A/N Wow - you all wanted more. I really am trying to write something longer but I also hate to disappoint people so here goes.
A/N 2 You know sequels (Ashes To Ashes excluded) usually suck, right? You were warned...
Snapshot Two
There was a magical, comforting rhythm to the beating of his heart. The first time she had felt it beat, had slipped her hand under his jacket and through his shirt, she had felt the blood - the life- pumping underneath, and she had simply been astounded. The second time, trapped in an underground vault and facing a very sticky end, her hand resting on his damp vest, above his heart, she had simply felt alive and had wanted more. The third time... well, the third time apparently was a charm after all. And the third time had, in its seductive and disarming way, led her directly to this moment by cementing her attraction to him, to this life.
Dragging herself away from the steady tune playing against her ear she raised her head off his chest and stared at him, encouraged that he was returning her gaze. Though she could have stayed there all night - and she wasn't sure how long they had been there already but the dull throb of noise from downstairs was still there - she still wanted, needed, to know. Not trusting her voice she raised her eyebrows quizzically.
Gene, roused from his thoughts by her movement, held her gaze for a moment, trying to assess how she felt about this. He wasn't good at reading her, as had been proven earlier, but he was a good copper and like all good coppers he relied on his instincts - and they were telling him she was as unsure of him as he was of her. Turning his head away for a beat, he exhaled the breath he had been holding onto since she had moved from his embrace, before facing her once more. "Bloody hell, Bols."
His voice was soft, almost gentle, and there was a trace of a smile on his lips; she was struck by the thought that, even though it was an archetypal Gene response, it was probably the perfect response. It wasn't a 'sweep her off her feet with joy' response or a 'down on one knee' gesture but it was enough because it wasn't a 'run for the hills' reaction either. That thought made her smile which, in turn, garnered a full smile from him, a silent agreement passing between them and she gave in to the sudden urge to caress his cheek, the gesture, and the feel of his skin under her hand, laden with familiarity. "Are you going to be okay with this?"
He nodded once, managing to do so with more confidence than he felt and it must have worked because she didn't push any further. There was something else though; even if he was rubbish at reading her most of the time, and just baffled by women in general, he had an inkling that she was thinking of her daughter - because he was thinking of all he'd lost too. Taking hold of her hand, he brought it back down to his chest, holding on to it carefully. "Are you?"
Alex gripped his hand tighter, the feeling of his much larger hand reciprocating warming her from within. Was she okay with this? On the one hand she didn't know how long she was going to be here, wasn't sure how long all this would last. When she had realised that there was no way back 'home' for her, she had mourned for her life, for what could have been, for the loss of her daughter. But on the other hand she'd also accepted her fate; she had been given another chance, another life, and it was one she had reached out and grabbed with both hands. And she'd found that when she grabbed at it, it felt real enough. "Yes."
He nodded again, satisfied that, despite her own hesitant answer, she was being truthful. This had been nowhere near planned but then he hadn't exactly planned on falling for his DI - or any other woman - either and, so far, it had been quite an adventure. "You do know that I'll be bloody useless at this, don't you?"
She laughed then, out of amusement or relief, or maybe a mixture of the two. "You'll do," she said softly, noting the smile on his lips as she spoke and she felt sure that he would too. It wouldn't be perfect by a long shot, nothing about their relationship was. She knew Gene was nowhere near a 'new man' but she'd 'been there, done that' and it hadn't all been roses either. He'd be there for her, just as he'd been there for her ever since she'd 'arrived' in this world. And that was enough.
"And I'm not giving up the Quattro."
"Oh, absolutely not," she agreed, "I love that car." And she might, just possibly, maybe, love its owner too.