Title: Field Trips and Smart Kids.

Series: Raising Travis

Rating: K

Warnings: Complete and Utter Smooshy Fluff

Summary: Travis has a field trip coming up and wants his Aunt Alex and Uncle Bobby to go with him.

Disclaimer: Bobby, Alex, Bob the Builder, and Spiderman aren't mine. I can barely make my bills, so don't bother suing.

A.N.: This starts about a month after Rings lets off. Not really important to the plot. It just helps to have perspective. This is just the first chapter of what I hope will be a great story. I'm still looking for a Beta reader if anyone wants to do it just let me know.

"Aunt Alex, Mrs. Gibney wanted me to give you this paper specially. She said its real 'portant." They had just gotten in the door Alex hadn't even gotten her coat off when Travis stuck the paper in her hands. It claimed there would be a field trip at the end of the month to the Children's Hands-On History Museum. They were looking for parents to help keep an eye on groups of children. After hanging their coats on the hooks by the door Alex ushered the excited boy into the living room.

They had their afternoon ritual down to a science after just a month. Sitting on the sofa the pair would go through Travis' "Bring Home Folder" for any important papers and work the teacher wanted him to do at home. Photocopies of his 'daily journal' page were also included. Then, boundless energy intact, Travis would go step by step through is day. Who he played with at free time, who he sat next to during reading circle, these people were different each day. Let it never be said that the Eames' weren't out going. There was an 'Annalise' who warranted at least three mentions every day. Alex had a feeling that her Travis liked this girl. Then they would move into the kitchen where Alex would start dinner and Travis would work on letters or numbers. She could set her watch by the whole thing even the part where Travis asked about her partner.

Usually it was, 'when can Uncle Bobby come for dinner, or can we go to the park near Uncle Bobby's 'partment.' Alex sometimes wondered what his fascination with her partner was, then she realized he was Travis' only male influence now that his parents were gone.

"Aunt Alex do you think Uncle Bobby would come on my field trip with us. Please, I want to show him to Jesse and Annalise. It would be so cool if I brought two cops with me. Puuulllllleeeeezzzzzzz?" Alex turned in time to see the puppy dog face that always made her break.

"Honey I don't know. I'll try to get the day off, but I don't know if Captain Deakins will let us both have it. Poor Mr. Mike and Miss Carolyn would get stuck with all of our work. I'll talk to Bobby and the Captain tomorrow. Is that ok?" Alex didn't want to promise the boy anything she couldn't deliver.

"Well maybe Uncle Bobby could come over for dinner and you could ask him then." The suggestion was practically cut off by the buzzer sounding by the door. It was as if Bobby had a mental link with her nephew. Alex buzzed the door open and unlocked her front door allowing him access to the apartment, while she went back to the kitchen. Several minutes later a knock sounded, Travis jumped up to see who it was and came back to the small table dragging the harried detective behind him.

"Look mom, he came and you didn't even have to call him. That's so…" the words died on Travis' tongue as he realized what he had just said. A tear trickled down his cheek unbidden. Alex had to break the tension.

"I guess that cop/partner telepathy thing really works huh?" She asked no one in particular while hefting Travis onto her hip. "Travis was just saying I should invite you to dinner so he could ask you a question. Go ahead get the paper to show Uncle Bobby." Kissing the top of his head while she put him down Alex tried to reassure Travis that his little slip was ok. Sometimes when he was drifting off to sleep she would hear him mumble 'night mom' but she wasn't sure if he was referring to her, or if he was saying goodnight to a mother that wasn't there anymore. This was the first time Travis had realized who he was calling mom.

This was all quickly forgotten thanks to short attention spans; Travis came back to the kitchen standing next to the chair now occupied by the hulking detective. As Alex set another place and finished dinner she thought to her self how domestic this whole situation was. The thought warmed her. The meat sauce was simmering and the noodles had gone into the water when Alex turned around to ask what Bobby wanted to drink with dinner only to find the pair had vanished. She heard raucous laughter bubbling from the end of the hallway; Travis must have taken Bobby into his room to show him something or other. When she got to the door the sight that greeted her brought a tear to her eye. Bobby was tickling the poor defenseless boy to within an inch of his life and he loved every second of it.

Dinner was punctuated by talk of the upcoming fieldtrip, and how it would be so much cooler with both of them there. After dinner was the time of the evening Travis dreaded most, Bathtime. For some reason tonight it wasn't as big a fight as it usually was. Alex wondered at this while she was up to her elbows in 'Bob the Builder' soap suds. She chalked it up to childhood temperament, and thanked god for this bit of reprieve as they rinsed and dried. Spiderman pajamas on Travis raced back out to the living room straight for the recliner Bobby was relaxing in. He landed square in the big man's lap with 'oof's' from both. Travis whispered something to Bobby that lit a smile on his face that could have rivaled the sun.

An hour later as some inane sitcom bumbled in the back round Travis had fallen asleep on Bobby's chest; Bobby didn't look too far behind in the sleep department. Alex stood and gently lifted the boy off of her partner and carried him to his room. Reaching the room first Bobby pulled back the blanket and sheet and wondered at the domesticity of the evening. He had come here to discuss the case they were working and bounce a few ideas around with Alex, and was instead pulled into this suburban dream, the only thing missing was the dog running laps around his feet. Sitting on the couch a few minutes later Alex's curiosity had gotten the best of her.

"What did Travis whisper to you just after he full tackle crunched you?" Recalling the stunned look on Bobby's face at having a lap full of five year old made Alex laugh.

Bobby thought for a moment about keeping the secret the boy had entrusted him with, but decided against it. Realizing the truth behind the words Bobby replied "He said he liked me being here, said it made him feel safe."

Alex caught herself just before saying 'me too' out loud. What she did say brought the conversation to less dangerous territory. With the television buzzing in the back round they discussed the field trip, art projects, and the case that had them both baffled.

They had solved the baffling case, and many more since it. The day of the field trip was quickly approaching all the chaperones were asked to attend a meeting the evening before the trip to make sure no wires were crossed. With dinner done and Travis watching cartoons with the neighbor kid Alex and Bobby set off for the meeting. Walking up the steps to the school Alex got a sense of déjà vu. Remembering the day they registered Travis Alex quickly switched the ring from her right hand to her left. Bobby saw this out of the corner of his eye and followed suit with his ring. They entered the building Bobby's hand as usual snugged into the small of her back.

Finding their way to the cafeteria the couple was greeted by Mrs. Gibney, Travis' teacher.

"Alex, hi I'm so glad you volunteered to help out. Travis has been talking non-stop about his aunt and uncle 'the cops'. I'm glad you could both get the day off" she said warmly grasping their hands tightly before stepping away to greet several other parents.

"You do realize that Travis makes us sound like a couple. Is that ok with you?" Bobby asked not wanting to assume anything. Alex just shrugged and sat to listen for instructions. They would need to pack a lunch, and dress comfortably, the museum boasted several activity areas which could get messy. Since so many parents signed up each would be in charge of three children. Travis would be happy when he found out that he would be spending the day with Jesse and Annalise.

A week after the trip with just a month of school left Travis was still talking about how much fun he had. At Kindergarten graduation Alex had gotten to meet Annalise's mother and they had exchanged phone numbers promising to get together over the summer. The graduation ceremony was just to acknowledge those children who had improved from the beginning of the year. Each child received a certificate that stated they had made it over the first hurdle of many in their education. As Travis, Jesse, and Annalise were presented with their certificates Bobby and Alex cheered the loudest. What none of them were expecting was that all three of the kids plus a handful of others would be going to the 'advanced' first grade classes next school year. If this kept up, they would become inseparable. Leaving the school after the ceremony all three sets of parents remarked that the kids would end up being the three musketeers.

End Chapter 1 of Raising Travis. Reviews, like acknowledgement of Bobby and Alex's relationship (Cough Dick WolfCough), would be much appreciated and cherished forever.