Hello all – thanks so much for the great reviews. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Sadly there is no smut (that's to come in the next chapter!) but plenty of angst and a LOT of talking.

Shaz winced. She hated it when the Guv and DI Drake fought like this. Chris glanced up, concerned, but stopped in his tracks when Ray shot him a withering look. There was no need for the officers to wonder what their superiors were arguing about as they could hear every caustic accusation and harsh retort ricochet off the walls of DCI Hunt's office.

"You bloody broke my bloody door down, you stupid bullish oaf!" Alex yelled, jabbing one finger at him accusingly.

He roared back, "And YOU are not bloody listening, you daft mare! I heard you screaming! What the 'ell was I supposed to do!"

"Well how the hell do I know?" she shrieked, "I don't remember anything about it, apart from finding myself NAKED on top of my bed while my front door was HANGING OFF ITS HINGES!"

Outside, Ray raised his eyebrows at this particular detail. He whispered sideways to Chris, "'Ere, d'y'reckon he got 'is leg over?" He leaned back in his chair and let out a mock whistle, "ho-ho!"

Chris looked over a Shaz, his eyes wide. He didn't notice that the end of the pink wafer he'd been dunking had dropped off and fallen into his tea. Meanwhile, the torrent continued.

"I tried ringin' you, but you didn't BLOODY ANSWER! That's why I came over! I needed…" he lowered his voice slightly, "I needed to talk to you."

"With no clothes on??"

"You had collapsed in the shower! I thought you were… well… if I'd known this was gonna happen I might just have BLOODY LEFT YOU THERE!"

Alex stuck her chin out in mute defiance. Her eyes flashed dangerously. She moved to walk towards the door, but Gene raced out from behind his desk and blocked her. Their bodies were close: close enough that she could feel his breath on her face.

"Alex."

"Get out of my way Gene, I have work to do." Her voice sounded cold, but there was something else behind it.

She raised her hand to reach for the door handle, but Gene grabbed her wrist. She gasped. He looked at her. "I think you should see a doctor." There was concern in his voice, which softened Alex a little.

"You think I'm mad don't you?"

"I'm worried about you." He paused. "Come to that, I'm worried about me. You can't possibly think this is normal."

Alex looked at the floor. "Of course it's not," she gave a hollow laugh, "None of it is! You, this place: the last vain attempts by my dying brain to imagine something better than Arthur Layton's bullet."

"Alex, you are NOT dying! You said that yesterday and you 'ad just fainted. I know a lot of birds 'oo are prone to melodrama and believe me, none of 'em do it quite like you, but…"

She looked up at him, fighting back tears. "Melodrama Gene? Is that what you think this is? I will probably never see my little girl again. For all I know my body is currently feeding the marine life of the Thames and what's more, my subconscious has dumped me here, in Sam Tyler's fantasy world, with YOU!"

She hadn't let him finish. He had been about to tell her that he believed her, that he wanted to help her work out why all this was happening, that he would be with her, every step of the way.

"You told me you loved me." He tried to keep his face expressionless: he didn't want her to know how his heart had leapt when she'd said those words.

"I did?" Shit, I did. I do. She looked at his face: it was impossible to tell what he was thinking now. Her memories flooded back of his strong arms stealing her away from the Clown, carrying her to safety and holding her as she drew what she thought was her last breath. When she awoke, there was a locksmith working on the broken door and Gene was in the kitchen, making tea. He had sent her back to bed and then left shortly after, kissing her gently and pulling her duvet over her. Such tenderness… I blew it. Stay calm Alex.

She really doesn't remember Gene thought. He let go of her wrist and moved out of her way. "OK Bols. You win."

"No Gene. Whatever the hell it is I'm doing here, it's certainly not winning. Anything." she spoke sadly, moving past him and out the door.

The air outside was cold but the sun peered over the tops of the grimy grey London tower blocks, lighting her path as Alex walked through the city. She hadn't intended to head to the river, but as she approached the looming silhouette of the Bankside Power station she felt somehow this was the place to be. She hadn't come back here since her arrival in 1981, in truth the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. A chill came over her as she imagined the scene that would happen 27 years from now, or that happened a fraction of a second ago. The heels of her boots clicked on the silent concrete as she walked down the steps, gazing up at empty sky where one day, on the Millennium Bridge, she would blow a final kiss to her daughter. She reached the gravely embankment: the grey grit and stones crunched under her as she sat down, lazily throwing a pebble into the water.

I told him I loved him, she thought. How can I love someone who doesn't exist? None of this made any sense to her. She cast her mind back three nights ago; the deep passion of their lovemaking had been so startlingly real. And the accuracy of Gene's visions of a future London? She felt a wrench in her stomach as she remembered him telling her she was there, with their child, together and happy with him - like her brain was taunting her with the things she could never have. A tide of panic rose up in her as she tried to picture Molly's face and couldn't. The image swam in her mind, blurred and unrecognisable. Alex cried as she gazed across the river, unsure if she was mourning her daughter or herself.

She suddenly became aware of movement behind her, she looked round, shielding her tired eyes from the glare of the sun. There was a tall silhouette of a man, his long wool coat flapped slightly in the breeze from the water. A familiarly gruff voice spoke to her. "I thought I'd find you 'ere."

Gene removed his coat and placed it over Alex's shoulders before settling down on the pebbles next to her. The weight and warmth of him next to her was like a hymn. She leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. He tenderly lifted a hand to her face and brushed aside a windswept curl. His stomach jerked when he saw she was crying. He turned his face to hers and gently kissed her tears. "I should know better Bolly, but…" One corner of his mouth curled slightly. "I'm a fool where you're concerned."

"Gene." Alex whispered, his name still on her lips as she kissed his mouth. It was a long, deep, sensual kiss: the kiss of true lovers. Both were quite breathless by the time they parted. Gene drew his tongue across Alex's bottom lip a final time and moved away, leaving her face a picture of bliss; eyes closed and mouth slightly open. When she came round, he was watching her with an expression of tender concern. He spoke in a low voice. "I hope that makes my feelings clear Alex."

"Mmmm," was just about all Alex could say. She reached round and took his coat, pulling it across his shoulders as well as hers, before snuggling down inside. Her arm snaked across his stomach, making him shudder with delight as she slipped her hand inside his suit jacket. They sat like this in silence for a while before Alex murmured, "How did you know I'd be here?"

"Because this is where it happened." He felt Alex tense in his arms. "Isn't it?"

"Where what happened?" Her voice shook a little.

"Whatever it is that's hurting you. Whatever has separated you from your little girl and whatever the hell it was that brought you to me."

Alex said nothing.

Taking a deep breath, Gene continued. "I'm not a religious man Bolly, but I praise the gods for the day you wobbled into my care, dressed like a prozzie… all full of wit and righteous anger." She felt him smiling. "But as you so frequently remind me, this isn't where you want to be. Is it?"

"It's complicated."

"So you keep saying. Why don't you just try me?"

Alex sighed. What the hell have I got to lose – he already thinks I'm bonkers. She took a deep breath."Before I came here I had a promising career as Forensic Psychologist. I was tipped for DCI next promotion board because of the success of my work: my criminal profiling helped put a lot of bad guys away."

Gene nodded, although the concept of criminal profiling was still a little lost on him.

"I was hoping that a promotion would also mean a transfer – a new start for my daughter and me. My dedication to my work along with my husband's roving eye had taken its toll on my marriage. He left me, 3 years ago." Her voice was impassive.

Gene said nothing, but inwardly he was astounded that someone would leave Alex. Fool, he thought.

Alex continued. "I didn't have much to stay in London for. A few friends… Molly's godfather… but no other family. I was planning to transfer to Scotland and concentrate on the work I had begun with officers who had undergone severe trauma at work. That was how I knew Sam Tyler."

"Another total fruitcake." Gene muttered, fondly.

"Yes, another total fruitcake." Alex smiled. She reached up and put her lips to his neck, tracing a small line of tiny kisses round his jaw until she reached his lips.

"He was very fond of you, y'know… Sam," she carried on. "He told me all about you and the others. The work you did at GMP."

"I miss him."

"Weirdly, so do I… although I never met him." Alex shivered a little and Gene closed his arms tighter around her. "Anyway, I realised yesterday, when I thought I was dying, that lying there in your arms was exactly where I wanted to be. I mean, if this is where I'm going to end up. The only reason I can't stay is that I miss my daughter Gene, I have to try to get back to her."

"You say back, Bols, but you said earlier on you were 'ere… in London. Where's Molly then?" Gene asked.

"I don't know. I think she's with her godfather. I hope she's safe."

Gene spoke, this time a little urgently. "Bolly, I need to ask you something. I don't wanna to upset you, but it's important."

Alex nodded.

"What's Molly like? I mean, how old is she… What does she look like?"

Alex smiled. "She's smart and pretty. It's her 12th birthday… today in fact. She inherited a few things from me: tenacity… a tendency to want her own way," she laughed. "She has my eyes, but her father's colouring generally – lighter hair. She was teased a lot at junior school because of her birthmark, but I always tell her it's beautiful."

Gene froze, his mind racing, his suspicions confirmed. He swallowed hard. "I saw her Alex. Here."

Alex sat up. "Gene - that's impossible!"

"A lot of things are impossible Alex, but they seem to keep happening! I'm telling you, I saw her, here in the back of the Quattro, the day before yesterday."

He continued, telling her the whole story: the radio message telling him to get to Bankside; arriving to find no-one there and then Molly appearing in the rear-view mirror. Alex just listened, her eyes wide as saucers.

"And when I got back to the station, I gave the radio to Viv and he said there was no battery in it. That was the final straw for me, Bols, I was convinced I was goin' round the bloody bend. I wanted to tell you about it, but then you didn't show up at Luigi's and when I tried ringin' you yesterday there was no answer. I was on my way over when the whole shower carry-on 'appened."

"Oh God." Alex felt a little queasy. "Did she say anything? Did she speak? I haven't seen her in so long..."

"She just said, 'This is where it happens.' And then she disappeared. Look, I know this all sounds like utter bloody nonsense, but there's something far wrong going on here, because later, when I was carrying you out the shower, suddenly you were in a wedding dress and we were about to 'ave sex, and to be honest, I haven't the foggiest bloody idea why I'm telling you all this." He suddenly became defensive, acutely aware of how ridiculous he sounded. "I'm getting as bad as you!"

"No, listen Gene," Alex took his hand. She looked at him, her eyes dark. "I can say truly, honestly, with my hand on my heart, that I don't know what's going on here. I don't know what's going to happen next, but it's clear whatever it is we're in it together." Her eyes moistened, but she blinked hard, fighting back tears. "I promise you I will tell you what happened here, but for now, please just know Gene… that I love you. I LOVE YOU!"

She shouted the last bit; a half-crazed ecstatic laugh escaped her lips, as she stood up. She swayed unsteadily on the riverbank, her arms raised on either side of her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the cool river air. Opening them again, she looked down at him, smiling at the bemused expression on his face. "Remember what you told the Price's little girl, Gene? If she ever needed you, to call the Gene Genie. Well, here you are! She needs you now - and here you are. My lover."

Gene got to his feet, the coat falling from his shoulders as he walked towards this crazy beautiful woman he adored. He closed his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "Let's go home."

As they walked hand in hand up the steps, neither of them noticed the shadowy figure leaning against the metal barriers of the power station. They climbed into the Audi and kissed each other before the car roared off into the distance.

Layton watched them with hollow eyes, his greying stubble accentuating the pale clamminess of his skin. Hands shaking, he pulled a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it, coughing as the hot smoke racked his chest. He turned his face to the river and, fighting his way through the oncoming tide of tourists, walked unsteadily towards the shining, silvery Millennium Bridge.