Alex knew that Gene was hiding something from her the second he had woken up from his sleep and focused his eyes on hers, due to the evasive body language he had shown and his unwillingness to meet her eyes afterwards. It wasn't unlike Gene to hide things from her- he had hidden a lot about his life, Sam, and his relationship with his ex-wife- but this was something different, and since she knew all about him and his existence now she knew it was something new, something that she had yet to learn about- or maybe not?

After a while, Alex began to wonder if maybe this was something she had experienced and he was now going through, since they had effectively done a role-reversal and Alex was now the guide and Gene the follower. Although, that said, Gene wasn't doing too badly in 2009, considering he'd gone straight from 1983 to there; Alex had taught him about computers in the month that had passed since the accident, and about modern policing and procedures. He was taking it in his stride, being surprisingly intelligent (Alex would never have thought such a big brain resided in that nicotine-stained head), but whatever was bugging him was having a visual effect and impairing him from having his full attention on the task in hand, learning.

It took a while for Alex to get him suitably drunk for mentioning it, but eventually Gene was lying on the sofa with Alex next to him, whisky-sodden, and Alex gauged that the time was ripe for her question.

"Gene…"

"Wha'?" Gene slurred, concentrating on speaking clearly enough for her to understand. Alex put her hand on his forehead and waited until his eyes had focused on her face to ask.

"What's going on? What are you hiding from me?"

Gene closed his eyes again, wondering if he was suitably inebriated to tell her, and wondering if he would be able to stop himself from becoming emotional if he did tell her.

"Nothin', Bolls. It's fine."

"That's not true, is it, Guv?" Alex asked quietly. He shook his head, giving in to her puppy-dog porcelain eyes.

"OK. Fine. You know I said I was in hospital? In 1983? Somethin' about a trauma in me 'ead."

Alex nodded, waiting for him to go on.

"Well… there were people there, Bolls. I dunno who they were, an' I'm tryin' to remember, but I can't place 'em. There's Shaz, I know 'er, but there was this man in the more recent one, the second one, and 'e- I didn't remember 'im. I couldn't even say 'is name."

Alex frowned.

"It sounds like… like me with Molly. I kept forgetting her name, not being able to see her face, and then I'd remember. Who did you see, what did he look like?"

"Curly brown 'air, moustache, blue eyes."

"Ray. Ray Carling. Your DI?"

"Ray… now I remember," Gene muttered as it came back to him. Of course it was Ray… of course it was. It was the man Gene had had drinking contests with, fought with, yelled at, talked with, ordered around and demanded the respect of, but at the same time forged a- you couldn't really call it friendship, but it was more than a working relationship- with. How could he have forgotten Ray? He could hardly believe it… but then again, Alex had forgotten her own daughter, and Ray was the closest thing he had had to family for a long time. His ex-wife's face was blurred to him now, but he hadn't seen her for years, it was hardly surprising.

"You have to remember, Gene. You know what happens if you forget- there's just more and more pain to put up with when you remember, when you find out the truth again. Don't put yourself through that, Gene. Please don't do that."

His eyes focused clearly on hers, and for a moment she saw the pain of the internal struggle, the confusion, the fear- and then it was masked, the lion's mane covering it as he ducked his head and pretended to become very interested in the inner workings of the TV remote. Alex snatched it back off him, not wanting to have to re-adjust it again; it was the difficult one, she had marked it with a biro to make sure Molly knew not to take it apart.

"You promise me you'll remember, and you'll ask me if you see someone in these visions and you can't remember them so I can jog your memory?"

Gene relented, nodding. It wouldn't do him any favours to forget, and this was complicated enough as it was.

"Thank you, Gene," Alex whispered, her face inches away from his and begging him to lean forwards. Even though they were both drunk, Alex was serious; at that moment in time she wanted nothing more than his lips on hers, as if to seal the agreement they had made.

Gene smiled to himself as his DI's face changed from seriousness to pleading, him knowing instantly what she wanted. He closed the space between them, pressing his lips to hers, hesitantly at first, and then hungrily, as if he was drowning and she was his oxygen, feeling her returning it and closing his eyes in bliss as his stout heart stuttered…

Alex gradually drew away and smiled, wiping a smudge of lipstick from Gene's mouth and taking in his expression.

"You know, maybe that stuff about you being a legendary lover isn't bullshit after all."

"Cheeky mare," Gene muttered, but his mouth betrayed him for the first time in years (traitor, Gene thought, I give you the best kiss you've ever had and now you show me up!) and broadened into a smile. Alex laughed at him and let her tingling fingers explore his shirt front, gently undoing the buttons at the throat and sliding down warm, bare skin, feeling soft dark hairs with the odd blond one in their midst and his rapidly beating heart under her hand.

"It's still beating," she murmured, her own face a smile. Gene grinned and put his own hand up to press gently against her chest, becoming a gentleman suddenly and cursing himself internally for it. Somehow, grabbing her breast hadn't seemed appropriate.

"Well then Bollinger Knickers, you gonna kiss me or punch me?"

Alex grinned as well, her eyes shining.

How would I ever survive without Gene? Whoever you are, person who is keeping me here and away from everything I know and especially my Molly, you better let him come home with me, or I will kill you.

"I suppose the answer to that would have to be I'll kiss you… but then again…"

Playfully, she punched his cheek, and he pretended to look irritated and flicked her ear in retribution.

"Ow," Alex laughed, putting her finger up to it and expecting to feel her earring there. It was missing.

"Gene…"

He was holding it up, laughing at her, the rare laughter that was normally reserved for when he was on his own, remembering the day and able to show his emotions. Alex's heart softened and she leaned down to kiss him again, the smile still in place.

"Give me that," Alex whispered as he returned the kiss, his warm, dry lips fitting hers perfectly. Gene handed it over, sighing.

"I could've got another kiss out of that."

"You could've gotten another kiss out of it," Alex corrected. Gene studied her face intently.

"So can I 'ave it back, then?"

Alex resisted the urge to simply give it to him and fastened it back, a smile gracing her face once again.

"No. Come on, you're probably hungry, and we have an appointment at the hospital to keep."

Gene sighed and let Alex get up and go through to the kitchen to get some food ready. She was surprised when he joined her and shoved the oven chips into a pan for her, putting them in the oven and turning it to the right temperature for them.

"You have been learning," Alex said in surprise, taking them out later. Gene looked up from the sofa and nodded.

"I'm gonna 'ave to live on me own a' some point, Bolls, so I'd better learn or I'll be livin' on a diet of whisky an' Garibaldis for the rest o' my life. Tha' said, tha' wouldn' be such a bad life."

"You're not going anywhere, Gene Hunt," Alex said firmly, her hand on his arm and her eyes boring into his. "You're staying with me, because there is no way on earth I am going to lose you."

It was the first time she had said anything like that to him, and Gene felt his stomach writhing a little at her words. Did she need him? Or was she just doing this because she felt it was her duty?

Something told him that it was the first option.

"You ready?" Alex called through to the lounge as she grabbed the Quattro keys, leaving the long-forgotten keys to her own Renault on the counter. "The hospital appointment is in half an hour, and if we're late I'll have your knackers in a vice, Guv."

"Comin', comin'…"

Gene stood up, making to walk through, tugging on his boots and grabbing his coat as he got off the sofa and made for the door…

Lights popped. The room spun. Gene's strong legs gave way under him and, without a single second's warning, he collapsed, hitting the floor with a thud as Alex shrieked, seemingly from miles away.

A/N: Lovely cliffhanger for you to enjoy ;) Sorry for the long delay, exams and revision and German homework and my lovely uncle irritating me takes up a lot of time… as well as that I seem to have developed an addiction to The Sims 3 :P Ah well, it's up now. Enjoy, there will be more soon! Jazzola :)