AN:

Title: I'm Happy

Words: 2,534

Romantic Pairings: Gene&Alex.

About: Ashes To Ashes

Summary:

Gene sauntered out of his office and scanned CID, Alex wasn't at her desk. He turned to Shaz who was sat doodling in her notepad.

"Shaz do you know if DI Bolly Knickers is back yet?"

She shook her head "No, she hasn't been back since you both left to meet with that friend of yours"

"Has she called?" Gene asked jealously "You know to say when she'll be back in or...?"

"No, sorry Guv" she replied.

"Right, I'm going back to Luigi's to tell her to get her backside back to work!"

Alex screamed as James let go of her arms and pushed her onto the sofa. As he came closer she attempted to kick him but he managed to grab hold of her leg and twist it until the pain was so bad that she had to turn over onto her stomach.

She screamed again and he sunk his hand deep into her brunette curls, turning her back over onto her back before slapping her across the face so hard that she fell off the sofa and onto the carpet.

"What's wrong with you?" she yelled "If you go now I won't tell Gene anything!"

James squatted down beside her and took hold of her hair again "You won't tell him anyway, because if you do I'll be back"

He pressed his lips hard against hers, tugging at her top until he managed to pull it over her head and discard it beside her. His hands roamed her skin as she tried her hardest to fight him off. He bit her lip as he kissed her before slamming her down onto the ground. Alex lay silently for a moment.

"This isn't over Alex" James yelled "In fact this is only the beginning"

She let the tears roll down her face and the loud, uncontrollable sobs bursting from her mouth.

"Shut up!" James screamed down to her "I said shut up!"

He collected her top and threw it at her, waiting for her to have it on properly before he slammed her, yet again, onto the floor.

For Alex, everything went black...

Gene locked the Quattro as he exited it and headed up to Alex's flat. He took the stairs two at a time, he was damned if he was going to let her sit at home whilst the rest of the team worked.

Gene banged his fist against the door "Alex!" he waited for a moment "Drake!"

He banged again before shouting that if she didn't open up he would let himself in. Still no reply. He stood back, and using his shoulder, he rammed the door open, a little extreme just to get her back into the station but nevertheless. Sauntering inside he saw Alex lay on the floor.

"Alex?" he walked over to her "Alex this is no time for messing about...Oi! Get up!"

She didn't move. Gene knelt down beside her, checking her pulse and breathing before leaning in the breathe air into her when she suddenly jerked, eyes opening wide.

"Jesus Christ Bolly! You scared me half to death!"

Alex tried to catch her breath "I'm sorry Guv"

"What the hell happened to you Drakey?"

Alex remembered James slamming her down time and time again, him telling her that if she told Gene he would make matters worse.

"Nothing...I just...fainted"

"Right then, you can come to the station so that I can keep an eye one you...the last thing anybody wants is us losing you because you've passed out in some alleyway"

"But..."

"No buts Bolly-kecks! Now, get your boney arse in gear"

He held out his hand and helped her to stand up; she was unsteady on her feet so he slipped an arm around her waist.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking by myself Gene"

"Fine"

Gene let go of her and she stumbled sideways, only for him to hold her once more.

The drive to the station had been a quick yet quiet one. Alex linked Genes arm as they headed inside and he diverted them into his office.

Gene closed the door and turned around slowly to face Alex. He folded his arms across his chest and looked at the blinds; they were a dusty cream colour. He listened as she sighed, moaned in pain and sighed again.

"Are you alright?" Gene asked as he turned to face her "Bolls you don't look well at all"

She waved her hand in front of her face "Come off it, I'm fine"

Gene surveyed her, every inch from her feet to her hairline, then back down again. He stopped on the way back down, noticing a dark mark that seemed as though it was gradually forming on her cheek.

"What's that, on your cheek?"

She raised a hand to it, wincing just the tiniest bit "It's nothing"

"Bolls, if somebody has hurt you then you tell me"

Alex shrugged "I got...I got knocked over by some blokes on the way back to my flat"

"On the way back to your flat?" he asked, raising his eyebrows "So you got knocked over in the small distance from Luigi's up to the flat?"

She nodded unconvincing quick.

"I know that there is something you aren't telling me Bolly"

"It's very complicated, Guv, it's...it's very difficult to explain" she spoke quickly.

Gene turned his head, once he had made eye contact with her he didn't drop it "I feel like there is a wedge growing between us" he paused "You talk to me Alex, if I mean anything to you at all"

Alex took a deep breath, glancing down at the ground as her eyes began to water then looking back at Gene "It's Summers"

"What?" he spoke, confused "You mean James? No way" he went silent for a moment "Are you trying to suppose that James hurt you?"

Alex laughed "It's insane, but there it is...and I trust you which is why I'm telling you the truth"

Gene looked away from her; he had known James to be aggressive in the past but never violent.

"Guv?"

He kept his eyes to the floor, raising his head to look at her he bitterly and throatily said "You know I ask for the truth and you piss in my face"

She shook her head and breathed in deeply, desperation flooding her expression "No...no, no, no, no, no please, please don't do this" she begged "I'm telling you the truth"

Gene felt his stomach sink as he watched Alex desperately trying to make him believe what she was saying.

"I thought it was all in my head, the way he acts around me, but Summers is always about! He's been here too! You've seen him! I don't know why, but I do know that I have to stop him!"

"Get out of my sight inspector"

With that Alex left Genes office, slumping down at her desk with her head in her hands as she sobbed loudly. She had opened up to Gene, she was risking everything in doing so. She knew for a fact that James would find out and as soon as he did she could kiss goodbye any chance of intimacy with Gene. He would think that she was a tart, nothing more than a cheap tart, all fur coat and no knickers.

Gene unscrewed the lid from the bottle of whiskey that he kept in his draw, he took mouthful after mouthful as he watched his DI, his friend, cry as her heart was breaking before him. He wanted to comfort her, to apologise for how he had reacted. But he couldn't, the damage had already been done.

Chris cautiously wandered over to Alex's desk and placed down a piece of paper.

He spoke softly "We got a lead Ma-am, wanted to know if you wanted to come check it out?"

Alex sat up straight, wiping her eyes and composing herself "It's fine Chris, I'll go on my own"

Gene noticed Alex grab her coat and head through the doors, he left the whiskey with its lid off and darted out of his office.

"Where the hell did Bolly go?"

"She went to follow up a..."

Chris was cut off by Genes reply "I can't leave her for five minutes without her disappearing!"

Gene left CID, racing down the corridor and out of the station. He spotted Alex immediately, she looked lost.

"What's up Drake? Can't you find your way around?"

Alex bit her bottom lip in frustration "I don't have a car, how do I follow up a lead without a bloody car"

"You go in mine" he stated, heading down the steps and over to his red beauty of an Audi "But I drive, only I drive the Quattro...anyway you can't go alone, you'll ending fainting again wont you"

The pair said nothing as they took the short journey to a building site about ten minutes from the station. Alex had told him to wait in the car and he had been reluctant at first, before deciding that maybe she needed to be on her own for a little while. He watched her leave the vehicle and head off inside the site.

Alex wandered through the dark, grungy building site trying to look for any signs of illegal activity, she half expected Gene to appear any second as she had left him for what seemed like a long time. She stopped still as she heard footsteps approaching her.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked as James emerged from the shadows.

"I saw the Quattro out on the street back there, spoke to Gene and he said that you were in here all alone"

James began to slowly walk over to her, a wide smile across his face.

"Go away James" Alex spoke "Leave me alone"

James lunged at Alex and kissed her roughly. She struggled to pull away and in the end kneed him in the groin, he let go of her and made a dash off.

She dropped to the ground, the mud splashing onto her jeans and up onto the back of her white leather jacket. Her chest heaved heavily as she cried and she rubbed her dirty hands onto the thighs of her jeans to try and clean them.

"Drake?" came a shout "Drake where are you?"

Alex tried to calm herself, but ended up on all fours in the mud and weeping so much that she was struggling to catch her breath every now and again.

"Bolls what are you doing on the floor?" Gene asked as he found her "Bolly?"

Another wave of tears overwhelmed Alex and she dug her fingers into the soft, damp earth.

"Alex what's the matter?" Gene squatted down beside her, trying desperately not to get his suit and coat dirty "Alex get up"

She didn't move, she just sat in the dirt shivering.

"Alex I said get up" he repeated "Alex!"

When she still didn't move Gene stood up, cupped his arms underneath Alex's armpits and hauled her to a stance.

"I swear to God Bolly, if this mud doesn't come out of my suit you'll be buying me a new one"

He scooped her up into his arms; the way he was holding her reminded him a lot of the day that they first met.

"Right, come on Bolly...let's get you home"

The drive to Alex's flat was a quiet one, the only sound was from Alex sniffing as her nose ran slightly due to the cold that she had exposed herself to.

Gene carried her up to her flat and took her inside.

"Right Bolly, I'm giving you a bath"

"I'm not a dog" she mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

"Yes, I know...because most dogs do as they are told and you don't"

"Well I'm not exactly like most other people am I"

Gene said nothing; he left her sat on the sofa as he went off to run her a bath.

Once Gene had run the water, she sat in the bath wearing only her underwear, the hot water swilling around her. Gene was sat on the bathroom floor, his tie was beside the sink and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up.

"Pass me the soap" Gene ordered her.

She reached towards the taps and picked up the cream coloured bar before handing it to him. He wet it in the water and began to rub between his hands until it had lathered. He unclasped her bra with a pinch and a twist, causing her to hold it on from the front by covering her hands over her breasts. Now that her back was bare he began to rub the suds onto her skin, then cupping water in his hands and rinsing the soap off of her.

"You don't have to do this" she told him.

"Yes I do" he replied "Knowing you you'll end up on the deck again"

He waited for her to laugh but she didn't. He reached for her shampoo and squirted some onto her head, before massaging it into her brunette locks.

"I'm beginning to worry about you Alex, you need to look after yourself"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you from now on"

He shifted round so that he could see her face and not the back of her head. She looked so vulnerable, he wasn't sure if it was to do with the fact that if she put her arms down he'd be able to stare at her naked breasts or if it was genuinely something that she was keeping a secret from him.

"Talk to me Alex" he whispered "Just, please, talk to me?"

"There's nothing that I can say that hasn't already been said"

"You mean Summers don't you?"

She nodded, a wave of tears overcoming her "I tried to make you believe me...but you didn't understand..."

Gene leant over the side of the bath and pulled her damp body into him, holding her against him. He felt her dig her fingers into him, not in a vicious way...but in a way that told him that she never wanted to let go. Slowly he began to pull away from her, reaching for her towel he helped her to stand before wrapping it around her and scooping her into his arms.

"I'm taking you to bed Bolly"

And he did just that. He carried her into her bedroom and sat her down on the bed, retrieving her black silk night shirt from the floor he turned around whilst she put it on. He assisted her in getting underneath the duvet, sitting down beside her as she got comfy.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep" he whispered "Then I'll see myself out"

"Please don't...stay the night, I don't feel safe anymore unless I'm with you"

"Say no more"

Gene removed his tie, belt, shoes and socks. He undid the top two buttons of his shirt and got in bed beside her, letting her drape her arm around him and curl up in his arms. The pair drifted off together and had the best night's sleep they had probably had in months.