This is chapter two of Reasonable Doubt by DixieH. She gave me permission to continue her one shot. I loved it so much I jumped at the chance. I hope I do justice to her fantastic chapter one!

Please note: You really must read Reasonable Doubt first! This will not make any sense if you attempt it before reading Dixie's story.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are part of Dick Wolf's wonderful world of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

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Eames heard the elevator chime but she closed her door anyway. She needed a moment to regroup. She leaned her forehead against the cool wood and took a long, deep breath. What the hell just happened? What did he just do? She didn't have long to think before she felt a knock vibrate through her face. She closed her eyes, straightened her shoulders and opened the door.

The excitement in Ross' eyes quickly faded when he saw the look on her face. "What the hell did he do now?" He didn't even try to contain his disgust for her partner.

Alex picked up on it and her immediate reaction was to defend her partner. "Capt - Danny…" She quickly realized what she was about to do and changed directions, "Look, Danny, let's just pretend he wasn't here."

Ross clenched and unclenched his jaw and nodded, attempting to erase Goren from the nights' equation. "Good idea," he briefly closed his eyes then opened them to look at Alex. He handed her the flowers, "these are for you." He was smiling, but his insides were still knotted up. He couldn't get Goren and that smug look of his look out of his mind.

"Thank you, they're beautiful." Oh, wait for it…

"Not as beautiful as you, Alex." And there it is. I bet Bobby wouldn't say anything as cliché as that. Alex couldn't believe she just thought that.

Alex and Ross had a nice time. Dinner was fantastic and dancing was just what Alex needed. She felt cared for and special and definitely desired. But Ross could tell something was off. Earlier that day, she let him know how much she was looking forward to spending time with him. He was equally excited to be with her as well. But as the night went on, he watched her become more and more despondent. Now, the woman sitting before him seemed to be just going through the motions.

No matter what she did, Alex was having a hard time concentrating on Ross. She was happily anticipating the evening, but then Goren blew in with his crazy story and well, that was all she could think about. That was a wild story he had with him…I wonder what happened next? I wonder what the other stories are like. By dessert, it was all she could do to not run home and dive into her laptop.

"You're distracted." He bit the bullet and went for it.

"No, why do you say that?" Shit! He can see that? She smiled at him and did her best to hide any doubts that were now running through her mind.

"Why… exactly… was your partner over tonight? I thought you told him to leave you alone until tomorrow?" He didn't mean to sound bitter, but he did and she picked right up on it.

"Oh, you know Goren and his boundary issues. He had somethin' from the case that was bugging him and he was hoping he could run it by me." Alex was trying her best to sound casual and unaffected by Bobby's visit.

"What was the problem?" Ross didn't believe her. He called her bluff.

"Uh, I don't know. I asked him to leave before he could tell me." She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

Ross let out a sigh.

Alex reached across the table for his hand, "Let's stop talking about Bobby. I don't want to think about him any more tonight."

Oh, so you were thinking about him? Ross' antennae went up but decided to drop it. After all, picking a fight was not going to get him the results he was hoping for once he got her back to her place. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "It's getting late, why don't we head out of here."

--

Meanwhile, Bobby sat in his apartment, glued to his computer screen. He was shocked and appalled by what he was reading. My God, these people sure do like to see me shot, beaten, stabbed, kidnapped... He had to do some research to figure out what it meant when someone "shipped" him and Alex. Okay, that makes sense. Then he had to see what slash meant. Yikes! What the hell is that all about?!

Before he knew it, it was close to midnight. He hadn't even eaten dinner. Geez, this stuff is addicting. But he didn't stop reading. He was happy for the distraction from thinking about Eames. He was trying to forget how damn gorgeous she looked, and that Ross, of all people, was reaping the benefits of her outfit and…her. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he'd been kicked in the gut. "Eames and Ross? This is just not right. She should be with me. I mean, even these people agree with me." He said out loud to himself as he pointed at his computer screen.

Then, he poured over story after story to see if anyone wrote stories about Eames and Ross. He used the filter and first tried both Ross and Eames. Ha! Nothing. Then he tried Ross alone. Four! Only four stories were returned. See, no one wants to see Ross and Eames together. Not me and not those people out there in Fan Fiction land...whoever they are.

--

The whole way home, Alex could feel her anxiety mounting. She wanted, no, she needed to get to her laptop. She had to see what else was out there.

Ross walked her to her door. She unlocked it and turned to him. He stepped closer, held her shoulders, and pulled her into a kiss. She tried, really tried, to get into it, but all she could think about was Bobby. What it would feel like to have his arms wrapped around her; to have his tongue seeking hers instead of what Ross was doing just then. She pushed away from him; she could barely look him in the eyes.

"Danny, I'm sorry, but I'm really tired. I think we should call it a night."

He knew it. He knew Goren had been tagging along on their date with them. The whole time, Goren was an invisible third wheel; trying his best to work himself into every part of the night. And just like that, just as Ross was making his move, Bobby stepped in for good.

"Alex, what did he say to you to make you shut me out like this tonight?" He couldn't help himself. He needed to know what kind of hold Bobby had on her. Because clearly, there was no chance for him in Alex's life so long as her partner was there, too.

She had to think quickly, "Danny, I'm sorry. It's not him. It's me. I thought I could do this, I thought I could separate 'Danny' from 'the Captain', but I guess I can't."

"You certainly seem able to separate 'Goren' from 'your partner'…or... is that the problem… there is no difference?" The words came out faster than he anticipated. He didn't mean to become 'the angry, shot down, date'. But he did.

"That's unfair, Danny. I would never have agreed to see you socially if there was anything between Bobby and I. There is nothing going on."

"Yet. Or should I say, maybe nothing physical. But from what I can see, he's got a hold on your mind…and maybe your heart, too."

"Danny, please -"

"Good night, Eames. See you at work." Before he finished speaking he was heading for the elevator.

She stepped inside and closed the door.

--

Alex was pissed. How the hell did Bobby do that? How did he manage to get inside my head like that?. All it took was a two minute conversation and he got me totally screwed up. That arrogant son of a bitch. He knew exactly what he was doing, too. He knew he could get to me. That thought got her even more pissed off. He could play her, and he knew it. He must have waited until the time was right to do that. He waited until he perceived a threat and then he moved in.

But despite her anger, she went straight to her laptop and began to read.

--

As she read the stories, she was also clicking on profiles to see who these people were. Wow, there are people from all over the world writing about us! They all seemed to be women, and they are of all different ages. Man, who knew that women had this sort of thing rolling around in their mind? But then she thought about her own lusty dreams about that partner of hers and suddenly it all made sense. She read on. After a while she decided she liked the T and M rated stories the best so she stuck with them.

Holy crap! These people are great! Look at what they have me doin' to Bobby…and more importantly…what they have him doin' to me! After reading for a few more hours, Alex was no longer mad at her partner. In fact, she felt quite the opposite.

These stories were really getting to her. She could feel her skin tingling with desire. She read story after story. Sometimes she rescued him, sometimes he rescued her. Sometimes the rescuing was real, physical; other times it was emotional. But her favorites all seemed to have one thing in common; angsty build up followed by an outpouring of passion as they declared their love for one another.

As she read, she couldn't help but think about what happened earlier in the evening. That moment when he came so close to pulling her toward him. When she came so close to letting him. She knew. She knew it was such a bad idea on so many levels. He's my partner, we're complete opposites, it could screw everything up. Then she really thought about it. Or... it could be the best thing we ever did.

She thought about all the times she had watched him and wondered how it would feel to touch him, to kiss him, to love him. Just like in the stories she read, her body was reacting to him. He really is a beautiful, sexy man. Any woman I know would give anything to have his attention… And then it hit her. I have his attention. It's me that he wants. She thought of earlier that evening, how astonished he was by his internet discovery. However, while he was shocked, he wasn't disgusted by it, he almost seemed…encouraged. Like it was the catalyst he needed to go an extra step with her.

--

It was now well past midnight. Bobby was laying on his couch, drained. He read and read and now…now he felt even worse. All that those stories did was make him realize what he was missing out on with Alex. He desired her, deeply. He loved her, completely. In his mind, she was his. But in reality, she was out with Ross. Ugh. How could she? Of all the people in the world…

He stood up and began pacing. His mind was filled with images from the stories. Alex in little shorts and tank tops… the two of them dancing together… trysts in the office… in cars…making love ...on a couch…in the shower…in bed, and all night long. He thought of the stories where they woke up with each other, the ones where he has children with her, and they have a wonderful life together. His body was aching for her.

He had himself in such a state, he almost didn't hear the knock at his door.

--

She was there.

"Hey." He backed up to let her pass by. He was trying to hide his shock. Not only was she there, but damn it all, she's still in the tiny little dress. It took all of his self control to keep his hands to himself.

She walked in but didn't know where to go. She found herself in his kitchen. She leaned against the counter trying to appear relaxed. "So, what else did you find?"

"Uh, no fax yet, I don't know what's taking Phoenix so long."

"That's not what I'm talking about." Her voice was soft and sexy.

He noticed her tone and he froze in place.

"Fan Fiction…have you been reading?" She was pulling the pins out of her hair one by one. He noticed her hands were slightly shaking.

He stepped closer to her.

He didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked one of his own. "So…how was your date?" He couldn't help the nasty way the word date escaped his mouth.

She paused. Her heart was pounding, she was certain he must have been able to hear it. "Well, you can imagine he wasn't too happy to see you leaving my apartment."

"Oh, I hope it didn't put a damper on his plans for the evening." His implication was clear. He wanted details of how the end of the night went.

"Let's just say he didn't leave a happy man."

Bobby sucked his lips in the hide a smile.

"Don't be so god damned smug, Bobby. It doesn't become you." She chastised him in amusement more than anger.

"Well, it got you here didn't it." His confidence was gaining. He stood right in front of her now. He reached up and pulled out a hair pin that she missed. Then he smoother her hair, tucking some of it behind her ear.

"Ass."

"Speaking of ass," he put both hands on her waist then let one glide down over her rear end, along her dress until he reached the bottom of it. He played with the hem a little, letting his fingers skim along her thigh.

"Shit, Bobby." Her breath hitched.

He arched his torso and lowered his chin to look her in the eyes, "look at me... and tell me you don't want Ross."

Alex closed her eyes at first. She knew once the words came out, there was no going back.

She slowly opened her eyes and brought her hands around his neck.

"I don't want him…I want you, Bobby. Only you."

A wave of desire washed over him.

He crashed his lips into hers. Their kiss was rough and demanding; as if they believed once it stopped they'd never taste each other again. He was grinding into her and she stiffened her body as much as she could, increasing the friction between them. He had her pressed right against the counter and was bending her upper body backwards. She was trying to keep upright, but the pressure he was applying was too much for her to bear.

Finally, when the need for air became essential they broke from each others' mouths. Bobby continued to kiss Alex's face and neck.

"Bedroom, now." She managed to push the words out in between pants.

He heard her and scooped her up. He carried her into his bedroom and placed her on the bed.

"Bobby, I guess those people were right."

"Yeah, they had this idea all along. Too bad we didn't find those stories sooner." He laid down over her, covering her completely. He began to suck on her neck.

"And I think they've given us a lot of great suggestions." Alex purred into his ear.

"And I think we can come up with a few new ones of our own as well." He whispered back.

"I love you, Bobby."

"I love you, too, Alex."

"Now, let's get to some of the ideas in those M chapters…"

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a/n: again, thank you so much to DixieH for letting me ride on her coattails! Thanks for reading.

Until next time…cifan.