaz, Chris, Miranda and Emma will follow, capishe?" asked ray.

"Sounds good mate" replied Chris.

"Anything to make the ma'am feel better." Said Shaz.

Melody and Ray helped Alex and the kids into the backseat before starting up the car and driving off followed by Chris and Shaz in their car.

Alex hugged the kids closer to her, another batch of tears flowing freely down her cheeks while her body shuddered in pain while Eugene and Violet silentlyclutched on to their mother and bitterly sniffed their own tears back. All of them hurting.

Gene, meanwhile, who had watched the whole scene take place from his office balcony let out a primal roar of pain as he threw his scotch tumbler that he was holding at the wall of the inside of his office, the glass smashing into a million pieces...a deed that mirrored his own heart's actions.

Wow, that was very tense for me to write, I apologise if that was a bit too much but I feel that these feelings have been bottled up for so long that it was bound to explode. I hope to get the next chapter up soon.