Here we go – Chapter 8 – the final episode of this tale – is here! I've enjoyed writing it as much as you've probably enjoyed reading it – for a first GALEX fic, it's not bad!

On a side note – if you have 'Absolute Beginners' by David Bowie, please play it - it fits perfectly with this piece.

So all that's left to say is – ENJOY!

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"... So 's bopped the duty sarge one an' jus' 'opped out the car, did 'e?"

"Well, the duty sergeant was driving the vehicle – the convict elbowed him in the face, and the car crashed," The DI corrected him, wearily.

"So 'e totals my car, beats up my officer an' legs it?" Her DCI paused, then added for effect - "bastard".

"It's not your fault, Gene," Alex Drake picked up the half-empty wine bottle and poured them both another generous glass. Fidgeting on her stool, the DI winced a little as she caught her still-tender ankle on the bar.

Looking around at her, Gene sounded concerned, "Does it still hurt?"

"Yeah," she pulled a face, "A little."

Gene had taken her straight to the St George's when they had seen off Connor in the squad car. Quickly diagnosed as having a broken ankle, Alex had been detained at the hospital for a further two hours, while they set and plastered the swollen joint. DI Drake had to admit that, despite all the medical advances that the future held, 1981 had a few aces up its sleeve when it came to waiting-time and cooperative staff.

After the hospital trip and debriefing back at the station, Alex had firmly declined Ray's offer of a night out on the town with Chris and Shaz. She had been surprised and not a little touched when DCI Hunt refused the offer too, insisting that she needed a quiet drink and some company.

They had been at 'Luigi's' for the past hour, morosely absorbed in the day's events, and were already on their third bottle of wine. Alex took another mouthful, and felt the warmth of the alcohol cheer her blood a little – it also did wonders as a painkiller.

"You sure you're alright, Drake?" She looked up as Gene addressed her, to find him shooting odd looks at her.

"I'm alright, Gene," she acquiesced, "Just feeling a little drained – a broken ankle tends to do that to you," she added sarcastically.

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it, seeming to think better of it. She closed her eyes briefly, as she felt the room tilt slightly under the effect of the alcohol. The lazy murmur of chatter washed over her, seeming somehow so calming, so relaxing; the perfect wind-down to her day. In the background she could hear a Bowie record playing softly.

'I've nothing much to offer; There's nothing much to take,
I'm an absolute beginner, and I'm absolutely sane...'

She smiled softly to herself – that just about summed it up for her. She was sane – she was quite sure of that, and yet, she sighed and looked around her. This world, this 1981 world – it seemed so real; she looked at Gene - he too seemed so real.

"What?" he narrowed his brows a little.

"You, Gene – all of this," Alex motioned wildly with her hands, "It's all so real."

He raised his eyebrows and took a measured sip of wine.

"I mean, don't you ever wonder about all this, Gene?" she leaned forward and lowered her voice, as though she were revealing a great secret. "Everyday you do the same job, go to the same places, meet the same people – don't you ever think that there's more out there?"

"Yeah, sometimes," he leaned in closer, shuffling his stool nearer to hers.

She continued fervently, "Take today, I mean – what was running through your mind when he had that gun trained on us? Last few seconds of your life – what were you thinking about?"

At some point during her fevered speech, she had grabbed his hand, emphasising her point. Now, he looked down at her hand on his, and tentatively squeezed it a little, the look on his face unreadable.

"I was thinkin'..." he paused, as though suddenly unsure of himself. Alex leant in further still, trying to catch his next words; they were practically nose to nose now.

He started again, "I was thinkin'... 'bout this, Bolly..." He leant into her, gently nuzzling one cheek with the tip of his nose, moving slowly lest he scare her. Tracing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, he allowed his lips to press gently against the soft skin of her cheek.

Alex had almost stopped breathing, and she felt her eyelids flicker closed as she leaned into his caress, her questions all but forgotten. She swayed on her stool and would have fallen had it not been for Gene's hand on her hip. Lazily, she nudged her nose to his cheek, placing a tender kiss to his jaw, and squeezed his hand gently back.

'...As long as we're together, the rest can go to hell,
I absolutely love you, but we're absolute beginners...'

Bowie played on in the background, as she whispered in his ear, "Gene...?" - tugging gently at his hand.

He nuzzled his cheek to hers, understanding the unasked question.

"I know", he whispered back, huskily.

Wrenching himself from her, he squeezed her hand.

"I'll get my coat," he looked meaningfully at her, and was gone.

Alex smiled to herself, and quickly drained her glass, glancing quickly upstairs; waiting for his return.

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After a few minutes, it was evident that there was something horribly wrong; the DCI had left his coat in the porch, and it couldn't have taken him more than ten seconds to retrieve it. Transferring her pistol from its holster to her back pocket, Alex was suddenly glad of Ray's advice to carry extra protection even when off-duty. Slipping off her chair, she seized up the crutch from where it leant against the bar, and taking the weight off her injured ankle, made swiftly for the door. Glancing around the porch, she soon saw Gene's coat, still on its hook; frowning and biting her lip slightly, she checked her gun once more, and pushed the door to the street softly open.

The street outside was dark and empty; the only sound was the light rain as it splished and splashed onto roofs and puddles. Stopping in the middle of the road, she cast around desperately for some sign of Gene. She could feel her heart thudding in her ribcage, and wondered if there was anyone nearby to hear it. A slight noise made her swivel her head round so fast that she felt dizzy; she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the cat's glowing eyes staring out at her from a side-street.

Now thoroughly spooked, she ventured his name into the darkness – "Gene?" she couldn't keep the nervousness out of her voice.

A low exclamation of "shit" reached her ears, and she recognised the gruff tone. Following the sound, she ran forward, cornering into a narrow side-alley.

"Gene?" she called again, less hesitantly, for confirmation.

However, the voice which answered her made her breath hitch and froze her in her tracks.

"I told you she'd come," the raspy whisper of the gunman's voice hit her ears with the impact of a freight train. With a click, his lighter sparked into life, casting a flickering light across the pair. Alex gasped when she saw Gene; he was bent forwards slightly, his hands forced up behind his back. There was a fresh wound on his forehead, and the dark blood was dripping silently down his cheek. He looked like a beaten man.

"What do you want?" Alex tried to keep her voice steady, feeling subtly around for her gun.

"I want to finish what I started, darlin'," he ran his gun up Hunt's cheek, pressing it hard into the wound, causing Gene to bellow with pain. "You can watch me kill your friend here, and then," he paused and licked his lips, "It's your turn..."

"I can see a gaping hole in your plan," Alex sounded braver than she felt. She realised that she only had once chance and Gene's life depended on it.

"And what's that, love?"

Raising an eyebrow in mild curiosity, the gunman suddenly brought one knee up, driving it into Gene's stomach. Grunting in pain, Hunt doubled over, only to be firmly jerked back upright by his captor.

It was raining harder now, the water cascading down and shooting out of the drainpipes above them. Alex knew she had to act quickly now, before the flickering light of the lighter was extinguished completely.

Taking a deep breath, she curled her fingers around her weapon. She had only one shot before she lost the advantage of surprise, and that shot had to be accurate. If she missed, she would hit Gene.

Gulping, she continued, "Well, I would say..." she grasped the gun behind her, pulling the hammer back, "...That your main problem..." she balanced on her good ankle, ready to grab the gun with her right hand, "...is ME!"

Everything seemed to happen at once. Dropping her crutch, she grasped the gun with her right hand, brought it to eye level, took quick aim and fired. The gunman was flung backwards by the force of impact, the bullet tearing through his shirt and hitting him squarely in the chest, leaving a shower of blood behind it. Gene was pushed forwards by the gunman's flailing hands, and staggered towards Alex, drunkenly.

What the pair didn't see was the revolver. As his life-blood spurted from his chest, the gunman took up his pistol with shaking hands and took one last shot, before death took its grip and he collapsed, dropping the lighter and plunging them all into darkness.

BBIIIAAOOO-THHMMP!

Alex snapped her head round at the shot, and felt the impact. Above them, the clouds had shifted slightly, and the moon now cast its eerie glow on the scene. Looking down dazedly, she saw –

"GENE!"

He was spread-eagled on the floor; face-down on the wet ground, head wound still bleeding profusely.

She dropped to her knees, not caring about the puddles, and rolled him over to check for breathing. Panicking when felt no answering breath on her cheek; she tilted his head back and, still sobbing, bent her head down to his.

As she touched her lips to his, ready to breathe some life back into his lungs, she felt him push up towards her, and kiss her demandingly, swallowing down her gasps of surprise.

She pulled away in shock, "Gene! I thought you were-"

Sitting up, he felt around in his jacket pocket, eventually producing his hip-flask. Grabbing her hand, Gene ran her fingers over the metal, letting her feel the deep dint in the surface.

"Oh!" she gasped, as realisation hit her. Then she hit him, giving him a hefty thump on the chest. "You bastard!" she hit him again, "You made me think..." thump "...That I'd lost you..." thump "...That's the second time today!"

"Oof," he spluttered, half-chuckling, "Give over, ya great tart!" He was trying to grab her arms, and after a short tussle, eventually succeeded in pinning her them to her side.

Calming down, she looked at him, and without any reason, she suddenly felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Come 'ere," Gene beckoned softly, holding out an arm. Sobbing, she shuffled over to him, and buried her face in his chest. "Sshh," he muttered soothingly, stroking her hair, and slipping an arm around her shoulders.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, sitting quietly in the damp alley-way, rain dripping down their faces, soaking them to the skin.

"Gene?" she raised her head a little, fingers playing over the chain around his neck.

He said nothing, so she continued, "I know it's been a long day," she heard him snort softly in agreement, "And you might want to put this down to pain, shock, the drink or tiredness, but I need to say it," she looked up at him, "I think I lo-"

"Don't" he cut her off quickly, though not unkindly, "Don't say it, Alex,"

"But-"

"Please," he implored her, "I don't wanna get hurt again."

"I –" She tried again.

"No, not yet," she could hear the pain in his voice, "Now come on, let's get you 'ome."

He helped her up, and Alex leant against him for support; together, they headed slowly back to 'Luigi's' and her flat.

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Blinking in the morning light, Alex rolled over to check her alarm clock. Hitting something soft and warm, she opened her eyes quickly in surprise.

"Gene?" he was lying on one side, facing her, soft breath hitting her cheek.

"You snore, Bolly," he cracked a half-smile.

"What? When?" even as the questions spilled forth, she felt her memories awaken.

She remembered the gunman... Gene getting shot... stumbling home... getting out of wet clothes... bed...

"We didn't...?" she let the question hang in the sultry air.

"Nope," he shook his head.

"And are you...?" she motioned at the covers, realising that she was practically naked beneath them.

"Yup," he winked sleepily at her, "Wanna peek?"

She punched him playfully.

"How's the head?"

"Take a look," he lifted his sweeping hair off his forehead, showing her the injury.

Curious, Alex reached out a hand, and gently ran her thumb over the wound. It felt hot and sore under her cooling touch. Gene gasped breathily, and grabbed her hand, holding it there. She moved her hand slowly, tracing the wound downwards, brushing soft fingers against his cheek.

It was as if someone had thrown a switch; almost instantly, Alex felt her heart speed up, and her face flushed. Every sense in her body seemed to beg for his touch.

His grip on her hand slackened, and she ran the pad of her thumb over his half-open lips. She looked at him, and their eyes met.

"Gene," she lowered her fingers, running them over his chain and neck, "Last night, I was going to say something, and you stopped me."

He opened his mouth about to interrupt, but Alex quickly placed two fingers over his lips.

"Listen; I've had plenty of sleep, I'm stone sober, and virtually pain-free," she paused, and leant her forehead against his. He squeezed her hand, and she took it as a sign to continue.

"I cannot believe that I am about to say this," she half-laughed, "But despite everything..." she looked deep into those blue eyes of his, "...Gene Hunt, I lov-"

"I know," he interrupted her and smiled softly, "Me too," he added seriously.

"Then why won't you let me say it?" She was half relieved, half frustrated.

"I've never like words much," he brought one hand up and stroked her cheek with the back of it. "You mean too much to me, Alex, to go messin' it up with words."

She closed her eyes, and let the feelings wash over her. Never had she known anything so gentle and tender as Gene Hunt.

"So will you let me show you?"

She opened her eyes again, and saw him watching her. She fell deliciously into the kiss, and felt him wrap his strong arms around her. Her bare breasts pressed up against the warmth of his skin, and she revelled in the human contact. She felt safe; home at last.

Drawing back a little, he grinned down at her, mischief in his eyes.

"Jus' as I said – bigger in every department, Bolly,"

And giggling like teenagers, they disappeared under the covers.

- Fin -

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Well – I hope you enjoyed that – an epic last chapter?

Watch this space for more fics and thanks for all the support!

GeneGenie xxx