Author: SilentG
Title: It's More Complicated Than That
Fandom: LO:CI
Pairing: B/A
Rating: T
Spoilers: Spoilerish for "Faithfully", Season 8
Archive: Anywhere – no need to ask – just attribute, and let me know if possible
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: A short one-shot combining what I think might happen with what I hope might happen.
A/N 1: To all the readers who are patiently waiting for the finale of The 5 Year Plan (which I promised), and Will They or Won't They (which to be fair, I always said I would only update when I felt like it), I apologise. I was reading the spoilers, reviews, previews and opinions about the season premiere (finale, as some call it), and I formulated both an opinion and a wish about how it would turn out. Here it is.
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It was early evening when Alex arrived in the tiny town of Lebanon, Michigan. She stopped by the motel to check in and dump her stuff, and, map from the slot outside the closed visitors' centre in hand, followed the quiet streets south-west towards Bobby's house.
She'd only spoken to him twice since he decided to leave New York after his unjust dismissal from MCS and the NYPD. Both times he called her, but the pain they both felt – not only for the loss of his position and status, but also for their lost partnership and friendship – cast a pall on their communication.
The sight that greeted her was not what she expected. The cosy rancher was brightly-lit, both from within by stylish pot lights, and from without by dramatic torches that marked the boundaries of the property. Parked cars lined the street, and she heard Bobby's laughter amongst the din of happy voices. She felt a twinge of doubt, but steadfastly pressed on.
There he was, holding court over by the barbecue perched on the corner of a large deck. He had a beer in one hand and a flipper in the other, and he was chuckling at something the woman next to him was saying. The back yard was full of people, laughing, eating and drinking. As Alex watched, the woman touched Bobby's arm a couple of times. Alex's nerves almost got the better of her. What if this was a huge mistake? What had she done?
Almost as if he'd heard her thoughts, Bobby with his amazing radar suddenly looked up from his companion and straight at her. As Alex stood, rooted to the spot by his gaze, (almost) all her fears seeped away at the procession of expressions that crossed his face: shock, joy, anguish, hope, and last of all, desire.
"Alex," he choked out, putting his beer and the flipper on the grill and rushing towards her. "Alex!" She managed to take a couple of steps towards him through the throng, and when he reached her, he stood gaping at her for a moment before pulling her into a tight hug. His skin was hot and damp from the grill and the beer, and his breath was thick and ragged in her hair. She pressed her face into his broad chest, almost dizzy with happiness at his closeness. When she looked up there were tears leaking out of his tightly-shut eyes. She found herself weeping too.
"Alex – what – what are you doing here?" They finally stepped back from each other, but Bobby kept hold of her shoulders and leaned over her.
She tossed her hair and stuck out her chin. "I've come to visit you." He looked at her almost uncomprehendingly, but before he could voice whatever questions were clearly forming, she said, "Can you introduce me to your friends?"
He complied, taking Alex's hand (to her joy), and guiding her around the party. Between the sometimes knowing, sometimes appraising, sometimes curious glances and exclamations of 'You mean this is Eames?', he told her about his family, his friends, and his new life. By the time they'd made the rounds and were facing Bobby's friend the tall, competent-looking redhead that reminded her of Bishop, he was clearly ready for Alex to reciprocate. She wasn't sure she was quite as ready.
The woman's carefully blank face spoke volumes to Alex, but Bobby dove in, not noticing. "Jackie, this is Alex, Alex Eames. My partner!" He dragged Alex within handshaking distance. The other woman didn't make a move.
"Your ex-partner?"
Bobby looked at her, nonplussed, then looked down and laughed nervously. "It's a bit more complicated than that," he mumbled. Classic Bobby. Alex's heart soared, but she tried not to let it show. "Um… we, that is, Eames and I, we…"
"I'll leave you two alone," Jackie said archly and turned her back.
He led her to a pair of lawn chairs, and moved his so they were at right angles to each other, close enough for their knees to touch. He gazed quietly at her, and she found her face heating. He took her other hand.
"How's work," he asked hesitantly.
"I quit," she blurted, almost at the same moment. "It just – I didn't want to work there, without you." She felt foolish all of a sudden, barging into his life and telling him she'd cut ties to the most stable thing in her life, because of him. How fucked up was that?
Bobby's face took on an unreadable expression, and his breathing shallowed. He leaned in towards her. "Alex… are you here – to stay?"
She felt unbearably vulnerable and exposed. "If – if you want me to." She couldn't help glancing at Jackie, who was staring at them. Bobby didn't look away. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "Wherever you are, that's – where I want to be."
Alex felt her heart constrict as Bobby swept her up and swung her around. With his arms tight around her and her feet about a foot off the ground, he pulled back and looked longingly at her mouth. Alex inhaled sharply and shook her head. "No way are you doing that here, Goren!" He smiled his sheepish, boyish smile and looked away, then leaned in lightning-fast to peck her firmly on her lips. He swung her around again to a smattering of applause, then led her, red-faced, on another tour around the yard to tell everybody the good news and that he was going with her to pick up her things at the hotel.
Jackie, along with all his friends, was gone when they got back, and they never heard from her again.
And they lived happily ever after.
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Thank you sooooo much for reading! Please review!
WORDS: 1131 UPLOADED Saturday, March 27, 2010