A/N-This is a sequel to Life on Ashes so if you haven't read it you might find this a little confusing, if you have read it you'll know the background and that Gene and Alex know each other rather well. I have diverted from canon slightly here and there especially from the time when Arthur Layton appears on the scene. If you are a Buffy fan you may recognise a couple of references to that great show too, one of them being the chapter title :)

Back to Ashes.

.

The Gift

2007

'I need to talk to your mum in private.' Paul Black told Molly.

Alex scrutinised her surgeon's face and caught the shiftiness lurking behind the eyes, 'I can't feel my legs.' she told him.

He shook his head a little too violently, 'To be expected Alex. Your rehabilitation starts now.'

'So everything went according to plan? There's nothing you want to tell me? No nasty surprises?' Her hand reached out and grappled for the plastic beaker of water on the bedside table.

Paul rushed to her assistance and held the water to her lips. It tasted flat and dead. She spluttered as too much went down and pushed the beaker away.

'Everything went ok.' he told her, 'It may take a little longer than I first thought to get you entered for the London Marathon, but I'm absolutely satisfied with your prognosis. Kelly Abraham and her team are standing by to assist you with all kinds of therapies.'

'That doesn't sound like the NHS I know and love.' Alex replied tiredly, feeling trapped and helpless, 'How long are we talking here? Before I'm up and around again?'

Paul put a hand on her arm comfortingly, ' That all depends on you Alex, I'm pretty sure with your determination you'll be back on your feet before you know it.'

'Gene?' Alex whispered.

'What about him?' Paul frowned.

'I didn't get a chance to say goodbye were messy.' Alex wasn't prepared for the feelings of guilt, and even less prepared for the feelings of loss.'Could you? Would you?...' she broke off and stared at Paul desperately, 'Can you give Gene a message from me?'

Paul shook his head, and looked around furtively before replying quietly, 'Best to just leave it Alex. It doesn't do to meddle between 'll be alright, he's Gene Hunt.'

'Exactly' Alex replied, 'That's what everyone thinks, he's Gene Hunt, the Manc lion, strong, proud,bolshy, indestructible. Except I happen to know there's more to him than that.'

'I'm not taking any messages Alex.' Paul said firmly. 'Sam will take care of Gene. You need to concentrate on getting fighting fit here, in your world.'

Alex nodded, she realised that Black was right. How would sending a message help Gene? It wouldn't. She was as far away from him as she possibly could be. She just had to make the best of it and get on with her life. 'Can Molly come back in?' she asked Black.

He smiled, 'Of course.'

.

1973

'You're joking me!' Gene said.

Sam shrugged, 'It was just an idea. I thought it might cheer you up.'

Gene crashed his feet onto his desk and looked aghast at Sam, 'Jackie Queen? Come on! I get it- as long as it's got a hole between its legs and wears a bit of lippy it'll do for the Gene Genie.'

'It's only a curry, not a fortnight in Tenerife.' Sam said patiently. 'It was Jackie who suggested it.'

'No ta, I'll pass.' Gene effortlessly made a smile into a grimace, 'Off you hop Tyler, go and do a bit of police officering and stop playing bloody cupid. I am not going on a foursome with you and Cartwright and that nosy slag.'

'She speaks highly of you too.' muttered Sam as he left Gene's office.

Annie was hovering by his desk. 'I take it that was a no then?' she grinned.

Sam nodded and checked to see if Gene was observing them, he was. 'I tried my best.'

'You can't do any more.' Annie said, handing him a file he'd asked her to dig out for him.

Sam looked unconvinced, 'I'm worried about him, he's changed.'

Ray sidled up to them, 'That Queen bird, I'll make up a foursome with yer. So she's not too disappointed.'

'Thanks for offering Ray.' Sam replied, 'But I'm sure Jackie will get over being turned down.'

Later he watched Gene playing cards in The Railway Arms, settling comfortably back into his rut. Like Alex Drake had never existed, like all the great revelations had never happened. Rumours had flown thick and fast around the station when Alex disappeared. Gene made sure no-one knew about the car crashed into the oak tree. It had been left up to Sam to quash the rumours. He had told them that Alex had been offered promotion in London, working for the Met, and gradually the gossip faded away, until that crazy Drake woman was a faded memory and no-one cared anymore. No-one except Gene.

.

2008

It was so hard to put one foot in front of the other. Baby steps, Alex kept telling herself, just one at a time. After almost a year of physiotherapy she had just about mastered walking again. Her spine was stiff and unyielding and she lived in dread of Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva although Paul Black had told her time and time again it was rare and highly improbable.

'You just expect too much too soon.' he told her, 'Keep doing the exercises and your spine will gradually become more supple.'

Still, she was going back to work, even though the thought terrified her. She felt she had lived through several lifetimes since that day when she offered to help out at Manchester and ended up falling off a roof and into the geneverse.

She took a deep breath as Evan held the door open and she stepped into the chill morning air.

'The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.' she mumbled, knowing she was quoting but not remembering where from.

Evan put on his kindly benefactor expression, 'You'll be fine.'

'I hope so.' Alex smiled bravely, feeling slightly crowded by Evan hovering helpfully as she walked to her car aided by a walking cane. 'Come on Mols!' she called.

Molly burst out of the house, untidy hair, school tie awry, dragging a bag of books.

Evan looked doubtful, 'I can take her, save you...'

'I'll take her.' Alex said firmly.

Molly smiled, 'Mum's got it covered.' she said happily.

Alex nodded., 'You need to put a comb through your hair.' She congratulated herself on being motherly because since she'd emerged from the coma such things hadn't come naturally. She'd felt distanced from Molly, and Evan, like they weren't her real life anymore. The 1973 life had felt more real and comfortable, this life was the one that seemed strange, so fast and frenetic and cold, no wonder Sam had wanted to go back to 1973 so badly.

'It's boho.' Molly frowned.

'Not on schooldays it isn't.' Alex replied, 'It's neat and tidy.' she pulled a comb from her bag and passed it over to Molly.

After dropping Molly at school she drove to work, her heart sinking as she entered the grey building and headed towards her department. She had a new DCI, Mark Roberts, and he was waiting to welcome her back.

'Grab a coffee Alex.' he told her breezily, pointing to a complicated looking machine, 'The briefing starts in ten minutes.'

There was no feeling of being back in the fold, instead her sense of detachment increased. Everything was moreorless the same as it was before she'd left for Manchester, apart from Mark being her DCI. Her colleagues were very welcoming but they eyed her with a mixture of pity and awkwardness. What kind of stupid woman jumps off a roof - even to save a fellow officer?

By lunchtime she needed to escape, and took a salad pot to the embankment, only to find hundreds of other people had the same idea and there was nowhere to sit. She wasn't hungry anyway, at least it was a break from the claustrophobic building. 'I can't do this Gene.' she whispered as she gazed at the Thames.

But she did do it. Eventually as the weeks and months passed things became easier, more comfortable and familiar, and she settled back into her work. Settled was probably the best word to use. Alex knew that she was settling for this 21st century life. She lived, she worked, she was the best mother she could be, but she knew it was a compromise.

.

One bright and sunny morning she woke and something had changed. She felt hopeful for the first time in a long time, yet everything seemed the same. She wondered if it was just because it was Molly's birthday. She chatted with her daughter in the car on the way to work.

'What did Evan get you?'

'A Blackberry.' Molly grinned.

'I'll get you some more while you're at school and you can make a birthday crumble.' Alex said.

'You seem happy today.' Molly said.

'I'm always happy.' Alex replied brightly.

'No, you're not.' Molly said.

The police radio crackled ; 'Charlie One Zero. Ma'am? South Bank, outside Tate Modern. Code Red. Hostage taken. Suspect Arthur Layton. Armed and dangerous.'

'Pass me the thing.' Alex told Molly as they scrabbled for the siren. She felt energised and alert, the air seemed filled with electricity. Something was going to happen, she just knew it. Something terrible or something good. She only wished Molly wasn't there in the car with her. She phoned Evan. 'Could you come and get Molly? There's a thing...a hostage situation.'

Molly pouted.

'I'm not putting you in danger.' Alex said.

By some miracle Evan arrived at the scene near the Tate Modern at the same time as Alex.

'Please mum, don't go.' Molly begged. "you could get killed.'

Alex hugged her, 'I'll be fine, I'll see you this afternoon, we'll blow the candles out on your cake together.' She blew frantic hurried kisses at Molly before hobbling towards the busy area where Arthur Layton was holding his hostage.

.

She knew he meant business as soon as she saw him. He was her destiny. The shifty eyed desperate little man who couldn't bear to be looked at, clutching a terrified hostage.

'Let her go.' Alex said carefully, 'Take me instead.'

Arthur looked more closely, 'Alex Drake' he rasped, shoving the jibbering hostage aside.

They stared at each other and Alex knew that the armed response team were taking up positions all around them. Layton wouldn't stand a moved towards him, 'Take me instead.' she grabbed at her and she let him, becoming his shield. her back protested and her eyes filled with tears at the excruciating pain. 'Please' she begged, 'I have a bad back.'

'That'll be the gun sticking in it.' Layton replied.

'No really, I had an accident, my back is very weak.' she gasped as the pain turned red hot.

'Move then.' Layton said.

Alex took a faltering step forward and the crowds parted to let them through. She could see members of the armed response team trying and failing to get a clear shot at Layton.

'If I die you die.' he told her.

'I know.' she answered.

'Where's your car?' he asked.

'Over there.' she gestured with her head.

He slung her around so they faced the crowd, making her walk backwards. In the split second it took armed response had acted and moved in for the kill.

'Tell them to back off.' Layton instructed.

'Do not proceed!' Alex called frantically. Slowly they reached the parked cars, 'It's the dark blue one.' she whimpered.

Layton backed her up to it, 'Keys.'

She took the keys from her pocket. Layton continued using her as a shield and dived into the back seat of the car, his gun never leaving its target. Alex got in the driver's seat.

'You do exactly as I say and remember I've nothing to lose.' he said, 'Drive fast.'

She did as he ordered and soon they were in back streets she'd never seen before. She heard sirens and knew they were being pursued but Layton was wily and made her double back a few times. Eventually he told her to stop. The sirens were a long way off. They were still by the Thames and Layton pulled her out of the car and put the gun in her back again. She saw a rusty dilapidated barge and Layton steered her onto the gangplank.

'It's not much but it's home.' he said,pulling out a mobile phone.

'Please don't make me...' Alex felt unsteady, her walking cane was still in the car. 'I can't' she told him, pain piercing her back.

Layton was talking on the phone, 'I've got a piece of your past here.' he nudged her with gun, 'Walk.' he carried on into the phone, 'Tim and Caroline Price's daughter...'

Alex froze, 'How do you know my parents?

'I'm gonna tell her the truth about how they died.' Layton spoke into the phone. 'Unless you do something to stop me. You have one minute to think it over, the clock starts ticking now.'

He clicked off the phone and they got on to the barge and he made her sit down before sitting opposite her.

'Please.' Alex begged, 'Please, how do you know my parents?'

Layton was clock watching, stroking his gun, looking increasingly pissed off. The phone didn't ring. 'I'm happy, hope you're happy too' he said, looking almost apologetic as he raised the gun and shot her.

.

She opened her eyes slowly and closed them again fast. The bloody loud music- oh Vienna. The bright garish colours. Everything hurt. Her mind went crazy. What just happened to her? Where was she? It sounded like a party. She kept her eyes tightly closed as tentatively she reached down and felt her torso and limbs. Everything felt ok, her back felt better than it had in ages. She seemed to be wearing a short skirt and stockings but she wasn't about to open her eyes to check. The music changed to Adam Ant, 'Prince Charming', an eighties night then? She wondered if Layton had drugged her. She was sure that he'd shot her but maybe he'd drugged her and she had hallucinated the being shot part.

All around her the party goers were singing along to Prince Charming; she could hear the clink of glasses, the sourness of spilt wine, the overpowering stench of dozens of perfumes and aftershaves clashing.

'I'm not here.' she whispered to herself.

Someone lumped down beside her, 'Oh yes you are darlin' How much do you charge for a blow job?'

'Police! Don't move!' came a shout and the party turned to panic as drugs were hidden and prostitutes fled. Alex still didn't open her eyes. As mayhem blossomed around her she lay completely still. It would be alright now. They had found her.