Alex Eames stared across the room at her partner. He was fully engrossed in some phone call, some cell conversation regarding information critical to the present case. Enough to where he wouldn't notice searching eyes.
When not distracted by a case, her nephew, or her search for a man, she would find herself trying to assess, to pin down the relationship she had with Bobby. The one that they shared, really. They had known each other and worked so closely for so long, yet he was still able to surprise her. He, of course, had had her figured out almost immediately.
It was sad, really. He was a genius investigator, such a very strong and gifted individual. Gifted. Yeah, gifted. An amazing ability to absorb information and to manipulate people. Extremely valuable assets to any detective.
Yet Bobby dragged her down. He'd tainted her. How many times had it been pointed out? As if she didn't know herself.
Despite his abilities, he was a problem. A weight. He couldn't act like a normal adult, and had a horrible reputation for outbursts. Angry, childish outbursts that anyone with self-respect would be able to contain. He was flat-out abnormal, probably had been all his life. Certainly would be for the rest of it.
She had no choice but to be there for him. At any time, if forced, she could switch to someone new. She adapted well. She adapted when she moved out of Vice, she adapted when Joe died. She had to. If you don't bend, you break, right?
Bobby was different. Major Case was his stability. She was his stability. He'd had a horrible life, and one by one each constant he'd had was either ripped away or distorted beyond repair. In her experience, people with his kind of childhood were usually bitter, and fought back at humanity with hate. Bobby somehow manifested his problems by being an anti-authoritarian, obsessive, and sadly antisocial cop. It had just gotten worse as time had passed. She'd hoped he would heal, but he was still falling apart.
Something else she fought with herself about. Did she enjoy working with him? He, well, he obviously enjoyed her company more than she enjoyed his. He'd grown so used to having her around. It wasn't that she didn't like Bobby, or that she wasn't loyal to him. Hey may have altered the course of her life for the worse, but he sure as hell was fun to work with. An interesting guy. He was just so much fun to watch, irresistibly fun to watch, especially if he was in one of his more sadistic moods. There were also a surprising number of pros to having a partner who always knew what was on your mind.
Bobby turned around, caught her eyes, smiled, and gave a small wave to indicate the conversation wasn't going to take up much more time. He'd assumed she was just waiting on him. She sighed. Poor guy.
Really... if you stopped and really thought about it... there were other things to like about Bobby. He was truly full of surprises. And it wasn't often you met a guy as huge and capable as him who would respect someone like her. Another difference between Bobby and the other detectives. He obviously valued her to the point that he relied on her. Others didn't look at the small, forceful woman in the same way. A partner was supposed to be equal, but putting someone like Eames in that category, much less as a senior partner, was difficult for the macho types she'd been paired with before.
Like dating, when the guys found out you were a cop. Or at least when it really hit them. She'd be treated differently, no matter what. By everyone apart from Bobby.
Goren hung up the phone, came up to the glass, and motioned that they had a lead.
Bobby... he understood, though. He knew where she fit in, how she worked. They were a funny pair, and they had more problems than she'd care to deal with, but in the end they got along great together in all areas of their partnership. It worked.
Eames put her papers in order, put her jacket on, and got up to head out with Bobby.
He cocked his head. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she said with a smile. "Fine."
Constantly assessing. It was a confusing relationship. Maybe she enjoyed it more than she'd thought.