Author's Notes: You've been sending in some lovely reviews and really making my day! I can't say thank you enough! It always makes me so happy to know there are people out there who like my writing! Keep 'em coming! Someone suggested my take on the famous 'Vault' scene. Since my last two chapters focused on the first three episodes of A2A, it seemed like a good idea to write my next 'what if,' for episode 4! We begin with a good dose of character and story studying and then dive into the dark sultry romance I know you're all here for! Remember to feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments for future chapters. I love hearing your ideas and bringing them to life! Sending love and health - herstoryboooks.

'How the hell did I end up here?' That was the only thing going through Alex's head as she slid her back down the metal wall. This all started in the boring everyday fashion of a London murder. A nameless body discovered in a dark cold area of the city, with nothing but a few breadcrumbs to start them on their investigation. A diary, keys, a list of letters and numbers, and a telephone number. That small piece of scrap paper was when the messy adventure really started. Alex recognized her old home number in an instant, setting her nerves alight. In what way were her parents connected to the criminal world this time? Was this another clue to pull Alex further back home? It certainly seemed as such when the body of the victim had been stolen away. And then the bickering came as predicted. Gene bloody Hunt wanted the simple life of war and crime. It was all black and white in his mind, so who cared that the home office was tangling in their investigation? A murder came down to three factors.

"Money, Sex, and blood women! God knows why!"

He wasn't going to side with her on this, he wouldn't even humor her. It was his fault really that she went off on her own. If he'd only bloody listened! He should have expected Alex to run in a different direction whilst he looked into Kennedy's social life. As Gene was butting head and ruffling feathers with feminists and socialists, Alex took the time to flirt with memory lane. A lunch with Evan, an invitation to her old house. A step back in time to her own room. She didn't need to tell Gene about her mother's number. He was a part-time handyman. Nothing important at all. Only with that information, was she ready to return to professional life.

"You are so naive."

"And you a really pissing me off!'

"You've got no idea what they're capable of."

"The only conspiracy I'm worried about is my D.I keeping secrets from me. She could be a bloody suspect!"

"He was an odd job man, it didn't seem all that important."

"That is not your decision to make!"
"She is not involved."

"How do you know? What if it's commie spies? Lefties? Reds under the bed! There's a Cold War going on out there."

"Now you're being ridiculous!"

"You're the one pushing the Scooby-doo bollocks!"

The shouting and bickering were oddly comforting. When Gene and Alex were going head to head the world felt in balance. When he saw her as weak or she saw his hard exterior waver, that was when this world began to make no sense again. She was back on track, personal and professional happily running on parallel lines, with no signs of meeting. At least that was the way it seemed.

When the sealed brown envelope was opened and the black and white images of Alex's unknown nightmare were put in her hands, personal and professional suddenly became one wavy line. Her mother and the man she trusted with her life, with her daughter's life! The rage and hurt simmering in her stomach finally bubbled furiously over when her mother spoke with such a rational tone. Explaining her full knowledge that her family could crumble around her within a second and she was doing nothing to stop it. At that moment Alex felt nothing but betrayal on behalf of her father. But the danger of the British government appeared, again and again, reminding Alex of why she was in this world in the first place. To save her mother and father and get home to her little girl. Her mother betrayed her father, her family, but she didn't deserve to die for it.

Focus and purpose back on Alex's mind, she embraced the entwining of both her lives. However, it wasn't the new layers of government conspiracies or the constant repetition of her maiden name that took her off guard as she sat on the concrete. It was the realization that amongst the chaos, amongst the running around and balancing on the lines of purpose and family, that Alex had been leaning on Gene Hunt. He was the one challenging her, arguing with her - but stayed by her side. He was constant, consistent with his stubbornness that kept her alive and fighting. That kept her mentally strong. He was willing and ready to jump into the fire with her when they broke into Edgehampton. The trust she had imparted on him and the trust he returned to her was in such a large amount, it shocked Alex that she hadn't thought twice about it within her movements. She had said it herself. The way her mind works was pulling it into pieces and studying each tiny element. But not Gene Hunt. She didn't try to break him down and figure him out. She just trusted and followed his path, even allowing him to join her on her own - to a certain extent of course. He would never believe her if she told him the whole truth. But when she was willing to allow him, he followed.

And she led him into an underground government vault, that they were now trapped in.

"You see the thing about vaults, it's one of their more striking features, is that they're sealed. Nothing gets in… nothing gets out. Sound for instance, and air."

He was annoyed and she couldn't blame him anymore, not really. He had every right to be. But she was just as stubborn as he was, and like hell was she going to show signs of a timid apologetic girl. So when she heard the rustling of clothes beside her and flicked on the lighter to illuminate the ever-heating room, she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"For god's sake."

"I'd rather suffocate than boil." She looked away as he lifted the fabric of his shirt away from his sticking skin, revealing the white vest and gold chain. She hadn't been expecting a chain underneath the customary suit of Gene Hunt. A vest wasn't surprising she guessed, its presence didn't shock her in the way the shimmering metal had. Maybe it was the heat, or the fact Alex finally relented to the offering of Gene's hip flask and taking a swig of single malt, but her mind continued its journey. The outer layers of shirt, tie, jacket, and coat. Trousers and those sodding crocodile boots - all of that was public viewing. Alex had been given a glimpse to a slightly more exclusive sight of Gene Hunt. How many people out there knew that underneath his shirt, Gene wore a vest and gold chain? Alex told herself it was only natural for her brain to wonder about the information she didn't have. She searched out for information, it was in her job, her nature! Of course, she would go on to wonder about the other elects of the layers beneath the obvious. Boxers or briefs? What kind of socks? What did he sleep in? Did he sleep in anything? Did he hide the third and more intimate layer of himself even when he was alone? What scars and details lay on the skin off Gene Hunt's bare flesh….

Jesus Christ! Why was she even thinking about this?

Her hand came to her rescue by bringing alcohol closer to her lips. Scattering for distractions as the burning liquid entered her system, her brain went to the next natural area of torment. The visionary reminders she was close to death. The last glimpse of her mother and father smiling. The glimpses she remembered of her daughter. The memories of what separated her from her daughter in the first place, and the man she had left her with. The man she, until this moment thought was flawless. Everything she thought she knew about her childhood, about her trauma, every detail she remembered was now clouding with smoke. Fiery smoke of an explosion erupting from a car bomb.

Emotions were taking over, pulling her focus away from the solution to her problem. And she was giving in to it. But from the corner of her brain, there was a voice calling her in a new direction. Turning her head to follow its sound, she was surprised to see a face searching for her in the dark. He was squinting at her again, visually trying to make sense of the puzzle that was her mind.
"What?" Alex asked, curious about the cogs turning in his own head. "What?" She insisted again when he stayed silent.

"That Evan bloke…" Alex tutted quietly as she rolled his eyes. His jealous male ego was out to play, even in this dire scenario.

"It's complicated. It's very complicated." Alex chuckled gently to herself. How could she even begin to describe who Evan really was to her? In her world, he was the man who saved and raised her. The man she guided her daughter towards without a shadow of a doubt. In this world… it was complicated. It was very complicated. "And it's none of your business." She added with a teasing glare, in hopes he would take the hint and move away from the subject matter. He did his usual pout but nodded in agreement. He had no authority over Alex when it came to her personal life. And whatever Evan was, defiantly crossed over to the side of personal.

The wave of pressure washed over Alex in such a heavyweight her body finally caught up with the intensity of the heat building in the room. "God," she groaned, finally giving in to removing a layer. "I am so hot." She complained. The satin fabric of her shirt was released and fell to the ground with the rest of her jacket. It was a relief to feel some sort of coolness on her skin, but it wasn't lost on to Alex that Gene was now staring at her in her bright red bustier with a shocked look of lust. She rolled her eyes and slumped further into her seated position.

"Dear Lord," Gene sighed looking to the ceiling above. "If this is a test, I fear I may fail. I thought it would be the booze of the fags but oh no. I'm going to die, in an underground vault with the company of a posh, mouth tart, with a head full of brains and the common sense of a grain weevil." They continued to pant with heated exhaustion as Gene threw more quips and insults over at Alex, yet she couldn't help but smile as if it was a compliment.

"We're not going to die." She told him. "I can't day, can I?" She smiled with a shrug. Then it dawned on her. Could she die in this world? She was battling for her life on the other side of her mind, if she lost the fight in this world, would that automatically send the rest of her in peril? She made up this world, hadn't she? Her brain wouldn't allow her to die in this fantasy it had created. Or maybe it would. Maybe what happened in this world had more of an effect on the other side, than Alex originally thought.

Gene watched that within a second, the teasing feisty fire in Alex's eyes went cold and froze over into fear. "Can I?" She repeated. He had no idea what sudden switch had just gone off in her mind, but the effect it had on him was overpowering. His strong, stubborn and loud D.I. looked up at him like a lost child. The oddest and most uncomfortable emotion ran through his veins. The sudden need to protect this woman at whatever costs, even if it meant his own life.

"Come here." He whispered, opening his arm up and over her head. Alex didn't hesitate to fall into Gene's embrace. Alex took her comforting place against Gene's chest. She felt his chin rest amongst her curls on the top of her head, finding comfort in the pressure against her skull. Her head brushed along the line of Gene's chest, skimming over that unexpected gold chain on its way to his heart. The metal was cool against her fingertips, but the strongest sensation of touch was the heavy thumping of his heart underneath her palm. Gene squeezed her tightly in his arms and kept his gentle arms around her, to protect her from whatever monsters were lurking in the dark.

Speak of the looming dark, the small illuminating lights quickly began to fade. Alex wasn't sure if it was the fluid in Gene's lighter, finally giving way and burning completely out. Or if it was the oxygen in the room finally coming to its end. Another heavy wave of fear. Alex looked and leaned up, in search of comforting or certain eyes. Gene moved his head to let her pass but returned his close gaze immediately. Their noses almost touching and chests breathing against one another.

"Gene," Alex whispered as the lights were on its final legs.

"I know," Gene replied.

Now submerged in the darkness, with only touch and sound to guide them through their remaining breaths, Alex breathed in deeply. She felt Gene's arms clutch around her tighter as he too, breathed in the scent around them. They were both still breathing. Alex could hear the gentle pants of Gene as well as her own audible breaths in and out. Following her scenes, she explored the texture of Gene's vest underneath her fingertips. She skimmed up the strap, the skin of his shoulder. Without thinking, her body took lead. Her hands sliding to rest against Gene's neck, and now feeling his pulse beneath her.

"Alex?" His voice was a low husk. They could both feel the invisible pull, and without visuals to prove their actions, both fell into a dream-like state. Gene's hand skimmed up and down the silky fabric of Alex's bodice when he felt her hand further its journey to his cheek, her thumb caressing against the skin of his parted lips. He saw nothing, couldn't see the deep complex expression across her face as Alex tried to rationalize or understand her actions. Would it have made him act differently? Would her unseen hesitation have scared him away, take away the decision for Alex to make. Neither would ever find out. But under the blanket of darkness, in a small locked vault hidden away underground, Alex made her decision for their brief moment. Using her hand as a guide point, she leaned up and placed her lips softly on top of Gene's. She felt and heard the hitch in Gene's chest as he registered the actions she was taking. His hand tightened around her waist as a shocked reflex. He wasn't sure how to react. Was he to let her kiss him once and pull away? Was this a 'before I die,' kind of moment? But when she didn't pull away and her lips moved in a gentle rhythm against his, he found his body following unspoken instructions and kissed her back.

Kissing Alex Drake was like sipping a high-quality and vintage whisky drink. He thought it would be like downing a large glass of red wine, but he never particularly liked red wine so why would he compare the two? No, this was a very enjoyable, impossibly blissful, and intoxicating action. So wonderful that Gene kept his movements to slow and subtle caresses. Some say you can have too much of a good thing, it can make you go insane and become an addiction. And feeling Alex's hand skim gently across his face, feel her body move against his body and her lips entwined with him, he was beyond the possibility of sobriety.

It was the sound of whining and turning metal that made the two senior detective's lips spring apart from one another, like a hand on a hot surface. But still, with Gene's arm around her shoulder, the two turned to the sudden burst of light and saw Shaz, Chris, and Ray arguing by the open door.

"I told you not to touch it!" Ray shouted at his friend before they all looked inside and inspected the insides of the vault. Finding their two bosses in an arms embrace on the floor with layers of clothes missing. Gene pulled his hand away the moment their eyes fell on the two.

"Bloody hell. It's Wonder Chris." He commented sarcastically and an alarm filled their ears.

"Sorry, Guv." Chris apologized, not sure why he was saying sorry but guessing by the look on his DCI's face, that he should be. Gene and Alex both recovered quickly, covering themselves up and reapply their outer layers. As they slipped out of the vault, they set off the fire alarm to mask the sound of the vault's alarm. Then they slid away from the crowd and left Edgehampton without a consequence for their actions. The second the night air hit their skin, both Gene and Alex seemed to have made a silent agreement to ignore and not talk about what happened in the entrapment of the metal building. Not yet anyway.

They went on as usual. Completing the case and ending the day by sitting at their regular table in the small restaurant underneath Alex's flat, with a carafe of wine to share. Lazily leaning on her hand, the two went into their usual rolls off flirting with no signs of following through - truly ignoring what had happened by acting the way they always did.

"Would have been a horrible way to go," Alex concluded underneath Gene's pouting stare.

"Oh, unspeakable." He agreed, mirroring her actions and leaning on his own hand. Their moment had been interrupted by a background character in their odd mystery spy novel. He left as quickly as he arrived
"So what are you? C or a D cup?" Gene asked in his usual tone. Alex grinned and rested against her hand again. They were working as usual, and it was a comfort because it meant no difficult decision or realization for Alex to go through just yet.

Author's Notes: Okay don't kill me. I wasn't sure if one kiss in the vault, moments before they thought they were going to die, and so early on in their journey would do much to their story? It just didn't feel right, suddenly writing them embraced in a strong love affair. But do not worry if this isn't what you were hoping to read. I have plans for the next 'What If,' already in my mind, and it will get steamy and romantic.