Disclaimer - This amazing show and everything to do with it belong to NBC, Dick Wolf.
Paring - Eames/Goren
AN - Something I was inspired to write after I had a L&O CI marathon with my precious boxsets. (:
Leave me a review if you like it.
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Wednesday
Three weeks. The amount of time Detective Bobby Goren had been going on a downward spiral in his behavior, and not in a bad sense of the word downward.. but more so that he was acting weird. Weird for Goren, that is.
Stepping out of the elevator, Alex balanced the two paper coffee cups in her hands as she maneuvered around the fellow cops going in and out through the elevator doors. Times like this she wished she had some extra height on her, not that it mattered, Bobby once said she had more attitude than they did anyhow. She rolled her eyes, knowing he did mean it as a compliment. She appreciated it anyway.
On a normal work day, that is as normal as it could get in the major case squad room, with a partner like Bobby.. and not only the cases but the people on the cases... Bobby usually was the one in early.. Alex found it eerie, only slightly but enough to let herself wonder why he was always there going over files. She did jokingly accuse him of never going home once, though she would notice if he never did, mainly because he didn't drink coffee unless it was necessary. Alex knew it was because probably that his mind was already too wired as it was, he didn't need for it to be running on overdrive.. who knew what would happen then, mental breakdown, mental burnout. She'd, and she guessed he wouldn't want to even think about such possibilities.
She had asked him once why he would need her as a partner if as on a regular basis it was Bobby's profile or lead that got them the break, and in the end, an arrest. He replied her question with a question. 'What would I do without you?'
The look on his face, told her more than the question did. She had heard stories, rumors, reputation mainly, of how he was this weirdo cop. But a weirdo cop who had the highest case solving rate in Major Case. Not only that, but that he was so good, he solved some, that other Detectives had only dismissed, or given up and had to put it under unsolved. And that the captain, James Deakins. had tried to partner him with someone, but no one wanted to either because of intimidation, or Bobby thought he didn't need a partner. Deakins once told her that he was so relieved when she had agreed to be partnered with Bobby, he said that he was just waiting for the day when Bobby went too far.. too far into the work, to a point where he may of never been able to come back from.
Just that answered the question that for a while had bothered her. Now though, now she gave no second thought to their partnership. Except till now.
Three weeks ago, Bobby's routine of talking to a suspect holding a gun went a little haywire, and not the way he had planned. The guy turned the gun off his own head and onto Bobby, the cops stormed the apartment and broke down the door, tackling the guy to the ground, but not before he pulled the trigger and as a result shot Bobby in the shoulder.
Ever since then, Alex noticed his mood had slanted, whether it was a good thing, or something to be worried about, she couldn't tell. After all, he had always been the same, so a change, was even if small, would be out of the ordinary. And a big thing. At first it started with the small things, instead of him turning up three hours before he needed to, he turned up at work around the same time she and everyone else did. He still was Bobby, with his obscure work techniques, solving the cases like no one else could. That side of things was the same. Which she was glad of, and she was sure, so was the Captain.
But something was different, she just could not tell what.
And it was annoying the hell out of her.
Walking to her desk she walked past some cops she was familiar with, giving them nods of hello, as her hands were full, smiling politely at some.. till she reached hers and Bobby's desks. Slowing her pace she tilted her head to one side and walked slowly up to the chair at Bobby's desk. Leaning onto the desk for support as she glanced down at the child sitting in her partner's chair. Taking a quick look around, Alex looked one way and then the other. Thinking maybe she'd see a woman, that could possibly be the girl's mother. Nobody but cops going about their business. Weird.
Setting down the coffee from her hands onto the desk and the case file under her arm she cleared her throat and smiled at the child.
"Hi there. Are you waiting for someone?" First thing she could think to ask the little girl, who could be no older than five.
The child gave no verbal response, but a shake of her head. And a questioning stare at Alex, who found it somewhat unnerving, even for her, who put up with Bobby's stares and moods.
Bobby.
Where was he?
Thinking for a second she looked toward the Cap's office, and didn't see him there either. Until she sensed someone walking up behind her. Same faint cologne. That and the shadow of someone taller than herself, gave it away. Turning around she raised her eyebrow at him, though his expression was full of complete innocence. Innocence her ass. She knew when he was smirking.
"Bobby. For a second there, I'd thought you shrunk over night, had a mental breakdown and decided to wear your hair in pig tails, with pink ribbons."
She could swear she saw a half smile then, more than he ever did at work. She'd only once ever heard him laugh.. and he wasn't exactly genuinely laughing then, if maybe acting.
"Alex-"
"And, since when do you call me Alex, eh. Bobby," she cut him off, putting emphasis on his name. It was her time to smirk. Not that she minded him using her first name, though she was used to Eames this.. and Eames that. Not so much, Alex. At least not from Bobby. It made her suspicious, and as far as the day was going so far.. it was weird.
This really blew her away, Bobby chuckled.
Now on a scale of one to ten considering his seriousness.. it probably hit above ten. She figured that maybe he had loosened up, getting shot had a funny effect on people in some cases. It wasn't unheard of. But Robert Goren, chuckling. She might take some time adjusting to that certain change.
"Bobby, as your partner. And as a friend, I'm kinda worried here."
The look on her face, only amused him as he took ahold of her shoulders and guided her to her chair, sitting her in it.
"Goren. Please tell me I fell out of bed this morning, I now am in a coma. And this is a parallel universe- or some severely twisted dream." She unwaveringly stared at him as she blew slowly at her coffee.
"Sorry. No coma."
"Great."
"Might look into that parallel universe theory of yours though."
"Smart-ass," she muttered. Leaning over she picked up the paper bag from his desk and pulled the bagel out of it. Remembering they were not alone, she looked to the little girl, who was just watching her and Bobby. Then looked to Bobby. "Who is she?"
Still with the same smile on his face he had for the past two minutes he looked to the little girl then turning to Alex he said something that she wasn't exactly sure how to comprehend, let alone understand, on any level.
"Meet our daughter."
Choking on her bagel was her only reply. Bobby came around the desks and leant on her desk, patting her back for her as she tried to calm her coughing. When she finally stopped enough to say something, she looked at Bobby like he was insane. Not that it was the first time mind you.
"Come again."
This time she didn't have to blink to make sure it happened. He chuckled and then covered it up by coughing slightly when she didn't stop staring at him.
"For the next month at least," he elaborated with a shrug.
"I know I think this, but this is the first time I'm saying this to you. But you're confusing me."
Sensing that he wasn't making the best out of explaining everything to her, Bobby nodded and then paused. Thinking of the best way to lay out all of the information he knew, so his partner would know it too.
Obviously coming up with something he turned back around to look at her. "A case came in a week ago, one linked to a couple of unsolved out in Connecticut and Chicago. A nine year old girl was brought into a social services building, after being taken away from her parents... who, despite their busy work schedules, didn't do any harm to her. Three hours of being held by the Social Services.. the girl went missing.."
"Undercover?" Alex got to the point for him.
"Right. Oh, and this is Sarah... my goddaughter."
"Goddaughter?" She couldn't help it, but the question was full of curiosity.
"Long story."
Alex shook her head with an easy smile. "Always is with you."
"And that means?"
Alex got up from her chair and flicked through the files on her desk. "You suck at explaining anything out of that mind of yours, unless it is case related.. even then I have to squeeze it out of you. No wonder no one wanted to be your partner... I half expected you to ditch me our first week."
"Now that is unfair."
"Life is unfair." Finding the file she got up from her chair and walked toward the Cap's office.
As she walked away he followed her. "Did you leave your bible somewhere Eames?" Bobby opened Deakins' office door for her, as she stepped inside. Their little whatever caught Deakins's attention, as he silently listened to them.
"Bobby..." She couldn't help but whine his name. Sometimes she just wanted to strangle him, other times she admired him and thought he was a genius. "Genius.. genius with a personality of a school boy."
"I hate it when you whisper. I have to bend down, don't make me get on my knees."
"And what, beg for forgiveness for being unable to let anything go, because out of some neurotic need you just have to analyze every persons thoughts."
"You think I'm neurotic?" Obviously he was still finding this debate or whatever it was, highly amusing.
It must be Wednesday, Alex thought to herself. Wednesdays were always like this.
"Obviously, the thought had never crossed your mind." She rolled her eyes.
Bobby did a double take, looking to her, to the doorway where they had been standing when she said it the first time. Then to her again. "I'm neurotic?"
"Well you're the smart, intelligent cop, you should have figured that out yourself, being so in touch with psychological analysis."
"And because I'm smart, and should have figured it out.. but you are the one that figured it out.. wouldn't that make you the smart one?"
"Obviously."
"Are you two quite finished with your whatever it is, that you both decided to drag into my office on this fine Wednesday morning." Deakins cut in before he started to get a headache.
"I knew it was Wednesday," Alex muttered.
Bobby raised his eyebrow at her but said nothing as they both sat down in front of Deakins' desk.
Deakins shook his head slightly and pulled off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose he muttered, "With you two. Everyday is Wednesday."