Disclaimer: CI and characters involved belong to the new TV god, Dick Wolf (sorry, Chris Carter, you snooze, or surf, you lose!!).

Rating: K

Category: Post Ep 7x01 – Amends.

Spoilers: Up to and including the season 7 premier.

Author: Traci

Summary: Bobby takes Alex home after events in Amends.

Concessions

"Are you alright?" Goren had been worried about his partner throughout the case. He had watched her fight to stay in control, to stay strong. As far as he knew, he was the only one she allowed to see her nearly lose it – though that had been his own doing upon not warning her that he was delving into her husband's murder.

Alex Eames looked up at him in the now-empty interrogation room, biting her quivering lip. "No."

He nodded, opened the door and looked around before turning back to her. "It's late. There aren't a lot of people out there."

Swallowing hard, she silently thanked him then followed him out of the room, down the hall, through the bullpen and into the elevator.

Goren remained quiet during the elevator ride. He knew if he spoke it might break that last bit of control she had left. He wanted to help. He wanted to reach out. Inside, he sadly laughed at the irony. She had done the same with him over the last few months and he had done his best to push her away. Now he understood. Now he had a chance to make it up to her and to make her see he understood.

They made it to the SUV and she handed him the keys. Not a good sign.

They climbed in and Eames stared out the passenger window. The wrong man had been imprisoned for Joe's murder. For nine years an innocent man had sat behind bars and she had been happy about it. For nine years his son had had to see him through Plexiglas and Eames had not cared. That man, she was so sure, had killed her husband. Now, with his name cleared, he would be visiting his own son and looking through Plexiglas. Then there was the man who had killed Joe. The man who was a successful surgeon. The man, who she had to agree with, saved hundreds of lives. The man who, above all else, stole her life away from her nine years earlier.

"Alex?"

She turned to Goren and only then realized they were parked outside of her house. "Sorry."

"Don't be."

Then it hit her. They were parked outside of her house – in her SUV. "Um, Bobby, did you forget to go to your place?"

He shook his head and got out of the car. Walking around, he opened the door for her. "No. I, uh, figured maybe you might want…" He had no right saying what he wanted to – not after he had shut her out so much lately. "I'd like to talk about my mother, if you wouldn't mind."

And Alex smiled. For the first time in nine years, she contemplated the notion that maybe something positive would come out of Joe's death. "I don't mind at all."

Unlocking the door, she knew Bobby's initial plan had not been to talk about his mother. He had made a subtle apology to her in the car after the funeral but now… Now she knew they we're going to be just fine.

The End