So this wasn't even planned. I just got bored. Merry Christmas everyone!

Alex lay on the sofa, her head on the floor and her feet above the back, resting against the wall. She was staring mindlessly at the television, bored. It was Christmas Eve and she had had the day off, as well as Christmas and Boxing Day. The only problem was, when she had days off, she had no idea what to do with herself. She had been inside all day, watching the telly and cleaning the flat, and now she was bored nearly to death.

From down below she heard the shouts of her fellow CID officers as they entered Luigi's. She debated about going down, but that would mean getting up off the sofa and making herself look slightly presentable. She didn't look it now. Her hair was a complete mess and she wasn't wearing makeup. She was wearing her favourite pyjama bottoms with the warmest socks she had, along with an ugly oversized men's jumper from the secondhand shop down the road. She smiled as she thought of her attire. It would just be better to stay up here, slowly getting pissed on her own wine.

She pulled her eyes away from the television, doing a sweep of the flat, proud of how she'd decorated it for Christmas. She had hung her fairy lights inside, so that they went around the ceiling of the flat. There was a small tree in the corner, but no gifts sat underneath. Yes, she had work mates, but they were just that, work mates. She knew they didn't expect anything from her and she didn't expect anything from them.

Her eyes flicked to the bookshelf where a small black box lay. Alex was still debating about whether it was right to give the box to Gene. Again, she expected nothing from him, and she didn't know if the gesture would be too much. Would it reveal too much about how she felt about him?

There was a knock on her door. Alex knew who it was. There was only one man who knocked that loudly, that distinctively. "Come in," she called, knowing that she had left it unlocked earlier in the day when she took the rubbish out.

Gene's voice sounded from the direction of the door. "I was coming to see if you were going to...bloody hell, you're upside down, you daft mare!"

Alex grinned. "I know."

"Why are you sitting like that?"

"I enjoy it."

"I always knew you were as mad as a bag of bees. All the blood's going to your head."

"I know." She was still grinning like a loon. Something about this position made everything more comical.

"Your face is the colour of the Quattro. Sit up right," he ordered, a frown on his face.

"Don't want to." Alex raised her eyebrows and grinned, ignoring the headache that the flow of blood to her head was giving her.

"Stubborn cow." Gene jumped on the arm of the sofa. Alex frowned, unsure of what he was going to do next. Suddenly, he pushed her legs, causing her to roll to her side. Alex let out a scream of surprise as he suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up, sitting her in his lap.

"There," he said, disapproval on his face. "Better."

She could feel the blood draining from her skull, relieving the pressure. "I was enjoying myself!"

"You looked like a bloody fool."

"So?"

"Why are you acting like such an eight year old?"

"I'm allowed on occasion. You certainly do it enough for both of us though."

"Bloody hell. No more days off for you. You can't come back to CID acting like this."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Gene just rolled his eyes. "Are you coming down to have a drink with the lads or what?"

"I dunno. I've got some nice wine here. Some scotch."

"So does Luigi."

"But I don't charge for it. And I'm sure Luigi doesn't have 25-year-old Glenmorangie."

Gene's face changed in an instant. She could swear that she almost saw him drooling. "25-year-old...," he struggled.

"Glenomorangie," she finished for him.

"But why would you have it?" He seemed truly puzzled. "You don't drink scotch."

"I keep it for special occasions."

"And this is one?"

"Shall I get the scotch?"

Gene nodded silently. Alex stood and grabbed two wine glasses, a scotch glass, a bottle of merlot and the Glenmorangie. She noted as she re-entered the room how Gene stared at the bottle almost reverently. She gave him the bottle and he poured a glass, staring at her in shock.

"Bloody hell, Bolly, is this supposed to be my Christmas present?"

She flushed and looked down. "Actually, no. I found it down in Luigi's wine cellar one night. I showed it to him, and he let me keep it."

"Why would he let you keep this? He could make a fortune!"

Alex just shrugged. "I mentioned something about you having a birthday coming up and he told me to give it to you for your birthday, but I chickened out."

"Why?"

She looked into her wine glass. "I didn't want to come on too strong."

"What are you saying, Alex?" Gene's voice was suddenly deeper, more gravelly than before. Alex looked up to see the bluish silver of his eyes smouldering.

She stood suddenly, retrieving the box from her bookshelf. She knew her cheeks were flaming red as she handed him the tiny box.

"Happy Christmas."

Gene opened the box and looked as shocked as he had when she mentioned the scotch. "Bloody hell Bolls. You had to've sold your soul!"

She smiled at his reaction. "Not really. But I take it you like them?"

He nodded, staring at the cufflinks inside the box. They were silver lions' heads, each with sapphire eyes. Still not saying anything, he started taking the cufflinks he was wearing off, replacing them with the silver lion's head. Alex felt a glow of warmth in her stomach.

"And er... you, Bolls...er...Alex. I've got something for you."

Alex raised her eyebrows, surprised. She didn't expect anything from anyone, least of all Gene. The very idea of him setting foot in a shop was enough to make her double over laughing. However, he handed her a small black box, very similar to the ones his cufflinks had been in. Alex opened it slowly, gasping in surprise.

It was a silver charm bracelet, the links very small and fine. There were already a few charms on it, all silver as well. Alex looked at it. She smiled as she saw the miniature of a lion on one end, near the clasp. On the other end was a bottle of champagne. Alex laughed, knowing what that was supposed to represent. However, it was the charm in the middle that got her attention. The charm was the symbol for infinity and she saw a tiny word etched in the middle. She squinted to make it out, and immediately felt tears come to her eyes.

Unbreakable

"Do...do you like it?" Alex could tell that Gene was just as nervous as she had been earlier.

"It's gorgeous Gene, thank you. Will you help me put it on?" He perked up suddenly, and she held out her wrist and the bracelet to him. He fastened it, rubbing the infinity charm between his wrist and thumb. He stared into her eyes for a moment before pulling her wrist up to his mouth and kissing it lightly.

She smiled at him, shifting closer to him, moving her lips ever closer to his.

His lips met hers and they melded together into one, like two halves of a whole. Gene put one hand in her hair and the other on her back, pulling her closer to him. Alex straddled him, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Drake! Get your arse down here!" Ray yelled from the hall. "It's your bloody round and everyone's thirsty! Oh and tell the Guv to hurry up while you're at it!"

Alex pulled away from Gene, staring at him. His eyes were dark with lust and his bare chest rose and fell in the light. Alex put her hand against his chest, feeling the light down of his hair. She leaned into his ear, nipping at it.

"Do you really want to go downstairs?" she whispered quietly. "Ray really wants me to go."

Gene smiled at her wolfishly, undoing the buttons on her shirt. "I outrank Carling, Alex. And I order you to stay in the flat."

She grinned back at him, pushing off his shirt and jacket at the same time. "That's exactly what I'd hoped you say."

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