A/N: Firstly would like to apologise for the long long long wait in my update. It's been a very testing few months and a lot has happened at work but now I'm back! Let's get things moving again shall we! So our favourite duo have made up now they have Mac, the mystery man and a wedding to deal with!

-

The next week was hectic to say the least.

Gene was like a bull in a china shop, trying to solve the bombings and animal testing attacks. Alex thought she really did have a connection with Robin Elliot but he lied to her twice that week and more people sufered because of it.

To top the week of nicely as well, Gene had yet again saved Alex from a crazy gun man when they finally figured out it was Elliot's old room made Jeremy causing the bombings. He worried about her before but after almost losing her he hated her going anywhere on a call without him. It was like she was part of him and if she strayed too far he couldn't work right. God what had she turned him into. Whatever it was though, he wouldn't change it.

After dealing nonstop for 3 days straight with animal activists and 'tax dodgers', as Gene called them, they had all crawled over to Luigis to celebrate. Alex noticed a solemn look on Genes face that morning but she figured it was just the case, it had taken it out on everyone after all. At least they were back to normal now. She raised her glass.

"To the guv!" and leant in to kiss him.

"What was that for Bolly?"

"Looked like you needed it." She was leaning on the table top resting her chin on her hand leaning in to him.

Whatever he was thinking about before dissolved as soon as she smiled at him. If only she knew what he had to tell her. That could wait for a few days yet, he didn't want to upset her so soon after them making up. She knew he had gone to the masons again that week. They had agreed that he would keep away as much as possible but while they were trying to gather information on Mac he would go once a week to keep up appearances. The last meeting involved a talk with Mac, one that didn't end well for Gene. One that ended with him about to be transferred to the south coast.

But that could wait. If they got Mac no one ever needed to know and for now Bolly defiantly didn't need to know.

Opting for some time alone and a lot of sleep they sneaked of and let the group to celebrate.

-

A few days had yet again passed and although Gene was a little quiet Alex thought she knew better, than ever now, that he would tell her in time what was happening.

Tonight however it was masons night and he had left Alex in the flat with a bottle of wine and a few of his favourite westerns. He had told her that if they were ever going to sit and watch 'poncy foreign films' Alex was also going to have to do her home work and be able to tell him truthfully if she preferred John Wayne, Gary Cooper or Clint Eastwood. It was very important after all.

She was about half the way down the bottle of the rather surprisingly expensive wine Gene had brought from Luigi instead of the normal house rubbish. High noon was playing in the background and her thoughts were drifting in-between what Gene and Mac was talking about at dinner and what he would look like in a cowboy hat, smiling to herself the phone brought her round from a fastly developing dirty day dream.

"Hello."

"Alex . . . "

"Who is this?"

"Tick tock, tick tock, the bombs go."

"Are you part of the Animal rights group?"

"I'm coming Alex. You can't stop me. You or your constant. We're going home Alex."

"Look I've told you before, I'm not going home. I have made my choice, please leave me alone." She was sober again in an instant. If this guy had rang a few days ago when she was in doubt about Gene she dreaded to think about how she would handle this same situation. A shudder went through her and she carried on." Now I'm hanging up, I don't want to hear from you again."

She went to hang up the receiver and the TV changed station, a strange man in his 50's appeared on the screen.

"I've told you twice now Alex, the third time I will come for you. We're the same Alex, We don't belong here."

The screen changed back to the film and she hadn't noticed Gene sneak in and creep up behind her.

"Getting into it I see Bolly." He went to sneak an arm round her waist and she jumped round in his arms and shrieked.

"Bloody hell Bolly any one would think I'm an armed robber."

Alex was still shocked. Her eyes all wide and teary, he could see she was close to tears. He changed his arms to gather around her and pulled her to him.

"Hey, hey what happened? You're shaking like a greyhound!"

"Urm . . . sorry i. . .I just got to a bad bit in the film. You know where Cooper gets shot I just . . . ."

"No need for me to ask who your favourite is then hey Bolly." He smiled at her side ways and pushed her hair from her face, he could tell she was keeping something from him but she seemed to be calming down and the fact that she had made the effort to watch his films made him not want to push it.

"Come on love I'll make a cuppa, bloody freezing out there!" Gene practically carried her and left her on the settee while he went to make the tea.

He could see she was still shaken from the kitchen and thought maybe a drop of whiskey was needed in the tea. He sure knew he needed it. Mac had handed him the Kevin Hales file one last time at the masons to give him the chance to change what Mac wanted him too but no matter what he needed to do to show Mac he was part of the masons he couldn't go that far.

So Mac withdrew that file and gave Gene a booklet about the Portsmouth constabulary.

Things were moving faster than Gene had anticipated with this. He had 2 weeks. It was time to tell Alex, maybe in the morning.

He shook his head and picked up the 2 mugs and returned to Alex.

"Now then, we alright now Bolls? Or do you need the Gene Genie?" He sat down next to her and let her curl up to his left side as he dropped a light kiss on the top of her head.

"I always need the Gene Genie, you know that. I mean who would make me tea like this!" She coughed slightly at the tea, she wasn't expecting the whiskey.

"Oh I see only after me to make you tea, I suppose you won't want to get married after all." He chuckled at her remark about the tea, slightly relieved that she seemed to be calm again.

Alex did feel a lot calmer, the tea was helping, but she felt so much safer now Gene was back. Whoever was ringing her, sending her flowers they were no match for her Manc Lion.

"Might as well Gene. Told you before nothing better to do." She snuggled further into him and he placed his arm round her resting his hand on her thigh.

"Suppose so, do you still . . You know, want to . . . do it sooner."

Alex pushed herself up to look at him.

"You weren't just trying to make me feel better then, you were serious?"

"As serious as the second world war love, sooner the better in my opinion. If you keep bloody running off and trying to bring in dangerous suspects on your blinking own it needs to be sooner. I might die of a heart attack!" He pouted a bit. She knew he was still pissed about her going after Jeremy but his concern outweighed the anger.

"OK . . . So if we're doing it soon we need to pick where. I take it you would want to do it in Manchester?"

"Bloody hell no, don't want to do it up there to many bad memories." He looked down. Suddenly remembering Sam and his ex wife at the same time hit him like a sledge hammer. A look not un noticed by Alex. She reached up and kissed him.

"Sorry ...you know that you feel home is somewhere filled with bad memories."

"Way I see it Bolly that's my past. I've got mates up there sure. Mates who trust me love once we are married you really won't want me going out with . . . maybe Manchester for the Stag do. . "She playfully slapped him and let him carry on "But the people I want there are here now. We need to get Annie and the kids down though." He paused again; anything about Sam made him quiet. She knew that was why he hardly had anything to do with Annie. "But it's your show. Where would you want it?"

She hadn't thought about it. Her first wedding was clinical a proper late 90s wedding that her and Pete had had lined out for them by his parents. This time though she could do whatever she wanted. And that's when it came to her.

He saw her smile and knew she had thought of somewhere.

"I'm not saying I would want to get married there, not sure it's still standing but my parents' wedding was beautiful. It was in a church not far from here St Katharine's. Small close nit community church only fit about 20 people in there. If our wedding could be anything like that I wouldn't care what else happened." She was staring in to the distance and he could see how much it meant to her.

"Sorted then, I'll have butchers around. You found a meringue yet?" He went to reach for a fag and put them down again, he had tried so hard the past week not to smoke as much. Ever since Alex had a small dig at him about having kids . Alex giggled and then stifled it so he didn't hear.

"And when do you expect I have had the time in the past 2 weeks to look for a dress?"

"Well were quiet at the mo why don't you take Shaz for a look this week?"

Since when did he become so organised? She liked it though.

"Ok....."

"Good. Right now that's that sorted I'm taking you to bed, looks like you really need the Gene Genie."

She hadn't noticed but he had been stroking her left thigh while they were talking and now she could feel every trace he was making and the sensation was shooting right up her leg.

"I could properly do with a quick visit from him yeah." He hiked her up and threw her over his shoulder making a b-line for their bedroom. Both smiling from ear to ear, The Gene Genie and his Bollinger Knickers solid again.

All thoughts of Mac out of his mind.

All thoughts of the mystery man out of hers.

A/N: Smut will ensue in the next chapter but to ease me back into things I thought maybe a fluffy tie up a few loose ends chapter. Will update once a weekish from now on guy's free time is back! Please review!