"No." She gasped, placing the boy she'd nearly dropped on the floor, who ran off towards the sounds coming from a television. "No…it's not…possible." She breathed. "I'm going mad!" Shaz was getting close to hysterical now.

"Shaz…Shaz you're not going mad, we really are here!" Alex held her hands out tentatively, trying to calm their old friend down.

"But you haven't aged at all!"

Alex looked apologetic, while Gene rolled his eyes.

"Who's at the door, Mam?" A girl's voice came from the doorway the boy had just run through.

Shaz gulped. "Carly, get out here!"

A girl aged about thirteen appeared into view, dragging her feet, and her hands were in her pockets. She was the spit of Chris.

"Mum? Who are they?" Carly whispered to her Mum, looking awkward.

"Y-you can see them too?" Shaz stammered.

The girl stared at her mother. "Erm…duh?" Carly walked back through the doorway, leaving Alex and Gene still on the doorstep with Shaz seemingly reassured of her sanity.

"I…I suppose you'd better come in then." She stuttered.

Shaz may have aged, but she was still the beautiful young woman she'd always been- even Gene noticed as he walked past her into the grand home he knew pretty well, having been invited to maybe a function at Chris' parents' house back in the day. Her hair was longer than it used to be, but as straight as it ever was. Her pale complexion may have had a few lines added to it, but the make up she wore de-aged her. The crows feet at the corners of her eyes weren't deep-set, causing Alex to think they were only a fairly recent addition. Shaz dressed well, her clothes clearly weren't cheap, but somehow, without looking glamorous, she looked pretty. She looked young. She looked as if it could only have been ten years since they last met; she looked like the lady of the manor.

***

"We've got eight kids now." Shaz explained pointing around the room she'd shown Alex and Gene into at the photos on the dining room walls. It was a large room, with a grand oak table across which Shaz had been sharing bits of the past with Alex and Gene.

"Gene's twenty-,"

Alex choked on her tea. "Gene?!" She asked, wide-eyed. Gene scowled at her.

Shaz blushed. "Alex, our eldest is eighteen."

"You named your kids…after us?!" Alex was surprised to say the least- and very touched.

"Well…yeah. We couldn't 'ave you as godparents, what with you being dead." She glowered.

This was a side to the pair had never seen of Shaz before. Angry Shaz, tough Shaz; though Alex supposed motherhood may have hardened her- eight children?!

Shaz sighed, but carried on as if nothing had happened.

"Gene, Alex and Sam are at university now. Lucy and Ben are doing their GCSEs next summer, Carly's ten, Anna's six and Robbie's four." Shaz smiled fondly. "Who was your favourite?" She asked Alex suddenly.

Alex stared at Shaz in confusion. "…of your children?"

"No, Ma'am! Of Take That! Robbie was always mine…"

"Oh. Erm, Mark, I guess…"

Gene looked bemused, but said nothing. In fact, he was pretty quiet for his normal self. Shaz seemed to notice his expression.

"No, I didn't 'ave you down as a Take That fan, Guv."

Gene winced slightly at the use of his old name. The name no one had called him in 2008 yet.

"I'm not your Guv, Shaz." He responded, sighing sadly.

Shaz looked into the man's eyes.

"You were always the Guv, Guv- even after…"

Shaz trailed off, her cheeks colouring but her mood visibly darkening.

"Shaz?" Alex asked tentatively. "What happened? You know…after…"

Shaz frowned. "They didn't tell you?"

The first thing Alex and Gene had explained to Shaz was the Witness Protection story, how they'd been in hiding from Shipman and any friends he may have had, and how now that Shipman was dead, they could go back to their old lives.

"No, we weren't told much. Just that we had to lie low, use our new names, new bank accounts, stay away from anything that connected us to who were really were."

"New names?" Shaz asked, curious as to what their new lives had been made of.

"Ray and Caroline Green." Alex answered.

Shaz looked up from the dregs of her tea. "As in, Ray Green and Caroline Green?"

Alex blushed. "Yeah."

"As in…you're married?" Shaz stared incredulously from Alex to Gene and back again.

Gene frowned indignantly. "What's so unbelievable about that?"

Shaz thought for a moment, not seeming to realise she might have offended Gene. It actually amused Alex how much she had offended Gene.

"We always thought you'd make a lovely couple," Shaz told them, smiling serenely. "We just never thought you'd get together. 'Course, after the reception…" Shaz raised her eyebrows meaningfully at Alex, who knew she was referring to Alex giggling as Gene led her upstairs to the flat above Luigi's. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. "Have you got any children?" Shaz asked.

Alex cleared her throat. "No, just my Molly."

Shaz looked up. "Oh I'd forgotten about your daughter, Ma'am…how old is she now?"

"Thirtee-,"Gene tried to answer.

"…thirty-nine!" Alex interrupted. "She-she's thirty nine now." And she gave Gene an apologetic look. He'd forgotten about the twenty six years.

"I s'pose you're a bit past it for kids now though, Ma'am?" Shaz asked politely enough- in fact the edge on her voice made Alex choke on her tea again.

In fact, when it came to her, Alex forgot about the age difference. Shaz thought Alex must be fifty-seven…Gene must be seventy-two…no wonder people had problems with the un-aging thing.

"Erm…yeah." Alex avoided whatever look Gene was about to give her. Sarcasm would reduce her to giggles, whereas disgust at talking about "women's stuff" would force an involuntary quip from her. When it was impossible to win either way, it was probably best just not to look.

"So…?" Gene asked. The conversation had been sidetracked until Shaz had forgotten about Alex's original question.

"So what, Guv?"

"So what happened? After we were…sent away?"

Shaz tensed up. "'Nother cuppa, Guv? Ma'am?"

Quickly she stood up, took their cups from them and bustled into the kitchen. Alex and Gene exchanged worried looks.

"What the 'ell was that about?" Gene hissed, checking out of the door to see if Shaz was coming back anytime soon.

Alex frowned. "I don't know. But whatever happened, it wasn't good. She's hiding something. I just don't know what it is."

"I think we should drop it."

Alex looked at Gene in shock. "What? Wh-what?!"

"Drop it like it's hot shit. Whatever it is there's too much happened. It's unfair to make her drag it up again."

The one time Alex didn't need Gene to be sensitive- the one time she actually needed his help in persistence, he cared too much. How much did Alex care? Did she care more for her old friend, or for finding a way back for Gene…what mattered more?

She stared defiantly into his brilliant blue eyes.

"No."

Gene snarled. "Bolly…"

"Don't take that tone with me, Hunt. I'm not your DI anymore, remember?"

Gene winced as if she'd physically slapped him. The words had been out of her mouth before she'd had time to control them, and she'd forgotten that this world was practically a kick in the teeth for Gene. He had no power. He had no authority. He was normal, not anyone for anybody to look up to, to fear or to loathe. He was an average man, with an average life, enough money to keep him going for the rest of his life, and nothing to define him as the man he used to be.

"I'm sorry." Alex whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from his. She could see the momentary lapse in his hardened stare, and she pushed through it, breaking down the boundary. "But if you want to find out what happened, we need to know everything. If you want to go back, we need to know."

The lines on Gene's forehead twitched. "If I want to go back? What about you?"

Alex flinched, ripping the eye contact away faster than she meant to. It had the same effect as ripping a plaster from the tenderest piece of skin. "Let's not do this here." She muttered, staring hard at the table and hoping the tears she could feel forming wouldn't fall from her eyes.

"Here you go, Ma'am." Shaz placed a new steaming mug of tea in front of Alex, then one in front of Gene before sitting down again. "What were we talking about?"

"What hap-,"

"Drop it." Gene growled. "Where's Chris, Shaz?"

"Work." She smiled and looked at the clock on the wall. "He won't be home for another couple of hours, but I hope you'll stick around." She smiled.

"Shaz-,"

"You are still Shaz, aren't you?" Gene asked, cutting off Alex as she began to probe Shaz for information.

"Well, the girls at Yoga call me Sharon, but Chris and Ray still call me Shaz, yeah."

"Shaz-,"

"Alex will you just leave it!" Gene snarled furiously, his teeth bore as he frowned at her.

Shaz looked between the pair of them, sensing something wasn't right. She knew what Alex wanted to know- she hadn't even forgotten when she came back into the room. But she'd relived the worst few minutes of her life in a split-second when she'd seen the pair on the doorstep. She knew she was strong enough to explain it all, to tell them what had happened afterwards, but she didn't want the memories she'd spent years burying to resurface.

"You want to know it all, don't you?" Shaz sighed, looking at Alex, who nodded sadly, to Gene's snort of apparent disgust…

"When…when it 'appened," Shaz began, tensing a little and avoiding eye contact as she retold the story that had played in her mind for years, "…everyone fell apart. Me and Chris…we were on our way to Blackpool, for the 'oneymoon. We got a call from Ray- 'e told us the news, and we came straight home. We…we had to ID you two. A-and you were dead, I mean, I don't know how they managed that one…I don't know…" Shaz looked at Alex in confusion, as if hoping for an explanation. Alex didn't have one either, so just shook her head apologetically.

"After the funeral- it was a joint funeral, like, the church was full- Ray couldn't go back into the office. He dug out a form and signed up for the army. He left three weeks later. We…we didn't see 'im for years…we wasn't even sure if he was alive or not. It was bad enough losing you two, but losing him as well…Chris was a mess, I don't suppose I was much better." Shaz took a shaky sip from her tea and sighed. "Chris got offered the DCI job back 'ere, in Manchester. 'E really wanted to come back, and I said yes straight away. Anything to make him happy, I couldn't stand seeing him the way he was. An' we already 'ad little Gene, and Alex was on the way. There wasn't much of a decision to make. I had to look out for my family."

Alex suddenly felt awful. Not only had Gene been right and this was hard for Shaz to relive, but Shaz spoke in a hardened manner. As if being cool and conscious of her emotions was the only way she could tell the story. Completely unlike her old self.

"So we moved in with Chris' parents for a little while, they were lovely. We were looking for a house of our own, but when Chris' Dad died his Mum would have been rattling around the 'ouse on 'er own. So we bought the 'ouse off her, and she lived 'ere with us. We've been 'ere twenty years now…"

"What about Ray?" Gene asked, aware that she hadn't mentioned him since earlier in her recollection.

Shaz laughed slightly- more like a cheerful exertion of air than an actual laugh. "Like I said, we di'n't hear from Ray for years after 'e left the Force. But then we got this letter in May '94, saying 'e was in hospital, could we go visit. So we did. An'…an' 'e'd lost a leg when a bomb 'ad gone off near 'im. 'E's lucky that's all 'e lost, compared to 'is mates 'e got off pretty lucky…"

Alex gasped. "A leg? Wh-,"

"Where?" Shaz finished for her. "It's amputated just below the knee, 'e wears a false leg now. Still, it's not all bad."

Gene just looked at Shaz. "It's not all bad? Why, 'cos 'e di'n' lose 'is bollocks as well?!"

Shaz laughed. "Nah, Guv, I mean, 'e met Iris while 'e was in 'ospital. She was his physiotherapist, like. They got married in '96, an' they've got a couple of kids now. They live just round the corner; you could probably pop round an' see 'em if you want?"

Alex smiled the first full smile she'd managed since entering the house almost an hour ago. Ray had got married. The whole group were coupled off, happy, enjoying life. It was good. It was more than that, it was wonderful.

"And Annie?" Gene asked in a husky tone.

Of course, Annie.

Shaz bit her lip, seemingly struggling with what to say.

"Spit it out, Granger." Gene told her, hoping that a bit of authority might hurry up her next story.

"We all thought she was doing fine…then…" She trailed off, looking at Alex but not Gene. Presumably because Alex hadn't known her and whatever explanation wouldn't hurt Alex as much as it would hurt Gene.

"Shaz?" Alex asked softly.

"She was fine…she was fine. But then…about two years ago, she went a bit….funny. Kept saying she'd seen Sam, Sam was alive, she'd seen him. We thought it was just grief doing funny things, but then…I don't know. Then last year, when this bloke topped 'imself, she went mad. Saying he was her Sam. In the end…there was nothing we could do!"

"Shaz! What happened?"

Slowly, Shaz brought her gaze up to Gene's. "She's been committed. Psych ward at St Leonard's."

The news hit Gene like a shard of ice through his heart. He'd never given Annie enough credit back in the day- but she was a happy, bubbly, strong-willed, and lively girl. She knew right from wrong, often more so than Sam had done, and she wasn't a fruitcake. But she'd been committed. If something like that could happen to Annie, what hope did someone like Gene have? He rubbed his eyes, and leaned forward on his chair. Blimey. He'd been right. He hadn't wanted to know. So he'd leave his last question until later.

"Gene?" Alex murmured quietly, putting her hand delicately on top of his as it sat in his lap. He looked up briefly and met her eyes with a downhearted, forced smile. A smile that made her melt. She squeezed his hand and looked back up at Shaz.

"So."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Shazza, darling, you'll never guess what!"

The front door slammed shut as a man (Chris, no doubt) walked into the hallway. Alex froze with fear- another person they'd have to uphold the sincerities with until everyone relaxed. Shaz sat bolt upright, her face losing colour again. She immediately leapt out of her seat and out the door.

"Chris, baby, don't go in there yet."

Alex and Gene could hear them in the hall, hear a briefcase being set down on the floor, and hear a jacket being put on the banister.

Chris gave Shaz a kiss, and paused before saying anything. "What's wrong?"

His voice hadn't changed much- deepened with age possibly, but there was still the youthful enthusiasm he'd always had.

Gene smiled at Alex, squeezing her hand in his lap where it had been for the past couple of hours, since Gene had found out about Annie. So many possibilities of her future had run through his mind, but St Leonard's wasn't one of them. His mind hadn't thought of that one.

Gene was drawn out of his thoughts by the loud thud from the stairs.

"Chris, baby, trust me! I'm not mad, I'm not, Carly's seen 'em too! Chris!"

But Chris was in the dining room. He was pale underneath the flush of anger, frustration and sorrow that had risen in his face. His hair was slightly thinner, he was around the same build as he had been, and wore a smart suit. But he looked tired- weary.

"Sta-stand up." Chris ordered Gene, swallowing hard, his Adams apple bobbing in his throat as he fought his anger, and clenched his fists.

Taking a quick glance of confusion towards Alex, Gene slowly pushed his chair out from the dining room table and stood up.

It happened quickly. Quicker than Chris had expected anyway. One minute Gene Hunt, the man he'd thought to be dead, his old boss, a man who struck a chord of fear into the souls of any crook in a thirty mile radius, was standing in front of him. Then he wasn't. Then he was on the floor, clutching his left cheekbone.

"Guv!" Shaz looked appalled from the doorway, before leaving to fetch some medical bits to clear up the graze. Chris just shook his fist and waggled his fingers. It had been years since he'd thrown a proper punch.

Alex rolled her eyes, telling herself not to get involved, although Chris' reaction had taken her by surprise. Chris was always so calm, well-intentioned. And he'd just punched Gene Hunt in the face. Hard.

Chris simply stared hard faced at Gene, though little by little Alex could see his resolve softening. He wasn't angry. He was in shock. Post traumatic stress- though the trauma had happened years ago. He wasn't looking at Alex, he and Gene were keeping eye contact, each blinking but neither moving. After three long minutes, Chris put out his hand to help Gene up. Gene stared at the hand hovering in mid-air in front of it.

"Let him help." Alex hissed, thankful for Chris' good nature.

As if commanded, Gene took Chris' hand, and shakily got back onto his feet.

"Feel better for that?" Gene asked Chris, withdrawing his hand as he helped Alex out of her seat.

Chris nodded. "Yeah. Yeah thanks, I do."

Shaz bustled back into the room, and put the cotton wool, bowl of warm water and antiseptic cream on the table. Before taking Chris in her arms and hugging him.

"I told you I wasn't mad." She murmured into his ear, comforted by his presence.

Alex smiled weakly at the pair. Chris and Shaz. ChrisandShaz. You didn't get one without the other- they were a team. They were a team in the way Alex thought of her and Gene. Teamwork.

"Sit down, Guv, let's get that graze looked at." Shaz pulled away from Chris, sighing, and reaching for the cotton wool.

Gene looked uneasy and pulled away. "Thanks, Shaz, but I think we'd best be off. Places to be, y'know…" Taking Alex by the hand, Gene moved towards the door. "Thanks for the tea." He nodded at Shaz, and avoided Chris' stare.

They were halfway through the classy hallway when they heard Chris call to them.

"You mean, after all these years, you're just going to walk away. Sod it all, you'll just walk back in, announce you're really alive an' walk back out. Very good of you, Gene."

Alex froze and turned around, seeing Chris and Shaz standing in the dining room doorway. Shaz looked apologetically at Alex, biting her lip, but Alex knew Chris had said everything Shaz had wanted to. And they were right- of course they were. How could they just walk in and out of people's lives, leaving destruction in their wake? How could they not have thought how this might affect Shaz and Chris? How could they have been so bloody selfish?

Gene was weakened by Chris' use of his name. With Shaz, it was as if something was still how it used to be- as if she hadn't wanted things to change. But Chris had lost his respect for his old "Governor", the lack of title proved it.

"What do you want us to do?" Gene asked him, frowning. "Walk away, leave you in peace in your 'appy lives, or to stay here an' remind you of everything that 'appened?"

"We never forgot anything that happened, Gene! How the bloody 'ell could we forget?!"

Alex winced as she heard the pain breaking in his voice.

"Year after year, Gene, year after year, we'd look at our kids, and see everything that left. Even 'ere in Manc, people still remember you! People 'oo you once cared about! Every Christmas, we'd see the pain on your Mam's face, 'ow could you do that to 'er?!"

"I had no bloody choice!" Gene roared, losing his cool at the mention of his mother. "I-had-no-choice, Chris! Do you think I wan'ed to leave 'er?! Do you think we wan'ed to leave?!"

Shaz nipped out from the hallway and into the living room, where the television could still be heard. "Go watch telly in the conservatory, Carly, take Robbie with you." And she shut the living room door on her way back out.

"She died ten years ago, Gene. Ten whole years. That's sixteen years she had to live knowing her two sons were dead. Imagine the pain that caused her. Are you imagining?!"

Gene grimaced as he tried to stop himself punching Chris right there and then.

"Come on, Gene. Let's go." Alex's voice played like music in Gene's head. A song he'd never be able to resist. His muscles relaxed, and he moved closer to the door.

"You're not going anywhere." Chris snarled. "Ray deserves an explanation too. 'E lost 'is leg because of you two."

This was scaring Alex. Chris was never so brutal, never so tough. But maybe this was exactly what their "deaths" had done to him. And for some inexplicable reason, Alex couldn't help but feel guilty, though none of this had ever happened, it had for someone.

Shaz put her hand over Chris' mouth as he was about to begin another furious rant.

"Chris, go get a couple of beers from the fridge. An' then go an' sit with the Guv in the kitchen." She looked at Alex. "I think they need to talk this out." She sighed.

A/N: Right, hopefully I will be able to get one more chapter up by Saturday, I'm going and staying at my Gran's until September the 7th, but I'll hopefully get some chapters written up to put on the computer when I get back! I get my results tomorrow as well, so I'm hoping I'll get some serious writing done on Friday!

Review please!!!