Safest Place to Hide

Chapter 5

Comfort

The case had taken a toll on Alex, something that the rest of the precinct was beginning to notice. Her relaxing night had been cut short when they'd been pulled in for a different case. Thus, they'd postponed it until tonight. She sat in his spot on the couch while Bobby cooked dinner. It was the first time they'd had a full night off since the beginning of the Mitchell case three weeks prior and Bobby had been adamant about her relaxation. Both had hoped that a free Friday night also meant a free weekend. They'd already been run in circles with conflicting evidence and three weeks was much too long for such a trying case.

"Honey?" Alex called, her voice holding the humour he'd come to expect with the endearment.

"Yes, dear?" Since he was in the kitchen he missed the smile of contentment at his reply. They threw the names around at home without worry or care.

"How's dinner coming?" Alex was not only starving, but slightly bored. While she understood he wanted to do this for her it was the first time in the three weeks they'd been living together that she hadn't cooked dinner. It wasn't that he made her, it was something she did, and as nice as it was that he'd taken over, it left her with nothing to do. That wasn't mentioning her unwittingly skipping lunch in worry over one thing or another and the fact that she hadn't eaten since.

"Almost." He hadn't let her into the kitchen since they'd returned home. She knew he was worried about her stress level and how she wasn't sleeping well with her nightmare. She appreciated how he didn't push for answers.

Their domestic relationship had changed considerably since they'd 'moved in' together. Slowly, Bobby and Alex had uncovered other little things about each other that had also positively affected their work. However, the most major change was their sleeping arrangements. Since Bobby had ended up with Alex in his bed almost every night since she'd been staying with him, they both realized the uselessness of trying to sleep separate. Alex had all but friend his brain when she'd come out of his bedroom unable to sleep

He was on the couch, moments from falling asleep, when movement caught his gaze. Alex was playing with her hands at his feet.

"Alex?" he questioned, his voice groggy.

"I can't sleep," she answered. Immediately he was worried. They'd been living together for two weeks, enough time for them to want to change their relationship to something more permanent, but Alex's nightmares had kept him from making the first move. This worry was not a new reaction to him.

"Your nightmare?" He'd slowly realized the hopelessness of pushing her to tell him about her night time horror, but he knew by the way she acted and the look on her face when it was affecting her. Alex nodded.

"I can't close my eyes," she admitted. He sat up, allowing her to curl up beside him. His arm wrapped naturally around her shoulders to pull her against him. They sat like that for a few moments.

"Will you come sleep in bed with me?"

The words had thrown him for a loop but he'd followed her and she'd fallen asleep quickly in his arms. It was the second major change in their relationship, one that gave them a much more intimate feeling when they worked together. It worked in the new lack of speech between them. Professionally, Bobby didn't have to walk Alex through his leaps in logic any more. She made them on her own, much to the chagrin of the rest of their co-workers. They'd connected on a whole different level.

"Alright, Alex," he called, breaking her out of her reflection. Thankfully, Alex stood, stomach rumbling in hunger. However, that feeling was abruptly shoved to the side when she caught sight of the kitchen. He'd gone all out, it seemed and the result was a rather intimate looking dinner table. She couldn't stop her jaw from dropping at the simple elegance of the entire thing.

He'd dimmed the lights and lit two candles at the table. The plates had a more formal setting to them with a dark red table cloth and white napkins. She was awed by all he'd done, just to give her something to stand on.

"Wow, Bobby. This is incredible," she told him honestly as she sat in the chair he'd pulled out for her. Then he brought dinner from the stove and Alex gasped.

"You remembered!" She said excitedly as he dished up spaghetti and meatballs. It was an old conversation they'd had over dinner.

"My favourite dinner is spaghetti and meatballs," she said out of the blue. Bobby raised an eyebrow at the randomness of the statement and she felt she had to explain.

"Everybody has something they can't do. Well, I can't seem to make decent meatballs for spaghetti. I haven't had meatballs in a long time. My mom used to make them all the time." This surprised Bobby. She'd been cooking dinner every night and each meal had been slightly different and just as delicious as the meal before. He'd thought she could cook anything.

"I have a recipe for meatballs," he told her sheepishly, a feeling that had disappeared when her face lit up.

"Really? I'd love to see it."

"I'll cook it for you sometime."

And here they were, dishing the noodles, sauce and meatballs onto their plates. Alex was pretty sure she was in heaven at this point and it was only dinner. Her mind swirled with the possibilities of what else Bobby had in store for her. It touched her heart that he would do this for her.

"Thank you," she said sincerely with a smile. Something in his eyes as they met hers made her breath catch in her throat.

"You don't have to thank me," he responded softly, "You deserve it."

They lay together on the couch later that night, Alex comfortable against Bobby's side. They hadn't done anything tonight but lay back and relax, no case files, no phone calls, just them, the television and maybe a book for one or the other. It was moments like these that left Alex greedy for a more constant relationship with her partner, just for the ability to sit like this on a regular basis.

Alex's cell phone rang, interrupting their calm.

"Eames," she answered. The conversation was quick and Alex hung up, her face a variety of emotions.

"My apartment was released. I can move back in on Monday."

"That's good isn't it?" Since he hadn't noticed a trace of excitement in Alex's voice, he wasn't sure what the proper reaction should be.

"I…" she stopped for a minute to think through her words. In all honesty, Alex didn't think she was ready to return to her apartment. It was such an ingrained part of her nightmare, she didn't think she was ready to face her own walls.

"I don't think I'm ready to go back." It wasn't the first time they'd discussed her inevitable move, neither was it the first time she'd voiced her trepidation with the return. It was Bobby's only insight into Alex's nightmare. He couldn't say honestly he wanted her to go back either, but had chose not to comment.

"You're always welcome to stay here until you're comfortable with going back," he told her.

"Are you sure you don't mind? I'm sure you gave up a lot by letting me stay here for this long in the first place." She hoped the excitement of the prospect was hidden more than she thought it was. Inside she was bursting with happiness at the thought of being able to stay with her partner for longer. He smiled.

"Of course I'm sure, and I understand why you wouldn't want to move back. Take your time, Alex." The smile she rewarded him with was bright and beautiful, the kiss on the cheek more than enough payment. She snuggled up beside him again, back to being as relaxed as possible. But Alex didn't understand the effect she'd had on him.

He was honoured that she put her trust and safety in his hands like she'd been doing. It left him with an intense feeling of warmth and protectiveness that he didn't think he'd felt in a long time. He filed it away to analyze later because if Alex's yawns were any indication, it was time for bed. Lifting her into his arms he carried her to the bed and settled her gently in between the sheets. Seconds later he was beside her. He grinned as Alex rolled into him, snuggling against his body with her arms around his torso. It was a part of their developing relationship he wasn't completely used to. His arms wrapped around her back, his knee lifting to accommodate her leg between his. Falling asleep became easy for both knowing and trusting they were safe, both from the outside world and their own demons.