He was there on the plane that was taking her to her fate.
Robert Goren had made the decision, after so much hesitation, to return to New York, the place where he had spent three quarters of his life, the place where he had worked as a homicide detective.
He had wanted to forget his past, to create a new life for himself.
But he had always missed this person.
He had never been able to find someone.
But he knew that he owed it all to himself.
Whatever the woman, he always found an excuse!
Too tall, too skinny, too dark, etc.
In fact he always compared them to her!
No woman was at his height!
And no woman could have been as sarcastic as her!
Sarcasm that he loved!
Yet he had buried his feelings deep in his heart.
He had made the decision to leave her even though he cared about her!
But he didn't want to hurt her and above all he wanted her to finally get the promotion she had always deserved to have and that because of him, she had never had the right to!
But the more he had advanced in time and the more this person was there, present in his heart.
He could not forget her.
And the more he tried, the more her face appeared before him.
He had been clear when he left that he would never contact her.
Because he knew that he would have weakened and would have run straight to her.
And then one day he found his niece leafing through a book, a book where unfortunately he had buried a secret.
Molly Goren was holding a piece of paper in her hands.
She had found the famous photo, where this person was with him.
Molly looked up as she entered.
- Who is this person?
She had her finger on the female face in the photo.
He should have known that sooner or later someone would come across it.
And to think that Molly had become a pretty little woman.
Long ebony curls cascading around her pretty face or was large hazel eyes.
She was tall, a bit plump.
And whenever they went for a walk, everyone they met thought she was his daughter.
He had never paid attention to her resemblance to him.
But his great aunt always said to him;
- Damn it, Robert... If you had a daughter, Molly could have been one! She smiled fondly when she said that. She's so much like you in everything! The physical, the intellectual! That kid could have been yours!
And Bobby had to admit it, Molly was kind of like his daughter to him.
- She's my old partner!
Molly had made a pretty oh.
She held the picture in her hands and put it in front of her eyes.
- She's really pretty! She was smiling mischievously, which is what teenagers of her age do when something crosses their minds. But tell me, Uncle Bobby, are you sure she was just your partner...She looked up from the picture, looking him straight in the eye, which made him uncomfortable, making him blush. Because it really looks like a couple, you know, both of them!
A couple!
And to say that during several years, in several investigations they had made passed as such.
He had to admit it, he had run away from her, Alexandra Eames, because she was everything he wanted.
He had been afraid of her feelings, afraid of the attachment he had for her. Fear that she would reject him if she ever knew that he was attached to her as more than a brother.
Her eyes clouded over with sadness.
It still hurt to think of her.
She was his light, his strength.
- Why don't you ever talk about her? Molly stroked the photo with her fingers. Did you even contact her? Bobby shook his head in denial. You must have hurt her feelings! She was your partner and then all of a sudden you don't hear from her?
Yes, she was his partner, the only one who had managed to put up with him! And who had never let him down!
While he had made her a lot of trouble!
A real kid, who had spoiled her life with his whims!
And she had always given in!
Yet she was a woman of character, who could be sarcastic, even too frank.
But she had always been kind even to him.
She was always patient.
She was the only one who knew how to control and calm him down.
Yes, Alexandra Eams had always been there for him, despite all that he had made her live!
And he had left just like that, without giving her the slightest explanation!
He had been a real cad!
- Molly, it's not that simple...
He took the photo from Molly's hands, placed it between two pages and closed the book.
- What's not to like? Molly tried to take the book from her uncle's hands, but he held on, nodding. Molly pouted. But she soon recovered. Explain it to me!
How to explain to Molly what he was feeling, this fear he had. This incessant fear of hurting Alexandra. That he cared too much about her to dare come back and ruin her life.
- Oh...I see! He raised his head, Molly had such an expression on her face, as if she had understood everything. You're in love with her!
Bobby gasped as if caught off guard, blushing violently, nearly knocking the book out of his hands.
But how did she do it? Molly could read him like an open book. As always, she had understood everything!
It was getting to be hellish!
She was too perceptive!
Damn, this kid was too smart and she understood things too quickly.
He had hidden this picture well.
And by misfortune, she had wanted to read this book, because it had always intrigued her that it was the favorite book of her uncle. And she had discovered the truth.
It was her favorite book not for what he had written in it but for what it contained!
The picture of her ex-partner!
Molly walked over to him, taking his hand in hers.
- Listen to me Uncle Bobby! She looked into his eyes with her big hazel eyes. Go to her and tell her how you feel!
He pulled his hand away from hers and stepped back.
- She may have made her life...and it's too late!
Molly shook her head in denial.
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained! She took the book from her hand, opened it and put the picture in her hand. If you don't try, you'll never be!
- But...
What could he say, what could he do?
He had gone away from Alex, even though it had torn his heart out.
And today because of this one photo, he had to face his feelings again.
It was too hard for him!
Solving a crime was so much easier, he didn't need to put his feelings and open his heart. But this was simply different.
What could he have said to Molly to make her understand?
He knew his niece, she was as stubborn as he was.
And when she had an idea in mind, she wouldn't let go.
He knew that as long as he did not go to see Alex, Molly would not let him go!
Then, one evening, after many assaults of his niece, he took the resolution to go to see Alexandra.
- And don't come back without her!
Bobby didn't know what to say to her!
What if Eames doesn't want me!
If she made her life!
He knew very well that in any case, Alex would not come back with him!
Even if his stubborn niece thought otherwise.
Molly came and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
- And if she's not with you when you get back, at least you'll have tried something and won't have lost anything!
Molly waved goodbye to her uncle.
He was such a jerk!
She smiled inwardly.
What her uncle didn't know was that thanks to the Internet, she had been able to make contact with Eames, and that she was still single and working in the anti-terrorist squad.
Alex had guessed who she was just by her name.
So she knew some things about her uncle's past.
And she understood that Alex missed her uncle very much.
But she wasn't going to tell her uncle.
It was up to him now, not her, she had done the heavy lifting.
She hadn't told Eames.
That her uncle was going to New York just to see her and tell her how he felt about her.
Alex would be surprised if a Goren showed up on her doorstep or at the anti-terrorist squad.
- Don't forget the flowers! And pink tulips! She must like pink!
Goren turned around at Molly's shout.
How could his niece know that Alexandra liked pink and that her favorite flowers were tulips.
Strange...
But boy was she loud!
She would embarrass you in the street!
Here's to the kids!