Note: There's a small scene from Amends. Not Beta'd so mistakes are mine.
The next morning proved challenging for both of them. On one hand, they couldn't get enough of each other but on the other hand, they were barely making it through their morning routine to get ready for work. If they ever made it to work, they were going to need to balance work and love and one slip in either direction could be a dangerous thing.
"Come back here, I'm not done." Bobby grabbed her and placed his hands on her hips then her butt as he bent down and kissed her, tongues teasing. Eames pressed her lips against his, kissing him passionately, running her hands through his curls before pulling away to speak.
"Bobby, we are going to be late for work," She managed to get out.
He grabbed and lifted her on the counter catching her mouth kissing her again, his lips moving to her neck. He crept his hands underneath her shirt. . "Mmm Bobby. People will notice if you're late."
"So they always managed to find something about me to gossip about. Who cares?"
"So maybe," she brought his head up to her eye level to emphasize her words "let's not give them another reason"
She kissed him one more time and removed his hands from under her shirt, "We can do this right?"
"Without a doubt." He fired off immediately. His hands grabbed hers and he placed his lips on them reassuringly before letting them drop. "You sure you don't want to uh give it a go" Goren shot off while pointing to the bedroom "before we go in? May help with your anxiety." He gave her a wink.
"I'm not anxious"
"Now who's lying?" He let out confidently.
"Okay, maybe I'm a little nervous but there's a lot riding on this."
"Mmm," Goren bit his lip with a smirk, "I like when you are riding me."
"Really, Goren." She shook her head. "Wow, talk about one track mind." She laughs "okay beat it, Goren."
"Looks like I will have to"
"Oh the male struggle, you know you guys should organize and march." She then hopped off the counter. "You know, if you are a good boy today and things run smoothly," She ran her hands on his chest, "maybe I may show you some tricks I haven't used on you yet."
"Seriously, how am I supposed to focus on work now when that's on the table?" He gave her puppy eyes "you promise?" he softly spoke.
"You have my word, partner. Good behavior."
"I'll be the most behaved detective in major case."
"If I knew it was this easy to get you in line, I would have done this years ago." She snickered, "Well, don't get too carried away. If you are too good that will set off alarms too."
"Okay, average good, mediocre, got it. Pick me up a coffee before you head in, would ya." He stole a kiss and a bagel from the other side of the counter and walked out the door." She just shook her head at him with a smile pasted on her face.
As the door closed, she began to think I can't believe this happened. Me. Bobby. A relationship? Love. Okay, maybe I believe love. Eames had been in love with and had a deep caring for him for quite a while, even when she was afraid to admit it to herself. A relationship was harder to believe because neither one one was particularly good with them and both were self sabotaging which was primarily why Eames was so careful to avoid emotions, or so she thought. Casual sex had been easy because there wasn't any pressure to do it right. Eames was suddenly so scared that maybe they would make a mess of this and end up hating each other. God help us if we ruin this. I can't stand the thought of hating Bobby Goren. He is my partner and best friend and that could potentially ruin everything. Still she couldn't help the feeling of elation when she thought of him and the fact that he felt the same. Last night was so amazing. It was some of the most intimate sex she ever had. The way he smiled and looked at me afterwards. She hadn't remembered the last time she saw him so happy. She was too, happy that is. She was going to have to tone down her constant smiling if she was going to get through today without arousing suspicion.
One Police Plaza
Goren exited the elevator and made his way to his desk. He checked his phone for messages and settled in. He didn't have much time to get lost in his thoughts before Captain Ross called him into the office.
"How are you doing?" Ross immediately asks. "I'm fine."
"You've been off lately. I know it must be difficult with you losing your mother. I want to make sure you are doing okay. Are you getting any sleep?"
"Some." Goren was annoyed. He didn't like people checking in on him, even if Ross was well intentioned and that was a shaky if.
"Well, make sure you get more tonight. I need you sharp and on your game."
Goren nodded in an okay whatever manner. "You look a little better, today. That's good."
"I'm doing what I can. Are we done here?"
"Good. Yes. Is your partner in yet?"
Goren glanced outside the door as he went to leave. "Yeah, she just got in."
"Okay, I have a case for you." Goren walked out his office towards their adjoining desks.
When he saw her, he couldn't help the butterfly frenzy in his stomach. He had a strong urge to grab her and kiss her, and make love to her again but unfortunately they could do neither. "Good morning." Bobby let out a big grin in her direction.
"Good morning, Bobby." She smiled at him, keeping her voice light. "What did he want?"
"Checking in on me."
"Didn't know he cared?" He smiled at her remark.
"More like checking in on 1pp's investment. And we have a case." She passed him his coffee. He let his hand linger a bit while he grabbed his coffee. "Thanks."
She took a sip of her own coffee and cleared her messages. "Don't look so happy, Bobby."
"I could say the same to you." He jabbed her playfully.
She smiled, "Seriously, you're supposed to be sad and you have a shit eating grin on your face. It doesn't match optics." He changed his face to a mock serious one.
"This better?" She took an old message and balled up the piece of paper and playfully chucked it at him.
"Let's go see about that case."
By lunch, they had made some real headway on their case finishing the initial interviews and tracking down some good leads. While they were driving, Goren picked up her non-driving hand, placed it to his lips before letting it fall back to where it was. "So, have I been good today?"
"The day's still young."
"Is that a yes?"
"It's a maybe. Let's see where the day takes us." They ran into a red light and Bobby used the excuse to lean in and plant a passionate kiss on her lips resisting the urge to let his hands wander and jumpstart something they couldn't finish. "Mmm Bobby."
Then they heard beeping behind them and Eames turned to focus on the road.
"I wanted to do that all morning. You know it's been challenging. Now that we are alone, I just want to blow off the rest of the day and spend it with you."
"I know what you mean but well we still have a job to do so we need to focus here. What do you think of the widow?"
"Do I think she has motive? It's plausible but her emotional reaction seemed genuine enough. I wouldn't put her in the suspect column. Does this scare you?"
"What the widow?"
"Eames, you know damn well what I'm talking about." She stared ahead into traffic.
"I don't know. A little." She avoided eye contact.
"The only other person I felt this way for was Joe…" He felt like she punched his gut when she mentioned his name. She would never be over him. He would always have some claim of her heart. How could he compete with a memory.
"... and to be honest even those feelings weren't as intense as these. It was young and ideal and this is messy and real." He nodded, She loved him but why and did that love really compare with the love of her late husband?
[Flashback:] "You'll get through this. I did." she remembers telling Teresa after she lost Quinn. Eames picked off imaginary dust off her hands, tears welled in her eyes, her face flushed pink with the tears threatening to fall. Memories of her dead husband and sympathy for once a dear friend suffering flooded her mind. She was over Joe right? Yet, she shed more tears and wanted him the moment she had to relive the was gone. Goren had been there to relieve her from it and he had checked in with her. He knew even then, how difficult it was and how much she loved Joe.
"So how did it go in there?"
"Not good."
"I wasn't very popular either." He swallowed a lump in his throat. Was he, even then, thinking about her in that way? Maybe he wanted to hold her. Maybe he wanted to kiss her pain away. There was always so much left unsaid in their relationship, partnership. [End of Flashback]
Even if she may not have known what his thoughts were or his desires and intentions, she always knew when he shifted from confident to insecure.
"Mmhmm so I think we should take another run at the assistant. I think she knows more than she told us."
"Bobby, you know I want this, right. Just because it's scary, doesn't mean I'm running away from it."
He caught her eye and nodded. "I would understand if you were uh having second thoughts"
"Bobby?"
"It's just I know I'm not the easiest person to be with." She looked at him.
"Well, I'm not...having second thoughts. I love you despite those aforementioned perks."
"I love you, too."
"How are you doing today? We talked about some real emotional things yesterday and I know that it's still somewhere in that beautiful mind of yours."
"mmhmm. You know, I can't really shut it off."
"And?"
"I'm holding up. The case has been a good distraction and I finally feel ready to throw myself back into work. It also helps that I have you."
"You do have me." She gave him a smile and squeezed his hand before letting it drop.
One Police Plaza.
"Goren. Eames. My office."
"Goren, I have a call complaining about police harassment specifically naming you. What do you have to say."
"We were taking another run at the secretary."
"Goren felt she wasn't being upcoming with her information." Eames piped up.
"So how does a few follow-up questions turn into police harassment?"
"She wasn't cooperative. She stone walled us and Goren had to get creative to get her to talk."
"Creative how? And I want to hear from you, Goren."
"I, uh, wouldn't leave the desk area and I may have told to the patrons that they'd be better doing this business elsewhere since there was suspicion of murder associated with the company. I was trying to smoke her out and make her want to clear her name or at least give us some helpful info."
"And let me guess that little stunt didn't work as you had planned."
"No sir. She doubled down and contacted her boss who proceeded to get security to escort us out the facility. The boss is dirty and the secretary knows something."
"Ok for now keep your distance from both of them but keep gathering information. See if there is anyone who has left the company who may have any insights we can follow up on." They go to leave the office. "Eames, stay behind."
"Captain?"
"What's your take on Goren?"
"My take. My take is that Goren is doing fine. He is throwing himself in his work and he followed his instincts but this one didn't unfold as easily as we'd hope."
"His judgment isn't off?"
"No. His judgment is just fine. Captain, is that all? We have a lot of ground to cover now that the secretary has clammed up."
"That's all. Keep an eye out on him. The moment you think anything is off at all, I want you to tell me and keep me in the loop on the progress of this case."
"Word of advice, if you want to know how Goren's doing, you may want to ask him."
"I did. I wanted to see if he was being honest with me. He seems a little better but his behavior has been all over the place lately." He nodded towards her that she could go. She walked over to the desk to join Bobby and grabbed some papers.
"C'mon let's get out of here and check out some of these leads. We can call from the car." Goren nodded to her and grabbed his coat following her to the elevator. When they got to the parking lot, Goren touched her arm. "Hey. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah." Her posture changed as she leaned against the vehicle keys in hand. She slumped then shook her head. "Actually, no. I'm tired of being both of your go between. I just really wish he would just be direct with you instead of always checking everything with me. It makes everything unnecessarily time consuming not to mention I have to play referee when you guys disagree."
"Sorry. What he'd want anyway?"
Eames sighed loudly. "He wanted to know if you are really okay. If you are acting odder than usual. I don't know Bobby the usual."
"Are you frustrated with me?"
"I just don't like having to constantly relay things to both you and the captain. It's exhausting. Sometimes, I feel like both of your mothers trying to keep you both from going at each other's throats and you both can't seem to communicate the most simplest things with each other." He frowned at her statement. "Sorry, I didn't think." She sucked her lip in and sighed and furled her eyebrows creasing her forehead. He just waved in her direction like he knew she was just frustrated and didn't mean it.
"It's not entirely me, Alex. He's the one being irrational. He's had it out for me since the beginning. He never gave me a fair shake. I didn't put you in this position. He did."
"You may not have put me in this position but here I am." Bobby stared blankly at Eames opening his mouth to speak but no words came out. He was not sure what to say and knowing well enough that anything he could say could just get him into more trouble.
"Look, let's just go through this list and see if anyone is free to talk tonight."
"It just seems like your taking your frustration out on me."
"Bobby. Can we just get through these calls and call it a night? I'm just tired." He gave a gesture of acquiesce. Eames started the car and Goren started making calls.
"Uh huh. Okay. Would you be willing to answer some questions? Just some follow up on your departure and maybe you can help us with some insight on the company. That will work. Okay. Bye." He clicked end call and Eames looked at him.
"Well?"
"We'll meet up with him tomorrow afternoon. Let's call it a night."
Eames' House
Eames shed her jacket and shoes and sank into her couch. Her negative mood seemed to be wavering and Goren decided to remind her what he felt for her. Goren walked over to where Eames was and placed a kiss on her forehead. "How about I give you a foot rub and then run you a bath to relax."
"Well, you aren't Derek Jeter but I think that would be amazing."
"Well, I'll give it my best." He flashed a smile. "Lie back." He sat on the opposite of the couch and lifted her legs to his lap grabbing her right foot and began kneading it with his hand.
"Oh that feels wonderful, Bobby."
"Well, I'm no Derek Jeter" he scoffed. She rolled her eyes.
"I prefer Bobby Goren any day and every time." He switched feet. "I'm sorry about earlier. I know the case was frustrating today and it didn't help that you had to be dragged into it with Ross about me. I just don't know what to do about him. He doesn't trust me the way Deakins did. Deakins knew when to back off and let me do what I needed to do. Ross is just micromanaging me every step of the way." She sighed and tensed. "I'm not saying this to frustrate you. It's just I don't know how to work with him when everything I do is under a microscope. It's like he's waiting for me to screw up to prove something."
"Bobby, why don't you just talk to him explain what helps you work and what doesn't and what you could do so he can give you latitude." She closed her eyes to take in the sensation of her foot massage. She let go of her tension and her body relaxed. "It all starts with open communication. If he can't do it, be the bigger man but Bobby…"
"Mmhmm"
"Calmly not reactive." He smiled at how well she knew him.
"How about I start on that bath and I promise no more Ross talk tonight."
"Good."
"Just lay back and relax and I'll let you know when it's ready."
He came back and tapped Eames on the shoulder. "It's all ready for you." Eames walked to the bathroom, tore off her clothes, and slipped into the warm water. He had put some essential oil in the water which helped her relax and made the bath smell amazing.
The bathroom door opened and Goren came in with a glass of wine. "Hey, beautiful."
"Bobby, you are a godsend."
"I figured you could use a glass after tonight."
"Thank you and sorry for biting your head off earlier."
"How's the bath?"
"Just what I needed." Goren reaches over and placed a kiss on her lips.
"This. If we can end the day with each other, like this. Mmm the rest of the day doesn't even matter."
"I love you."
"So was I good today?"
"You get a pass."
"Mmhmm."
"Raincheck?"
"No problem."
"I just want to lie in your arms tonight."
"That sounds perfect."
They laid in each others arms. Bobby placed kisses on her forehead and ran his hands repetitively through her hair. She snuggled up to his chest and laid her head there listening to his heart. In that moment Bobby was content. They drifted to sleep in that position.
