Changes, a law and order: ci fanfic

My first published story on this site. Not my first fanfic by any means, though. I DO NOT own Law & Order: CI (as much as I wish I did :P)

Goren & Eames would definitely be together in this last season - or at least have hints of... something happening between them.

Feedback would be great. This is a one-shot (as it stands right now).

Malisa

Changes

She's gone and there's nothing he can do to stop the pain… he's not quite sure, but his chest hurts with such intensity he feels he might just be having a heart attack. Never in his life has he felt so… utterly helpless. Even when his mother was beginning to show signs of something he didn't quite understand… even when he was strapped to that bed in Tates and struggled to stay conscious by counting backwards from 10 to 1. No. This is the most painful, excruciating experience he has ever been faced with in all his 52 years. Alex was gone. Kidnapped from her apartment and he didn't know where she was. He didn't know if she was even… no. He could not let his mind go there. She had to still be alive. She just had to be. When he popped open that trunk and realized that it wasn't her inside… a million emotions rushed through his body all at once. He needed her. And not just as his partner. She was, by far, the most important person in his life. And now it might be too late to tell her that.

When the call came in at dawn the next morning that she had been found, his heart felt like it was going to explode. She had escaped her captor on her own. Of course she had – she was Eames. She was the strongest person Bobby had ever known.

He jumped into his SUV and raced toward the warehouse where a dock worker had found her and called for help. When he saw her, he stopped short. She was bruised. Her face was black and blue and she had severe bruising around her neck. Her hand and feet were bloody and her hair was matted with blood and sweat. Bobby couldn't take his eyes off her. He had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life. His Eames… his Alex. The tears in his eyes flowed freely down his face. Oblivious to the media and TV crews, he walked toward her with a purposeful stride, almost breaking into a run as he got closer. Before either one knew what was happening, his lips were on hers in a crushing kiss. His hands reached up to thread though her hair, pulling her closer to him… she sighed and let out a small whimper of pain but tentatively kissed him back as her own tears fell.

After a few moments, he pulled away to look into her eyes. Tears streaming down her face, she managed a weak smile before the paramedics pulled her away from him and helped her into the waiting ambulance. For just a moment, she managed to pull away from them and she reached out briefly to caress his cheek. He watched as they helped her into the back of the bus and watched as they drove away. It took several minutes for him to register what had actually just happened. But he knew it would change the course of … everything.

Fin.