(A/N: Apologies for the delay in updating it's a very, very busy time at work for us at the moment! I'm trying to update when I can bear with me! Hope you enjoy ... it gets a little Angsty at the end.... don't panic all will be well!)

She tried to shake off the message the dog had relayed on the way to Luigis. After all it was a dog. Maybe she had just imagined it ...highly doubtful but she could at least hope. Deciding not to stress out Gene any more than he already looked she tried to keep her face as passive as possible until she could manage a false smile.

They had opted for a decent meal and then maybe just maybe a bit of time up stairs before finishing stuff off at work. It had already been a long day and they knew some more paper work was needed before either of them could consider leaving for that day.

Gene sat down in 'their booth' followed by Alex who looked like she had forgot her earlier scare from the future and played a smirk across her face as she sat down.

"I'm not sure I'm ever not going to stop smiling sitting here you know." She nudged him gently in the ribs.

He carried on looking at the menu and smirked himself.

"Well you know Bolls, it was all your fault I only wanted breakfast. Bloody sex mad posh tart."

She was just about to protest when Luigi came over to take their order. Blushing slightly Alex ordered for them both, Gene seemed to be reminiscing and stroking her thigh under the table absent minded under the table.

"Gene you know it's now not just us eating in here today don't you? Copping a feel dear?"

"What ...oh right. Not saying sorry. I'm just gona carry on." She shook her head in gest and changed the conversation. If they carried on they would never get any food.

"So what's the plan then? What shall we doo about PC Hales? I'm telling you there is something defiantly not right about hi.... Gene." She half moaned his name as she said it. He had carried on stroking her thigh as she was talking and without realising it had slipped his hand even higher up her skirt.

"What ... oh sorry." He meant it this time he didn't want to embarrass her. "Right, well Hales will show through in time if there is something amiss about him. I know what you mean. He seems as nervous as a ponce on his first day in the clink." She winced in comedy at his turn of phrase.

"Thank you for earlier by the way, standing up to him for me. You're like my own personal knight in shining armour." She leaned in hand on her chin, elbow on the table towards his face. He was looking down at her lips. He liked to think of him sometimes as her knight. No one was ever going to hurt her as long as he could help it.

"Well you know Bolly being engaged to the Manc lion has its advantages.... like a long lunch." He wiggled his eye brows and nodded towards the ceiling. She knew he wanted to skip dinner now and just head upstairs. In a way so did she, she wasn't that hungry after her scare with the dog and it was still paying on her mind somewhere in the back that wasn't smothered at this present time by Gene Hunt.

"Long lunch hey? Wow well maybe we should go for a 'lie down'"

"Told you before Bolly don't wiggle your fingers at me" He was still looking at her lips, he had shuffled closer to her now too and had his arm round the back of the booth.

"Well then Mr Hunt what do you suggest I wiggle at you?" She laughed at the phrase herself. It was so corny but she knew he would like the smuttiness of it.

"Up stairs. Now." She was taken aback by the loudness he had said it and was sure everyone in the restaurant had heard him. She really didn't care though she was out of the booth even before he had finished saying it.

"AH AH MR Hunt Mr Hunt!"

Gene sighed and turned round to the Italian.

"Yes Luigi, were leaving. Box up our food we will take it with us when we leave capish?"

"Yes Mr Hunt, but ah there is a call for you. They said it was urgent."

He sighed again took one long look at Alex's arse and turned to the kitchen and the phone.

Alex sat back down in the booth for a few minutes waiting for Gene to return. She thought back to what the dog had said before. Ok so she had been found it didn't mean she was defiantly going to wake up, after all she had been shot in the head. She could be in a coma for months and the rate time was running here to at home that could mean years decades. She shook out the thoughts and looked back to the kitchen area and Gene's backside se could see poking out of the curtain. She smiled again; he did after all have a rather nice derrière himself.

He put the phone down and turned back to the restaurant. She could tell by the look on his face, they weren't going upstairs any more.

"Let me guess, shall I get my coat?"

"10 out of 10 Bolls, were off to the morgue."

-

They met Ray and Chris there. The pathologist had said it had looked like an open and shut case until he checked out Irvine's blood. After attempting 3 times to try and explain what date rape was to Gene he finally got the gist of things.

Alex had also deduced from this that although he had been drugged, he wasn't sedated enough to be unconscious. Someone though had to have helped him get changed. Sal was lying and they needed to go talk to her again. Someone else was there.

Alex also thought back to what Mac had said earlier. Was this why he wanted to rush the case through? Was Mac involved?

Ray and Chriss headed back to the station to do the paper work on the Autopsy while Gene and Alex headed back to Soho. They had no idea they would be the last 2 to talk to Sally.

-

Gene felt Guilty. No wait that was an understatement. He felt like a bag of shite. The last few minutes of that poor stripper girl's life were spent by him shouting at her, telling her he was going to tell her mum. When she was shot he had tried to comfort her, he knew she was going to die. He had seen his fare share of shot wounds. He knew the ones who felt no pain but bleed like a river were goners.

He and Alex drove back to the station in silence. He still had blood on his shirt. She could see he felt guilty about it. He had stormed over there and insisted they talked to her tonight. He had shouted at her, dragged her out onto the street where she would die.

They entered the squad room to darkness. It was gone midnight now and everyone had left hours ago. She took his hand and sat him down in his seat. Gene rested his head on his arms, resting them on his desk.

"Gene, come-on. It's not your fault. She was going to be killed anyway, we were just there." She handed him a glass of scotch while stroking the back of his neck trying to soothe his temper she could see he was hiding.

"What could she have possibly known worth killing her Bolly ? I don't get how a young girl like that would think Scum like London would be better for her than home." He leaned back and took the glass of whiskey from her. She could see his mood had dropped the guilt was still there, but his temper had gone. She hopped onto his knee and stroked his chest.

"Gene, everyone thinks they can do better somewhere else in life. Some people do and some people end up like Sally. Gene it's not your fault."

He reached up and kissed her fore head.

"I hope I can believe that one day Bolly. Thanks anyway. "

They sat in the darkness of the office, only his lamp for light. Being in each other's company was soothing and neither wanted to move. It had been a really long day. Gene knew they would be back early the next morning. He could properly count the hours on his left hand. He suggested they rest where they were. Comfy and sated. Just as they were drifting off, both on his office chair, Alex sprawled over him he spoke once more before slumber took them both.

"I know why your here now Bolls"

"Mmm and whys that?" Alex whispered sleepy

"To find that girls killer.....and to be my pain in the arse. Night Bolly." He kissed her hair and drifted off with her.

-

They woke early before anyone else had come in. Gene had gone for a quick shower in the locker room and Alex had changed her clothes and attempted to do her make up with the stuff she had in her locker.

Ray and Chris came in around 8 am with Mrs Irvine in toe again. There investigations into her the previous day had shown that she may have been playing away from home the night her husband was found dead.

After a quick coffee and a garibaldi Gene and Alex went to re interview Mrs Irvine. Gene was getting a sense of déjà vu about re interviewing people concerned with this case.

Two hours they were in that interview room for. They were getting nowhere.

"I WANT THE TRUTH!" Gene shouted in her ear. Mrs Irvine let out another sob.

"You didn't kill them did you?" Alex asked.

"No"

"What are you hiding?"

Then, just as she was about to answer, Supper Mac barged through the door.

Gene looked just as surprised as Alex when he had told them he could personally vouch for her where abouts. She had been in his bed.

"You can't help who you fall in love with Gene." Gene looked up at Alex and gave her a sideward smile. They both knew that. They had to let Mrs Irvine go. Before Alex could get whatever secret she was hiding out of her.

Hales was next on the list of re interviewees. Turned out he too had lied, Irvine never slept with the girls. He was always kind to them.

Hales unfortunately also had an alibi. He had been at a football match the night Shaun Irvine was killed and he had been banged up for fighting last night when Sally was killed. Again they had to let him go.

Alex was getting tired; Gene decided a quick break back at her flat would be both helpful and needed.

It was almost mid day now and their earlier restless sleep in the office really hadn't been what they needed. They start to walk over to her place. Only again to be stopped before they even got to Alex's front door. Mrs Irvine was waiting for them outside. Her place had been trashed while they were interviewing her and while her 'sob story' fell on deaf ears with Gene; she had brought them what they had been looking for. Shaun's diary.

"Have you ever been in love Mr Hunt?" She said through tears.

Gene looked up at Alex. He really had been in love, was in love. How would he feel if they had found Bolly like that? He shuddered in thought.

"Yeah, yeah I have."

"Then catch my husband's killer."

-

They reluctantly headed back for Genes office. They closed the door and shut the blinds. Opting yet again to try and rest on Gene's chair, Alex again sat on his knee as they looked through the diary. They noticed all these Initials. KH, which they assumed was Kevin Hales and the mysterious SM. Who was that?

They had just reached the back of the diary as Ray came storming into his office.

"GUV! GUV! Oh sorry...erm." Alex got off his lap. They just were not going to get any time alone today.

"Look Hales he was there!" Ray was holding a blown up copy of the Polaroid. There in the back ground was Hales face behind a curtain at the back. Too small to see on the photo but under a magnifying glass Ray had recognised the face.

"And we just had word he was in a police cell the night of Sals death but released 5 mins after."

Without hesitation Gene told him and Chris to go and bring him back in.

They went back into Gene's office and started looking through a few of the Diary pages again.

Alex still couldn't get out of her mind why Hales had lied so much to them. The bigger problem was why Mac had wanted them to clear this up so quickly.

"Gene?"

"Oh no not that, I know that tone. Do I need ear muffs?"

She smiled sarcastically at him.

"Don't you think it's a bit funny that Mac wanted this all cleared up quick? I mean if he really wanted us to solve it he would want us to look into it properly right?"

He sighed and looked down at his desk.

"I don't know Bolls, you would have to ask him." His answer was sharp.

"I was only asking Gene! Why are you so defensive all of a sudden any way? You ever going to tell me what you 2 were talking about?"

The past few days and Alex's insistent untrust in him had taken a toll. He stood up and snapped at her.

"HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES WOMAN? TRUST ME ON THIS CRAP!"

At the same moment Gene's radio began to crackle.

"Guv! Guv!"

"WHAT RAYMONDO!"

"It's Hales he has gone nuts! He keeps firing at us"

"Were on our way" Gene grabbed his coat and pulled Alex by the hand to his beloved Quattro. He might be pissed off with her insistent questioning but he wanted her as close as possible if this fruit loop had a gun.

-

Things were worse than they expected when they arrived. Hales was shooting blindly at a crowed. Unfortunately he hit the Quattro. Gene was fuming Alex could see so she decided it would have to be her to get him down. Gene tried to call after her but he knew it was useless. He was just going to have to have a heart attack on the side lines.

After Alex finally managed to talk him down, after Gene had grabbed her and hugged her telling her over and over again never to run away from him to a bloke with a bigger gun, they managed to get him back to the station.

Alex realised as she shoved him into the Cell, that although he had acted drunk with the shooter, he didn't smell at all of drink.

"Hang on" She pulled him back.

"You're not drunk? Why?"

He leaned over to her and whispered in her ear...

"This runs higher than you imagine, you won't ever be able to stop it!"

They closed the cell door. She was confused why would he pretend to be drunk?

-

Finally it was (Sort of) Case closed. They headed over to Luigi's. The whole team needed a good drink after this case. Alex and Gene were just happy they might finally be able to go back to her flat and spend some time together.

"Why would he pretend to be drunk though? Maybe he was told to confess Gene did you think about that?" They were sat propping up the bar. After a few drinks the conversation had yet again come back to Hales.

"Bolly ...." Gene sighed. The case was closed he could never get why she always need to iron out every little detail.

"I know just listen please."She had that look on her face. The same look he had completely fallen for, the night months ago she had told him she would let her stamp her arse if they followed her lead. How could he refuse that dopey eyed look.

"Go on ... "He sighed again swirling his whiskey.

"SM? Meeting with SM ....." Alex's eyes suddenly lit up, something clicked. "Gene SM, its supper Mac!"

"Excuse the Tom Jones pun but, it's not unusual to talk to someone who is coming up to CID Bolly."Gene knew where this was going.

"Gene Mac is bent can't you see?" Alex was almost pleading with him; surely he had to see now it was true.

"Alex for crying out loud bloody trusts me!" Gene shouted back, their noses almost touching.

"Mr Hunt. Phone for you, He said to say it was Mac."

Alex and Gene looked at each other for a split second and Gene took the phone.

"Yes sir....ok....I'll come right over."

In a way Gene was relieved he had been called back to the station, Chris was in the process of trying to get back in Shazs good books and his bare arse was making him feel a bit sick... Alex looked at him. Her face full of the anger she had felt the day before when Mac had thrown her out of his office.

"Bolly, don't. Look go upstairs get drunk if you're pissed at me but I need to do this, I'll ... see you later." Gene bent down and kissed her on the cheek. He looked at her again for a few more seconds, trying to gauge whether or not she was going to slap him. No, she was just pissed. He sighed and walked out back to the station.

Alex stayed downstairs, sat by herself for another half hour or so. Going over and over in her mind why Gene couldn't see Mac was bent. She had had enough and was starting to feel sleepy. Grabbing 2 bottles of Red from behind the bar, not even paying Luigi for them (a trait she realised she had picked up from Gene), she headed upstairs.

As she got to the top step she saw a huge bunch of red roses. She smiled. Gene obviously feeling guilty for leaving her had left them on her door step as apology. She bent down and sniffed the flowers then felt a gift tag round the back. She flipped it over and began to read....this was obviously not from Gene.

Alex

You don't belong here.

They found you today.

Not long now.

Your home calls.

X

(A/N: Ooooooh! Who they from ... well I'm sure we can guess lol and our poor lovers not being able to spend any time together.... what next ?)