Alex's expression softened, but she didn't have to be a detective to figure out he cared about her. Heck, anyone at Major Case could've told her that. Still, it probably had cost Bobby something to say it aloud, so she replied, "I do care about you Bobby, more than as just my partner, but there's something I have to tell you…."

"About Hannah?" She looked surprised. "You mentioned him last night."

She looked down at her plate and began poking disinterestedly at the remaining potatoes, "Now might be a good time to tell me how much I embarrassed myself last night."

Bobby put down his fork and ignoring the pain, shifted his chair around pulling it closer to her. He was not used to this vulnerable, uncertain Alex. She was the best, most confident detective he knew and he drew a lot of his own strength from her confidence, in him as well as in herself. He took hold of her hand and said, "You didn't do or say anything to embarrass yourself Alex, in fact, you were quite endearing."

She looked at him, "If you say so."

He smiled, "Well, you WERE a bit unsteady, and most of what you said made no sense." Now she smiled. "You said 'Hannah wanted to split us up,' and that Logan 'asked you out,' and Falacci said you should go out with him because of Hannah."

Alex took a deep breath, and gave Bobby's hand a reassuring squeeze before letting it go and sitting back in her chair. She couldn't talk about this holding his hand; it was too distracting. "Ok, back in the hospital upstate, Hannah asked if there was something going on between us." Bobby raised his eyebrows and sat back in his own chair, but he didn't interrupt. "I don't know why he said it, I was understandably worried about you, you were still in surgery, so it can't have been that, maybe he heard some rumors or something, but anyway I told him there wasn't, and he said that was good because he'd split us up if there was, send one of us back to Vice or Narcotics…" Alex could see Bobby was getting mad now. "Look, I don't know what's going on with him, but we can't let it get to us." Bobby gave a curt nod of agreement, so Alex continued, telling Bobby about Mike asking her out Friday, and Nola admitting to having goaded him into it.

"But you turned him down." Bobby interjected, and seeing her expression clarified, "You told me last night."

"Gosh what else did I tell you in my state of inebriation?" Alex couldn't help but worry that she had declared her undying love and affection for him.

He relaxed a bit and said, "Nothing, just about the part where Falacci told you to go out with Logan, presumably to convince Hannah there's nothing between us."

"Oh that. Well sometime in the evening, after a couple of guys hit on us we got to talking about the Major Case rumor mill, and I mentioned Hannah's suspicion. That's when she thought it might be a good idea." She watched him. Bobby was looking at her intently, she could tell the gears were working but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. "So that's it then." She said at last, and when he didn't say anything she stood and began collecting the dishes. After loading them into the dishwasher Alex looked at him again. He was drumming his fingers on the table, lost in thought. "I need a shower she said," and saw his slight nod to indicate he'd heard.

While Alex showered Bobby made his way to the recliner and retrieved his cell phone. He found Logan's number in the contacts list and pressed 'send.'

After her shower Alex found Bobby to be still somewhat emotionally detached and it bothered her; she was half angry and half worried. Was he mad at her? Was he regretting confessing to caring about her? She knew her voice was a little cool when she asked if he needed anything. He wanted to wash up. He'd already taken his meds, so she left him to it and went to sit on the couch and watch TV till he was ready to have his wounds drained and redressed.

Now laying on his bed and watching Alex as she worked to finish up his bandaging Bobby finally spoke, "Alex, why did you turn down Mike's invitation to dinner?"

She glanced at Bobby, his expression still unreadable. She wondered how he'd react if she told him the truth, 'because I am in love with you!' Then instead she said, "What difference does it make?"

"I told you, I care about you, and I want you to be happy."

"And you think going out with Mike will make me happy?" He shrugged, "Don't you think I would have accepted his invitation then?"

"I suppose so." She didn't respond so with a grimace of pain he pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Alex, I kinda think Falacci is right."

"What!"

"I think you should go out with Mike to divert Hannah's attention."

"Why? He has no reason to split us up!"

"We've spent the entire weekend together."

"But he KNEW we would be. I told him myself."

"You don't think bells went off in his head when you agreed to do this? It was selfish of me to even ask. I didn't even think of the implications…."

"But NOTHING is going on, Bobby!"

"It doesn't even matter what the security detail out front put in their report Alex, rumors are gonna fly around Major Case."

"Again I say, 'nothing is going on.' "

"It's not the impropriety that matters, it's the appearance of it. AND you are forgetting something, we slept together."

A nervous smile forming her expression, she looked at him, "Is there something about last night that you're not telling me?" For all Alex knew they had made out all night. He smiled too and shook his head. They were sitting close enough that she could see the varying shades that made up the brown of his irises. She stood up then and turned to face him, "besides, you can't think they are watching us that closely."

"For all we know there's surveillance in that apartment across the street." He nodded toward his bedroom window.

Alex looked past him through the sheers to the outline of the other apartment's windows. "Bobby, of all the paranoid delusions… she regretted her words instantly, even before she saw the flicker of 'hurt' in his eyes. Immediately she dropped to the bed beside him and grabbed his hand, "Bobby I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. Forgive me."

"He squeezed her hand before letting go and reaching out to stroke her hair. "It's ok." He said softly, then put his arm around her and pressed her head gently into his shoulder, holding her for a moment before saying, "I called Mike while you were in the shower."

Alex sat up an shifted around to face him, "And…"

"And he's picking you up about six."

"Bobby are you out of your mind!" She stood abruptly, "You have NO right! What were you thinking!"

"It's the perfect plan. The security detail will see him arrive, maybe even with a bouquet of flowers…."

Alex was so mad now that words completely failed her. She shook her fists over her head looking up as though battling God and saying 'Arrrgggggg' in frustration she stormed from his room.

She paced back and forth in his living room, periodically shaking her fists as she talked to herself, "What was he thinking! He's completely lost his mind! What am I property to be passed around! I should have left him in the hospital! Honestly, 'surveillance across the street? SLEEPING together! I never should've told him about Hannah. What does Hannah care anyway? He's got WAY more important things to worry about than whether or not his detectives are sleeping together! And so what if they are? He'd need proof. AND, what could he possibly gain by splitting them up…?"

She stopped pacing and stared at the blank TV screen. What DID he have to gain? She wondered, why did he even bring it up at the hospital? Alex sank slowly onto the recliner. Now calming down things began to seem clearer. WHO would benefit from splitting them up? Hannah? Hardly, he needed his best detectives, he was CAPTAIN of Major Case, and failure was not an option in that post. In fact now that she thought about it, there were a lot of people that hadn't wanted to see Bobby get his badge back. She had thought it odd how much red tape he'd had to dig his way out of when she had finally convinced him to request reassessment. Stupid little details and forms that were usually waived for time in service, and yet another formal psych evaluation, this time by Dr. Gyson, who had only recently cleared him 'fit for full duty.'

Who were these people, minions fronting for more powerful superiors? Major Case, and she and Bobby specifically, had put away a lot of powerful people in their day; the Judge and Mrs. Harold Garrett, Avery Hubert, the ever-ominous Frank Adair. And then there was this case in the Catskills. Bobby had complained during the entire trip up there that they were on a wild goose chase. And that CAR! Sure it was common knowledge SUVs weren't used on trips over an hour one way, but never in the history of motor pool vehicle checkouts had such a piece of 'beater car' crap been issued to a team of elite Major Case detectives.

Alex got up and knelt on the couch to pull the living room curtain aside and look out at the security detail. What she saw made her drop the curtain and sit quickly back. She didn't recognize the driver, it wasn't the rookie she'd seen yesterday, but whoever it was his binoculars were trained on Bobby's apartment, not the cross streets, or surrounding buildings. She put her head in her hands and rubbed her temples, she owed Bobby an apology.

Alex got up and went to Bobby's room. He was there sitting on the edge of his bed, right where she'd left him. He looked up from the piece of thread he'd been toying with that was dangling from the immobilization harness around his right shoulder. When he saw that she was no longer angry he relaxed and watched her as she approached. She stopped in front of him, "So what do you think I should wear tonight?"

He grinned. "I think you look fine just as you are." And this time, instead of taking hold of his hand as had become her habit lately, Alex did something she had wanted to do for about nine years. She reached out and ran her fingers through his surprisingly soft curls. Bobby closed his eyes and bowed his head completely giving in to the sensations her touch.

After a moment she sat down beside him and didn't wait for him to press her head to his shoulder before leaning against him. He caressed her ear again now, like he had when they were huddled under the blanket in the car only this time he didn't stop. "Bobby, what did you tell Mike?"

"Not much. Wherever you end up, you should have a lot to talk about."

"Do you think they're listening to us?"

"I don't know. I hope not."

"They're watching the apartment. I'm a little worried about leaving you here alone tonight."

"Don't worry. I don't think they'd do anything over the top like come after us."

"They sabotaged the car."

"Yeah, but like you pointed out to Hannah, they didn't cut the break lines or snipe a tire."

Alex sighed. "Bobby you should rest now. I'm surprised you're not out already from the codeine and muscle relaxers."

"I've been fighting it."

"So rest now, while I make us some lunch, and prepare a plate you can heat up at dinner time."

"I don't think I can sleep now."

"Try" she said getting up and helping him back onto the pillows.

"Alex," he said as she walked away, she turned. Bobby patted the bed next to him and said, "I'll keep this spot warm for you till you get home tonight."

She grinned, blushing and then left the room.