Author's Note: I finally got some inspiration and finished the last chapter! I don't know if it's worth the wait (probably not lol) but I'm glad that the story is finally complete. I appreciate each and every review you've all left. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Characters not mine. Also I don't actually speak French so any errors on that front you can blame on Google Translate lying to me.
Chapter 7
"That Kind of Partner"
Bobby found that even asking Alex if they could have a talk later was much more difficult than he had anticipated. Every time there was an opportunity, his mouth went dry and his mind went blank. What if he can't tell her what he needs to? What if he drives away the only person he trusts? What is it that he even feels? And what if she doesn't feel the same?
Before he knew it, the day before his next appointment with Dr. Gyson had arrived and time was running out.
This is stupid, he thought to himself. No more excuses. He saw Alex walking towards him from the captain's office.
"I'm going to get lunch, want to come?" she asked, grabbing her wallet from her desk.
"Will you have dinner with me?" Bobby blurted out suddenly. Alex stopped in her tracks.
"What?"
"No – sorry – I just meant, uh, there's something I want to talk to you about, but, uh, not here…could we have dinner? Tonight?"
"Tonight," she echoed.
"Yeah. At – at eight. La Sirène?"
"Wow, fancy. I hope you're paying."
"Oh, well yeah…I mean, of course. Sure."
"Well in that case, I'm in."
"Oh good. That's…that's great," Bobby said, still flustered.
Alex smiled and shook her head.
"So…lunch? You coming?"
"Oh, right – of…of course. Let's get lunch," said Bobby, breathing a sigh of relief.
They both walked up to La Sirène at exactly 8:02pm.
"Wow, good timing," Alex said, and Bobby laughed.
"You too. Shall we?"
They walked through the door into a dim reception area lit only by ornate chandeliers and flickering tapers. In the background, a woman's voice crooned softly in French.
As they approached the hostess stand, Alex noticed Bobby had his hands in his pockets and was rocking back and forth on his feet nervously. As she was about to ask him what was wrong, a voice interrupted her.
"Welcome to La Sirène," said a cheerful looking woman somewhere near the border of thirty. "For two?"
"Yes," Bobby answered, his eyes wandering wildly around the room, as if it would be dangerous for them to settle in one place for too long.
The hostess frowned in concentration at the computer in front of her, then looked up at them and smiled.
"You're in luck, our best table's just opened up – someone canceled their reservation," she said as she ushered them through the winding aisles and dim lighting. "It's by far our most requested – cozy and romantic…"
Alex tried to catch Bobby's eye but he was staring firmly at his shoes. The woman kept talking.
"I'm Lacey, by the way," she said. "You are…?"
"Uh, I'm Alex, this is Bobby."
"Well Alex and Bobby, I'm so glad you chose to join us tonight for dinner! Are you two celebrating anything special? Wedding anniversary?"
"Oh, no. We're just partners," Alex replied.
"Oh, that's cool," said the hostess enthusiastically, and Alex briefly wondered if she ever stopped smiling. "You know my boyfriend and I make sure to have a date night every Saturday, just for fun. Keeps the relationship fresh."
"No, uh...not that kind of partner," Alex clarified, shooting Bobby (who seemed to be fascinated by a spot on the floor) an irritated look. She had a feeling he was avoiding her gaze on purpose.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so embarrassed!" Lacey exclaimed, though she didn't look it. "You know what they say, never assume because…well, you know!"
Alex raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips in acknowledgement but didn't say anything.
"Anyway, here's your table, your waiter will be with you shortly. Can I get you any drinks to start?"
"A bottle of Merlot, please," Bobby said readily. Turning to Alex he added, "Is that alright?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, now you have something to say."
There was an uncomfortable pause as the hostess looked wildly back and forth between the detectives.
"I'm so sorry, did I say something?"
"Oh no, you're fine," Alex replied as Bobby stared back at the floor with a barely contained grin.
"Wonderful!" she exclaimed cheerfully, the sarcasm flying right over her head. "I'll bring you your wine right away."
"Thank you," Bobby said as they took their seats.
Alex shook her head wearily as they watched the hostess walk away. She looked up to see Bobby smiling.
"What?" she asked suspiciously.
"You know ordinary people can't handle your level of wit. It's cruel."
"Oh whatever," said Alex, opening the menu in front of her as Bobby followed suit. "People that chipper deserve to be mocked."
Bobby laughed and looked up at her, paused for a moment and then spoke.
"Hey…how many times do you think you've had to do that?"
"Do what?" Alex asked, confused.
"When people assume, you know, that we're…well…and then having to explain that…"
"That you're not that kind of partner?" Alex smiled, catching on.
"Yeah."
"God, I've lost count."
Bobby chuckled and then paused again, trying to work up the nerve to continue with this line of conversation. Just as he was about to speak, a waiter came to their table carrying a bottle of Merlot.
"Bonjour monsieur, bonjour madame, my name is Clément and I will be your server this evening," he said in a thick French accent, placing two glasses on the table and pouring the wine into them. "Is there anything else I can get you now?"
"Uh, no, I think we're good," said Alex.
"Magnifique! I will give you a few minutes to decide on your order."
"Merci beaucoup, that would be great," Bobby said as Clément turned and walked away.
Alex went back to studying her menu, and Bobby sat still for a moment, trying to find the right angle to approach the subject.
"You know years ago, when my brother first saw you he thought that you were, uh…and he told my mom that…well, that's why she said she wanted to meet you." He raised his glass to his lips, as though attempting to hide a sudden wave of self-consciousness.
"Huh?" Alex said, still distracted by the salad section.
Bobby put down the wine and took a deep breath.
"He thought you were my wife."
Alex looked up in confusion, brow furrowed. Bobby continued,
"Well wife, then partner – or girlfriend, whatever. That's what he told my mom. That's why she wanted to meet you."
Alex's eyes shifted slowly upwards as she tried to make heads or tails of Bobby's rambling.
"What are you saying?" she asked, her tone teetering between concern and impatience.
Bobby paused momentarily, about to answer, but exhaled in defeat.
"I…I don't know. Never mind," he said, chuckling uncomfortably and breaking his gaze.
Alex rolled her eyes and picked up her wine glass, bringing it to her lips.
They sat in silence for a few heavy moments as Bobby tried to recover the nerve he'd lost. It reappeared without warning.
"Have you ever thought I could be…you know…that kind of partner?" Even though he was blushing furiously, Bobby forced himself to maintain eye contact.
Alex froze mid-sip, surprised by his sudden candor.
"Are you asking me…?" she began.
"I'm not asking. I'm just…wondering."
"Oh," said Alex simply, as though that had clarified anything. "You mean did I ever wish that…?" Her voice trailed off.
"Wish, or just…imagine if, you know. Logan said you must've," he added suddenly, as though throwing the blame for this line of questioning onto their former colleague would make it less uncomfortable.
"Logan?" repeated Alex, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I talked to him a few weeks ago. And he said…well, you know how he is."
"I do…" Alex began slowly as she felt color rise to her cheeks. "But just because he can't fathom not being attracted to every woman he meets doesn't mean we're all…" she exhaled slowly and shook her head.
There was a pregnant pause in the conversation, and they both drank deeply from their glasses of wine. Alex seemed to recover first – she sighed and looked up at her partner.
"I don't know, Bobby. I haven't really thought about it. We're just…I don't know, we're us."
Bobby nodded.
"That's fair. Yeah, I, that's…" Bobby raised his goblet to his lips and drained it, struggling to resist the overwhelming instinct to run away.
"Even if I had thought…" Alex began. "It never would've worked. We were just too…broken."
"But now?" Bobby asked quietly.
"Now?" Alex repeated, even more softly.
"Things have changed in the past couple of months, don't you think? Since we've come back?"
"It is different," Alex agreed. "You seem happier."
"I am happier. Because of Dr. Gyson, you know. She made me realize a lot of things about myself and my life."
"I'm glad. Really," Alex said, smiling at him.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"Do you think it's weird I've always called you 'Eames'? I mean, when you've called me 'Bobby'…"
Alex raised her eyebrows.
"I…don't know. I mean, people have told me it's weird, but I never gave it much thought." She paused for a moment and then continued. "Nichols said something once…and Deakins had a whole theory worked out."
"I'll bet he did," Bobby said, chuckling.
They both fell silent.
"So, did you ever wonder about it?" Alex asked.
"Wonder about what?"
"What you said before," said Alex, her face growing warm. "If I could ever be, you know, that kind of partner."
"I, uh…no," Bobby said bluntly.
"Oh," Alex replied, taken aback. She took another sip of wine and examined her fingernails intensely.
Bobby leaned forward and sighed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that to sound like…" he trailed off for a moment, searching for the right words. "People…people have told me that it's strange. That it's normal for people in our situation to question whether they…well, you know. But I never did. I never asked myself whether I thought you were…or if we were…do you think that's weird?"
Alex frowned slightly and shrugged her shoulders.
"Uh, I guess I don't know."
"For eleven years, I never thought about it. Or at least I never thought about whether I thought about it. But now…" Bobby took a deep breath. "I realized…I've been thinking about it."
Alex felt a surge of electricity pulse through her body. She lowered her wine glass slowly and set it on the table.
"Okay," was all she could manage.
Their eyes locked onto each other for a few intense moments and Alex felt like some sort of emotional safe inside of her had been unlocked. Her mind was numb and body was trembling, but she couldn't look away.
"Are you ready to order?" came a voice from far away, as though calling from the other end of a long tunnel.
Bobby broke his gaze first.
"I…uh, yes, I mean I am…Al-, uh, are you ready?"
"Uh yes, I am." She looked up at the waiter and gave a smile that was more of a grimace.
Alex was barely aware of what she was ordering – she couldn't seem to hear the words being said around her over the ringing in her ears and the pounding in her chest.
What is happening? What just happened?
Slowly, her mind stopped reeling and she found her bearings – the waiter seemed to be long gone and she looked straight ahead to meet Bobby's eyes. His expression was earnest, but not intense. He was inviting her back into the conversation, but he wasn't going to make the first move. He was giving her an out, if she wanted to take it. She knew that at this moment, if she chose to change the subject to the weather or the menu or any other bland pleasantry, he wouldn't resist and their brief moment of electricity would fade into the past, left to be forgotten as just another unfulfilled memory.
For some reason, this simple acknowledgement stirred up more feelings inside of her than anything else that had been said this night. Alex swallowed the lump in her throat and with damp, stinging eyes, gazed directly up at Bobby. He was beaming.
Her lip trembled, and she couldn't tell if she was about to cry or laugh.
"Do you, uh…do you want to get out of here?" he asked tentatively. "Maybe…maybe take a walk?"
"Uh, yeah," she nodded, letting out a small laugh of relief. "That sounds good."
Her lips broke into a grin, matching his. They stayed like this for a moment, locked in a gaze, in a smile, soaking in each other's presence.
"Uh, shall we?" asked Bobby, finally shattering the silence.
Grabbing her purse, Alex scooted out of the booth, stood up and waited for him to pay for the wine and their uneaten meal.
"After you," he said, gesturing towards to door.
Walking towards the front, they passed the hostess who seated them.
"Oh no, are you guys leaving?" she asked, sounding heartbroken at the possibility. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?"
Alex opened her mouth to answer but Bobby was one step ahead.
"No, no, nothing happened, nothing's wrong. Everything was wonderful," he said in a soothing tone. The hostess didn't look convinced.
"It's Lacey, right? Uh, here," Bobby said, pulling out his wallet and handing her a fifty. "For your date Saturday night. Take him somewhere nice."
Lacey looked dumbfounded as Alex and Bobby walked towards the door.
"Thanks," she called out rather quietly, after the door had already shut behind them.
The air outside was thick and muggy even though it was nearly nine o'clock.
"That was nice of you," Alex said, turning to face Bobby.
"Yeah, well," he chuckled, sentence trailing off.
There was a tense pause, as a night full of possibilities stretched out in front of them.
"So…where are we going?" asked Alex, breaking the momentary silence.
"Uh…I thought maybe – do you want to go back to my place?"
Alex looked shocked.
"I…"
"No, I didn't mean – sorry." Bobby laughed nervously. "I just meant…uh, we didn't get to eat here, and I have some food I could make us – if…if you want."
"Oh," Alex paused, thinking for a moment. "Um…yeah, sure. That, that sounds nice." She looked up at him and smiled.
"Good," he said, meeting her gaze.
"But I'm driving."
"Of course," said Bobby.
They both laughed as she led him to her car.
The End.
