A/N Thanks for the reviews and feedback; a couple have mentioned the 'M' word (and it's not for monkey) and I was getting towards that. Honest. It was on my list, right next to alcohol. Bananas... I mean bananas.

A/N 2 Work is... Well, work (a time consuming behemoth that both annoys and amuses in equal measures but mostly just distracts me) - so, again, no promises on speedy updates. Sorry.

Snapshot Five

He let himself into the flat as quietly as possible, pleased with his actions when he found her lying prone on the couch, sound asleep. She was still wearing the same clothes from that afternoon so he figured she must have been too tired to even make it to the bedroom. Or she'd tried to fight it - as she had him when he'd suggested she was no use to the team if she couldn't stay awake and to go home (and Shaz did know, given the dirty looks she had thrown him afterwards; apparently rank couldn't outdo bloody women) - and had lost. He stood above her, watching silently. She didn't look pregnant, not to his inexperienced eye anyway. He'd had weeks to get used to the idea and whilst he did think of her as pregnant - and had acted accordingly (or not as Alex had seemed to think) - he hadn't allowed himself to think about the future, about being a father.

He sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch, his eyes on her face. She might not look pregnant but he thought she looked beautiful. And not half as infuriating when she was asleep. He was going soft, he had to admit it; even Luigi had felt the need to point it out - again - not five minutes ago. He thought about reaching out and lightly tracing one finger down her exposed cheek, knowing how soft the skin would feel beneath his fingertips, but he didn't want to wake her. Instead he settled for wondering, once more, how the hell this had happened; how he had fallen for this woman, how she had turned his world around, how she somehow seemed to want him.

Alex stirred from her slumber with a start; she'd forgotten how tiring the first few months were and, despite her grumblings about being excluded from the team, sometimes she barely had the energy to sit at her desk. She was still waiting for the inevitable 'I told you so' from Gene on that one. She could smell him now, that mix of aftershave, cigarettes, and what he had termed, 'man stink' but what she had come to know as uniquely him. She knew when she opened her eyes he'd be there and she wasn't disappointed to find him so close to hand. "Hi," she whispered, a smile playing on her lips at the sight of him gazing at her so openly.

"Hi," he replied softly, unable to hide the fact he had been caught staring at her. "Feeling better?"

"Yes," she smiled, sitting up carefully and noting that she did actually feel much better; not that she was going to admit he was right to order her home that afternoon.

Gene watched her manoeuvre herself into position in front of him and he had the strongest urge to just blurt out everything; her eyes met his and the words were on his lips but then she smiled again and they were gone . "Hungry?" he asked, convincing himself that he was merely easing his way into telling her rather than trying to avoid it completely. "We could go downstairs?"

She could hear the dull murmur from below and briefly wondered how long she'd been asleep. She didn't feel hungry, she didn't feel sick either which she was eternally thankful for. No doubt the rest of CID were downstairs, probably celebrating the fact the day had a 'Y' in it and whilst she normally would have been there with them she just didn't feel up to it, or to hearing any comments about her behaviour today; she really couldn't pass this off as a virus for much longer. "You go," she replied eventually.

He thought about the scene he had left down at Luigi's; Ray and Chris would be playing with matches about now, there'd be more drinking, some very poor Italian jokes, more drinking, and then possibly some singing out of tune. Whilst he had enjoyed such company previously it had greatly improved with the arrival of Alex Drake - in his opinion anyway. "I'm not really hungry either."

"You don't have to stay," she said, smiling softly and watching him closely. She didn't want to push him away but she didn't want him to feel he had to be here if he didn't want to be. This had all happened so unexpectedly and it seemed at times that they were both just dancing around the obvious, waiting for the other to take the first step - or mistep. And though she wanted to tell him how she felt, how he made her feel, she still held back because she just couldn't be sure of what he wanted. "We're not married Gene, we don't even -"

"We could," he interrupted quickly, her smile fading as he spoke and he didn't know if it was because he had butted in or because of what he had said. Or both. "If you wanted to," he added on quickly.

For a moment or two she was completely thrown and she was sure the surprise was written across her face. She played the words back in her head again, making certain she had understood what he had asked. Had he asked? She scrutinised him closely but his face was blank and his eyes suddenly seemed unable to meet her own. "Are you proposing to me, Mr. Hunt?"

"Maybe," he replied, his eyes flickering up to hers. Was he? It'd just come out but now that it had he knew he meant it. He never thought he'd get married again as it hadn't really worked out so well the first time, in fact he'd completely screwed that one up; of course he never admitted that much out loud, he always blamed the job - but he wouldn't be able to do that with Alex. He had no idea what was going through her head right then, which wasn't unusual for him, but she was staring at him so curiously and it was making him nervous. And he already felt quite nervous about her answer. "Would you say 'yes'?" he probed softly.

She folded her arms across her knees and leant forward towards him, his eyes now blazing into hers. If he had asked her all those weeks ago, when she had first told him, she'd have thought that he was doing 'the honourable thing' but he hadn't. If he had asked her outright, down on one knee, eyes meeting her own, she'd have thought the same thing, but he hadn't. Unable to say the words, unable to meet her gaze, the uncertainty and hope now showing on his face - he meant this and, coming from him, it was akin to standing on his desk and admitting his feelings to the entire station. Whilst that realisation burned within her it only made this much more difficult. She loved him, she really did, and they were going to be parents. But marriage... The only vows she'd made in that respect were to never go there again. But, at the same time, she found herself wanting to say 'yes'. "Maybe."

"What?" he asked, relieved that the answer hadn't been a resounding 'no' but confused at the answer as it hadn't been the reverse either. Had it? Only she could make this so much more bloody complicated than it needed to be. "Is that a 'yes', then?"

"It's... a maybe."

"Is this some feminist bollocks or just you being a fruitcake?"

He looked so bewildered then and possibly hurt, though the latter disappeared as quickly as it had emerged. She had to tell him, no matter how crazy this sounded to her logical mind, but first she gave into an urge that had been building since she had woken; leaning further forward, her legs slotting between his, she held onto his knees with both hands and, levering herself up a little, she kissed him, long and hard, and with everything she had. Eventually pulling back she moved one hand to his cheek, her thumb gently caressing the skin underneath and she gave into that other urge, the one that had played on her mind since it had crashed so forcefully in there not so long ago. "I love you, Gene," she said softly, receiving a small, almost stunned, smile from him.

"Course you do, Bols - no woman can resist the charms of the Gene Genie."

She smiled at his words and the sudden confidence that laced through them; if it hadn't taken him so long to respond she might have just bought his feigned indifference to her confession. She didn't need to hear the words back; one day she might be granted that privilege but for now she was content to just have him and the promise of a future together. "And one day, I just might marry you."