Author: 4ever Galex

Title: Strawberry Hearts

Summary: This is my best attempt at a one shot fanfic for fashiongirl97's Galex fanfic challenge. I had a few stories in mind and just decided to settle on this particular one, hope it's okay

Rating: T

Around every fortnight or every month depending on whenever Gene's next door neighbour Michael would find the right moment in choosing to ask him if he wouldn't mind taking care of Buster, his Yorkshire Terrier. He'd always be predictably telling him the exact same reason as to why he couldn't take his beloved dog back to Liverpool while he was visiting his mum.

"It's my Ma'am you see. She's very sensitive and allergic to all forms of dog hair, absolutely hates it getting on the carpet after she's hoovered it. I've told her I'd be coming to visit her for the weekend. I promise I'll be knocking at your front door first on Monday morning." He placed the dog lead in Gene's hands before temporarily waving goodbye to his much loved dog and driving off in his Ford vehicle.

Although he constantly disliked the daunting thought of having to clean up after Buster, consistently nonetheless the thought of having proper company in the house, potentially made him feel much more happy and cheerful than he'd ever felt before. "Looks like it's just me and you curious Buster. I've got a wicker basket ready for you in the living room I might be a right fairy softy nancy especially it comes down to me liking dogs more than cats, saying this however I'll have to bring you into station in the morning." He casually told him, he knew Buster would either probably gain everyone's attention or manage to drive Ray up the wall with his relentless barking like he done the last time he bought Buster to the station.

-Galex Galore-

The next morning, Alex was promptly at the station first, she wasn't looking forward to the day ahead. She felt fed up just thinking about how the day might turn out, the only thing she was wishing for was that the day would fly by quickly and that she'd behaving her legs curled up on the sofa in her flat. She tried as much as possible not to let herself show how bored she looked as some of the team were arriving in the main office.

"Morning Bolls" Gene willingly greeted her after he'd quietly arrived with Buster.

"Morning Gene. Hello Buster" Alex smiled as soon as she saw him. "Does Ray know about you bringing Buster into the office."

"No he doesn't, don't want him knowing yet. Doubt he's going to be thrilled when he finds out I've bought him for today" Gene sighs, before exchanging a prolonged gaze with Alex.

Alex had a favorable suggestion to put forward, she was hopeful he might actually agree with her. "I can look after him if you want, perhaps you know take him off your hands for an hour or two at least. It'll give you a chance of finishing your written investigation reports from yesterday."

"Alright I don't see why not, he's a hungry bugger. So you might need to feed him." Gene smiled and handed Buster's lead over to Alex. He was grateful to her for helping him out, he kept wishing he could have faith in telling her this in complete confidence. As over the last few weeks, they'd both started to develop tender feelings for each other. He suspected she felt the same way about him but was also feeling quite shy about coming clean about her feelings.

"I'll take him outside now and maybe walk around the park outside with him. I'm sure he'll love barking at the pigeons." Alex said as she got up and managed to grab her jacket. "He'll love it to the core getting some well needed fresh air and exercise."

"You sound like you know more about what dogs want then what Christopher really wants for his lunch-break at the chippie everyday." Gene chuckled, he was clearly impressed on finding out about how much she was aware on what certain dogs craved when gaining attention.

"I'll see you later then Gene." Alex gave him an encouraging smile before looking down at Buster, who gave the cutest of adorable looks at her first and then at Gene.

"Christ almighty you're one quick worker, seems like he's loving you very much Bolls." Gene said and then walked across to his office, he smiled before gradually stepping inside the door of his office, looking back over his shoulder with an emerging smirk across his lips as he was watching her leave the office with her new furry friend.

-Galex Galore-

Later that morning, while the team concentrated on work related matters, Chris seemed far too engaged to such an extent by mucking around and acting the fool whilst he was bobbing his head to a song he was paying more attention to the headbanging music on his Walkman and forgetting his surroundings as he was silently miming the lyrics.

"Un-bloody-believable you know he's going to get a right reprimand from Gene if he carries on jamming along to whatever music he's listening to." Ray told Shaz, who found herself agreeing with him on this.

"Too right… Last night he asked whether I was going to kiss him or punch him after he'd forgotten to record yesterday's Countdown, I think he feared I might be angry with him because of that." She looked around suddenly, noticing someone looked to be absent from work. "Has anyone seen Alex this morning, it rather isn't like her to be coming to work late." Shaz said as she looked across to Gene's office.

"No I haven't..although I thought I saw her warrant card on her desk. Maybe we should be asking Gene, you know see whether he knows where she is" Ray wisely suggested before getting up from his chair and knocking at Gene's office door.

"Good idea, another thing I found strange when I looked over at her, that there seemed to be dog pores on some paperwork." Shaz added.

"Oh you don't think Gene's bought that dog Buster in for the day have you? He'll be jumping up at me and wiping his pores on my trousers before long" He started to express some annoyance while waiting to speak to the DCI. Gene appeared within seconds and had already figured out the reason behind the expression written across his DI's face.

"Yes I have Raymondo. Don't you bloody dare start moaning about Buster or I'll have you spun around on your chair 100 times and make you apologize soon after" Gene had heard enough, feeling sick and tired of Ray's never-ending complaints. "He's not hurting anyone or disrupting the running of the office by being here, so stopping throwing a sulk Nora" he said referring to Nora Batty from Last of the Summer Wine.

Over 30 minutes later Alex came back, she went straight towards Gene's office. "I've lost Buster, before you start blaming me for being careless. I didn't deliberately lose him, he just ran off on me for no apparent reason." Alex looked clearly upset and concerned.

"He must be missing Michael, his owner. Surely he can't run all the way to Liverpool. And by the way Alex I'm not blaming you" Gene reassured her as soon as possible, not wanting her to believe he was furious with her, when actually only he was slightly let down. He put his hands on both of her shoulders and helped rub a tear away from the corner of her right eye.

Alex suggested a possible solution that might work. "Hadn't we better go and search for him because I don't think I can sit around and wait for him to return."

"You're right because I'm not going to let my wonderful female DI, continue to cry for the rest of the day. Come on get that delightful bum of yours working and moving right away." Gene recommended, he added some flirtatious subtle comments into their conversation, at the same time he was trying desperately not to get distracted by her bum as they were leaving the office together.

-Galex Galore-

By 5pm, they'd still hadn't found where Buster might be. Gene and Alex both realized that East London would be a confusing place for a small dog. "Thinking I'm going to be on the receiving end of a punch in the gob for losing Buster."

"You won't be Gene, I'll be standing alongside you, if this Michael threatens to punch your lights out." Alex promised to stay side by side with him if this unfortunately happened on Monday morning when he returned to London.

"Really never thought you'd have it on you to defend me after all the times I've acted like a horrible man to you." Gene couldn't hide his surprise after she told him this.

"You underestimate far too much so it seems" Alex smiled.

"Yeah I think I make the mistake of doing that" Gene was more than happy to agree with her. They both walked closely together and made their way down Roscoe Avenue Street. Gene was busy wishing he hadn't left the Quattro back in the station car park, even though it was running low on petrol.

"You fancy a drink?..." Alex asked, she looked disappointed especially when he didn't answer and avoided eye contact with her. "Gene look at me, we can still try and find Buster tonight but let's face it right now we both could do with a drink and a rest...Luigis?" She sighed.

"Okay Luigis it is" Gene finally accepted, he was still too beside himself thinking he wouldn't be trusted enough in looking after any of his neighbours beloved pets. He shuffled his feet while they were making their way to where Luigis was in the same street. As they walked down the steps of the front entrance of the Italian restaurant, they both heard their Italian friend talking to someone behind the counter. Gene pressed his face against the window panel but couldn't see who exactly it might be.

"Looks as though Luigi thinks he's Englebert Humperdinck in them clothes he's wearing. Doesn't see like he's having too much trouble in charming the knickers off whoever his lady friend is." Gene commented, he looked back at Alex, who gave the impression she wanted to go elsewhere. Within seconds they heard the sound of a dog barking from within the restaurant. Gene rushed in ahead of Alex as he went to investigate.

"Luigi!" He shouted loudly.

"Mister Hunt I found this adorable dog outside of the restaurant. So I bought him in and fed him some dog food I found. You seem to know him" After noting the sweaty cheeks of Gene's, Luigi smartly guessed straight away that his new furry friend belonged to Gene or a friend of Gene's. After bringing him into the kitchen area, he'd started feeding him a strawberry as well as dog food which he found in one of the kitchen cupboards.

"Yeah he belongs to a neighbour of mine, promised I'd mind him for the weekend. He's proven himself to be right mischievous" Gene replied with a smile before communicating to the yorkshire terrier. Buster responded by sinking his teeth into bottom length side of Gene's trousers and pushing him towards Alex.

"Mister Hunt as far as I can tell he seems to be a matchmaker as well." Luigi chuckled, sensing that the small friendly dog wanted them to be together.

"Come to think of it, you know I didn't think in a million years a small Yorkshire Terrier would be a love guru of sorts. Alex how about me and you, go out on a date together. I'll pay of course." Gene was persuaded enough into opening up at last.

"Where would you fancy us going on our date?" Alex asked him.

"Restaurant of course, and yes Luigi it'll be in here." Gene said after sensing that Luigi was paying too much attention into his conversation with Alex. He chuckled when Luigi seemed to get the message on hurried back to the kitchen.

"That would be wonderful." Alex giggled with delight, she reached over to him and stroked his cheek, she soon felt encouraged into kissing his lips not longer after.

"What's that for?" Gene asked, looking baffled. Pouting his lips in the familiar way he preferred to do.

"That's a reward for you, finally confirming what I've always known. Because you proved to me that you're a fantastic, affectionate and caring man especially when you refused to give up on finding Buster here." Alex smiled. "I'm already looking forward to our date by the way, means I might wear something that will cause your jaw to drop." An eager grin engraved itself across his lips.