Here it is folks. The long awaited part 4. :) I've got to thank Riverstar and Traci for beta'ing - River in particular for sticking with this story and always being so encouraging, and Traci for her suggestions and for picking out that little plot line that I left out. Oops - I'm working it in now, I promise. ;)
I also would like to thank everyone who has reviewed the first three chapters. The positive feedback and encouragement I received made all the difference when I became frustrated because the characters refused to do what I wanted them to. Thankfully things are back on track now. g And now you can stop reading these boring authors notes and get on with the story!
~*~ Two weeks later. ~*~
Bobby was pacing around the squad room looking for Alex when something caught his attention. He grabbed at an elbow that was passing by and forced it to stop. "Who's that?" he asked the elbow, which happened to belong to a fellow detective whose name he couldn't remember.
The nameless detective followed Goren's gaze but couldn't figure out who he was alluding to. He shook his head in confusion - there were just too many people in the room. "Who's who?"
Bobby squashed a snarl of irritation. "The suit talking to Eames."
"Oh," the nameless one said easily. "That's Carver's new wonder boy. He's prosecuted seven cases so far and he's got convictions on all of them." He turned away, "Probably here about the Dupain case – that one was yours wasn't it?"
"Yeah, but we wrapped all that up last week. There's no reason for him to be here."
The nameless one smirked. "Well then, he's probably just paying Eames a social visit."
"What do you mean?" Bobby frowned.
"He was quite taken with her when they met. Surely you knew. . ."
Bobby took a step closer to the nameless one, unconsciously drawing himself up to his full height so that he was towering over him, and stared fervently into his eyes. "Knew what?"
"That th-they went out to dinner last week."
"Oh, yeah," Bobby lied. "'Course I knew. The point is, how do *you* know?"
"It was all over the squad room when he sent her those flowers the next day. Geez, Goren, where have you been?"
He took a step back from the nameless one, who shot him a weird look before taking the chance to flee. It bothered him that something was going on in his partner's life that he was unaware of. And it had nothing to do with the fact that they'd seen each other naked. Nothing at all. He just didn't like not knowing. Bobby turned around and started back towards his desk, lost in contemplation. Where had he been? What had he been so wrapped up in that he'd neglected to notice that Alex was dating? His thoughts had been all over the board lately, and he didn't like that either. In fact, he didn't like much of anything these days, and as a result he was finding that people were avoiding him more than usual. Scowling to himself, he noticed that Alex was back at her desk.
"Grab your coat, Eames, it's cold out there," he said as he breezed over to their workstation and picked up his notebook.
Alex looked up from her laptop, caught unaware. "What?" she asked, puzzled. Bobby snatched her coat off the coat rack and walked over behind her chair. He ushered her up and held her it open for her to step into. "Goren, what's going on?"
"We've got a lead on the Lewis case," he answered, as if that explained everything.
"But – we closed that. The suspect is in custody, the victim was released to his wife for burial, and we finished the paperwork yesterday."
"No, no…we were wrong."
"We weren't wrong. We got him," she objected.
He just grinned at her with a bemused look on his face, and she knew that he was waiting for her to figure out the same thing he already had and catch up.
She closed her laptop and stood up. "Where are we going?" she sighed in resignation.
He made a gesture towards the elevator. "You'll see," he replied in a superior tone.
Alex groaned and resisted the urge to smack it out of him. His answer was typically enigmatic and unnecessary. If he would just give her a little more information, she wouldn't get nearly so annoyed with him.
~x~
With a destination now in mind, Alex pulled out of the parking lot.
"So, what's with you and 'wonder boy'?" Bobby asked
"Excuse me?"
"Carver's new prodigy. I heard you went out."
"Is my personal life fodder for tea room gossip now?"
"No, of course not. I just saw you two talking. . .and I wondered, that's all."
Alex kept her eyes on the road but was paying more attention to the conversation than to the surrounding traffic. "You wondered?"
"Yeah. I'm curious."
"You know what they say about curiosity and the cat."
Bobby allowed himself a slight grin. "Feline analogies aside, I'm curious as to why you'd try to hide it from me. Especially since you knew I'd find out sooner or later."
"I didn't try to hide anything," she objected. "I just don't think who I spend my personal time with is any of your business."
"Now you're stalling. . ." he shook his head to get back on track. "But that's beside the point. How can it not be my business?"
"Oh my god. . .I think you're actually serious."
"Why are you hedging? Just tell me what the situation is between the two of you, and I'll drop it."
"I did tell you – does 'none of your business' ring any bells?"
"You know," Bobby mused, "The last time you were this defensive was the morning after we . . ."
"Okay," Alex interrupted with heat as they pulled into the driveway of their destination, "This conversation is officially over."
Bobby's eyes narrowed and he tried to keep the accusation out of his tone. "Did you and wonder boy. . ."
"I'm not answering that, on the grounds that it's none of your business!" she hissed.
"I don't believe you," he snapped as he slammed the car door. "Didn't take you long, did it?"
Alex slammed her own door and stormed around to his side of the car. "What did you just say?" she demanded.
"You got me out of your system and just moved right on, didn't you? Congratulations, Alex. . . what's your secret?"
"You have got some nerve, you know that? I cannot believe the audacity –"
"We're being watched," Bobby broke in. "Lounge room window."
Alex forced herself to breathe evenly as she tried to swallow her temper. "Let's not keep him waiting then," she said tensely, and walked up the path and knocked on the door.
Bobby followed and stood behind her as they waited for the knock to be answered. "I really do want to know," he said quietly, bending down so that she felt his breath flutter against her hair.
She swallowed heavily and turned to face him. "Maybe he is the secret," she replied. "Did you ever think of that?"
And the door opened to screams before he could decipher what she meant.
TBC...really soon, I promise. :)
I also would like to thank everyone who has reviewed the first three chapters. The positive feedback and encouragement I received made all the difference when I became frustrated because the characters refused to do what I wanted them to. Thankfully things are back on track now. g And now you can stop reading these boring authors notes and get on with the story!
~*~ Two weeks later. ~*~
Bobby was pacing around the squad room looking for Alex when something caught his attention. He grabbed at an elbow that was passing by and forced it to stop. "Who's that?" he asked the elbow, which happened to belong to a fellow detective whose name he couldn't remember.
The nameless detective followed Goren's gaze but couldn't figure out who he was alluding to. He shook his head in confusion - there were just too many people in the room. "Who's who?"
Bobby squashed a snarl of irritation. "The suit talking to Eames."
"Oh," the nameless one said easily. "That's Carver's new wonder boy. He's prosecuted seven cases so far and he's got convictions on all of them." He turned away, "Probably here about the Dupain case – that one was yours wasn't it?"
"Yeah, but we wrapped all that up last week. There's no reason for him to be here."
The nameless one smirked. "Well then, he's probably just paying Eames a social visit."
"What do you mean?" Bobby frowned.
"He was quite taken with her when they met. Surely you knew. . ."
Bobby took a step closer to the nameless one, unconsciously drawing himself up to his full height so that he was towering over him, and stared fervently into his eyes. "Knew what?"
"That th-they went out to dinner last week."
"Oh, yeah," Bobby lied. "'Course I knew. The point is, how do *you* know?"
"It was all over the squad room when he sent her those flowers the next day. Geez, Goren, where have you been?"
He took a step back from the nameless one, who shot him a weird look before taking the chance to flee. It bothered him that something was going on in his partner's life that he was unaware of. And it had nothing to do with the fact that they'd seen each other naked. Nothing at all. He just didn't like not knowing. Bobby turned around and started back towards his desk, lost in contemplation. Where had he been? What had he been so wrapped up in that he'd neglected to notice that Alex was dating? His thoughts had been all over the board lately, and he didn't like that either. In fact, he didn't like much of anything these days, and as a result he was finding that people were avoiding him more than usual. Scowling to himself, he noticed that Alex was back at her desk.
"Grab your coat, Eames, it's cold out there," he said as he breezed over to their workstation and picked up his notebook.
Alex looked up from her laptop, caught unaware. "What?" she asked, puzzled. Bobby snatched her coat off the coat rack and walked over behind her chair. He ushered her up and held her it open for her to step into. "Goren, what's going on?"
"We've got a lead on the Lewis case," he answered, as if that explained everything.
"But – we closed that. The suspect is in custody, the victim was released to his wife for burial, and we finished the paperwork yesterday."
"No, no…we were wrong."
"We weren't wrong. We got him," she objected.
He just grinned at her with a bemused look on his face, and she knew that he was waiting for her to figure out the same thing he already had and catch up.
She closed her laptop and stood up. "Where are we going?" she sighed in resignation.
He made a gesture towards the elevator. "You'll see," he replied in a superior tone.
Alex groaned and resisted the urge to smack it out of him. His answer was typically enigmatic and unnecessary. If he would just give her a little more information, she wouldn't get nearly so annoyed with him.
~x~
With a destination now in mind, Alex pulled out of the parking lot.
"So, what's with you and 'wonder boy'?" Bobby asked
"Excuse me?"
"Carver's new prodigy. I heard you went out."
"Is my personal life fodder for tea room gossip now?"
"No, of course not. I just saw you two talking. . .and I wondered, that's all."
Alex kept her eyes on the road but was paying more attention to the conversation than to the surrounding traffic. "You wondered?"
"Yeah. I'm curious."
"You know what they say about curiosity and the cat."
Bobby allowed himself a slight grin. "Feline analogies aside, I'm curious as to why you'd try to hide it from me. Especially since you knew I'd find out sooner or later."
"I didn't try to hide anything," she objected. "I just don't think who I spend my personal time with is any of your business."
"Now you're stalling. . ." he shook his head to get back on track. "But that's beside the point. How can it not be my business?"
"Oh my god. . .I think you're actually serious."
"Why are you hedging? Just tell me what the situation is between the two of you, and I'll drop it."
"I did tell you – does 'none of your business' ring any bells?"
"You know," Bobby mused, "The last time you were this defensive was the morning after we . . ."
"Okay," Alex interrupted with heat as they pulled into the driveway of their destination, "This conversation is officially over."
Bobby's eyes narrowed and he tried to keep the accusation out of his tone. "Did you and wonder boy. . ."
"I'm not answering that, on the grounds that it's none of your business!" she hissed.
"I don't believe you," he snapped as he slammed the car door. "Didn't take you long, did it?"
Alex slammed her own door and stormed around to his side of the car. "What did you just say?" she demanded.
"You got me out of your system and just moved right on, didn't you? Congratulations, Alex. . . what's your secret?"
"You have got some nerve, you know that? I cannot believe the audacity –"
"We're being watched," Bobby broke in. "Lounge room window."
Alex forced herself to breathe evenly as she tried to swallow her temper. "Let's not keep him waiting then," she said tensely, and walked up the path and knocked on the door.
Bobby followed and stood behind her as they waited for the knock to be answered. "I really do want to know," he said quietly, bending down so that she felt his breath flutter against her hair.
She swallowed heavily and turned to face him. "Maybe he is the secret," she replied. "Did you ever think of that?"
And the door opened to screams before he could decipher what she meant.
TBC...really soon, I promise. :)
