Title: On Day Four.

Show: LOCI

Pairing: BA, but I don't think it's too offensive for those of you on the USS No-Romance. Yeah, I know someone else used that term before, but it was just too awesome to pass up! LOL Anyway, you read and decide. Me? I see it as shippy!!!

Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I don't own anything. This is written for pure enjoyment only and no profit to be gained!

Rating: T for language. Some angst as usually along with a few other genres, but no worries, happy ending ensured (or as happy as Bobby Goren can be anyway).

Spoilers: "Untethered," so if you haven't seen it, don't read.

Authors Note: Ok, so I just saw "Untethered" on TV for the second time in two nights. After that I just had to write another Untethered-centric fic! Give me a break. I'm obsessed with the episode! LOL If it wasn't for that episode, I would've never gotten into LOCI. Yeah, I know. There are a lot of people out there that didn't like the episode, but I did…and do!!!
Anyway, this one won't be too long because I decided to not make it as detailed as some of my other fics (smiles). Just enough to satisfy my mind.

Summary: Um, I don't do so well at summaries, but just pretend that the last episode you saw was "Untethered" and no others. This takes place four days after we saw Bobby standing in the middle of Times Square (hints the title).

CHAPTER: 1

Alex found herself knocking on her partner's apartment door.

Robert Goren's door.

It was now day four. It had been four fucking days. Four fucking days since she had last seen Bobby and four fucking days since she had last spoken to him. It was driving her insane.

As she knocked on the door for the second time, Alex recalled the last time she had seen him; he was striding out of the meeting with the Chief of D's and Ross, and towards his desk. She watched him intently as he cleaned out his desk as quickly and as quietly as possible. She could tell by his movements that he didn't think he was ever coming back. She saw it all in his body language. He spoke so many words and emotions to her, not with his mouth, but with his body language. Words radiated off of him with his body language alone that there was no need for him to say anything.

It was a gift of his, and yet, a curse at the same time.

In those few moments while he cleaned out his desk, Bobby desperately wanted to speak to Alex, but he couldn't. There was no need to. He knew there was no need for him to look up at Alex and tell her that he had been suspended. Unfortunately, it was inevitable. Truthfully, he couldn't bear to see the look of disappointment in her eyes. He knew that alone would kill him.

Alex, however, remembered the look she gave him and how she felt at the time. She was concerned for him and his welfare. So many thoughts had run through her mind in those few minutes that she felt as though her mind was going to explode. She undeniably won't forget the look he had on his face as he walked out of the squad room. It was the one and only time he allowed himself to lock eyes with hers. He chanced a small, quick glance her way before he left the squad room. It was almost as if, as if he was saying goodbye to her. It wasn't a very long look, but it was just enough; just enough for him to take her in one last time, because he knew he'd never see her again. She surely had no reason to see him ever again. He had truly fucked it up this time. When he turned away from her, it looked as if someone had sucked the life out of him.

Not somebody but someplace.

Tates.

Alex had called him, on many occasions in fact, but he never answered her calls. She even left messages: 'Bobby, it's me. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Call me when you get a chance.' After the third day she started to get anxious and became desperate in the messages she left him: 'Bobby, please call me. I just want to know that you're ok. Please. You don't have to talk to me…I just…' and then she'd hang up.

Not once did Bobby call her back. No one at the Major Case had heard from him either. No surprise to Alex. Ross hadn't heard from him either but let it slip when Alex confronted him in his office about Detective Goren that he still hadn't been to psych services. It was then that she made her decision to finally go over to his place.

That statement from Ross alone made her feel like she had just been kicked in the gut.

Is he truly giving up? Does he even care about his job anymore? What is his emotional state right now? Is he taking care of himself? Does he even care about himself anymore?

She wasn't sure why she had waited so long in the first place. She knew he needed his space, but it had been long enough.

She needed to talk to him and now here she was, standing in front of his door. As her knocked became more urgent, she couldn't help but wonder if he was even still alive.

"Bobby? Bobby, it's me, Alex. Please open the door." And as she said the words out loud, she felt as if she was leaving him another message; one she figured that she herself would only hear.

She tried a couple more times with a few desperate pleas, but he never came to the door. In fact, Alex didn't hear any movement on the other side of the door and that scared her.

She remembered the key Bobby had given her early into their partnership. A smile briefly formed on her lips as she remembered back, years ago how shy he was about giving it to her and how he began to stammer when he tried to explain himself. She remembered smiling at him as he continued on murmuring about how it was for emergencies. Her smiled quickly faded, however, when she remember why she was here; standing in front of his door. Though Bobby never really specified what he deemed an emergency, Alex definitely deemed this one of them.

Briskly she unlocked his front door and stepped into the apartment. When she shut his door and locked it, she turned around and took one step into his apartment and froze.

The room smelled almost musky-like. There was no scent that any food had been cooked recently or any coffee made like he usually had. She darted her glance towards the kitchen only to confirm her suspicions. Surprisingly enough, his kitchen was immaculate. Any dishes that he might've used within the past few days were all put away. It had definitely shocked Alex. It was the last thing she expected. Truthfully, she expected his place to be a warzone, but it was nothing of the kind. As she made her way towards his living room, she found it to be unoccupied as well. As she became more restless, she chewed on her lower lip while contemplating her next move. Turning her head slightly to the left, she decided to try his bedroom. As she walked down the hallway and towards her destination, she immediately noticed that the door was closed.

He must be in there…I hope.

Alex called to him a couple of times to give him time if he needed to cover up, but she received no response once again. Without hesitation, she opened the door, thanking the gods above that it wasn't locked, and pushed her way through the threshold of his dimly lit bedroom. The only light source in his bedroom was the daylight coming through the small window in the corner of the room. She rationalized that in a couple hours it would be dark and what little light was in the room, would be gone.

As she walked further into his room her eyes immediately glanced towards his bed, which she found to be empty. She frowned and blinked a few times to clear her eyes to make sure, but he was definitely not in bed.

It'd be hard to miss him if he was in his bed. She rationalized. But where could he be?

It was then that she noticed something relatively large moving slightly in the shadows in the corner of the room on the floor. It would've been hard to tell for most people, but Alex knew immediately who it was. She knew that form, from that outline who it was.

Bobby.

She couldn't stop her jaw as it slightly lowered in shock. He was definitely not ok and as she examined him further, she could see his large frame start to tremble.

Or maybe he was trembling before I entered the room? She wasn't entirely sure. Am I scaring him? Does he even recognize that I'm in the room with him? I'd better be cautious in dealing with this after everything he's been through recently.

"Bobby?" She said and slowly started to walk around his bed towards him. "Bobby, it's me, Alex." She paused and waited for him to say something. "Bobby, can you hear me?" She tried again as she strode the last few feet across the room. She stopped mere inches from him and waited for a response.

Alex bent down and decided to take a chance and reach out to him. She gently placed a hand on his right shoulder and immediately felt his entire body tighten up; every last muscle in his body clenching. She immediately retracted her hand away from him and that's when she heard him murmur.

"Please…don't…don't hurt me. Please. I...I'm sor…sorry."

Oh my god.

A/N: First off, hey guys! (Waves). Hope everyone is enjoying the Holidays.

So I didn't plan on posting this until well after the New Year. My how things change, right? I believe the rest of the story is pretty much done, I just need to proof read and change a few things around. So it's close to being done in other words. I plan on having 3 chapters in this story. Nothing too long. I'll post the next chapter within the next day or so if you guys like this. Let me know either way. As always, please read and review.

-Snyder-