Disclaimer: Not mine.
1 September 2004 – Home of Nicky & Leah Giovaissi, Brooklyn, New York
"I'm sure Nick didn't mean to keep you waiting on the doorstep, Helena." Leah apologised, as she walked up the stairs from the street doorway with Sammi and the social worker.
"That's okay, Leah, really. I only just arrived a moment before you and Sammi got here." Helena smiled down at the child who was leading her up the stairs by her hand.
As Leah reached the top of the staircase the apartment door swung open.
"Poppy, Helena's here again." Sammi announced, seeing her grandfather standing at the top of the stairs.
"I can see that, Sammi. How was lunch with your aunts?"
"Tante Annie says I'm gonna be speaking French like a native before you know it. She says I'm gonna be as good at speaking French as I am at speaking Italian, and I already speak Italian as good as I speak English, so I guess I must be doing pretty good at speaking French." Sammi beamed up at grandfather, proud that her Aunt Annie was so pleased with her progress.
"That's wonderful, Bambina. We have some other visitors. You hang your coat up and take off your shoes and then you come on through to the lounge, okay?" Nick smiled down at his precocious grandchild.
"Okay, Poppy." Sammi let go of Helena's hand and carefully set about taking off her outdoor things.
"Nick, good to see you again." Helena smiled at Nick, as Leah took her coat from her.
"Helena, thank you for coming. I know this was a little short notice." Nick led the way through to the lounge, as Leah hung up her and Helena's coats and made sure Sammi was tidying her own things properly.
As Helena and Nick entered the lounge, Bobby and Alex stood up and turned to greet the social worker.
"Bobby Goren, Alex Eames, this is Helena MacLean, Sammi's social worker." Nick made the introductions.
"Mrs MacLean, good to meet you." Alex stepped around the couch, shaking the social worker's hand.
"Ms Eames, Mr Goren." Helena nodded to Bobby who now was standing behind Alex. "Please call me Helena. I've heard a great deal about both of you, some of it from rather surprising sources."
"It's Bobby and Alex, please." Helena was somewhat surprised at how softly Bobby spoke for such a large man. "If you don't mind me asking, what surprising sources?"
"Helena, would you like some coffee?" Nick topped up his own and Bobby's cups, then poured a cup for Helena as she nodded, sitting down in the chair Nick indicated.
"Thank you, Nick." The social worker took the proffered cup from Nick. "Actually, the most surprising call I've had regarding this case was from a computer consultant I worked with a few years ago, Chris Hughes. I understand you know each other, Bobby."
"Chris?" Alex queried.
"Yes, we worked together when he was called into establish a new database system for the department several years ago. We got along quite well. Very nice young man. Not the easiest of childhoods but he's certainly made the most of his talents. I understand he's due to go to Washington shortly, something about a new contract for the government." Helena was slightly surprised that Alex was the one to address her, whilst Bobby started to wander around the lounge.
"Yeah, he's gonna leave on Saturday, after the wedding." Alex replied.
"Wedding?" Helena asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think. Bobby and I are getting married on Friday. Chris had managed to rearrange his time so that he can be home until after the wedding. Said he wasn't gonna miss the chance to embarrass Bobby on his wedding day." Alex grinned at her fiancé, as he set about examining the contents of a bookshelf.
"As if he ever misses an opportunity to embarrass me." Bobby threw an answering grin over his shoulder at Alex, then returned his attention to the books in front of him.
At that moment Leah and Sammi came into the lounge.
"Who's 'mbarrrassed?" Sammi piped up, looking around the room. "Hello, Bobby. Did someone do something wrong? Is Mommy in more trouble?" The little girl looked hard at the blond woman seated on her grandparents' couch. "I 'member you. You were at Cousin Val's wedding."
"That's right, I was there with Bobby. I'm his police partner and fiancée, Alex. I don't think we were actually introduced though." Alex held out her hand to the little girl. "Alexandra Eames, pleased to meet you. My friends call me Alex"
Sammi giggled, tilting her head to one side a little. "How do you do, Alex. I'm Samantha Francesca Giovaissi. My friends call me Sammi." Sammi shook Alex's hand as firmly as she could manage, then climbed up into her grandfather's lap.
Leah helped herself to a coffee, sitting down beside Alex and shaking her head slightly at Sammi's performance.
"That's a very pretty name, Sammi." Alex didn't miss the shift in Bobby's posture when Sammi gave her full name.
"My Mommy told me that Samantha was for my Uncle Sam and Francesca was for my Grandma, but I never understood that 'cos Nana's called Leah. At least that's what most people call her and I've never heard anyone call her Francesca." Sammi looked from Alex to her grandmother.
"Sammi dear, has your Mommy ever told you anything about your father?" Helena broached the question in a gentle tone.
Bobby had now wandered back across the room and was standing behind Alex once more. He watched Sammi and the social worker carefully.
Sammi shook her head. "No. When I asked her about why I didn't have a daddy like my cousins have she said that I was like Michelle and Karl at school. They just have a Mommy, like me. Simon, he just has his Daddy, his Mommy died when he was born."
"Do you remember when a man came and took a sample from inside your cheek?" Helena asked.
Sammi's eyes lit up. "You mean Mac? I liked him, he was funny. His friend Stella was pretty and she was really nice to me." Sammi smiled as she recalled the visit from to two CSIs.
"That's right Detectives Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera came to see you, didn't they?" Helena smiled as Sammi nodded. "Well they needed that sample so that they could find out who your daddy is."
Sammi looked up at her grandfather, then back at Helena. Her eyes flashed to her grandmother, then settled on Alex for a second. Slowly Sammi raised her eyes to Bobby. Sammi shook her head, tears coming to her eyes. She jumped down from her grandfather's lap and darted out of the room before any of the adults could react.
"Sammi, please unlock the door." Leah stood outside the bathroom, trying to coax her granddaughter to open the door.
"No, don't wanna." Sammi's voice was tearful and heartbreaking to hear.
"Mia bella, come on, open up." Nick's voice was gentle as he tried to persuade the obviously upset child to unlock the door.
Sammi had headed for the one room in the apartment she knew she could actually lock herself into. There were now five concerned adults standing outside the bathroom, listening helplessly to the sobs coming from the other side of the door.
"No." Sammi yelled. There was a slapping sound from inside the bathroom.
"What was that?" Alex looked at Leah.
"She doesn't often have a tantrum, but when she does she tends to throw things. That sounded like she was throwing her bath toys around." Leah explained, then tried again to reason with her granddaughter. "Sammi, please bambina, there's nothing to be scared about."
"Not scared. I don't have a daddy. Mommy said so!" The last word came out as an anguished wail.
Alex looked up at Bobby, who was leaning against the wall beside the bathroom door. It was obvious to Alex that he was having trouble containing his emotions. Neither of them had expected that Sammi would simply fall into her father's arms and accept the situation but the little girl locking herself in the bathroom and refusing to come out wasn't a scenario that had occurred to them.
"Sammi, it's Bobby. Could you please open the door? Your Nana and Poppy are getting worried about you and Helena and I really do need to speak to you properly about this." There was no condescension in Bobby's voice as he spoke.
"Mommy said I don't have a Daddy. You go away." More sobbing could clearly be heard coming from the bathroom.
Bobby looked helplessly at Nick.
"Helena, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I do know my granddaughter." Nick rapped sharply on the door in front of them. "Samantha Giovaissi, you open this door now young lady. Do not make me start counting."
"No!" Yelled Sammi.
"One!" Yelled Nick in response.
"Won't open it. I don't have a Daddy, Mommy said so!" Hollered Sammi from within the bathroom, her cries echoing in the small room.
"Two! Open this door, or I start throwing out toys, starting with Elmo." Bellowed Nick, ignoring the child's words.
Bobby cringed at the heartbroken wail from beyond the door.
"Last chance, Sammi. Open this door before I get to three or you know what's gonna happen." Nick's face was stricken but his voice gave no hint that he was anything but deadly serious.
Before Nick had the chance to say 'Three', there was a faint click and the door opened. A small tearstained face peeked around the edge of the door.
"Nana!" Sammi launched herself out of the bathroom and into her grandmother's waiting arms. "Don't let Poppy throw Elmo 'way."
"Shush, mia bella, it's okay. Poppy didn't even go to your room, see." Leah turned slightly so that Sammi was looking over her shoulder at her grandfather.
Helena looked at Sammi's stricken face, then at Leah and Nick. "Perhaps we should give you a little while." The social worker turned to Bobby and Alex. "Is there somewhere we could go to talk?"
"My apartment is only about five minutes away." Bobby suggested.
"That sounds ideal." She turned back to Nick. "How about we give you an hour or so to get Sammi calmed down? Then Bobby, Alex and I will be back?"
Nick nodded, now standing beside his wife and rubbing his sobbing granddaughter's back.
"Thanks, Helena. I'll call Bobby if there's any more problems." Nick met the younger man's eyes, seeing the pain clearly written there. "Don't worry, Bobby. We'll get this worked out."
Sammi burrowed her face more firmly into her grandmother's neck, still sobbing. "Shush, baby. It's going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright." Leah tried to sooth her granddaughter, hoping she wasn't lying to the child.
1 September 2004 – Apartment of Robert Goren, Brooklyn, New York
Alex showed Helena through to the lounge, while Bobby headed into the kitchen putting the kettle on to make them some tea.
"Please, make yourself comfortable." Alex waved a hand, indicating that Helena should take a seat.
Helena settled herself in one of the armchairs, Alex sitting down on the couch opposite.
"Well, I guess that couldn't have gone much worse." Alex said, looking questioningly at Helena.
"Oh, don't you believe it, Alex. I've seen worse reactions to such life-changing news. For a child her age, Sammi's response was completely understandable. Particularly as her mother has made it so clear to her that her father was never going to be part of her life." Helena smiled reassuringly at the younger woman. "I don't suppose Nick mentioned why Lil wasn't there?"
"We hadn't gotten to that particular point, when you arrived." Alex had actually been a little relieved that Lil hadn't put in an appearance before they'd left Nick and Leah's apartment.
Helena shook her head sadly. "I can't say I'm exactly surprised that she was late for the meeting. Maybe she'll have arrived by the time we get back there. She might even be able to help settle Sammi down." Helena didn't sound particularly convinced by her own words.
"We can but hope, right?" Alex quirked an eyebrow at the social worker. "Look, I know you have to remain impartial and professional. Believe me with our line of work, I understand that, but when it comes to Lil and the way she's treated Bobby and Sammi I can't be detached."
"This isn't a professional situation for you, Alex. I wouldn't expect you to remain detached. Why don't you tell me how you feel about all this? I mean, it can't be easy for you." Helena found herself given a much easier opening than she had anticipated into what was obviously going to be a difficult discussion.
"Easy, no anything but easy. To be honest when Lil first claimed that Bobby was Sammi's father my immediate reaction was denial." Alex had told Bobby she intended to be completely honest and open with the social worker, figuring that was the best course of action. Bobby had agreed with her, saying he'd try his best to do the same. "I mean, there I was planning my wedding to a man I'm completely in love with and all of a sudden I'm faced with the very real possibility that he's had a child with someone else. If I'd known about Sammi from the start, that wouldn't have been a problem but having to face the prospect out of the blue like this, somehow it's different. You know what I mean?"
Helena nodded. "I can see how it could change your perspective regarding getting married, but you're obviously going ahead with your plans?" Helena thought of Alex's comment about Chris Hughes putting off his business trip so he'd be home for her and Bobby's wedding.
"Not exactly going ahead with our plans. We've moved the wedding forward." Alex paused, as Bobby came into the lounge, setting the tea tray on the table in front of the couch and then sitting down beside her.
"Moved the wedding forward? May I ask why?" Helena looked from Alex to Bobby and back again.
"I didn't want to wait until November to marry her." Bobby answered Helena's question.
"You were planning to get married in November and now you're getting married this week?" Helena wanted to clarify the situation.
"Yeah." Bobby nodded, pouring them each a cup of tea and passing one to Helena. "Look, this whole situation with Lil is a bit of a mess. I never had even the slightest indication that Sammi was my child until this last weekend. I'm glad Lil was cleared regarding the homicide and that Sammi doesn't have to face the prospect of her mother going to prison. I haven't had the chance to speak to Lil about why she never told me about Sammi. Now Sammi seems to think having a father in her life is possibly the worst thing that could happen to her. I don't know what I can do to make everything right. The one thing I do know I can get right is marrying Alex. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'm not about to mess that up. I wasn't willing to wait any longer to make her my wife, I couldn't wait until November to become her husband."
Bobby's words came to a halt as he felt Alex's hand on his forearm.
"Calm down, Bobby." Alex's voice was gentle and laden with reassurance. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Bobby, you did not create this situation. Lil did. All you can do now is offer Sammi as much love and support as you possibly can." Helena was somewhat taken aback at the way Bobby's words had tumbled out, he'd barely spoken since they'd been introduced at Nick and Leah's apartment.
"I would like to know if there is any underlying reason for the two of you deciding to move the wedding forward?" Helena had heard mention of Alex's pregnancy and wondered if the couple would be open with her about their news.
"One of the reasons is I'm pregnant." Alex stated simply. "That's the main reason. We didn't really expect that I'd fall pregnant so soon. Then … well I don't know if you heard about what happened at Tina Santorini's birthday party … there was a bit of a scene with Lil … and well I guess Bobby just kinda …" Alex's words were cut off by Bobby.
"I realised, yet again, exactly what an amazing woman Alex is and asked her to move the wedding forward. She told Lil, in no uncertain terms, what she thought of her and how she'd acted. I'm not taking the chance on her coming to her senses and realising exactly what she's getting herself into by marrying me." This time Alex cut Bobby off.
"Oh, believe me, Goren, I know what I'm getting. I'm getting a wonderful man who I love. A man who's going to be a fantastic father to all our children, Sammi included." She squeezed his arm. "I'm not about to run out of you, Bobby, no matter what Lil throws at us."
"You count Sammi amongst your children already, Alex?" Helena's surprise was obvious.
"Sammi is Bobby's daughter. Whether we get custody or not, that isn't going to change. That means she's a part of my family, whether she lives with us, her grandparents or her mother. It may take a while to build a relationship with her, for both me and Bobby, but we're not about to walk away from her. How could we?" Alex shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"You're willing to settle for visitation and having to deal with Lil, even with the stress it's bound to put you under, especially during your own pregnancy?"
"If we must." Alex's tone was firm. There wasn't the slightest trace of doubt in her voice. "I'm healthy. There're no additional risk factors with my pregnancy, beyond those usually associated with multiple pregnancy. I'm not about to step away and let Lil continue to ruin Sammi's life. Every child deserves to have a stable home life. I was lucky, I had a good childhood. I have parents who are willing to support us. We have plenty of friends, many of them Sammi's own family, who are willing to help during the transition, while Sammi gets used to the idea that Bobby is actually her father."
Alex stopped suddenly, seeing the question in Helena's eyes. "I'm sorry. Am I getting ahead of myself here?"
"You mentioned risks associated with multiple pregnancy?" Helena raised an eyebrow in question.
"Oh, yeah, as of this morning, we may well be expecting twins." Alex sounded almost apologetic, as if she were worried this might weaken their position regarding custody of Sammi.
"As of this morning? And yet, you were still willing to go ahead with our meeting?" Helena found herself more surprised by the moment at this woman's resilience. She really couldn't imagine dealing with so many shocks in such a short period of time. "Let me see if I've got my timeline right here, from what I've been told. You heard on Saturday that your fiancé may well have a child by another woman, but had never been told about that child being his, even though he'd met the child in question several times through contact with her family, who are friends of his. You subsequently discovered you were pregnant. You've reorganised your wedding to better accommodate your pregnancy and, I have to presume, better your position in the custody battle you find yourself in the middle of. Then, this morning, you discover you may be carrying twins?"
"I guess it has been kinda busy the past few days, when you put it like that." Alex shrugged slightly.
"Is there another way to put it? And on top of all that, you've been carrying out your duties as a police officer, ensuring that your parents are kept abreast of your situation and managed to discuss the situation with certain, important, members of Sammi's family?" Helena made no attempt to disguise the astonishment in her voice at Alex's nonchalant response.
"How did you know we'd spoken to my parents about all this?" Now it was Alex's turn to be surprised.
"Well I have had a call from your father." The social worker smiled her reassurance as she continued to speak. "As well as from several members of Nick and Leah's extended family, a number of your friends, not least of them Chris. There was also a very prompt response from your captain to my request for information regarding the two of you. I also received a call from an ADA Ronald Carver just before I left the office to attend our meeting." Helena didn't miss the quick glance that the couple shared at this nugget of information.
"Carver called you?" Bobby's head tilted to the side as he spoke and Helena was instantly reminded of Sammi.
"Mr Carver did, indeed, call me. Apparently he wanted to make it clear to me that the two of you will, if necessary, have significant legal backing should the matter become any more complicated. He also informed me that the DA's office may well be looking at bringing charges against Miss Giovaissi on the grounds of child endangerment, should she attempt to withdraw Sammi from her grandparents' care. It seems the two of you have friends in high places." Although Helena managed to maintain her professional façade, there was just a hint of underlying surprise to be heard in her voice.
Bobby shifted slightly uncomfortably and looked at Alex. "Did you know about this?"
"I'm guessing the captain must have said something to him." Alex shook her head, she'd had no idea that Carver knew anything about the custody suit. They hadn't had any dealings with the ADA since the previous week.
"Well, by whatever means Mr Carver knows what's going on, he was very clear regarding his opinion of the two of you. It seems, much as he finds himself occasionally frustrated by your methods, you are the finest detectives he's ever worked with. Your first priority is always to protect the victim, your second priority is to discover the truth. Only when those objectives are fulfilled do you worry about bringing a prosecutable case before the court. It seems Mr Carver, after several years of working in conjunction with the two of you, is of the opinion that more police officers could do with taking a leaf out of your book when it comes to what's important. Apparently, and this doesn't surprise me although Mr Carver's opinion regarding it does, the majority of the detectives he works with feel that the likelihood of a successful prosecution is the most important aspect of any case they deal with. It is Mr Carver's stated opinion, and I'm quoting this from memory, that 'more detectives should worry about the victims first and their conviction rate second, maybe that way they'd all end up with as fine a record of closed cases as Goren and Eames. It certainly helps to get a conviction when the victims and their families feel they can not only trust the officers they are dealing with but that the officers involved actually care about what happens to them. It most definitely seems to bring the victims and their families greater closure at the end of a trial, to have been dealt with in such a sympathetic manner, as opposed to being ridden over roughshod, as some detectives tend to do in order to obtain their convictions'. It seems the gentleman is quite an admirer of you both." Helena sat back and let her words sink in.
Alex stared at the social worker for a moment, unable to formulate any kind of response.
"I … I guess … well it's just you've got to remember you're dealing with real people, who have suffered enough already. Making sure the guilty are punished is important, obviously but ensuring the innocent are protected … well, surely, that's why the department's motto is 'to protect and serve' … right?" Bobby made a mental note to call the ADA and thank him.
"I've always thought so myself, Bobby. You might be surprised at how many police officers seem to lose sight of that during their careers though." Helena looked more closely at the man before her. "Then again, maybe you wouldn't."
"No, I know how easy it is to become focussed on the prosecution, rather than the people involved. It can be difficult sometimes, keeping things balanced. I'm lucky, Eames and me, we usually feel the same way about these kinda things. It makes it easier to maintain our focus when we're working a case." Bobby didn't choose to elaborate regarding the fact that it was often Alex who had to pull him back from becoming too focussed on certain aspects during some of their tougher cases.
"Well, obviously the two of you take your responsibilities as police officers extremely seriously. May I ask how you intend to balance that dedication to your jobs with the needs of a young family?" Helena finally decided to get down to the 'nitty-gritty' of the conversation.