Everything looks perfect from far away, come down now, but we'll stay.

(Such Great Heights – The Postal Service)

Alex yawned. She'd been waiting in the car for over two hours now. She'd brought along a cheap paperback and a bunch of forms to fill out, but she just hadn't been able to focus on them. She'd flipped through the radio stations for a while, only to find that almost every song annoyed her. She rolled down the window for a second, letting the cool air stream in. She'd considered going for a walk. If Bobby was as nervous when he walked out as he'd been on the way, though, he'd probably panic if she wasn't there. He'd already done that once, when she'd startled him by letting herself into his apartment. He'd had the music on so loud she couldn't hear her knock.

Alex rubbed her eyes. It was Saturday, thankfully. On Friday Deakins had pulled her aside, asking her if she was all right. She'd nodded. She was fine, she'd said, just a bit tired. Neither of them had mentioned Bobby. She knew that Deakins had been waiting for her to say something, but she'd just sat there silently until he'd told her to get back to work. There just wasn't any way she could have explained it to him. She didn't really know what was wrong; all that mattered was that he was getting help from somebody who would. So long as he was doing that, his secret was safe with her.

If anything, Bobby was the one to ask. He probably wouldn't take kindly to being confronted, but if Deakins was careful it'd be fine. It would be better than what would happen if he realized she'd gone and spoken to their commanding officer behind his back. Alex shook her head. She didn't like having to think of her partner that way; she didn't like having to worry whether what she did would somehow trigger him into getting that wild, angry look in his eyes. She knew he'd never hurt anybody. He couldn't. She'd seen him destroy things; when she'd walked into his apartment in the morning there was broken glass all over the floor. But he wouldn't hurt anybody else. At worst he'd hurt himself.

Alex checked her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. How long could it take them, anyway? Alex peered down the street. She could always drive down to the nearest deli and buy some sandwiches; neither of them had eaten lunch, yet. She nervously turned on the radio, fiddled with the dial, and turned it off again. There was no use worrying now. There was nothing she could do, at the moment, except wait. Just as she was about to release the brake, though, she saw a tall shape come stumbling down the path towards her. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the key out, preparing to step out of the car. There was no reason to be afraid. Nothing had changed. If anything, it would be better. It would…

A moment later, Alex was walking towards him. She tried to get a reading on his expression. Was he relieved? Sad? Scared? Angry? To her dismay, she couldn't even make it out. He seemed a bit calmer now; that was good. He wasn't angry; that was also good. Alex was beside him now. It was probably best to let him talk about it when he was ready to. She wouldn't ask any questions, no matter how desperately she wanted to stop worrying about it.

"Hey." Bobby was staring out towards the car. "So, want to pick up some lunch at the deli? I'm kind of hungry."

"Okay." Alex smiled, climbing back into the car. Once he joined her she pulled out of the parking lot.

"What do you want?" Bobby shrugged.

"I'm – I'm not really hungry. Anything's fine."

"All right. You better not complain if I get you something you don't like, though." Alex slowed as they reached the deli, parked the car, and hopped out again. Sighing, Bobby watched her disappear into the store. It hadn't been as bad as he'd thought it would be. His mother's doctor, Corinne, had always been kind to him. She'd asked him about his work every time he came, claiming to have an interest in criminal psychology. After giving her the highlights, he'd always go in to see his mother. He'd stop and say goodbye to her on the way out. This time it had been a bit different. On the way, he'd been worried about how he'd bring up the subject. He didn't usually say much about his personal life; in fact, he'd rarely said anything about it at all. They'd just stuck to speaking about his cases. That was all.

She'd noticed pretty quickly, though. He hadn't really had to say anything. Instead, she'd led him into a small, quiet room. She'd asked him questions; he'd answered them as best he could. It hadn't been hard. Bobby stared out towards the street, watching as Alex strode out of the deli, shivering. It was a clear day, clear and bitterly cold. Bobby kind of liked it that way, but Alex had never been a fan of winter weather.

"Here you are." Alex opened the door, handed him a paper bag, and jumped back up into the driver's seat.

"Thanks." Bobby pulled out a bottle of water and hurriedly drank it down. He wasn't hungry, just thirsty.

"So, where to?" Alex turned towards the highway. "Back to your apartment?" Bobby nodded.

"Thanks for – thanks for taking me."

"No problem. It was either this or watching Saturday morning cartoons." She grinned. Alex brushed back her hair.

"I guess." Bobby paused, shifting restlessly in his seat. "I don't want to take time off." Alex took a deep breath. She'd take it step-by-step.

"Who said you had to take time off?"

"Corinne."

"So you spoke to her?" Could she have asked a stupider question? Of course Bobby had spoken to her; that was why he'd gone in the first place.

"Yeah." Bobby rolled down the window for a second, letting some air in. He didn't know why he was finding it so difficult to explain. Now at least he was sure. He had suspected – but it was relieving to know, in a way, even if it wasn't good news. "She wants to keep seeing me. She says we can talk when I come to visit."

"Okay."

"Alex." He never called her Alex. It was always Eames. "I'm afraid I'm going to – to lose my job."

"No, no. You're not. You're one of the–"

"Alex, I'm bipolar. Manic-depressive. I'm going to have to be on medication for this and I know what that stuff does to you and – and I just – I mean, I suspected it but it's different when you know for sure." Bobby took a deep breath. "I don't know. I don't know, Alex!" He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. "And I suppose – I suppose I should – I should be happy that I'm not going to be locked up all my life like her because this isn't like that, not usually, but–"

"It's okay." Alex interrupted him, her words spoken softly but firmly. "You have a right to be angry about this." He was tapping against the window again. "I would be angry, too."

"I'm going to lose my job." Alex slowed down, switching into the other lane.

"No, you're aren't. You're going to ask for some time off. You're going to get better and you're going to come back and you're going to keep being my partner." She could sense how restless he was. "Do you want to stop for a while?" She paused. "There's a really nice place to walk nearby. I've been there with my nephew a few times. It's a loop that goes around a pond. It's kind of cold, but if we walk quickly we'll be fine."

"The wildlife preserve?" Alex nodded. "I go there a lot." She wasn't surprised.

"Feel like showing me around, then? I only know the basic path. There are more, I think."

"There are – there are lots more. I'll show them to you." Alex made a sharp turn, taking the car up the path to the preserve. Bobby paused. "You aren't going to switch partners, then?" Alex sighed.

"You shouldn't even have to ask."