It was a brisk autumn day with a slight bite in the air when Alexandra Eames walked out of her house wrapped in a soft cashmere scarf she splurged on at Barneys. She still can't believe how much money she spent on the blue confection, as her usual motto was to "save for a rainy day". But lately, Alex felt the need to break some of her old habits and just enjoy without the worry.

My therapist says it's a natural reaction to the kidnapping. She warned me to not go to far in my fervor to enjoy life, (i.e. drinking, casual sex, etc) which are common for people recovering from a traumatic experience. So, if the worst I could do is spend $400 on a sapphire pashima, I think I'll be okay.

I'm sleeping better now too thanks to my session with Dr. Keeler. She taught me really cool meditation and breathing techniques for when those panicky moments crash down on me. But it's really Bobby who has made the most impact on my recovery. He's been so attentive and caring. I still remember seeing the silhouette of his large frame slumped down sleeping in the orange hospital chair. He came to visit every morning and every night with yummy food and a collection of fantastic poetry, which he would read to me with a deep, soothing voice.

Yes, I, Alexandra Eames, love poetry. Hey - if my partner can be a freakin' genius and know everything strange and wonderful, I'm surely allowed to show that I am a multi-faceted woman.

Bobby's found out about my love for everything Whitman, Frost, Cavafy & Tennyson from the usual way he finds out about everything else...he snoops. One night I fell asleep while we were going over case files in my living room, he took the opportunity to rummage through my bookcase. I recall waking up and finding Bobby going through a complete volume of Shakespeare's sonnets.

"You just can't help yourself, can you, Goren?" I teased with sleepy eyes and a stretch of my arms.

"Oh...I'm sorry, I just, well, you fell asleep and I always wanted to know what you liked to read. I never knew you were a poetry lover, Eames", he gave me that little smirk with eyebrows raised to show me that he wasn't really making fun of me.

I smile at the memory of that night; it was unusual for me to speak so openly about myself. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, more probable it was the 2 glasses of wine I drank on an empty stomach, but I had the terrible aching urge to tell Robert Goren everything inside of me.

So, with the willpower that my mother instilled in me, I did what needed to be done. I repeated the chant, "he's your partner, he's your partner". Instead of telling Bobby my feelings, I offered to loan him one of my favorites, The Prophet by Kahil Gilbran. As I watched him leave my house, I become strangely aroused thinking of him lying in his bed, touching the pages I had touched so many times. Thank goodness he was already driving away before I called him back for a much better bedtime story.

I can't even remember the steps I took to get here with all the reminiscing I was doing, but somehow I found myself in front of 1 Police Plaza. I fight to get a space on the busy elevator, get my double shot espresso and get to my desk before Ross gets in.

Of course, Bobby is already crouching over his desk reading god knows what. I can't help the smile that forms on my lips, seeing him makes me happy. You know when you catch yourself smiling so much that your you can feel it at the sides of your eyes? That's me right now, taking in his broad, muscled back stretching his blue navy dress shirt. Okay, Alex, let's get rid of the flirty girl smile and put the tough girl face on...

"Good Morning Sunshine," I say as he looks up as if startled by my appearance.

"Hey, Good Morning, Eames. Did you sleep well last night?", I can feel his eyes run over my face to check for signs of sleeplessness or distress.

"I actually slept pretty damn good. It's amazing what a full nights sleep can do for you." I look up through my eyelashes at him, "I feel ready for anything today."

Chapter 2 Coming Very Soon!

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