A/N - I'm sorry it has been so long since the last update. I have been busy moving, and we just got internet hooked up a few days ago. I finally had enough time to sit down and write this chapter...hopefully I'll have more time later. This one isn't my favorite; I wasn't sure where I was going with it, but I hope you like it.

Being the way that you are is enough...

"Bobby, do you think the tip of my nose is uneven?"

The question broke through the silence of the afternoon paperwork lull. Bobby looked up to find his partner pinching the bridge of her nose, her forehead scrunched in thought. They were tackling a mountain of forms from their latest case, in which a plastic surgeon had been murdered, hence the uncharacteristically vain question from the usually confident Alex Eames. Weeks of researching lifts, tucks and injections were bound to rattle any woman.

Now, Robert Goren had never been married and his last serious relationship had been quite a long time ago, but he knew enough about women to realize he had just been pushed unwillingly onto very thin ice. This question was equal to, "Does this dress make me look fat?" or "Is she prettier than me?" And while Goren and Eames were not in a romantic relationship (Yet, he amended in his mind), the rules were the same. A quick, emphatic, "No." was the only correct answer.

And it was the truth, of course. Bobby thought her nose was just fine. It was small and straight, and the tip was symmetrical as far as he could tell. It was cute...but he wasn't about to tell her that, even in this rare moment of girly insecurity. She would probably still deck him. He gave a small chuckle. Big mistake. Bobby felt the metaphorical thin ice crack beneath him.

Alex dropped her hand from her face, mumbled "Forget it" and went back to her paperwork.

Bobby wasn't a complete idiot. He was on damage control right away. Stuttering and stumbling, but damage control nonetheless.

"Aw, come on, Eames. I'm sorry. I just...I wasn't laughing at you. I was think -you're...I think your nose is...it's just fine. Nice. It's nice."

Alex wasn't actually mad; she knew the question was ridiculous and now she regretted voicing it. Still, she found that she quite enjoyed Groveling Bobby. She would just let him squirm a little.

As he went on, trying desperately to get back in her good graces, Alex struggled to hold back her smile. She decided to mess with him a bit more. Besides, a cup of coffee did sound good right about then. She stood and walked past Bobby toward the break room. Just as she was about to turn back and put him out of his misery, he stopped her with a hand around her wrist. With his puppy dog eyes trained on her, Bobby said in earnest,

"Your nose is adorable, okay? But I didn't want to tell you so, because I didn't want you to hit me. That's why I laughed. I wouldn't...you're...you're very pretty, Eames. You don't need to change anything."

Alex didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She gave a teasing smile.

"I guess I won't hit you...this time. Coffee?"

Bobby shook his head, confused, as she walked away. Women.

Alex couldn't stop the grin as she made her way to get their coffee. Men.