I used to have exams. I don't anymore! Thank you for your reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Alex couldn't concentrate. The squiggles on the whiteboard all merged into one blob of colour and then a white space, until she blinked her eyes and the world righted itself again. She had barely spoken all day, except to tell Shaz that she was right, that Gene had been meeting with Langley. She blushed as she confessed this, hating Gene for making her apologise to Shaz on top of everything else.

Scattered around the various desk of CID were files on staff employed at the Oliver Wilson Maternity Unit. Only two had been working there less than five years, a receptionist who had started last week and a junior doctor whose first day was two days before the League had promised 'untold misery'. Further research had revealed no links to League from either of them so Alex had developed a plan. The junior doctor had been visited and had been persuaded to stay at home for the first few days of his job. He would be replaced by Chris (of all people, Alex had sighed to herself). Shaz would replace the receptionist and Alex would be 'conveniently' on site as a pregnant woman. Ray would be in charge of backup outside the Unit. He wasn't too happy about being what he called 'far from the action' but as Alex pointed out, the League probably knew their faces. Shaz and Chris would have to be heavily disguised as would she.

Ray had had misgivings about the plan that apparently had nothing to do with the role he had been given. "I mean, there could be all that rubella in the air. Are you sure it's safe for you?"

Alex had rolled her eyes and said, with more impatience than Ray deserved, "Well, we'll get them before they set it off, won't we? If there is rubella around, then I'm not the only one in trouble am I? For God's sake, Ray, there'll be loads of other people, pregnant women amongst them."

"Why don't we tell them?" asked Chris in a small voice, scared that Alex would blow up at him. She did.

"What, and have the League carry out their threat a day early? Or give in to them? I don't think so Skelton."

"What's changed in you, Ma'am?" asked Ray moodily, ignoring Chris's look of horror, "You wouldn't see a sick snout before 'cos you were pregnant. Now you're about to go waltzing into the middle of a terrorist attack? It's not right."

"When I want your opinion, DI Carling, I'll ask for it!" Alex snapped. Ray still didn't drop it.

"It's the Guv, isn't it? You believe Shaz an' what she said."

"Yeah, I do."

There was a finality in Alex's voice that scared Ray. He looked at her in shock, but she didn't look back, choosing instead to stare at the scribbled whiteboard. Ray felt his body go cold and his hands shake.

Alex heard a click of a receiver as it was replaced on the body of the telephone. She felt rather that heard a small voice say, "Ma'am?" and replied automatically with, "What is it Shaz?"

"It's about DCI Hunt."

Alex whipped round. "I'm DCI Hunt!" she said sharply.

"I know Ma'am, I mean the other- the Guv. It was DCI Matthews from Fenchurch West CID. They found an abandoned car by the river."

"So?" said Alex, trying to pretend that the hairs on the back of her neck weren't standing up on end.

"It was a red Audi Quattro. Ma'am, it was his car!"

"And Gene?"

"No sign of him Ma'am," said Shaz miserably, "The car was locked and the only prints in it are yours and the Guv's.

Alex didn't answer, she simply turned back to the whiteboard, her jaw set firmly and her eyes steely. She refused to feel any emotion about what had just happened. She had lost Gene once and survived. She was becoming less and less sure that she could do it again.

XXX

Alex scrubbed at the dirty plates in her sink as though she could bore right through the china if only she would put her back into it. She hissed from pain when the hot water splashed onto her bare hands and she wiped them dry on her Genes- jeans!- before continuing.

As she placed a damp frying pan on the draining board and closed the taps, she heard a rattling sound coming from her front door. Calmly, she dried her hands on a tea towel and folded it, along with her arms.

From around the corner, she heard the door open, unlock and swing shut in an unmistakable way. Alex leaned against the kitchen work surface and narrowed her eyes in angry anticipation.

Gene Hunt turned round the corner into her kitchen and stood stock still as he caught sight of her. He looked thinner, his face was greyer and his hair was unwashed. He looked the saddest she had ever seen him and to her surprise, she found that this worried her. She knew what this was all though she was refusing to admit it: a throwback to the days when he was in charge and she was DI Drake or DI Hunt and the whole station looked up to him and based their emotions on his moods. If he was happy they were happy. If his was angry, they were still happy, because that was normal for Gene. But if he was quiet and melancholy…

"Alex," Gene breathed.

"I didn't say you could come back," said Alex, louder than she intended. She was trying to drown out the beating of her heart which had got louder and faster at the sound of Gene's voice.

"Alex, I want you to listen to me."

Alex threw her head back and laughed at him. The laugh was scornful and humourless and the pain in each peal echoed off the hard walls of the flat they used to share. She hated hating him and Gene, for his part, missed her real laugh, the sudden switch between a mildly happy face and smile of dazzling teeth and giggles. He used to be able to get her to laugh like that.

"What, do you think you can waltz back in here and everything will revert to the status quo? That I'll let you back into my life, back into my bed just because you bat your pretty sliver-green eyes and say please?"

"My eyes are not pretty," Gene growled before he could stop himself and Alex had to smother a laugh- a genuine one this time.

Instead she slowly unfolded her arms and lay her hands over her belly. She looked down at her hands, seemingly ignoring Gene, all though there was a stillness about her that told Gene she was hypersensitive to his every move, even if she wasn't looking at him.

Gene studied her for a minute, squinting past her fingers, trying to work out if her belly was swelling yet or if it was his imagination. The sallow pallor of her skin concerned him, wasn't she supposed to be glowing? Instead she seemed tired and constantly close to tears. It was killing him that the reason for all of that was him.

Slowly, so as not to startle her, he approached her. She didn't look up or move or back away. Not a finger twitched, but as he extended his hand to- he didn't know what, touch her in some way, hold her maybe, her head jerked up and her fingers closed around his wrist.

"Oi!" Gene exclaimed and tried to wrench himself free but Alex's hold was like a vice, "You're hurting me."

Alex didn't reply but reached round behind her for something on the draining board. When she brought it round, Gene felt his blood freeze.

It was a large knife, the blade still glistening with moisture and tiny soap bubbles. Gene twisted his arm again but it was no good. He closed his eyes as Alex would surely any second now plunge the knife into him…

But she didn't. Instead, he felt the plastic handle forced against his palm and her cool fingers wrapping his around the handle. He opened his eyes and she wrapped her other arm around him, bringing him closer to her. She forced the hand that held his hand with the knife into such a position that the blade was against her neck.

"Do it," she whispered.

Gene didn't move, didn't say anything. He was frozen and the most terrified he had ever been in his life.

"You were prepared to do this before," she whispered, "You joined the League, you swallowed their dogma. You betrayed me professionally and personally. By believing what they believe, you want me and our baby dead. But why should you do it so impersonally with a few bacteria in a bomb? Do it properly. My jugular is just here. Slice it and kill us both."

Alex dropped her hand to let Gene make his decision.

The blade stayed against her skin.