The day Alex left the hospital with her little bundle of joy, she knew in her heart that Gene was not going to let her down this time. Zachary was his son as much as hers and he loved him, and was going to do everything for him.
Over the next month, Gene was determined to prove himself to Alex. It wasn't easy, but they were never under any false illusions that it would be.
Zachary was a little underweight and had to be kept in hospital for a couple of days, but when he was finally allowed home, Gene insisted on driving him and his mother. A lump formed in Gene's throat when Alex led him into the flat. A little cot was placed in the corner of her bedroom with some soft toys. There was a box of second-hand baby clothes and some more baby equipment stored up in her living room that she had not got round to sorting out. The flat was a little messy, but it was homely. Something which Gene's house now was not.
Gene looked away as Alex breastfed, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. He knew it was natural, but he felt slightly out of place. Like he was intruding. So Gene turned to making cups of tea in the kitchen, feeling like a right little housewife.
Alex allowed Gene to spend that first night on the sofa so he was there with her when Zac started crying in the middle of the night. They both shot up to attend to the baby boy, and Alex rested in Gene's embrace as they cradled their young one back to sleep.
However, over the next month the fantasy dreamland of having a baby disappeared. Alex very seriously told Gene that he could spend Saturdays with Zac and pop up to see him any other night he fancied, but he would not be a permanent resident. After a small argument, Gene accepted. It seemed fair, especially as Alex was willing to take Zac to his house at the weekend so Kieran and Tiffany could meet their half-brother.
Alex was on maternity leave and was having four weeks off to recover and care for their son, but she missed the excitement of police life. And as Gene was at work catching scum everyday, he found himself strained between enjoying the evenings in Luigi's with his team and visiting Zac in the flat upstairs. This often caused one of the famous 'Guv-and-Bolly' rows, something which startled Zac and made Alex burst into tears, hormones getting the better of her. But Gene was always on hand with a comforting arm, mumbling 'sorry' into her hair as they sat on the sofa together, Zachary in their arms. This often resulted in Alex falling asleep against Gene, allowing him to take in her beauty as she was in her most vulnerable and blissful state.
Chris and Shaz spoilt Zac rotten. Although their wedding was coming up, they never failed to help Alex out with baby food or toys or little suits for her son. Shaz loved the moments Chris spent with the Guv and Alex's son. His face lit up and Shaz caught glimpses of just what an amazing father Chris would be when they themselves started trying.
Alex was apprehensive when Ray came round to meet the baby. He wasn't the most careful bloke around, and Zachary was only tiny. His eyes widened as Alex held Zac out to him.
"Err…maybe I should just look at 'im, Alex," Ray panicked, feet shuffling. He was just thankful that the Guv was downstairs getting pissed and not up here scrutinising him.
Alex chuckled. "Relax. I'll help you. Look, hold your arms like this. No…yeah. Then I'll just…hey, don't worry, I'm still supporting him. You can't hurt him."
Alex didn't think she'd ever seen Ray look so nervous. He swallowed awkwardly as he enveloped the Guv's son into his arms, a small smile tugging at his mouth as the baby yawned delicately.
"Alex, he's beautiful," Ray nodded, trying not to sound like a poof, "yer did well. Erm, congratulations."
Alex took her baby back, sitting on the sofa with him in her arms as Ray joined her.
"How you finding it?" Ray asked her. "Being a mother again?"
Alex sighed. "Tiring. I'm absolutely exhausted, but I truly love it. I love him. My baby. My beautiful son. And Gene…well, Gene's been great. He's so supportive, but not too heavy about it all. He's there, but he's not suffocating me. He's being a dad, but he's not trying to get me back."
That's what you think, Ray thought to himself, trying to suppress a snort. The Guv was still madly in love with Alex. Even Chris could see it.
Gene was so in love with Alex that the jealousy to do with the other men in her life still shone through. Gene had had words with Waltham about his inappropriate sexual feelings towards Alex, and since then the man had not bothered her. Alex didn't know if things would change when she went back to work, but so far he had popped over to see her once and it was just to confirm her leave and return date. He didn't even try to feel her up or kiss her.
Alex had to say something though when Gene began to get really jealous of James. Her best friend had come over for the night to see her and Zachary and fill her in on work. Gene however, didn't see it like this.
Gene had been given a spare key to the flat from Alex to use when he wanted to see his son, but his blood boiled when he walked into the living room in the third week of Zac being born.
Alex was asleep, resting against DC James Farmer. He had his arms around her, fully embracing her, and was tracing small circles on her bare arm as he rested his cheek on her head, eyes drooping slightly. Zac was in his cot in the bedroom, also asleep.
Gene knew he shouldn't feel jealous. Alex had made it quite clear that although he was the father of her child, she didn't want to be in a relationship with him. But he also thought she'd made it quite clear that she wasn't seeing DC Farmer either.
James' eyes shot upwards as Gene's daunting shadow filled the room. He smiled weakly, feeling awkward that the first time he was meeting DCI Hunt was when he had the man's ex-girlfriend in his arms.
Sensing James' arms stiffen, Alex awoke groggily. She smiled. "Hi Gene," she yawned, "Zachary's asleep. In his cot in the bedroom. You can go through if you like, just be careful not to wake him."
Gene snarled at them both. "Yes thank you, Mrs Lady Woman, but I do know how ter look after my son!" he growled, stalking off. Alex sighed deeply as she detangled herself from James. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she squeezed his hand.
"You better go," Alex smiled, "thank you for this evening, but I think he's in another one of his jealous moods."
"I heard that, Drake!" Gene shouted as Alex winced. Luckily, Zac was a heavy sleeper.
James chuckled. "Okay. I'll pop round on Thursday. You going to be okay?"
Alex nodded. "See you soon. If not, I'm back at work on Monday."
James gave her a hug as he bolted out the door, eager not to run into DCI Hunt again. Alex however had that happy requirement, sighing to herself as she closed the door and walked through to her bedroom. Gene was sulking on the bed, looking at his sleeping son moodily.
"Did you have a good day, Gene?" Alex prompted him, standing by her bedroom door. Gene grunted.
Alex felt awkward, even though she had no reason to.
"Did I hear yer say yer back at work Monday?" Gene glared up at her. Alex sighed, sitting down next to him on the bed.
"Yep. I've had four weeks off. I need to go back to work."
"Well what about Zac?"
"Relax, Gene. I'm part-time."
"Part-time?" Gene wrinkled his nose.
"Yes," Alex replied, "I'm going to work Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. If there's a big case, I might get called in other days, but ideally I want to spend four full days a week with Zac."
Gene pouted. "Well what's 'e goin' ter do on the days you're working? Feed himself?"
Alex looked shocked. "Do you really think I'm the sort to abandon my baby? I've employed a childminder. She's a lovely woman and isn't charging me a lot. She'll be here on the days I'm not. I…I don't like it…that some other woman will be looking after my baby…but…but I have to. I miss my job, and women in the police don't have as long a maternity right as women in everyday jobs…and if I don't have an income, I can't support us…"
"Hey," Gene soothed her, pulling her into his arms, "do yer need more money from me? 'Cos I'll pay yer anything, sweetheart, you know that. If you need more a week, just say. I know yer won't con me, Bolls."
Alex smiled thankfully up at him. "No, I'm okay. Thank you. You've been great, Gene. You really have."
Gene squeezed her, kissing her head. But then his stomach twisted as images of James Farmer doing the same swam into his mind.
"Alex?" he grumbled. "Are you really just friends wi' that twat?"
Alex shoved him. "Don't call him a twat! And yes, I am. Just because I have male friends it doesn't mean I'm shagging them! What are you trying to imply?"
"Nothing, yer dozy tart –"
"They we are, calling me a tart again! You clearly think –"
Gene silenced her by placing his lips on hers, something which caused Alex to respond for about five seconds before shoving him off.
"Bastard," she grinned.
But these disagreements were minor, as Gene had not failed at being a father. Over the month, not once had he missed one of the Saturdays, and not once had he been late. It may have only been four weeks, but it had been four successful and promising weeks. Gene had also made it up to the flat at least three evenings a week to dote on his son, bringing little outfits and rattling toys. Alex's heart soared at the effort he was making, rewarding him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Gene ravished these moments. He and Alex may not have been together anymore, but there were definite hints of a strong friendship building once again. And friendship didn't come without flirting for Gene and Bolly.
-xx-
Alex had only been back at work part-time for a week when something bad raised its ugly head. Her baby Zachary was now five weeks old and Alex was starting to put him on a bottle so Gene could feed him too. Breastfeeding Zac had been successful, but Alex was ready to start moving him on. The baby was also starting to push himself upwards as he lay on his tummy, cooing vowel sounds every now and again that made Gene and Alex beam with pride.
Alex herself had lost all of her baby weight. Gene didn't know how she did it, but she was now back in those ridiculously tight jeans without an inch of fat on her. Having said that, she didn't really put much weight on during the pregnancy. He didn't know why she told him she got self-conscious. She was always going to be the most beautiful thing on two legs.
It was a dark and miserable May night, and Alex was sitting in front of the television with Zac asleep in her arms.
Alex was just about to drift off herself so decided to lay Zac asleep in his cot. Dressing him in his cute little blue sleeping suit and removing all toys from the cot, Alex placed Zac to sleep on his back, made sure his feet were touching the edge of the cot and only put the blanket up to his shoulders. Cot death was still fairly confusing and new to the people of the 80s, but being a modern twenty-first century woman, Alex didn't want to take any risks.
Dressing in her black nightshirt, Alex walked through to the living room to turn the television off.
It was then that the phone rang.
The shrill ring echoed around the flat and Alex cursed as she leapt for it, hoping the noise hadn't woken Zac.
"Hello?" she answered. There was a silence, and the feeling of dread and fear crept back into Alex's stomach.
"Hello?" she repeated. Nothing. Putting the phone down, Alex debated whether she should call Gene.
No. It could just be a mistake. The wrong number.
Alex began to walk back into her bedroom, but then the shrill ring assaulted her eardrums again. Jumping, she lunged for the phone and picked it up, slowly bringing it to her ear.
"H-hello?" she croaked, cursing how nervous she sounded.
There was the sound of heavy breathing. The voice sounded wheezy. And almost…angry.
"Hello?" Alex said again. All she could hear was the hammering of her own heart. Alex put the phone down, trying not to let herself get scared. Swallowing, Alex began to walk away.
But then the phone rang again. Alex stared at it, panicking. Picking it up tentatively, she cleared her throat. "Look, just piss off."
"So you had your baby, slag?"
Alex slammed the phone down immediately, whimpering. It was him. Again. He was watching her. He knew that she had moved out of her home with Gene. He knew she was living above Luigi's again. He knew the number. And what's more, he knew about Zac.
Alex had completely forgotten that this perverted sicko knew about her pregnancy before she even told anyone. But these creepy phone calls happened months ago, almost a year ago, way back in late July or early August. Why, just why was he threatening her now?
Alex's fingers very nearly flew over the phone to call Gene, but she found herself hesitating. He would only insist that he came round to stay. Or she went to his. And Alex knew that things would complicate the already hazy lines of their relationship. No. She could deal with this freak. She was more emotionally stable now. She had her son to fight for.
The phone rang again, and Alex grabbed it. Without waiting for him to speak, Alex went for it tooth and nail.
"I don't know who the bloody hell you are," she spat, "but if you don't leave me alone I'll have your number traced and your sorry little arse behind bars for the rest of your days! I'm not scared of you, I don't fancy you and I'm not a slag, so just piss off and annoy somebody who bloody cares!"
And with that, Alex slammed the phone down, her breathing heavy. She hoped to the high heavens that the person ringing was actually her stalker and not James or Shaz or someone, but she was pretty sure she had hurled abuse at the right person. Still sweating and her heart hammering, Alex disconnected her phone and double-locked her doors and windows. She wasn't going to take any chances.
Despite her tough persona whilst putting her stalker in his place, Alex was too scared to go to sleep that night. She found herself subconsciously trying to keep herself awake, and was all too happy when Zachary awoke crying for a feed. It gave her some company. Some noise in the quiet and empty flat.
The lack of sleep took its toll the next morning at work. Debbie her childminder had commented on her red and tired eyes, but Alex had hurried out of the flat before she could say anymore. And of course, none of the men at Fenchurch West noticed at all. It was only James that showed some concern about her.
"Alex?" he prompted her when they were all filling out paperwork. "Is everything okay?"
Alex tucked a strand of her bobbed dark hair behind her ear, smiling weakly. "I'm fine, thank you. I just didn't get much sleep last night."
DS Vickers snorted, winking at DC Hughes. "I told you. Slaaaag."
Alex's ears pricked up. Her heart hammered. No…it couldn't be Vickers…could it?
"I'll have you know, DS Vickers," Alex spat, "that I am your superior officer so you need to bloody well show me some respect!"
The other officers chuckled and catcalled as Vickers went bright red. James grinned, winking at Alex in support. Vickers sneered at him, and then buried his face in his paperwork, trying to pretend that he wasn't there.
Just then, Waltham exited his office and stood with authority in the centre of the room. Everyone looked up, curious. Waltham looked around the room, taking them all in, and then began to talk.
"As I let you know a couple of months back," Waltham began, "we have been invited to a conference at the end of this month. One which could earn one of the officers in this room a promotion or a step towards one. It's a weekend event, and an event which I intend to impress at. I have been watching you on your jobs, how you're handling cases, how you deal with suspects and witnesses and how you gain the trust of informants with superiority about it. I told you all I needed someone who would show initiative in front of the board, and someone who would show up any other officer that a rival DCI has brought with them. It hasn't been easy, as I have seen much potential in all of you."
Alex rolled her eyes subtly. Waltham's speech reminded her of the type of thing Simon Cowell would say to his contestants on those entertainment reality shows Molly loved to watch.
"I'm not going to bore you with a list of reasons why I chose the officer I did," Waltham decided, "but you may come to me privately if you wish to know what I believe they had over you. So without any further ado, the officer I have decided to take with me to the conference is none other than our fiery Detective Inspector Alex Drake."
Alex's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as James whooped loudly, pleased for his friend and colleague. Hughes looked like he'd just drank a pot of acid and Vickers looked furious, clenching his fists. Alex's mouth turned to sawdust.
"But sir," she smiled, happy and embarrassed, "I…I haven't really been here, and…well…"
"You're the best, Alex," Waltham insisted, striding over to her, "you deserve it, sweetie. I'll brief you about it later. You'll knock 'em dead."
Alex smiled awkwardly as Waltham squeezed her shoulder, his gaze lingering down the front of her top. Subtly readjusting it and blocking his view from her cleavage, Alex shrugged his hand off and continued writing.
"Thank you," she added, looking up at him as Waltham stalked towards his office.
Waltham grinned back, a glint of desire sparkling in his eye. "No problem, darling."
James noticed the look in Waltham's eye and his protectiveness over Alex bubbled in his stomach. Even though Waltham was his DCI, his Guv…he didn't trust the man. And he especially didn't trust him with Alex.
The day passed with little activity. The only thing remotely exciting that happened was the letter that arrived for Alex, neatly addressed and decorated. Alex's heart soared when she saw what it was and a huge smile crept onto her face.
It was an official invitation to Chris and Shaz's wedding in two weeks time. Alex had known the date for weeks and booked it off specially, but these just made it all the more real. They were decorated beautifully with red and white patterned flowers and excitement bubbled in Alex's stomach.
Ray would be there. And Viv. And the team. And…Gene.
The first Fenchurch East wedding. She wasn't going to miss this for the world.