Each day, the nursing staff got Bobby up more frequently than the day before, and the doctors were pleased with his progress. Alex spent the days with him, and Hunt visited frequently, refusing to leave town until the last member of his team was ready to go home. When Bobby wasn't sleeping, he and Alex watched football or talked about safe topics—old cases they worked or her nephew, avoiding anything with more substance. Both were anxious to bump their relationship forward, but the hospital setting simply was not private enough to accomplish anything.

Hunt brought Alex to the hospital earlier each morning as she attempted to arrive before Bobby's first venture out of bed, but Bobby turned it into a game, rising earlier each morning so that she wouldn't catch him. When she adamantly refused to rise before the sun, he pointed out that she used to get up that early. "I never rose before the sun by choice," she insisted. "I did it to keep an eye on you as you poked and prodded dead bodies and pissed off the CSU techs by telling them how to do their jobs."

"I didn't," he protested. "I just let them know what I wanted sampled or photographed so that nothing fell through the cracks."

"And the poking and prodding?"

"Just being thorough. I had to know what questions to ask the ME."

"And she just loved you for that."

"You think so," he asked innocently, almost hopeful.

"She always looked forward to our cases."

He gave her a suspicious look but she just smiled. He couldn't quite tell if she was serious or not, but he didn't try very hard to read her. Firstly, she hated when he tried to profile her, so he worked hard not to do that. Secondly, he spent his entire life trying to eliminate the unknowns. For the first time, he wanted there to be a mystery hovering just out of reach. Oh, he could solve it if he really wanted to, but he didn't want to. He wanted to be intrigued and challenged and drawn in deeper by the wonder that was her. He desperately wanted something more interesting in his life than the next case. More than anything, he wanted all that wonder and intrigue to be Alex. He wanted their relationship to be the one he didn't destroy, the one that survived the storms he created, however unintentionally. He wanted this relationship to survive. He never meant for things to be rocky; it just always seemed to happen. This time, though, he was determined to make it work.

On the morning of December 15, clear and cool in Houston, rainy and cold in New York, the doctors decided there was nothing they could do for Bobby in the hospital that he could not accomplish at home. They released him into Alex's care so he could continue to recover at home, which was exactly what Bobby had been lobbying for.

Hunt set up Bobby's debriefing for that afternoon, arranging for an evening flight to JFK with a brief layover in Washington, which was his stop. By seven o'clock that evening, they'd be on their way home.

Dressed in clean jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, Bobby was more than ready to leave the hospital. He signed the paperwork and accepted the prescriptions the nurse had for him. Hunt drove to the federal building and once he was set for his debriefing, the senior DEA agent took Alex to lunch after they stopped at a nearby pharmacy so she could fill Bobby's prescriptions.

Alex wasn't surprised that Hunt wanted to talk about Bobby over lunch. "He's not really one for talking," he observed as they were finishing their meal.

"That depends on what you're talking about," she answered fondly. "Bobby's not one for lingering on certain subjects. He's intensely private about what he feels and doesn't readily share with people he doesn't trust...unless he's trying to make a connection with a suspect and get him to confess. Then nothing is off limits."

"So when he told me about his feelings for you...?"

"That was a privilege, Hunt. He trusts you, and believe me, there are not many people in that group."

Hunt reflected on that as he finished his beans and rice. He didn't say anything as he paid for the meal and they drove away from the restaurant. Finally, he said, "I haven't known many men like him. I'd kill to have him permanently on my team."

"I don't think he'd like spending two-thirds of the year slogging around the rain forest."

"I wish I could convince him otherwise. Maybe you can..."

She smiled as she shook her head. "Don't look at me. I don't want him spending two-thirds of the year slogging around the rain forest."

Hunt laughed softly. "That's a shame, for me, anyway."

"I understand why you'd want him on your team," she assured him. "But he left narcotics a long time ago. He prefers challenges that flex his mental muscle. You know, puzzles to solve. He thrives on puzzles and mysteries and the who-done-its, but what really gets him going is the why-done-its. I don't know why he chose to go on this particular mission with you, but I don't think it's something he's looking for on a permanent basis. He solves crimes. It's what he does best."

"Well, you can't blame a guy for trying, and I did try. I talked to his New York supervisor already and they've tagged him for the cold case unit."

Alex's smile returned. "That's right up his alley."

"And he'll be home every night."

She nodded, wondering just how that was going to work out. Whose home would he be going to in six months? A year? Ten years? As much as she hated uncertainty, she was anxious to put the ball in motion. He seemed eager to give their changed relationship a shot, and now that he was home, she was eager as well. His enthusiasm always was contagious.

They got back to the hotel and agreed to let the other know if they heard from Bobby. Alex stretched out on the bed in her room and drifted to sleep.

Alex jerked awake, looking around the darkened room, momentarily disoriented. On the bed beside her, the screen on her cell phone was lit. 1 new message, it read. A text from Bobby. Done. Can we go home now?

She smiled and texted back: Sounds like a plan. Be there soon.

She dialed Hunt's room and told him Bobby was ready. "Okay. Let's go battle rush hour traffic. Bring your bags, though, because we'll have to go right to the airport."

Five minutes later, she had her bag packed and she was ready to go. She couldn't wait to get home, but more than that, she was looking forward to spending time alone with Bobby. Real alone time, without nurses and federal agents and doctors walking in on them. Just her and him. She felt a nervous flutter in her stomach. What the hell was that about? This was Bobby. Her longtime partner. Her close friend...who wanted to be more. That was where the flutter came from. He wanted to be more.

Chastising herself for acting like a teenager, she left the room. She met up with Hunt in the hall and they left the hotel.

Living in New York, Alex was used to traffic, and the evening rush hour in Houston, like most other large cities, was no picnic, so it took an inordinate amount of time to get back to the federal building. Bobby was waiting patiently—he always waited for her patiently—in the hall outside the DEA offices. Hunt went into one of the offices, promising to be right back, as Bobby shifted restlessly, looking at Alex.

He was uncertain about how to greet her, not knowing what she expected from him any more. Their relationship was changing and he didn't quite know what to do in any situation. It would work itself out, he knew, but at the moment, he was lost. She was not inclined to display affection of any kind in public, except with her nephew, so he simply gave her a smile and remained restless.

Alex, on the other hand, was amused by his uncertainty. He'd been just as tentative when they'd said goodbye last year and when he'd popped back into her life in June. She didn't know what he wanted or expected, and she suspected he felt the same. It was something they had to work out. She touched his hand and quietly said, "Settle down. We'll be out of here soon and on our way home."

He cocked his head a little. "And then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean then what? What do we do?"

"Well, for starters, you finish healing and go back to work. Everything else we play by ear, just like other people do."

"But we're not other people. We're us."

She laughed. "I can't map it out for you, Bobby. I don't know what's going to happen now any more than I ever did. We just...live. We feel our way into this relationship just like we've done with other relationships. The only difference is we have the benefit of knowing each other, of being friends."

"And that's supposed to make it easier?"

"You don't think so?"

"No."

He was prevented from explaining by Hunt, who came out of the office. He looked at Bobby. "You sure you're okay?"

"Why?"

"They said you didn't really participate much."

"I answered their questions," he answered defensively.

"It's okay. They were just concerned that you didn't have more to contribute."

"I'm fine, Hunt."

Hunt looked at Alex, who nodded. Then he looked back at Bobby, who was waiting for his response. With a nod, Hunt said, "Okay, then, let's go. We have a plane to catch and traffic out to the airport is gonna be a bitch this time of day."

They sat together on the plane, with Alex between the two men. Once they were in the air, Bobby reclined his seat about halfway and settled himself into a comfortable position. Alex watched him fondly, smiling when he took her hand, raised it to his mouth and briefly kissed it. Then he relaxed into the seat and closed his eyes. It had been a long day and he was exhausted.

He rubbed his side, which was hurting. She squeezed his hand before releasing it and leaning forward to grab her bag from under the seat in front of her. He opened his eyes to watch her. She dug around in the bag and pulled out a prescription bottle. "I got this filled for you," she said, pressing it into his hand.

He closed his hand around the bottle, but continued to look at her. "What?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Thank you."

She pulled a bottle of water from her bag and gave it to him so he could take his medicine. He laughed softly. "What else do you have in there?"

"Like I'll tell you," she answered.

Hunt leaned forward. "The contents of a woman's purse is one of the great mysteries of life, my friend."

Bobby arched an eyebrow. "It never has been for me before," he said, glancing at her bag.

Alex laughed. "Ah, yes. The Goren charm. Something no woman can resist," she teased. Looking at Hunt, she said, "I told you he likes a challenge."

"What else did you tell him?" Bobby asked.

"Take your medicine, Goren," she said lightly, pushing her bag back under the seat in front of her.

Bobby watched her until she sat back. Then he looked at the label, dumped two pills into his hand and swallowed them with the water. Tucking the pill bottle into the front pocket of his jeans, he put the water bottle between him and Alex and resettled himself in the seat. When he placed his hand over hers again, she threaded her fingers with his and rested her head against his shoulder. He made a soft noise of contentment and relaxed.

It didn't take long before his breathing settled into a deep regular pattern and she knew he was asleep.

Hunt leaned toward her and spoke quietly, so he wouldn't wake Bobby. "Mind if I make an observation?" he asked.

"Of course not," she said, sitting back in her seat.

He paused before speaking so he wouldn't misspeak. Finally, he said, "I can see why he's so taken with you."

"Oh? Care to share with the class?"

"I'm not hitting on you," he said with a quiet laugh. "What I'm saying is after seeing you together, I understand why he never accepted Aggie's offer. There's, I don't know, there's something there, a chemistry, if you will. I can't exactly explain it but I can tell it's there."

Alex looked at Bobby, who still held onto her hand as he slept. She smiled. "I've known him for so long I sometimes overlook how special he is."

"I can't speak to that, but I can agree with him that you are pretty special."

"So, do all of you flirt as well as he does?"

Hunt laughed. "I'm not flirting, my dear. And I can assure you he didn't do much flirting in the jungle."

"You don't have to cover for him, Hunt. I know how he is. Sometimes he can't help himself."

"Well, nothing ever came of it."

"Nothing usually does...except maybe a confession or two."

"Ah, so that's how it's done in New York."

It was Alex's turn to laugh. "How else did you think our solve rate was consistently the highest in the department?"

"I would say it's because you two worked well together."

"That was part of it. It didn't hurt that he's a brilliant profiler. He has a better understanding of criminal behavior than anyone I've ever known, and he's got the mind of a genius. I was his sounding board, but he never shut out my contribution."

"I'd never expect that of him."

She gave him another smile and leaned her head back against Bobby's shoulder. They'd had some rocky times, that was for sure, but they'd gotten past those. She knew it wouldn't always be smooth sailing, but she felt confident they would be fine. As long as they were both invested in the relationship, it would work.