An: again, not sure where I'm going with this. Thanks for reading and please review xx

XxX

Alex unlocked the door to her hotel room and all but collapsed onto her bed. She was glad she'd checked in when she'd first arrived in Manchester because she was in no mood for dealing with the people on reception after the day she'd had. She was exhausted.

She ran her hand over her face before pulling the clip from her hair and letting it fall down around her face.

She had had a very overwhelming day and the fatigue was beginning to set in. She closed her eyes. In 1982 she would've still been sat in Luigi's around this time. She would've been sharing some private joke with Shaz about the lads or arguing with Gene or Ray about something to do with feminism or politics or she and Gene would just be watching as the rest of the team made fools of themselves. She missed them. This world didn't feel real at all. It was too quiet, too straight forward and to the point.

She missed her daughter too of cause. She had sent Molly to stay with her father whilst she tried to get her head together. She couldn't be the responsible parent, not whilst she was in the state she was. She knew her daughter was safe and she could speak to her whenever and for now that has to be enough.

Anyone who knew her before she was shot would think her a completely different person now. She was a different person. She didn't want to be associated with her posh acquaintances or go to their parties or fancy wine bars. She didn't want to be flying solo in cases when she returned to work because she had become so used to working in such a tight knit group. She ran her hand over her face. This was something to think about another time.

XxX.

He walked down the street keeping his head down. He didn't know where he was going, he was just going to keep walking. He was surrounded by pubs, restaurants and clubs, people walking in and out, all of them having fun.

He missed his team, not that he'd ever tell them. They were all goods coppers and even after the report they gave about him to the inquiry into Alex's shooting they were still his team. They'd told the truth to the investigating officers how he and Alex had been arguing even more than normal leading the officers to believe that Gene had tried to kill Alex. He hadn't. It was an accident. They were now after his blood but they wouldn't find him.

He missed Alex even if she did drive him up the wall. She was stubborn and a pain but she was a good copper and, dare he say it, his friend. He thought back to what had happened whilst he had been at the office. What Alex had said when he'd seen her 'what happened to me also happened to you' what had she meant? Alex didn't make sense on a normal day let alone when she was somehow talking to him through the TV. He rolled his eyes shaking his head as he walked, the woman gave him brain ache.

Suddenly music from one of the clubs seemed to get louder. For some reason it made him stop.

#I walk this lonely road the only road that I have ever known. Don't know where it goes but it's only me and I walk alone...#

Suddenly his vision went black and he put his arm out to steady himself on the wall beside him.

There was a loud bang, an explosion. Suddenly he could feel heat rising around him and he could hear the sound of fire roaring.

"Guv!" Someone shouted.

"Kian get back."

"We need help!"

Sirens, more people. Something being put over his face.

"Sir, can you hear us? We need to get him to hospital now..."

#my shadow's the only one that walks beside me. My shallow heart is the only thing that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there would find me. Till then I walk alone...#

He stumbled backwards as his vision returned to normal. Those voices. He knew them. Why did he know them? He ran his hand over his face, his breathing was heavy.

He looked around wondering where the music he seemed to have recognised had been coming from but now all he could hear was Duran Duran being played loudly by one of the clubs.

He breathed deeply before he carried on walking trying to forget what had just happened.

XxX

#Red red wine...stay close to me...#

The radio played as Alex shifted awkwardly in the back seat of the taxi. She thought maybe the world was playing a cruel joke on her when she discovered the radio station the driver was listening to was playing non-stop 80's hits.

"That was UB40 with Red Red Wine from 1983..." The DJ said and Alex looked down at her hands.

Was it 1983 yet there? She'd been shot in late October, maybe they'd had New Years there? She wondered how the team had celebrated, if they had. Maybe everything had changed? When she'd seen Gene appear on the monitors when she was in hospital he'd said that they were coming for him. She knew the others wouldn't feel the same without the Guv being there.

She closed her eyes. She was on her way to visit Gene's mum with no idea what she was going to say to her. She could hardly say 'I met your son in 1981 after I was shot and woke up there. He then accidentally shot me and I woke up here.' Yeah. That would go down like lead balloon.

The driver said somethings and Alex looked up to see she had reached her destination. She paid him and got out of the Taxi.

Looking up the house in front of her she took a deep breath. It was strange to think that anyone related to Gene could live in such a nice area. She smiled. She remembered that the Gene she knew lived in the 1980's and hardly ever left the office. She tried to think of one time she'd ever gone to his actual house. She laughed slightly to herself realising she never had been. It was her flat, the office or Luigi's.

She walked up to the door and took another deep breath before knocking.

"I'll get it Gran!" She heard a female voice call from inside before the door opened and a young woman stood before her. She was around mid twenties and had long light brown hair. Then Alex noticed her eyes. Bright blue eyes that seemed to look straight through her.

"Can I help luv'?" She asked smiling kindly.

"I'm DI Alex Drake, I'm looking for Lillian Hunt." Alex said.

"Cor blimey what's Gran done now?" The young woman half laughed.

"It's nothing to do with a case or anything. I wanted to speak with her about her son, Gene..."

She looked as though she was about to say something but decided against it. Instead she stepped aside letting her in. "Come in, Inspector."

"Thank you and it's Alex..."

"Esme." She shook Alex's hand. "Though everyone round here calls me Dolly."

"Why?"

She smiled. "My uncle, Gene, he said I looked like a doll when I was born because I was so small. So he always called me Dolly, everyone else kind of joined in..." She paused for a moment. "Come through, Gran's in the living room."

She led Alex through the hallway to a room at the end. She pushed the door open.

"Woman here to see you, Gran."

"Someone come to my house to see me? I'd have never have guessed that one, Dolly."

Alex smiled thinking how much the sarcastic comment sounded something like Gene would say.

"Funny, Gran." Esme rolled her eyes. "This is Alex, she's with the police. Said she wanted to talk about Uncle Gene."

Alex stepped into view of the older woman who was sat on the sofa with a toddler on her lap that looked around one. Again the eyes. Both Lillian and the baby on her lap had the bright blue eyes that she knew all too well.

"Well don't stand on ceremony luv' come in and sit down." Lillian smiled. "Dolly, take Brinley upstais, its her nap time."

"I know Gran, she is my daughter after all." Esme rolled her eyes picking up her daughter and leaving the room.

Lillian gestured to the sofa opposite her for Alex to sit down and Alex did nervously.

"So, who exactly are you luv'? Friend of Gene's or something?"

"We worked together...while ago now..."

"He never mentioned you." Lillian seemed puzzled but didn't push it.

"I've erm, only recently heard about the accident. I myself have been in a...in a coma. I got shot and well. I didn't know about what happened to him..."

"Three years ago now. Still can't believe. Feels like he's gonna walk in any minute. Moaning about something or other, having too much sugar in his tea and eating the garibaldis."

Alex laughed slightly. "That sounds like him."

"Them at the hospital keep trying to tell me there's no 'ope for him. They think he won't wake up, you know? But I know 'im. He'll wake up. He spoke you know. Few months back but he spoke..."

"I know." Alex nodded. "I went to see him and the doctors told me. He said 'Bolly'..." She looked down. "That was his nickname for me."

Lillian smiled. "Like he calls Esme 'Dolly'. Must've liked you then. What do you do with the police then?"

"I'm a detective inspector and police psychologist."

"Oh, our Dolly is a psychologist." She said proudly looking at the graduation picture on the mantle piece. Beside it was another picture of two men and a little girl. She recognised one of the men to be Gene if a bit younger she guessed the other man to maybe be his brother and the girl to be Esme.

"That's Stuart, my other son. He died when Esme was six." Lillian explained.

"I'm very sorry to hear that..."

"His wife died not longer after Esme was born and he just...he couldn't cope. Drink, that was his weakness."

Alex looked down. It seemed there was so much she didn't know.

"You and Gene were close then?"

Alex nodded. "He was there for me when I needed him, even if we drive each other mad..."

"He's got a habit of annoying people." She said and a sad tone entered her voice. "That was the job though. When he was away from it he was different, you could tell that. The way he acted around Dolly and me. Like he was trying to protect us from the horrors he saw everyday...but sometimes I'd catch him looking I don't know...sad..."

"He was unhappy?"

"Losing Stuart...it was tough on him, Stuart was his little brother. Gene had tried to help him, for Dolly's sake, but there was nothing he could do and he blames himself. And then of course after all the killers he saw walk away after everything he'd done to catch them..." she shook her head.

"Not getting justice...it hurts..." Alex sighed.

"He wasn't...isn't one for emotions. Apart from anger maybe. The doctors said to me it was as though he wasn't fighting to stay alive...i thought maybe he didn't think he had anything to live for...maybe, he was at peace..."

The living room door opened again and Esme entered the room. "And what about you, Esme? How close were you with your uncle?" Alex asked trying to change the subject feeling a lump form in her throat.

"Gran brought me up but uncle Gene was never far away." She sat down next to her grandmother. "I used to get bullied at school, one days these kids all ganged up on me and beat me up. Uncle Gene found out and the next day he took me into school late so all the kids who did it would be in class. He ignored the teachers and walked straight into the classroom with me at his heels before he proceeded to shout and demand the people who did it to come forward before he arrested them there and then." She laughed slightly. "I didn't get bothered after that..."

Alex smiled, it was clear he meant a lot to his family even if he didn't realise it. She wondered if he could remember them at all?

"I miss him, Alex." Esme said. "He missed my wedding, my baby being born. But what can we do? I wish we could just shake him and have him wake up but...we can't...when we visit there's no change in him. It's like he doesn't even remember us anymore..."

Alex took a breath, thinking carefully as to what she would say next. "When I was shot and I ended up in a coma...it was the strangest experience. I don't know how I can describe it without sounding mad but...I could hear what people were saying to me a lot of the time and I woke up. Don't lose hope."

"We won't, Alex." Lillian nodded taking her granddaughter's hand. "We're not ready to give up on him just yet. Even if he has given up himself..."