Rating: PG13 for language, but ratings will change with each chapter
Timeline: Post-Brother's Keeper
Author's Notes: Please read and review. I'm interested to know if I should continue writing or shelve this one.

Easy Silence was taken from the song of the same name by the Dixie Chicks. Marvelous song.

"Goren, if you ever try and pull one over on me again, you'll be walking back to the precinct and I hope to God it's in negative ten degree weather and during a blizzard!"

"I'm not in the mood to be on the receiving end of one of your idle threats, Eames. I did what I thought was best."

"Yeah, without consulting me! Like it or not, I am your partner. That means when you go to meet suspect who has a history of being armed and dangerous, it's probably a good idea to take along backup! Do you know how many innocent people could've been injured or killed tonight when the perp whipped out his gun?!"

Detective Alexandra Eames liked to think that her partnership with one Detective Robert Goren had evolved over the several years they'd worked together. It had taken time, but slowly the compelling amalgamation of down-to-earth practicality and energetic eccentricity proved to render a steady flow of satisfactory results for the Major Case Squad. At first, the plucky, diminutive blonde meshed with her quirky partner about as well as oil and water. He, the animated, maverick detective who had considerable difficulty keeping partners, had attempted to ostracize his newest partner before she'd even had a chance to prove herself. It wasn't that he harbored prejudices against this latest person the Force had apparently chosen at random to stick with him; he didn't know a damn thing about Alexandra Eames!

Goren was acutely aware of the way his co-workers talked about him and Alexandra, or Alex as she was known, had heard more than a few of the stories in passing. His immediate superiors were generally in awe of his masterful ability of profiling criminals, yet simultaneously exasperated at the roguish, if sometimes controversial, techniques he utilized to uncover evidence and milk testimony from unwilling witnesses. Awe, however, was not a precursor to friendship and the whispers that circulated around the eleventh floor of One Police Plaza concerning Goren often included such words as odd, strange, vigilante and bizarre. There were only a handful of people in the whole building that Goren would consider having a few drinks with or engaging in a game of pool or ball and, therefore, he largely remained an enigma, subject to endless speculation amongst his peers. Making friends and kissing ass didn't make Goren's list of priorities and clearly neither did forging productive professional partnerships and following the rules. He'd been on the last bend of his path to self-destruction and his superiors were growing weary of his antics when he was introduced to his newest partner, Alexandra Eames.

"He said he wouldn't talk if you came along. He didn't want anyone there but me because he trusts me. It was the only way to get any information out of him."

"Did you not hear anything I just said? The man has a rap sheet longer than my shopaholic sister-in-law's shopping list the day after Thanksgiving. There's a reason why he's a suspect, Goren. So, you thought it was safe to go wandering off alone to some dark alley to meet him?? Thank God I arrived when I did!"

"He opened fire because you came barging down the alley waving a gun and screaming for him to put his hands in the air!! In case you haven't been following the case, Eames, the guy is suspected in rage killings of three women. What part of that don't you understand?! He doesn't like women! That's why I went without you! He wouldn't talk otherwise!"

"Really? So, what's the explanation for your last minute changes in the line of questioning we'd agreed on when we brought his brother in for an interrogation yesterday? Once again, without consulting me!"

"Back off, Eames..."

Goren was highly intelligent in many ways. He was hailed a genius by criminologists and a brilliant detective by his captain, but he failed immensely in underestimating his now fourth partner. Mistaking her quiet nature for meekness and incompetency, he'd purposely tried to exclude her from their first investigation together, thinking and hoping she'd ask for a transfer just like the others and leave him alone to do the work he did so well, the work that he craved and needed. Not an egotistical man by any means, Goren just couldn't help but feel unchallenged by his previous partners. They lacked depth and precision where investigating was concerned and he was certain his constant, boisterous stream of thoughts couldn't keep up with them. He didn't have time to go back and explain his inferences because by then his brain was already busy working on the next piece of the puzzle. So far, no one had the patience to endeavor to match Goren's pace and quite frankly, Goren wasn't going to wait for them to catch up. He didn't exactly afford them the time to get used to him and his strange methods and seemingly eternal vivaciousness and he sure as hell wasn't going to slow down to placate their slow-firing neurons and possibly lose leads and witnesses. However, his latest partner changed all that.

"I'm not going to back off, Goren. You know why?"

"No, but I'm sure you're about to tell me..."

"You're damn right and you don't even have to use your overworked brain. You just have to use your ears and listen.

"I am your partner. That means when you get an idea, you share it with me. When you want to bring in a murder suspect, you let me know. When you want to stakeout an area, you take me along. When you want to have a shootout, you tell me in advance so we don't end up six feet under!"

"I'm not some rookie cop that needs you to hold my hand, Eames!"

"Goren, I'm warning you. If I ever find out you've gone behind my back again, I won't be holding your hand, I'll be breaking it!"

Alex grew up in a family of cops which comprised of three brothers. Early in life she learned to hold her own and stand her ground. She could take down all three brothers by herself in a fight with one arm tied behind her back, drink any man under the table, disassemble just about anything and put it back together but more importantly, she wasn't one to be intimidated or fazed by intelligence, size, money or rank. She gave as good as she got. Having been married to a cop and being the daughter of a former cop gave her extra practice in dealing with difficult, haughty policemen on many, varied levels and though in Detective Goren she felt she had her work cut out for her, she was undeterred. When he pushed, she shoved. One sarcastic jab from him was met with two from her. From the moment they first met, she let him know he couldn't and wouldn't be shaking her off. Even after a moment of sheer aggravation in which she'd asked for a transfer, she resolved that he wasn't going to get rid of her that easily.

A fighter from birth, wherever Goren was, she was there, too, forcing him to consider her opinions and acknowledge her presence. Eventually, he realized that though Eames had quite a different style of investigating than he did, a more traditional, "rule-following" style, he conceded in admiration that she brought something to their partnership that coalesced into something that worked for both parties. Her perseverance, feistiness and simple intellect coupled with his impeccable instincts, attention to detail and enthusiasm had melded into a team that functioned as well as a finely tuned machine. She was the eye of his hurricane. Issues and concerns that once plagued Goren's mind melted away and over time he began to think in terms of "we" instead of "I". Finally, Robert Goren had gotten to experience the awe that many of his peers felt when in his presence.

"My judgment has never let us down, Eames. Sometimes, you just have to trust me."

"I do trust you, Goren. I trust you implicitly, but lately you've reverted to your old way of doing things. Remember in the beginning when you tried to push me away? Well, you're doing it again and I don't appreciate it. I expect to be kept informed of everything that goes on in regards to our case. I–I know you're having a hard time with everything that's been going on with your mom and brother..."

"Don't go there..."

"I just want to say that no matter what, I'm here for you in case you need to talk. Just, please, don't use it as an excuse to withdraw from me when we're on a case."

"I appreciate that and I know you mean well, but my personal life isn't something that I want to discuss. Not with you, not with anyone."

But awe wasn't something Goren was feeling presently. Somewhere along the way, amid all the cases, investigations, interrogations and stakeouts, the awe had waned and was now walking the fine line between irritation and recklessness. Like a long dormant volcano, the opportune moment sat silently beneath all the anger and frustration that layered his subconscious mind, ready for a trigger, any trigger, to purge his troubled soul of all the frenzied feelings he buried deep within himself. Eames had learned to read her partner like a book over the years they'd worked together. She couldn't always guess what was going on inside his head, but she easily picked up on his emotions. Thus, she felt the tremors emitted from the disquietude that stirred just below the surface threatening to shake the foundation of a man who had only one foot on the ledge to begin with.

"Bobby, you need to talk, if not to me then someone else. You can't go on like this!"

"Eames, mind your own business!"

"Why? So that you can suffer in silence?! Are you just going to sit by and wait for that fatal fuck up all because you don't want to talk to anyone? In our line of work we can't afford to have other things on our minds when we go after criminals and if you don't get some kind of help dealing with all the things you're going through, you're going to screw up your career, that is if you don't get killed first. Don't put it past the captain to put you on desk duty if you don't get it together. Are you even listening to me, Goren?!

"Dammit, Bobby, who's going to take care of your mom and brother if you get injured or killed??"

"Fuck you, Eames. Get out of my face and leave me alone."

Yes, Alex Eames liked to think that her partnership with Bobby Goren had evolved from one that began with mistrust, aggravation and flying insults to one of mutual support and adjusted compatibility. However, she hadn't foreseen the shadows that slowly encroached Goren's life causing old wounds to resurface and launch a fresh assault on his already afflicted conscience. He wouldn't allow her or anyone else to view the side of his life he'd rather keep hidden from the scrutiny of others. She supposed she should've realized he couldn't go through this alone as she saw him gradually unraveling before her eyes. Pushing her away was a defense mechanism he employed when he didn't want to deal with the situation at hand. Perhaps in his unsettled mind he held a desperate hope that if he ignored it, the problem would go away or, at the very least, abate. In the meantime, Alex wasn't going anywhere. In six years, many things had changed, but some things remained the same.