Author: SilentG
Title: Always
Fandom: LO:CI
Pairing: B/A
Rating: T for now
Spoilers: Probably not.
Archive: Anywhere – no need to ask – just attribute, and let me know if possible
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: Once again, Eames's sister accidentally 'helps' Bobby woo his lady fair. Features prickly Eames & popular Bobby. WAFF angsty romance, could take place Season 10. "I believe that you may not have let yourself think about it. I don't believe that you didn't feel it."

A/N 1: This fic was inspired by the way AE's hair fwipped as she flounced out of the frame the end of the 1st S10 promo. I actually really hate BA fics that feature either of their families, or any kids at all, in anything more than the most peripheral roles. And then every so often I write one.

~.~.~.~.~

CHAPTER ONE: PEANUT BUTTER FLU

Alex Eames wasn't going to cry. Not only because it would upset Nate, but because the spring day had turned stormy, and now she had to drive all the way to Brooklyn.

If a tear did squeeze out, she'd probably be OK. Strapped in tight in the back seat of her compact car, the little guy was captivated by the maelstrom outside; rain, thunder and lightning, and now hail with a rainbow behind it chased them across the Bridge. He wasn't grinning at her in the rear view mirror as he so often did on their way to or from wherever.

What was she doing?

Was she in the wrong, wanting to spend time with her favourite nephew? He loved her, loved spending time with her. Couldn't she just have that little one thing?

That little. One?

Thing?

She had to concentrate on driving; the weather was making people crazy. But this detour was going to blow all their plans. Not that a trip to Central Park would have been ideal in this weather… But no. She wasn't going to let her sister off the hook. She was wrong and meddling and wanted Alex's day with Nate to go off the rails. She always came up with something.

Today it was the book.

o.o.o.o.o

"Hi sis."

What now? Alex tried not to scowl. "Hi, Liz. Can't talk long, I'm driving. What's up?"

"Well maybe you should pull over."

Ugh, those ominous words. Alex felt her neck tense with irritation. "OK sure. I'll call you back in two."

When she called her sister back, she learnt all about The Book. The Book that would mean her plans to spend the day with Nate at the park were shot all to hell. The book that she'd have to go all the way to Brooklyn to get, from some little hole in the wall bookstore she'd never heard of. And it had to be TODAY.

"…why couldn't you have just ordered it on Amazon?" Like normal people do. Like you usually do.

"It's not the book, it's the reading. The author's going to be there and she's gonna be signing copies. She's Nate's favourite author. I thought you'd think it was fun. Don't you go to readings?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, all the time."

Liz caught the sarcasm. "Well I thought you did. Didn't you mention a couple recently?"

"Yeah, like two years ago. Because apparently it's the new in thing for murderers."

"Don't talk about that stuff."

She sighed. "OK. Sorry. And Nate has a favourite author now? That's kinda cute."

"Yeah, apparently she's the shit. Get there early, because it'll be a mob."

o.o.o.o.o

Delia Watters had written seven mystery books for preschoolers that appealed particularly to little boys, and it seemed that Nate had been an avid consumer since the tender age of four. "I really liked The Pickle Pickle, and I really really liked Something's Up, Doc!."

"Is that one your favourite?"

"No, my favourite one is Nancy's Aunt's Pants. But I didn't really like Gravy Boat Baby. But I sorta liked it."

They were late, but it couldn't be helped. Traffic had been awful, and she'd had a hard time finding parking since she really didn't know the neighbourhood. Now they were walking hand in hand, Alex skidding a bit in her high-heeled boots on the hail-covered sidewalk, down the neat little street with its funky shops and cafes.

The reading was supposed to start at two, and it was already eight minutes after. As they rounded a corner and the shop hove into view, all she could see through the windows was backs… the parents, hanging back to give the little ones room to see. With a knot in her stomach, Alex hoped that they hadn't missed too much, for Nate's sake. And she hoped they'd be able to get in.

The quaint bell had been taped to the doorjamb to keep it quiet. As they entered the bookstore, only the muffled sounds of the author's voice were audible. The place was choc-a-block, and Alex's whispered 'Excuse me's weren't doing much, so she murmured to Nate to budge through and try to find a place to sit down in front, and she tried to wedge herself between a couple of people so she could at least see the top of the author's head.

"He sniffled over to Turtle Cake Sue

But all she had was cashew glue

In fact he couldn't find anyone who…"

A mystery story for kindergarteners told in rhyme. The mind boggled. Alex picked up a copy of the featured book, Peanut Butter Flu, and was happy to see they'd only missed a page and a half of the reading.

As she edged towards one wall, she caught sight of Nate – or rather, the tip of one of his shoes – towards the back of the gaggle of children gathered around the author. Looking around the room, she saw mostly middle-class adults around her own age. There were three staff members behind the counter; a young man and woman looking bored, and an older – but still youngish – woman who might have been the proprietress, staring raptly in the direction of the voice and almost – almost – mouthing the words.

She still couldn't really see Delia Watters; she had to be content with watching the salt-and-pepper head bob in time with her musically-intoned reading. Oddly, the author actually tapped her foot, as if she were singing instead of speaking.

That hair reminded her of Bobby. His wasn't as curly, but had the same proportion of black to grey.

Thinking of Bobby… she was almost painfully happy to be working with him again. It was a bit embarrassing to her, actually. The degree of her attachment surely wasn't healthy, was it? She didn't look at it too closely; didn't want to know. Was afraid to know. She just looked with a tinge of amusement, a dash of disdain, and a soupçon of despair at the beaming face that grinned back at her in the mirror every morning before work, and even in the evening driving home.

It was very dangerous to put one's happiness in the hands of another person.

There was a strange movement just behind the author. She couldn't see it all the time, but when Watters swayed one way and the guy in front of her tilted his head the other, she could see something twitching and whirring. It took her a second to realise it was a signer. Wow, that was cool, but – Oh Geez – she hoped that wasn't the 'signing' her sister had heard about! A quick look around assured her that the author would be doing some signing too, after the reading.

Another look at the children revealed a couple wearing big, boxy hearing aids around their necks, gazing at the person telling the story with his hands. It was a he, and for a second, Alex had the horrible sinking fear that maybe somehow it was Peter Lyons, from so long ago… but she couldn't really picture him doing something like this, and anyways, the possibility was remote.

At any rate, she couldn't get a glimpse of the guy any more than she could see the author. Embarrassed for even being so curious, she rocked back on her heels and endeavoured to concentrate on both the musical cadence of Delia Watters' voice, and the rhythm of those flying fingers.

o.o.o.o.o

The reading lasted until 2:45, including a Q&A session and an 'encore' reading of something Watters was working on. Reflecting on the day as she stood with the collected parents, she had to admit to herself that she wasn't entirely sorry Liz had seconded her to chauffeur Nate to this little 'do; whatever her reasons for doing so. Maybe her sister had wanted to twist the knife a little, but maybe not. And even if she had, it didn't take away from his enjoyment of the day. And Alex had enjoyed herself too. Being with other families made her feel good. Not only about being Nate's parent (for the day), but even about having him and handing him over. Doing the mundane things a parent would do legitimised her relationship with him, which in turn made her sacrifice more legitimate, in some weird way.

When the reading finally broke up, she sprang forward (with the copy of Peanut Butter Flu that Liz had ordered) to make her way to Nate and get him in the signing line. Besides thinking deeply about her surrogacy, her relationship with Nate and her future in her sister's family, she'd also become intrigued with some of the dynamics in the bookstore.

The two young clerks were clearly canoodling, and it amused her to see the disapproving reactions of some of the more observant adults. Was there something about becoming a parent that made people forget what it was like to be young? If that was true, then she definitely wasn't Nate's parent in any sense of the word, because she still found herself siding with the kids.

And the other woman, who turned out to be the owner, well she was interesting too. Yeah, she did turn out to be following Watters' reading word by word, moving her lips, but she was actually watching the signer, not the author. Avidly.

"Nate!" She found him standing in the reading circle, looking around for her. The store owner was organising the kids into a lineup, while some of the parents were gathering around Delia Watters.

"Auntie Alex! Did you hear the story?"

"I did." She picked up his hoodie from behind him on the floor and took his hand. "And look what your mummy got for you!"

He grabbed the book she held out for him and gazed at it. "Oh cool. Peanut Butter Flu."

"The author's signing people's copies of the book… do you wanna get in line?" She gently steered her nephew towards the kids waiting for their books to get autographed.

o.o.o.o.o

Oh dear. Alex had been standing with a gaggle of parents, watching Nate and feeling indulgent for letting him stand in line all by himself like the growing boy he was, when she noticed him pressing his knees together and making faces.

"Hey buddy, you gotta go?" She asked quietly as she moved to stand beside him.

He looked up at her and nodded. "But I don't wanna miss her."

"Well I'm sure they have a bathroom here." She looked around, trying to figure out how to do this. She couldn't really send him off by himself while she held his spot, but she didn't think the other parents would appreciate her whisking him out of the line and then budging back. "I'm just trying to figure out how to get you there without losing your place."

"What about Bobby?"

For a second Alex was startled, but then she realised that Bobby must be another kid she met here at the reading. "OK, good idea. Where is he?"

"Over there." And Nate pointed towards a hulking figure half-hidden in the back corner of the room, with his body turned away from the crowd, deep in conversation with the shopkeeper.

Bobby. That Bobby. Her Bobby.

"Bobby! What's he doing here?"

"Doing the signs for the deaf kids," Nate replied, although she hadn't really addressed the question to him. It was such a surprise to see him here… that must be why she couldn't drag her eyes away from him, why there was suddenly a heart-shaped lump in her throat.

"Did he see you?" She asked, finally glancing down at her nephew.

"Yeah," he said.

"Did he recognise you?"

Nate gave an exaggerated shrug. "I guess so. He winked at me."

"Why didn't you tell me you'd seen him?" Belatedly, Alex realised that she was grilling him like a witness.

"I dunno," was Nate's succinct reply.

At that second, the subject of their conversation turned to accompany the shopkeeper somewhere, looked up, and his gaze rested on Alex and Nate. Alex braced herself for an expression of embarrassment that would attend unwitting discovery, but instead, the genuine surprise and pleasure that spread across his face suffused her with warmth. She waved weakly at him, and Bobby hurried to make his way over to them.

"Hey you," she said, looking up at her partner and trying not to grin like a loon.

"Hey yourself," he replied, making no effort to hide his own smile. "I didn't expect to see you here," he continued. "I thought you got Nate next weekend."

"Nope. This one," she said unnecessarily. "Hey Bobby, if you're not busy this second…"

But she didn't need to finish… he'd already noticed Nate's pre-occupied squirming. "The bathroom's that way," he said, pointing. "You want me to save your spot?"

"Thanks," she said, holding her hand out to her nephew. When she looked back at Bobby she paused for a moment… he looked like he wanted to say something else to her. "What?"

He just shook his head and waved vaguely the way he did. "Only six kids in front of you. I'll catch you when you get back. You two have somewhere to be?"

She shook her head as she walked away, feeling a little bit giddy.

As she stood outside the men's bathroom waiting for her nephew (he was big enough to go by himself, and she wanted to spare him the indignity of using the ladies' room), she thought she'd figured out what must have happened with Bobby… While Alex's parents had forgiven her partner, her brother and sister had never gotten over blaming him for Gage, the mark in her jacket, her quitting, blah blah blah… He must have been hiding because he thought Nathan was here with Liz and Simon.

It made her really happy to conclude that he hadn't been avoiding her.

o.o.o.o.o

"You're that good, huh? At signing? I had no idea." They were standing a little off to the side, watching Nathan chat animatedly with Mrs. Watters. There were only a few kids left, and the store had mostly emptied out. Alex was very physically aware of her partner, looking strong and comfortable in a blueish fisherman's sweater that looked hand-knit, a cerulean dress shirt undone at the throat and a pair of black trousers that fit him really well.

"No, not really… because it's mostly reading from the books, I can take them ahead of time to learn them a bit. And during the Q&A, the adults are speaking in simple language for the kids. So it's not that hard." She looked up at her partner to find him staring at her in a way that made her feel fluttery and self-conscious… she touched her throat reflexively and tried to transmute the unaccustomed feelings into irritation.

But it didn't work. He looked adorable, he was clearly glad to see her, and he'd been translating a story into sign language for little kiddies, for chrissake. How could she be irritated at that? And if the shopkeeper had seemed very comfortable with him, and if she'd been staring at them the whole time they'd been talking, that was none of her business, so she couldn't really be bothered about that either, now could she?

Speaking of the shopkeeper, yeah, Alex couldn't really miss the notice she'd taken of Bobby talking to, and being completely focused on, Alex and Nate for the past 10 minutes or so. She was around Alex's age, maybe a little younger, pretty and charming in a wholesome, kind of hippyish way. She seemed to be rushing to get through her work behind the counter; Alex predicted that her haste was to catch up with Bobby and find out who'd captured his attention. Alex's head told her she shouldn't care, Bobby's personal life was no more her affair than hers was his, but she couldn't quell the surge of possessiveness that made her linger, drawing out their conversation.

"How did you find this place?"

He shook his head and laughed. "Actually, I came here for a gift for Nathan." He grinned at her incredulity. "For his fourth birthday."

"You introduced him to Delia Watters?"

"Yup. Nancy's Aunt's Pants. I thought of you when I saw it."

"Nancy's Aunt's Pants? And you thought of me," she drawled, scowling. "Thought of me how, exactly?"

"Well I, uh…"

He seemed relieved to be interrupted by the author herself, who came over with Nate to thank Bobby for his contribution to the reading.

o.o.o.o.o

Delia Watters had just turned away to chat with a couple of parents when Alex spotted the curtain of swinging blonde hair rushing at them like a hyena. No, that was mean. The bookstore owner moved like a ballerina, and her long limbs and soft kid flats and daintily outlined clavicle making Alex self-conscious of her heels-shortened calf muscles and weightlifter's pecs.

She kept her face and body turned completely towards her partner, who was earnestly explaining why he'd chosen to buy Nate's books out of publication order, and when the other woman ~?~ laid her hand on Bobby's arm to get his attention, Alex crowed just a tiny bit inside at how his body turned slightly at the pressure but he couldn't seem to drag his gaze away until Alex had acknowledged his rationale with a smile and a nod.

"Bobby, who's this?" Oh dear. Her pinched face and insistent tugging was very telling. Could she actually be his girlfriend? The heart-shaped lump fell from Alex's throat into the pit of her stomach.

Bobby finally looked down at the woman clutching his arm, but it was his partner whom he addressed when he opened his mouth. "Eames, this is, um, Alexa. Alexa, Alex Eames."

"I beg your pardon?" Alex started in genuine surprise, while Nate stared up at them with his mouth open.

Bobby laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, um, heh. Alexa, this is Nate." He waved down at the little guy, and Alexa the shopkeeper examined each of them in turn.

o.o.o.o.o

"She's my tummy mummy!"

Alex never again wanted to go through the agony of witnessing Bobby Goren's attempts to explain the intricacies of their relationship, never mind her family dynamics. She didn't know whether to be pleased or disappointed that he had apparently told Alexa nothing about her. Of course the woman had assumed – hopefully – that Nate was her child. Bobby's stammering correction had failed to clear anything up… thank heavens for Nate and his blunt, if twee, exclamation.

Alexa paused, blank-faced, for a second, then recognition set in. "You were his surrogate? Wow." She looked impressed and maybe a little disgusted, and both Bobby and Nathan beamed with pride. "I don't think I could ever do that," she blurted.

"Why not?" Bobby and Nathan asked in unison.

At that exact second, as Alex stood trying to look indignant, the shopkeeper appeared to realise the gravity of her mis-step. Of course Alex wasn't offended, but the woman's words were a bit callous. Maybe that was just the kind of person she was. One could hope.

But no, she wasn't callous, she was just thoughtless. The shopkeeper looked down at Nate almost in agony, and Alex took pity on her. Any answer she gave, or at least any half-way honest answer, would be awkward and even painful for the little guy… the poor woman couldn't know how mature and philosophical Nate was about such discussions… she couldn't know that he'd heard it all before. And she was clearly not used to thinking on her feet. "Well surrogacy is really expensive and time consuming, kiddo. Your mom and dad and I all have great health plans and stable jobs, but Alexa is a business owner, and she can't take all that time away from working at her shop," Alex said. She hazarded a glance at her partner, and the raw admiration on his face warmed her inside.

"Yeah," Alexa mumbled, and the three adults were temporarily still, Alex and Bobby locking gazes while the shopkeeper stood, a little deflated.

"You wanna go grab a coffee?" Bobby asked abruptly just as she reached for Nate's hand. For a second Alex didn't realise he was speaking to her. Neither did Alexa, apparently, because she stirred and looked up at the big man. "Alex? Or…" His hopeful face surprised her, but made her oddly happy for some reason.

"Well, we…"

"Oh, um, weren't we…"

Alex trailed off and let the other woman speak. "Sorry," she said, glancing at Alex, "Bobby I thought we were going out after?"

Confused and embarrassed, Bobby breathed loudly through pursed lips, as if he could suck the right answer out of the air. "Um, were we?" He scratched his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Cuz I, uh…" Both women stared at him, but he didn't say anything else.

Alex was surprised to realise that she wanted to go get coffee with her partner. But there was no real reason to… "Bobby, we see each other practically every day…" Oh! Why did she say that?

"Yeah, but I don't get to take you to my favourite coffee joint every day," was his surprising response. The butterflies Alex felt were because it was apparent by his manner that Bobby was actually trying to be persuasive. Something he almost never did with her. "They've got hot chocolate," he murmured, standing close, "If you don't feel like coffee." He looked down and made a comical face at Nathan, who'd heard the exchange. That rat bastard. He was actually using Nate as leverage!

It worked. "Please can we Auntie Lexie?" The sunny smile Bobby gave both of them both thrilled and infuriated her.

She tried to go with the fury. "Fine. Let's go." She glanced at her partner hoping to see contrition, but he grinned on.

"Well have fun guys," Alexa said, rallying. "You going to that place you took me, Café Bandits?"

"Nope," Bobby mumbled over his shoulder as he followed Alex and Nate out the door.

~.~.~.~.~

A/N 2: When I first had the kernel of an idea for this fic, I made the shopkeeper's name Alexa. Then when I wrote the fic, I thought it was weird and changed it. Then I changed it back… I hope it's not distracting.

WORDS: 3998 UPLOADED Monday, April 25, 2011

If you can read this, please leave a review! I love every word, even if it's only one or two. Flames welcome!