Ok, here is the next chapter and I just want to say a special thanks to theHuntgoeson and sash queen of the jungle for reviewing the last chapter :) xxx

This is unbeta'd so any mistakes are my own! Unfortunately I own nothing and the BBC and Kudos have that pleasure!

Alex looked at her reflection in the mirror for the hundredth time that evening.

Too safe, she told herself, pulling the high-necked, long sleeved grey top over her head and flinging it onto the ever increasing pile of clothes gathering on the bed behind her.

You messed up big time and you need to make an impression.

At the same time though she didn't want to look too slutty. She didn't want Gene to think she was easy. Did she?

She sighed. She didn't have that many clothes here in 1982 and the ones she did have appeared to be at either end of the 'slut – grandma' scale, with very little in-between.

Reaching into her wardrobe again, her hands fell upon a sleeveless black top made of silk that she had bought for a works do earlier in the year and then forgotten about. It had a moderately daring neckline, showing just enough cleavage to be sexy and classy at the same time. She quickly changed from her skin tight jeans to a black figure-hugging pencil skirt to complete the outfit.

This will have to do. He's only coming round for an explanation anyway Alex, not a bloody lapdance. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards at the thought,

Quickly pushing that thought away, she sat down at her dressing table and decided that a little mascara and lip gloss would be enough for her casual look. She sat there for a moment thinking about the conversation she was going to have that night. She'd decided that telling the truth as far as she possibly could would be best. And as for the rest, she had told him the whole truth before and that's the reason she was in this mess in the first place. Understandably, he hadn't believed her.

She couldn't deny it had cut her up inside to hear the anger and hurt in Gene's voice when he'd told her to get out of his sight that day in his office.

But what did you expect? He couldn't possibly understand. You sounded like a crazy person. After all you rebuked Sam Tylers' claims that he had been living in the early 70's. You gave his 'story' credence only as a psychological study, you didn't really believe him.

She felt butterflies in her stomach. This was her chance to put things right with Gene and she couldn't afford to mess it up again. Of course she wanted to go back to her daughter, she wanted that more than anything, but it hurt too much to think about Molly for too long. To think about how hard she had tried to get home when she first arrived in 1981 just to fail every time. It made her feel helpless. It made her feel like a failure as a mother.

No, she had to bide her time. And while she was stuck living in this time she needed Gene on her side, she needed her constant.


Gene sat outside Alex's flat in the Quattro, smoking fag after fag. He knew he should just go inside and get it over with but the fear thins were about to get a lot worse (something he hadn't thought possible a week ago) was keeping him routed to the drivers seat.

He honestly didn't know what to think. But then that's what always happened to him when Alex was around. He couldn't think straight. His vision got screwed up and she could make him feel invincible and make him doubt himself all at the same time.

His guilt over the shooting had been so intense after it happened that it had driven away any doubts he'd had about Alex before. But since she'd woken up the relief he felt had been tainted a little as the events leading up to the shooting had begun to return to him.

She lied to me. She stood in my office, looked into my eyes and couldn't tell me the truth. After everything, SuperMac, Chris, everything. And that was what he couldn't get over, he'd thought they were solid together, at work at least even if nothing more.

And she didn't want me anywhere near her when she woke up, told me so herself. And now she wants to talk.

It can't be good.

Deciding he couldn't take the suspense any longer he threw the butt of his cigarette out of the car window, pulled his keys from the engine and got out of the car.


"Take a seat", Alex told Gene as she shut the front door behind him and went over to the kitchen. She took a bottle of whisky from the cupboard along with two glasses and poured them both a generous measure before taking them into the living room. She handed one to Gene and sat down on the other end of the sofa with her own, tucking her feet underneath herself.

There was a couple of moments of awkward silence as Gene tried to work out why he was there and Alex tried to find the right words to start.

"So . . . how's the wound?" Gene asked, not taking his eyes away from the glass in his hands.

"Like I said on the phone before it's much better now thanks."

"Good", Gene took a swig of whiskey.

"Gene, I don't really know the best way to say this but I want to apologise for what happened when I woke up in the hospital."

"Don't have to apologise to me Bolly, you were waking up from a coma. Is doesn't matter."

"It does matter", she said a little more forcefully than she'd meant to. He glanced up at her face. "After all you'd been through because of me. Getting arrested . . ."

"Not your fault Alex, I shot you." He sniffed and looked back down at his glass again. "It's m' own fault."

"But you didn't mean too Gene and I know that. You weren't trying to protect me. I just . . . well it's . . . when I was in the coma I had a dream."

"A dream?"

"That I was back with my daughter. I held her in my arms and waved her off to school and I . . ." Her voice broke. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes as she willed herself not to cry.

He looked back up at her face now.

"It's just I've never seen the two of you together. You've never met her. I associate you with this . . . place and my daughter with somewhere else. When I woke up and saw you, I realised I had been dreaming and that Molly wouldn't be here. I was upset but that's not your fault. It has nothing to do with you and I'm sorry I was so horrible to you."

She was crying now. Her will had caved and she could feel the warm tears sliding down her cheeks. Gene was silent for a moment before he reached over and took one of her hands in his own. "Don't cry Bolls."

She took a deep breath. "Then I forgot all about what I said to you and when you didn't come to visit me at the hospital I thought you must still be mad at me. That you thought I was . . . bent."

Gene let go of her hand suddenly taking another swig of his drink.

"I had a lot of time to think while you were in the hospital Bolls. I know you're not bent, that much I'm certain of but the rest I just can't figure out. How you knew about the gold job, the routes, the things you said in my office, those tapes . . ." He trailed off and drained the last of the liquid left in his glass.

Alex made her voice sound as confident as she possibly could. "Gene I know I said a lot of crazy things at that time. To be honest I can't remember a lot of them. but we got the bad guys on that job didn't we? It just seemed unlikely to me that they would carry out such a high profile job in the main high street and I remembered hearing about a similar blag in that area many years ago when I was training and figured that they would expect us not to believe in a repeat job in the same location. Does that make sense?"

Gene grunted. "I suppose." It sounded reasonable enough to him, she was always spouting psychobabble to him and picking up on things that he nor none of his team had even noticed. It was the tape he was more bothered about. "And the rest?"

"You mean the tape?" At his nod she replied "Did you listen to the rest of the tape?"

"No, I think I heard enough at the start."

"You should have done. I started making those tapes when I first cam here. You remember what that time was like. We were always fighting like cat and dog. I didn't know why I was here." At his confused look she amended "In this particular station with you. I just wanted to get home to my daughter and it took me a long time to realise that wasn't possible and that you were on my side."

"It hurt Alex."

"I know and I'm truly sorry for that. I don't expect you to forgive me but do you think we can still work together? I suppose you could transfer me if you want but . . ."

Gene interrupted "Alex I don't plan on transferring you anywhere unless you choose to go yourself, and I think I have just as much to be sorry for, I did shoot you after all."

"I know but you . . ."

"Didn't mean it, I know, but it still happened and it shouldn't of."

Alex smiled at him reassuringly, hoping they could now start to rebuild their relationship.

"Right then", Gene got up suddenly, "Now that's all sorted out, I'm off. I'll pop round tomorrow Bolly ok? See how you're feeling. We can talk about you returning to work. Place isn't the same without you."

Alex's smile turned into a grin now as she nodded. "See you tomorrow Gene."

Ok, I know it would have taken more than that for them to sort their problems out but it's my stor so I can do as I like can't I? :D

Please review if you liked, or even if you didn't and tell me what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks x