A/N: This is the requested sequel to "Those Little Pills". Several of you requested it and I Soooo appreciate that. My recommendation: If you haven't read "Those Little Pills" you probably should first. This story will make more sense that way. I'm not sure this story will work on its own. Not as good, but still, I hope ok. Without further ado I present...
Rehab
//
It's very windy but he makes her out even through squinted eyes. He sees her at the top of the stairs, holding her coat around her legs, otherwise, it keeps flying away from her. He knows it's her just from her posture. Even from the bottom of the very wide and very long staircase. He can tell by the way she's sort of standing there, as if deciding what to do. He's surprised to see her here, of all places, on a Saturday afternoon, no less. He puts a little more speed in his step and taps her from behind.
//
She surprised at first. Turns to the tap on her shoulder. Looks into his eyes for a millisecond, and can't help herself. She gives him a wide smile.
"Eames?."
"Bobby." She deadpans back.
"What are you doing here?" He motions to the entrance of the museum.
"Why,... are you surprised that I would want to visit a museum on my day off?"
For a minute he looks uncomfortable and yet she continues "What if I told you I've been stood up." His discomfort is replaced by something else....some look she can't quite place. Jealousy? Relief? Or is she seeing something she wishes was there?
"Well, I don't know what surprises me more, to be honest. That you would go on a date to the Museum of Natural History, or that you would be stood up." He shoots back at her.
She smirks for a second, pushes her hair behind her ear (although a strand keeps falling back, making him want to reach out and push it for her, but he knows of the danger there, so keeps his hands in his pocket) and sighs.
"Well, I was stood up actually. By my nephew. We had specific plans to meet on the steps here at noon, and well, here it is 12:30 and no Nate."
"Did you call..."
"Yes. Liz has been a little.....flaky lately. Says she forgot. I was trying to decide what to do".
The wind continues whipping around them and finally he says "Well, I was going to see the new archeological dig exhibit. Why don't you....join me?" As soon as he makes the invitation he wishes he hadn't.
What if she says no?
//
Two hours later they are wandering through the dinosaur exhibit and she can't help but be fascinated by this man's wealth of knowledge. He knows everything. On and on he goes, and she finds herself studying his face. He's older, that's for sure. Grayer, and heavier than ever. But god he is handsome. To her. He seems more, relaxed too. This makes her happy, she actually feels lighter, if that's possible. She watches his hands as he talks, rolls her eyes a bit when he reads to her from the plaques, adding his own bit of knowledge, and even pointing out some errors.
It's almost five o'clock before she realizes they've been there for almost five hours.
//
She goes to sleep that night, sleeps the whole night, dreamless, but relaxed. Wakes refreshed and realizes that she didn't take her sleeping pill last night.
She thinks, maybe, she doesn't need them anymore.
//
As they make their way around the museum he studies her face as she looks at the exhibits. Her face is not as smooth as it was years ago. There are lines that weren't there before, worry lines that he's sure he's put there. Her eyes still sparkle though. He smirks to himself, wondering how, despite the amount of sugar she ingests in a day, her body is still so....well he refuses to go there now. Despite his resolute refusal in his mind, he feels a blush creep up his neck.
At five o'clock he realizes that this is first time in years, actually, that he wishes the day wouldn't end.
//
He falls asleep on his own that night.
When he awakes, he realizes he had no dreams at all. He is so refreshed and he tries to recall what time he took his sleeping pill, but then remembers. He didn't take one last night.
He thinks, maybe, he'll try the next few nights without one.
//
For the next month or so, they seem to be more in synch. She's feels some kind of relief when each day he's more and more....animated. Their conversations seem to go on longer and every once in a while he even teases her. When was the last time he did that? And when he does tease her, she finds herself so relieved that he's coming back, that she almost forgets to give a snarky response. Almost.
Ross notices too, of course, that they seem to be on better footing and comments on it.
"Rest up, Eames."
"Captain?"
"I mean, take it easy while you can. The next big case. It's yours and Gorens."
They're back. And she feels so good and wonderful and useful and grateful that she actually asks Bobby out for drink after work.
//
Sitting in the bar, they are quiet but comfortable. A man with gray hair stops to talk to the bartender for a minute and they both do a double take. Then, at the same time..
"I miss Deakins."
A laugh, from them both, followed at the same time again
"Me too."
Another laugh.
"Remember when he used to say....Step into him."? Bobby asks
"Yeah. I used to love that. I would wait for him to say that." She looks down, a bit shyly and wipes her finger up and down the condensation on the glass. Softy she says "I dream about those days, you know."
He puts his hand out and grabs the hand that is working her glass. "I dream about those days too." He says. "Those are my favorite dreams".
She is taken aback by his hand on hers. But revels in the feel of them anyway. He is gently rubbing her fingers and she wishes he wouldn't stop.
They sit that way for a long time.
//
They have their downs, still, of course. Sometimes she still feels so shut out from his life, and angry that he doesn't share certain things.
Her heart still flutters though, even more often if possible, when she sees him and for the first time in maybe, years, she faces each day knowing whatever happens, they'll be able to weather it together.
He seems to be better and better, so she starts to relax a little.
So she stops taking her anti-anxiety medication.
//
He's still withdrawn and selfish, sometimes. But he hangs onto the good days he has with her, and those days are coming more and more and that seems to get him through. They're on the same page now, and he finds himself relaxing and just enjoying his job -with her and enjoys being around her and feels lucky that they're still here after everything.
He finds he functions quite well now without his anti-anxiety medication.
//
He feels empowered now. He's been eating better, quit smoking (again, for the third time) and he shaves everyday. But he still doesn't bring a razor to work. He's pretty sure she likes his three o'clock shadow. He catches her glancing at him at various times during the day and wonders if it is even possible that she feels anything for him like he feels for her. The very thought makes him both nervous and excited and suddenly he's back in time, years back, like when she came back from her maternity leave. Back when he realized the depths of his feelings.
One Sunday he's sitting around, thinking of her, reading a book and he decides. Yes, it's a Sunday, but he takes a deep breath and calls her anyway.
//
Sitting in the restaurant her face is flush from both the heat outside and the heat generated within. He goes to order a second bottle of wine and she stops him.
"I can't Bobby."
"Why not? They're not rushing us out. D..did..did..did you want to leave?" He looks so distraught suddenly she reaches out her hand and lays it on top of his.
"No, no. I just...I'm taking some...well....mood elevators..and I can't really...drink so much..."
He looks concerned and confused. "Mood elevators? Why? Did something happen?"
She laughs it off for a second and says without thinking "Well, up until last month I was taking anti-anxiety medication, and sleeping pills too, so one pill a day is an improvement for me."
He stunned into silence for a minute. And she wonders if she's gone and said too much. But then he takes a deep breath. "Yeah. I was taking the same things. And I'm still taking the mood elevators. But....I...I know why I needed them, but why did..do you?"
She looks at him. Really hard. Straight in the eye and knows she has to tell the truth.
"I took them because of you."
He's confused and she can see him getting agitated, can read his mind that he could be the cause of this and is quick to explain.
"Not because of you, Bobby. But because of everything that's happened to you. I..I needed to be there for you, and I wasn't sure I could do it on my own."
He is speechless and feels his eyes start to burn, but knows she has to continue, so he doesn't look away.
"What happens to you, Bobby, happens to me. Don't you see?" He slightly shakes his head and she looks down. "I love you." She whispers it so softly that he wants to ask her to say it again, and again but can't find his own voice.
//
Four o'clock in the morning and everything is so quiet, she swears she can hear their heartbeats in the silence of the hour. The sheets are tangled and damp and her skin smells like him, and his like her and it's the most comfortable she's ever been. He laughs out loud and she lifts her head off his chest and looks at him.
"I was just thinking."
"How unusual" she snarks back
"No, really. I was just thinking that way back, when I started taking all the pills, the only time I ever felt good was with you. I actually thought that things would all work out if Olivet would write me a prescription, 'spend more time with Eames'."
She's quiet for a minute and then sighs. "Lately, the past few months, things have been so good, you know? And I wondered for while if it was the medications, if my ability to cope is due to those little pills? And...and maybe they helped in the beginning. But now I think, I know it's because of us. It's like spending time with you has been some kind of..." her sentence falls off and she can't think of the right word.
//
They lie quietly for the next few minutes, Entangled with each other but thinking their own thoughts. She starts to get drowsy again and rolls over into him. Sleepily, with her eyes closed, she murmers "Rehab, Bobby. Spending time with you has been some kind of rehab."
He pulls her even closer in, kisses her eyelids and says "Rehab, Eames. No wonder everyone's doing it these days".
They fall asleep, no pills, just each other. And they have the best sleep of their lives.
-fin-