Once again, I can only apologise for the lack of updates recently - final year exams and coursework at Uni really taking up a lot of my time atm so I know this chapter is short and doesn't really move the story forward too much but hopefully it's just a little update to keep people vaguely interested while I work on the next chapter, which is already started :) xxx

Un-beta'd so any mistakes are my own

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Alex stood there, numb. She didn't know what to do or what to feel. Two minutes ago she'd thought she was in heaven, Gene pressing her up against the bathroom wall kissing her into oblivion. All the feelings that had been simmering there between them for so long finally surfacing. Ok, maybe not in the way I'd dreamt of. Me in my pyjamas with a hole in my stomach and Gene here to babysit me after I made a fool of myself. But she'd enjoyed their embrace, if a little brief, this morning. More than enjoyed.

She'd been wanting to kiss him for so long, dreamed of doing more than just kissing him, even when she'd found herself back in the present with Molly. The most important person in Alex's life had been right there with her and she'd still found herself wanting Gene.

And not just on a physical level. Last night proved he means more to you than just a potential shag. The lust was there as well of course. It had practically exploded in the pit of her stomach last night when he'd pushed her up against the wall and she tasted his mouth with her own. But it was more than that as well. Gene made her feel safe in a world where she had felt scared for most of the time, in a world that she's thought for so long that she didn't belong in. Now she wasn't so sure where she belonged but she did know one thing for definite. Gene was the first person she thought of in a crisis and he was always there. Except now.

She could feel the tears brimming in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try and relax the muscles she had subconsciously tensed up at Gene's rejection and subsequent departure.

Upon opening them again, Alex's immediate line of vision meant she caught sight of the glass Gene had filled with water the previous night to help her take her medication. Without thinking she crossed to the table, picked up the glass and threw it across the room towards the kitchen with a cry of anguish. She was one again separated from her daughter, had a bullet in her brain in 2008, had a hole in her stomach in the 80's and now to top everything off she may have lost Gene as well.

Unable to cope right at that moment and feeling utterly defeated and helpless, Alex forced herself to take her medication before removing her robe and crawling back into bed, tears coming in waves now and she was unable to separate the pain of loss she felt for Molly, the pain she felt at Gene's rejection of her advances and the physical pain in her stomach.

The whole station, let alone CID, realised within thirty seconds of Gene entering the building that the Guv was definitely not in the best of moods and anyone who dared to speak to him would do so at their own risk.

Smoking and drinking in his office all morning Gene tried to ignore the nagging voice in his head that told him he was being a prat. He couldn't believe the way he'd just walked out on Alex again. It's getting to be quite the habit Hunt. But he couldn't help it. When things got too personal or uncomfortable, Gene Hunt didn't back away slowly, he ran away at lightening speed.

The truth was he felt like shit. He'd experienced every emotion under the sun in just a couple of hours that morning; fear, relief, apprehension, lust, happiness, denial and now the one currently winning out his conscience was guilt. Not only did you accuse the woman of being bent, shoot her and put her in a coma for months, you practically assault her in a confused and vulnerable state and then run out on her. Again.

He hung his head in shame. He knew he had to put things right but he didn't know how. He was crap at this sort of thing and he didn't want to risk hurting Alex any more than he already had. But at the same time he knew what he'd said that morning was right. No matter how he might feel about her, and how close he had come to telling her that morning, or she about him, Gene knew it could never really work out between them and it was best to just carry on as they were before things got really out of hand and they could no longer work together. Gene didn't think he could handle that. While it was torture to walk away from her that morning he knew that if one of them was forced to transfer and he never saw her again, that would be hell on earth and he really didn't want to think about that scenario. That's if she doesn't decide to put in for a transfer anyway after your performance this morning.

Swigging back the last remnants of whiskey in the glass in front of him, Gene looked up just in time to see Viv swing through the doors into CID. Ray was opening the door to his office seconds later.

"Guv, armed blag in progress at some posh bird's house in the suburbs."

Gene was up on his feet and shrugging his coat on in an instant. "Round up the troops Raymondo."

Alex snatched the phone off it's cradle just as it rang on. Cursing her lack of an answering machine and the '1471' function, she went into the bathroom figuring whoever it was would ring back if it was urgent. She didn't have to wait long.

"Ma'am?"

Alex recognised the voice straight away."Yes Shaz?"

"You should get down to the hospital Ma'am, there was a robbery and guns were fired and the Guv..."

Alex heard the young woman choke on a sob and pushed down a tide of panic that threatened to take her over. "Shaz, what is it? Is he ok?"

"He's, he was..."

"Shaz?" Alex snapped harsher than she intended but her fear for Gene's health was outweighing her need to be polite.

"Sorry Ma'am, it's just he was shot and they've taken him to the hospital. Chris and Ray are there now with him but it's touch and go. They're not sure if he's gonna pull through Ma'am."

Alex couldn't speak. She wouldn't have known what to say even if she could. Gene's been shot. Touch and go. Might not pull through. All she could do was keep repeating those words over and over in her mind.

"Ma'am? You ok?" Shaz's voice brought her back to reality.

"I'm going to the hospital Shaz."

Alex put the phone down, unable to process Shaz's thoughtful inquiry about sending a squad car to pick her up. Ringing for a taxi, she quickly got dressed, picked up her keys and some change and went downstairs to wait.

Gene's been shot, Gene's been shot, Gene's been shot...

Hope that was ok, let me know what you think xxx