A/N So here is the next chapter. Apologies for the delay in updating again. Work has been insanely busy, but it should calm down now.

Thank you again to everyone who has reviewed/favourited. I really do appreciate it!

Huge thanks, as ever, to genesgeni* from Luigi's for reading this through for me.

Sadly, I don't own Ashes to Ashes! Or the BBC's Ashes to Ashes website.

Gene strode out of the police station, his mind completely focussed on one objective: visiting Alex in the hospital. He needed to talk to her, to see for himself that she was really alive. It was exactly what any DCI would do for his DI in this situation, wasn't it? He had to admit, though, that most DCIs wouldn't have actually put their DI in hospital in the first place. He was both desperate to see her and absolutely dreading their first encounter. Not that he'd admit that to a living soul…The Gene Genie didn't do trepidation…

"Guv!" Viv caught up with Gene, just as he was about to leave the building.

"Yes, Skip?"

"The Super wants to see you in his office. He says it has to be now."

Amidst all the drama of Alex waking up and Collins' departure from the station, Gene had managed to put the inevitable meeting with Featherstone out of his mind. It looked as if it could not be postponed any longer, though. Great! Just, bloody great…The last thing Gene felt like doing was going over recent events again. Grunting an acknowledgement at Viv, Gene stomped off in the direction of the Detective Chief Superintendent's office.

xxx

"Ah, Hunt." Featherstone looked up from his paperwork as Gene entered the office. "Do come in. Close the door." That last sentence almost reminded Gene of Mac. Featherstone could not have been more different though. The new Superintendent was as straight as the proverbial die. He loathed anything to do with corruption in the police force and was determined to stamp on any that he found.

"I think you know why I've asked you to come to see me. " Featherstone tossed aside the papers he'd been examining. "Although DCI Collins informed me-before his rather hasty departure-that all criminal charges against you in respect to shooting DI Drake have been dropped, there will need to be an internal investigation. Unfortunately, a vital piece of evidence-the tape recording of your interview with DCI Collins-mysteriously disappeared before I was able to listen to it. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, DCI Hunt?"

"No, sir." Gene honestly answered. He had a feeling that DS Carling knew exactly where it was, though. Or if he didn't, DC Skelton and WPC Granger certainly did. Gene respected their loyalty to him, but did that mean they knew what was on the tape? Did the whole bloody station know too? Gene decided not to dwell on that thought.

Featherstone looked pretty sceptical about Gene's denial. "For the purposes of the investigation, I need you to tell me-in your own words-exactly what happened. Start from the day before Operation Rose. The day you suspended your DI."

Christ on a bike! Talking about that day never got any easier. Still he had no choice. Gene took a deep breath and recounted all the events as accurately as he could. He did gloss over Bolly's claims that she was from the future though. He still hadn't decided what he thought about all that and, anyway, he didn't want the Super to think she was a nutty as a fruitcake. Gene was used to Alex's nuttiness but Featherstone could take a very different view.

"…Jenette 'ad DI Drake at gunpoint. I 'ad my gun aimed at Jenette. Then DI Drake moved…to try to get away from Jenette. Jenette fired 'er gun and I fired back. The first I knew that I'd 'it Drake was when she put 'er 'and to 'er gut and there was blood on 'er 'and."

"Thank you for being so candid, Gene." That was probably the first time that Featherstone had ever used the DCI's first name. "I see that we have a significant problem here. Not that you shot DI Drake. I accept that that was an accident-although you will probably need further firearms training to improve your aim under pressure. No, the problem we have is that you threatened to kill your DI-a serving police officer. The fact that you threatened Drake's life in front so many witnesses makes it even worse. As if you wanted her dead and you didn't care who knew…"

"But I was just so angry! I would never 'ave actually done it, though!" Gene was uncomfortably reminded of his interview with DCI Collins. "Well, not deliberately, anyway…"

"So you said. But where does that leave your professional relationship now? Assuming that Alex Drake wants to come back here, when she has recovered, would you be able to work together again? Or should I reassign her to another division? Or reassign you, for that matter?"

There it was. The threat that Gene had dreaded most, since he'd heard that Alex was not going to die. However insane her ramblings, he couldn't comprehend not seeing Bolly every day, not working closely with her on cases. He no longer cared if he was the world's biggest jessie for thinking like that. Not that he'd actually admit it in front of his team, but still…

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, sir." Gene forced himself to sound as calm as he possibly could. Would Bolly agree?

"I hope not. You and Drake have achieved some very impressive results." Featherstone conceded. He paused for so long that Gene wondered if the interview was over. "One last question, Hunt. What is the nature of your personal relationship with DI Drake?"

Gene was momentarily floored by that question. Bloody Collins! If Featherstone hadn't heard the tape then Collins must have blabbed. Gene collected himself.

"We're friends, sir. At least, we were before…what 'appened." Gene hoped that that would be enough.

"Nothing else? No more than friends?" Featherstone probed.

"I don't know what you've 'eard, sir. If Collins 'as said anything…"

At that moment, Gene was itching to either punch Collins or, preferably, hunt him down in the Quattro. He could very easily picture the scene in his mind and could almost hear the satisfying thud as Collins landed on the bonnet of the car…

"DCI Collins?" queried Featherstone. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Hunt. I merely asked, because of issues my predecessor wrote about in various reports. I wondered if those issues had any bearing on the matter in hand. " Featherstone shuffled some papers around on his desk.

Gene was more than a little bit surprised. So, Mac had known something, then? Well, that explained why he had had Alex arrested when he was trying to get to Gene. Gene had always just assumed it was because Mac didn't like his professional relationship with Bolly . If Mac had believed that there was more to Gene's feelings for his DI than professional respect, then who the hell else knew? Gene's mind returned to that question again. Had he really been that obvious?

"Ah! Here they are." Featherstone had extracted a small sheaf of papers and was reading through them. "Oh yes. Superintendent Mackintosh referred to a 'sexual tension' between you and DI Drake and also speculated that your relationship went far beyond that which is appropriate for a DCI and his DI. He recommended that you should be separated."

"Yeah. 'e tried to send me to bloody Plymouth!" Gene muttered. "Superintendent Mackintosh thought that DI Drake was 'trouble', sir," he explained and caught himself finger waggling. Drakey would have been so proud! "She's not as bent as a nine bob note like 'e was. She wouldn't play 'is games. Neither of us would. Mac didn't like that. 'e would 'ave done anything to discredit 'er. Us."

Gene didn't think it was possible for Featherstone to look any more sceptical than he had been, but apparently it was. Gene hadn't lied though. Mac had always resented his connection with Bolly. Gene just hadn't told Featherstone what his feelings for his DI actually were. If Featherstone didn't have the tape, then he didn't need to tell him. Gene would only talk about emotions if he had absolutely no other choice. This wasn't the same situation as his interview with Collins; the other DCI had just said the same thing over and over again until Gene had snapped.

The Chief Superintendent interrupted Gene's reverie. "Look, Hunt, there will still need to be a formal internal investigation, but for the time being, what I'll do is this. I'll allocate a Discipline and Complaints officer to your department. He will keep an eye on how things are going and report back to me." Featherstone correctly interpreted the look on Gene's face and sighed. "I know you don't like it, Hunt, but the only other real alternative is demoting you back to DI and I have a feeling you'd like that even less! You may go."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, and Hunt."

"Sir?"

"If I'm ever given cause to believe that Superintendent Mackintosh was correct in his assessment of your personal relationship with DI Drake, things will change in your department. Am I making myself crystal clear?"

Gene grimaced. "Yes, sir."

As he left Featherstone's office, Gene had to admit that that could have gone better! He wondered if Featherstone would insist that he take more firearms training. He was a bloody DCI, not some wet-behind-the-ears-snot-nosed-new-PC. His gun was as much a part of him as his Quattro! Gene felt really bad about having seriously injured Bolly, but in all his years as a copper, he had never, ever missed his shot in a situation like that before. If that wasn't enough, a Discipline and Complaints Officer was to be forced upon him; an interloper in the Manc Lion's Kingdom!

Gene tried not to dwell on Featherstone's last words, about his personal relationship with his DI. He had no idea whether Alex could forgive him for shooting her, let alone whether she'd want that .He decided he would just have to burn that bridge when…if… he came to it, wouldn't he? He left the station as quickly as he could. This time, nothing, not even a visit from Lord Scarman himself, would prevent Gene from getting to the hospital.

I promise that Gene will make it to the hospital in the next chapter! On the BBC Ashes to Ashes website, the character profiles are 'written' by Supermac; the one for Alex Drake does refer to 'sexual tension' between her and Gene.

Anyway, please let me know what you think.