I know we meet Molly's dad in "Ashes to Ashes: Series 2" but as I planned and started writing this story before that was aired I have decided to continue on with my own character.

O Tell Me The Truth About Love: Chapter Fourteen – Don't Go

Alex pushed through the double doors, walked to her desk, dropped her bag to the floor, sat down and opened a nearby file, chosen at random. Only then did she allow herself to look up. Her eyes met his. Stormy grey and fixed on her. She knew he'd been watching all along.

They always arrived separately, five minutes apart, although they often left her flat together.

Her eyes dropped back to the file on her desk, the smallest of smiles dancing across her lips, but he continued to watch her silently.

That first morning look across the office was the best moment of his day. He had to admit there were lots of good moments: waking up next to Alex each morning, her encouraging smile as he got involved with an investigation at work, sharing a bottle of cheap wine at her flat in the evening, the look on her face as he took her again, and again.

But he'd settle for that look. There was so much passion and promise in just that one look. A look just for him. Life was getting easier in 2008, no doubt about it, but for the briefest of moments Gene could forget that he was in the 21st century and convince himself it was just him and Alex against the world, like it had always been, except better because they had each other.

When she gave him that look he could pretend he had it all.

Alex looked through the window of Gene's closed office door. He was deep in conversation with Philip. Good.

She walked quickly into the kitchen and put the kettle on then sank into the nearest chair with a heavy sigh. Her elbows resting on her knees, her head in her hands she listened to the soft gurgle of boiling water.

"You shouldn't be here."

Her head snapped up. "Gene. I was just making tea- "

"I'm serious Bols, if your headaches are half as bad as you look you should go home."

"Cheers Guv. I don't look that bad."

Gene's eyebrows raised a fraction. "Alex." His voice dropped to a gently growl. He brought his hand up and rested his palm along the side of her head, his thumb gently rubbing the skin behind her ear. "Have you told the doctor that you're still getting these headaches?"

She didn't answer.

He sighed. "You're not right Bols. Should be at home," his voice fell to a whisper as he added, more to himself than to her, "should have made you stay at home."

"I wouldn't have let you."

He smiled at her stubborn frown, "I know." She returned his smile and closed her eyes, leaning her head against his hand. "You're whiter than a sheet of paper Bols. Thin as one too. What you need is- " But at that moment Gene fell silent, pulled his hand away and stepped back, all within a heartbeat. But not quickly enough. Philip came through the kitchen doorway.

"Guv?"

"Drake's ill. I'm sending her home."

"Gene, please-"

"That's my final word on the matter. Go home Drake. Get DS Walsh to drive you."

Alex huffed angrily and got up – too fast in seemed as the sudden movement caused a fresh bust of pain to slice through her skull.

She didn't meet Philip's eye as she left, didn't see his expression, the mixture of confusion and suspicion in his questioning gaze.

But Gene did.

"Thanks Rhys, here's fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure," Alex smiled weakly and got out of the patrol car. DS Walsh waited until Alex had reached the double doors at the bottom of her block of flats. She turned and waved the worried sergeant off before heading upstairs.

Alex slipped her shoes off as soon as she got through the front door; she padded to the sofa and sat down with a deep sigh, her forehead resting on the palm of one hand while the other blindly searched the coffee table for the home phone. Finding it she dialled the familiar number without having to look up.

"Hello?"

"Evan?"

"Alex? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it me."

There was a pause on Evan's end of the line, "You're not at work?"

"No. Gene sent me home."

"Alex are you ok?"

"No not really. The headaches are getting worse, I just can't concentrate. I can't even think."

"Alex I'm coming over ok?"

"Ok Evan. Thanks." Alex slowly placed the phone back into its cradle. She sank back into the sofa cushions, trying to relax and drifted quickly from a state of physical and emotion exhaustion into sleep.

The knock at the door was like three heavy blows to the back of her head. Alex rubbed her eyes hard and stood, before slowly making her way to the hallway.

But it was not Evan who greeted her.

"I'm clocking off now Phil."

"Already Gene?"

Gene looked around the nearly deserted squad room, "You should just about manage without me don't you think?"

"Point taken. You going for a drink?"

"Not tonight, another time though," Gene called over his shoulder. Philip watched him go, the light frown creasing his brow slowly giving way to knowing smile.

Alex stared at Jack for a full minute before either of them spoke.

"Are you going to let me in Alex?" She flinched as he said her name and moved to close the door, but Jack got his foot in first. "Bad move Alex, you know better than that."

"No! I don't want you here."

"I do hope you're not going to make this difficult for me Alex," he said without a trace of humour and pushed her away from the door. "We need to have a little chat before your friend Gene gets home."

"But- Evan?"

"Oh Evan got caught up at work, but don't worry Alex - I'll look after you."

Gene drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. Bloody traffic! For the second time his eyes flicked from the road to the street on his right and back again. One shop kept catching his eye. There was a parking space right there too, almost too good to be true…

He shook his head. Bloody women! He swung the car through a gap in the oncoming traffic and into the convenient parking spot and got out.

Thirty minutes later, Gene stood outside Alex's block of flats, peering at the long list of surnames. Quickly finding Drake he went to press the buzzer when a sudden thought struck him: what if she's asleep?

Momentarily torn, Gene almost turned to head back to the car, but then he remembered: The key! He still had her spare key, both keys in fact: upstairs and down. He could let himself in and out without disturbing her. It was perfect.

Once upstairs Gene opened the door to the now familiar flat and quietly pulled it closed behind him, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. He felt slightly foolish but couldn't help but be pleased with his efforts as he placed the bunch of flowers down gently on the kitchen surface and carefully retrieved the empty vase from the windowsill. He inspected the packet of flower feed momentarily before deciding to leave that for Alex to deal with. After adding water then the flowers to the vase, Gene stepped back to view his work.

A scowl spread slowly across his forehead. Flowers? Who was he kidding? The Gene Genie didn't do flowers! He was on the point of transferring the contents of the vase into the bin when a noise from down the corridor distracted him.

"Alex?" Gene called as he walked towards her bedroom; he knocked softly on the door then pushed it open.

Alex was sitting on the bed, her legs tucked neatly beside her. A stunned and panicked expression flickered across her face, "Gene?"

"Hey. Didn't expect you to be awake, I-"

But Gene stopped mid sentence as his gaze rested on a stranger who had just stepped out from the en-suite bathroom. His crisp white shirt open at the neck, his hansom features and thick curly brown hair all made Gene skin prickly unpleasantly.

"Who the bloody hell are you?"

The man smiled calmly back at Gene with an arrogance that only deepened Gene's scowl.

"Jack Drake. And you are?"

Drake? "Gene Hunt."

"Pleasure to meet you Mr Hunt, and how do you know my Alex?"

"Your Alex?" Gene spluttered, his gaze thunderous now.

"Yes, isn't it wonderful," a cruel smile spread across Jack's lips as he sat down on the bed beside Alex, wrapping an arm possessively around her shoulders, "Alex and I are going to give it another go." Gene couldn't seem to drag his eyes away from the pair. He watched Alex desperately for some sign that she would contradict what had just been said. But she didn't even speak. Why wasn't she saying anything?

The pain in Alex's head was excruciating. All her energy was going into keeping her eyes open and trying to follow the conversation between Gene and Jack; but her brain seemed to have slowed almost to a stop and try as she might the words just weren't making any sense. She felt Jack sitting down beside her and then felt his arm pinning her to his side.

Alex looked up into Gene's face – something was very wrong but it was all happening too fast!

All she wanted to do was lie down with her head in her hands and cry herself to sleep, hoping that when she woke the pain would be gone.

Gene was torn between feeling hurt and feeling angry. He wanted to shout, to force Alex to admit that she had been leading him on all this time. But he couldn't do it. Hurt won. Gene hung his head in shame.

"Right, well. Good luck to you both," he muttered without looking up.

He departed swiftly from the room, unable to stay in their presence any longer. In another life he would have stayed, but not here, not now. There was once another Gene who would have stood his ground and fought for her. But he'd had to leave that part of him behind in 1982, that Gene wasn't welcome here.

And now all that was left was an empty shell.

Alex saw Gene's whole body slump forward, his head bowed, defeated. No. This isn't right, she thought desperately, I need to reach him – Don't go! Alex watched in panic as the door swung shut behind him.

"Gene!" she choked, but her voice was too weak to travel further than the door. And as she moved to follow him Jack's other arm circled her waist, holding her back.