Some of you will recognize some of this chapter as being a major portion of "Coolest Thing Ever". This is because I really did want those events to happen in this, the long form fic, but only was working off a prompt at the time. There were some adjustments made to fit better with the overall tone of this story. Hope you enjoy the partial remake and the rest of the story as it comes.

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Today had been the worst day he could recall in a very long time. Sure he had gotten his job back, but at what cost? His partner was the one that made him as good as he was. He was the first to admit it, but now she thought that he didn't think so. That he was somehow too good for her… How could she ever think that? He figured that it had to be at least in part because he had been so wrapped up in his own world for the last year and a half. He had gone off on his own, shut her out, left her wondering on the sidelines, when it was part of her job to watch his back. Of course she was pissed off. He had just been too, lost, to see it.

So now he had contented himself with drowning his sorrows in a great quantity of booze. It took no small amount to get him even buzzed, so the measure required to get him this very drunk was large indeed. Whiskey, over and over again. Another? Please. There was no saying no, just the final you've had enough. Ok. So he wandered out the door and into the New York City night. His feet taking him to places he'd never really gone before, or at least didn't recall ever having gone to.

He didn't know how long he had been walking, or how far, when he found it. A jungle gym. Even in his drunken and depressed state, he had the thought that it was just too cool not to try it out. Especially since it was one of the big old solid ones like they hadn't built in 20 years. Built like a tank and could hold 30 kids before shifting a millimeter. It was a bigger sized one too! Not quite tall enough for him to hold himself off the ground without lifting his feet, but he didn't have to lift his knees up too.

He was just thinking about all the good times he had had as a kid on one of these, thinking about what kind of tricks and stunts he could do back then, when it suddenly occurred to him that maybe he could still do it...

He quickly took off his coat and draped it over the monkey bars and headed for the balance beams. On second thought, he figured he didn't want to risk staggering home on a sprained ankle. The pull up bar was first then. He pulled himself up a few times, happy he could still do any, and then managed to flip himself over to hang from his knees over the bar. After a minute the head rush was getting to him, heightening his already drunken state.

He grabbed the bar, unhooked his legs, and lowered himself to the ground, grinning all the while. This taste of victory convinced him that he should try another trick too.

Bobby went over to the hanging rings and pulled himself up, getting a slow swinging going. He was happily lost in a haze of memory and whiskey and promptly forgot about the rest of the world. He swung himself back and forth a bit, got some side to side motion as well. He remembered the one time he thought about trying to get good at a sport and go to the Olympics, he thought he could work the rings pretty well too. His favorite move was to swing back and forth, then do a flip while letting go. He set himself to swinging a bit harder, gaining more altitude with each pass. Finally he decided it was time and proceeded to kick his feet up and over his head, push his arms out to move the rings away and then fall in a heap into the soft sand below the rings. His mind had executed the maneuver perfectly and if he had still been ten it would have been fine. But he was much taller and bigger now and the two didn't see eye to eye.

"Helpful hint," a female voice said. "Wait until you're sober before trying that again."

"I don't think I'd try it at all if I was sober."

"Need a hand?"

"Sure. At least to help get my feet untangled."

She laughed lightly, holding out her hand, "Least I can do for passing a stranger."

"Thanks. Whatcha doin' out here anyway?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Juss wandering."

"A midnight adventure through the city, seeing where your restless feet take you on your journey through the shadows of the ever wakeful city of light and sound?"

He blinked at her slowly. "Yeah... How'd you know?"

"I guess because I'm doing the same thing. If it's not objectionable to you I'd like very much not to wander alone."

" D'you always talk to random strangers in the middle of da night?"

"No. But anyone trying to do gymnastics at four something in the morning while dead drunk and smiling five miles wide can't be all bad."

He processed this for a moment before replying, "You still can't be shure."

"True. Do I have a reason to be afraid of you?"

"Shome people might think so."

"Why's that?"

"They think 'm crazy. I'm not though. I ask m'self that, sho 'm not."

"That's what I think too. If you ask, you must not be because crazy people 99% of the time don't think they're actually crazy. So what do you do that people say such things about you?"

"I'm a cop. Detective akshualy."

"Well then, I guess I don't have anything to be afraid of after all, now do I?"

"Maybe. I don't think I'm a good person to know."

"I think you're still a good person to walk with though, if you'll let me?"

"Oh... shure, if only to keep me out of more trouble like this. Last thing I need is a busted foot."

"Thank you," she said, with much more depth than he would have expected from just someone to walk with.

"You're welcome," Bobby replied sure his confusion would show.

She giggled and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. That was just too... well there's no other word for it but, cute. I was also thanking you for not saying something like 'Well of course you can walk with me, it's not safe for a girl to be out alone.' You can imagine I hear that a lot."

He smiled a little. "Yesh, I imagine you do." He took a deep breath, blowing it out in a rush of air. "Well I guess we can get going. My name's Bobby by the way."

"And I am Althea. Very nice to meet you," she replied, shaking his hand. "If this first meeting is any indication I'm sure we're going to get along famously. I like making new friends, don't you?"

"I don't know. I've never been v'ry good at it. People tend to not like me pretty fast."

"Maybe you haven't met the right people." She took his arm and they began to meander along the park path.

"Maybe…" he rumbled. "Hey where are we going?"