Disclaimer: Anything you recognise belongs to the BBC/Kudos. Anything else, including mistakes are mine!

Big thanks to warbs1981 for beta duties.

Part 2 of 5

(Prompt – Sunset)

Before Sunset

Thursday 15th April 1982 - Evening

Alex's heartbeat was just returning to normal when she saw Gene stalk out of the ballroom and onto the patio, seeing the glare of his lighter as he lit a cigar and disappeared into the darkening grounds. Feeling the man's arm slide around her waist, and realising that he was asking her to dance, she turned to him and gave him what she hoped was a genuine smile, before pausing.

What was she doing? Was she really going to go and dance with another boring, self-absorbed idiot when the man that she really wanted; the exciting, sexy, no bullshit, what you see is what you get, infuriating man who had just swept her off of her feet was walking off in the other direction.

"I'm so sorry, would you excuse me?" She said, turning and walking toward the patio area without a backward glance.

Taking a swig from his hip flask, Gene sat down on a nearby bench and stretched his legs out, watching the sun setting over the landscaped grounds. He heard the click of heels of concrete and sighed, knowing without even looking that it was her. He closed his eyes and thought back to how simple life had been before she'd come along and upset the balance, but even as he thought it, a nagging voice in his mind, which sounded suspiciously like Shaz, told him that he was also unhappy and lonely and that he wasn't just imagining that Alex could feel the same way.

But his natural defence mechanism kicked in before he could even think too hard about it. When he opened his eyes she was standing in front of him with her hands on her hips, her face serious but still as beautiful as he could ever remember her. "Go away, Drake," he warned, "go back to your party and your endless stream of admirers. Just leave me alone and I'll do you the same courtesy."

She flinched at his harsh words, wondering how he could switch so quickly from the man who had just held her entranced in his arms to her grumpy boss. She mentally shook herself. It was now or never.

"No," she replied, her eyes narrowing. "Enough. We're doing this now; we're having this out now, because I can't stand it anymore. You're making me insane!" She shook her head.

He hid his surprise at the vehemence in her words, and warned himself not be drawn in by her temper. "I'm making you insane? How exactly is that possible, Mrs Fruitcake?" He dropped the cigar he'd been holding and crushed it out under his heel, getting to his feet with every intention of walking away. But at that moment, Alex had stepped forward to give him a piece of her mind, bringing them almost as close as they had been when they were dancing. His eyes caught hers, and he found that he couldn't look away.

The last dying rays of the sun illuminated his face, putting fire in his piercing eyes as he stared down at her and it took Alex's breath away, her big speech deserting her at his close proximity. What if she really was crazy? What if this was all in her mind? What if it wasn't? The night they'd spent together seemed to testify to the latter but if she made a fool of herself now then he would lose any shred of respect he ever had for her and they would never be able to work together again. But what if…

"Well? Come on then. Let's have 'it' out, whatever 'it' is, or I'm sure one of your chinless wonder friends will be scurrying out to see where you are!" He could have kicked himself for opening his mouth but instead he just glared down at her.

Anger and confusion came rushing forward as he sneered at her. "That! That's what's driving me insane! Why the hell do you care who I dance with or talk to or have a drink with? What's it got to do with you?"

Gene clenched his fists at his side. How could he tell her, especially here where he knew he was completely out of his league? It was laughable to even think about it. They'd shared one drunken night together and he'd managed to turn it into so much more in his mind. "I don't care, Bolly, it's got nothing to do with me, nothing at all!"

"You stupid, proud bastard!" She snapped, poking her finger into his chest to punctuate every word. "Talk to me! For god's sake, just be bloody honest with me for once!" He grabbed her wrist to stop her poking him and jerked her closer to him. Their bodies bumped together, and Alex stared up at him, swallowing hard, her anger once again forgotten.

Gene didn't let go of her wrist, knowing she could pack a punch when she was angry enough. He dipped his head, his mouth at her ear, finding it easier to be strong when he wasn't looking into her beautiful face. "If I thought that honesty would help this ridiculous situation we've got ourselves in, then I would be honest with you, Alex." He paused, damning himself for his cowardice in the face of her demands. "But if I've learned anything, it's that ignorance is bliss, and..."

"Alex?"

A growl escaped Gene at the interruption, causing a shiver to run down Alex's spine. She was so intent on what Gene was trying to say that she didn't even hear the man she'd just been introduced to, calling her.

Gene released her wrist and stepped away, causing Alex to look at him in surprise, still ignoring the sound of her name being called again. "On that note I'm going to leave you to it." Gene said gruffly turning and walking away, not looking back. "Gene, don't walk away from me, don't go…" she said, even as he kept walking before disappearing around the side of the building. "…please."

Alex had to resist the urge to cry or chase after him. Honesty. That was what she needed to hear and what he didn't want to say. They could play this game forever and neither one of them would ever give in, both too stubborn and scared to do anything, but at what cost to them?

She glanced across the grounds, almost completely dark now, and with a heavy heart, walked back into the ballroom, waving away the man's questions and navigating her way around the edge, finally escaping to her room.

Back in his room, Gene pulled off his jacket and tie and kicked his boots off, heading straight for the mini bar and grabbing the rather meagre bottle of champagne out. He snorted to himself. He didn't really have anything to celebrate; in fact he may well have just ballsed everything up.

He turned and caught a glimpse of himself in the full-length mirror, pausing for a moment to study himself. He'd never been that fussy about his appearance, but he looked and tried to see himself how he imagined Alex saw him. All he saw was an unfit, over the hill; northern copper and he found that he hated the thought that she might see him like that.

Opening the champagne, he thought back to their dance, the way she'd looked at him, the way she'd felt in his arms… Taking a swig of the champagne, he looked in the mirror once more. She'd asked for his honesty and he should have given it to her. She deserved that. Even if it did all fall apart. Grabbing his room key, he walked out, not even bothering to put his shoes and socks back on.

Alex pulled on her nightshirt and slumped down on the bed, reaching for the bottle of champagne she'd opened as soon as she'd returned to her room. She felt like crying, screaming or throwing something and hated herself for it. She should have told him while they were dancing, or made a move or anything, but she hadn't. She brought the bottle to her lips, berating herself for her cowardice. She looked at the bottle in her hand and made a decision, grabbing her robe and stalking out, slamming the door behind her.

Gene had only gotten halfway down the corridor when, to his surprise, Alex appeared around the corner, walking toward him with purpose. He swallowed hard as he got a good look at her. She was dressed in a black silk button up nightshirt which fell to mid-thigh, her long shapely legs shown to full advantage, her dressing gown was open and billowing behind her, she'd brushed her hair out and her face was free of make-up. He thought she was absolutely stunning.

Saying nothing, he crossed his arms, pursing his lips and raising his eyebrows, noticing that she was carrying a similar bottle of champagne to the one he'd opened in his room.

The sight of him standing in the hallway as she rounded the corner almost stopped her in her tracks, but she was angry and determined and so continued to stalk toward him, noticing that he'd shed his jacket and tie; his shirt open around his throat and untucked from his trousers, his feet bare. He looked gorgeous and dangerous and her heart sped up at the sight.

Swallowing hard, she watched him filling the corridor with his presence. "Going somewhere?" She asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"Yep. You?" He replied, calm and cool on the outside, , holding his breath on the inside.

"I was coming to see you," she said defensively. "Where were you headed?"

"To see you." He closed the distance between them so they were inches apart, staring down at her. "What did you want?"

"I meant what I said before, Gene." She said, wondering why her voice was so breathy. "Honesty. I'm sick of the Jekyll and Hyde personalities, the mixed signals, not knowing where I stand with you from one minute to the next. It's not good for us to keep doing this to one another and I think..."

Gene slammed his palm against the wall, stopping her mid-sentence and she turned surprised eyes to him. "Enough!" He growled, getting a small measure of satisfaction from her stunned surprise. "Jesus Christ woman! You say you want honesty but won't shut up for long enough for me to bloody speak!" She turned away and he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back around and pushing her against the wall.

"Look at me!"

Her spine stiffened and anger swept over her face as she moved to pull free of his grip. "Stop it!" He said sharply. "You want honesty, you've got it, but don't come crying to me when it all turns to shit, because this is all your fault!"

He cursed under his breath, his fingers tightening on her shoulders as he crushed their mouths together.

TBC...