Chapter One

"Hey…You ok?"

Bobby looked up into Alex's hazel eyes. They were pretty, he thought, not for the first time, and he wished, not for the first time, that he wasn't the cause of the worry in them.

"Yea," he lied, not for the first time. "I'm fine."

He knew she didn't believe him, and was grateful when she didn't press him. Alex picked her battles. It was a skill he wished he could learn.

The Major Case Squad's secretary moved through the office. She dropped a stack of mail in Alex and Bobby's in boxes. She offered both detectives a cautious smile, and Alex and Bobby knew what it meant. The secretary arrived at Major Case along with Captain Danny Ross. She liked Alex and Bobby, and even flirted with the latter in her earliest days with the Squad, but as a cloud came over the two detectives, the young woman approached them warily.

Alex sorted her mail, depositing most of it in the trash. "I don't understand it," she muttered. "The Brass tells us not to use so much paper…to use email…Then they send out the same memos they've just sent in emails…And then they post the damn things on the bulletin board…"

Bobby smiled. "Clearly a case of do as we say and not as we do."

Alex snorted, and for a moment Bobby felt almost as he did before…before everything.

His eyes returned to his mail, and the return address on one envelope caught his attention. Bobby ripped the envelope open, and Alex watched as a small smile crossed his face, followed by a concerned frown. He held a small sheet of paper like a flag while he stared into space.

"Bad news?" Alex asked.

Bobby started slightly, and Alex had the familiar sensation of watching him return from another world. "Uh…just a letter…" He considered what and how much to tell her. "You…You remember Robby Bishop?" he asked softly.

"The kid with the psycho dad who tried to drill him into being a genius…Yea…" Dread filled Alex. "Is he ok?"

"I…I think so…" Bobby waved the letter. "This is from him…I…I stayed in touch with his aunt and uncle…Check on how he was doing…Offer any kind of help I could…"

"That sounds like you," Alex said gently.

"Robby…He's eighteen now…And he'd like to talk to me…"

Alex fought not to show the shiver that slid up her back. "You don't have to…"

"Robby…Everything his aunt and uncle have told me…Everything he's done…" Bobby said deliberately. "He's not angry…At least not at me…He's had counseling. It's been a tough fight for him sometimes…"

"Why does he want to meet you? And why now? I don't like this, Bobby."

Bobby smiled sadly at her. "I…I think Robby is just trying to understand things."

"You've already decided, haven't you?" Alex sighed. "You're going to meet him."

Bobby ran a hand through his hair. "He…He deserves an explanation…"

"I'm going with you," Alex declared.

"Ok," Bobby said after a moment.

"Any sign of trouble, and we're out of there…"

"I really don't think there'll be any trouble," Bobby said thoughtfully.

"Where and when?" Alex asked.

"The Starbucks near here," Bobby said. "That's one of the reasons why I don't think Robby wants to make any trouble. A Starbuck isn't the first place I think of for a violent confrontation. On Saturday around eleven. You really don't have to, Eames…"

"Yes, I do," Alex said firmly. "Why's he in New York?"

"He's visiting with some friends. A celebration of sorts for his birthday. And his college graduation…"

"He's graduated already?" Alex asked in surprise.

"Yea…Remember…He'd already finished high school when we met him…And even if he isn't a genius, he's a very bright kid. He was lucky. His aunt and uncle are really good to him. They figured he'd be bored and lost if he had to retake classes. They managed to work out a deal with a nearby college and the local schools. He took college classes…A lot of different things…He read a lot…His Dad never let him read a lot of fiction." Bobby smiled wanly. "No added value to his education."

Alex snorted. "Only to his imagination."

"Yea…The local high school…Let Robbie take music and art classes…Some foreign languages…All that training gave him a great memory, and he's really good about picking things up…He joined the high school band…Learned to play guitar…He plays baseball for the high school and in the Babe Ruth league…He…He got to be a kid…" There was a wistful note to Bobby's voice.

"He was a kid in other ways, too," Bobby continued. "He did some stupid things. He and some friends hotwired a car…They were halfway across the county in some guy's classic T-Bird when they got caught. It wasn't so much that they wanted to steal the car as much as they thought it was cool, and Robbie wanted to see if he could actually put into practice what he read in a book."

"I gather it worked," Alex said dryly.

Bobby smiled. "The kids were actually headed back to return the car when they got caught. The owner didn't press charges…just made the kids work it off on his farm. It wasn't that much of a punishment for Robby. He likes working on the farm, especially with animals."

"What about inside his head?" Alex asked gently. "Has he had any trouble with drugs…stuff like that?"

"You'd expect that he'd have trouble like that, wouldn't you?" Bobby said. "But the kid apparently wants to be so good…To not be any trouble…He's so grateful to his aunt and uncle…And he loves playing baseball so much…He's stayed away from the bad stuff. As for inside his head…" Bobby twirled his pen. "Like I said…He sees a couple of psychiatrists…He's taken anti-depressants occasionally…He's participated in some studies…That's no fun…Being a case study…"

"That sounds like a voice of experience," Alex said.

Bobby glanced at her, and, not for the first time, Alex saw a great sadness in his eyes. "A little," he said softly.

"How'd you find out so much about Robby?" Alex asked. "You keep in touch with his aunt and uncle?" She thought of Wally Stevens, and how Bobby's kindness to him led to Mark Ford Brady.

"They've written me," Bobby said. "And I…I suggested one of the psychiatrists…Some people I knew who acted as advocates for kids…I…I even had some communication with his dad."

"But prisoners…" Alex shook her head. "But you probably contacted him first…"

"He…He deserved to know something…" Bobby said weakly. "I didn't tell him much…Only that Robby was happy now…" He twirled his pen again. "I think one reason Robby wants to talk to me right now is because he's considering talking to his father."

"I hope it's to tell him off for ruining the kid's childhood," Alex said sharply. She looked at Bobby with concern. "I hope Robby isn't angry with you. Even if it made his life better, you did send his dad to jail…"

Bobby shrugged. "Kids deserve answers. Especially a kid like Robby."

"That sounds like a man who didn't get a lot of answers when he was a kid," Alex said cautiously.

Bobby shrugged again and turned his attention back to his computer screen. "You…You don't have to come, Eames," he said gently.

"But I will," Alex said firmly.

"I know," Bobby said. "But at least I gave you the option."

END CHAPTER ONE