So by the time Alex shows up uninvited on her doorstep, her
cabernet-sauvignon goggles are firmly on, and their one-night-stand quickly becomes a
two-night-stand, maybe even more. That is until Alex, missing his kids, repeats his
crying-after-sex-trick, and once again all bets are off…
It’s almost Valentines Day and Alex has decided
it’s time for him to start dating again. Or rather Helen’s decided. She posts
his details on a dating website. While opting out of Valentines herself by arranging
something as unromantic as possible - to have dinner with her elderly accountant.
Alex says no to online dating, but one night lodging with
Stephen is enough to convince him he better find a girlfriend to move in with ASAP. He
rings Helen for his password, she’s secretly logged into his account having a snoop
but quickly logs off, and he discovers a drunken video-message from Sarah Stephens, an old
girlfriend.
Meanwhile Stephen has fallen in love, and asks Helen’s
advice on how to give up his lecherous ways. But come Valentine’s Night, Stephen
quickly becomes aroused as a side effect of being emotionally open; prompting him to ask
his beloved to do something disgusting.
And Helen’s night doesn’t turn out as planned
when her accountant sends Raz his very good-looking - but gay - deputy instead. And Sarah
turns out to be funny and attractive. Alex is seeing her again the following week…..
Alex is still homeless. Helen finds him sleeping in his car
one morning. And at work Alex’s day gets even worse: Stephen tells them his old
friend and rival agent Charlie Renfrew has died. He wants all CMA Agents to attend the
funeral. As a mark of respect. And to steal Renfrew’s clients.
Alex is deeply depressed that he's about to become a
professional grave-robber. Helen, however, enjoys buying a new hat for the funeral - on
expenses - until Alex reminds her that this will be the first funeral she’s been to
since Pete, her fiancé, died. Helen heads for the nearest off-licence.
Helen is still drunk that evening, having supper with
Sophie - Pete’s sister - and her husband Malcolm. Sophie is a chippy control-freak
and competitive-griever who has never liked Helen, but in an attempt to force a connection
with her dead brother’s fiancé, she asks Helen to be godmother to her baby daughter.
Who she’s named ‘Peta’. Or ‘Pete’ for short….
At the funeral, Alex accidentally finds himself chatting up
a successful young actor, then immediately antagonises him. while Helen drunkenly
confronts the vicar about the ethics of being a godmother if you don’t actually
believe in God. They both make a run for it…
Helen asks Alex to help babysit her goddaughter with her,
and he unexpectedly agrees, suggesting they all go to the park. Alex's children have
accidentally revealed that their mum has a new boyfriend, and Alex thinks they'll be at
the same park. But when his plan to spy on his kids' new stepfather is rumbled, Alex takes
charge of baby Peta, and Helen sees a new side to Alex - the responsible grown-up.
The day of parental pretence is interrupted by a summons
from Stephen to an emergency board meeting, which turns out to be a party he's arranged
because he's feeling lonely.
But Alex's life does take a turn for the better when Helen
asks him to move in to her spare room. And a turn for the worse when he takes his kids to
the zoo and they ask him why their friend's mum saw him hiding behind a tree spying on
them with his girlfriend and baby...
Alex arranges a surprise party for Helen's birthday. Or
rather, Helen's control-freak ex-sister-in-law, Sophie, arranges it.
To keep Helen busy while all is prepared, Alex fixes her up
to go for a work drink with Doctor Two-Scenes - a client who consistently gets two scenes
in Holby City but is unable to find any other work.
However, best laid plans start to fall apart when Sophie
punches Alex in the face and a drunk Helen seems willing to help the Doctor add a sex
scene to his repertoire.
Alex is sulking about Helen having sex with Doctor
Two-Scenes. Following a drunken argument, Helen storms off to Colchester to have more sex
with the Doctor, while Stephen drags Alex to an up-market brothel where he introduces Alex
to the glamorous madam, Wendy. And well he should - he's marrying her on Saturday, with
Alex as his best man...
Helen doesn't go to Colchester, she does go to Ruislip
Crematorium to try and visit Pete's headstone at 3 am. With her drinking and life out of
control, she decides to sell her flat and leave CMA, and goes for an interview to train as
a therapist.
Meanwhile, Alex bumps into Sarah Stephens, who he's been
avoiding. When Helen realises that she just needs to be in therapy, she decides not to
leave CMA, and that she doesn't want Alex to move out of her flat. But Alex interrupts
her: he has already arranged to move in to Sarah Stephens' spare room. Alex and Helen's
relationship issues finally come to a head at Stephen's wedding.
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