I don't own Ashes to Ashes

Finally back from NaNoWriMo with the next chapter – it's not a smutty one, but I hope it's ok and will have been worth the wait.

Enjoy!

---

Sophia Merlot might have convinced Gene that she was a naturally dark-haired woman a few months ago, but looking at her now, with her hair grown out several inches at the scalp, it was easy to see that she had once shared her brothers' brilliantly blonde hair, before deciding to turn brunette. The diamond stud was still through her nose, but the thick makeup which had adorned her face before was missing, and Gene couldn't help but think that she was much more attractive without it, though somehow the look of rage contorted what would have been attractive features into ones of such profound ugliness ,that he was surprised he managed to avoid glancing away.

She was dressed in an outfit that looked to have been thrown on without prior consideration- a smart pair of work trousers, haphazardly put together with a pair of white trainers and a t-shirt that read 'make love not war'. Gene vaguely pondered the irony that her brother had killed in the name of love at the sight of it, but quickly drew his eyes away when he caught Alex glaring at him in his peripheral vision, realizing that his gaze must quite openly be resting on Sophia's chest.

"Well?" Sophia snapped, glancing from Alex to Gene with evident disgust. "Haven't you got anything to say for yourselves? He's seventeen years old!"

Gene's anger flared, and almost immediately his retort had burst from his lips. "Well if 'e wasn't such a scummy little bastard, we wouldn' 'ave had ter arrest the little twat!"

"Gene, maybe we should-?" Alex was stopped as Sophia delivered a stinging slap to Gene's face, her own cheeks flushed red with anger and loathing.

"Yer wanna be careful, love," Gene growled, grabbing her wrist when she drew her hand to execute a second blow and jerking her arm behind her back in a swift movement. "Else you'll be chucked in the cells with yer dirty scrotum of a brother fer assaulting a police officer!"

"Gene," Alex hissed warningly, glancing at Ray, Chris and Shaz, who were all stood staring at them with blank expressions on their faces, even as Alex went on through gritted teeth. "Maybe we should take this into your office?"

Gene ground his jaw slightly, releasing Sophia and pushing her hard in the back, indicating with his hand that she should lead the way into the office at the end of the room. For a moment, she looked as though she might refuse, glowering at the two of them, before turning sharply on her heel and slamming in ahead of them. Alex drew Gene back slightly before he followed, talking quietly to him so that the others wouldn't hear. "Do I assume," she asked, her voice falsely sweet, "that this is 'Jessie'?"

Ignoring the inevitable finger waggle, Gene simply nodded at her, eyes dark with annoyance, not looking away from the office, where he could already see Sophia settling herself self-importantly into his chair. Anger roiling away in his stomach, he tore his eyes away to prevent breaking something and met Alex's gaze. She looked even more pissed than he felt; he gulped. "What've I done now?" He sighed in exasperation, running a hand through his hair and waiting for the onslaught.

When it came, it was surprisingly calm, and he felt his stomach knotting nervously; he'd rather she yelled- it was better if she yelled, although he had no reason to believe that he'd ever be that lucky. "Oh nothing," she said softly, eyes unreasonably hard on his. "Did you enjoy your perusal of her chest?" She glared at him pointedly, and then went on. "Are her breasts to your satisfaction? Would you like to carry on staring, or shall we get on with some work now?"

"Don't tell me you're jealous, Bols," Gene murmured, eyes darkening slightly, "else I might 'ave to convince yer that I'd rather be shaggin' you." His voice was teasing, eyes glinting with mischief, but he already knew that she would fail to see the amusement in the situation.

"Jealousy is an unattractive trait, Gene," she informed him, still smiling in that falsely sweet manner which spoke volumes about her real feelings. "But I would advise that you pick up your jaw next time; I don't think she's particularly keen on your advances at the moment."

"Alex," Gene sighed, "don't get all pissy; I was just reading the-"

"I've got a job to do, Gene," Alex said, her eyes flashing. "Perhaps when you've finished ogling, you'll remember that you have one too!"

A moment later, she'd sashayed into the office, and Gene was left feeling utterly bemused by the sudden jealous turn in Alex's personality, seeing Ray's confused look as his superior officer's chilling moods settled around the room. With a grind of the teeth, Gene followed Alex into his office, hoping that she wouldn't think he wanted to shag Shaz when he thanked her for the steaming cup of coffee she pressed into his hands.

----

Alex closed the door and rested her forehead against the wood, breathing heavily as she struggled to collect herself. She'd never felt jealous with Gene before – not really, anyway, except for that one time in the Psychologists office, and when he slept with the stripper... But in truth, aside from those occasions before their relationship began, she had rarely had the time to feel anything for him but uncontrollable lust, and Gene's attention had never really wavered long enough since then for her to question his loyalty. She wasn't even sure there was anything to be jealous about- Ray and Chris had both been ogling Sophia's breasts just as much, and Alex herself had noted the irony of the slogan adorning the t-shirt enough to have probably elicited rumours were any of the other members of CID to have noticed...

And it wasn't like she really believed Gene would consider it; he had admitted to her in the past that he had had affairs during his marriage, but Alex didn't believe for a moment that he would do that now. It had been a very odd, primitive feeling, rising up in her chest and threatening to burst out at the sight she had been confronted with, one that she had felt only once before, a very long time ago... Feeling ridiculous, pushing away the reminders of her marriage, she resolved to apologize to Gene at the first opportunity, and ignore the odd, burning sensation in her stomach that had ignited when Gene's gaze had drifted.

The door opened, and she leapt backwards as Gene walked in, frowning at her in confusion before shutting the door behind him and turning his gaze on Sophia, almost as though he hadn't seen Alex at all; she felt her stomach tighten considerably- she couldn't help it.

"Next time you fancy walkin' in 'ere with yer knickers pulled so far up yer arse your voice rises an octave, you better do it quietly and resist slappin' a senior officer if you wanna keep your scrawny arse out of jail, yer got that?" Gene's voice was aggravated, and Alex didn't bother to say anything, feeling a slight ebbing of her irrational jealousy at the angry tone. Sophia stood up and walked around the desk, stalking right up to Gene and pushing her face in front of his.

"You've locked up my little brother without a lawyer, and he's not even eighteen!" Sophia's eyes flashed, and Gene's narrowed on hers as he towered over her, his blue gaze unwavering as he replied without hesitation or concern, voice strong and low, brimming with determined stubbornness as he kept his face on a level with hers.

"No," he conceded, smirking slightly, "but 'e has pleaded guilty to murder, so pardon yer worship if I don't give two shits how old 'e is; he ain't gettin' out."

"And I suppose your Superintendent knows about your little excursion into the Black Bull right?" She replied, evidently thinking she had got one over on him, but frowning when Gene chuckled and stepped back, leaning against the door of the office barely an inch away from Alex, who kept her lips sealed, her stomach still tied in knots.

"Superintendent Harrison gets daily reports on every case we look into, love; he knows about the pub, he knows about your kid brothers' confession, and 'e knows the name of every little scrote in the whole damn investigation... So yeah, I'd say he's pretty well informed, wouldn't you, Bols?" He looked at Alex meaningfully, eyes silently searching for reassurance. The tight knot loosened slightly, as he did so, and she managed a slight smile before nodding, turning to meet Sophia's gaze with a falsely warm smile.

"I'd say he's quite knowledgeable, yes," she said. "In fact, I think we handed over the tape of Ciaran's discussion yesterday afternoon, and I do believe his report was one of great interest and satisfaction, and- pending further inquest- we should be in court within-" she paused for effect, glancing at Gene as though in inquisition, "two months, I think it was, wasn't it?"

Gene smirked, nodding and glancing questioningly at Sophia, "anything else, love?"

---

They managed to get rid of her within half an hour, and Alex could hear Gene's sigh of relief as she slammed angrily out of the station, having demanded a conversation with her brother, which was permitted, on the simple condition that Viv sat in with her; she refused, and, after a spell of insulting the whole of the team with some highly colourful expletives that had impressed even Gene, she had conceded defeat and stormed out of CID without another word.

Now, Alex was seated on the edge of Gene's desk, slightly unnerved by the silence that descended, still unsure of herself and standing up quickly, sliding from her position and moving towards the door. She was surprised when Gene appeared behind her, one arm snaking around her waist and drawing her back against him, whilst the hand that was not curled around her hip awkwardly shuttered the blinds, before he twisted her around to look at him, his eyes searching.

"What's got into you?" He murmured, gently stroking one hand down her cheek, eyes travelling over her face as his eyebrows knitted together with confusion. "I thought I was the jealous one 'ere, not you?" He meant it to sound teasing, but Alex's eyes averted and he worried that he had said the wrong thing. "Alex, I'm-"

"I wasn't jealous Gene, I just don't like you staring at-" She stopped, biting her lip as she realized what she was about to say, how very similar it was to many of his past arguments. Gene chuckled, tugging her closer and nibbling lightly at her ear.

"Think you've been spendin' too much time with me, Bolly," he laughed softly, stroking her hair. Alex laughed too, resting her head on his chest and smiling to herself as he pressed his lips lightly to her forehead.

"Sorry," she whispered, "it's just... I suppose, with the whole- well... if we want kids, then I don't want to be-"

Gene spluttered with disbelief, drawing slightly away and staring at her with wide eyes. "Alex, d'you really think I'm gunna go off an' shag some floozy when I've got you waitin' fer me at 'ome?" He shook his head, bewilderment evident on his features. "Christ, Bolly; you're more of a fruitcake than I first thought."

She smiled, allowing her arms to slide around his back and burrowing her face in his shirt with a sigh, shaking her head. "No... I didn't think you would really, I just-" she shrugged, then said, in a laughing, disbelieving voice, "I'm going mad!" She half-laughed, before pressing her face closer still to his chest and breathing in deeply, his scent filling her. It wasn't strictly true, she thought to herself. At least there was some sense of rationality behind her jealousy, and it wasn't like- her thoughts were interrupted as she felt his hand slide beneath her blouse, caressing the warm flesh at the base of her back with gentle, warm, elegant fingers.

"Well," Gene grinned smugly, his head resting on hers. "Shaggin' the Gene Genie senseless every night does that to a girl – you're only human, Bols." She smiled, but shook her head, sliding her hand into his and leading him around the desk towards his chair, indicating that he should sit down. He did so, drawing her into his arms and settling her against his chest, hand on her thigh as she pressed a soft kiss to his neck, eliciting a soft groan.

"Super's gunna 'ave me bollucks if 'e finds yer like this..." he murmured, making no move to push her away; Alex smiled.

"Buy him a drink; he'll forgive you." She spoke teasingly, kissing his cheek lightly and tracing her fingers down his arm, just as he stroked up her leg with his large hand.

"Alex," he said softly, seriously, turning his head to hers. "Why'd yer think I'd cheat on yer if we're tryin' fer-?"

He stopped when she looked away, tears causing her eyes to glisten in the light. He swore under his breath, tugging her closer and murmuring apologetically in her ears. "Sorry," he said repeatedly, kissing her ear lightly. "Really... I'm bein' a twonk. Jus'-"

"You're not," Alex said softly, resting her hand against his chest. "I shouldn't be jealous, Gene- I know that. It's just that... well..." she trailed off, placing her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes to the feel of his fingers combing through her hair.

"Yer 'usband?" he asked, feeling a lump form in his throat as he glanced down at her. Her eyes were closed, but it didn't stop the tears escaping, squeezing themselves from beneath her eyelids as she nodded slowly, her teeth making a small indent in her lip that he wanted desperately to kiss away. Instead, he cupped her face, stroking lightly from forehead to chin until her eyes flickered open, looking up at him sadly.

"What 'appened?" Gene murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. Alex shrugged, stroking his tie dotingly. After waiting a few moments, Gene caught her hand in his, reclining in the chair and looking at her with a disbelieving raised eyebrow. "Bols, I ain't gunna cheat on yer with-"

"He said sex was a chore," Alex said softly, and she couldn't help but smile as Gene's eyebrows flew up into his hairline, hand slipping suggestively up over her arse.

"Can't 'ave been doin' it right then," he said, smirking as his hand tickled the backs of her thighs, causing her to shiver and press closer to him. Alex flushed red and rolled her eyes, hand stroking his neck lightly as she went on.

"We'd said we were going to start trying... it was only a year or so after we got married, so it wasn't like we'd outdone the honeymoon period... but I- I was desperate for a child... we spent months barely talking, simply having sex and going to work, and having sex again... Peter didn't like it; he said it wasn't the same when I'd stop in the middle of a blowjob so that he could finish in-"

"Ok, Bols, I don't need a bloody description!" Gene shifted uncomfortably, tugging her slightly closer into the circle of his arms. After a moment, he frowned. "Thought yer didn't plan fer Molly?"

Alex shrugged. "We stopped trying after a while... when it wasn't happening, we just said we'd leave it, let it happen naturally... Barely slept together for two months, and then suddenly, just as I'd gotten used to the idea of waiting, convinced myself it didn't matter right away, we had sex once and I was pregnant." She smiled sadly up at him, seeing the concern in his eyes as her own brimmed with unshed tears. "And then I found out..."

"Found out what?" Gene asked, bemused. "That you were preggers?"

She laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "No. Being pregnant is a very intuitive period... suddenly everything made sense; my senses were heightened, and I had an awful craving for human contact, and when he came home late at night, I could smell perfume all over him... I ignored it. Didn't say a thing... I suppose I thought that, if I waited until the baby came, he'd realize that he loved me and still wanted us to be a family..."

"Did he?" Gene asked, knowing the answer already, even as he tightened his hold on her.

She shook her head again, looking down at their hands and speaking in a quiet, soft voice. "About two months into the pregnancy, he said we should stop having sex altogether... I mean, there's speculation that it harms the baby, but that's not until at least six months... But I didn't say anything- kept telling myself he'd realize soon, and he'd stop sleeping with other people..."

"Jesus, Alex," Gene muttered, holding her tight. "I thought you were a ballsy cow the second yer popped out of the womb! Yer should've smacked the bastard in the nuts!"

She sighed, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of him. "I wasn't very ballsy at all until after the divorce... I knew Psychology, and I knew I was behaving like a fool, but I was convinced that I couldn't bring up a child on my own; Ev- my Godfather had always struggled when it was just him, and I didn't want to raise a child as a single mother... I thought he was a better choice, in the long run... I mean, it wasn't like it was love with any of the other girls, or like it meant anything- there was no sign of contact from the same person over and over again; no letters, no phone calls, no texts, no-"

"What the bloody hell is a text?" Gene asked, staring at her with a baffled expression. Alex rolled her eyes, realizing her mistake and smiling indulgently.

"Nothing- just -a different sort of letter..." She didn't pause for him to ask anything else, continuing quickly, finding that now she'd spoken about it, she couldn't seem to stop. "I convinced myself that, if it didn't mean anything – if it was just a string of strippers and one-night stands – then I could deal with it..."

Gene's grip on her waist tightened, and she could see the vein in his jaw pulse dangerously, could sense the anger rolling off him in waves. It was one thing, Gene thought, to have an affair when the marriage was evidently falling to pieces; it was another entirely to do it when your wife was pregnant with your kid. Gene wasn't exactly the model for good relationships, but at least he had some sense of common decency; if his wife had been pregnant, the last thing he'd think about was an affair. Admittedly, he might have ended up drinking himself into a coma with worry, but at least he'd have shown some sense of human courtesy...

"Did he end it?" Gene ground out, still holding her tightly, though his whole body was tense with badly suppressed rage.

Alex nodded, biting her lip. "Six months after Molly was born; he said he wasn't ready to be married, and that he didn't love me... I've told you that before."

Gene gulped, nodding his head slightly before he tilted her face up to his. "I ain't gonna cheat, Bols," he promised. "I might've fucked about before, with the old Missus, but that was different – you're different." He pressed his mouth to hers, lightly sucking on her lower lip before he drew away. "I want kids, Alex; I ain't gunna bugger off with some bimbo an' her fake tits jus' 'cause I can't shove me dick up yer fanny! I-"

He stopped as Alex snorted with laughter, shaking her head as she gently stroked her hand down his cheek. "That was unnecessarily crude, Gene," she said, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth, smile firmly set in place. "But thank you."

"Yeah, well," he said, averting his eyes to hide his slight embarrassment. "It wouldn't work with anyone else now, anyways... Ain't you..."

Alex smiled, turning his head back up to meet her eyes and leaning forward to capture his lips in a soft kiss. "I've told you before Gene, and I'll tell you again- no matter how much you deny it, you can be very sweet." She closed her eyes to receive his returned kiss, smiling when he sighed into her mouth as her hands tangled into his hair, unable to contain her grin as he slid a hand beneath the fabric of her blouse to press her closer to him, her breasts crushed against his chest as she nipped and licked at his mouth and tongue.

Pulling back briefly, Gene murmured, "I ain't sweet... just ain't that much of a bastard."

Still smiling, Alex dropped a kiss on his mouth, whispering her reply quietly. "Ok. You're not a bastard..."

Gene chuckled, cupping the back of her head with his hand and speaking softly, before returning to her lips with a warm, tender kiss, "I wouldn't go that far."

---

The last thing Gene really wanted was to interview Ciaran Merlot again; having spent a good half hour curled up with Alex in his office, he didn't want to dive straight back into the real world with a murder investigation. Much as he knew the Super's punishment would only be reinstated were he and Alex to avoid the matter for too long, he couldn't find it within himself to extract the details from the teenager, even though it would usually have thrilled him to lock another murderer up. Instead, he set Ray and Chris onto it, drawing Alex back into his office, and reluctantly placing the two diaries they had taken from Rosa McKellen's room all those months ago on the desk. He watched as the colour drained from Alex's face, saw her begin to shake her head, and a second later he had pressed his finger against her lips to stop the tirade of protest before it escaped her.

"Look, Bols, I ain't happy about it either, but unless yer fancy askin' muggin's in the cells how he topped his old Missus instead, it's all we've got. I can't let yer fanny around with the other cases until this one's solved; Super wants a result before Amanda kicks up a storm on the inside, an' much as the smug bastard gets on me tits, 'e 'as let yer come back down 'ere instead of scribblin' up reports." He looked at her sternly, seeing the desire to argue dissipate slowly from her eyes as she nodded her head, replacing it with a dull sense of inevitability. Gene couldn't resist cupping her face with his hands, pulling her mouth softly to his for a moment before resting his forehead on hers. "How 'bout yer make us a brew, an' then we'll get started, 'ey?"

Alex nodded, biting her lip before drawing reluctantly away, slipping from the office and disappearing into the canteen. Gene watched her go with regret, and then settled himself in his leather chair, pulling the diary Shaz had marked with a bright post-it note towards him. On the note, it read 'Angel'. With a sigh, he flicked it open, resting his chin lazily on his hand as his eyes scanned the page.

----

Five minutes later, Alex returned with a steaming cup of tea for Gene, and a coffee for herself, setting them down on the desk lightly and settling herself in Gene's lap, her arm draped over his shoulder. She felt him tense, and a moment later she glanced down at him, just in time to see him close his eyes tightly and grind his teeth. "Bols, maybe you should get yer own chair, 'ey?" He glanced up at her, and Alex blinked, surprised by the stern look in his eyes.

"Oh..." she murmured, "Ok... I'll just-"

"Don't get all iffy with me about it," Gene said, voice gently pleading. "I ain't meant ter be treatin' yer any different to the others; if Harrison comes in 'ere and catches yer in me lap, it'll be both our 'eads on the block." Seeing the disappointed look on her face, he sighed, sliding his arm around her waist and pressing a gentle kiss into her neck. "I'll make it up to yer later, ok?"

"After you've finished getting the Super drunk, you mean?" She asked, smiling despite herself.

Gene smirked, nodding his head slightly on her shoulder before pushing her gently from his lap. "Yeah... Sometime after that..." He patted the armrest and smirked, "Yer can sit 'ere, Bols," he said, "an' if 'e comes in, you better jump up sharpish."

---

Despite the slight lightening of the atmosphere, Gene could feel her tensing as they read through the diary with ridiculous scrutiny, knowing that she was analysing and reanalysing every word as she read. He found himself glancing across at her worriedly after every sentence, and the second either one of them found anything, his arm slid reassuringly around her waist.

"Here," Alex murmured, pointing to the passage she was reading, just after the first section Shaz had highlighted, biting her lip nervously as she pushed the book closer towards him. Gene could practically hear her gulp, and as he leaned over to read, his hand stroked gentle circles in the outside of her thigh, softly reassuring and lowering her breathing rate.

It's different with him. He is gentle, and tender – they both are – but he treats me differently. Do I like it? I don't know. It's not the same. I suppose it's better, in some ways... In others, I can't be certain it's what I want. But he understands – he wants to help... Even Angels need some kind of reward, don't they?

Gene stared at the paper with raised eyebrows, not quite sure whether to believe it or not. It was evident what she was referring to, and there was no denying that Ciaran's relationship with Rosa was sexual, but something about it jarred, something seemed wrong with the way it sounded as he read it.

"Bloody 'ell," he muttered, glancing up at Alex's drawn face. "You think 'e-?"

"I don't know," Alex said softly, blinking. "I can't see him being a rapist, but then-"

"If 'e was a rapist, why bother being gentle?" Gene asked sharply, pointing to the first line of the entry. "If yer fancy forcin' yerself on someone, yer don't stick around ter get caught; you'd be in an' out faster than a Nun in a casino!"

Alex sighed, shaking her head slowly. "No, Gene. You're forgetting that Ciaran was in love with her; he wouldn't have wanted to hurt her- just to be close to her... he might simply have gone too far without realising it, or have really thought she was saying yes to his advances. It's-"

"So 'e ain't a rapist, then?" Gene asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Alex bit her lip, glancing at the paper with a shrewd expression on her face. "No... But that's not to say that she was necessarily one hundred percent comfortable..."

Gene blinked, frowning slightly. "So, it was rape?"

"No, it's-"

"Bols, if she really didn't want 'is sausage, how the bloody hell is it not rape?" He looked bewildered and bemused, and Alex sighed, pointing her finger at the page before them.

"Look," she said, "she says here that she 'can't be certain' it's what she wants, right?"

"Yes, Alex," Gene ground out, "I managed to read that."

"Which would imply that she herself wasn't sure either way, yes?"

"Yeah, but if you turned round and said yer weren't sure you wanted to shag me, I wouldn't keep rammin' it in like-"

"Gene," Alex reprimanded him, shaking her head in disgust. "Could you show a little sensitivity? Perhaps Rosa didn't actually tell Ciaran she was uncertain- maybe she just lay there and let it happen? It's not uncommon. A lot of girls aren't even aware they're not ready until it's started anyway."

"Wouldn't 'e 'ave noticed?" Gene asked in disbelief. "If she's layin' still as a corpse yer can 'ardly pretend she's enjoyin' it, can yer?"

"We can hardly make a judgement call on that when we don't know the circumstances. Rosa was clearly indecisive about whether or not she was ready, but evidently believed that for Ciaran to carry out her wishes she had to give him something in return... That's the reward that she's talking about. If he claimed to be in love with her, then surely a perfect reward for a good deed would be to sleep with her – physical and emotional closeness, Gene; it's key."

Gene shook his head, "Bols, if you're telling me she didn't want it, you're telling me it was rape! It can't be half-rape – it either is or it isn't! Did 'e rape her?"

"No," Alex said, opening her mouth to continue, "but-"

"So she let him 'ave sex with 'er?"

"Well, evidently yes! But if you want to look at her feelings for him, you've got the answer written right in front of your nose! If she wasn't sure she wanted to sleep with him, then she obviously-"

"There's another three-quarters of a book 'ere, Bolly; six months worth of psycho-bollucks that I'm sure you'll delight in- one entry doesn't make the case." He pulled the diary towards himself and flicked the page over, glowering darkly as he read, ignorant of the dawning recognition on Alex's face until she spoke, her voice soft and tentative.

"You can't bring yourself to think that she didn't love him, can you?" She asked gently, her hand moving to rest on his shoulder; he shrugged it off, loosening his tie and taking a large gulp of rapidly cooling tea to distract himself – it didn't work. The thoughts whirred through his head, and Alex saw the straight set of his mouth as he tried to read on, but he barely managed another sentence before he slammed in shut, covering his mouth with his hand and squeezing his nose lightly between his fingers before he spoke.

"'e's thrown 'is life away fer a girl 'cause 'e thought it'd make 'er happy – 'cause he thought she loved him, when she didn't... you gunna tell me that don't piss you off, Alex?" His voice was angry, and Alex tentatively stroked his neck, shaking her head.

"No," she whispered, "but we need to do all we can to work out the motives, and to make sure that we haven't made any mistakes so that-"

"Alex," Gene said resignedly. "He's confessed; he did it, and she didn't give a damn about him. Only thing we're gunna do is sit here like twats, reading her diary and pretending she's an innocent little kid who got killed, when it looks to me like she's a conniving little bitch who couldn't get what she wanted from 'er fella, so she fucked around with some other blokes head..." He kneaded his eyes slightly with the heels of his hands, and then sighed, scanning the page with his eyes before glancing at the clock. "Come on," he murmured softly, "if we finish this up we can get ter Luigi's by half five- I need a bloody drink."

----

At quarter past five, Gene tossed the diary aside angrily, the vein in his jaw jumping as Alex scribbled down another note on her pad, looking resolutely professional, even though he could see his own revulsion echoed in the stab of her pen on the paper pad, and the harsh scrawl of her handwriting before she dropped the notes on top of the diary.

"So?" Gene asked, no emotion creeping into his voice. "Anything?"

Alex shook her head, sliding gratefully into his lap when he pulled her down from the armrest, her head tucked into his neck as his breath grated across her cheek. "How could anyone be that cruel, Gene?" She asked softly, twining her fingers around his and pressing her lips to the back of his hand. "One person shouldn't have that much influence on someone else... it's not right..."

Gene was silent for several seconds before he turned his head, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead before he murmured, "You could do that to me..." he murmured, pain creeping into each syllable. Alex twisted her head around to his, her thumb tracing across his lower lip.

"Is that what bothers you?" She asked, slightly surprised.

Gene shook his head. "No... Doesn't bother me that I'd do anythin' for yer... it bothers me that I'd do it even if I didn't think yer loved me." He gulped slightly, pulling her against him and closing his eyes as his nostrils filled with the scent of her.

"But I do," Alex assured him softly, stroking his cheek. "And I wouldn't ever-"

"Wouldn't care if you did," he said, and then frowned. "Well, I'd care," he corrected himself, "but- if I thought yer loved me I'd do it... Even though it'd kill me..."

Alex said nothing, simply cupping his face and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "Come on," she murmured. "Pub- we've got a Super to inebriate!"

Gene managed a half smile and lifted her from his lap, keeping his hand in hers as she led him over to the coat stand, handing him his overcoat and shrugging into her leather jacket. Gene watched her closely, drawing her back into his arms as she settled it around herself, his lips to her forehead. "Alex?" He asked, voice quiet in her ear.

"Yes, Gene?"

"Promise me something?"

She smiled. "What?"

He hesitated, and then murmured softly, "promise it'll never come to that with us." His grip on her waist tightened, but she tilted her head up to look at him, her face sincere and genuine as she nodded.

"Ok – I promise. If you promise that you won't get bored when I get fa-"

"You ain't gunna get fat, Bols," he said, dotingly stroking her hair. "You're gunna get pregnant... An' I promise, I won't shag anyone else but you."

"Really?" She asked playfully.

"Yeah, really."

She grinned, holding up her little finger. "Pinky swear?"

Gene laughed, hooking his finger around hers and pressing their mouths gently together, whispering softly against her lips, "pinky swear."

---

Hope you liked it!

Let me know what you thought :-)

Big thank you to Feline, as always!

Mage of the Heart