Chapter 138

Alex woke up glancing over at her sleeping husband, his face pressed into the pillow snoring softly. Checking the time on her phone she saw there was still about half an hour left before his alarm would go off and she got up softly, making her way to the bathroom and then down to the kitchen. Not bothering to check up on her daughter just yet because hunger got the better of her. She opened the freezer and retrieved a tub of ice cream, grabbing a spoon she stood in the farthest corner to try and hide herself in case Ryan comes downstairs while she indulged in this sweetness. This diet their following is really not for her, she can deal with salads but having to do it for the time until she's pregnant is going to take some patience, that she doesn't have. Not for tasteless steamed food.

She made her way through almost half the tub when she decided she needs to put it away before she eats everything, and grabbed one of Phoebe's yogurts as a healthy after snack so she wouldn't feel too guilty for eating ice cream for breakfast. That and the fact that her husband isn't allowed to find out about her sneakily eating food that she's not supposed to.

Ryan appeared on the stairs wearing his black boxer shorts, and Alex stared at his well- formed, muscled body from where she laid on the couch. He looked up at her confused not sure what her stares is all about. "What?" He asked stopping halfway. "Nothing, I'm just looking. Can't I look at you?" She asked. "I suppose you can." He answered scratching the back of his head, as he came further downstairs, looking over at her with a frown on his face.

Phoebe walked out of the nursery, looking confused. Her cheeks slightly pink from sleep, clutching her blanket on one end as the other end trailed behind her on the floor. "How did you get out of the crib?" Ryan asked looking at Alex who was just as confused as he was. They both got up and walked inside to figure out how all this was possible, when they noticed the side that slide up on the front wasn't secured, and if she kicked or rattled it a few times it would slide down, which resulted in her getting out. Ryan looked up at Alex who stared around the room "do you think we should get her a bed instead?" She asked and Ryan shrugged. "She's growing up way too quickly for my liking." He sighed resting a hand on the white painted wood of the crib.

In the lounge Phoebe was sitting on the couch, the pink blanket laid in front of the couch and Alex walked over to pick it up. "Blankie." Phoebe extended her hand so her mother can give her the blanket. "And you're talking, why are you getting so big? You're still my baby Phoebe Grace." Alex said draping the blanket over her daughter's legs but she shook her head at that. "You don't wanna be my baby anymore?" Alex asked again and Phoebe shook her head. "Fine. Then I'll go get a new baby." Alex challenged and she looked up at her mother with big eyes. "Nooooo Mama." She said loudly hands moving in all directions.

"What are we doing with all those boxes in the spare room? Can I start throwing them out?" He asked and Alex had to take some time before she remembered that there an extra room in the house that they used for storage and hardly ever entered it. "I'd probably need to look through it to see what's in there, but I guess you can throw most of it away." She thought out loud. "Why is it bothering you now all of a sudden?"

"Where's the baby going to sleep?" He rationalized and Alex looked at him with a small smile. "You have plans of starting a nursery already, I don't even think I'm pregnant yet."

"We can always skip work today, and stay at home while we work on that." He said walking closer to her but she stopped him.

"No Ryan." She laughed as he kissed her neck his beard tickling the sensitive spots behind her ear. "Go get done, and keep your hormones in check."

"Fine. It's about time we have some equality in this household!" He said where he disappeared into the bedroom making her smile as she prepared yet another dietary breakfast consisting of toast and guacamole. Wondering if that was indirectly a statement that he hoped for a boy.

"How do I look?" Ryan asked holding two ties up in front the dark grey shirt he had on. "Uuhhmm fine, I guess." Alex looked up from where she was putting on shoes. "Who do you want to impress?" She inquired standing up, walking to the mirror where he stood to see if she looked representable for the day. "I'm having lunch with General Koop today, the least I can do is look good when I give him the bad news." He said and Alex frowned as none of that made any sense to her. "And offer to settle the bill." Alex reminded and he gave her a look that made her laugh.

"Anyone down for a car chase? Police don't have enough vehicles on standby and asked for assistance." Liam started and everyone looked between each other, down for the chase. Ryan raised his hand since he's been a paper clerk for two days but Liam continued asking everyone except him, but no one else were willing. "Alright, everyone else available except Ryan?" he asked and laughter broke out among the agents. "It's a sign O'Connor." Ryan said but Liam kept up his end of the deal by adding more paperwork to Ryan's pile. "Okay, Alex and Shelby you're up." He decided on their behalf and neither of them were in the mood to speed down the freeway. Checking the surveillance footage on TV they saw the two cars heading South. The silver truck in front purposefully swerving in front of other cars as they honk their horns at them, while the black sedan are trying to stay on his tail.

"Is there any way we can see who the drivers are, or what's going on in the truck?" Alex asked as they pressed a button and the camera shifted, seeing a man and a woman who looks like they're in a heated argument, the visual they have are way too blurry for facial recognition. They were just about to leave the boardroom when they got a call and everyone stayed put. The 911 operator send them a recording of a son in distress, who was the one driving the black sedan. His parents were having an argument at home, and his father forced his mother into the car threatening to drive the car off the road, and he followed them when he heard the argument. "My dad is armed, there's only a few miles left before the mountain pass. Please hurry." The call ended and Liam locked eyes with Shelby and Alex, nodding his head and wordlessly giving them the go ahead to deal with this issue. "They're gonna need protection one car is not enough we need at least four just to be saf.."

"I'll expect these files on my desk at the end of the day Agent Booth." Liam laughed handing him a fresh pile of files that needed his signature and requiring him to proof read the reports. "This is why I want a career in politics." Ryan said grabbing the files heading towards the office as the rest of the agents laughed, at Ryan and his superior. Having him punished by doing paperwork for breaking the rules although he felt like he's done more than enough already.

Sirens blaring they made their way to the freeway, enjoying the fact that all the cars gave them the right of way when they heard the noise behind them. "Has Ryan decided about the military offer?" Shelby asked as they hit the freeway, looking for the cars they're chasing. "He's not accepting it, meeting the General later today." Alex said looking over at her friend. "And how you and the baby feel about it?" Shelby laughed looking at her friend. "Okay slow down, I doubt that I'm pregnant yet. But I'm really glad he's not going." Alex smiled. Speeding up as they neared the truck. The driver refused to slow down, and looked behind him, Shelby tensing in her seat.

"Alex he's got a gun and he's gonna shoot!" She said, Alex turned out just in time as the bullet missed their vehicle, back window of the truck shatters where the bullet pierced through. Alex was silently hoping and praying that bullet won't hit an innocent driver.

"What if he shoots his wife?" Shelby panicked and Alex looked at her. "Then we make sure that won't happen." She said hitting the back of the truck, hoping this would mean that they are done playing the cat and mouse game. Not caring about damaging State property at the moment.

Somehow the police who had a shortage of vehicles a few moments ago, joined them in the chase, and they were informed over the radio that the road was spiked a few miles further, grateful for that but still in fear for the man's wife. From what they could gather when they drove the same speed as the truck the man were yanking the woman around by her hair and she seemed too afraid to do anything about it. Hitting her face against the dashboard. Shelby rolled down her window and tried to communicate with her, but he kept turning her head away from the window shouting something at her, his face red with anger. Out of options they neared the spiked road up ahead and the passenger side of the door opened.

"Alex she's gonna jump!" Shelby said just in time as Alex braked and the woman rolled out of the car. Alex pulled off to the side of the road, checking the rear view mirror seeing her son nearing them signaling towards the shoulder of the road. The woman got up, her knees busted, her hands scraped and a bleeding nose since she tried to minimize her fall. Walking across the busy freeway not looking at the oncoming traffic ignoring as the cars blows their horns and breaking immediately to avoid hitting her. Her husband drove on, soon hitting the spikes up ahead, as the police were busy directing traffic.

"Mooooom!" Her son yelled, trying to stop traffic with the help of the officers, rushing her over to the side of the road and out of danger. Alex ad Shelby walked over to her, but she had such a far -fetched look in her eyes that made it look like she wasn't in the moment with them. They asked the son to accompany them to a hospital since his mom refused to speak to any of them, but replied in one word sentences to the questions he asked her.

At the front the police radioed the agents that they'll handle things from here on forward and will get the necessary documentation to them once they're done, while they drove the woman and her son to the nearest hospital. They had to drive past where her husband's truck were stationed due to his slashed tires from the spikes. He yelled something from outside at them, but none of them paid him any mind as his hands got cuffed. At hospital they explained everything to the nurses, but Shelby and Alex refused to leave, not until they knew that she'd be okay.

Ryan pulled up to the café being ten minutes early as he didn't want the older man to wait for him, and mostly because he was nervous, since he had prepared a speech on how to break the news to him, but the more he thought about it, the more his speech seemed like it wasn't sufficient. Deciding he'll speak from the heart and just tell the General the truth about why he won't be accepting the offer. A few minutes passed and the man he was expected to meet entered the room, Ryan standing up from the table, shaking his hand both of them sitting down.

"Good to see you again Booth. Yesterday I didn't get to ask you what it is you're doing now." The general started the conversation, both of them ordering a coffee when the waitress came around.

"I'm a Special Agent working for the FBI." Ryan said seeing the surprise on the general's face. Not something he envisioned the young man doing after he was done serving his country.

"They suit life looking good on you, might pin a few medals on it when you come back to Afghanistan. Have you thought about it?" He asked as their coffee arrived, thanking the waitress before they continued their conversation.

Ryan smiled slightly before he started. "I am really grateful and honored that you've considered me for this opportunity. And trust me had this come a few years earlier, before I met my wife I would've been on the first plane." He admitted looking up at the General who nodded his head in understanding. "I'm sorry sir but I'm going to have to decline the offer. I just can't imagine being away from my family for so long."

"I understand completely. Trust me I have two teenage daughters, and being away from their bickering sometimes is a blessing but the moment I leave I actually miss it." General Koop sympathized with the younger man. They continued their talk about some of the soldier who they worked with and where some of them are now, until it was time to go Ryan offering to settle the bill.

Later that night at home Alex prepared yet another salad, this time with some more color than the greens they had the previous night absentmindedly standing at the dining room table, Phoebe busy unpacking her bag on the floor. "Can I ask you something?" She asked her husband who was busy replying to emails on his laptop, seated on the table. "And it's not a question directed at you it's just a general thing I've been thinking about all day."

"I'm listening." Ryan said closing his laptop.

"Why do men abuse women?" She asked seeing the surprised look on Ryan's face at that question.

"Okay, you are generalizing that statement making it sound as if all men are abusers which isn't the case." He clarified before continuing. "But I think it's a personal thing, and don't get me wrong I'm not justifying it. But I think men wants to demand authority and act tough, thinking his partner will respect him more if he's abusing them, which isn't the case actually. Why are you asking?"

"That car chase thing Shelby and I went on today got me thinking about it." She shrugged.

"Well, you don't ever have to worry about me lifting a hand towards you. Because I respect you way too much, and Theresa Booth raised a gentleman. I threw a football at Simone once that she was suppose to catch, but missed and it landed on her eye that turned blue the next day. Mom went gangster on me." He reminisced seeing Alex smile at the thought of her mother in law and her teenage son, when it wasn't something he did intentionally.

"Phoebe what are you doing? Why are you so quiet?" Alex asked when Phoebe walked over to them, her face and little hands and the front of her shirt covered in red lipstick that she retrieved from her mother's bag she was busy unpacking. Ryan tried hard to keep a straight face at the sight of his daughter.

"She sees what you're doing." He justified her actions picking her up so she won't get anything else smothered in red. Alex walked over to where she sat to inspect further damage, when she saw the white tiled floor was also red, and a little hand print on the side of the couch.

"Phoebe Grace." Alex whispered to herself as she got some cleaning supplies to clean up the stains, missing the days when her daughter was still a baby and slept most of the time. If this is what one year and a few months are doing to her, what will the terrible two's have in store for them.

Sorry about the late update, I was out for a few hours, and wanted to finish this before bed. Can chapter 140 be the one we've all been waiting for?

Lovies-S