Author: SilentG
Title: Will they or won't they?
Fandom: LO:CI
Pairing: B/A
Rating: T for now
Spoilers: Maybe, see individual chapter A/Ns.
Archive: Anywhere – no need to ask – just attribute, and let me know if possible
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: Not 50 First Dates. Rather, one first date, one second date, one third date, etc. Some things move so slowly that they seem to be stationary, but then one day you look and everything's changed.

A/N 1: The first chapter resembles a similar fic by Sharkie2008; I have her permission to use elements from her recent one-shot, "Airports". Go read it, it's awesome! This takes place in the near future, like all my B/A fics. Chapter spoilers for: Faithfully (Season 8)

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CHAPTER ONE: AT THE AIRPORT

Bobby Goren stood in the waiting area of Domestic Arrivals feeling foolish. He looked around for a trash can, but none presented itself. He thought of just leaving the flowers on a seat somewhere, but knowing his luck, he'd get collared by Airport Security for abandoning a potential WMD and that would be even more embarrassing. Yeah, being grilled under the bright lights while the bomb squad blew up his 'welcome home' impulse purchase would be a memorable way to mark his partner's return.

His partner. When had he forgotten that she was his partner? Well, he knew the answer. He forgot completely for about 20 seconds when he met her at the ferry terminal on the way to the Conlon murder a few months ago. She'd stomped off the ferry, frowning, but as soon as she'd seen him her face had lighted up, her body language relaxed, and she couldn't stop smiling. Seeing him had made her happy. He wanted to see her look like that again.

The plane was late. No, wait, it wasn't – time was just crawling by for him. Had she thought about him while she was in Phoenix? Probably not. He'd thought about her, of course – but he thought about her all the time, nowadays. He'd worked through her vacation, and worked especially on trying to stay focused, get along with everyone. He didn't like the idea that anyone – especially Eames – thought that she had to stay partners with him because he'd fall apart otherwise.

The moment he saw people piling out from the gate, he decided to go with his original plan with the flowers – hopefully she wouldn't think it was weird or unpartnerly. Hopefully she'd be happy, smile the same way she had before, and it would be nice and relaxed and not weird at all. And maybe after she would even think it would be nice to go to dinner. He felt in his pocket for the $42 cash he had left, after the flowers. He'd packed his lunch every day to save money and was pretty sure it would be enough for him to take her for a meal, if she'd like.

Then he heard her laughing – laughing! He felt his breath hitch in anticipation, looked down the line of people, saw Eames strolling up the ramp, tanned and so pretty in a white sundress that was a bit too light for spring in New York, chatting with another passenger. He tried to stay his hungry eyes from gorging on her looking so happy and relaxed and there, so close, and before he knew it she was close enough for him to call out, "Eames!" – Eames? Geez, where did that come from? What a dork. And she was turning to him with a look of amazement, and the guy she was walking with turned with a frown, and she was walking over too him much faster now, and smiling up at him as if he were just about her favourite thing in the whole world.

"Bobby! Are you here for me?" she asked happily, winging the guy, who'd followed her over, with a sliver of her megawatt smile. "Sam, this is my partner Bobby. Bobby, this is Sam, we sat together on the plane." The men nodded to each other, and she added, "I guess I won't need to share a cab after all, sorry." She didn't sound sorry, which made Goren feel quite cheery. She touched Goren's hand and he was so startled, he dropped the flowers he'd forgot he was holding. "These for me," she asked, darting down to grab them before he could bend over.

"Uh, yeah," he said lamely, feeling a bit embarrassed now that they weren't really alone.

"They're nice. Thanks," she said, placing them carefully in the crook of her arm. Goren was anxious to get going and started shuffling towards the exit. "Bobby… I just have to get my bags, OK?" she said with a knowing look. "Been waiting long?" she said with a smirk. "My partner gets antsy when he goes too long with nothing to do," she said to Sam, who was still hanging around like a lost puppy.

"Do you, um, need a ride somewhere?" Goren said to Sam. Eames seemed surprised to hear the offer, and he instantly kicked himself. This guy seemed to be sniffing around her, but he wouldn't have lingered if he'd already gotten her number.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks," he said. "Into the City if you're heading that way." He walked back towards the luggage carousels, but Eames hung back, handing Goren her bag and the flowers and giving him a very sceptical look before heading over to claim her luggage. When she glanced back at him, he grinned sheepishly and shrugged, and she rolled her eyes.

*****

*****

What's wrong with me? This isn't a date, Eames fretted to herself as she stared at the hypnotically-revolving carousel track, and the luggage tumbling down the chute. Lately, she'd been feeling so drawn to Goren physically, and seeing him unexpectedly and in a non-work setting had sent a debilitating stab of arousal through her body before she could steel herself for it. Even now, she was having trouble not just turning and staring at him. He looked so good! And he'd gotten her flowers! Flowers!! Aaaaah, It was so hard not to read a million things into that – none of which were probably true, she thought glumly. She felt a tingling, a pressure, on her lower back, as if he were tugging her towards him with a ribbon attached to her womb. She fancied he was looking at her, and resisted the urge to turn on a dime and try to catch his expression. Would she see a mirror of the hunger she felt inside? She couldn't risk it.

She saw her bags, and marched briskly to claim them. The quicker they got out of there, the quicker they could lose Sam. He was nice enough, but she'd really prefer to be alone with Bobby. Maybe he'd let her buy him dinner? And why did the big lug have to offer Sam a ride, for Pete's sake? He was certain to offer her his phone number, and she really didn't want Bobby thinking she went around picking up guys all over the place. But maybe Goren was just being nice to her, which would mean that there was no reason to not be nice to Sam, which would mean it didn't matter what she did with Sam's number. A depressing thought.

---

"Where are you parked?" Eames asked as they emerged from the airport.

"A long way off," Goren replied, waving absently in the direction of the sea of cars. "Sorry, I didn't think to go pick it up while you were waiting for your luggage."

"Oh that's OK," Eames said, "You know how I love to walk."

"You warm enough, A-Alex," Goren asked, glancing surreptitiously at the goosebumps on her smooth skin.

"Hmmm, I have a sweater in my bag – I'll get it out when we load up your car."

"That's OK, I can grab it now," Goren said, and opened the combination lock on her garment bag with a flourish. He pulled out a lightweight black cotton knit sweater and handed it to her without comment.

"Yup, that's the one," she said with a smirk. Was this Goren being territorial? Or just a showoff. Maybe that's why he didn't pick up his car – he didn't want to leave her alone for a second! Eames almost laughed out loud at such a ridiculous thought.

*****

*****

They both got out of the car to say goodbye to Sam, who lived in a fairly swanky high-rise in midtown. As predicted, he handed her his card after he shook his hand and then Alex's. She turned it over as she got back into his car – the guy had managed to write something personal on the back. Impressive initiative. When had he done that? In the airplane john? Or while the car was moving. He didn't see what she did with Sam's card, as she immediately bent over to grab her flowers. She'd been holding them most of the drive, fiddling with the wrapping and touching the blossoms. She looked over at him with a little smile. "What are you up to tonight?"

"Oh, um, I haven't any plans," he stammered. She hummed and turned to look out the window. He pulled into traffic and drove in the direction of her apartment in silence.

"I'm starving," she declared a few minutes later. "You?"

"Yeah I am," he replied, happy that she hadn't mentioned it with Sam in the car. Did she do that on purpose? "You want to grab some dinner?"

"I'd like that," she said sincerely. "My treat – the least I can do, since you came to fetch me and brought me flowers."

---

They dined at a casual tapas bar near Alex's house. They talked – about work, current events, her vacation – but he didn't recall a single word. What he recalled was the way they sat close together at the tiny corner table. How Eames brought her flowers in with her and laid them carefully by her side on the covered bench. How she smiled when the waiter offered to put them in water for her. How the bouquet cut them off from the rest of the patrons, making it seem like their private party. How excited she was by the parade of little dishes of food, and how carefully she listened to him expound the intricacies of Spanish dining and night life. How their knees brushed together sometimes. How she didn't pull away. How she made no effort to hide her eye-rolling scepticism as he tried to explain the recent exoneration of Absinthe, and how she laughed when he magicked a sugar cube from behind her ear.

How he found Sam's card the next morning, discarded on the floor in front of the passenger seat.

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A/N 2: This will end up a multi-chaptered fic, but each chapter ('date') will stand alone. It's B/A in so far as neither of them will end up with any other person, but I'm as curious as you to find out how far they get. Thanks for reading!

PS: now that I know how to send review replies, all reviewers get a poem.

BTW: Where I live, the luggage pickup area is separated from the non-travellers by a hip-high gate, so friends and family can converse with passengers before they get their luggage. I've been to two airports in New York, but since nobody picked me up from them I didn't make note of the layout of their arrivals areas.