I don't own Ashes to Ashes
I'm really sorry about the delay with this one- there was going to be a very awkward conversation, now there's just a slight awkward conversation, but basically it was awkward writing the awkward conversation so it made my writing... awkward :P
Hope it's alright though! Let me know!
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Gene sat the tea in front of her, settling himself at the other end of the sofa and running a hand idly through his hair, as though to distract himself from the sentiment of her earlier confession. Alex could only thank him, vaguely noting the fact he'd donned a green jumper and suit trousers, before she settled almost nervously back into the sofa, jumping slightly in surprise as it creaked beneath her.
Gene remained resolutely quiet, though a small smirk twitched at his lips when she let out an involuntary gasp at the sound of springs, before he reached for his own drink and swallowed a large gulp; watching him for a few moments, Alex saw that it was obviously too hot, since his eyes began to water, and he grimaced with blatant distaste. She smiled slightly to herself, eyes still fixated upon him, assessing the way his long fingers curled around the cup, and wondering how best to react to his sudden coolness.
Eventually, after several moments of indecision, she reached out and covered his hand with hers. "I know what's happened is impossible," she whispered quietly keeping her eyes on his face. "I know that, Gene, but I can't explain it... I- I want to... you know I do... But it did happen, Gene, and I don't regret it; I thought I would, but- I don't."
Gene simply sighed, drawing his hand away as he lifted the cup back up to his lips and nodded non-committally in response. "Yeah... ok..."
"Maybe I'm mad," Alex murmured softly, closing her hands around her own mug and feeling the heat from it seep into her fingertips. "Maybe this is just a ridiculous, post-traumatic thing," she went on, shrugging slightly, "but I hear you, Gene- I feel you, and I hear you talking to me...And when I was in eighty-two I felt you kiss her! I felt you kiss Jenette... before you shot me, in the middle of the night, I felt you kiss her. And I thought I was dreaming, but-!"
Gene stared at her blankly, his blue eyes openly confused, before he shook his head. "Christ, Bolly, you really are a fruitcake."
"No, I mean- you don't understand..." she took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly before she went on. "When I was in the corridor – you were holding my hand... I mean, the other me, the nineteen-eighty-two me – you were holding my hand and touching my wrist, and I could feel it when I was in the corridor, feel it like it was me... And when you kissed Jenette, I felt that, too. And if I lie in bed sometimes, I can hear you talking to me – the other me, I mean... Like the other week, I heard you say I was the only basket you had, and-"
"You bloody what?" He spluttered, looking utterly flabbergasted as his head snapped back round to look at her.
"You said that I-!"
"I know what I said!" Gene snapped back without thinking.
And he did know; he'd only said it once, but the conversation he'd had with Marian had been one of such poignancy that he remembered it with more clarity than almost any other day since the shooting. "But 'ow the bloody 'ell d'you know?" He asked, gulping. "You were so far gone into that coma I thought you'd buggered off to Pluto or something! That was- Christ, Bolly, that was before Chris an' Shaz's wedding!"
"But I heard you, Gene! I heard you, don't you see?"
The blank stretch of silence was answer enough, and it became quite apparent that Gene did not see, nor did he comprehend the magnitude of Alex's realization, as he simply swallowed another mouthful of coffee, grimacing, then shifting uncomfortably and stretching his painful legs for a moment. Alex tentatively moved across to join him, her whole body tense with agitation and nervousness as she hesitantly placed both of their cups on the coffee table, before resting her hand on his shoulder.
"You told me you thought we had a connection, Gene," she whispered, eyes fixed on his face, watching his facial muscles bunch together as he seemed to fight against some inner torment. She ignored it, gently kneading his shoulder with her fingers as she spoke again. "And we do... I didn't really leave you- you were still with me, Gene..." Her voice trailed off, and she simply stayed quiet, watching his face; he remained quiet, eyes downcast, and Alex was content simply to watch him, wondering what exactly he embodied that tied her so implicitly to him, that made him so important to her life... It wasn't normal, to hear somebody's words across twenty-six years... So why could she?
Gene glanced across at her as she watched him, seeing the thoughtful look in her eyes, idly noticing the way her hair had flopped into her eyes, and wondering how long she'd consent to sit there without spurting out whatever bizarre theory that was currently manifesting in her brain.
As if on cue, she leapt to her feet, and Gene sighed, leaning forwards and resting his head in his hands, his lips pushed into a slight pout as she began pacing in front of him, her elegant fingers tapping her chin thoughtfully. He watched with a sigh, half enjoying the view, half wondering whether she'd notice if he buggered off to make some food...
And then suddenly she turned to him, dropping to her knees and grabbing his hands in hers almost desperately; Gene blinked at her, surprised, then frowned worriedly as he recognised the look in her eyes...
It was that look she got when she was excited, when she had a hunch and she wanted to follow it up, whatever he insisted to the contrary... His instant reaction was to tell her no, and kiss her senseless so whatever thought it was never made the light of day... But the look in her eyes intrigued him – it had always intrigued him, however much he screamed blue-bloody murder at her - and he couldn't help but stay quiet as she squeezed his hand in hers once again.
"Gene, I hear things," she whispered, pressing her lips to one of his hands and cupping his cheek with hers. "I hear you talking to me from a hospital bed twenty-five years ago... I feel your breath on my face when you lean over and kiss my forehead, even though you're not in the room with me..."
Gene's eyes darkened, and she lifted herself up so that her face was less than an inch from his. "Gene, I know it's impossible to comprehend," Alex whispered. "But I'm telling you the truth... "
"Y'know, you really are a bloody nutter," Gene muttered almost affectionately, catching her wrist in his and holding it in place. "It doesn't even surprise me..."
Alex smiled tentatively, pressing her lips lightly to his before drawing away, her voice tentative as she spoke again. "Sam had it too," she whispered. "After he came back... He told me, Gene - he heard Ann-"
"Sam?" Gene spluttered with surprise, his face contorting at the very suggestion. "Tyler? Stupid, nancy, Man United supporting poofter, Sam Tyler?"
"You remember I told you we were from the future?" Alex whispered, squeezing gently at his hand and edging ever closer, her hand tightening in anticipation and excitement at his response. "Well, when Sam was let out of hospital, he sent me tapes about his coma – he told me all about you, Gene; he thought he'd made you all up..." She shook her head, licking her dry lips and swallowing hard. Gene said nothing, although Alex saw the shadow that darkened his features for a few moments, and instantly moved to soothe the pain behind his eyes.
"He didn't, Gene," she murmured, as though to reassure him of the concept. "You were as real to him as you are to me... He heard you and Annie, Gene; screaming after the op with Frank Morgan went wrong, begging him to help... When he spoke on his tapes he was empty, hollow, like he'd lost a part of himself and there was nothing left to replace it... He couldn't let go of Annie, or you, or the rest of the team..." She trailed off momentarily, mouth going dry for a moment before whispering imploringly.
"But he didn't feel you, Gene!" She said. As if treasuring the touch itself, Alex immediately cupped his face, ignoring the look of utter bewilderment that spread across his lips as she pressed firm kisses to his cheeks. He didn't shy away, although the whispering caresses of her lips moved over his skin unreturned as he grimaced in disgust at the typically Gene thoughts racing through his mind.
"I should bloody hope not!" He growled. "He was a bloody bloke!"
Alex only laughed softly, shaking her head as she continued to gently move across his withered cheek with her soft, supple lips, whispering quietly against the warmth of his skin as her hand tangled into his blonde hair. "I need to understand," she said quietly between kisses. "I need to know why you mean so much, Gene... To Sam and to me..."
"Maybe you're just lucky," Gene drawled sarcastically, drawing her gently away from him and rubbing tiredly at his eyes. "Maybe you're mad, Bolly – I don't know; you're the psychologist, not me." His voice was level and weary, his face blank of expression, and Alex felt her heart clench.
Shaking her head sadly, Alex cupped his cheek, gently biting at her lower lip as she went on speaking. "Gene, I need you to help me... I can't live my life wondering what happened, if there was a meaning, if the reason I heard you talking was that I was meant to-!"
"I can't help you, Alex," he murmured sadly, turning his head slightly away to avoid the burning look of need in her eyes. "I wish I could, Bols, but I don't know anything more than you..." He broke off, voice uncertain, then a moment later he shook his head. "Look, let's just go back to bed, 'ey? Have a nap or something... Or we could-?"
"Just tell me what happened, Gene," she whispered. "After I left... after Sam left... I need to understand... please, I-"
"Sam didn't leave, Alex," Gene growled, his voice low. "Sam died. He ran to the tunnel, and he came straight back, and he was with us seven years, an' he died, so whatever bollucks you're spouting then just-!"
"He was here for three months, Gene," she told him softly, wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue and swallowing slightly. "He came back from hospital, and he could hear you, Annie and the others screaming for him. He told me he couldn't stop the voices – no matter what he did, they wouldn't go away... and now I hear you Gene, but it's different, because- because it's more than just the same words over and over... I'm not hearing you yelling at me to wake up anymore, Gene, all I can hear is you- you-" She stopped, swallowing again and biting down on her lip to stop herself saying it, wondering how he'd react if she were to tell him honestly what she had thought... Because the Gene she heard wasn't him- he was sad, angry, guilty, heartbroken... but she couldn't very well tell him that, could she? At least not if he was anywhere near as touchy as he used to be...
"Me, what?" He asked, looking up into her eyes, breathing softly and levelly as he did so.
Alex gulped, opening her mouth slightly, and then closing it again, before shaking her head. "I don't know," she whispered softly. "Just- I don't know..."
"Well, that's bollucks," he muttered matter-of-factly, not taking his eyes away. "The day you don't have a very good idea is the day I get my balls chopped off and eaten by a band of rabid woodpeckers!"
Alex half-smiled, shaking her head and glancing down to avoid the searching look that burned in his eyes. "It doesn't matter," she murmured. "I just hear you talking, and it's- it's, different, that's all..."
"Oh bloody hell," he grumbled softly, rolling his eyes and running a hand through his hair. "That ain't ever good – 'different' is what birds say when yer twist their legs in ways they didn't know existed an' don't like it. Or what yer Mam says when yer feed 'er curry an' she gets the shits fer a week..."
"It's not a bad, different," Alex assured him, smiling weakly at the welcome familiarity of his character, and the sudden shift into his former joking demeanour. "It's just... strange, I suppose."
"That's just as bad," Gene murmured, gently slipping his hands beneath her armpits and lifting her with a grunt onto the sofa beside him. She didn't settle back against the sofa as he half expected, but instead moved into the crook of his arm, her hand on his chest and nose buried in his jumper. He said nothing, simply wrapping an arm around her shoulders and holding her quietly, conscious of the indecision on her face, and the slight tremble that shook through her body, as though she were holding back tears or sobs.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say; she was desperate to find out what had happened, to understand what made him such a huge part of her life, to know what connected them so intimately... But she wanted him to know, thought that he needed to know, for no real reason, other than that he was asking, and she couldn't simply hold in the knowledge of his pain without aiding him through it...
"You were sad," she whispered eventually, her face not moving from his chest, nose still pushed into his top and eyes clenched tightly shut. "You were lonely... You weren't- you weren't you anymore..."
Gene swallowed hard, his head turned slightly away, even as he felt her silent tears track down her cheeks and soak through the fabric of his jumper. He waited a few moments, his heart hammering before he spoke.
"I was me," he said after a few long moments, his throat dry, voice cracking slightly. "I just – I wasn't the me that you knew... I was someone else's me..."
Alex glanced up at him, the frown on her face evident as she cupped his cheek and turned his face round to look at her. "Sam's you, then?" She asked quietly, thumbing the lines of his face tenderly and affectionately as he rested his head gently against her own, his eyes closed as he slowly shook his head in the negative.
"No," he murmured, breath teasing across her cheek as his lips went dry and eyes stung bitterly. "I mean... I was your me," he swallowed slightly at the admission before adding, "I was your me, but- but I didn't 'ave you..." His hand found her hair, lips pressing gently against her forehead, and he spoke quietly into her skin, his breathing shallow and uneven, ignoring the way she tried to lift her head to talk to him, and the fact he could feel her smile against his shoulder.
"Maybe I'm a poofter, Bols," he went on softly after a few moments, "but it weren't the same after you popped yer clogs and went to lala-land."
She sighed, lifting her head slightly and smiling. "But I didn't die," she pointed out softly, her arm slipping around his neck and tightening slightly as she pressed her lips to his withered cheek. "Just had a bit of a long nap, that's all..."
He smiled at that, tugging her slightly tighter and shaking his head slowly from side to side. "Well don't make a habit of it," he told her quietly. "If I hear you've gone off for another kip in Sickville I'll string you up by yer knicker elastics and slap you round the face with a leather slipper!"
Alex smiled, resting her head on his shoulder and rubbing his chest softly with one hand. "I won't," she promised, grinning to herself. "Although I can think of more agreeable ways to be woken up..." She looked up at him, eyebrows raised suggestively, and he sighed, rolling his eyes and pressing dry lips to her soft brown hair.
"You're a tart," he smirked affectionately. "Only interested in gettin' me out of me particulars..." With a teasing grin, he twined a long lock of hair around his fingers, smiling as she laughed up at him.
"I'm not just interested in that," she told him. "But I waited long enough to do it..." Her smile was flirtatious and playful, but Gene's face stiffened slightly as he nodded, jaw clenched.
"Not as long as I did..." Gene pointed out; Alex was certain it was intended to be playful, but his eyes darkened sadly, flashing with bitter longing and pain as his arm tightened slightly around her shoulders, his jaw twitching; a stab in her stomach that strongly resembled guilt shot through her, and she hesitated, swallowing slightly and watching as his face went tight with some unreadable emotion, before opening her mouth apologise... Before she managed it, he had grimaced, shaking his head and pressing an apologetic kiss to her cheek. "Sorry," he muttered quietly, gulping. "What were you saying about my particulars?"
Alex sighed softly, edging closer and settling more comfortably against him, a small smile on her lips. "Just telling you I'm ready whenever you are, that's all," she informed him, rubbing his chest gently.
"Easy for you to say," Gene muttered darkly. "You're thirty-something and randy as a rabbit in heat – I've seen about as much action in twenty-six years as a fat, Nazi lesbian in a Jewish temple!"
"Delightful," Alex drawled, rolling her eyes in sardonic amusement. "Nice to see that you haven't lost your skill with metaphors..."
"I've had thirty years to think up good ones, Bols," he smirked. "You should 'ear the one about funny tasting fudge – if I hadn't had the shits at the time, I'd 'ave pissed myself laughing." He chuckled at the look of disgust on her face, dislocating himself from her briefly to reach into his trousers for his cigarettes; the moment it was lit, Alex surprised him by moving straight back into the circle of his arms.
"Thought you said passive smoking killed?" He murmured questioningly, exhaling deliberately away from her before looking down into her peacefully schooled face.
"Mmm," Alex murmured, resting her chin on his shoulder and looking up into his blue eyes with a sigh. "But for one night I think I can handle it." She smiled warmly up at him, then moved forwards, gently capturing his lips with hers before pulling away; he said nothing, his eyes searching and warm, before he took another drag on his cigarette and wrapped her tighter in his arms.
They remained that way for a while, Alex's head resting easily on his shoulder, one arm slung across his waist, the other hand remaining tangled in his hair. He held her in one arm, smoking quietly with the other, before eventually he stubbed it out, flicking the end with practised ease into the bin next to the television, then moving to embrace her more tightly, both arms enveloping her.
For several minutes, they were quiet, each silently contemplating the grains of time that passed them by, treasuring each moment of the silent, poignant embrace, and searching in vain for an excuse to postpone the inevitable separation that was destined to occur the next morning; the clock silently struck seven, and Alex's heart hammered violently in her chest at the realisation that another precious hour was beginning to pass them by...
But it was early evening, she told herself – the night hadn't even begun, despite the darkness that had descended on the outside world with the cool embrace of winter; they still had the whole night, and a whole morning... And yet the seconds were slipping by, and despite logic that said time had not passed any faster than before, she could only watch with dread as the minute hand struck one, as her arms tightened around him and held on desperately for a reprieve... But none came.
"You said you heard me," Gene murmured after a while, his voice soft and gruff, echoing from his chest and rising in his throat as a reassuring rumble. Alex turned her head up towards his and saw the questioning look he gave her as he went on. "What did you hear?"
She watched him for several seconds, taking in the curious look that burned in his eyes, and feeling her lip tremble as he swallowed hard against an invisible lump in his throat. "Everything," she murmured softly, smiling to herself. "And nothing..." His frown was a picture, and Alex smiled, feeling the muscles of her cheeks pull slightly as she shook her head. "Just you... It was all just you... And not you, at the same time..."
He waited a few moments, his eyes slightly narrowed, before suddenly he cupped her cheek, surprising her as he pressed a gentle, tender kiss to her trembling lips. "I'm not me without you anymore, Alex," he whispered, his eyes closed now as he rested his head on hers. "Tried denyin' it an' it came right back an' bit me in the todger..." He was silent, and she didn't pressure him to speak, unable to find any words herself that would express the magnitude of his admission, or the depth of meaning it truly held for her.
"Jenette was a mistake," he said eventually, swallowing hard. "I ain't sayin' you were Mother Theresa that night or anythin', but I shouldn' 'ave shagged 'er..."
Alex shifted slightly, lifting both hands to his cheeks and drawing his face towards hers, lips barely a millimetre apart when she stopped, whispering softly and quietly to him as she did so. "We both said and did things, Gene," she whispered, sniffing slightly as he tangled his hand almost desperately in her hair. "But it was a long time ago... so long ago..." She swallowed slightly, a single tear trickling from her eye before she spoke again, voice pleading and desperate. "Please, just- just let's forget about it now... I can't bear the thought of you being angry with me anymore, I just-!"
"I haven't been angry with you since that morning, Bols," he murmured softly, reassuringly. "I had no right to be... not when you were conked out in a hospital bed with my bullet in yer gut... Just angry with myself for not letting you talk..." He hesitated a moment, and then moved forwards, kissing her sweetly, his mouth warm and hard, soft and hesitant against hers, before he pulled back just as quickly as he'd begun, his eyes scanning her face for a moment.
"I'm sorry," he added, voice slightly strained with emotion and pain. "I know you don't regret it, but shootin' you was the worst thing I ever did."
Alex could only nod, pressing her mouth to his once more; he let her linger for a few moments before drawing slightly away, stroking her hair and breathing heavily as he opened and closed his mouth in evident indecision. The silence was comfortable, and she made no move to pressure him, simply settling into his hold and watching his face with a tenderness he wouldn't have believed possible.
"When you hear me," he murmured quietly after a few moments, wetting his lips with his tongue, "what do I say?"
She frowned, blinking slightly, and then shaking her head in bewilderment. "Anything- lots of things... You just talk..." She bit her lip almost nervously, and then added, "It's nice, y'know..."
"What is?" Gene murmured, eyebrows knitting together.
"You," Alex said simply, smiling. "You're very open with a shell, Gene..." her hand cupped his cheek and she blinked slowly up at him.
Gene shook his head. "You were never a shell," he murmured quietly, swallowing slightly, before apparently deciding to change the mood. "I mean, even conked out you 'ave more brains than Chris an' Ray put together..."
Alex smiled, stroking through his hair with her fingers. "Either way," she whispered, "I liked it... It was like being back with you – just for a few seconds of the day, even though I couldn't see you..."
His eyes saddened noticeably, and he drew her tight into his chest, lips in her hair as he breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and stroking long fingers down her warm cheek. He mumbled something incoherent, and felt her frown against him before she spoke questioningly, evidently baffled as she tried to draw back and look at him; he held her in place, simply treasuring the warmth of her body and the movement of her facial muscles beneath his fingers, and breathing a sigh of relief when she didn't insist upon pulling away.
"What did you say?" She asked quietly, covering his hand with hers and pressing a gentle kiss to the hollow of his throat as she awaited his response.
"Said I'm jealous," he murmured, his voice equally as quiet as his lips barely parted to allow the words past. "Could see yer, touch yer... you weren't bloody there though - not really... I mean- it didn't feel like it sometimes... You were there, an' I thought maybe you could 'ear me, but-"
"But it wasn't the same," Alex concluded, nodding quietly. He was right; it wasn't the same. However much she closed her eyes and prayed, he was never there when she opened them again... She couldn't even imagine what it would be like to see him but receive no response...
"I know..." she said, taking a deep breath. "Sometimes I can feel you, hear you, smell you... but I can't see you... You're leaning over me, and I can smell your breath, feel it on my face, hear you talking, but- but you're not there- and-and I-" Suddenly the tears came, and Gene's arms tightened around her in a second, lips to her forehead as she clung to him almost desperately, her body shaking with the force of her sobs as her tears rolled fast and unchecked down her cheeks.
"I know," he whispered softly, large hands rubbing gently into her back, easing the knots from her shoulders and pressing into her skin. "I know, Bols..." his voice was soft and warm in her ears, and she pressed closer to him, trembling and shaking as her back quivered with shaking sobs of grief. "Me too..."
"I'm sorry," she cried softly. "I'm sorry I left you... I wanted to say goodbye Gene, I wanted to tell you, and- and I never- I never got to, and you had to wait... I'm so sorry you had to wait..."
"Shut up, yer daft cow," Gene murmured, affectionately pressing a soft kiss to her ear as his hand rubbed gently at her back. "You blub more than a bent veggie at a steakhouse..." He paused for a moment, glancing down at her tearstained cheeks before adding, with a failed attempt to conceal a grin, "and you're twice as loud."
She made a snorting noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob, then drew back to wipe her streaming eyes on the sleeve of the shirt she'd wrapped around herself. Gene watched her almost carefully, and then gently pressed a kiss to her forehead, sighing softly against her skin.
"I know," he said again after a few moments, his voice soft. "Used to look at you, hold yer hand, talk to you... but yer never spoke back..." A thoughtful frown crossed his features, and then he added, "Actually Bolly, it was pretty much like normal, now I think about it..."
She smiled, sniffling slightly as she rested her head on his shoulder, hand moulded to his cheek. "Don't know why you're complaining then," she teased half-heartedly, lips brushing his neck, feeling him swallow hard before turning his face towards hers, lips tugged into a small smirk as he answered.
"The no talkin' I could handle Bols," he murmured quietly, "it was the failure to wiggle your pert little buttocks in my face that bothered me." He avoided her playful slap, catching her wrist in his hand and pressing his lips to her pulse, smiling when she bit down on her lip and slid her other hand into his hair.
"I'll make it up to you," she promised, resting her forehead against his cheek and sighing at the welcome scent of him as it twined itself into her nostrils and etched itself into her sinuses until she was absolutely consumed by him.
"Really?" Gene asked, grinning. "Sounds like I'm on a promise there, love," he teased.
"Maybe you are," she replied without missing a beat. "If you're up for it of course..."
His eyes narrowed, and he surprised her suddenly by tugging her into his lap, his arms resting firmly across her stomach and pinning her down as he smirked at her. "Challenge?" He queried.
"Taker?" Alex quipped, eyes dancing with mirth. Gene chuckled, wetting his lips slightly as she brought her hand back up to stroke across his face, her eyebrows raised almost flirtatiously as he leaned closer.
"Tart." He murmured; she closed the distance between them a moment later, taking his lips gently and holding his head against hers to stop him drawing back... He didn't try. After a few moments of gentle caresses against his mouth, Alex spoke softly, barely moving her lips away as she did so.
"Did I do this when I was asleep?" She grinned, voice teasing as he tangled a finger in her hair and nodded his head with a joking smile.
"Oh yeah," he murmured sarcastically, "all the time... it was like making out with a dead fish, Bols; floppy, wet, and smelling like a salmons back entr-!"
She shoved him in the chest, laughing when he let out a soft grunt. "You're revolting!" She said, shaking her head in vague disbelief.
Gene managed a small smile, lips twitching slightly before he slipped his hand into her hair, face falling into a mask of solemnity as he tilted his head to look at her. Alex watched him in confusion for several moments, seeing the sadness fill his eyes and feeling his body tense; she sat up slightly and rested her hand gently on his shoulder, concern evident on her features.
"Gene, are you-?"
"We could've had a year of this, Bols," he murmured, eyebrows scrunching slightly together as he traced her face with long, frail fingers. He seemed to watch her carefully, his previously dull blue eyes glinting with sudden flirtation as he moved to correct himself, his gruff tone taking on a playful edge that made her heart hammer with joy. "Well, maybe not exactly this," he conceded, grinning slightly and glancing suggestively in the direction of the bedroom. "But y'know what I mean..."
She smiled sadly, nodding and pressing her lips to the tip of his nose. "Yes... I know..." She waited a few moments, watching with a smile as his hair flopped into his face, eyes warm on hers, filled with a mixture of pain and longing that she knew was echoed in her own gaze.
For a few minutes no words were spoken; Gene's hand remained tangled in her hair, his eyes fixed intently upon her own, and Alex was lost in the familiar and yet somehow foreign pools of blue shining back at her, filled with emotions she'd very rarely dared to imagine on Gene's face, that turned her stomach into a molten pool of goo.
"Alex," he whispered eventually, his voice cracking through the silence. "What was it like?"
She frowned slightly, her brow furrowing as she queried him, confusion evident in her expression. "What was what like?" She asked, sitting up straighter and running his hair through her fingers.
He seemed hesitant, the question burning on his lips but refusing to leave, and Alex waited with an air of patience, despite the unease and anticipation building in her stomach at the sight of him so closed off and reluctant, even by his standards.
"Sleeping that long," he said eventually, looking her in the eyes. "Was it-? Did it feel like a long time?"
Alex shook her head slowly, kissing his forehead with soft lips before she spoke. "I didn't notice Gene... it just felt like I went to sleep with you in front of me, and woke up the next morning, twenty-six years in the future..."
"You don't remember it then?" He asked. "The sleep?" His voice sounded distant, almost pained, and she tilted his head round towards her a second later, shaking her head sadly as she rested her forehead against his own.
"I just blinked," she whispered softly. "I blinked, and a moment later, I'd lost you..." Tears sprang to her eyes unbidden, and she let them fall, feeling Gene draw her tighter to him in a sudden movement as he rested his head on her shoulder, forehead pressed against her neck as his breath teased the flesh of her throat and chest.
"I missed you," he mumbled, face buried in her neck. "I missed you fer twenty-six years before you even realised you'd left..."
"I know..." Alex whispered, voice barely above a whisper, straining to hold back tears as she buried her fingers in his hair. "I'm sorry, Gene... If I could- if I could have known this would happen before I came home, I would have told you, I'd have warned you... I'm sorry, Gene, I'm so, so sorry..."
"Don't be," he said softly, lifting his head slightly, just enough to press his lips to the base of her throat, exhaling his breath in a withering, shaken rasp before he added; "You were worth the wait."
He felt her surprise as she stiffened in his arms, felt the muscles of her neck bunch slightly as she twisted to look at him, and with a heavy sigh he looked up, his aged face looking worn and tired as he blinked wearily into her eyes.
She said nothing, her own eyes blurring with tears, and a moment later she'd pressed her lips to his, the kiss demanding and urgent as she pushed him back against the sofa. He let out a grunt of pain, his hands tight on her waist, but he didn't stop her, responding as fervently and desperately as he could, tasting the salt of her tears and wondering how many more years he'd wait for another chance at this small, tantalising taste of heaven... And as she stroked her hands through his hair, tugging his face towards hers and opening her mouth to his, he realised that it would be worth waiting forever.
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The end....
Nah, it's not lol, only kidding you.
Hope it was ok... sorry for the delay once again! Hopefully won't take so long for the next update with any luck lol!
Mage of the Heart