Disclaimer: No claim to L&OCI or the Character of Robert Goren

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You Better Quit While You're Ahead

Detective Robert Goren's POV

Did you ever hear the saying, "you better quit while you're ahead?" Of course you have, everybody has heard that expression. You could apply that to poker, playing the ponies, the stock market … ooh bad example … shoulda quit that a long time ago, anyway, you can even apply that saying to your job. Logan did. Was he ahead? Am I ahead? I'm behind in a lot of ways yet I sit here contemplating my quit while you're ahead, saying. After all, it applies to everyone at some time in their life. You can hear a parent say it to a child … "you better quit while you're ahead." In that case the child is usually already in pretty deep. My mother would say that to me after the tenth time I said, "are we there yet?"… going to my Grandmother's house in the country. I'm not sure if it really applied but I stopped saying it and Frank would laugh as she swatted me from the front seat. In many cases, you've already lost a lot, so in fact, you're not ahead, it really makes no sense at all when you come right down to it. So, maybe I should quit while I'm still behind.

The past two years and more recently six months have severely damaged me financially. Yes, I'm behind. I'll have my pension and I can get another job. I could teach, be a street magician or work for Lewis … at least I have a plan if I quit. I want to be so far away from the job that I may just pick street magician … it's been a life long dream. I bet Eames didn't know that … I'm the genius … why would I do something so mindless? I don't think Houdini was mindless … now he was a genius. I may be a little old for that. I could join a Harley gang and pick up odd jobs around the country as I ride free around the beautiful US. Free … so I've been told. Quit while you're ahead and you're free … poof … just like that.

Freedom comes with a price and when you combine that with quit while you're ahead, it means one thing …the price that I would have to pay … I won't get to see Eames anymore. Sure at first we'll "do lunch," maybe even dinner now and again but she'll still be on the job and will be running off on a call and I'll just become an inconvenient old friend. Eventually the phone calls will stop and we might bump into each other at the Farmer's Market months down the road and exchange awkward pleasantries and promise to get together and never do. If I exercise my quit while you're ahead freedom thing, I'll lose Eames for good. I've lost a part of her over the years … her respect … at least I don't think she respects me anymore … she second guesses my judgment … questions my sanity, who doesn't? I guess that's my cue … I should have quit about three years ago … I was ahead then … she still considered me a friend then. Yeah, I was ahead three years ago … I was Eames friend. It's time. It's three years past time. I should have told her then … she was my best friend.

It's my turn to "quit while I'm ahead" … so I think I will because without Eames' respect it's like being without Eames anyway.

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Probably a one shot. Reviews appreciated ... thanks for reading, Judeey