"This had better be good, Bolls."

Gene and Alex were seated on Alex's sofa, wine glasses resting on the table and a cigarette butt gently smoking in the ashtray as Alex slotted the VHS into her video player and fast-forwarded. Gene's lips twitched at several of the acts that came before The Song That Goes Like This and his eyes widened at some of the women, which didn't go unnoticed by Alex, who slapped his knee and stopped the video.

"I've got the words here," she told him, handing him a notepad and starting the video. The words echoed through the lounge, and Alex chanced a look at her DCI; he was engrossed in the screen, his lips moving slightly along to the words, his mind remembering the process of learning a song. The song brought back memories for her, of going to a Broadway production of Spamalot with Molly for her birthday and having dinner in TGI Friday's afterwards, and she sniffed back tears and stopped the VHS as the song finished.

"I know the song, but I don't think I'll be able to go as deep as you, I'm a soprano. I trust you know what that means, Mr Tenor Hunt?"

He rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm not stupid, Bolls."

"Could've fooled me," she teased gently, grabbing his arm and standing him up. "OK. First bit is yours: Once in every show, there comes a song like this, it starts out soft and low and ends up with a kiss. Oh where is the song that goes like this? We'll omit the bit after that, you can just sing that bit and Chris can say the bit after that."

Gene looked down at the pad in his hand, his eyebrows drawing together.

"You sure this is a good idea, Bolly?"

"I went to see the Super, and there's a prize for the best entry, Gene. I persuaded him to make it several kilos of alcohol, so if you want to get more pissed than ever before in your life for doing something that comes naturally to you then concentrate on this. It's not like anyone will know it was you, it could have been any one of the CID lads; we could even put out that it was Ray or something, if you're really that worried about it."

At the mention of the word "alcohol", Gene's eyes had lit up; Alex doubted he had even heard the rest of what she had said. His eyes now narrowed and went in for the kill as he licked his lips and cleared his throat, preparing to use the tenor voice he had neglected for years.

"Once in every show, there comes a song like this, it starts out soft an' low an' ends up wi' a kiss, oh where is the song tha' goes like this?"

Alex had to admit, he wasn't bad. His voice was rough after the abuse it had endured from his alcohol and nicotine intakes, but it was strong, ebbing and flowing in the right places, and just from the notes she could tell it would compliment her own voice perfectly. The Manchester accent wasn't hidden, though, and she could tell that was done on purpose.

"Weren't you going to disguise your accent?" she asked him, not hiding her confusion.

"Was until you said we were goin' to say Ray was singin'. No point now, is there?"

Apparently he had heard her, then. Alex nodded at his logic and studied the next part, remembering how the tune went and beginning to sing it to herself.

"A sentimental song that casts a magic spell, they all will hum along, we'll overact like hell. Oh, this is that song that goes like this."

Gene nodded approvingly, his mind still on the prize Alex had promised and already beginning to make up excuses to get other members of CID out of the room so he could bag most of the stuff for himself.

The rest of the song went according to plan, Alex winding the video forwards and back so Gene could hear the tune and adding in when it was necessary. She began enjoying herself, a lot; just sat up here with her DCI, singing away to a song that she remembered well and was dear to her, seemed a good way to spend her evenings. The bottle of Luigi's "house rubbish" on the counter was steadily emptied as the evening wore on, and gradually the notes got less and less steady, until eventually they were too inebriated to carry on and Gene walked down to the Quattro, surprisingly still able to stand upright.

Well, he seemed so until he stumbled and fell against the door, collapsing into the road and swearing repeatedly under his breath as he tried and failed to get up.

Luigi, watching from his window, sighed, shook his head and called up to Alex.

"Signorina Drake, perhaps Signor Hunt could sleep on your sofa for tonight, yes? He is too drunk to drive."

"I'm fine, Luigi," Gene muttered, finally getting up and slotting the keys into the door of the Quattro. A hand forced them out and held them out of his reach as a voice whispered in his ear.

"It's too late and you're too drunk, Gene. You can sleep in the lounge for tonight, I've got a spare suit of yours in my wardrobe. Come on, see sense, you can't possibly make it all the way over to the other side of town without crashing in the state you're in."

"The Gene Genie doesn't get drunk, Bolls," Gene muttered, trying to push himself forwards to grab the keys and only succeeding in stumbling again on the kerb. Alex frowned at him and he sighed.

"For one night only, Bolls. And don't go takin' advantage o' me while I'm asleep."

Alex rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't ignore the little flutter in her stomach as he walked back up the steps to her flat and let himself in. Bringing herself back to her senses as the door slammed, she realised that the Quattro was unlocked and she had the keys in her hand.

"Dream on, Alex, it's never going to happen," she muttered to herself, locking the gleaming car and following Gene's footsteps into her lounge where he was already bedding down on the sofa, his snakeskin boots next to her high heels on the shoe rack and his suit jacket draped over the end of the sofa. For the first time she noticed how long his legs seemed in those trousers, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his feet encased only in black socks, his toes surprisingly long and delicate, the instep an elegant curve and one hole showing the paleness of the skin.

"Bolly?"

Gene's voice brought her back to earth, and she looked up at his face and shook herself mentally.

"Yes, I'll just be going to bed."

Gene nodded.

"One more thin'."

"Yes?"

"Why've you got one o' my suits in your wardrobe?"

"Oh, it was the one you were wearing when you cut your head on some glass and got covered in blood during that chase, remember? The launderette delivered it to me, since you weren't in when she took it to yours. I paid her to deliver it, and gave my address as the secondary one."

Gene nodded, remembering the case and Alex taking his suit down to the launderette after bandaging him up in the Quattro.

"I owe you that money," he muttered, his normally hidden chivalry coming through as he felt a little guilty about it. Alex shook her head.

"I was the one who told you to go through the window in the first place."

"Fine. Got any more scotch?" Gene enquired sleepily, his eyes beginning to close but glinting at the thought of more whisky. Alex rolled her eyes at him and closed the blinds, heading through to her bedroom.

"Get some sleep, or you'll be exhausted tomorrow in CID," Alex called back as she closed her bedroom door firmly and stripped off, getting into her bedshirt and sliding under her duvet, the sound of Gene turning over to get comfortable on her sofa accompanying her to blissful slumber.

The alarm going off the next day failed to wake someone up, Alex noted dryly as she walked out of her bathroom to find Gene still slumped on the sofa fast asleep. Walking over, she smiled to herself at the spectacle, wondering how many people had ever seen the Manc Lion so relaxed before and feeling glad that he trusted her enough to crash in her flat. His eyes were lightly closed, a shadow on his jaw and upper lip making him look ruggedly handsome, more attractive than Alex had expected any man to look after seven hours' sleep on a sofa certainly. One hand rested delicately on his stomach; the other had fallen off the edge of the sofa and was pressed against the carpet by the weight of his arm. Alex's breath caught in the back of her throat, and she paused to compose herself before walking over and shaking his shoulder gently.

"Gene? Gene?"

"Urghh…" Gene muttered, slowly coming to and receiving an eyeful of Alex Drake as he woke up. "Mornin', Bolls…"

"What does it take to wake you up?" Alex laughed, pulling the blanket off her DCI's sleeping form and yanking the pillow from under his golden, leonine head to wake him further. Gene moaned and tried to grab them back, reminding Alex of Molly on school mornings as he sleepily buried his head back into the fabric of the sofa and closed his eyes again. Alex leaned right down and whispered in his ear.

"If you get up now, I might mysteriously find a couple of bottles of scotch I was keeping for you up here."

Gene groaned again and pushed himself up, giving Alex a glorious view of partially undone shirt and toned, surprisingly muscular chest underneath it. Drawing her breath in sharply, Alex had to hurry to the kitchen and make herself breakfast before she did something she would regret.

Just as she put her bowl in the sink, resolving to tackle the washing-up later, Gene came back through, not yet clean-shaven but with his damp blond hair brushed back as usual and his clothes smart, although his tie was slung carelessly round his neck, the knot as of yet undone. Alex averted her eyes from the shadow on his face.

"You need a shave."

"Go' the stuff in my office, I'll do it there."

Remembering what Sam had said so long ago about Gene almost living in his office, Alex smirked to herself and nodded, glugging back the last of her orange juice and watching as Gene took a slug of whisky and shoved his hip-flask back into his pocket.

"That stuff'll kill you, you know."

"So will everythin' else I do, accordin' to you. Come on, we'll be late."

"Rich coming from you," Alex muttered, grabbing her jacket and heading to the door after him, just in time to hear his comment: "Daft bloody sopranos."

A/N: I hope people got that last joke- if you're into music you'll know about the "dumb sopranos" bit. Hope it hasn't stumped people! *chews lip anxiously* Please review, and I'll get the next parts up ASAHP! Jazzola :)