Deep in the night, Bobby woke suddenly, breathing hard, his heart pounding furiously, his skin damp with sweat, but it wasn't a nightmare that woke him. Laying right up against him, Alex snuggled closer, wordlessly shushing him with a soft caress. Her hand stroked his chest as her lips brushed against the side of his face. Slowly, he eased away from the dream that woke him, a dream that was part memory, part fantasy, and all desire, and that left him shaking and sweating and...oh, yeah...that...

Then her mouth began to work his, and the remnants of the dream-memory faded away. Although Alex was incredibly passionate, he was usually the one who initiated their lovemaking because that was the way she liked it. He had no complaints because she never turned down his offer, but when she took advantage of the chance to reverse their roles, it was more intense and more deeply satisfying for him. He wanted to get to the finish line, but at the same time, he didn't want to get there. He wanted it to last much longer than it did, yet he gave himself over to it completely when she finished him off. Oh my God...no other words would form in his mind. Oh my God.

Almost completely spent, he could barely keep his eyes open, but he was aware enough to draw her into his arms, to know that she was there, to feel her fingers against his chest and abdomen, her lips against his throat, his jaw, his ear...and then her voice, soft, whispering past his ear. "I love you."

He was drifting, almost asleep. "Love you," he managed through the haze in his mind.

"Are you okay now?" she asked as she gently nipped his earlobe.

He grunted softly. He was better than okay. "Stay with me, please," he whispered as he forced himself away from the sleep his body wanted.

Assuming that had been the source of his unrest, she settled her head on his shoulder. "I am not going anywhere," she promised. "I'm not going to leave you."

"You weren't thinking that a couple of months ago."

She knew that was going to come back to haunt her, and she was right. His tone told her he was still hurt by it, She really had to be careful about what she said when Maggie was around. She still didn't know how she felt about his knowing what she had been contemplating. "Bobby, that was meant to be a wake-up call, nothing more."

"And if it hadn't worked out the way you planned?"

His tone was one of curiosity, not accusation. She didn't know what he was thinking and that bothered her. But she remained in physical contact with him as she answered, "Then I would have come up with something else. I never intended to leave you. I just needed you to stop shutting me out."

"I'm trying," he insisted.

"I know you are, and you're doing a great job now. You could have reacted very differently after you talked to Denise."

He rested his head against hers, suddenly uneasy. She had no idea how he'd reacted when Denise told him what was going on at 1PP, the rage he felt about the rumors. Rumors circulating about him were one thing. He'd dealt with that kind of crap all his life. But rumors about Alex were a different matter entirely, and one way or another, he was going to find the source and teach that person some manners.

At the mention of Denise's name, though, a different thought entered his head as he recalled the subtle changes in her figure. He nuzzled her neck and whispered, "I wish I could make you pregnant one more time."

Where the hell had that come from? "You're kidding, right?"

"No. I think you're beautiful when you're pregnant."

She twisted so that she could see his face. He really was serious. "Get that thought out of your head right now, Goren, or I swear I'll send you to a vet."

He laughed softly and kissed her. "I know we agreed to stop with Molly..."

"No, Bobby. We were going to stop with Tom. Molly was a surprise, remember?"

"A wonderful surprise," he added.

She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "You never cease to surprise me, do you know that?"

"Is that good or bad?"

"That depends entirely on the situation."

"So in this case...?"

"It's good." She kissed him and looked at the clock. "You still have a couple of hours. Go back to sleep."

His fingers played with her chest. "I'm awake now."

"Bobby..." she began as his mouth took over for his hands.

Lifting his head so that his mouth just cleared her skin, he whispered, "It's my turn."

The sensation of his breath against her skin sent a shiver through her body. She made a soft noise and relaxed against the pillows, which encouraged him to continue. Neither of them went back to sleep.

Mike lay in bed, arms folded beneath his head, too worried to sleep. Beside him, Carolyn moved closer, draping her arm across his middle. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

He was quiet for a moment. "That call I got earlier...I'm just worried."

"Do you want to tell me about it now?"

He'd refused to upset the momentum of their reunion after hanging up with Denise, so he'd said nothing about the call and Carolyn hadn't asked. He stroked her thick hair. "Do you remember Denise, Bobby's ex?"

"The same Denise he asked to marry him?"

"The one and only."

"What about her?"

"The call was from her."

"Why on earth would she be calling you?"

He sighed. "Who else could she call to talk to about Bobby?"

"Oh, I don't know. His wife, maybe."

"She and Alex have never been on those kind of terms."

"What did she want?"

"Well, it seems she ran into him tonight and let it slip that there are rumors traveling around headquarters. She's concerned about him, probably with good reason."

"There are always rumors about him traveling around headquarters. Why would they bother him now?"

"These rumors are about Alex."

"And so she's calling you? I guess the rumors are more involved than her weight or her hairstyle."

"Oh, yeah. They're about her marriage."

"Oh, no..." She paused. "Did you know about them?"

"No, but I do now. Rumors about Goren tend to skip over me."

"That's no surprise. Do I want to know what they're saying?"

"According to Denise, half the building thinks she's having an affair. They're saying she's finally seen the error of her ways in marrying him. The old rumors about his instability have resurfaced, though I'm not sure why. Apparently, no one informed Alex but she's decided to work off her frustrations with another detective, who has so far remained nameless. They say that if she cheated on Waters, she's gotta be cheating on Goren." He shook his head slowly. "We know what a loose cannon Waters was and all the crap he was involved with, and yet his reputation around the department is untarnished. Then there's Goren...I just don't get it."

"They don't understand Bobby. Ricky was one of their own, a regular guy, normal. What he did doesn't matter because they understood him. Everyone makes mistakes and that's forgivable. There's nothing about Bobby that's normal and that is unforgivable. People don't understand how a straight arrow like Alex could possibly be with him much less stay."

"Do you understand?"

"Of course I do. You know that. Did Denise tell you who started the rumors?"

"No, but I'm going to find out."

"Mike..."

"I have to, Carolyn. I've gotta have his back on this."

"You've always got his back."

"And you suddenly have a problem with that?"

"No, I don't. Just...proceed with caution for a change. Please?"

He gave her a kiss. "I promise."

She rested her head on his shoulder, somehow not reassured. She hoped he would not be able to trace the rumors to their source. That was the only way he was going to stay out of trouble.

Mike and Alex spent most of the next morning filling out paperwork, but Alex was distracted, which made it difficult for her to get much done. It was approaching lunchtime when she looked across the desks. "Mike?"

He looked up. "Yeah?"

"If something were going on behind my back, would you tell me?"

"That depends on what it is."

"What about something around here?"

He tapped his pen on the papers in front of him. "You mean the rumors?"

She frowned, fire flashing in her eyes. "You know? And you didn't say anything to me? I'm your partner, Logan..."

"Calm down," he said, holding out his hands. "I didn't know until last night."

"He called you?"

"No. I haven't talked to him about them yet. Denise called me because she was worried about him."

She eased back from her anger, but only a little. "So she called you?"

"Old habits are hard to break. Besides, you and she have never been buddy-buddy."

"So what did she want?"

"She told me what she knows and asked me to watch out for him."

"That's my job," she snapped.

"Relax, hotshot. I'm not going to sleep with him, I promise."

She rose from her desk. "I need some water."

He watched her walk away and get on the elevator. "There's a perfectly fine water fountain down the hall," he muttered, but he knew where she was going.

Turning back to his paperwork, he didn't know whether he felt sorry for Denise or not. After all, she was the one who opened this particular Pandora's box, and now it was too late. The damage had been done and he had a feeling heads were going to roll before it was over. He just wondered whose heads it would be.

Denise looked up when she heard someone enter her office, surprised to see Alex stop in front of her desk. Alex was the last person she expected, and the fire in her eyes made Denise glad there was a desk between them. "Alex. Can I help you?"

"What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"On what planet is it a good idea to tell Bobby what's going on around here? He's been away for almost six months. You should have come to me!"

"I'm sorry. I hadn't intended to tell him at all, but someone else mentioned it and he was pretty insistent on knowing what was going around."

"So you told him. In all the years you've known him, you haven't learned to put him off?"

"Not when he's like that, no." She slid back the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a purple bruise encircling her wrist.

Alex felt the color drain from her face. "He did that?"

"He didn't mean to. Please, don't tell him. He grabbed my wrist and held it just a little too hard. I bruise very easily these days."

Alex sat down in a nearby chair. "What the hell is going on?" she said, mostly to herself. She looked at Denise. "Tell me what you know."

"I only told him the least troubling of the rumors."

"Least troubling? I'm cheating on him is the least troubling rumor?"

"Yes."

Alex felt her head start to spin as her anger began to boil. "Tell me the others."

Denise hesitated. "Alex, they're only rumors. Bobby insisted that you and he are fine."

"Yes, and then he came home and asked me if I'm happy. His mind is one you never want to plant seeds of doubt in. Now tell me."

Reluctantly, Denise told her about the rumors she'd heard. "If there are others, I haven't heard them. I tend not to hear many of the things they say about Bobby. I wouldn't know about these if I hadn't inadvertently overheard a couple of secretaries talking in the rest room."

"So they're helping spread the gossip?"

"They always do. These particular women are hoping he's going to become available again because they think that with both you and me out of the picture, they stand a chance with him."

"As if. Don't ever paint me out of the picture. He's my husband and I am not going to give him up unless he wants to go."

"That will never happen."

"Did you say that you're out of the picture?"

Denise nodded. "I'm seeing someone."

Alex tried to smile, but she was still too angry and she had more questions. "Have you heard anything about Ricky?"

"A few things."

She studied Denise with new respect. "You don't do that, do you?"

"Do what?"

"Jump in and help spread the rumors."

"Of course not. Look, I know that you and I will never be friends. I don't know if you resent the relationship I had with Bobby, but I can promise you that the part of it that always troubled you is over. We've stayed friends, and that's all. I will tell you this, though: I have never stopped caring about him, and I never will. Sometimes, when you love someone, you can't just turn it off like a faucet. The difference is what you do about it. I have never liked the things that people who don't know him say about him, but I have no way to stop them from talking. I wish I did."

"Have you ever heard anyone say anything that was true?"

"Yes. Before he finally got together with you, I did. I knew from experience they were true, but those were very different kinds of rumors," she admitted with a brief laugh. She became serious again quickly. "I don't know who started these rumors, Alex, or why. And I wish I could have thought of something else to tell Bobby, but I've never lied to him."

"Why did you call Mike Logan?"

"Because I know Mike well and I wasn't sure Bobby would say anything to you. Mike is closer to him than anyone but you."

"And you didn't think to call me?"

"No. I'm sorry." The best she could say about their relationship was that they had an uneasy truce. "I know that I have never been your favorite person, and I was not comfortable calling you out of the blue with this. I figured that Mike would be the best person to talk to you. Actually, I felt he was the only person who could talk to you, if Bobby didn't."

Alex got to her feet, hesitating before she asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You said you bruise easily these days."

"Bobby didn't tell you?"

Recalling their conversation about Denise in Syracuse, Alex found herself again wondering about this woman and her place in Bobby's life, and she felt uneasy. "Apparently not. He's never said a lot to me about you."

Denise paused for a moment, not sure about Alex's tone. "Everything is okay with you and Bobby, isn't it?"

"He didn't question that it was until he talked to you."

"I'm sorry about that, Alex. Like I said, I had intended to talk to Mike about it, not Bobby."

Alex felt her irritation increase, and she knew it was time for her to go. "What was it Bobby didn't tell me this time?"

Denise felt bad about aggravating Alex, hoping she wouldn't take it out on Bobby. Her feelings for him were still surprisingly deep, and she didn't want to be the cause of any problems between him and his wife. "It's nothing. He just realized...I mean, I told him, that I'm pregnant. That's the reason for the easy bruising."

Alex frowned. "You should discuss that with your doctor. I've had four pregnancies and I never had problems with bruising."

"I'll mention it, thanks. And please...Bobby didn't do anything wrong."

Turning away from the desk, Alex left the office. She was beginning to believe that she would never be okay with Denise and her place in Bobby's life, regardless of what it was, and that troubled her. To this day, Bobby insisted that his only problem with Ricky was the way he'd treated her and that if she had been settled in a happy marriage, he would have been okay with it. Well, now she was settled in a happy marriage and he still wasn't okay with it. What the hell was she going to do with him?

Mike wasn't at his desk when Alex returned to the squad room. As she looked around for him, Deakins came out of his office and motioned to her. With a sigh, she abandoned her search for her elusive partner and went to the captain's office. "Sit down, Alex," he said. "Where is Logan?"

"I'm not sure. I just got back from upstairs."

"Something I should know about?"

"No, sir."

He sat behind his desk. "I have some information for you, and I'm sure it's not going to go over well. First of all, I just got the word from upstairs. I put in for my retirement, but I haven't said anything until now because it hasn't been approved. Now it has, effective June 14th." He pressed on, not giving her an opportunity to comment. "Secondly, I got the paperwork about Bobby's disability. The doctors have consulted his physical therapist and he's been approved to return to limited duty as of June 23th. The new captain will take over on the 16th. His name is Daniel Ross, and I've heard good things about him. But...I've talked to Ross and I wanted this to come from me. He's not okay with you and Bobby being partners."

Hot anger flashed in Alex's eyes. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I argued the point but he won't budge. The best I could do was get him to agree to partner Bobby with Logan. You'll do fine with whatever partner he assigns you, but Bobby...not so much. With Mike, though, I'm sure he'll do fine. I'm not so sure how Ross is going to do with Goren and Logan as partners, but Bobby and Mike will be fine."

Alex already didn't like the situation or the new captain. "Captain..."

"I'm sorry, Alex. I did everything I could."

"You know that it's not going to go over well with Bobby, either."

"That's why I'm telling you. You're the first to know."

Deeply unsettled, she said, "Is that all?"

He was saddened by her anger, but he understood. Alex had always been protective of Bobby, and now she was being forced to relinquish her position to someone else. Granted, Mike Logan was the best person for the job, and Alex trusted Mike, he knew without a doubt. But it was still a bitter pill to swallow. "Yes, Alex. That's all."

She pushed herself up from the chair and stormed from the office. By that time, Mike was back. He looked up at her, surprised by her anger. "Uhm, what did I do now?" he asked tentatively.

"Come with me," she replied in a tone that left no room for argument.

Reluctantly, he did as she asked, following her to an interview room. He looked around nervously before entering the room. Great. No witnesses.

As soon as the door was closed, he braced himself for whatever was coming, but she didn't say anything. He watched her walk back and forth in front of the one way glass with her arms wrapped around her stomach. So, she wasn't mad at him, but she sure was upset about something. "Alex?"

"Everything is changing, Mike."'

"Uh, everything? You'll have to be a little more clear about that."

"Deakins just called me into his office. He's retiring, Mike."

"Okay, we knew that was going to come someday."

"The new captain is a guy named Ross. He's already decided that he doesn't want me to be partners with Bobby."

Mike arched his eyebrows. "Really? Just like that?"

"Just like that. Deakins convinced him to put you and Bobby together as partners. He's not worried about me getting along with a new partner."

"Bobby and me?" A slow grin spread across his face. "He's got it in for the new guy, huh?"

"This isn't a joke, Mike."

"I know, I know. But if you can't be his partner, Bobby's okay with me. You know I'll have his back, no matter what."

"I know that. That isn't what has me upset. You know that I'm okay with you guys as partners, as long as you don't take off half cocked for Texas and roll a car or get yourselves into trouble under the boardwalk in AC."

Mike grinned. "No promises, but I'll try to be good."

She looked at him and her shoulders relaxed. "I'll talk to this new captain and see if I can change his mind."

"Good luck with that. Bobby won't be happy about this at all, but if this character doesn't change his mind, at least I'm the next best thing. We'll be okay."

"I won't say anything to him until I talk to this Ross guy. I can't believe he's coming into this position with his guns already blazing for Bobby. Don't say anything, okay, Mike?"

"My lips are sealed," he promised. "That is one message I do not want to deliver."

As they returned to their desks, she wondered if Mike was right. She wanted everything to be okay, but Bobby was, at best, unpredictable. She made arrangements to meet Danny Ross later that afternoon, then spent the rest of the day trying to figure out the best way to break the news to Bobby if she had to, and she was coming up completely blank.

Alex felt apprehensive as she knocked on the door in front of her. Captain Daniel Ross, it read. The white collar crime unit—that was one unit for which she'd never had aspirations. "Come in," a voice from inside the office told her.

She entered the office and approached the desk where Danny Ross sat watching her. "May I help you?" he asked.

"Captain, my name is Alexandra Eames. I'm a detective with Major Case."

"I know your name. It's nice to have a face to put with it. What can I do for you, detective?"

"I want to discuss my partner."

"You don't have a partner just yet."

"Detective Goren is my partner."

Ross shook his head. "Not any more. He's your husband, Detective Eames, and I won't have that on my squad. You're too close."

"Captain..."

"The matter is not up for debate. Captain Deakins informed me that Detective Goren has worked well and successfully with Detective Logan in the past, so I am reassigning partners. Goren and Logan will be partners and I will find another partner for you."

Eames silently counted to ten. "Goren and I have been partners for over thirteen years. We have never had a problem. Captain, you don't know him..."

"And I will not baby him, Eames. I made a concession for Deakins in agreeing to partner him with Logan. Goren will deal or he'll find himself looking for another squad. I'm told he's been on disability for the last six months and he's due back on duty right after I take over the squad. Maybe he should consider a medical retirement..."

"No. He's coming back on duty. Being a cop is all he knows, and it's what he does best. You are not going to muscle him out, Captain."

Ross considered her. She had a lot of fire. "Then he'll partner with Logan. Anything else, detective?"

"No, sir," she answered tightly.

"Let him know I'll be keeping my eye on him...and Logan, too."

"Don't worry. They'll get the message."

Turning, she left the office, twice as furious as she'd been when she got there.

"Medical retirement, my ass," she growled as she got into the car.

Mike arched an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"

"No," she answered as she pulled into traffic.

"I take it you were unsuccessful."

"Very perceptive, Logan. Working for that man is going to be a challenge."

"Because he's already made up his mind about Bobby?"

"That's part of it. He suggested Bobby put in for a medical retirement. That way he won't have to deal with him."

"Honey, Bobby has been dealing with shit like that all his life. You aren't going to suggest he go for the retirement, are you?"

"Of course not."

"Good. He wouldn't handle retirement well. None of us would because he'd be bored and we know that's just asking for trouble." He grinned when she laughed. "You don't have to fight his battles for him, even if you do it better. He'll be all right. I promise."

"I know he will. I just felt compelled to let this captain know where I stand."

"I don't think there's a cop in the department who doesn't know where you stand."

"Do you think he's right, Mike? Are Bobby and I too close to be partners?"

"In all honesty, I would normally say yes. But I've known you two for years and I would have to call you the exception to the rule. This guy isn't willing to even give you a chance, so either he's old school, by the book, no exceptions to any rule, or he's establishing himself as cock of the walk. You know, fluffing his feathers."

Alex bristled. "Can I pluck his feathers?"

Mike laughed. "I wouldn't advise it. It never got me anything but a rep as a troublemaker."

"That's a rep you well deserve."

"Glad you think so. I work hard for it."

She smiled, still angry but reassured. Together, her husband and his best friend were double trouble, and Captain Daniel Ross deserved every moment of trouble they would deliver.