Apologies for the delay in updating this fic – I can only blame ill health for much of the festive season. Such is life! Anyway, here's a nice long chapter to make up for it …

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Chapter 6 - London, 1982

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Alex stood on the pavement and gazed up at the building, thinking how innocuous it looked: no different than any other house on the street. Nobody would guess it was a house of ill repute unless they had prior knowledge. Presumably, that was the whole point.

Part of her still clung onto the belief that there might be some other explanation, but logic told her it was a forlorn hope. She'd been so upset the previous evening that she hadn't put in an appearance at Luigi's, unwilling to cross paths with Gene while her emotions were in such turmoil. Instead, she'd opened a bottle of wine and drunk it alone in front of the television, attempting to blot the whole thing all out. Sometime in the early hours of the morning she'd reached a decision: if she wanted to know the truth, she'd have to gird her loins and enter the lion's den.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the gate open and made her way up to the front door, leaning on the bell before she could change her mind. It being only mid morning, she half expected to be ignored. Did brothels operate twenty-four hours a day? She really had no idea. Just as she was about to give up, she heard the distinctive sound of a bolt being drawn back and then the door swung open.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but it pays to take care around here."

On the threshold stood the attractive blonde she'd spied on the previous evening, casually dressed in a crisp white blouse and palazzo pants, a welcoming smile on her face.

"DI Drake, I presume? I've been expecting a visit."

….

Caught by surprise, it took Alex a couple of seconds to regain her equilibrium and find her voice.

"How did you know?"

"Gene described you well. That, and the fact that we get very few female visitors, of course. Won't you come in?"

Alex stepped inside, glancing around her, somewhat surprised by the interior. The décor was minimalist and understated; pale magnolia walls and dark grey rugs contrasted with polished wood flooring. Prints by famous French artists of the demimonde – Manet, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec – distracted the eye from the monochrome palette. She was not surprised, however, to recognise the underlying theme: all paid homage to courtesans, loose women and ladies of the night. So, turns out I wasn't mistaken after all.

Her stomach roiled and for a second she thought breakfast might make an unscheduled reappearance. She hadn't realised until that moment how much she needed to be wrong. Breathe, Alex. The queasiness passed, only to be replaced with righteous anger. More fool me for trusting him. Damn you, Gene Hunt. Undeterred, she followed her hostess into a cosy parlour, complete with an open fire and a couple of comfortable-looking armchairs.

"Take a seat and I'll make us both some tea. I'm Lily, by the way."

Alex gave her a brittle smile.

"Actually, I'd rather stand."

"Please yourself."

Lily shrugged, switching on the kettle and readying a tray with a china tea set and a plate of biscuits. Alex was both aggravated and impressed in equal measure at her hostess' composure. She took a deep calming breath, attempting to centre herself before speaking.

"I know DCI Hunt is a regular visitor, so please don't try to deny it. It's my guess that he's been taking kick-backs for turning a blind eye to your … activities."

Despite her best efforts, the anger refused to stay contained. Unable to stand still, she began to pace up and down.

"Is it cash, or payment in kind? He's hardly short of money, so I'm assuming the latter. Tell me - do you offer your own services, or does he get his pick of the girls? He really has sunk to new depths this time …"

Once she got started she found she couldn't stop: the words poured out uninterrupted until finally she ran out of steam, rounding on Lily who was now watching patiently from the comfort of her armchair.

"Well? Have you nothing to say for yourself?"

"Plenty. I was just waiting until I could get a word in edgeways. And please sit down, all this pacing is making me dizzy."

Alex's jaw dropped. The cheek of the woman! Still, she was interested to know what Lily had to offer in her defence, so she reluctantly took the seat opposite.

"Milk and sugar?"

"Just milk, please."

Lily did the honours and then sat back, studying Alex over the rim of her cup.

"What exactly do you think is happening here, DI Drake?"

Alex rolled her eyes.

"I thought I'd made that quite clear." She leant forwards, her eyes burning. "Do you deny having sex with DCI Hunt, then?"

Lily didn't miss a beat.

"Not at all, although it was a long time ago. Way too long, in my opinion. And I can assure you that no money ever changed hands. As if a man as attractive as Gene would ever need to pay for it." She snorted derisively. "How long have you worked together, by the way?"

"Long enough. Why?"

Alex raised her chin defiantly. This conversation was not going remotely the way she had anticipated.

"Because you don't seem to know him very well. For all his faults, Gene Hunt is the best man I've ever met. He probably saved my life back in Manchester, and he asked nothing from me in return."

Despite herself, Alex was intrigued.

"You're from Manchester? You don't have much of an accent."

"I took elocution lessons before I moved down here, thought it might be better for business. And just so you know, I seduced Gene, not the other way around. I wanted him, and I was determined to have him."

Alex blinked in surprise, and Lily suppressed a smirk.

"Does that shock you?"

"Yes. No …"

"You've no reason to be jealous, though. As I said, it was a long time ago."

"Jealous? Don't be ridiculous!"

Feeling suddenly exposed, Alex crossed her arms in front of her chest, her gut clenching.

"Alex …may I call you that?" Alex gave a curt nod, and Lily continued. "Ask yourself which is worse: the idea of him taking a kick-back or the thought of him with another woman. You're clearly attracted to him, so why try and deny it? "

Lily leant forwards in her chair, her expression softer.

"As I once said to Gene, prostitutes are like priests – you can tell us anything and trust that it won't go any further."

"There's really nothing to tell."

Alex fidgeted in her chair, knowing that statement wasn't entirely true.

"I must admit, I find that difficult to believe."

Lily raised an eyebrow, her expression sceptical. Alex sighed, unwilling to meet her eyes.

"Alright, I admit we have become quite close. There's been some flirting, and he did once ask me out to dinner. But he's not seriously interested."

"What makes you think that? Where I come from, a bloke doesn't ask a woman out for no good reason!"

"Because I once tried to seduce him and he turned me down flat."

Alex huffed, wishing she hadn't just blurted it out, but Lily didn't flinch.

"Interesting. Tell me more."

"We'd both had a lot to drink, I practically offered myself to him on a plate – and he walked away."

"Ah." Lily nodded knowingly. "Can't say I'm surprised. The Gene I know would never take advantage of a drunken woman, especially not one he works with. What if you'd regretted it in the morning? Your professional relationship would never have recovered. And there's another reason, of course: if Gene chose to sleep with a woman, he'd definitely want her to remember the experience. And believe me, it'd be memorable. For all the right reasons, I might add."

Alex saw the flash of pain in her eyes before she schooled her features into a rueful smile.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't. And the incident with Gene was a moment of madness, that's all. I consider it a lucky escape."

Alex reached for a biscuit and began to nibble on it, attempting to look suitably nonchalant.

"If you don't mind me asking, what prompted the move south? Something tells me you weren't just tired of Manchester."

"You're right. It had very little to do with the city, and everything to do with the fact that the only man I've ever loved was suddenly 300 miles away."

Alex blinked in surprise.

"You were in love with Gene?"

Lily sighed.

"I was. Still am, much good may it do me."

Alex sat back and crossed her legs.

"I think maybe you should tell me the whole story. If you want to, that is."

"I think I'd like that."

Lily proceeded to fill Alex in with everything that had happened up to and including her seduction of Gene. Alex listened patiently, trying not to give anything away, even though her stomach clenched at the thought of the Guv in another woman's arms. Lily paused, pouring them both another cup of tea before continuing.

"After that, we fell into a kind of routine. He would turn up every other Wednesday, knowing that was my one day off. We'd talk for a while, and then end up in bed together. I lived for those visits – it made the rest of it bearable, you know?"

She took a sip of her tea.

"I tried not to think too much about the future, even after his wife left. I suppose I always had a vague hope that he might wake up one day and realise he couldn't live without me, but it never happened. I should've listened to Brenda's advice: she warned me not to get involved, but we can't help which way we fall, can we? Anyway, things went on like that for a long time – years, in fact - and then all of a sudden, everything changed."

"Go on …"

Alex was fascinated at this insight into the Guv's previous existence, even though it wasn't easy to hear. Lily took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Gene turned up unannounced one night. By that time, Brenda had retired and I was running the business, so my evenings were my own and he knew he was always welcome. I guessed straight away that something was wrong because he said very little, just took me straight to bed, and he was … driven. Not that I was complaining, you understand, but it was obvious he was battling some demons. Afterwards, he was lost in his own thoughts. He held me for a while and then he got up and got dressed without a word. He didn't speak again until he was heading out of the door, and then all he said was 'Sam's gone.'"

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Lily fell silent, clearly lost in her memories. Alex waited, knowing there was more to come, and eventually the other woman looked up and gave her a wistful smile.

"Sorry, I was miles away."

Alex shrugged sympathetically.

"Don't worry, its fine."

The other woman stared into space for a moment, clearly gathering her thoughts.

"After that night, he changed. I knew he was grieving, but it was more than that." She glanced up at Alex. "It was like his whole world had shifted and he was struggling to come to terms with it. Does that make any sense?"

It certainly did to Alex, knowing what she knew.

"I think so. The loss of someone close can hit a person hard. It forces us to reassess our lives, and also to deal with the prospect of our own mortality."

Lily nodded thoughtfully.

"Maybe that was it. Anyway, a couple of months later, totally out of the blue, he told me he'd put in for a transfer and it'd been approved. That wasn't a huge surprise – fresh start, and all that – but when he told me he was moving down to London, I couldn't believe it. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest …"

She tailed off for a moment, the memory clearly still painful.

"If he'd only asked me to go with him, I'd have packed a bag that night, but he didn't. He took Ray and Chris along, but not me - not the woman he'd been seeing for nine years." She forced a smile. "Still, I could never hold it against him, even though it hurt like hell. It wasn't as if he'd made me any promises, after all."

"Did you never tell him how you felt?"

Lily shook her head and Alex ached for her.

"Only once, while he was sleeping. I think I always knew he didn't feel the same way, so what would have been the point? At least we parted on good terms. There's something to be said for that."

Alex took a sip of her tea, knowing she had to ask.

"Did you move down here hoping things might be different? Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that."

Lily frowned.

"I'm not sure. Maybe. I just couldn't bear being that far away from him, and I thought maybe if he wasn't seeing anyone …"

"…you could go back to your old arrangement?"

Alex finished her sentence and Lily shrugged.

"Sad, I know. But I still love him, despite everything. And some contact is better than none, even if we are just friends nowadays."

Alex leaned forwards and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"I'm sorry. Truly."

"Ah well, who ever said life was fair? I should know that better than most."

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

"Another few years and I'll have saved enough money to quit the business. Maybe I'll do a bit of travelling, meet a handsome millionaire. Who knows?"

The two women exchanged a genuine smile, and then Lily cleared her throat.

"So. Did you get the answers you came for, then?"

"I did. And I apologise for my earlier accusations. They were unfair and unjustified."

"But understandable, given the circumstances." Lily cocked her head to one side and studied Alex. "It wouldn't have worked out between me and Gene, I see that now. I'd never have been enough for him: he needs a woman who won't take any nonsense, one who'll challenge him and keep him on his toes. He talks about you all the time, you know. I should probably hate you, but all I really want to see him happy."

Alex blinked at her in surprise.

"You seriously think I might be contemplating a relationship with Gene Hunt? He's overbearing, misogynistic, opinionated, frequently crude …"

"… kind, decent, honourable, undeniably handsome, and sexy as hell."

Alex opened her mouth and closed it again, and Lily leant forward, holding her gaze.

"Trust me, it's you he wants, Alex. Are you honestly telling me you've never considered the idea?"

Alex huffed, crossing her arms defensively, knowing Lily had just seen right through her.

"Alright, I admit he's not unattractive and he has his good points. But we work together, it'd be way too complicated."

Lily gave her a long, assessing look.

"That's just a convenient excuse. There's nothing you can't figure out between the two of you, if you put your minds to it. The big question you have to ask yourself is, do you want it enough?"

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Well, does she? Looks like Alex has some serious thinking to do. If she decides she doesn't want him, I'm first in the queue! Just sayin' … ;)

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A/N I'm working on the final chapter now – will post as soon as soon as I can. Assuming people are still reading, that is! Do let me know, won't you?