"See you tomorrow," Bobby said. He watched Eames as she buttoned up her coat at the end of the day. "Looks like the rain stopped."

She hadn't given him another opportunity to ask about her reaction to Detective Marzin. Actually, Bobby hadn't tried - he decided to let the issue sit on the back burner until she was less irritated. Or maybe it was best to drop it completely.

Instead of darting away as he'd expected, Eames paused beside his desk. "Let's go eat," she said. "Come on – you don't need to be here."

He gazed at her for a few moments, and then rose. "Okay, sure."

They were quiet in the elevator down to the parking garage, although they had the compartment to themselves. They rode in her car, and she headed over the Brooklyn Bridge. Bobby didn't ask where they were going - he didn't particularly care. He could tell Eames was getting ready to talk to him, and he was content to wait.

She finally broke the silence. "You know I'm not mad at you, right?" she said, giving him a quick glance before looking back at the road.

Bobby knew, but to hear her say the words gave him a rush of warmth and relief. "I know. Was it because Marzin wanted you to set up Solinski?"

"No, see, that wasn't what he was suggesting," she said, sounding ticked off again. "He, umm... A couple years ago Solinski asked me out."

"Asked you out – on a date?" Bobby felt his heartbeat speed up.

"What other kind of asking out is there? Yes, on a date - and no, I didn't go. But I kind of let him down easy..."

"Let him down easy?" He half turned in his seat, looking at her attentively.

"Yeah." She kept her eyes on the road. "He wasn't a jerk about it, and I didn't want to be nasty, so I made an excuse about seeing someone else."

"You were seeing someone else?"

Eames laughed. "Geez, Bobby! Stop repeating everything I say, will you? Look, Solinski wasn't the problem – he got the message. The problem was that Marzin found out about it."

"And he was a jerk about it," Bobby said. Marzin was blunt and nosey, which worked well for him as a detective, but not so much as a person. "So today... you thought Marzin was going to suggest you go to the wedding with Solinski?"

"Yeah. I didn't want him saying anything in front of the whole squad room. I guess he figured that out, since he apologized."

"Or maybe Solinski said something to him."

"Whatever it takes."

They were silent again for a while. Bobby tried to comprehend Eames's revelation that she'd been asked out by an MCS detective. How had he completely missed that? This was a view onto a side of her he'd never anticipated.

"Eames?" he said. "Was, uh, was that the real reason you turned him down? Solinski, I mean. Were you seeing someone else?" She gave him a sharp look, but he didn't back down. "Or was it because you work with him?"

Eames finally sighed, and even grinned. "Neither. I just don't like him enough. I need at least a little chemistry, you know? But like I said, he got the message, and there was no problem."

Bobby mulled over her reply, and was once again floored. She didn't object to dating a co-worker - on principle, at least. That was a complete surprise. Had she dated anybody else in the squad room? Anybody at One PP? He wondered why that possibility was unsettling.

Eames added, "And besides, the thought of attending a family wedding... it's the absolute worst place for a first date."

"Why?"

"Are you serious? I mean, you know only one person there, and unless you're twenty-three, it's – wait. Have you been to a wedding?"

"Yes," Bobby replied. "When I was stationed in Germany an Army buddy got married."

"Uh-huh, and what was it like?"

"They got married in a church, and after the ceremony we all went out to a beer garden."

Eames chuckled. "Let me tell you, Solinski's niece's wedding is going to be a hundred times more complicated than that, and I'm not just talking about flowers and ring-bearers and caterers. Whoever he brings is going to be analyzed by his whole family up one side and down the other. If he shows up alone he'll get the same treatment."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. When my nieces and nephews get married I hope they all elope."

Eames chose a restaurant they'd been to several times before. It was in Brooklyn – not close to Bobby's apartment, but close to a subway line that would take him home quickly.

As she parked on the street, the rain started again.

"Good thing you brought the umbrella," she said, but she didn't wait for him to come around the car for her. She jumped out and met him on the sidewalk as he opened the umbrella.

"Eames, I would have-" Bobby began.

"I know, but it's not raining that hard," she said. She stayed close as they walked the few blocks to the restaurant.

Bobby wasn't sure if she was done with the subject of dating, but he hoped not. The idea that she would consider going out with a co-worker had truly amazed him. He'd always assumed she kept work life and personal life strictly separated. He did, of course – but he hadn't had much of a personal life lately.

He waited until they were seated and gave their orders to the waitress.

Bobby fidgeted with the silverware. "I, um..."

"I knew you couldn't resist for long."

He looked up – she was grinning at him in amusement. Her earlier anger was gone, and she seemed at ease. "Go ahead," she said. "Ask away. I reserve the right not to answer if I don't want to."

Now that Bobby had her permission, he wasn't sure where to start. He took a minute to consider what he wanted to know first.

"Wow," she said, smiling even more broadly. "You're not usually at a loss for questions."

He returned her smile. She was right. He decided to try a hypothetical question, and see which direction they went with it.

"Okay," he said, sitting up a little straighter. "Suppose your niece gets married, and there's a big wedding. Would you consider bringing me as your date?"

"Well..." She rubbed a finger along her jaw as she thought. "First off, I like you too much to put you through an Eames family wedding. Even the open bar doesn't make up for being in a fishbowl."

Her answer skirted the question, so he tried again.

"But if – not necessarily a wedding. If you did need someone..."

"You mean if I needed a date for... what, opening night gala at the opera? Cocktails with the royal family? Sure, I'd ask you." She was looking right into his eyes. "I actually have a formal dress, but there's not much use for it these days."

"I'd have to rent a tux," he said.

She shook her head. "I like your black suit – that would do fine."

Bobby wondered if they were still talking theoretically. "I wouldn't call you Eames. I'd call you Alex."

"That's good – but you know, you could try that any time."

"You said you would have gone out with Solinski if – if you felt chemistry."

She nodded, then shrugged.

He took a deep breath. "Do you think we have chemistry?" he asked, waving a finger back and forth between them.

"Tons – we'd never be such great partners if we didn't." She sipped her water.

Bobby was amazed that Alex could remain so completely calm. He was a little light-headed – it felt like trying to walk on the deck of a boat in choppy water. He looked away from her to try and regain his equilibrium. Were they talking about dating each other, or was he misunderstanding this whole conversation?

"Bobby," she said, "that's not really a surprise to you, is it? It's just that you never let yourself think about the personal kind of chemistry between us, isn't it?"

He scratched his neck. "No, because... because..."

"Of course, to be fair," she continued, "I didn't let myself think about it, either. But why are you thinking about it now? Is it because I told you Solinski asked me out a long time ago?"

She'd hit the nail on the head - that was the piece of information Bobby had mentally stumbled over. He'd always recognized his partner's attractiveness, but from the start of their partnership he'd pushed those feelings aside in favor of a successful working partnership. To realize now that she didn't acknowledge the same boundaries...

"Yeah," he said, "I guess that was... "

The waitress returned with their drinks – hot tea for Alex and iced tea for Bobby – giving him a few moments to rebalance mentally. This was not the time to focus on past situations. How did he want to move forward now? He knew that answer.

Alex was still a step ahead of him, however. As soon as the waitress left, Alex leaned forward, catching his eye. "Seriously, look at us. Look around you. Where are we right now?"

He wasn't sure how literally she was speaking, so he nodded a bit and continued looking at her.

"I mean it," she said. "Here we are, having dinner together, talking about our personal lives. We have a lot going for us already. For me, it means a lot – a lot! – to have someone who understands me, someone who has my back."

"Me, too." He took a long drink. "So, Alex..." It was gratifying to see her sweet smile. "I think we should work on our chemistry."

"Well, I did always get good grades in science," she replied.