A/N: Thank you sooo much for the great reviews. I always think that fics that aren't meant to be too serious, just a little humor and romance, are less liked than the angst-filled once. I was surprised by the reviews. I do want to point out that you shouldn't expect too much of this fic. Don't think I'm going to be very accurate about excersises they have to do. I will do some research, but still is all just for fun. Also, I struggled with the language in this chapter. If you see me making the same mistake with words, the way I spell them in the past tense, please point them out to me, because sometimes I just don't know that the grammar isn't right. Again, suggestions about something they can do and stuff like that, are more than welcome! And reviews are greatly appreciated. Oooh and no promises about the next update...

Part two

After a very boring introduction speech in which they talked about the reasoning behind the conference and the schedule for the next few days, they were divided in different groups. Alex and Bobby were relieved to find they wouldn't be separated. The group consisted of ten people, including Bobby and Alex. They were led to a separate room and asked to sit down in a circle. Everybody grabbed a chair and sat down next to their partner.

"Welcome everyone, my name is Elsie." The woman introduced herself to the others. She looked in her mid-thirties, had dark brown hair and was dressed in a grey pants with a matching grey jacket. "I'm going to be your group leader for the next few days. I've been doing this work for three years now. I've got a PhD in psychology and I live in San Fransisco with my husband and our two children Robbie and Michael. Let's get started, shall we? Let's start with introducing each other. Introduce your partner. Tell us about him or her, what describes him/her best, what makes your partner tick, what are his/her best qualities, what do you like about him? Things like that. Why don't you two begin." Elsie pointed to a man and woman sitting to her right. It was the woman who stood up first. She was a small Asian woman with black hair and dark eyes.

"My partner's name is Roy Johnson. We've been partners for two years and work at the LAPD. Roy is a single man who likes his bachelor life. He dates a lot, but is never serious about the women he dates. He's really good at his job. I can count on him to watch my back. What describes him best? I guess it's drive to catch the bad guy. Nothing will stop him from reaching that goal. What I like best about him is the way he can make me laugh during a difficult case. He can make me forget about the horrors that we come in contact with daily." Looking to Roy she waited for him to introduce her.

The man called Roy wasn't that much bigger than his partner. He however had blond hair and blue eyes. They made quite a pairing. "My partner is Lucy Brown. She's engaged to her Patrick and they are going to marry in May. She hasn't decided on the dress yet or where to hold the wedding. Hearing her talk about her marriage, I'm even more convinced to never get married. Too much of a hassle for me. But, back to her. Lucy's people skills are amazing. She connects to people, victims, in a way I never could. She can get to them on an emotional level. It's something I admire in her. People person, that's what describes her best. She's my partner and she keeps my in control."

"Good beginning." Elsie commented on the commentaries. "Maybe the next couple can try to go a bit more in depth." Pointing at Alex and Bobby, it was up to them.

Looking at each other, Bobby decided to go first. All eyes were focused on him and he wasn't really comfortable with that. "My… my partner is detective Alex Eames. We work at the NYPD. She… euuh…she's been my partner for six years now. She likes her occasional margarita, especially after a tough case. In her youth she was a member of a ABBA fan club." Alex groaned at his words. Leave it up to Bobby to tell complete strangers about something like that. She wasn't sure if this was what Elsie meant with more 'in depth'.

Giving Alex a quick look he continued. "Without her I'm half as good. She's a vital part, if not the most important part, of the way I do my work. The fact that she knows when to leave me alone, to support me or to call me on my mistakes is really important to me. Her unconditional faith in our partnership is very precious to me. I… I've had several partners before her, but I'm not easy to work with. Alex, from day one, she made it clear she wasn't going anywhere. There were bumps in the road, but that's in all new partnerships. There are no words to describe how thankful I am to have her by my side every day." Bobby took a deep breath. He'd already said more than he wanted and he hadn't really told Elsie what she wanted to hear. He didn't dare to look at Alex at this moment.

"I'm sorry… What do I like about Alex? The way she sticks by me and her sense of humor. She's got a dark sense of humor. She's probably the only one who can make me really laugh. She has many wonderful qualities. She's the one who deals with the captain and ADA. She's the negotiator and the mediator. Her best quality is the way she looks at both sides of a story and picks out what's important to our investigation. She can give me an entirely different look on a case. She's an eye opener. What I admire most about her is her 'tough as nails' attitude. Nobody messes with Alex Eames. I… I know things haven't been easy for her. She's worked at Vice and some men just don't treat her with respect. They see a woman who's worked her way up the ladder simply by her good looks and sleeping around. She doesn't deserve that. She's a great detective with great insight into people. When I look at her, I see a strong woman, who's worked hard to get where she is now and who deserves every praise she gets. I see a woman whom I've become to depend on and a woman who is willing to do a lot for the people she cares for. I see a very special woman."

The room was quiet, for Bobby's words were much more than expected. Alex felt all eyes on her, but refused to look up. And Bobby, who'd gotten a bit lost in his tale about Alex, actually blushed.

"Aah, yes, very good and… certainly in depth. Thank you." Elsie ended the silence. She wasn't about to comment on those words and the emotions that lay behind them. It was clear, without even hearing the woman talk about her partner, that those two had something special. They had history together. "Miss." Elsie said, pointing at Alex. "If you would like to tell us something about your partner.

"His name is detective Bobby Goren. Before he joined the NYPD he was in the army. After that he was at Narcotics for four years where he did a lot of undercover work. His sting operations led to 27 arrests that all resulted in convictions. He transferred to Major Case because he likes to get into the criminals head, figure them out and bust them. He has great profiling skills and psychology is one of his strong suits." She paused a moment to collect her thoughts. What she'd said so far was very superficial, nothing compared to what Bobby had said about her and Elsie did ask for in depth.

"He tries to fool people by acting clumsy or stumbling over his words. It's his way to keep people at a distance. When things tend to get serious he looks away and avoids eye contact. That's when I realize something hits home for him. He doesn't like to talk about himself and doesn't like it when all the attention is focused on him. I think somewhere in his past he's had that attention focused on him in a negative way. Getting praises are hard to accept for him also. His best quality is his gentleness and the way he is with kids. I call him my gentle giant. Some people only see a genius when they see him, see a profiler who can get into criminal heads without any problem, but they don't realize what it costs him. What I like most about him, is the respect he shows me. He sees me as a woman, but also as a detective who's more than capable of doing her job. He treats me as an equal and that hasn't always been the case in my past. His biggest fear is abandonment and sometimes I see him watching me, wondering if there will be a day when I won't be there any more. Despite his great skills, there's a part of him that's insecure even though he tries hard to hide that. When I look at him I see a kind, caring man who's had to deal with a lot in his youth, but came out a stronger person. I see a man who's exceptionally good at what he does. But most important I see a man whom I trust with my life, who cares for me. I see my closest friend."

Again the room fell quiet. To every one the bond between the two detectives was obvious. Elsie's initial thoughts about the special bond between the two, was confirmed. Without a doubt she knew the line between friendship and love was blurred for them. They obviously knew each other well. Alex had given more insight into her partner and less about what he meant for her. Bobby had mostly talked about what Alex did for him, how special she was for him. That fit perfectly with Alex's description that he found it hard to talk about himself. Watching them, she quickly turned to two women to the right of Alex. "Please, if you would like to continue."

Alex looked at her partner, who still refused to look anywhere but his papers. She knew he was grateful for her, she knew he respected her, but he never actually said it so directly. Never had he told her she was special and she couldn't ignore the shiver she felt run thought her body when he said that. She did have to admit it felt good to hear him say those words. She saw his gratitude in his eyes, but hearing the words was nice too. Especially when saying the words wasn't easy for her partner. She hadn't expected him to be quite so revealing, but then again neither had she.

Bobby was glad others were introducing themselves. He shouldn't have said so much. He'd probably embarrassed Alex and maybe even frightened her by telling how important she was to him. How much she was a vital part of his life. He wasn't surprised by her words. He knew she knew him better than she led on. She trusted him that was important to him. The fact that she called him her closest friend touched his heart. It also made him think about his own feelings for her. Clearly friendship was the only thing she felt for him. Since he did not want to lose her, he had to push his other feelings to the side.

He was surprised when he suddenly felt his partner's small hand cover his and giving it a gentle squeeze. Looking up at her, he saw her gently smile. He sighed, they were all right. He hadn't embarrassed or frightened her. Smiling at her he remembered her words, her gentle giant.

TBC...