Alex POV


The day turned out even better than I hoped.

I knew it was going to be hard on Carolyn, but having our friends around would make it as easy as possible, and I honestly think that she was making it worse in her mind than it turned out to be.

Not that I blame her. I'd want to procrastinate, too.

But her family's deaths happened a long time ago, so going through their memories would probably be more bittersweet than devastating.

Although she did resist me, at first.

"I'm not sure I want to do this."

"You do," I insisted, and then I took the key from Carolyn's hand and opened the padlock on her storage unit.

I like that the weather is beautiful, bright and sunny with a clear blue sky. It has to help her mood, because God knows it's helping mine.

Well, the weather and the fact that we've gone more than a month now without any major crises. I couldn't even let the news of Hanson's death bother me, more than just a passing huh, that's a shame. A shame because of what he did with his life, not because of his death. He pissed away a great career and a happy family just for sex. I can't understand it. I mean, I like sex as much as the next person…maybe even more, considering I get to have it with Bobby, but still…who throws it all away for a prostitute?

Too many men, I decided.

Anyway, like I said, it's a gorgeous day, and we're in shorts and t-shirts instead of work attire, and the rest of the gang is joining us shortly, so it's the perfect time to get it done.

Besides, she's put it off long enough, because the deadline for her to get her things out is the first of August, and that's only a few days away.

"But there's so much," she complained as I tugged on the roll-top door, sending it clanking into its track and revealing the dozens upon dozens of boxes inside.

"Good thing I brought along our good friend, Jose," I replied casually, setting down my bag on the sidewalk next to the doorway and then reaching inside for the bottle.

"It's twelve-thirty," she said, finally cracking a smile.

"And your point is…"

I stared at her challengingly for a moment until she shrugged and held out her hand, so I gave her the bottle. She tore the seal off the cap and then took a drink straight from the bottle before handing it back to me.

"So how should we do this?" I asked after taking a drink and then setting the bottle down on the nearest box.

"It is a little overwhelming, isn't it?" she replied, her focus moving over the stacks upon stacks of boxes. "I'm open to suggestions."

"I think we need to pull everything out, so that you can see what it is, and then you can make up your mind which keepsakes you'd like to hang on to."

So that's what we did. Of course, there were a lot of distractions, like when Liz showed up carrying a second bottle of tequila. And then Mary came, bringing Maddie in tow, followed by Connie and Cecilia. Lauren and Jennifer were last, and by that time we were several shots in, and suddenly the work in front of us didn't seem quite so daunting. In fact, we had a lot of fun.

Of course, I have to pay Bobby five bucks, since he guessed that Connie's pregnant.

But he owes me ten, since I pegged Jennifer and Mike's engagement. I actually said it would happen while they were in Texas, rather than once they got home, but he'll give me leeway, since it was the same day, and since he picked the second week of August.

"Oh my God, is this you?" Lauren spoke up at one point, pulling a photograph out of a box.

Carolyn stopped what she was doing to go take a closer look, as did the rest of us.

A dark-haired little girl, probably about ten, was sitting on the front stoop of a brick apartment building, and reading a book.

"It has to be," Liz remarked. "Right?"

"No, check out the book title," Carolyn said.

"Delta of Venus? Are you sure this isn't you?" I said wryly, flashing Carolyn a grin.

"I'm sure," she said, taking the picture from Lauren's hand and looking at it fondly. "Of course, I read it when she was finished."

"And took notes, no doubt," I replied. "Highlighted, annotated…"

"What is it? I haven't even heard of it," Maddie remarked.

"A collection of erotic stories," Jennifer said. "I read it in college."

"You don't need to read it," Liz said firmly to Maddie. "No need to give you any more ideas."

"Any more? We haven't heard about the ideas she's already had, much less the reality," Mary said. "Come on, Maddie. Aren't you going to share how Jeremy is in bed?"

"Not in front of his mother, no," Maddie responded.

"Smart girl," I told her, then I patted Liz on the shoulder and said, "Go home, Liz."

I was teasing, of course, and after letting Maddie flail in the breeze for a bit, we moved on to another topic, and before long, the boxes were all empty, and we had things divided into piles of throw away, give away, and keep, and I was impressed that Carolyn's keep pile was small enough to fit into two boxes.

"Perfect," I said quietly as I helped her pack away the photo albums and a couple of old VHS tapes, and a ratty stuffed dog, along with the actual copy of Delta of Venus, from the picture of her sister.

"I think so," she agreed. "And Mike'll be happy, since I now have pictures of my childhood."

She paused, showing me a photo of her as a teenager, looking unexpectedly cute and normal, the epitome of the popular high schooler.

"And to think I had you pegged for a nerd in school."

"Me? No. I mean, yeah, I liked books, but I liked boys, too," she said with a smile. "A lot."

"What's not to like?" I replied, bumping her shoulder with mine. "So what do you say we get this cleaned up and then see what our boys are up to?"

"Trouble, no doubt," Mary said, coming up behind us and throwing an arm around each of us. "Everything okay over here?"

"Not really," Carolyn said, surprising me, since I thought she was doing pretty good, but then she caught my eye, and she has a mischievous expression on her face, so I waited to hear what came next.

"What's wrong? What can I do?"

"Connie's pregnant," Carolyn said.

"Yeah…"

"So don't you think you need to get busy? You don't want her to one up you, do you? I mean, look what you did with the wedding, moving it up a month every single day. It doesn't work like that with kids, you know."

"Ha ha," Mary snorted. "I said I'm thinking about it, not that I'm ready to do it."

"So…when?"

"December, maybe," she replied smartly, then she winked and added, "Maybe November."

It was late in the afternoon before Mike and Bobby came to pick up me and Carolyn.

The others had left already, making trips to goodwill and the trash dump, so it was just the two of us, sitting on the sidewalk with her two boxes next to us, and we were finishing up the last little bit of tequila when the guys approached, looking hot and sweaty.

And good. Very, very good.

"You couldn't possibly have worked that hard," Carolyn said.

"Do you have any idea how many boxes Mary had?" Logan retorted.

"A lot, but not that many," Bobby admitted, dropping down to the ground next to me. He nudged me with his sweaty leg, and then he flashed me a smile, and I love how his hair is long enough to get curly, since it's damp, and how he looks like he really enjoyed his day. "We shot some hoops."

"I'm sorry I missed that."

"I'm sorry, too. You pass me the ball," he replied. "Aaron kept forgetting I was on his team."

"That's because you bricked the first one," Logan said on a laugh.

"I did not. And what about you? You dribbled off your foot."

"Once," Logan insisted. "And that's only because you shoved me right when I started to move."

"Boys, I'm sure you were both equally stellar," Carolyn said. "In fact, I think the Knicks are going to call any minute."

I chuckled while Logan feigned being offended, and then he said, "You want to go one on one? I'll take you, Barek."

"Any time," she agreed with a smile.

"No, not any time," I said. "Right now, I'm starving. How about you two big strong guys load these boxes, and we'll get out of here? Steve-O's is calling my name."

So that's how we ended up here, on Saturday evening, with two of our best friends. It feels quiet, since it's just the four of us, but it's nice sometimes, to have fewer conversations to keep up with.

"Hey, I told Mulder I'd get you to make a call for him," Logan said, once we placed our order.

"Me? For what?" Carolyn asked.

"He wants to be a field agent."

"Seriously? That's great," I said. "He'll be good at it."

"Yeah, I think so, too. So you'll make the call?"

"I don't think he needs my help at all, but I'm happy to do it."

"He's really grown up," Bobby mused. "Next thing you know, he'll be getting married."

"Seems headed that way. And speaking of, you should see the rock on Jennifer's finger. Mike's been saving his money for a while, I think."

"Is it just me, or does it feel weird that we're like the old married couples of the bunch?" Carolyn posed. "Well, us and Liz and Danny."

"It does seem a little strange," I mused. "But I like it. I like seeing everyone else happy."

We were all quiet for a minute, and then Logan said, "You guys realize we've gone more than a month without anything major happening, don't you?"

"Mike, you know you aren't supposed to say that!" Carolyn replied, bumping into his shoulder playfully. "You just jinxed it. Great, you may as well pay the check now because the phone's going to ring any second."

But it didn't.

Instead, the four of us had a really nice evening, talking and laughing, and rehashing old cases.

And then Bobby and I spent Sunday doing normal couple things. Groceries, laundry, some light cleaning.

Mundane tasks that aren't really my thing, and I was almost praying for a call to come in, but it didn't, and then I was grateful, as we enjoyed a quiet dinner together, and then a movie.

"We made it all weekend," I said that evening as we snuggled together in the bed, all the lights out but the blinds open so we could watch the raging thunderstorm outside.

"Uh huh," he murmured, his lips against the top of my head. "And did you have fun?"

"I did. A lot, actually. I don't need the job to be happy. I just need you."

"Me, too," he agreed.

I stared through the glass as the lightning flashed, and then I waited for the accompanying rumble, and I started thinking about everything he and I have been through.

The cases, and the personal crises, and the friendships and heartbreaks…it's been a hell of a ride.

"But Alex?" he said softly, as if we just spoke moments ago instead of several long minutes having passed.

"Hmm?"

"I like the job, too. I love working it with you. And as much as I love our quiet moments together, I love the excitement and thrill of the hunt, too, you know?"

"Exactly," I said, smiling as I turned towards him, bringing my lips to his for a nice, easy kiss.

Or at least, that was my intent. But after a few seconds, it turned into something more, and as the thunder rolled again, he pulled me more fully on top of him, his hands roaming over my back, and the intensity of the kiss had me tugging at his shirt, wanting to feel his skin beneath my hands…

And then the phone rang.

THE END