Author's notes:
Hi everyone. This is my first L&O: CI story, so please be gentle. This is a sort of case file story. A woman from Bobby's past comes back into his life. For all of you diehard B/A shippers out there, the only ship for them is friendship. This is rated M for language and mature adult themes (a.k.a. smut). Please read and review. Constructive criticism is appreciated, flames (non-constructive criticism) are not.
For the record, I don't own any of the L&O:CI characters, so trying to sue me won't get you any money.
5/1/07: I'm resubmitting the chapters to correct the format and some grammar errors.
Enjoy:o)
Sunday, August 13
Residence of Drew and Janelle Spencer
The sounds of Need for Speed: Most Wanted were blaring out of the surround sound speakers. Its 2 black, male mid-30 aged players
were just as loud. Maybe a little too loud. "Watch out, Drew! Watch out! I'm gonna win this one, baby!" "Not if I can help it, sucker!
Yo ass is about to be grass!" Janelle Spencer walked into the TV room where the guys were playing. She stood in the doorway, with her
hands on her hips and tapping her foot very quickly. "EXCUSE ME!" she yelled over the all the noise. Drew picked up the remote and
muted the sound on the TV. He and DeMarco just kept on playing.
Janelle folded her arms across her chest, shifting her weight to one side. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before
gathering the words to convey her displeasure. "Oh, HELLLLLL, no!" she finally barked. Drew paused the game and looked at her in
confusion. "What's the matter, baby?" he asked. Janelle looked at her husband of 14 years as if he had just sprouted a set of lime green
pink polka dotted antennae on his head. Once again, she had to open and close her mouth before gathering her thoughts. " 'What's the
matter, baby?'" she repeated. "Y'all are probably the loudest thing around here within a 10 block radius. AND you," she shook a finger
at her husband, "keep on playing like I haven't said a damn thing! That's what's the matter!" Drew got off the couch and went over to
hug his wife. He tried to give her a kiss on the cheek, but Janelle drew back from him. Drew and Janelle stared at each for a long time.
He gave her his best hurt puppy dog look. A small smile crossed her lips, then she sighed. She rolled her eyes in defeat. "Fine.
Whatever," she said. Drew smiled big and kissed her cheek. "We'll just finish playing the game and come and eat. Okay?" Janelle
shrugged. "Okay." Drew gave her a big bear hug that lifted her off her feet and took her breath away. "Put me down! I can't breathe!"
Drew let her go and jumped back on the couch.
Janelle turned to head back to the kitchen. She had barely taken 2 steps away from the door before the TV was blasting away again. She
shook her head and threw up her hands. "Oy vey!" she said as she entered the kitchen. A giggle escaped the lips of the kitchen's other
female occupant, her best friend Angelica, Angel for short. "I guess Miss Hard Nose wasn't working today, huh?" she asked. Janelle
nodded. "That would be a great big negatory, good buddy." Angel let out a loud laugh. "J, you're so silly." Janelle chuckled. "All I know
is they've got about 5 minutes to get out here before I do what Miss Celie did to Mister's daddy in 'The Color Purple,': spit in their
water." Angel made a face. "Uh, ewww!"
Janelle was starting her sophomore year at Middle Tennessee State University when she met Angel. Angel was officially a freshman, but
she had taken some advanced courses during her high school years that counted towards her freshman year, so she was a freshmore.
Janelle's roommate from the previous semester had decided to go back to her hometown to finish getting her degree. The moment Angel
had walked into the room they would share, Janelle knew they'd be friends for life. How did she know? When Angel walked into the
room, she had smiled, offered her hand to Janelle to shake and said, "Hi. How are you? I'm Angel." in the coolest Southern accent she
had ever heard.
Janelle was 5'9" tall with medium brown skin, dark brown eyes and short black hair. Angel was 5'9" tall, light caramel skin, gray eyes
and long shoulder length brown hair. Both were curvy, smart, and funny. Janelle was extroverted, making friends with anyone and
everyone she came in contact with. Angel was introverted and kind of shy, she was cautious to open up to people, but once she did,
people would be pleasantly surprised by her different interests and knowledge. They loved each other like sisters (fought like sisters every
once in a blue moon) and would defend each other to death. Janelle would always quote The Color Purple to describe their friendship,
"The only thing to keep me from my sister is Death." Angel would quote John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends."
Drew and DeMarco had just walked into the kitchen as Janelle had finished making her comment. "Damn, Janie, you ain't got to do all
that," DeMarco said with a scowl crossing his face. Janelle sighed in exasperation. "Whatever, dude." Angel and Drew exchanged
glances, trying to stifle their laughter. DeMarco laughed anyway. "Aw, Janie, don't be like that. You know you love me." Drew and
Angel couldn't contain their laughter any more. Janelle shot them her best "I'm-gonna-get-you" look. It had no effect on them because
they kept right on laughing. Janelle even started laughing herself.
Angel was the first to recover from the laugh fest. "Okay, okay. Can we please get the food on the table? I'm starvin' like Marvin."
Janelle wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah, let's eat. Drew, get the tea and some ice outta the fridge." Drew gave his wife a little salute and
headed to the refrigerator. Janelle passed the chicken and dressing dish to DeMarco, who put it on the table. She did the same thing with
the pot of green beans, while Angel placed the salad bowl and 3 kinds of dressing on there. As soon as Drew had put the ice on the
table, everyone took a place behind a chair. Drew said to DeMarco, "Say grace, man." They held hands and bowed their heads.
DeMarco opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud buzzing noise coming from one of the 2 cell phones on his belt.
"Excuse me," he said as he broke away from the circle and headed towards the living room to take the phone call. Janelle and Drew
exchanged looks while Angel just looked down and shook her head. Janelle folded her arms across her chest and looked at Drew with
an arched eyebrow. Drew gave her a "please-don't-start-anything" look.
"What's up, man?" DeMarco asked the caller. "I can't do that right now, man. I'm having dinner at Janie's." He threw his hand up in
frustration. "Man, I'll holla at you later when I'm done here. Aight? Peace." He snapped the phone close and went back to the table. He
took his place behind the chair and looked at Janelle. "What?!" he snapped. Janelle held up her hands and shrugged. "Dee, I'm not going
to say anything. So, just chill out." DeMarco took a deep breath, held it and slowly let it out. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you, man."
Janelle smiled and took his hand; Angel took the other. Everyone bowed their heads again and DeMarco began to say a prayer. "Amen,"
they all said together and sat down.
Dinner must have been delicious because plates and pots were empty and everyone was having trouble getting up from the table.
DeMarco helped Drew load the dishes into the dishwasher, while Janelle and Angel headed to the TV room. The guys followed them in
there. They debated about what to do: the guys wanted to play some more video games; the ladies wanted to watch a movie. They all
finally decided to just talk and let the TV be background noise. DeMarco's cell buzzed loudly again. He answered it without moving
away from his friends. "What's up, man?" he asked. He listened intently to the caller on the other end as he looked at his watch and
noted that it was almost 7:00 p.m. "I'm heading out now. Later."
DeMarco stood up and stretched his 6 foot frame. "You leaving?" Angel asked. "Yeah, I got some business to take care of. I'll holla at
y'all later." Janelle rolled her eyes. "Janie, don't be rolling your eyes at me." Janelle stood up to her full height, standing toe to toe with
him, a hint of disapproval in her eyes. "DeMarco, go do your thing, dawg. I'm not saying a flipping thing," she hissed through her teeth.
Drew and Angel got between them. Drew had his hands on DeMarco's shoulders, holding him back. Angel did the same with Janelle.
DeMarco and Janelle continued their silent staring standoff. "Y'all need to chill out for real," Drew said. "Damn! We had a great day with
a great church service, a great meal and great convo. And now, you two knuckleheads want to ruin it by fighting over some stupid
bullshit! Let it the hell go!" At the mention of the word 'knucklehead' DeMarco and Janelle visibly relaxed and looked at each other in
mock amazement. DeMarco said, "Dang, Drew. You ain't gotta be like that." "Yeah. And I'm not a knucklehead!" Janelle chimed in.
Angel looked at Janelle with an amused look on her face. "Oh, yeah. That is so untrue," she said sarcastically under her breath.
Drew let go of DeMarco and turned around to look at his wife. "Well, you are. Let this man do his thing and stay out of it." Drew turned
and looked at DeMarco, pointing at the offending phone. "The next time you come over here for dinner or whatever, THAT particular
phone needs to be OFF." DeMarco held up his hands. "Cool," he said. Drew turned back to Janelle. "You cool or what?" "I'm ice cold,
baby." Drew then turned and looked at Angel who had let go of Janelle and just stood next to her. "Well?" he asked her. Angel pressed
her lips together, shrugging. "I'm down for whatever." Drew squinted at her. "I'm gonna take that as a 'yes.'"
DeMarco looked at his watch again. It was now 7:05. "Aight. Now, I'm really outta here," he declared. His friends walked out of the TV
room with him and to the front door. Janelle was the first one to hug him. "Just be careful, Dee." she whispered into his ear. DeMarco
gave her an extra squeeze. "I will, J." Angel hugged him next. "I love you, DeMarco." He looked deep into her gray eyes before kissing
her on the forehead. "I know, Baby Girl. I love you, too." Drew held out his hand. DeMarco took the proffered hand and pulled him into
a half hug. "Be safe, Brotha Man." Drew said. DeMarco just nodded. He walked out the door without saying anything else. He turned
around and waved at them before getting behind the wheel of his dark blue Ford Explorer and taking off. Angel lingered at the door a
little longer, watching over her friend until she couldn't see his tail lights any more. She finally closed it and turned to look at the lovebirds.
"He'll be okay," she said. Janelle shrugged as she wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, giving him a sideways hug. "Maybe."
Drew hugged her back. "Y'all quit worrying. He'll be fine." They headed back to the TV room, each saying a silent prayer for the safety
of their friend.
Monday, August 14
Inside of SUV
Detective Alexandra Eames was humming along to 'Dancing Queen' which was playing on the local oldies radio station. She glanced at
the clock. It said 6:55 a.m. Alex was in a pretty good mood, despite it being Monday and that traffic was moving slowly. Over the
weekend, she had helped her baby brother Shane supervise the movers as they moved his things into his new apartment. His divorce
decree had become final last week, so he finally was able to leave his parents' furnished basement apartment he had stayed in while he
was separated from Kellie, his wife of 12 years. After the movers had left, their parents, Johnny and Janet, and their brother John and
sister Jill, plus their spouses and children had come over to help him get settled in. In a matter of hours, everything was in its proper place.
Shane asked Alex to spend the weekend with him and she had obliged. She suspected he just needed a shoulder to cry on and a caring
ear to listen. She was right. The memory of spending quality time with her baby brother had left her feeling good, so she was able to deal
with the slow ass traffic a little better.
Alex was also thinking about this upcoming weekend: Bobby's 45th birthday was on Sunday. She had mentioned it to her dad while they
were in Shane's kitchen area. Of course, Johnny being the dutiful husband promptly went and told his wife. Janet had called the family
together and declared that they were going to throw Bobby a birthday party at their house. She turned and looked at Alex saying, "It'll
be up to you to tell him AND make sure he shows up." Alex groaned and shook her head at the memory. "He'll kill me." she thought
to herself. Then she started to smirk. "Let him try." She started going through a mental list of things she could get Bobby for his special
day.
Monday, August 14
Goren's Apartment
Detective Robert Goren, Bobby to his close friends and family, had just finished buttoning up his crisp white shirt and was selecting a tie
out of his closet when the telephone rang. He quickly picked out a nice striped one and went over to his nightstand to pick up the
cordless phone. It wasn't there. He looked around quizzically, then remembered he had last used the phone in the kitchen. He hurried out
of the bedroom and made it to the kitchen by the fourth ring. "Hello?" he said breathlessly. "Hi, Uncle Bobby. It's me, Courtney. You
okay?" Bobby smiled at the voice on the other end. "Hi, Courtney. I'm fine. I just had to rush from the bedroom to the kitchen to answer
the phone. How are you?" "I'm fine. Daddy wanted me to call and tell you that his flight should be landing at the airport around 9 a.m."
Bobby looked at his watch and saw that it was 7:00. "Did he say if he wanted me to pick him up?" "Daddy said he's getting a rental car.
He's going to come to your job to get a key." "Okay. I'll be looking for him." "Bye, Uncle Bobby. I love you." "I…I love you, too,
Courtney. Bye." Bobby pressed the 'end' button and set the phone down on the counter. He had a smile the size of the Grand Canyon
plastered on his face. "Wow," he thought, "I'm loved by a 10 year old." He shook his head and put his tie around his neck.
By the time Alex reached Bobby's apartment, she had about 5 gift ideas on her mental list. She got out of the SUV and headed into the
building. Alex took the stairs up to the 3rd floor. She smiled at Mr. Diaz as he was coming out his apartment. "Buenas dias, Senorita
Alex," he said as he tipped his hat at Alex. "Buenas dias, Senor Diaz." Alex waved at him as she continued heading to Bobby's.
Alex reached Bobby's apartment and knocked on the door. "Come on in, Alex." She turned the door knob and went in. Bobby was
standing in the kitchen, tying his tie. Alex shook her head and asked, "Why are you tying your tie in the kitchen?" "Oh. The...the phone
rang and I came in here. To answer it." "Oh. Okay." Alex shrugged and walked off to admire the new wooden bookcase. Alex ran her
hand up and down the side of the bookcase. "This is nice, Bobby. Where'd you get it?" "It's my early birthday gift from Lewis. He's got
an uncle that fixes up and restores old furniture." Alex let out a low whistle. "Wow. A grease monkey that can pick out a nice piece of
furniture. I'm impressed." She turned around to look at Bobby as he chuckled. He had finished with his tie and was slipping on his suit
coat. He picked up his trusty leather binder off the counter top. "Ready?" he asked. Alex nodded and headed out the door with Bobby
on her heels.
Bobby eased himself into the passenger seat while Alex got in the driver's seat. He fumbled with his seatbelt a little as Alex started to
ease back into the morning rush hour traffic. Bobby turned on the radio and smiled as he realized the oldies station was on. "Singing along
with 'Fernando' again?" he asked jokingly. Alex reached over and pinched his arm. "It was 'Dancing Queen,' thank you very much."
Bobby rubbed the spot where she had pinched him. "Ow. That…that hurt." "Serves you right for making fun of me." Bobby made a
show of shifting in his seat away from Alex, still rubbing the spot where she had pinched him. Alex just smiled.
"What did you do this weekend?" Alex asked. Bobby shrugged. "Not too much. I helped Lewis do some restorations on a '55 Ford
Fairlane on Saturday. I visited Mom on Sunday." Alex nodded her head. "You guys put the bookcase in Saturday?" "Actually, Lewis
gave his uncle his key to my place so that he could put it in without my knowing." "The world's greatest detective got duped by a car
restoration? I love it!" Bobby nodded. "Yeah. I….I guess I did. I…I don't know how to repay him for this wonderful gift."
Alex snuck a glance at Bobby. "You don't have to repay Lewis. He's your friend and he wanted to do something special for you." "It's
just kinda hard to accept. That's all." Alex sighed and shook her head. As long as she had known Bobby, she could never understand
why he couldn't accept acts of kindness shown towards him. There were times she wished she had a time machine so that she could go
back and tell little Bobby Goren despite everything he would go through with his family, that he had nothing to fear from the people he
would eventually meet and call his friends. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex caught Bobby squirming in his seat as if he were
uncomfortable. "You okay?" "Yeah, I guess."
Bobby cleared his throat and asked, "Did Shane get settled into his new apartment this weekend?" "Smooth transition, Bobby." Alex
thought. "Yeah, he did," she answered. "It's a really nice place. It didn't take long to get his stuff inside. The entire Eames clan came out
and helped him unpacked." Bobby frowned slightly. "How many of you actually fit in there?" Alex chuckled at Bobby's question because
she knew what he was thinking. "Minus the movers and his ex-wife, 18 of us fit in there quite snugly." "Hmm. Small crowd."
The 2 partners fell into a comfortable silence on the ride to work. After about 5 minutes, Alex was the one to break it. "Alright, I'm
curious. Whose phone call was so important that you had to tie your tie in the kitchen?" she asked. "My god daughter, Courtney, called
to tell me when her dad's flight was coming in." Alex gasped in mock horror. "Robert Goren! You have other children in your life besides
my nieces and nephews and cousins? I am shocked!" Bobby let out a hearty laugh. "Jealousy is so not becoming of you, Eames." he said.
"You have such an interesting array of friends. What does this one do?" "His name's Rob Duncan. He's a web designer based in Atlanta.
He's coming to meet with his New York clients and spend some time with Courtney and me." "So, I get a new perspective on the charm
and mystery of Robert Goren, huh?" Bobby shrugged as he laughed. "I guess."
"Well, here goes nothing," Alex thought as she took a deep breath. "Your birthday's this Sunday, you know." Bobby looked down at
his hands, then out of the window. "Yep. The big 4-5." "You have any special plans besides the usual set in stone ones?" Bobby turned
and looked at Alex, a puzzled look on his face. "What 'set in stone' plans?" Alex chanced a look at him, her eyebrows raised. "You
know. Alannah." She placed extra emphasis on the name. Bobby frowned for a minute before recognition of the name came to him.
"Good grief! I haven't heard from her since last year." he said. Alex's mouth dropped open for a second. "Oh my God! You mean to tell
me that you have guaranteed sex once a year on your birthday and you can't even remember her name! You are either very forgetful or a
dog. I'm leaning heavily towards the latter." Bobby threw up his hands. He ran his hand through his hair and then rubbed the back of his
neck. "You are not going to let me live this down, are you?" "I don't care what you do in your sexual life, pal. I just think it's kinda rude
not to remember your fuck buddy's name."
Alannah Fitzgerald was 6 foot 1, 3 percent body fat, well endowed, with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. Bobby and Alex had
both met her at Chauncey's Bar the week before Bobby's 40th birthday. They had went there to relax and celebrate after a particularly
stressing case. They were trying to decide where to go for dinner when the bartender had placed a couple of fresh drinks in front of them
and told them that they were from the lovely lady at the table behind them. Bobby and Alex turned to see this strikingly beautiful red
haired woman holding up her champagne glass in a toast to them. They returned the gesture. She appeared to be holding court with 3
other females, all with varying shades of blonde hair, just as beautiful as she, and 4 dark haired men, all tall, dark and handsome with
broad shoulders. Bobby suggested that they go over and at least thank the kind stranger. Instead, Alannah had gotten up and walked
over to them. She introduce herself and invited them to join her and her friends. They both thanked her, but declined the invitation. She
pulled a couple of business cards out of her jeans pocket to give to the detectives. As she gave each of them a card, Alannah made a
point of slowly stroking their hands and undressing them with her eyes. Needless to say, Bobby and Alex made a calm, but hasty retreat
out of the bar.
Bobby broke down and called Alannah the next night. They made to plans to meet at an Italian restaurant that was not too far from
Bobby's place. Alannah was already at the restaurant when Bobby got there. They hit it off quite well, talking about their interests and
hobbies. Before the main entrée was delivered to the table, Alannah told Bobby that her 40th birthday was coming up on the 19th and
that she was going to become more like Samantha Jones from "Sex and the City": flaunt her uninhibited sexuality. She had asked him if he
wanted to be a willing participant in her quest for ultimate sexual satisfaction. It took Bobby all of 2 seconds to say yes. Alannah's
birthday was the first time she and Bobby carried out her "Samantha Jones-ness." Every year since then, Bobby had celebrated his
birthday with her.
"Alannah hasn't called me at all this year," Bobby said, sounding guilty and hurt at the same time. "This may be the year I don't get any."
Alex sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up Alannah to judge you or make you feel uncomfortable or anything like that. I asked
about your birthday plans because my family wants to throw you a birthday party." Bobby looked stunned. He sat there in silence,
looking out the window. "Why?" he finally asked. Alex cast her eyes upward. "A little help here would be appreciated, thank you."
Alex answered, " 'Why?' Why not? Bobby, you know my family and I love you to pieces. Mom gets on my case sometimes because
YOU don't just drop in for a visit or tell them about your mom's health. I mean, she knows you do your own thing on your own time, but
she gets pissy with me because I can't make you do anything like I can make John and Shane do." Bobby was about to say something,
but Alex held up her hand. "You do realize you became an Eames when we became partners? That certificate the kids gave you last year
just cemented your fate in being an Eames." Bobby smiled at the mention of the certificate he got from her family.
Last year, Bobby went with Alex and her family to a park in upstate New York for a huge family gathering to celebrate recent additions,
by birth or marriage, to the ever expanding Eames/Finley clans. Johnny Eames was the master of ceremony that day, introducing the new
family members to everyone. When he had finished making introductions, he called Bobby up to the front and presented him with a
framed hand made certificate that said "This certificate hereby grants Robert James Goren all the rights and privileges of being an Eames.
We Love You." It had been signed by Alex, her parents, nieces, nephews, cousins. You name the relation, he or she signed it. Bobby
had felt a an overwhelming sense of belonging that day. He proudly hung the certificate in his bedroom.
Bobby sat in silence, thinking about what to say to his best friend and partner. He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he couldn't
think of any reason why he shouldn't spend his birthday with someone else besides Alannah. "Well, say something," Alex said. "How
many people is your mom inviting?" Bobby braced himself for the outrageous number. "Mom said that we'll just limit the party to us kids,
the spouses and grandkids." Bobby let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "That's fine. Will it be okay if Rob and Courtney
come, too?" "Sure, they can come. Hell, I'm feeling generous. I'll even invite Lewis." Bobby rolled his eyes and smiled. "Gee, thanks."
Alex took another deep breath and said, "If you and Alannah get together this weekend, you can bring her, too." Bobby raised his
eyebrows. "Oh, really?" Alex nodded. "However, be forewarned. If she tries to back me into a corner to cop a feel, I'll clean her clock
real good." "I'll file that away for future reference."
Bobby and Alex fell back into their comfortable silence once more, each smiling to themselves. Alex smiled because she was secure in
the fact that Bobby's birthday party would be a blast, with or without the red haired nympho. Bobby smiled because he decided he was
going to cut loose this weekend, whether sex was involved or not.