Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I have now reached 200 Reviews! I cannot thank you enough! And thanks of course to Rolephant! Without her, 3/4 of this fic would be nonexistent since it was her plot bunny that took root and formed most of this!

Very fluffy chapter ahead, but still very much important as to an underlying plot theme! :D (hint hint:P)

Chapter 26: The Second Promise

Gene and Alex emerged from the flat early the next morning, hoping to see Alice before they went to work. They had gotten a call from Ray the previous afternoon saying that she had woken up. As they walked towards the stairs, Mary and another man exited her flat.

"Alex!" she exclaimed. ""How are you? I haven't seen you around for several days."

Alex smiled softly. "Yes, I've been...busy. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm doing great!" She turned to Gene. "D'you remember the other day, I said I thought something good was going to happen?"

"Yeah," said Gene, looking thoughtful.

"Well I was right," she said, staring at the man behind her. "This is Matthew. I met him at university. We had a little bit of a 'thing,' but nothing became of it. The other day I was downstairs, and ran into him! It was such a shock. I could hardly believe it myself."

Matthew, looking slightly uncomfortable, extended his hand toward Gene.

"Matthew Payne," he said, shaking Gene's hand. He had blonde hair and green eyes, and stood about Gene's height.

Gene stared at him a moment. "Gene Hunt, and if I'm not mistaken that's a Manc accent, that is."

Mary smiled. "It is. I went to Manchester for university. When my mum got ill, I went up there to be with her, then when she died, I switched jobs to come down here."

"And after she left, I came down here, looking for the glamour that London's made out to be." He let out a short sharp laugh. "Didn't find it, but after a few years I found her," he said, wrapping his arm around Mary's waist.

"We've been living in the same city for the past several years, just different parts! I could hardly believe it when I ran into him in Luigi's."

"We finally decided after all the waiting to get together that we may as well, otherwise, it may never happen."

Gene stared at Alex with no emotion showing on his face. "I know how that is," he said levelly.

"Well, Gene, Alex, we better be going. I hope to see you later?" said Mary expectantly.

"Yes, we can all have a drink in Luigi's," said Alex, pretending not to notice as Gene and Matthew exchanged pained looks. "Round seven?"

"Sounds great," said Mary. "C'mon Matt, let's let them get to work." With that they turned around and walked down the stairs, Gene and Alex following close behind.

Ray stared in amazement at the sleeping figure on the bed. He couldn't believe how quickly she had woken up. It was much faster than Ray had been expected. Even though she was sleeping once more, a side effect of the morphine they had given her, he could not help but feel extremely happy. Alice was alive.

He heard voices coming from down the corridor. They seemed to be arguing. As the voices grew closer he could tell it was the Guv and DI Drake, and they were definitely arguing about something.

"What's wrong with a drink? It's good to go out with people besides CID!" Alex then continued, talking about psychology until Gene interrupted.

"Good God woman! You're doing me head in!"

"All I'm saying is..."

"Yes, all you're saying. That's all you do! Talk, talk, talk! Why don't you just shut your yap for once?"

Their voices dropped suddenly as Alex responded. Ray strained to hear, but couldn't hear anything until the Guv spoke once again.

"Now that's just cruel. What kind of sadist are you?"

He heard Alex laugh and tried to look surprised as they entered the room, Alex looking smug, Gene looking extremely pissed off.

"Oh come off it Raymondo. I know you heard us down the hall. Stop acting like such a twat."

"Don't mind him, Ray," Alex said. "He's just mad because I threatened to throw away all the scotch in my flat."

"Insufferable woman," Gene muttered to himself. He glared at Alex, but with no real menace. Alex ignored him.

"How is she?"

"They say she's doing all right," Ray said. "She was awake just a few hours ago, but then they topped off her morphine."

"That's good," said Gene. They stared at Alice a moment. "Ray, after she wakes up and goes to sleep again, I need you to come in. You don't need to do much; we just need to get your statement."

Ray gave a grimace and looked at Alice. "Do I need to, Guv? I'd rather stay here." Ray's voice was timid and he looked up at Gene with a slightly scared face. Alex felt Gene bristle next to her. She put her hand over his and he relaxed slightly.

"Ray, it will take you an hour at most," Gene said in a tone that allowed no argument. "I understand where you are coming from, but questions are going to be asked about this. The sooner we have all the statements in, the happier people will be."

Ray nodded sadly. "I'm sorry Guv. I'm just worried. I'll be in as soon as she's asleep again."

Gene looked at him. "I'm not doing this to be cruel, Ray, remember that. After you finish your statement, you are on leave until she's up and about."

Ray looked at Gene in shock. "Really Guv?"

"Yes. Now don't tell anyone how nice I'm being or you're coming back tomorrow. Understood?"

"Yes, Guv," Ray said happily.

"Right. I'll see you in a few hours."

Saying their goodbyes, Gene and Alex walked out of the hospital. They got into the Quattro and Gene sped off, abnormally quiet.

"You okay?" Alex asked. Gene looked at her, his eyes hard and cold, and then focussed again on the road.

"Yeah, Bolls, I'm fine," he answered tersely.

"Are you mad at Ray for not wanting to come in?"

"No, it's not that, it's something completely different." Alex stared at him. He was dodging his way around her questions, trying to prevent himself from thinking about something.

"What is it then?"

"Nothing," he said too quickly. "You gonna be okay today filling out your statement?" Alex noted the change of topic but didn't pursue him. She knew that if he wanted to talk to her he would.

There was something wrong with him however, and she could tell. He closed himself off to her for the rest of the day, only nodding stiffly when she asked him if he was still up for drinks with Matthew and Mary.

"Gene, are you sure you're okay?" she asked later.

"I'm fine Bolls," he answered gruffly.

Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. "You're not angry, are you? For me making drinks plans without you?"

"No, Alex," he said, looking sadly into her eyes, and grasping her hand, where her ring sat. "I promise you I'm not angry at you at all."

"Gene, what is it then?" This was seriously disturbing her. She had not seen him this broody in a while.

He stared at her for a minute. "Seeing Alice...in the hospital...all those tubes. Bugs me."

"Those are all there to help her though! The doctors said she's going to be fine!"

"But what about her and Ray?"

"You're worried about Ray's relationship?" Alex was desperately trying to figure out what Gene was keeping to himself. She knew this was the closest he'd ever come to revealing what was really bothering him without her guessing.

"Well, he's sat by her side this entire time, and what if she wakes up from the morphine and decides that she doesn't like him anymore? What if she wants to transfer back to Plymouth? What happens then?"

Alex suddenly realised what Gene was trying to say. "Gene, are you concerned about Alice and Ray, or about us?" He looked away and Alex took that as a confirmation for the latter.

"What if I wake up one morning and decide I don't want you anymore? Just like after I woke up after my coma? What brought this on Gene?"

He continued to steadily stare at the wardrobe behind her. Alex decided to keep probing until he would admit what was bothering him. Finally, after much wheedling and whining on her part, Gene caved.

"Good God woman, you can carry on! I really do need that drink now."

"Gene, please?" She stared at him through her eyelashes.

"Fine, if it'll make you shut your yap. Yes, Bolls. What if you wake up and don't want me, just like after you woke up from the coma? What happens if you start hating me again, if you want to transfer away from Fenchurch? What happens then? I can't do that Alex!"

"Gene, what got you worried about this?" she asked sympathetically.

"Alice," he muttered. "Watching Ray stare at her, sit by her side through the night. Watching her sleep like that. She looks just like you did. Peaceful, weak, but fighting. She should have died, just like you should have. An inch over and you would have. You didn't want to come back. I forced you back. Aren't you angry with me about that?"

Alex stared at him. She had done it. She had stripped all his layers once more, and made him show her the man on the inside, the true Gene Hunt.

"Gene," she said softly. "I'm not angry anymore. I was, when I first came round. I didn't want to be back here."

"You were with your daughter. With Molly. I questioned your love for her. And then I stole you away from her."

"You're right. I saw my daughter. I'd wanted to see her for so long, and then, when I saw her again, I never wanted to let her go. You appeared to me, through televisions, through screens of all sorts. I didn't want to come back. I knew the gunshot was an accident. But the rest... I was still angry with you for the jibe about Molly. And even if I did want to go back, I didn't know if you were still angry at me, and I didn't want to face you if you were. I was running from my problems. As the months wore on, you appeared less and less frequently. I found myself flicking through the channels on my television, hoping your face would show up. One day, it did. And I went back to the courtyard. And as I stood there, I heard it all happen again."

"You were angry that I called you back," Gene stated. He stared at her, silver/blue eyes meeting hazel, almost pleading.

"I was, yes, because I couldn't bring Molly with me. But I was angrier because when I saw you, I thought of everything that had happened the night before Operation Rose. All the negatives started running through my head, and I wouldn't let them go. I held onto them for over a year, but they grew weaker with each passing day. When I came back, I wanted to apologise, but my pride wouldn't let me. When I came back, I wasn't really angry with you. I remember I had a lunch with Ray, Chris and Shaz, and Ray mentioned later that I had looked drawn through that entire lunch. I missed you. It was doing me in. But I was too afraid to say anything. I had already shoved you away, why the hell would you want to see me ever again?"

"You weren't angry with me when you came back?" Surprise laced Gene's tone.

"I was scared," Alex whispered. "I didn't want to get hurt again. I didn't want to build the connection only to have it be severed once more. Those days, when you first had me working in your office, I was delighted, but couldn't show that at all. You started acting nicer towards me, but I kept you at a distance. That night, with you at my flat, as soon as you left, I burst into tears. I had lost you completely. I never loved Louis. I just lied to myself to keep you away." Tears were forming in her eyes. Gene stared at her a mingle of shock, pity and tenderness showing in his eyes. He had obviously not expected to hear any of this.

"You're worried about Molly. If I could have her back with me, I would do it in an instant, but only if you were with me. I could never leave you again Gene. When we broke up, I was shattered. I don't know how I got through work during that time. Before I came to Fenchurch, I was lost, and you found me. I was drowning in the barriers I had surrounded myself with, and you broke them down. You, Gene, not Molly, are the reason I wake up in the morning, why I get out of bed." She fingered the ring that sat upon her left hand.

"As long as you keep your promise, that this world is real, that you really do love me, I will never leave you Gene."

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither wanting to move. Finally Gene wrapped his arms around her and held her in a tight embrace. He leaned into her ear.

"I will always keep that promise," he whispered. "I love you Alex Drake."

They kissed slowly, passionately, their tongues intertwined in a silent dance until there was a knock at the door. Gene pulled away and stared at her.

"That must be Mary and Matthew," she said. "Damn."

He gave a hint of a smile. "S'your fault Bolls. Remember you have to play nicely, no matter what kind of timing they have."

Alex smiled as there was another rap at the door. "Fine," she said, going to open the door to the flat. "But the same goes for you."

TBC!!!!!! Reviews are very much appreciated! :)