an unhappy marriage.

Sometimes it's like being bloody married again, except without the good bits. Alex pouts behind her desk under a mountain of paperwork again and tries to think hard about there being any good bits of her ultimately brief marriage to Pete.

The sex was fantastic.

And there will never, ever be any of that here. Not if she can help it.

Gene is glaring at her through the retro curtains of his lion's den and Alex sneers back and gets started on paperwork. You can't go running out into the field like that he says. I know what I'm bloody doing she says. No you don't, he says. Yes, I do she says. She really, really hates it when he's right.

And she hates it most of all when her head hurts and her heart hurts and in her reflection in the store windows she can see Molly waiting for her.

Alex works quietly and diligently until the din of CID disappears as they wander like lost boys into Luigi's. Only Shaz stops at her desk with her coat in hand, to be waved off gently by Alex with a nod of I'll Be Fine.

The lights in his den go off. Alex doesn't remember ever seeing a light switch. She tries not to look at him as his boots click across the tiles. "Get yer coat, Alex."

"I'm not done yet."

"It'll be there waiting when you get back. Come on."

He looks almost remorseful for reaming her out in front of everyone else. Almost. More smug when she snags the white leather off the hook and holds the door open for him as they leave.