They mounted the steps like they had a search warrant, two or three at a time. It was breathtaking, but Gene was already focused on controlling himself. The anticipation had been killing him, and Alex's appearance in that dress had added another layer of frustration. He did his best to get through the evening with her next to him, legs crossed right in front of him, gently kicking her foot in his direction. All he allowed himself was a slight touch on her ankle, but even that was testing his control.

He'd waited so long, it had occurred to him more than once that he might not be fully up to the job. Alex had become a goddess in his imagination in the time he'd known her, and he didn't want to be struck by lightning, metaphorically speaking. This was too important.

She let them in and threw her purse down on her sofa.

"So… nightcap maybe?" she said, sounding a little unsure of herself.

"Yeah, if you want," he nodded, both hands in his pockets.

She smiled. She walked to a little cabinet, and pulled out a bottle of brandy and a couple of tumblers, pouring them each a generous measure. She held one out to Gene, who took it while holding her eyes, letting his fingers brush hers.

This was it, wasn't it? After wanting it so badly for so long, he couldn't quite believe it was his for the asking. He took a large mouthful and swallowed quickly. She sipped her drink, her eyes dark and full of mischief.

"So," he said, one hand still in his pocket as he moved a little closer to her. "Had the nightcap. What now?"

She looked down and up again, her head at an angle, showing him her long, porcelain perfect neck.

"I don't know," she said. "What's your gut telling you?"

"S'not my gut I'm taking instructions from," he said, watching her mouth.

He was gratified to see a slight smile appear there.

"Ok, what are your instructions?" she said.

He moved in and slipped the hand from his pocket and smoothly up to her neck. He pulled her gently across the small gap between them, and met her mouth with his, kissing the smile away. She responded immediately, slipping her hands behind his shoulders and pressing herself against him.
The softness of her form held so close was intoxicating, and he ran his other hand down her side, curling it around the curve of her backside.

They were dragged out of the indulgent kiss by the shrill of the phone ringing. Gene growled as Alex pulled away and grabbed the red receiver, jamming it to her ear.

"Hello!" she snapped sharply into the mouthpiece.

"It should have been me Alex. Why wasn't it me?" said Summers in a wistful tone.

"Piss off will you?!" she hissed, and Gene fixed her with a curious stare.

"Phone pest, Bolly?" he asked.

Alex put her hand over the receiver. "Something like that," she said.

He took the phone out of her reluctant hand and put it to his ear.

"Who is this?" he barked.

"Is that Gene Hunt? Well, well. She appears to be all yours, Hunt. The game draws to a close, eh?" the smooth Irish burr said before the line went dead.

"What did he say?" Alex asked anxiously.

Gene looked at her; coiled like a spring, fear in her eyes.

"Well, he was right about one thing, you are all mine now. He said the game was nearly over or something. Who was it?"

"Just a… a stalker. It's not important," she tried to bluster her way out of it, but Gene wasn't having it.

"I'll be the judge of what's important and what's not," he said, replacing the phone.

"He just likes playing mind games," she shrugged.

"That not right up your street, Bols? Psychology," Gene asked.

"Psycho… oh, yes psychology. He just gets a kick out of knowing more than me about this place, I think," she said.

"You don't think it's more than that, then?" he replied, frowning.

"I don't see how it can be, but what do I know. I couldn't save my parents, I've followed every lead that has come my way without success, and now I can't even get bloody laid without prank callers," she was resigned and frustrated.

Gene was silent for a moment.

"I think you have a choice to make, Alex," he said.

~*~

Alex looked back at Gene, sensing that chime in the back of her mind again.

"A choice?" she asked after a moment. He held he gaze with authority.

"A choice," he repeated.

"Well, we're here, aren't we? I made that choice," she said.

"You need to decide to stop fighting me, that's the choice. No more secrets, no more cryptic bollocks. It's now or never," he insisted.

"Now or never," she responded, close to him again. "I told you, I made my choice, and I'm here."

Gene looked down at her, his expression inscrutable. He traced his hand up her neck and ran his thumb along her jawline.

"What about Molly, Alex?"

Alex blinked in surprise.

"M-Molly?"

"Yeah, Molly, your daughter. Why can't you get back to her, d'you think?"

He was dizzily close to her, his words soft, but the sting of them sparking in her mind.

"Because I can't wake up," she whispered, tears coming.

Gene leaned in and kissed her cheek where a lone tear had tracked from her eye.

"What if it's not your dream?" he whispered back.

The next moment she was kissing him for all she was worth, willing the pain of memory away, the faded images of Molly that taunted her.

He returned the kiss with passion, his hands firmly at her waist, strong through the silky fabric there. Her arms slipped around his neck and they almost toppled over from the force of it.

"What if…" Gene said, kissing down her neck. "What if… waking up isn't the answer…"

Alex felt dizzy from the insistent pressure of his lips against her skin, and his words seemed to spin in her mind.

"I d-don't know anymore," she gasped, clasping his shoulders.

He began to pull the zip at the back of the dress.

"What if it's not about you learning anything, or working Artemis out, or whatever hair-brained scheme you think up next," he said, slipping the dress from her shoulders as he kissed her neck.

She was frowning, she knew, but the feel of his hands and lips against her made her reluctant to do anything but yield to him.

"What if you're here because someone needs you to be?"

Alex froze and looked at him, but before she could speak, he was kissing her mouth again, and she fell into it enthusiastically, standing there in her under wear. Questions whirled round in her head, but all she could focus on was Gene's strong arms lifting her from the floor and carrying her through to the bedroom as he continued the kiss. He laid her carefully down on the bed and pulled off his jacket, laying down beside her, placing a big hand on her naked belly.

"Maybe someone else needed to learn something," he said quietly.

"Do you mean you?" she replied, reaching out a hand to stroke his hair.

"What do you think, Alex? You're the one with the 'ead full of theories," He said.

"I think," she said, pulling him to her. "That theories are only as good as the experiments that test them."

He returned her smile and resumed their kiss, and then they clung to each other, stripping each item of clothing off with eagerness, and Alex thought she might just faint clean away with the exquisite tenderness of his kisses. Before long they were naked and she felt as though she should feel vulnerable, but that could never be the case with Gene there. He looked into her eyes and paused.

"Are you sure about this Bols? About why you're doing this?" he was insistent.

"I'm doing this because I want to, Gene. Because you're my rock here," she told him, and it was true.

He nodded briefly and then it really began, his strong hands working against her, the desire building up like charged electricity and before she really knew what was happening he was above her and moving into her and oh, the power of it was overwhelming. She clung to him, exchanging breathless kisses as they sunk into the pleasure of it. Finally, she felt the end approaching and called out his name, incoherent words that seemed to spur him on until finally they came together.

He shifted to the side slightly and collapsed next to her, reaching up a hand to stroke her hair from her cheek.

"Good bye Alex. Say hello to Molly for me," he said, and suddenly Alex felt the room beginning to lighten and she was being pulled out of the bed, spinning round and round until she thought she would explode and then, she opened her eyes.