Deviation From the Average

By Javawolf

Author's Note: Thanks to all my readers for the reviews. I really, really do appreciate it.

"I used to always get bubble-gum flavor when I was little."

Those were the first words he'd said since Dr. Ramonoff had escorted him out of the psychiatric wing. Bobby had walked slowly beside the doctor with his head bowed and his hands in his pockets, completely oblivious to anything outside his thoughts. Alex had expected as much, she assumed Dr. Ramonoff has broken the news to him, he was soaking it in.

But now, as they stood in line at Baskin Robin's, he seemed to wake up. His head jerked upright and he examined the glass-framed freezers with the same piercing gaze he wore when he and Alex were working on a particularly demanding case. Alex knew the look to mean that there was deep, inexplicable thought going on behind those tired eyes, and she guessed it was about something more complicated than what ice-cream he should choose.

"I liked bubble-gum because even when the ice-cream was gone, you still had something... To remember how good it tasted. Every time, that's what I got." He shuffled closer to the freezers to look more closely at the Moose Tracks ice-cream.

Alex didn't respond and instead stepped forward to the register as the next in line. She thought for a moment, the cashier patiently awaiting her order, and then she smiled and made a small 'ahem' to state that she was ready.

"I'd like one scoop of Heavenly Hash in a waffle cone, and two scoops Bubble Gum in – oh." She paused, looking to Bobby. "What kind of cone did you want?" She asked. He glanced up.

"I don't care. Waffle is fine. But, I don't want Bubble Gum." Alex did a double-take, surprised. "Vanilla." Bobby finished. "Uh, please." He added, blushing at his own rudeness. The cashier smiled and made their cones, wishing them a good day when they paid and walked outside. Alex sat down at one of the outdoor tables, and Bobby followed her lead, running his finger along the side of his softening ice-cream and licking it clean.

"You got vanilla." Alex said softly. Bobby nodded, not looking away from his cone. Alex tried again. "Why didn't you get Bubble Gum? You just told me it was your favorite."

He looked at her and just blinked. "I don't care much for bubble-gum anymore." He said simply. "Vanilla is easier to forget."

Although it's true Robert Goren's thought process and logical reasoning had always been lost on Alex, it still worried her now more than ever. She fished through her purse, retrieving a large, white and yellow bottle. She shook a single pill into her hand and pushed it into Bobby's face.

"Take this." She said in a very motherly tone. As if to add to the moment, Bobby took on the 'hesitant child' role.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously, taking the tablet and rolling it between his thumb and fore-finger. Alex smiled.

"Dr. Ramonoff prescribed them. They'll help."

Bobby shrugged and popped the pill into his mouth. He dry-swallowed it, pulled a face and immediately chased it down with another mouth full of ice-cream.

"We're did you get these?" He asked. Alex licked at her quickly melting cone.

"The pharmacy downstairs from the psych wing." She said. Bobby stared.

"They let you fill out my prescription?" He asked, stunned. Alex blushed.

"There's a story behind all that, but-" Bobby cut her off, grinning.

"This have anything to do with my fiancé?" He asked slyly. Alex scoffed.

"You knew?" She slapped him lightly on his arm and he laughed at her. Alex couldn't help but smile, the sound was so wonderful. After he caught his breath Bobby spoke again.

"They told me when it was time to leave that my fiancé had come to take me home. I think I get it though." Alex blushed even more red and bowed her head to hide. "You don't have to be embarrassed." Bobby smiled to her.

"I was worried and flustered, okay?" She sighed, trying to come up with any excuse to drop the subject. Bobby simply nodded with an understanding look.

"I know." He said softly. After a moment of comfortable silence while both of them fought with their melting cones, Bobby reached an open hand across the table. At first Alex thought he was trying to grab her hand, but he didn't.

"Can I look at the receipt?" He asked, holding his hand out. Alex sat still for a moment, still deep in thought, but when Bobby said 'please' she realized she was expected to actually get the receipt for him. She sorted through her purse and pulled out a thin, crinkled sheet of paper. Bobby took it, and upon first glance, nearly choked on a piece of waffle cone.

"Tell me my insurance can pay for this!" He exclaimed, color quickly fading from his face. Alex took the receipt and turned approximately the same pale color. "I'd rather be crazy and keep my apartment." Bobby finished.

"Once you get your job back, you should have the package back." Alex shrugged. "It'll probably pay for it. If not, it'll at least pay for a lot of it. And it'll be worth it. Insurance won't pay for the blood monitoring, though." She added with a frown.

"Blood monitoring? Why are they...?"

Alex cut him off while he was still trying to find words. "This is the only drug they had with so few side effects." She said. "But the disadvantage is that the most common side effect – I mean, they said it's really rare, like one percent of all patients that take it –"

"Eames." Bobby grunted.

Alex looked up at him and sighed. "The woman at the pharmacy only said that this particular drug has one potentially dangerous side-effect, and that you have to come in for weekly blood monitoring. That's all I know, I didn't prescribe it."

Bobby looked again at the receipt. "Clozaril..." He read before shrugging and smiling. "If it works, and I don't have to pay for it in it's entirety." He chuckled softly. "All medications have side-effects."

Alex smiled weakly. "You're taking it pretty well." She said shortly. Bobby finished up his ice cream cone and glanced at her.

"What? The fact that I'm a loon?" He tried to laugh, but failed, and instead bowed his head with a murmur of something Alex couldn't hear. "I had time to think about it." He said after a moment. "Lots of time. That hour that I was in there was the longest hour I've ever lived, but it was enlightening."

"What did they do to you?" A sudden, horrifying thought came to Alex and she gasped, causing poor Bobby to start.

"What?" He said, looking around frantically. "What?"

"They didn't electrocute you, did they? Because I saw the movie." She peered up at her partner pleadingly, and to her surprise, he started laughing. Softly at first, but then louder and less breathy, until he was clutching his middle as though his insides threatened to fall out.

"No," He managed through the gasps for breath. "Electroconvulsive Therapy. They don't do that anymore." He giggled. Alex breathed a sigh of relief.

"They don't?" She wanted to make sure. She'd cried when she saw that movie, and she couldn't bare the thought of Bobby being strapped down and forced to endure that.

"Well, not very often. They have anti-psychotics now. They don't have to fry their patients anymore." He shook his head at her. "You thought...?"

"Wouldn't you? I was worried." Bobby merely stared at her affectionately. Alex sighed and rose from the table. "Ready to go?"

"Go where?" He asked, giving his partner a quizzical look.

"Well," Alex pondered. "My place isn't really big enough for entertaining and I've needed to go shopping for almost a week now–I have no food at all. I think your place would be better suitedfor this situation." She smiled. "I just bought you ice-cream, you can show me a little hospitality."

Bobby seemed reluctant. "I don't know, Alex. Maybe I should just go home... alone." He stared pleadingly at her, and Alex sighed.

"Bobby... There's no one to take care of you." The cold truth stung him like a knife wound and it showed. Alex quickly attempted to take back what she'd said, but it was too late.

"What I mean is – you can't be left alone and – "

"I'm aware of that, Eames. Thank you." Bobby said in a low, flat voice. Alex cringed. "I'm a nutter, God only knows what I might do if I'm allowed any privacy." His voice was raised just enough to attract attention from pedestrians. He caught their gazes and shouted at them to 'mind their own damn business!' It was only a moment later that Bobby stood slowly from the table and glanced apologetically at Alex.

"Eames, I–I'm sorry. Agitation, it's... a side effect."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "That some fast working medicine." She said in her usual sarcastic tone of voice. Bobby shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, that's the idea." He said softly. "I am sorry. My apartment is fine, we can go now."

A/N: More soon, I promise. This is only the beginning.