A/N: Post Ep for "Major Case," continuing the storyline I started in my story "Bourbon on the Rocks."

A/N2: Is it just me, or is anyone else getting really tired of the previews all being about Nichols and Goren with Wheeler and Eames either being afterthoughts or not mentioned at all?

Where Angels Fear to Tread

As Alex closed the door behind her, she wasn't surprised to hear the sounds of cooking coming from her kitchen, but she still tensed up at the noise. Between Jo Gage and Kevin Mulrooney, it was a wonder she ever went home.

Her partner, understanding her fear, had sent her a text while she was on her way home, "in ur kitchen cooking dont shoot," warning her that he was there.

She dumped her purse on the table near the door and shrugged off her jacket, hanging it on the coat rack next to Bobby's leather coat. She noticed his suitcase sat just inside the door, so he must have come straight from the airport.

"Hey Goren!" she yelled. "I'm gonna go change."

Bobby's head appeared from around the kitchen doorway. "You have about 20 minutes," he said.

She walked over to him, noticing that he was wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "What're you making us?"

He smiled, leaned down, and pressed a chaste kiss on her mouth. "Spaghetti marinara, salad and garlic bread."

Alex stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again, considerably less delicately than he had kissed her. When they pulled apart, they were both breathless and grinning.

"I missed you," Alex whispered into Bobby's chest.

"You too." He pressed a kiss on the top of her hair and released her, rather quickly, she thought. "Go get changed. You can tell me about working with Nichols."

"That's a short story," Eames said with a laugh, heading for her bedroom.

She heard Goren snort behind her before returning to her kitchen and his culinary efforts.

Alex swung her bedroom door shut behind her, gratefully removing her work clothes and dumping them on the floor.

After Kevin's violation of her home, she had wanted to toss everything in her underwear drawer and buy new. But she was nothing if not practical, and knew that on a cop's salary replacing every pair of panties she owned was going to cost more than she could reasonably spend. She had settled for a through washing instead.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, in her comfortable, workday underthings, and stripped them off as well, replacing them with black lacy goodies. Not that anyone was likely to see them other than her. But there was certainly no harm in feeling sexy.

The evening Bobby and Alex had decided to make a go of being more than partners, they had also decided that they would not jump fully into the physical side of their relationship until Alex was surer of what she wanted.

As Alex changed into a sweetheart-necked top in deep purple, pairing it with beat up jeans, she wondered if she was ready to fully commit to being with Bobby. God knew he had wormed his way into her heart over the years, and that she was closer to him than to any other human being, including her family, but her relationships with men since Joe died had been all talk or all action, nothing in between.

For Alexandra Eames, making love to Bobby Goren would cement their relationship into something much more than partners, more even than just lovers. If she took him into her bed (or any of the other places she had thought about taking him), she knew that she would be making another lifetime commitment, even if it was without the ring and the license she had with Joe. Once they crossed that line, there was no stepping back. They would possess each other, body, mind and soul.

Alex washed off her greasy daytime makeup and replaced it with a light coat of foundation and a swipe of eye shadow, twisting her hair up and securing it with a clip. Bobby had mentioned once in passing how much he liked her hair up. She had made an effort to wear it that way during their private time ever since.

The light knock at the bedroom door broke Alex free of her brooding, and she crossed the room to swing the door open.

Bobby was standing before her, and she noticed that he caught his breath as he looked her up and down. He reached out and tucked a loose stand of hair behind her ear.

"Dinner's ready," he said softly.

Alex smiled. "As always, Bobby, you have perfect timing. I'm ready too."

He offered her his hand and she took it, letting him lead her to the kitchen.

"So, tell me about Tennessee," Alex said after sampling the pasta and smiling at him in appreciation. She took a sip of the wine, looked appreciatively at the glass, and took a larger sip.

"It went well, I think," Bobby said, forking up salad. "The guy killing there was definitely the same guy we had in New York. I'm still not sure why they sent me, instead of someone from SVU, but I think the development of the profile will really help."

"So they didn't catch him?"

Bobby crunched on his bread, shaking his head. "No, but I think they know where to look for him now. They may be able to prevent him from killing anyone else."

"Well, that's good. I'm sure they appreciated the help. Any flack, being the big cop from the big city?"

"Nah, the sheriff had actually been a cop in Nashville for a while. Not exactly a big city, but definitely bigger than the town he's in now. Got married to his high school sweetheart, moved back home."

"Nice."

"Enough about Tennessee, Alex, tell me about Nichols."

Alex shrugged, poking at her salad, then taking another gulp of her wine.

"Alex?" Bobby put his hand on her free one, ducking his head to look into her face. "Alex, did something happen with Nichols?"

Alex looked up to see the beginning of a thunderous expression on Bobby's face. She took a moment to interpret it, quickly identifying it as a combination of jealousy and concern for her welfare.

"Oh, Bobby, no, Zach was a perfect gentleman, when I even saw him," Alex assured him. "Do you remember when we were first partnered together, and you would wander off and do your own thing?"

"Yes, I also remember that after the third or fourth time I followed a lead without you, you warned me that you were going to put a leash on me and attach me to your chair if I kept doing it. And I think you also warned me that if I left you out of the loop again you'd slap me silly."

Alex smiled at the memory.

"Let's just say that its good Zach and I were only working together temporarily, because otherwise he would be getting the same speech. He goes off and does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and neither Ross nor I had any idea where he had gone. He taunted Mueller who, by the way, apparently attempted to poison him. Although, I was feeling the same way after a while."

Bobby laughed, releasing her hand. He refilled both of their wine glasses.

"And how's Megan?"

"She and the baby are both great. I went to visit them," she knew her face was wistful, but didn't bother to hide it from Bobby.

"Is she coming back to work?" Bobby asked, taking her hand again and squeezing it lightly.

"As far as I've heard she is."

"Are you ready for dessert? I have apple pie and ice cream. And before you ask, no, I didn't make it. Sheriff Baldwin's wife sent it home with me, I just reheated it."

Alex smirked. "What, the great Bobby Goren can't make a pie?" Bobby stood up, leaned over Alex's chair, and breathed in her ear.

"Alex, you have no idea what I would do to make you happy."

Before he could back away, Alex turned in her chair and locked her arms around his neck, bringing his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss.

Kneeling on the floor next to her chair, Bobby pulled back from Alex, hands in her hair, and pressed his forehead to hers. "Alex, don't. Don't, unless you mean it. I…being away this week, being away from you, I can't be with you halfway any longer. I'm not trying to pressure you, but…"

He turned his face away from hers, eyes closed. She suddenly understood why he had pulled back from her earlier, when they were kissing in the kitchen doorway.

Alex reached out and cupped his cheek, noticing as she did so how he leaned into her touch. In that moment, Alex's decision was made. Bobby wasn't Joe. No one was Joe.

But maybe it was time to let the memory of Joe be replaced with new ones.

Standing, she silently reached her hand out to him. He took it in his larger one.

"Bobby, I think it's time to go to bed," she said, giving his hand a gentle tug to encourage him to rise and follow her.

"God Alex, are you sure?" He still held her hand, but didn't stand.

Alex smiled down at him, using her free hand to ruffle through his graying hair.

"Bobby, I have never been this sure of anything in my entire life. Take me to bed. Now."

She was startled when her partner rose to his feet and swept her up in his arms in one graceful movement, before lowering his head to kiss her.

If she had thought the other kisses they had shared were passionate, she had been wrong on so many levels. Now that he knew there would be no stopping, his kiss was electrifying, all consuming.

As he carried her to her bedroom, Alex decided she had been right. Once she made love to Bobby Goren, there would be no going back.

It was a good thing she had no intention of going back.

FIN