It was a little after 1am, and Bobby was exhausted as he stepped into the elevator of his building. Maybe tonight sleep would actually come without the help of scotch and cigarettes, Eames would kill him if she knew he had started smoking again.

Just as he was about to hit the button for his floor he noticed a woman with two small children heading towards the elevator. She had one asleep on her shoulder and one asleep in a carrier; she had three bags in one hand and looked like she was about drop everything and everyone.

Bobby caught the doors as she stepped on just in time for one of her shopping bags to bust open. Diapers, milk and various other items scattered on the floor. She muttered "Damn it" as she set the carrier down and squatted to retrieve her items. Bobby squatted next to her to help her put her things in the remaining two bags and took in everything about her he could in 30 seconds. Which for Bobby Goren was a lot. She was young late twenties maybe early thirties, she had wavy shoulder length brown hair, green eyes, and looked as though she hadn't slept in days.

Alright he said to himself enough staring time to introduce myself,"Hi, I'm Bobby" he said giving her one of his best smiles. "Jamie" she said more annoyed than friendly and in a manner that implied she didn't really want to meet her new neighbors, at least not yet.

As they finished picking everything up Bobby stood and hit the button for the 4th floor, "You're in 6D right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

Bobby flashed that handsome smile again and said "It's the only vacant one in the building. I'm your neighbor, I live across the hall in 7D."

"Nice to meet you, and thanks for helping me clean this stuff up." she said giving him a smile that made him forget how to breath.

Finding his voice Bobby said the one thing that every mother loved to hear," Your kids are cute, how old are they?"

Her face lit up and again she gave him that smile, "Thank you, Daylan's 3" indicating the little boy asleep on her shoulder "and Lilly's 2 weeks old."

As the elevator doors opened onto the 4th floor Bobby took the remaining bags from Jamie and walked her to her door. At the door he was struggling for something to say, anything that might get her to smile at him again. As she opened the door and thanked him again for his help Bobby's mind was racing trying to think of something to say.

That smile of hers had completely thrown him and he had to see it just one more time.

Jamie sat Lilly just inside in the door and reached for her bags, Bobby said the only thing he could think of "It was nice meeting you and if you ever need anything, I'm, you know right across the hall."

"It was nice to meet you too, Bobby. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around the building."

Jamie took her bags and closed the door. Bobby wanted to do more than see her around the building; it was insane he knew, she had 2 kids, one of which was a newborn, and hell he didn't even know if she was married. She didn't have a ring but nowadays that doesn't mean much. Bobby did the only thing he could think of. He knew it was kind of lame, but he knocked on her door anyway.

Jamie opened the door and gave Bobby a weak smile. Bobby handed her his card. "This is my card, you know if for some reason you ever need it." Bobby ran his hand over the back of his neck and chuckled nervously, an action which Jamie couldn't help but find very cute. Despite her better judgment.

As Jamie took the card from Bobby she flashed him that killer smile again and suppressed a chuckle as she watched this very big man suddenly turn into a very shy, yet very sexy, bundle of nerves.

"Thank you, um.. Detective Goren."

That's when he saw it, a flash of fear in her eyes as she read his card, anyone else probably wouldn't have noticed, but he wasn't anyone else.

Jamie recovered quickly after reading Bobby's card,"oh God", she thought, "why does he have to be a cop?"

"Thank you Detective, goodnight."

Jamie closed the door and left Bobby standing in the hallway confused and disappointed. It wasn't the reaction he usually got when women found out he was a cop. What really bothered him was the look in her eyes, she was
running from something and he was more than a little concerned. As Bobby went into his apartment he
couldn't help but wonder what Jamie's story was.

As Jamie locked the door her mind was racing with everything that could possibly go wrong. A cop was the last thing she needed, especially one right across the hall. Looking at Bobby's card, all Jamie could think was, of all the millions of people in New York I had to move in next to a cop, a major case detective no less.

As she settled on the couch to nurse Lilly, she tried to figure out what to do. She could always get a new apartment, but that takes money, something she didn't have right now. She could always call and tell them she had to leave New York, but she hated to do that. Bobby wasn't an actual threat, at least not yet.

A job, that's what she needed, she would start looking in the morning. Beyond that she just didn't know. All she really knew was she needed to avoid the big cop with the killer smile and the most amazing brown eyes she had ever seen.

Sleep didn't come for Bobby that night, although this time it wasn't the demons of his past that taunted him from the recesses of his mind. It was the very beautiful, very scared woman across the hall. He knew she was running, but the question is: from what?

It was almost two weeks before Bobby saw Jamie again. He had gone down to the laundry room to get his clothes out of the dryer and there she was. She was standing next to one of the dryers folding clothes when he entered. God, she's beautiful, he thought as he approached.

When she heard him enter alarm briefly flashed in her eyes, until she realized who it was. Once again Bobby noticed how quickly she was able hide it as she smiled at him.

"Hi, how are you?"

It took Bobby a moment to realize she had even spoken as her smile had once again left him fighting for breath. "I'm fine, and you?"

"We're fine."

Again that awkward silence where neither one knew what say hung in the air.

Bobby knelt down to speak to Daylan, who was sitting on the floor trying his best to make his baby sister laugh.

"Hi, you must be Daylan"

The little boy looked to his mother for approval before speaking to the stranger. Jamie nodded and the boy gave Bobby a big smile, very much like his mother's, and said, "Hi, how do you know my name?"

"Magic," Bobby said mysteriously.

"Na huh, there's no such thing as magic."

Bobby replied "Yes there is, magic is how I know you're name and your sister's name: Lilly."

"That's not magic, Mama probably told you."

"Then how do you explain this?" Bobby asked as he produced a quarter from behind Daylan's ear, leaving Daylan to stare at him in amazement.

Daylan slowly took the quarter from Bobby's hand and looked at it in awe. He jumped to his feet shouting "Mama. Mama!! Did you see that?? He's magic, he's really magic!!"

Jamie began to laugh, which really caused Bobby's heart to do back flips, "I guess he is magic. I hope your happy detective; every time he sees you, he's gonna want another magic trick."

"That's okay; I'll be sure to stock up on my quarters."

Upon hearing the word detective Daylan began jumping up and down at Bobby's side, "You're a 'tective, a real live, tective? Do you have a gun? Do you have a badge? Do you have handcuffs and one of those sticks to hit people with?"

Between the laughter Bobby tried to answer Daylan's questions "Yes, yes, yes, and we don't hit people with sticks."

"Then why do you have a stick?" Daylan asked, a confused look on his little face.

"We just do."

"That's not an answer."

Bobby looked up at Jamie pleadingly "Do you want to help me out a little here?"

Damn that smile, Jamie thought. She turned her attention to Daylan, "Police officers have night sticks in case they ever need to break a window or something like that."

"Oh" said Daylan. Turning his attention back to Bobby, his next question was "Why didn't you know that?"

"Because I'm not a mommy," Bobby said standing.

Daylan froze, and stared, a stunned expression on his upturned face. "God, you're HUGE!!"

Bobby and Jamie burst out in laughter.

"Sorry; he has a tendency to say whatever pops into his head," Jamie said apologetically.

"There's nothing wrong with telling the truth; I am kind of big." Bobby smiled that smile at her again.

"Well, we better be getting back upstairs."

"Do we have to Mama? I want Bobby to tell me some cop stories."

Bobby seized the opportunity. "Why don't we all go out for some pizza? On me."

At Jamie's hesitation Bobby added "Of course if your husband wouldn't mind."

"I'm not married."

"Boyfriend?"

"Nope."

"Then how about lunch?"

Jamie really didn't know what to do, so she said "I don't know it's almost time to feed to Lilly and..."

"Please, Mama, please? We haven't had pizza in forever," Daylan begged. Between the hopeful look on Daylan's face and the playful look on Bobby's face, Jamie relented.

"Okay, can you give us about an hour?"

Smiling triumphantly, Bobby said "I'll pick you guys up in an hour."

Leaving the laundry room Jamie knew she was in trouble. If the fact that he was a cop didn't get her, those eyes and that smile would.