Disclaimer: Dick Wolf owns everything, I own nothing.

A/N: Since I got Bobby all caught up with Alex, chapters will jump back and forth between Defining Moments and this one. Thanks to untapdtreasure81, gorengal and The Confused One for helping me make this more readable. I don't know how I survived without betas. :-)

A New Challenge

It was almost two years since Alex had been working in Major Case. She and her partner, Kevin Poletti, were among the best of the best, and Alex was a favorite of Captain James Deakins. He liked her no-nonsense style and the way she handled herself. He liked her partner Kevin as well, but he knew Poletti had an agenda. Alex did her job well and took pride in her work. Poletti did a good job because he wanted to be noticed.

And noticed he was. Today was Poletti's last day at Major Case because he was transferring to the Organized Crime Control Bureau's Joint Organized Crime Task Force, which would have him working with the FBI's New York field office. It was a higher profile job which would have the good looking and smooth talking Kevin Poletti dealing with the media. It was the perfect job for Kevin. Deakins figured one day this guy would make it big in politics.

Now Deakins was about to assign Eames a new partner. Normally, he just called the two detectives he paired into his office to inform them of their assignment as partners. In the case of Eames' new partner, however, Deakins figured he should give her some warning.

Five months earlier he brought Robert Goren to Major Case. A brilliant but rather unorthodox detective from Narcotics, Goren was generally well-liked. But anyone who partnered with him found him unpredictable and felt uncomfortable working with him. They were frustrated by his methods and he would put them in awkward situations with people who could seriously derail their careers if pushed hard enough. He also tended to run off without a word of explanation and left them to wonder what he was up to. Eventually, they requested a new partner, or in one case, an out and out transfer from the department. So in five months, Goren went through three partners.

And today, Alexandra Eames was going to become partner number four for Robert Goren. Deakins took a deep breath and called her into his office.

"Have a seat, Alex," Deakins said, as he motioned to a chair in front of his desk.

"The new guy a no show?" Alex asked. She was expecting to be introduced to Detective Masuda who was transferring to Major Case from the 19th. It was only natural to assume he was going to be her new partner.

Deakins shook his head, "No, he's coming in later this afternoon. I'm partnering him with Barclay."

Alex blinked. "But Barclay is Goren's partner...or did he transfer, too?"

"No, he just...well, he requested a new partner so Detective Masuda is being partnered with Barclay." Deakins watched Alex's reaction.

Alex furrowed her brow in confusion and then opened her honey brown eyes wide in surprise, "You're partnering me with Goren?"

Deakins smiled nervously. "Yes, I thought..."

"Am I being punished for something, sir?" Alex asked before she could stop herself. Having heard all about Goren and some of his antics she was a bit concerned that Deakins was going to make him her partner. She did suspect some of the things she heard were exaggerated despite having only superficial contact with the 'genius of Major Case.' He seemed pleasant enough and was always polite and respectful towards her and other members of the squad. Apparently he was a wealth of knowledge, which allowed him to make connections no one else would have seen. She thought he was all right from what little she knew of him, but it was hard to avoid hearing the rumors.

Deakins tried to explain. "Alex, look, I'm asking you to just give it a try. Goren is a great detective. You know about his record in Narcotics. He's had CID experience with the military and they say he's one of the best profilers they've ever had. So far he's closed every case we've given him and..."

"He's driven away three partners in five months," Alex said, still somewhat skeptical of being paired with the eccentric detective. Finding him a likable guy who worked in the same squad was one thing, but being partnered with him was another story.

Deakins threw his hands up in the air, "Like I said, I'm just asking you to give it a try. I don't know Masuda and I don't want to throw someone new in with Goren. I don't like making explanations to the brass about why Goren can't keep a partner. I like him, Alex. He drives me crazy, but I think he's good for the department and he's a great detective. Of all the detectives in Major Case, you're the one who's the most open minded and...well, patient."

Alex sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really," Deakins said. "Look, I don't trust anyone else to give him a fair chance after everything that's happened so far. You've always managed to get along with everyone and I know you tend to ignore rumors and make up your own mind once you have the facts. If it doesn't work out, you can always request a new partner. All right?"

After a moment's hesitation, Alex acquiesced, "All right, Captain."

Goren seems nice enough but God, if half of what I've heard is true...ignore it, Alex. I know better than to listen to rumors. Captain Deakins wouldn't partner me with someone I'm going to be miserable with...at least not on purpose... Despite her anxieties, Alex made up her mind that she was going to make this work. Goren was considered a genius and quite an asset to NYPD. She also knew Deakins really wanted him to remain with Major Case.

Smiling with relief, Deakins stood and headed for the door, "Thank you, Alex. I promise you I wouldn't have asked you to do this if I thought it was going to be a disaster."

Deakins looked over at Alex and hoped he was doing the right thing. He opened the door and scanned the bull pen for Goren. He spotted him talking to Detective Reyes. "Goren! I need to see you in my office."

Detective Marco Reyes, a tall, lanky man was one of only two others in Major Case who was taller than Goren by an inch, smirked. "Gee Goren, what did you do now?"

Goren shrugged. "I'm not even working on an active case right now."

Reyes chuckled. He liked Bobby Goren and enjoyed talking with him. They had a lot in common. Both men served in the Army, both grew up in New York City, were roughly the same age, and they both loved classic cars, which they could discuss all day if allowed to. Reyes had even been to Goren's friend Lewis' garage one weekend to see some of Lewis' classic car acquisitions. Despite all that, even Reyes would have balked at being partnered with Goren. It was one thing to hear of his escapades, it was quite another to be involved in one.

"You just seem to know how to get all the attention, Goren," Reyes teased as Bobby rolled his eyes and headed to the Captain's office.

When he entered Deakins' office, he saw Detective Eames seated in one of the chairs in front of Deakins' desk. She smiled at him as he sat in the chair next to her. He smiled back and nodded in greeting. He liked Eames even though he hadn't interacted much with her during his short time at Major Case. Everyone liked Eames.

"Detective Goren, since Detective Poletti is leaving us today, I need a new partner for Detective Eames. You are it," Deakins said simply.

Bobby looked confused. "But...what about Barclay?"

"I think it would be better for the new guy transferring in to be partnered with Barclay," Deakins replied, trying not to say anything about Barclay threatening to quit if he had to work with Goren on another case.

Bobby sighed and glanced over at Eames who was smiling at him. Detective Alexandra Eames. She came from a family of cops, had risen in the ranks fairly quickly, was the widow of another detective from the 14th, she was one of Major Case's stars. That's all he knew about her. "So what did you do to get punished like this?" he tried to joke.

Alex chuckled. "I asked him the same thing and he said this isn't a punishment."

Bobby smiled at her.

"Look you two, I'm just moving things around a little to see what works best," Deakins said.

"I know, Barclay probably requested another partner and asked for a transfer unless he got one," Bobby said. "It's okay, Captain, I am a detective, you know. I can figure these things out."

Alex covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smirk. Okay, so this is promising. He might actually be more fun to work with than they say.

Deakins sighed. "I'm sorry, Bobby."

"It's not your fault." Bobby glanced nervously at Alex.

"All right then you two get back out there. As of Monday, Bobby will take over Kevin's desk," Deakins informed them.

The detectives left their Captain's office and headed back out to the bull pen. They both noticed everyone in the squad sneaking looks at them as they exited Deakins' office.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever been this interesting to anyone before," Alex said as she glanced around the room.

"They're probably taking bets on how long you'll put up with me," Bobby said jokingly, but Alex detected an underlying tone of annoyance in his voice.

"Or they're thinking we look like Mutt and Jeff," Alex chuckled as she looked up at her 6'4" partner.

Looking down at her, Bobby tilted his head to one side. "How tall are you, exactly?"

"Oh come on, don't worry about being tactful there, Goren," Alex smirked once more as she looked up at Goren with his head tilted to one side. Ah yes, he has no filter on his brain. What pops into his head pops out of his mouth. That's good, actually. Rather that than someone who tells me what I want to hear and not what's true.

Bobby blushed. "Uh...sorry...I guess I was thinking out loud." He stuck his hands in his pockets and smiled shyly.

Now that's impressive. A 6'4", 40-year old man who has the ability to look like he's ten. That has to be the attraction for the secretaries who babble about him in the ladies room. Alex smiled. "That's okay, I spent a couple of years partnered with 'Mr. Public Relations' over there. Bluntness is rather refreshing." Alex glanced at Poletti who was standing by her desk, talking on his cell phone.

"I thought you and Poletti worked well together?" Bobby asked.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, we did. He's a great detective, but he can be a prima dona. He's much more interested in performing...annoying but he's basically a good guy."

"Well, guess I'll go finish up my paperwork so we can start fresh on Monday," Bobby said as he spotted Barclay getting off the elevator.

Watching Bobby walk over to Barclay, Alex sighed. She had no idea what she had gotten into but she was willing to give Robert Goren a chance for the sake of her Captain and the entire squad.

She wandered back to her desk to find Poletti sitting on it and looking at her sympathetically. "So is it true?" he asked.

Alex smirked. "I wonder why sometimes I feel I'm back in high school listening to gossip in the girls bathroom?"

Poletti shrugged. "I was just trying to show my concern for my soon-to-be former partner."

"I can take care of myself just fine, Poletti," Alex responded with a reassuring smile. "Besides, you know how I like challenges."

"Yea, but Goren is going to be a big challenge. Did you hear what he did to the Mayor's wife's cousin?" Poletti continued, ignoring Alex's obvious desire to drop the subject.

"Kevin, just drop it. What he did or did not do is all speculation unless you actually read the case file and know for sure, and even then I'd rather not gossip about it. He solved the case and got the Mayor's thanks for it, cousin-in-law or not." Alex plopped down in her chair. "On your last day, don't they let you go early or something?"

"Okay, okay, fine. But you watch out for yourself. Goren may be the genius of NYPD and all but he could be trouble." Poletti went to his own desk and finished packing up his belongings in a cardboard box.

The rest of the day progressed without further incident. Poletti had his farewell party at his favorite bar and Detective Roy Masuda was welcomed into the squad.

Monday morning arrived to find Goren and Eames assigned a new case before they could even get a cup of coffee. A best selling author was found dead in her Manhattan loft.

As Bobby grabbed the keys for the SUV, he found Alex's hand on his arm. "I would prefer to drive, if you don't mind."

"Uh...sure, if you want," Bobby replied a bit taken aback. "I just...I'm used to driving. Barclay doesn't like it, but I'd be much happier if I could go over notes and files on the way."

"Great, you've got one point in your favor already, then. Kevin used to argue with me all the time about driving," Alex smiled as she took the keys from Bobby and led the way to the elevators.

"You want to drive, you drive," Bobby said with a shrug.

And so things got off to a rather good start.

It turned out the case was a simple one to solve. The case was closed in two days. The next one was a bit more of a challenge, but it seemed the two detectives worked well enough together. There were the odd questions Goren asked that caused people to raise an eyebrow or two. Occasionally he could be annoyingly smart, tossing out the most obscure facts only someone who might have read the encyclopedia from A to Z would know. But all in all Alex thought Goren was great to work with. He always treated her with respect and never patronized her as some others she had worked with. He also didn't resent her being senior partner despite being younger and a woman and those were points in his favor.

The trouble started in the middle of their third case. That was when Alex started to think perhaps Goren was on his best behavior for the first couple of cases to lull her into a false sense of security.

From the very beginning, this case was fraught with trouble. The victim, Anita Corinthos, was the daughter of Arthur Corinthos, a wealthy jeweler who owned several stores along the east coast. Unfortunately, their suspect was Ramon Corinthos, the victim's brother. Ramon might not have been the killer, but Bobby was certain he was involved in some way. Making the situation worse was Mr. Corinthos' refusal to accept any evidence of his son's involvement.

Of course, this led to a major confrontation between Arthur Corinthos and Bobby. Alex was concerned over the lack of physical evidence and witnesses to the crime. All the evidence they had was circumstantial. Bobby had pointed out to Alex all the reasons he believed Ramon had orchestrated the whole thing. It did make sense to her once he explained it, but most of it was based on his observations and his psychological profile of Ramon. She wasn't sure she trusted his judgment at this early stage of their partnership. Bobby's methods were new to her and sometimes left her feeling uncomfortable and nervous.

It was also disconcerting when Bobby would periodically run off without explanation to follow a lead that popped into his head. Sometimes he even left in the middle of a conversation with her! Alex found herself chasing him down demanding an explanation. Sometimes Goren gave it immediately, other times he had the nerve to say he didn't have time to bring her up to speed. That infuriated her more than anything. Did he think she was stupid? Did he think she didn't have the ability to comprehend what he was thinking? When he did explain things to her he seemed annoyed that it was necessary.

After one of those occasions when he didn't have time to answer her, he managed to get an associate of Ramon's into the interrogation room. Alex was unaware of the situation until Detective Barclay asked her who Goren was questioning in there.

Alex got to the observation room just in time to see Bobby with a predatory look in his eyes, apparently intimidating the man who was standing in the farthest corner from the door. He seemed frightened of the big detective despite the fact that Bobby wasn't even nearby. She knew Bobby was probably playing mind-games with him. When Alex entered the interrogation room to find out what was going on, the man suddenly became emboldened and demanded a lawyer. Bobby was furious. He followed Alex out of the room and yelled at her. She yelled back. The argument ended with Alex storming out and telling Deakins she was taking some sick time that afternoon on her way out.

It didn't surprise Deakins the next morning when he found a letter from Alex on his desk requesting a new partner. Deakins sighed and tried to think of how he was going to explain this to the brass. He reread the letter twice more and focused on one line in particular.

Detective Goren's erratic and anti-social behavior, his volatile and bizarre interrogation techniques lead me to have serious doubts about his judgment and mental stability.

If Alex Eames felt this way, perhaps it was true. Deakins was very disappointed. He called her into his office and convinced her to at least finish out the case with Goren. She was reluctant to do so but was also aware that this case was very sensitive and leaving Goren alone with it would not be the best idea.

When Bobby arrived at the office he found Alex in the break room deep in thought and unaware of his presence.

"Good morning," he said quietly as he put a small brown bag down on the table along with a cup of Starbucks gourmet coffee. He pushed both towards her as she looked up at him with a surprised look on her face. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have...yelled at you yesterday," he said apologetically.

"Really?" Alex said rather sarcastically. She was still angry and not inclined to let him bribe her into forgiving him. She folded her arms in front of her and stared at him coldly.

Bobby sighed and sat down across the table from her. "Look, I...I know I should have kept you informed about what I was doing. It's just...sometimes I get an idea and...well, I just forget that I...I should...explain myself."

The combination of Bobby's genuine regret and the aroma of the Starbucks vanilla latte were beginning to work on Alex's defenses. She was all set to read him the riot act but Bobby had such a mournful expression on his face she was finding it difficult to remain angry.

"How did you manage in Narcotics?" she asked bluntly. At this point she was more curious about his behavior than angry.

"We were out in the field a lot...undercover. I could pretty much...be outrageous and act impulsively without...without having to explain myself. You kind of...had to be able to...improvise because situations were so...so unpredictable. When you're dealing with drug addicts and drug dealers...you sometimes don't have time to think about anything else but how to adapt to a dangerous situation when you're faced with their unpredictable behavior. The other guys involved in the sting operations...they were the same way when we were out in the field," Bobby explained. "Maybe I should have...maybe moving me to Major Case was a mistake." He stared at the table top, looking absolutely miserable.

Great, how did he get this turned around so now I'm feeling badly about everything? Alex shook her head, "No, I think you're among the best and the brightest, Goren. You belong here. You just need to remember to keep your partner informed. Running off on your own isn't acceptable with me. I'm not going to let you leave me in the dust because you don't think I can keep up like your partners in Narcotics."

Bobby blinked in surprise at her words. "You think I...no, no, it's not like that! I don't think you..." Bobby was flustered. He never thought she couldn't keep up with him. He just wasn't used to dealing with partners in a more conventional way after his years in Narcotics.

Taking a deep breath, Bobby composed himself. "I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I...I thought you incapable of...of understanding or of dealing with...unpredictable situations. I just...when I get an idea in my head I just act on it without considering that...that I should probably let my partner know what's going on."

Bobby looked at Alex and saw some doubt reflected in her eyes. "I understand if you just don't want to deal with this any more. When I think about it, if I were you and if I had to deal with someone like me, I might not be too happy about it either." He stood up and stuffed his hands in his pockets stared down at the floor. "For what it's worth, I appreciate your calling me out yesterday - even if I may not have appreciated it at the time."

Alex was surprised by his comment. "Why? I thought you said I ruined everything by barging in like that?"

Still unable to look her in the eye, Bobby shook his head and stared at the table top. "I should have told you. If I explained my thoughts...what I was planning...you wouldn't have felt a need to come in and find out what was going on. It was my fault. At least you...you confronted me. Everyone else said nothing when they got frustrated and...well, just went straight to Deakins and asked for a new partner...or in Chambliss' case, just transferred out."

Now Alex was feeling absolutely horrible. How do I tell him what I've done now? I'm no better than those others. She thought about the contents of the letter. Maybe I'm worse...

Bobby finally looked at Alex. "I promise...I'll try to do better. You're the only one here who has even tried to understand me. I...I can see that...sometimes you...you don't agree with me but you...you give me time to explain. I appreciate that more than you know. I shouldn't have assumed you were...you were like them."

Great, now I want to cry...how did he do that? And here I thought he was an arrogant ass. I have to fix this... Alex knew he was waiting for her to say something. "Tell you what, I promise to never interrupt you like that again, but I will kick your ass afterwards if you forget to keep me informed or to explain things to me. Got it?"

Bobby smiled with relief. "Got it."

He was rewarded with a smile from Alex who found herself holding a mental debate about whether to tell Bobby what she had done.

For the rest of the day, Alex tried to find time to talk to Deakins privately, but they were so busy she had to wait until the following morning. That night she slept horribly, feeling anxious and guilty about the awful things she had written in that letter. She had been so angry at the time she wrote it she really didn't care how it would look for Bobby. Now she realized she should have waited until she her anger dissipated.

Goren really was brilliant and while he was unorthodox in his methods and approach to solving crime, Alex had to admit he made work more interesting. He challenged her and she liked that as well. His sincere apology and gratitude for her trying to understand him made her realize all the good things she thought about him were correct and all the negatives were a misunderstanding.

The next morning she barged into Deakins' office, looking bleary eyed and stressed out.

"Alex, what happened?" Deakins asked. "What did Goren do now?"

Alex shook her head vehemently. "No, no I want to withdraw my request for a new partner."

"You what?" Deakins asked.

Alex dropped into a chair and sighed. "I...I want to withdraw my request. It was a mistake, Captain. I shouldn't have...I should have waited until I wasn't so upset."

"You're not the first one to question his mental stability, Alex, " Deakins said quietly as he took his seat behind his desk.

"He's not unstable! I just...I just didn't understand. I judged him without hearing his explanation." Alex nervously tapped the arm of her chair as she prayed that the letter had not been officially put on file. "And I'd really like to have my letter back."

"I can withdraw your request Alex but I can't give you the letter back. It's already been filed, along with my explanation about your finishing out the case you're working on," Deakins informed her. "But when I put in the request for withdrawal of your letter, nothing else will happen to it."

"So it won't reflect negatively on Goren?" Alex asked, hoping she hadn't done something irreparable.

"It shouldn't," Deakins replied. "I'll put in the withdrawal request immediately. The only thing that will happen is the letter will be stuck in a file somewhere to gather dust. If you had gone ahead with your request someone might have been curious enough to look into it but now it probably won't be given another thought."

Alex nodded, looking relieved and then another thought struck her. She looked at her Captain nervously. "Captain, did you...I mean, have you said anything to anyone else in the department?"

"No, I generally don't like to add even more grist for the rumor mill. I figured there would be plenty of time for that after you two closed this case." Deakins watched as Alex processed the information.

"Captain...I would appreciate it if..." Alex swallowed nervously. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention my request to Goren."

Deakins frowned. "Is there a problem I need to know about?"

Alex blushed. "No, it's just...we're still working things out and I'm afraid if he finds out what I did..." Alex closed her eyes to regain her composure. "What I wrote in that letter was horrible and none of it is true." She opened her eyes and looked directly at Deakins. "He might not trust me if he finds out about that letter. I can't risk that."

"Oh for heaven's sake, Alex, Bobby has been through this with his other partners here. How can this be any worse?" Deakins asked.

"And that would make me just like them! He's trying to work things out with me because he thinks I'm NOT like them."

Deakins appeared to consider her words for a moment. Then he said, "Look, I'm not going to tell him. But I think you should."

"I'll think about telling him, sir. Thank you." Alex stood to leave. Maybe the Captain is right. I should just tell him. I don't have to tell him what was in it...but would he be curious enough to try and find out? What would he do if he knew what I almost did? Would he trust me if he knew I went so far as to question his mental stability?

Deakins nodded and watched her head to her desk.

Bobby arrived at the office just as Alex got to her desk. Before she could say or do anything, he immediately began telling her his latest discovery and his excitement was contagious. Alex found herself wrapped up in the case and her doubts and worries about the letter were soon forgotten. For the next five years, she never even gave it a second thought.

The End Chapter 3

A/N: The next chapter of relevance to our two detectives will be covered in Chapter 8 of Defining Moments where we will be dealing with The Faithful and the reasons for and after-effects of Bobby's actions and Alex's agreement to keep Carver out of the loop for a couple of days.