At last, an update. My apologies. Life, you know?

START CHAPTER 14

By the time they entered New York State, Bobby and Alex were on full alert. They received good news on several fronts. Bobby's house sold, not for as much as his highest hopes but far more than the lowest number he was willing to accept. Lewis awaited the Mustang's arrival, and Bobby discovered that even after paying off his bills, he had a small safety cushion. All of Alex's family—even Mike—eagerly anticipated her return. Alex warned her nephew Nate's mother that she and Bobby would be bringing the boy several presents, but that Alex wasn't responsible for the majority of them. Most came from Bobby, who insisted, in spite of Alex's efforts to discourage him, bought Nate books and toys at most of their stops. Nate's presents filled half of the Mustang's back seat; presents for the rest of Alex's nieces and nephews filled the other half. To their amazement, both Alex and Bobby had received job offers and feelers.

But the shadow of who and what might be waiting for them in New York followed them. They spent two happy days in a bed and breakfast in the Adirondacks. On the third day at breakfast, Bobby handed the car keys to Alex.

"If we drive the interstate," he said softly. "We can be in New York tonight."

Alex took the keys. "Be the first time we've been on them since we started this trip."

"Yea." Bobby studied his coffee cup. "Whatever you want, Alex. If want to go to the city today or tomorrow or next week or next month or never. Whatever you want. I'll go wherever you go."

"I want to go home."

They didn't change drivers that day. Bobby wanted Alex to have a last chance to drive the Mustang. She offered the wheel to him after they stopped for a quick lunch, but Bobby gently declined. "I've already said goodbye to it," he said. The tension grew as they drove closer to the city. Every police car they saw quickened their pulses. They decided to go to Alex's house and, while not wanting to draw attention, they entered the city without attempting to hide. They pulled in front of Alex's garage door just as the last streaks of red appeared in the western sky.

"Just once," Alex said as they piled packages and bags in her hallway. "I'd like to come back from a trip with less than I took."

Bobby smiled. "I don't think that's going to happen as long as you have nieces and nephews."

"No signs of any unwelcome visitors or followers?" Alex asked.

"Nothing that I've noticed," Bobby answered.

Alex yawned. "Well, I hope they leave us alone tonight. I'm tired. C'mon. Join me in the shower."

"That won't get us into bed any quicker," Bobby smiled.

"Maybe not," Alex said. "But it'll be fun."

They spent several happy moments in the shower until the water grew cold and then collapsed in Alex's bed. Bobby did check and make sure the security system was on, and Alex placed her backup piece beneath the mattress.

"So," Alex murmured as they drifted towards sleep. "Plans for tomorrow?"

"I need to go to the bank in the morning," Bobby said. "I'll call Lewis and see when he wants to take delivery of the Mustang."

"My family is planning a welcome back picnic around noon at my sister's place. I'd like to see everyone, especially Nate." Alex curled up on Bobby's chest. "And I'd really like you to come with me, if only to help me carry everything. And remember—you bought a lot of it."

Bobby's hands moved in and out of Alex's hair. "True, true. And I'd love to see Nate and the other kids."

"I'll call some of my contacts tomorrow," Alex said. "See if I can get an update on what's going on."

"I'll call my buddy at the LEDGER and check some of the press reports," Bobby said. "Maybe the hounds have been called off."

"We stick together," Alex said. "We can face anything together."

They slept well in spite of any possible dangers. Alex woke the next morning to the welcome smell of coffee. She padded out into the kitchen to find Bobby seated at the kitchen table and tapping on her laptop.

"Good morning," he smiled. "I'd have made you some breakfast, but we need to get stuff."

"Coffee's fine for now," Alex said and headed toward the pot.

"I checked around the house this morning. No sign anyone has tried to or got in."

"My family didn't report anything." Alex took a long drink of coffee. "Oh, that's good."

Bobby smiled. "I think you keep me around just for my coffee making."

"Oh, you possess a lot of other skills." Alex kissed him. "What are you doing?"

"Checking the news on the corruption case," Bobby said. "Aside from the LEDGER's series, it's mostly been speculation until recently. The indictments from the grand jury have been delayed, but should come down this week." Bobby shook his head. "I don't see how the prosecution or the defense could have any reason to follow us."

"We'd certainly be hostile witnesses to Moran," Alex smiled. "I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. Try not to get into any trouble."

"I'll do my best," Bobby said.

He returned to his study. His buddy at the LEDGER had produced an excellent series of articles that effectively traced and laid out a trail of corruption that connected Frank Adair and Kenny Moran and several other members of the Brass. In addition to the corruption—which in Adair's case was more related to the gathering of power and in Moran's case to greed—there was a disturbing series of personal vendettas on the part of Adair and Moran and their associates against anyone who opposed them. What happened to Captain Deakins fell into this category. What was clear was that Moran had used his position like some ancient feudal lord, protecting bad cops and attacking good ones. The LEDGER pointed to Moran's efforts to protect Patrick Copa as evidence of this. Bobby's heart fell as he realized the debacle surrounding the murder of Alex's husband was again rearing its ugly head. He stared at the computer for several minutes until he heard the shower stop. Carrying their cups of coffee, Bobby walked to the bedroom. He knocked on the door and opened it.

"You know you don't have to knock," Alex said. She turned to him. "What's wrong?"

Bobby handed her the cup. "The investigation includes looking into Kevin Quinn's murder and how Moran tried to protect Patrick Copa."

"Did you find any mention of Joe?"

"No. But," Bobby rubbed the edge of his cup. "It may come up. But maybe it's been long enough. Anyway, we know Joe was a good cop."

"Yea," Alex said. "He was a good cop. They won't find anything against him. But I hope his name isn't tainted by association."

"I'm sorry," Bobby said. "I hate that any of this will hurt you."

Alex moved closer to him. She put her cup on the table and reached to wrap her arms around his neck. She smelled of shampoo, soap, and water, and felt like fresh silk. She kissed him, and Bobby tasted coffee and the mint of her toothpaste.

"And what about you?" she whispered. "How will it hurt you? None of this is your fault. And I need you. I have to have you."

"You need me?"

"A lot. An awful lot."

"I have a hard time believing you need anyone," Bobby said. "Especially me."

"Oh, God, Bobby. I don't know how I lived without you. Sometimes I think I couldn't breathe without you."

Something caught in Bobby's chest, and he couldn't think for several moments. "No one…I've never meant that much to anyone," he stammered.

"You do now," Alex said. "C'mon. Let's get to this special picnic. Nate and the rest of my family will be waiting for us."

They drove to Alex's sister's house in a watchful, but not fearful, state. They weren't going to allow any clouds to shadow their lives. Bobby was more worried about the possible responses of Alex's family to him.

"Don't worry," Alex said as Bobby paled when he saw the many cars parked outside the house. "We've got plenty of peace offerings, not that we going to need them."

Alex parked the car. It was a beautiful, early summer day, one where both the temperature and humidity were reasonable. As Bobby and Alex approached the house, they heard wildly happy voices occasionally punctuated by the sound of a ball hitting a bat.

"Sounds like a baseball game," Bobby said.

Alex smiled. "At least the Eames version of it. Let's check it out."

Alex once commented to her sister that she possessed a psychic link to two people in the world, Bobby and her nephew Nate. Nate, who stood waiting his turn to bat, spun around just as Alex and Bobby walked around the side of the house. Nate rushed towards them.

"Aunt Alex! Bobby!" Nate shouted. "They're here!"

He jumped into Alex's arms. "Aunt Alex! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Nate." Alex hugged him.

Bobby stood awkwardly at Alex's side. He watched as Alex's nieces and nephews surrounded her, and a wave of guilt swept over him. He'd kept Alex away from all of this, from the family that loved her. Not only had he placed her in danger; not only had he ruined his professional life; he'd ruined her life with her family.

Something tugged at his jeans, and Bobby looked down at Nate's smiling face. "Bobby," the little boy said and reached up to him.

Bobby lifted the boy up with a little effort. "You're getting big, Nate."

The boy wrapped his arms around Bobby's neck. "I missed you too, Bobby."

"I missed you a lot, Nate," Bobby said softly.

"Aunt Alex is really happy."

"Yea. She's always happy when she's with you and your cousins."

"Yea. But she's always happy with you too," Nate said. "Could you put me down please?"

"Uh, sure…"

"C'mon," Nate said, and pulled Bobby to a swing hanging from the biggest tree in the backyard. "Can you tell me about your trip and push me? Aunt Alex said that you walked across the Mississippi River. How did you do that?"

For the next half hour, Bobby enthralled Nate with stories of his and Alex's trip. He didn't notice that his audience grew beyond Nate to include nearly all of the boy's cousins under the age of twelve and quite a few over it. Alex watched as Bobby enchanted the younger members of her family. She became aware of a large presence behind her. She turned her head and faced her brother Mike.

"I owe you an apology," he said awkwardly.

"Yea, you do. Several, I think," Alex responded.

"Yea," Mike said after a moment. "And Goren. I'm sorry, Lexie. I really am. I screwed up big time."

"Accepted," Alex said warmly. She was very grateful that all of her family appeared to be accepting Bobby. "But it's going to cost you with Goren. He drinks expensive stuff."

"It'll be money well spent," Mike said with equal warmth. "I misjudged him completely. I should've trusted you. Hell, I should've trusted Nate. He's a better judge of character than I am."

Alex smiled.

"And Goren makes you happy. I haven't seen you this happy, well, since you first married Joe," Mike said. "And I can't argue with that."

"Thank you, Mike," Alex said. "Thank you."

"You both know," Mike said cautiously. "Part of the Brass is looking for you."

"We do," Alex said. "You know anything about it?"

"A little, very little. You many know more about it just from reading the papers. Everyone in the department above the rank of Captain is nervous, and the Brass is divided."

"Why is anyone interested in us?" Alex asked.

"Part of it's the Patrick Copa thing," Mike said. "And that might hurt you, Lexie. What happened to your Captain-Deakins-has something to do with it. But Moran is such a vindictive bastard, it could be a whole lot of things. But if you need any help, Lexie, you call me. You and Goren both."

Alex decided not to respond in the usual Eames manner of a smart alec remark. Mike had just made a huge leap of faith. "Thanks, Mike. I'll let Bobby know. I'm sure he'll appreciate it as much as I do. And that's a lot. A lot."

"Well, it's what you do for a fellow cop. And what I do for my little sister. Nobody picks on my little sister. I know…" Mike smiled at Alex's warning look. "You can take care of yourself. I know that. But I'm your big brother, and I can't stop taking care of you."

Alex hugged him. "Truth is, most of the time I don't want you to stop. Just don't do it whenever anyone is looking."

"I'll try. I'll try."

As he described the moose he and Alex encountered near Lake Michigan, Bobby looked up to see Mike and Alex hugging. Nate's words had lessened the weight of his guilt considerable; this caused it to nearly vanish.

"Bobby! How big was its antlers?" Nate asked.

Bobby's attention returned to his audience. "The antlers. They were huge!"

John Eames walked up behind his eldest son and middle daughter. "The two of you have a truce?"

"We may even have a peace treaty, Dad," Ales said.

"At least until the next time we drive each other crazy," Mike laughed. "Listen, this looks like a good time to pass out your presents, Lex. I'll get them."

"Oh, their parents'll have a fit," Mr. Eames laughed.

"It wasn't me," Alex explained. "It was Bobby. He insisted."

Mike and his father grinned at each other.

"Ok, ok," Alex laughed. "I didn't put up much of a fight."

"It looks like you and Goren bought something at every stop," Mike said.

"Looks that way," Mr. Eames said. "Bobby's trying for favorite uncle."

"He'd be happy to have that title," Alex said. "You should've seen the stuff I made him take back. He's not trying to buy affection. He didn't have much when he was a kid. He had to grow up way too soon. He loves kids. He hates to see them hurt, and he wants them to be happy. I think he likes to see them get some of the stuff he missed out on."

The children were still fascinated by Bobby's stories, but he saw that Alex and her family had brought out the presents. He stood and smiled.

"Ok," he said. "Aunt Alex brought stuff for all of you. Why don't you check it out?"

The kids screamed and rushed to collect their treasures, and for several second they surrounded Alex. She finally managed to escape and left her siblings to deal with the distribution of the presents. She discovered Bobby leaning against one of the trees lining the backyard.

"Thanks for shoving all the responsibility on me," she said.

Bobby smiled. "You can use the brownie points."

"I may get them from the kids. Not so sure about their parents."

"Put the blame on me," Bobby said.

"You're too eager to take the blame," Alex said gently. "You should take more of the credit."

Bobby looked past her. The kids were showing each other their acquisitions. "Everything is ok with your family?"

"It's good. Very good. Mike will be buying you some of that expensive alcohol you like."

Dread filled Bobby What was he going to talk about with Mike over several drinks in a bar? "Uh, it's ok, Alex. He doesn't have to do that."

"Hey, are you ok?"

"I'm just a little overwhelmed. And tired."

Alex remembered what Bobby said to her one evening as they sat on a Lake Michigan beach. He loved her family, but he found facing all, or even a lot, of them at one time unsettling. Family meant something very different to Bobby than it did to Alex.

"Hey, I'm used to them, and they overwhelm me sometimes," Alex said. "The house is probably just as crowded, but you might find some refuge on the front porch."

"Thanks," Bobby said. "I just need a couple of minutes. Thank you for understanding."

"Thanks for trusting me enough so that I can understand," Alex answered.

Bobby walked around the house to is large front porch. He'd stopped smoking, but there were moments when the craving seized him, and this was one of those moments. He checked his pockets, but, as he expected, didn't find any cigarettes. He briefly considered hitting up one of Alex's relatives—he figured that at least the ones who were firemen smoked—but he didn't want to face a crowd. "Maybe there's something in the car," he thought. He walked out to the Mustang and began searching its contents. "Glove box," he thought as he opened it. "Did anyone ever keep gloves in these things?" His search of the car proved fruitless. "That's what I get for cleaning it so well," he thought. He stepped out of the car and saw the two men walking towards him. They wore suits, and showed every sign of being cops. For a moment, Bobby considered jumping in the Mustang and driving away, or running to the house, but he squared his shoulders and straightened his back.

"Time to get this over with," he thought.

END CHAPTER FOURTEEN