So are we all hating Leanne? Good. Thank you for your reviews of the other chapters :D

The Gene and Alex Afterparty

A flash of panic briefly sobered Chris before he sighed in relief. It wasn't Shaz, his girlfriend and- oh dear God- Leanne's flatmate, but DI Drake.

Alex rushed over to them. Leanne broke away from Chris and checked herself out in the mirror, retouching her lipstick. Alex took hold of Chris just before he fell.

"Jesus, Chris," she said, wiping his face clean, "What are you doing?"

"I'm pissed," he groaned. Alex turned around to face Leanne.

"This is your flatmate's boyfriend," she said accusingly, "Are you insane?"

"What? He's cute," Leanne shrugged, "besides, he kissed me back."

"He's drunk and you took advantage!" cried Alex, feeling her voice rise as she lost her temper.

"Oh please!" shouted Leanne, finally breaking eye contact with her reflection and glaring at Alex, "He's not some innocent virgin, he can take care of himself. Shaz should pay him more attention. That might stop him snogging other girls!"

With that, Leanne left and Alex felt her hatred for the girl soar. Turning her attention back to Chris, she saw that he had fallen asleep in her arms. Sighing, she hauled him out of the bathroom and left him safely under a table in the restaurant.

XXX

Alex rolled her eyes as Gene opened his hipflask and pour a generous amount of whiskey into the tea she had made him. At the look on her face, Gene added a splash to hers.

"Thanks for letting me kip on your sofa, Bolly."

"Well, you aren't fit to drive home," she replied.

"Same as everyone else, Bolls. Did you see Chris sleeping under the table?" he chuckled. "Ray left with that Leanne bird- I look forward to teasing him about it on Monday."

Alex just sipped her tea sadly. She wouldn't be in on Monday.

"I thought Leanne was a nice girl, didn't you?" said Gene conversationally (well, for him anyway), "Shaz has known her since school in Essex, they moved to London together after school."

"I thought she was a manipulative bitch, actually," said Alex airily. Gene stared at her in disbelief.

"Why?"

"Just the air I got from her," said Alex, her stomach twisting painfully. She couldn't tell Gene about what Chris had done. She didn't know if Chris even remembered.

"People don't just have opinions about other people without any reason, not even women," said Gene making Alex wish that he'd just drop it, like he had earlier.

"I just didn't like her, that's all."

"What, because she's young and pretty?" Gene smirked, causing a rush of anger to flow through Alex's veins.

"I'm young and pretty!" she insisted.

"Or because she was talking to me?"

It was Alex's turn to stare at Gene in shock. Gene instantly wished he hadn't said anything as the silence that followed enveloped them. He felt he was suffocating.

As hurt as he was that Alex had left CID, he was aware that she was no longer his DI and he was no longer her DCI. There was no conflict of interest if he didn't spend all night on her sofa, if he chose to sleep somewhere else in her flat. Now however, it seemed he had blown it.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Gene," she hissed, "I don't take it upon myself to hate every pair of legs that you engage in conversation. Why is it so difficult for you to believe that there may have been other reasons?"

"Like what?" Gene demanded with more anger than he really felt.

"Like, it's none of your business," Alex retorted.

"You don't tell me anything anymore, do you Drake?" Gene yelled, standing up. Alex watched him with hurt eyes. "You won't tell me how Bryson figured out you were undercover, you won't tell me the real reason you left-"

"I did tell you!" Alex shouted back, now also standing up, hoping that Gene couldn't tell she was lying. Despite herself, she could feel her eyes being drawn to the shoebox on the coffee table that contained those letters, "And furthermore, I don't have to tell you everything! You're not my DCI anymore."

"I thought I was your friend!"

"Then why do you still call me Drake?"

Gene had no answer to that. Alex looked away from him and Gene knew her eyes were welling up and that she was hiding them from him. He felt like the world's worst scumbag, making Alex cry. He wondered if he was the reason she had left, she just couldn't put up with him anymore. Maybe he was why she avoided Luigi's.

Maybe Alex was right and he thought the world revolved around him.

Alex went into her living area and wrenched open a cupboard. She pulled out a blanket, a cushion and dumped them roughly on her sofa.

"Goodnight, Gene," she said icily, before storming off into her room.