"Bloody hell, Bolls, I can get out of a bloody taxi unaided!"

Alex withdrew her hand from the side of the taxi in which Gene was sitting, sighing at him wearily but smiling when she turned her back, thinking of how typically him he had sounded when he had said that.

She heard a hiss from behind her and saw that Gene was using the side of the taxi for his aid instead, and was sucking his breath in through his teeth at the agony it was causing him due to his broken ribs. Alex gave him a questioning look and he scowled back at her.

"I… am… fine…" he growled, pushing himself out and almost falling straight onto the pavement. The neighbours looked out with interest, one or two people wincing as Gene managed to get out.

"You alright there, sir?" the taxi driver asked, turning round with a frown on his face. Gene nodded, remembering that he couldn't use his normal retorts now in 2009 but not really caring as the driver took his money, handed over the change and drove off, backfiring at the end of the lane and leaving Gene refusing Alex's help again to get to the front door.

"Alright, walk without my help, you stupid bugger, but when we get inside you are straight onto that sofa and I will take a look at this medication," she warned him, holding up the two bottles that the hospital had given her, both marked "EUGENE HUNT". Gene narrowed his eyes at his full name and walked up the path, sitting down on the sofa as instructed (secretly, his ribs were killing him and he was glad to sit down) and waiting until Alex was in the kitchen before rummaging in his coat for his hip-flask and taking a generous swig of whisky.

"They said alcohol would mess with the medication, Gene, so put that away," Alex instructed firmly, walking back in with a glass of water instead and snatching the hip-flask from Gene's fingers.

"Bolls! Give that back!"

"No," Alex replied, a little childishly, stashing it in the cupboard above the cooker and knowing that Gene didn't know the password for the lock she'd put on it to keep Molly out of it. Gene sat back and pouted, displeasure oozing from his expression.

"That's my personal property, Bollykecks, I could have you banged up for theft of my bloody panacea!"

"I think you need to wean yourself off alcohol," Alex replied, feeling a little refreshed by the banter and sinking down next to him on the sofa. She had missed the talking and the idle chatting; for the first two or three days of his stay in hospital, Gene had talked very little and been irritable and drowsy for the few hours that he was awake. His main concerns had been the Quattro, which was undergoing restoration work in one of London's specialist Audi garages, his own health, and Alex's health.

"Nag nag nag," Gene mumbled, also behaving childishly. The truth was that Gene felt guilty about crashing with Alex in the car and wished he had been able to avoid the crash more than ever whenever he saw the sling on Alex's arm, despite knowing that he hadn't run himself off the road and that he had been the one who had been injured more out of the pair as well.

"Drink this and take the pills," Alex said firmly, placing two pills in Gene's hand and putting the glass of water on the table next to him. Gene sighed at the water, then mentally turned it into vodka (he had tried some before and although he'd had a God-almighty hangover the next morning it had been good while it lasted) and knocked the pills back, gagging slightly at their bitter taste but taking another mouthful of water to counter the taste. Alex put the pills back on their shelf and moved closer to Gene on the sofa, putting her hand on top of his.

"You feeling OK? Not dizzy or anything?"

He shook his head and gave her the bare minimum of a smile, leaning back to ease the pain in his bruised and bandaged torso. Alex stood up to go and get her pillow to make him comfortable-

The phone shattered the comfortable silence in the room, and Alex's eyes widened as she turned slowly to look at the innocently-shrilling phone on the table and then Gene on the sofa, also staring at the handset with his expression shocked and anxious, an expression rarely seen on the Manc Lion's face.

"I'll… I'll get it, Gene," Alex whispered, moving towards it, reaching out with one slightly shaky hand and picking up the call.

"Hello?"

"Survived, did we, Alexandra?" the voice asked smoothly, now showing itself clearly as male with its deep, broad tone. Gene clenched his fists and made to stand up, but the pain in his chest defeated him and he had to sit down again.

"Yes, I survived," Alex replied firmly, anger flaring in her head suddenly at this person- they were keeping her from Molly, from Evan, from her normal life, and she just wanted out and Gene and she knew she would be happy for life if she got those things. "I survived, and Gene did too."

The tone on the phone suddenly changed to anger.

"He won't for long, fool. He will be gone, as he does not belong here… he is surplus to your requirements to get home."

"But I need him anyway," Alex hissed, clutching the receiver so hard that the plastic body cracked and the sneering voice on the other end blurred and crackled for a second before the phone re-adjusted itself. Gene raised his eyebrows.

"Bloody hell, last time she clenched her fists that hard she was giving me a left hook on the jaw," he thought, but his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the voice coming back.

"You won't be able to have him, Alexandra. You'll have to leave him behind. He's dead and you're not."

"Wait- I'm not dead?" Alex asked, sounding shocked. Gene stood up, shaking his head, but the voice soldiered on.

"You're still in a coma, Alexandra. This world is still the purgatory world, but it has moved on many years now. Gene is still here, and you are, because he's keeping you here, but you need to move on, you want to go home, and you can- with my help, and without Gene."

"No."

Alex's voice was firm. The voice chuckled, amused.

"I am not giving in to your stupid little plan, whoever you are," Alex hissed as the chuckle ended. "I am staying here with Gene if I can't go back with him. I know Molly wants me back but she can cope, she's strong, it's the way of the world. I hate you! Why would I comply with you? You tried to kill me and Gene- I don't want to become your accomplice or your friend, because Gene is my friend and we are not giving in to you, because he is the Manc Lion and I am his Bolly and we are strong united, always will be, and weak divided. So you can sod off and if this isn't the real world we will find our way back together. Got it?"

The voice simply laughed.

"Young and suicidal, thinking she knows best. You are in for a horrible shock, Alexandra. Watch this space."

With a click, the receiver went silent. Alex put it down, her heart pounding. Gene felt a little awkward, but sensed that she needed a hug and so gave her one. She melted into his embrace, needing the contact more than ever, refusing to let go and snuggling into his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. Gene put his chin on top of her head and breathed softly onto the crown of her head, his hands slowly rubbing her back, her hands holding him as close as possible without hurting his injured ribs.

"Gene…" she whispered, and he responded gently by pressing his lips to her forehead and stroking her hair as she sobbed, now crying into his chest and lying on top of him. Gene banished the instinctive thoughts that came into his head from Alex's warm body being on top of his and concentrated instead on comforting her.

"Ssh, Bolly, I know," he whispered, caressing her soft skin and letting her sob onto his chest until she fell asleep curled on top of him, her hands clutching his shirt possessively and her head resting comfortably on the crook of his neck. Gene leaned back as well and closed his eyes…

"He's got a decent pulse, his vital signs are there, it's just the severe trauma to the head that's the problem. When he wakes up he could be a completely different person. I have to warn you now that his personality might be changed, his memories might be erased, he might have become someone new and you will have lost the Mr Hunt you know."

"The Guv won't leave us," Ray's voice said confidently, although a little tremor found its way in. Gene first snarled mentally at him for being a fairy, and then took in what he had said and felt grateful instead.

"We don't know what the full effects will be, but cross your fingers because the trauma was certainly befitting for someone nicknamed the Manc Lion."

The person left and Gene managed to open his eyes a fraction, making out the red bonnet that somehow seemed like something familiar, riddled with strange holes and covered in a thin film of dirt and muck from the streets. It seemed like something he knew and loved, if that was possible for him (well, why not, he loved Bolly deep down), but he couldn't properly place it, as he couldn't place the face that suddenly leaned over his and stared into his eyes.

"Guv? Guv, can yer 'ear me?"

Gene would have replied had he not been completely unable to. Instead he simply focused on the face, rugged, with a curly brown perm, and tried to recognise him, trying until it felt like his head would burst, but it didn't work and he began to slide back into unconsciousness…

"No, Guv- Guv, stay wi' me! Gene, stay wi' me!"

Gene was just able to remember that it was highly unusual for this person to call him Gene before he was swallowed by darkness and could remember no more.

"Gene? Gene?"

A different voice to the curly-haired man's… Gene opened his eyes and looked up blearily. Alex was standing over him, his hip-flask in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.

"You can have one swig," she told him, handing the flask over. Gene gave what might have been a smile had Alex not been watching, took the hip-flask and knocked the whisky inside back heartily, closing his eyes to hide the look of confusion and the attempt at remembrance from Alex.

It was something he wanted to keep to himself.

A/N: I hope people can forgive me for the long delay. Exams are so annoying… anyhow, hope you enjoyed it, please review! Jazzola :)