Alex silently stepped toward the small, dirty window of Nixer's flat to look down towards the street with the fresh morning sun peering through the clouds and glistening in the recent rain puddles. She wore a t-shirt over her body and worked on gathering her untamed hair up into a messy bun. She rubbed her hand over her bruised knuckles from her altercation the night before then looked back down toward the street just as a car pulled up in front of Reid's place.

Alex's eyes narrowed as she recognized Colm getting out of the back seat with one of his massive goons and started toward his building's door. She turned around and rushed toward her sleeping husband who was laying down with his head in his pillow and sheets kicked off. She smacked his bare bottom as she went to put her pants on.

"Ah, what was that for?" Reid asked, while he kept his eyes closed.

"You gotta get up now. Colm is outside, and will be here any moment," she urged.

"What?" He jumped up and followed suit in getting clothes on.

"What should I do? Should I hide?" Alex questioned.

Reid looked to the door as a knock rang out. "I think it's a little too late for that." He finished buttoning his pants and went to open the door. "Colm," he tried to sound spontaneous then looked at his watch. "It's rather early, everything okay?"

Colm was about to speak then noticed Alex stepping out from the bathroom then looked down to her bare feet. "Good, I'm glad you're here, too. We need to talk." Colm stepped in and shut the door behind him. "Jesus, Moira, what the hell happened to you?" He asked when he noticed her bruises.

"Just a little misunderstanding," she played it off, still unsure if he set it up.

Reid and Alex shot a glance to each other then back to Colm. "What's going on?" Reid asked.

"Something has come to my attention and I need answers," his eyes were piercing towards them. "I've been hearing some rumors, whispers in my ear and I want to know the truth about both of you."

"The truth about what?" Alex snapped, aggressively.

Reid held out his hand urging Alex to stop. "Just come out with it, Colm."

"Well, it's obvious you both are shagging, but I want to know if the rest of it is true. Because if I find out that the two of you are keeping secrets from me, then both of you are going to be very sorry!" Colm raged.

Alex and Reid stood hesitantly as Colm barked at them and felt that their cover could be blown. They separately thought about killing him or other drastic measures if needed. It was also unclear who else knew this information and what their next steps would be.

"So, who's going to start talking first?" Colm sneered.

"Hey, listen, I don't know what you've heard—" Reid started.

"Not another word," Colm held up his hand. "Do you want to know why?" He moved a step closer to Reid.

"Why?" Reid asked, hesitantly.

"Because I'm just fucking with you," Colm burst out in laughter. "Oh, you should have seen the looks on your faces. Shit. I didn't think I would be able to keep a straight face that much longer."

Alex and Reid forced laughter, relieved their cover was still intact. "Well, as much fun as this morning has been, I really need to go," Alex picked up her shoes and her stuff and headed to the door.

"I'm sorry, Moira," Colm continued to laugh. "I couldn't resist."

"Don't worry about it," she smirked then turned to Reid. "I'll see you around, Nix."

Alex rushed out of Nixer's apartment and headed back to her hotel in desperate need of a shower. After a few blocks in the new breaking sun she was finally back to her room and leaned against the door as it closed, letting out a sigh.

She walked past her mirror then took a step back and looked at herself in yesterday's clothes and used her hands to brush back her unwashed hair. "Ugh, I can't believe I just did the walk of shame after spending the night with my own husband."

She went into the bathroom and turned on the water then peeled off her worn clothes and took a quick shower. She then took twice as long to dry out her thick, wavy hair. She pulled out her makeup kit and perfectly applied concealer over her bruises. After such a long time doing the job she did, she has learned a thing or two, including speaking to a Hollywood makeup artist for some helpful tips.

With her hair back in a tight French braid she felt a desperate need for coffee and rushed down to the café where she typically started her morning. Considering the evening she had and followed by the startling morning, she decided to treat herself with a mocha rather than her usual cup of Joe.

Alex seated herself in the corner of the café and enjoyed the peace and quiet that the nearly vacant establishment. She removed the top from her to-go cup and savored in the aroma of her coffee. In that briefest of moments she wasn't on a job, had no problems, and was happy.

"You know coffee can be taken internally now, you don't have to smell it," Rossi remarked standing next to her table.

Alex blushed. "You know, I've heard that," she replied with a chuckle. "Please, have a seat," she held out her hand to the empty chair next to her.

"So, how are you enjoying your trip to Ireland so far?" He asked raising his voice a bit to establish their innocent conversation. "I can see that you have made some friends and some enemies."

"Enemies?" Alex questioned.

"I've seen enough domestic abuse cases in my time to spot when someone is covering their bruises," his eyes saddened as he saw his friend that way. "Are you okay? We got the details from Easter this morning."

"Yes, I'm fine. They, on the other hand are not," she smirked at herself.

"Is that why you are a bit frazzled this morning?" He questioned.

"Oh, well Colm paid a visit at Spencer's bright and early and took us both by surprise. Then he thought it would be so funny to tell two spies that he knows the truth about them but the entire time he was joking. So, that was a wonderful way to start the day," she gave a sarcastic grin and held up her cup before taking a drink.

"So, you were with Spencer last night?" He stared at her.

"Why do you have to make it sound like I did something wrong?" She leaned in closer toward him. "Contrary to popular belief, married people do actually have sex with each other," she snarked.

"Does that mean that you two are on the mend?"

Alex focused on her drink and let out a heavy breath. "To be perfectly honest, we aren't 100% as of yet, I guess we put a few things on hold until this case is over with."

"If I may offer you some advice, from someone who has been around a lot longer than you. Just remember that for everything that you put on hold, you have to pick back up again. Please don't forget to do that. It is far easier to just keep holding and before you know it the only thing you've held on to is the distance you've put between the two of you." He gave a wink with his cup in hand. "But, if anyone can do it, you two can. Have a good day, and stay out of trouble."