Mike looked over his shoulder—he was doing a lot of that these days—but Alex was nowhere in sight, and neither was Ross. Now was his chance.

He left the squad room and got onto the elevator, pressing the '2' and hoping his luck would hold out.

He released the breath he'd been holding when the doors opened on the second floor and he hadn't run into his partner or their captain. He turned left and walked down the hall to the offices that were home base to the building's secretarial pool. After looking around, he stepped through the doorway into the main office.

He knew the girl behind the desk, not sure if that was a good thing or not. She smiled at him. "Mike! It's been awhile. Where have you been?"

"Hi, Kristy. I've been busy playing grownup. I stopped by looking for Traci. Is she around anywhere?"

Kristy looked disappointed. "How is Bobby?" she asked, trying to divert him.

"He's still married," he answered, not even trying to hide his irritation.

She tossed her hair back from her face. "What about you? I'm free tonight."

"Sorry, honey. I'm not. Got a plane to catch. Now I'm running out of time and patience."

Kristy huffed softly. "She's back there at her desk. Remember where that is?"

"I remember. Thanks."

He walked past her desk, wondering in hindsight if he and Bobby should ever have messed around with the rumor mongers who worked in those offices. When he caught sight of Traci, he remembered exactly what drew them in. She was one hell of a looker who was great in bed...immature as hell, but that didn't matter when the lights were out. She looked up as he approached and her face lit up into a radiant smile. "Mikey! Long time, no see."

Be strong, Logan, he cautioned himself. "Not long enough, I'm afraid. I've been told your little tongue has been very busy around the water cooler lately."

She feigned a look of innocence. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play coy with me, Traci. I know your game too well. The wheels on the rumor mill have been turning fast and furious, and I've heard you are the one fueling the fire."

She shifted and laughed nervously. "It's all in good fun."

"Fun? Fun for who? Because Goren and Eames are not the least bit amused and neither am I. Where did you get your information, Traci? Why would you think Denise Rhodes is carrying Goren's baby?"

"Come on, Mike. You know he's been in her pants for years."

Mike felt his temper rise. He picked up a paperweight from her desk and turned it over in his hands. "He's faithful, Traci, and like it or not, he's in love with his wife, as boring as that might be to the information cesspool." She pouted at that but he ignored her. "Besides, Denise has more class than to bed a married guy. And Eames... what's up with that? Why the hell would you think she's cheating?"

"She did it when she was married to Ricky Waters. Why not now? Besides, I know she's seeing a guy on the side."

He dropped the paperweight back onto the desk—before he threw it against the far wall. She jumped at the noise but he ignored that, placing his fists on the desk and leaning on them. "Who's the guy you think she's seeing?"

"I know she's seeing him," she insisted.

His patience was wearing thin. He hated the stupid games she liked to play. Impatiently, he waved his hand before slamming it on the desk. "Whatever. I'm tired of these games you get off on. Who is he, Traci?"

Her lips formed a little pout. "What's in it for me?"

He leaned in close. "Tell me what I want to know and you'll find out."

She giggled with delight and Mike struggled to keep a handle on his temper. She leaned toward him and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. "Well, I don't know his name, but I know he's a cop. He's blonde with a mustache, and he's very cute. They look adorable together."

"What makes you think she's sleeping with him?"

Her voice dropped even lower. "I was having lunch at the diner over near the courthouse, and I saw her come in with him. They were cozy with each other and when they said good-bye, she kissed him. She was very friendly with him, if you get my drift."

"It's impossible not to get your drift. What else? Tall? Short? Thin? Husky?"

Traci screwed her face in concentration. "Tall, but not as tall as Bobby. Thin. Works at the 1-9."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm not. I swear, I saw them!" She smiled suddenly and shook her finger at him. "You know who it is," she accused. "Tell me!"

"I have better things to do than contribute to the trouble you cause," he growled as he stepped away from her desk and began to walk toward the front office.

She ran after him. "Oh, come on, Mike! Please! Tell me!"

You stupid bitch, he thought to himself, but he held his tongue, not sure how Ross would react to him losing it with the secretarial staff. Eames would certainly kick his ass. He stopped as she jumped in front of him and planted her hands in the middle of his chest. "Come on," she purred. "Tell me!"

After a struggle, he managed to keep his temper in check. In his mind, he could see Alex being friendly with the cop in question and Traci's misinterpretation of her friendliness made his stomach flip with renewed rage. His tone was harsh when he finally spoke. "The mystery man you made such a big deal about...he's her brother." He grasped her wrists and removed her hands from his chest, allowing his anger to come through in the glare he gave her. "Trust me, Eames only has room in her bed for one man, and that's Goren."

Not used to receiving the brush-off from a man, Traci got angry as he walked past her. "What's the matter, Mike? She turn you down?"

He turned at the door and sneered at her. "Why do you assume she's the one I'm interested in?" he growled sarcastically.

He stormed from the office, wondering belatedly what new rumors his temper just bought for them. Oh, well...he and Bobby were used to it. Alex and Denise did not deserve it. He needed to do something about Traci, and he still had favors he could call in. He was going to burn one of them getting rid of her. If they didn't want to fire her, then they could bust her down to traffic file clerk. She had no business in the headquarters building unless the brass particularly wanted some kind of scandal or a leak in the dike they would never be able to plug. Eventually, her mouth was going to lead to that. Maybe this would set an example to the others of the far-reaching damage unfounded rumors could cause—and the repercussions of spreading them.

He made a phone call as he stormed down the hall toward the elevators. Returning to the eleventh floor, he was certain that by the time he and Bobby got back from Chicago, Traci would be history at 1 PP.

Mike stopped at the snack machine for a soda and a bag of chips, which he carried back to his desk. He sat down and popped open his soda as Alex stepped out of the captain's office and walked toward him. She sat across from him and said, "Well, this is it, Mike—our last day as partners. Come Monday morning, Bobby's back in the squadroom and my new partner is a guy named Cutter Albright."

"That's his real name?"

"Don't start. He worked with Ross a few years ago and his record with the organized crime unit is good enough to earn him a shot at Major Case. Ross has nothing but good to say about the guy."

Mike was not impressed. "You meet him yet?"

"Briefly—just long enough to shake hands and say hello."

"What's he look like?"

"What does that matter?"

"Humor me."

She shrugged. "He looks like a cop. He's about five-ten, sandy hair, mustache...nice looking."

"Nice enough to make someone jealous?"

She frowned. "He has no rational reason to be jealous and he knows it."

"Since when is jealousy rational? You're jealous of Denise. Hell, for awhile there, you were jealous of me, too."

She made a noise that sounded a lot like a snort of derision. "He'll deal with it—without causing trouble...if he knows what's good for him."

Mike snickered, but, sensing an impending argument neither of them would ever win, he changed the subject. "If Albright is Ross' minion, you know he's gonna be watching you and reporting back to the boss."

"I wasn't born yesterday, Logan."

Mike folded his hands on his desk and studied her. "You're gonna give him a chance, aren't you?"

She scowled at him. "Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice, sweetheart."

"What did I tell you about calling me that here?"

He smiled, and some of her irritation faded. They were two peas in a pod, him and Bobby, and she could never stay irritated or angry with either of them for too long. He made a dismissive gesture. "What are they gonna do to me? Get me a new partner because I called you sweetheart? I promise I'll come up with a different term of endearment for my new partner."

Alex laughed. "I can't wait to see how this works out. I give it a month or two before Ross regrets the reassignments."

"Think it'll take that long?"

Alex's face softened and she smiled at him. "Unlike you, Bobby will watch his step for a little while, but it won't last."

"I wonder if Ross will figure out that no one can keep Bobby in line the way you can."

She gave him a look of mock severity. "You could try, you know."

"I do try. He doesn't listen to me, and I end up following his lead so he doesn't get his stupid ass killed. You know where that gets us."

"Yeah—it gets you in trouble."

"That's putting it mildly," he grumbled as he consolidated everything in his desk into one drawer. "If your pretty boy gets here before I do on Monday morning, tell him I'll move my stuff to my new desk as soon as I get here."

Reminded of his plans for the weekend, she asked, "Is there any way I can talk you clowns out of doing this?"

Mike pretended to consider her request before he shook his head. "Sorry, honey. I don't see that happening."

"Mike..."

"Yeah, I know. If we get in trouble, there will be hell to pay. We both know that." Not that it would make a difference... He got to his feet. "I'm outta here. I still have to pack before I pick up Bobby."

She nodded and slowly began to put her stuff away. Mike paused for a moment. He hated to see her sad or upset. "Alex, honey. I promise you, I'll do my best to take care of him."

She nodded, trying to swallow the emotion that rose like bile at the back of her throat. He started to turn away, but looked back at her and said, "By the way, I took care of that little gossip problem for you."

She eyed him with suspicion. "What did you do?"

"I called in a favor, that's all. You shouldn't have any more problems."

"Did you find out what started the rumors?"

"The ones about you? It seems someone thought you were being overly friendly with another cop and her simple mind dove right into the gutter. Of course, she just had to share her opinion with half the building."

"Another cop? What cop? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You were seen having lunch with him over by the courthouse. I don't know when. Thin guy, not as tall as Bobby, blond, mustache..."

"That sounds like..." Her eyes widened with realization. "Kevin is supposed to be the guy I'm sleeping around with? Kevin? My brother?"

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't start the rumor, but I put an end to it. Kiss the kids for me and have a good weekend. At least one of us should."

Mike walked away from the desks they had shared for the past six months, ever since Bobby was sidelined by the accident in Syracuse after his mother's death. He looked back from the elevators. Alex was a tough partner, but she was also one of his favorites among the partners he'd had in his career. Being with Bobby for so long had loosened her up a little, but she still didn't take a lot of nonsense. If this Cutter guy was anything like Ross, he wondered if he would complement her, the way Goren always did, or if they would clash, like...well, he didn't exactly clash with her. He often annoyed her, but that was on purpose, his way of keeping her on her toes. Unlike Bobby, he had no reservations about irritating her or flat out pissing her off. Her temper made things interesting for him. By this time, though, she knew how to handle him, and he didn't mind being handled by her.

He continued to watch her for a moment, and he felt badly about going to Chicago. She definitely disapproved, and he hated to upset her, but if he didn't go, Bobby would go alone, and then there really would be trouble. He was going along to make sure Bobby's temper stayed under control, a role that would have been laughable fifteen years ago. Hell, back then he would be the one beating the snot out of the guy for what he'd done. But age had tempered him, and so had his friendship with Bobby. They were good for each other in many ways, and because of that, Roger would survive the weekend intact. More or less.

Alex had also told him the story of Dan Croyden and how that psychobitch Nicole Wallace had used the chump to set Bobby up, big time. It had been a catastrophe. Mike had promised Alex that Roger Forsythe would not devolve into another Croyden.

When the elevator doors opened, Alex looked his way. With a grin, he waved and blew her a kiss, ducking into the elevator so he wouldn't see her response. Maybe he hadn't seen it, but he knew what it was and he felt a little better because he knew he'd made her smile.