(Untitled)

[unbreakablelion]

Who: Gene Hunt, Alex Drake
When: Afternoon
Where: CID Office, Fenchurch East
What: Awaiting a visit from Discipline and Complaints
Warnings: Gene's potty mouth

Comments

[unbreakablelion]

"Weak? In the general sense of the word it’d be the DC you saw earlier. DC Robert Timms. He’s physically weakest and has a lot of self doubt and nervousness about him. It’d be like a foal to the slaughter, if Keats got his hands on him."

Gene pulled into a car park, and parked the Quattro, but made no attempt to get out of it. His hands resting on the wheel, tapping in thought. "DS Michael Phillips is a bit of a loose cannon. Power hungry too. Could be manipulated easily."

He leaned back in his seat, pulling a hip flask from his pocket, taking a swig. "We both know what Keats is capable of. Look how he drove a wedge between us."

oops, wrong journal!

[bolliknickers]

"I think, then, that those two should feature in our first order of business. We need to do some real team-building, Gene. Make sure your men know they're appreciated. That you value them and all they bring to CID."

Alex had been so sure of herself, so smugly proud of her own intelligence -- and she'd had so much faith in him. When she thought about how easily Jim had played her, it left her quite furious, really.

"We can do this," she promised, resting her hand on his leg in solidarity.

[unbreakablelion]

Gene rested his hand on top of Alex's. "All it takes is one seed of doubt and everything falls apart." He had been so angry when things began to fall apart between him and Alex. He had felt betrayed. But really, he couldn't blame her, his explanations regarding Tyler's death weren't eactly filled with believabilty.

He frowned a little. "'Team-building'? Sounds rather girly if you ask me." He regretted not telling Chris, Shaz & Ray how much he valued them and how proud he was of them until it was almost too late, but he was just an old mule stuck in his ways. Showing that kind of appreciation and kindness was hard for him.

[bolliknickers]

And that was a pang of guilt, right in the middle of her gut. Everything falls apart. It had been her fault, really, for letting Keats get to her... Alex sighed and turned her gaze out the window for a minute.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never did say that, but I am. I'm so sorry I let him get close."

[unbreakablelion]

Gene shook his head and gave her hand a light squeeze. "Don't be. You were then when it mattered. You were the one there when I was unable to stand. You stayed even when you knew the truth."

[bolliknickers]

"Of course I was," Alex turned back to look at him. The alternative would have been unthinkable. He'd always, always been there for her -- having the answers she'd sought for so long and so hard only served to bring her closer to him. That had been something Keats hadn't even conceived of.

"Where else would I be? Gene, I --"

[unbreakablelion]

Gene reached out to cup Alex's face with his hand, tenderly brushing his thumb across her cheek. "You were there by my side, that's all that matters. Whatever doubts there were, it doesn't matter." He gave he a soft smile and leaned over, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

[bolliknickers]

She stayed close, eyes closing as he kissed her forehead, and her own hand came up to keep him close, too. They'd pulled away from each other so many times, and Alex had honestly never thought she'd see him again.

After a moment, she raised her chin, and leaned up into a proper kiss. And this one wasn't goodbye, so that only made it better.

[unbreakablelion]

Gene hadn't been expecting that at all. They had always skirted around their feelings, letting pride and other such nonsense get in the way. The kiss they had shared outside the pub was a bittersweet one, almost heartbreaking. This one was different. He kissed her lips oh so softly, trying not to show his nerves.

[bolliknickers]

Alex had been wanting to do that since she saw him again. Things had shifted and changed so much since their botched date (another thing to 'thank' Jim Keats for), and the myriad reasons she'd kept him at arms length seemed so much less vital now.

She deepened the kiss, pressing a little closer to him over the gearstick. It seemed proper somehow that she kiss him in the new Quattro.

[unbreakablelion]

For all his bravado, swagger and cockiness, Gene Hunt had never really had a lot of luck with women. Perhaps because he was a sexist, chauvinistic pig, or maybe because women just plain confused him. After the missus left him for another woman he had avoided the dating scene, save for a few one night stands and the occasional prostitute. But now, here he was, sat in the Quattro, in the middle of a car park, being snogged by Alex Drake.

After a long moment he broke the kiss, but kept his forehead rested against Alex’s. "Not going to run out on me, are you?"

[bolliknickers]

Yes, he could be a sexist, chauvinistic pig, but he was learning. He was getting better -- and Alex definitely took the credit for that. The man she'd first met on arriving in limbo might've had an inexplicable, chemical sort of attraction for her, but she would never have kissed him -- and especially not this sort of tender, promise-filled kind of kiss.

A new beginning of sorts.

"No, Gene," she promised. "I'm not going anywhere."

[unbreakablelion]

Gene looked as nervous and as unsure of what to do with himself as he had that night Keats interupted their near-kiss. He sat back and folded his hands in his lap, jiggling his knee uneasily.

"Good, right... well, we should go get some food then..."

[bolliknickers]

It didn't take a trained psychologist to notice Gene's discomfort. Alex sat back in the passenger's seat with a quiet sigh, letting her eyes fall closed. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked.

[unbreakablelion]

He shook his head, instantly reaching for his packet of cigarettes only to find it empty. He didn't want to admit she made him feel like the nervous boy he truly was. "You just snogged me, DI Bollyknickers, and believe it or not, I respect you just a little bit too much to drag you onto the backseat of my motor in the middle of a car park."

[bolliknickers]

"Plus, it would be murder on your back?" she offered, a half smile playing on her lips. Furthermore, she didn't have the heart to point out that she wasn't his DI any more. Details, details.

"Those things are appetite suppressants anyway. Come on, let's go eat something."