Penultimate chapter at long last – this one has definitely taken on a life of its own! Thanks to everyone who's stuck with it and been so kind with their reviews.

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Chapter 17

"No chance. Not 'appenin', Sammy boy."

Gene shook his head vehemently and Alex glared at him, her hands on her hips, eyes flashing.

"Erm, excuse me. I am still here, you know. I can decide for myself."

Gene took a deep breath, trying to stay calm and failing miserably.

"Look, Madam Fruitcake. There's a woman in that flat who's several bricks short of a load currently brandishing a gun, and she's already made it pretty clear she 'ates yer guts. If yer think I'm about ter let yer go in there and risk yer life, think again."

They were almost nose to nose now, piercing blue eyes clashing with hazel green, and a wave of desire washed over her, despite herself. God, he was sexy when he was angry. Hold that thought for later, Alex. Right now, there's a battle to win.

"Sam, can you give us a minute, please?"

The younger man nodded and retreated a discreet distance, watching with interest as he hid a grin. It was like the rock meeting the hard place, but he knew who his money was on, and it wasn't the Guv.

Alex sighed heavily, reaching up to cup Gene's face, her expression softening.

"Gene. I'm trained in psychology and I'm used to dealing with this kind of situation." He made to speak, but she put a finger against his lips. "Don't ask me how I'm sure of that, I just am. I already know exactly how I'm going to handle it. Did she ever give you the impression that she was capable of hurting you?"

He pouted, but she knew she already had the upper hand.

"No. But she thinks she's in luv with me. What's she goin' ter do when you walk in? The one person she thinks is standin' in her way?"

Alex reached up to kiss him softly on the lips.

"Nothing. She's frightened and insecure, and right now she desperately craves attention from somebody, anybody. I know I can talk her out of this, Gene. Please, just trust me."

He stood, feet apart and hands in pockets in typical sheriff pose, the one he used when he wanted to feel in control, but she squared up to him, suppressing a grin. Game, set and match, Alex.

"And what if I order yer not to do this?"

She ran her hands down his chest, pressing herself against him and nuzzling his neck.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Guv? You can't order me, seeing as I don't work for you …"

He harrumphed, holding her at arms length.

"There's nothin' I can say ter stop yer, is there?"

She shook her head, gazing up at him, seeing the concern in his eyes.

"Annoyin' … headstrong … bloody-minded ... irritatin' woman …"

He shook his head in frustration and she smirked, batting her eyelashes at him flirtateously.

"Those are some of my best qualities, Gene. And you wouldn't like me as much if I was a pushover now, would you?"

There was a wicked little glint in his eye suddenly, and his voice was a low growl.

"You owe me fer this, Lady Bols. And believe me, I mean ter collect …"

"Oh good …"

She kissed him lingeringly on the lips, a promise of things to come, and walked off on slightly shaky legs.

"Alex?" She turned back to him for a second, and he glowered at her. "Promise me yer'll be careful …"

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Kylie Ross was sitting on the bed, her shoulders slumped, the gun resting on her thigh, but when Alex knocked to announce her presence she twitched, returning the muzzle to her throat. Her eyes were puffy with crying, her face pinched and white, and Alex couldn't help but feel sorry for her, despite everything. Gene was right, she did look more like a frightened little girl now.

"Kylie? My name's Alex. Is it OK if I come in and talk to you for a while?"

She nodded once, tersely, and Alex closed the door behind her, picking up the chair from next to the dressing table and moving it closer to the bed. Kylie blinked at her.

"You're her, aren't you? Gene's girlfriend."

Alex nodded.

"That's right. If you don't mind me asking, where did the gun come from?"

The younger woman shrugged.

"Hid it under the mattress when I first moved in. Made me feel safer knowing it was there."

Alex sat back, trying to look relaxed.

"I see. And why didn't you threaten DCI Hunt with it when he cuffed you?"

Kylie turned wide eyes on her.

"I'd never hurt him, I love him. He does know that, doesn't he?"

Her voice shook slightly and Alex spoke quickly to reassure her, sure that her instincts had been right all along.

"Of course he does."

Kylie fixed her dark-eyed gaze on Alex, and the anguish she saw there almost made her flinch.

"He doesn't love me, though. He loves you."

Alex's heart leapt, she couldn't help it.

"He said that?"

The other woman nodded, and it was all Alex could do to suppress a beaming smile. He'd probably never tell her to her face, but at least now she knew he felt the same. Kylie spoke again, her voice sounding small and lost.

"How do you get a man like that to fall in love with you?"

The gun had slipped down to rest against her shoulder, and she was the picture of dejection. Alex took a deep breath, leaning forwards.

"You don't. You just … be yourself, I suppose. Love develops of its own accord, or it doesn't – you can't force it. It's mostly a matter of luck really, meeting someone you're compatible with. One piece of advice for the future, though: men like to do at least some of the running …"

She glanced at the cuffs and Kylie flushed, looking away. Alex changed tack.

"Why did you join the police force, Kylie?"

The younger woman shrugged.

"My dad was a DCI, and it was all I ever wanted to do …"

"He must have been very proud."

Alex smiled encouragingly, but Kylie bit her lip, fiddling with the gun.

"He left when I was eight. I haven't seen him since."

She looked at Alex, her expression defensive.

"It was my mum's fault though, she drove him away, always shouting and nagging. He couldn't do anything right, so its no wonder he left her. And then the house was sold and she didn't tell him where we'd moved to, so how could he keep in touch?"

Her eyes were full of defiance as if she was waiting to be contradicted, and Alex took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Poor kid. Suddenly everything made some kind of sense.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You must have missed him very much."

She nodded, and Alex saw the tears pricking her eyes before she swallowed hard and looked away.

"Kylie, you and I have more in common than you realise. I know you must have been confused and lonely here, because that's exactly how I felt a week ago …"

Kylie looked puzzled, her brow furrowed, and Alex continued.

"It might help if I tell you one or two things I happen to know, without the aid of a crystal ball. Like the fact that Britain gets its first female Prime Minister in 1979. Or that Prince Charles marries Lady Di in 1981 and they go on to have William and Harry. Or maybe that New Labour win a landslide victory under Tony Blair in 1997, the same year that Diana sadly dies in a car crash in Paris."

Kylie's mouth was wide open, her eyes like saucers.

"You … You're from the future too?"

Alex nodded.

"2008 to be precise. I've been on the London Eye, strolled round the Tate Modern and walked over the Millennium Bridge. So you're not as alone as you thought you were."

Kylie was shaking her head in disbelief.

"I thought I'd gone completely mad, didn't you?"

Alex smiled wryly.

"Indeed I did. And I'm still getting used to the idea. How long have you been here?"

Kylie thought for a second, knitting her brows.

"Since just before Christmas … six months or so."

She turned her intense gaze back on Alex.

"How did you know about me, then?"

Alex sighed, knowing she couldn't avoid this, but wanting to spare the other woman more pain.

"I read a police report about you back in 2008, and there was a newspaper cutting in the file. Kylie, this isn't the first time something like this has happened, is it?"

The other woman flinched and looked down at the gun, now resting on her thigh. Alex tried to sound non-judgemental, keeping her voice level and calm.

"Do you want to tell me about it? It might help."

There was a pause, and for a while she thought Kylie wasn't going to respond, but then she cleared her throat. Her voice sounded shaky.

"I was a DC back there and he was my DCI. He was quite a bit older than me but he told me it didn't matter, he loved me and he'd leave his family so we could be together. He never did, though. He lied to keep me sweet, strung me along for nearly two years, and then I found out his wife was expecting another baby and I just … snapped."

She looked up at Alex again, and there was no remorse in her eyes, just a coldness that made Alex shiver.

"I'm not sorry - he deserved it, and I didn't hurt him, just scared him a bit. I was glad his wife found out about us, she needed to know what kind of a man he was."

"What happened afterwards?"

Kylie shuddered.

"They took me to a high security psychiatric hospital, but it was really just a prison with nurses. I was frightened and depressed, the counselling wasn't helping and they tried to keep me quiet by pumping me full of drugs. I hated him for the way he'd treated me but I didn't think I could live without him and after a while I stopped taking the pills, kept them under my tongue so they thought I'd swallowed them, and when I'd saved enough I took them all at once. And then I woke up here. I guess I'm dead back there, then?"

Alex bit her lip, nodding slowly.

"I think we both are. I had a bad accident and I'm guessing I didn't survive, so it seems we're in the same boat."

Kylie looked at her with hollow eyes.

"We're not though, are we? You've got the chance to make a new life here but they're going to lock me up in some institution and throw away the key after what I've done."

She raised the gun slowly and placed it under her chin.

"Unless I do something about it first …"

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Sorry - another cliff hanger. I promise I'll try not to leave it there for too long!