Gene stalked into CID, having finished his stolen pie en route to the station and set his features in a scowl. Even after all this time, Alex was impressed at the speed of the change that came over him as he stalked through the smoky station.

Usually she would purposefully lengthen her stride so she could keep pace with him, but now she found herself hanging back, watching him move ahead of her. The longer they stayed in Manchester the more aware she became of herself watching him. She liked to think she read him better than anyone, but there were still times she'd look at him and have no idea what was going on behind his eyes.

Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those times. She could see he was going to tear Simon to shreds. The coppers scattered around CID knew it too, could see the threat written in every line of Gene's body.

'Tremaine,' Gene snapped. 'A word.'

Simon looked at Alex, concern marring his features. She shrugged and they followed Gene into Gary West's office. The DCI had obviously gone out to lunch and Gene perched on the edge of his desk, crossing his legs and folding his arms.

'I can explain, Guv,' Simon said, spreading his hands out protectively.

Gene pouted. 'I'm all ears.'

Alex leaned against a filing cabinet and sent Simon a reassuring look when he glanced at her. He turned back to face Gene and Alex ducked her head to hide a smirk at the momentary flash of annoyance her DCI sent her.

'We were following Harry, like you said. He went home, to the pub, down to the corner shop. He didn't go anywhere suspicious, didn't really talk to anyone. I needed a… well…'

'A what?'

'A comfort break,' Simon said, dropping his head in embarrassment.

Alex winced as she saw that sink in with Gene. He stood, pushing away from the desk and standing upright, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. Alex saw the younger man shrink into himself slightly.

'You let our best lead get away,' Gene said, his voice completely neutral. 'Because you needed a slash.'

'I didn't… DC Cooper was watching him!' Simon said, starting to sound slightly panicked.

'DC Cooper is not a member of my team. And neither will you be at this rate.'

'But he was watching him, Guv.'

'Then what the bloody hell happened, Tremaine?' Gene snapped, coming to a stop just in front of Simon and staring down at him.

'He did meet one man,' Simon said, manfully holding his ground. 'In a side alley by the Horse and Groom.'

'Who?'

'I don't know – but he gave him something. Money, I think.'

'So you followed him,' Alex said quietly.

'We followed him. Cooper thought we should.'

'And what did you think?'

'I agreed. He looked shifty, it seemed like a deal of some kind.'

'You really are bloody simple.' Gene snapped, allowing his annoyance to show plainly in his voice. 'Do you really think Harry bloody Carr is in the position to order people about?'

'I don't know!'

Gene shoved him, knocking him into a filing cabinet. 'Think,' he snapped his fingers beside his head, intensifying the glare he'd trained on Simon. 'What does that tell you?'

'No, Guv.'

'No, Guv,' Gene repeated. 'He met that bloke to throw you off the scent. Now I want you to get out there and bloody find 'im. Look all night if you 'ave to. I don't want to hear a word from you until you're lookin' at the back of his head.' Gene turned away from Simon, effectively dismissing him.

'I radioed DCI West and he gave us the go ahead.'

Gene spun again, coat whirling around his legs. 'He did what?'

'We couldn't get you on the radio, so we radioed through to DCI West. He told us to go after the other fella.'

'You come to me, Simon,' Gene said.' Not to him. Not to anyone else. Do you understand me?'

Simon pulled himself up to his full height, still a couple of inches shy of Gene, and glared up at his DCI. 'We couldn't get hold of you. DCI West answered. He said you were probably off with…' he broke off, glancing guiltily over at Alex. 'You can't dictate who I talk to, Guv.'

'That's where you're wrong. I am your DCI and my word is bloody law. Now get out there and find me Harry Carr.'

Simon stared at him for a moment longer, then ducked his head and left the office, shoving the door with enough force that it hit the desk outside.

'Oi!' Gene shouted after him. 'Make sure you visit the little boys' room before you go!' He turned away from Simon's retreating back only to be confronted by Alex's narrowed eyes. 'Oh, bloody hell. What?'

'Nothing,' she said, raising her eyebrows. 'Bit too much male posturing for me.'

'Don't start wi' me, Bolls. Surprised you haven't gone runnin' after 'im.'

'Don't you think you were a little hard on him?'

'He endangered the case.'

'Oh, come on, Gene,' she said, moving to stand just in front of him. 'You're just annoyed he spoke to DCI West.'

He looked down at her. 'He needs to keep his 'ead in the game. He's got a job to do here and I expect him to do it. He seems to 'ave trouble rememberin' it's important.'

Alex looked at him. 'Do you know something?'

He narrowed his eyes at her. 'I know lots of things, Bolly,' he said quietly.

'Gene – '

Gene rolled his eyes, moving away from her and fishing in his pocket for his hipflask. He took a healthy swig before speaking. 'I know there's a little boy down in London who might never wake up. That good enough for you?' He paused, appraising her with cool blue eyes. 'He has to work it out fer 'imself, Alex. Same as you and same as Sam. Even if I 'ave to break 'is nose to show 'im.'

'Show him what?'

They turned to see DCI West standing in the doorway.

'Internal staff problem. Nothing to worry yerself about, Gaz.'

'This is my station, Gene,' the other man said. 'My office, in point of fact.'

Gene kept his gaze trained on West as he lit a cigarette. 'You weren't in it,' he said, moving past West and exiting the room.

'I can't be everywhere. I'm not you,' Gaz said softly, speaking more to himself than to Gene or Alex.

Alex opened her mouth to say something comforting, but was cut off by Gene's shouted summons.

'Bolly!'

Alex offered Gaz a sympathetic look before heading for the incident room. Gene was standing by the door to the corridor, holding it open.

'Get a wriggle on, woman.'

She hurried across the room, the sound of her heels muffled by the god-awful floor tiles. 'Where are we going?'

'I'm pulling Mr Larkin in,' he said, preceding her out of the incident room and heading for the lift.

'Sandra's father?'

'The one and only.'

'Why?'

'Summat you said, actually,' he said, jabbing the button for the lift with slightly more force than she felt was necessary. 'About his wife not believing he was asleep.'

'Shouldn't we be looking for Carson?'

Gene looked at her. 'I've got half the GMP out lookin' fer 'im. Plus, Tremaine's going to be keeping his eyes glued to the street now I've 'ad a quiet word. Oh for Christ's sake!' He glared at the lift doors, the lift still having failed to arrive.

'Maybe it's trying to tell you something, Guv.'

'You saying I need to get some exercise, Bolls?'

'Wouldn't dream of it.'

'Good. Cos as you know there's only one form of exercise I'm interested in and clocking off time's a long way off yet.' He narrowed his eyes at her and turned, heading for the stairwell.

Alex smirked to herself and made to follow him, when suddenly the lights in the corridor, never particularly illuminating, seemed to stutter and dim. She looked up in alarm; the corridor ahead was completely empty.

'Oh here we go,' she muttered. She heard the lift arrive behind her and turned, jumping as she realised Gene was standing directly behind her. But not her Gene, she realised.

The Gene in front of her was dressed in a black suit, nothing new there, but it definitely wasn't one of his eighties ones. The fabric was wrong. He was wrong, too. His whole stance was quite unlike him, as though he was trying to somehow make himself small.

The lift doors opened, revealing Sam Tyler, engrossed in a file folder. Alex watched Gene's back and shoulders as he pulled himself upright. Sam glanced up, his eyes widening as he took in Gene's clothes.

'Hot date?' he said, moving around Gene as the larger man strode into the lift.

'Mind yer own business, Gladys.' Gene leaned forwards to hit the button for the ground floor but Sam stepped forwards, holding the lift door open.

'Seriously Gene, where are you going?'

'Out.'

'Dressed like that?'

Now that Gene was facing her, Alex found herself unable to stop looking at him. It was strange to see him like this, younger, undoubtedly, but clearly not happy. He looked weighed down today, and although a close inspection of his features did reveal the hint of a hangover, she didn't think that was it.

'What are you, my mother?'

Sam grinned. 'No thanks. I've met your mum.'

Gene didn't respond the humour in any way and Sam narrowed his eyes. 'Oh,' he said, realisation apparently dawning. 'I'm sorry, Gene. I forgot.'

'No you didn't, Gladys. I didn't tell you.'

'Let me drop this lot off and I'll come with you,' Sam said, nodding his head back towards CID.

'It's all right, Sam. Rather do this on me own.'

'Gene – '

'Boss!'

Alex turned at the sound of Chris's voice, but the corridor behind her was swathed in darkness.

Sam, however, seemed to be able to see the young DC perfectly. 'With you in a minute, Chris.' He turned back to Gene. 'Guv –'

'Better get on, Sam, Harry'd kill me if I was late to 'is funeral.'

Sam held Gene's gaze for a moment, wordless communication passing between the two men. Then he stepped back and Alex rushed forwards, making it into the lift just as the doors closed.

As the lift started to move, rattling quite alarmingly, Alex stole a glance at Gene. He was leaning against the back wall of the lift, hands shoved into his trouser pockets, his head resting against the wall, eyes closed. His hair was longer, blonder than it was currently, falling over his forehead and almost into his eyes. Although he was nearly a decade younger he looked older, exhausted.

For a moment when he'd been speaking to Sam he'd regained some of his usual liveliness, but now he was alone he'd dropped the mask completely. She wanted to reach for him, but even if she could have touched him, she knew he wouldn't welcome it. Even now Gene would rather work through something like this on his own, wouldn't seek her out for comfort.

Not for the first time she found herself reflecting on what Mabel Stubbs had told her. About how Gene, alone in that remote farmhouse, had shot dead the man who had killed him. She wondered whether he'd remembered why he was here in those days, or whether he'd responded to some subconscious prompting that day.

The lift stopped and Gene's eyes snapped open. 'Right,' he muttered as the lift doors opened. 'Let's get this over with.'

'Took the lift after all, I see.'

Alex started. Gene was standing outside the lift, regarding her with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. The Gene who had been standing beside her had disappeared completely.

'Well… ' She said, recovering. 'It's not as though I need the exercise is it?'

He swept his gaze over her appreciatively, pausing almost imperceptibly at her cleavage and her rear. 'Nope. And if you ever do, I'll be happy to demonstrate my exercise program.'

She narrowed her eyes at him, attempting to look stern although she knew he could see the amusement behind her expression.

'I've told Gaz to get his arse downstairs. He should be there if we have to bring Larkin in.'

'Do you really think that'll be necessary?'

'Depends if I like what he tells me, Bolly.'