Christmas Present
by; Lisa
Rating: k +
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Dick Wolf.
Note: This is my first Criminal Intent fic and it is pure Christmas fluff. Also wanted to say thanks to JennCho for her Bobby and Alex videos, which is what made me start seeing them in a different light.
Alex Eames hesitated outside her partner's door. It was Christmas night and the door showed no signs of the holidays, just the same brass knocker and glass for the peep hole that she was so familiar with now. She was debating on whether to knock or just go on home. She knew that her partner wasn't particularly fond of holidays. He usually worked them, but this year had been different. They had just wrapped up a case that they had worked on 24/7 for the last month and the captain had insisted that they both take the holiday off. She had spent the day with her family and… Hell, it's now or never, she thought.
Alex knocked on the door, half expecting him to ignore it all together. But she was pleasantly surprised when he opened the door, with a smile on his face no less.
"I wondered how long you were just going to stand out there," he said, ushering her in out of the snow that had just began to fall.
"If you knew that I was out there, why didn't you say something?" she smirked, shaking off her coat and the bits of snow out of her hair.
He just smiled and took her things to hang up.
"I thought that you would still be at your family's," he said, walking into the living room to join her. She was standing beside a small Christmas tree that was tucked into one corner of the room.
"Bobby, you have a tree," she exclaimed, looking up at him.
"Yeah," he said, reaching over to plug it up.
"I'm impressed," she said, looking at the colorful lights and silver balls covering the tree.
"I felt like celebrating this year. Can I get you something to drink?" he asked, heading toward the kitchen.
"Yeah, whatever you've got," she replied, sitting on the couch.
He came back carrying two clear cups with yellow liquid in them. He handed one to her and sat on the chair opposite.
She took a sip, "Eggnog…with rum. You never cease to amaze me, Goren."
He smiled again and took a drink of his own eggnog.
"So how about you tell me what's going on?" she said, after a moment of silence had passed.
"What do you mean?" he answered innocently.
She just looked at the tree and back at him.
"I just thought that I would get a tree this year," he said, downing the rest of the eggnog.
"I've known you for over five years now and this is the first time I've seen you put up a tree," she interrogated.
"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?" he said, trying to change the subject. "Which I think I have a book on here somewhere."
"I'm sure you do. Now answer my question," she said raising her eyebrow.
He knew that she wasn't going to give up, the eyebrow thing was her way of letting him know that he was just putting off the inevitable.
"For the last couple of years, you've been stopping by and I never have a tree, I thought it might be nice to have one," he confessed.
This time it was Eames that smiled.
"You did this for me?" she asked, her voice catching on the word me.
"I just know how much you like all of this stuff," he replied. "And I thought that it would be nice to be able to give you a present from under a tree."
Alex was caught speechless. He had done this for her. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me," she whispered.
All her partner could do was smile.
He reached under the tree and held out a small package wrapped in silver foil paper with a blue bow.
"Merry Christmas, Alex," he said, letting his fingers linger over hers for just a moment as he gave her the present.
She looked at the beautifully wrapped box and then slowly untied the ribbon. She gently pried the top off the box and unfolded the white tissue paper. Inside was a silver brush and mirror set. Alex gently lifted them out of the box and studied them. They were antique and in exquisite condition.
"Bobby these are beautiful," she said, holding them delicately.
He smiled and said, "They were my mother's."
Alex's just stared at him trying to digest the wonderful sacrifice that he had just made.
"She broke the glass one time, when she had a break, and afterwards she gave them to me, told me to have the glass replaced and to give them to someone special…They've been in my family for years," he said looking more at the floor than at her.
Alex had no words to express how she felt. She knew how Bobby was about his mother and for him to give these to her was…
She flung herself into his arms and buried her head in his neck. She was sitting in his lap, pressed closer to him than she had ever been.
"If I had known that this was the reaction that I was going to get, I would have given them to you sooner," he said flippantly, trying to lighten the mood.
Alex released her grip and finally looked into his eyes trying to read him the way that only she could and she could see the message. She didn't need a card or words, all she needed was this gift and his eyes to tell her everything that she needed to know.
"Thank you, Bobby. I love them," she replied finally standing up and moving back to her spot on the couch.
"I'm glad. I'm lucky to have you," he whispered.
"Me too," she said, placing the brush and mirror back in the box. "Now it's my turn."
"For what?" he asked, watching her go to the hall closet.
"Presents…How much eggnog have you had?' she asked, pulling a small box from her jacket pocket.
She crossed back into the living room and handed him the baby blue box. He instantly recognized that it was from Tiffany's. He pulled the ribbon and opened the box. Looking down he saw 2 silver cuff links in the shape of the Roman numeral five.
"They're for the five years that we've been partners," she said. "I hope you like them."
"Eames…Alex they're beautiful," he said looking into her eyes. "I love them.
The lights from the tree was the only thing illuminating the room now that the sun had fully gone down and they made her face even more angelic than it usually did. He held her gaze, thankful for every day that the last five years had brought with her.
"Would you like some more eggnog," he asked, still looking at her.
"No thank you, it's getting late, I should go," she said, standing up.
"Or you could stay," he said, still sitting, but taking her hand as she passed.
Alex stopped and looked down at where his hand held hers, "I'd like that."
"It's a Wonderful Life will be on in ten minutes and I have popcorn," he said smiling.
"I'll get the blanket from the closet and meet you on the couch," she said, still holding his hand.
"It's a date," he answered, finally letting go. Alex walked toward the guest room to get the blanket and Bobby looked down at the cuff links in the box. Five years, he thought. He didn't know where the new year was headed, but as long as long as he had her, he knew that it would be ok.
Fin