Here is the follow up to 36 Hours. It is time for our fav. duo to go back to work but there are rules

Still don't own anything but my imagination

Monday mornings always seem to roll around. Bobby and Alex had had an extordianary weekend. They finally admitted to each other that the loved the other and soon became engaged late Saturday morning. The rest of Saturday and all Sunday they spent making up for all those wasted years. Now though, as it always does, Monday morning has arrived and the must leave their little nest and get back to work.

"Bobby" Alex stated as she came out of the bathroom after doing her hair. "I think we have a problem."

"What's that?"

"Well, we have both been caught up in the excitement and…"

"That's an understatement Luv." Bobby interrupted. Hearing the endearment made Alex feel just like she did every other time he had said it this past weekend, ready to cry from pure happiness and love.

"Yeah…You know what I mean though. We are on our way to work"

"And?"

"Work, a place where there are rules and regulations about partners being as close as we have gotten" Alex said.

"I'd like to be a whole lot closer right at this moment" Bobby said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. As much as she hated to do it, Alex put her hands on his chest and pushed away breaking the kiss. "Awe!" he complained.

"Will you be serious please?" She begged.

"Oh Luv, I was very serious."

"Bobby" Alex exclaimed in sheer frustration.

"Ok… Ok… If you insist"

Alex grinned at his boyish expression. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had seen him look this happy and carefree. Certainly it has been years if ever. "Yes I insist. Seriously Bobby, the regulations say that they will have to reassign us or at least change our partners if they find out about us." She walked over and plopped down on the side of the bed worried about that possibility.

Bobby's sharp mind for details that often dug out a critical piece of information that would crack a case heard all of what Alex said but zeroed in on one word. IF

"Don't you mean when, not if?" he asked. "Or are you changing your mind now that we have to rejoin the real world?" Bobby's good mood evaporated fast and he started pacing the bedroom. He should have known, he thought. If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is, and having her for his own just seemed too good to be true.

"What do you mean change my mind?" She croaked. Where had this come from she thought?

"It's ok Eames, working with the squads whack job is one thing but, having everyone know you were more personally involved with the whack job? I understand"

When she heard Eames come out of his mouth instead of Alex or her new favorite, Luv, Alex knew he was distancing himself from her again. Her mind raced back over the conversation and realized that he had misunderstood her and thought she was trying to back out of everything. Not that she blamed him. Everyone else that ever claimed to love him left him one way or another. Bobby had probably just been waiting for her to do it to. Well he was wrong. Jumping up off the bed she stopped him and his pacing took him right in front of her. She maneuvered him over to the bed and pushed him so that he was sitting in the spot she had just vacated, so she could look him in the eye.

"Bobby, I haven't changed by mind about any of it" she said as she stepped between his legs and laid her hands on his shoulders.

"You haven't?" he asked.

"No" She said emphatically "I Love You. Nothing is ever going to change that, but just listen to me for a minute. What I was trying to get across is that, we need to decide how to handle it at work. Do you really want a different partner on the job now that we are together off the job? Some people thing being together 24-7-365 is too much."

"Luv, I could never get too much of you, and no I don't want another partner." Bobby said as he pulled her into his arms. "I do see your point though. So how about this, for now, just until we figure it out, we act like nothing has changed."

"But only on the job" Alex injected.

"Naturally, so as I was saying on the job its Eames and Goren and off the clock it's Alex and Bobby"

"Works for me, just until we figure out how to have our cake and eat it too.