Disclaimer: Not even the idea is mine.
A/N: Many thanks to... ACK! Forgot to ask how you guys wanted to be thanked. Well, drop me a review and let me know for part two, ok? Anyhow, you provided me with the songs, I just wrote it out. Hope I haven't disgraced you!
Song: Hilary Duff's Weird
Babylon - Chapter One: Eames
She watched him sometimes. Not very often, because she had to be sure he wouldn't catch her at it. Oh, she looked at him during cases, but that was different. She didn't let herself be distracted then.
She was doing it now, the first opportunity she'd had in weeks. He was completely engrossed in his paperwork, large form hunched over his desk. He looked vaguely disheveled, like he hadn't slept for a week. And, she mused, he probably hadn't.
I LIKE THE WAY YOU NEVER SLEEP
AND THE PROMISES YOU NEVER KEEP
I LIKE THE WAY YOU SAY HELLO
AND MAKE IT SOUND LIKE TIME TO GO
It was one of the things that made working with him so interesting. He could stay up for as long as he needed to for a case, and he never needed to crash at the end like she did. His reason for not sleeping (there was too much to do) always seemed to apply for him. She doubted if he ever completely stopped thinking, and for him that counted as something to do.
The disheveled thing worked for him, though, the stubble especially. It made him seem very believable, somehow... like he was working so hard for what he was saying that he had no time to care about how he looked. Not that he did half of what he said to suspects, but they BELIEVED he would, and that was the important thing.
I LIKE THE SCAR ABOVE YOUR LIP
THEY WAY YOU LET YOUR FEELINGS SLIP
BUT THEY'RE NEVER WHAT YOU FEEL
OH SO FAKE BUT COMPLETELY REAL
One of the other things she'd become adept at as his partner was listening while he spoke to suspects. He could sit down in interrogation and convince someone he knew exactly what they were going through. The thing was, there was almost always a grain of truth in it. He used that as an outlet, allowing him to deny that that was what he really felt.
DON'T YOU THINK IT'S WEIRD
WEIRDER THAN WEIRD
THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE
THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO BE
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
IS WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT ME
DON'T YOU THINK IT'S WEIRD
She knew he'd had partners before her; quite a few of them, actually. They'd looked at him and his theories and seen only an anti-social, condescending, unconventional man. They hadn't been able to see the genius behind the quirks and hesitancy. She found it hard to believe that she'd been the only one who ever saw the real Robert Goren. It was more than a little odd.
YOU LIKE THE RULES THAT DON'T APPLY
AND LET THE GOOD THINGS PASS YOU BY
STANDING HERE WITHOUT A PLAN
THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SUCH A HAPPY MAN
He knew everything. Well, she admitted silently, watching his dark brows draw together, that wasn't REALLY true. But he did know a lot. At crime scenes, he knew exactly what to look at, pointed out everything that should matter, delighted in all the things that had no relevance... because they all came together later.
And he was happy with his life as it was. She knew that he liked the way he was able to jump into something without a plan, knowing he had her for backup. So he'd let opportunities for a real social life pass him by... that didn't matter. He was still happy.
DON'T YOU THINK IT'S WEIRD
WEIRDER THAN WEIRD
THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE
THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO BE
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
IS WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT ME
DON'T YOU THINK IT'S ONE, TWO
She didn't really understand that part; how he could function without his family or friends. She knew that he visited his mother regularly, and that it was hard on him, but he didn't seem to keep in touch with any other family. He also didn't spend much time with friends. She wasn't sure he even had very many. Frowning, she tried to remember the last time he'd gone out for coffee with someone who wasn't her. She couldn't.
I WANNA MAKE SOME CHANGES
I WANT MY MONEY BACK
I WANNA START UP AGAIN
I WANNA TALK TO STRANGERS
I WANNA BE WITH YOU
BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW
WHERE OR WHEN
It was complicated, she decided. Sometimes she was exasperated to the point of wanting to ask for reassignment, even if only briefly. There were enough good times to remember, however, that she could remind herself why she put up with him and why she should keep doing so. Sometimes, though, she felt like he was shutting down, drawing the curtains down over his mind and heart and becoming the person all his ex-partners thought that he was. Then she would get worried that he might request a new partner... or even hurt himself. Not intentionally, but he could be so reckless when he was like that.
THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE
THAT'S WHAT YOU WNAT TO BE
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
IS WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT ME
Well, that was her partner, and she was used to it. Glancing at the clock, she noticed that it was past five. "Hey, Bobby?"
He slowly lifted his head, as though reluctant to split his focus from the papers in front of him. "Yes?"
"What to get out of here? We both need to get something to eat, and come on. Neither of us has slept since we got this case."
"There're still a few things to finish. I don't think I'll be sleeping much."
"Humor me, then. I won't sleep well if I'm worried about you, and we both know I need it more than you do, although you ALSO really need sleep." She put on her best pleading face. "Please? For me?"
His face remained blank for a moment, and then a smile began to creep across his face. His expression was a mix of amusement and rueful indulgence. It gave her the distinct impression he couldn't resist the face. "All right, Alex. If it'll help you sleep."
DON'T YOU THINK IT'S WEIRD
WEIRDER THAN WEIRD
THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE
THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO BE
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
IS WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT ME
DON'T YOU THINK IT'S WIERD?
He helped her on with her coat, leaving his hand on the small of her back as they walked toward the elevators. They were chatting about something, and completely missed the knowing look on Deakins' face as he watched his star team exit the room. Yes, he was going to have to pull some powerful strings soon to keep them as a team, if the looks they were giving each other were any indication.
A/N: End part one. Part two should be up at some point this week (read, before next Tuesday).