Oh… my… God… I am so sorry for the serious delay in posting. I know I left you all with a bastard of a cliff hanger and then didn't post for like a month (you may all poke me with sticks if you wish)… However, in my defense, the inspiration bunny left me for a spell, I had a fight over colleges with my bass teacher (it was emotionally wrecking), and I've been scrambling to keep up with schoolwork and college applications, so please forgive me… and woot woot for Bobby and Alex in The Wee Small Hours (it seems like so long ago)… they were so cute… So, without further ado…

Chapter 7 (warning, fluff alarm)

Bobby followed Alex into her apartment, closing the door behind them as he watched her throw her keys on the table with her bag. He carefully set down his notebook and hung up his jacket before straightening her pile of things on the table.

"So- we're just going to run up the phone bill?" he said awkwardly.

"Unless you have a better plan. I'm giving you my laptop. E-mail is also a good form of communication."

"I would rather hear your voice," he said as he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around he waist.

"Don't worry, you'll be glad for the break," she said standing on tiptoe to kiss him. He kissed her back.

"Fucking Bastards," he mumbled as he buried his face in her neck.

"You can complain about them all you want later. I need to eat dinner and you need to get some sleep, your flight leaves ridiculously early tomorrow," she said freeing herself from his embrace.

"You take all the fun out of it," he said.

"It's my job," she said before he leaned in and kissed her again.

Alex kissed him back and they kissed for what must have been five or ten minutes before Bobby pulled away to look at her (his left hand was now underneath her shirt and resting on the skin of her hip)

"You are so manipulative," she said.

"It's my job."

"I am going to make dinner now," she said as she stepped away from him and headed towards her kitchenette.

"What are you going to make?"

"Salad. I have a feeling you'll be eating a lot of cheese while you're in France… And so help me, Robert Goren, if you do not bring me any back, I will strangle you personally."

"You like cheese?" he asked. This was a new piece of information. Rolodex under C.

"I'm only obsessed with the stuff."

"Ahh…"

"Does Barek know about your many languages?" she asked over her shoulder as she stabbed a head of lettuce with a fork, and then looking at it as if it were supposed to serve itself now that she had stabbed it.

"I don't know. I've heard rumor that she knows quite a few herself."

"Hey Bobby?" she asked, poking the lettuce with her index finger.

"Yah?"

"Show her up," she said looking at him with fire in her eyes.

He blushed. "Eames…"

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The next morning Alex pulled up to the curbside check in. "Ok guys, Airport, get out of my car and lock my doors."

"That's cold. No goodbye?" said Bobby.

"I can't," she said stiffly.

Bobby gave a nervous look to Barek, who was sitting in the backseat.

"It's ok. I won't tell," she said smiling.

"Thanks," said Bobby before he leaned across the seat and planted a kiss on Alex's cheek. She blushed slightly then kissed him back lightly on the lips.

"Ok, now go, before you miss your plane."

"I'll call you night and day," he said, closing the door.

"My name is Alex!" she shouted after him with a smile.

After making their way through check-in, security (which wasn't as painful as it could have been because they had badges), and the boarding gate, they were sitting on the plane waiting for it to take off and they hadn't said so much as one word to each other. Bobby's nose was buried in Alex's laptop, his notebook open in his lap below the tray holding the computer up.

Barek felt she needed to break the silence. "So, uh… How long have you and Eames been partners?" she asked casually.

"Five years, I think," he said, not looking up from what he was typing. Whatever it was, it had reached roughly the length of a small novel.

"Wow, the longest I've ever lasted is 1 year."

"What about the FBI?"

"That's where there were the most problems. I've always had problems holding on to partners. People think I'm weird. I think the only reason Logan works well with me is because he doesn't pay attention."

"That sounds incredibly sad," he said matter-of-factly, looking up from the screen finally.

"Yah, well."

Bobby breathed. "I hadn't been able to hold on to a partner for longer than 14 months myself… well, that was before Eames…"

Carolyn smiled. "She's a funny woman."

"How so?"

"I'll refrain from my usual personality breakdown."

Bobby looked at her. "You do that too, huh?"

"I studied a little when I was in college…"

Bobby's eyes widen momentarily before returning to their normal state.

"What are you typing?" she asked, nodding towards the very long piece of writing on the laptop.

"E-mail to Eames," he said returning to it with great haste. Barek didn't say anything, but simply nodded.

Just then the little ding came on the over-head speakers and Bobby was forced to turn off his cell phone (which he checked one last time to see if Alex had sent him a message), save and close his e-mail to her (which was pushing 3,000 words after the short 15 minutes he had been working on it- he typed incredibly fast), and shuffle all of his papers back into his notebook so he remove it and the laptop to close the seat tray.

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One PP

Alex pulled into her parking spot and walked into the office. After getting out of the elevator she walked over to her desk and sat down expectantly in it. She automatically reached for the sides of her laptop to open it, but it was not there. She looked across her desk to her partner, but he was not there. She sighed. Not only was she seriously annoyed at IAB right now for screwing with their investigation, but she was already missing Bobby.

"Well, I guess I'd better go do some more interviews," she said to herself as she made to get out of her chair.

"Need some company?" asked a familiar voice from behind her.

She turned around. "No thanks, Logan, I'm good."

"You forget they stole my partner too," he said, popping an M&M into his mouth.

Alex didn't know what to say, so she didn't saying anything immediately. Her phone rang, startling her. She answered it. "Eames… yes, we are looking for a vio-… ok, thanks, I'll be right over."

Logan looked at her expectantly.

"A violin just showed up at auction that matches the description and maker of one of the Frenchie's," she said getting up to grab her coat.

"I'll come with," said Logan.

"No thanks," she said as she headed off for the elevator with her coat and bag.

Logan popped another M&M. "Women… wallowing in self-pity all the time," he mumbled. Weren't you the one wallowing in self-pity on Staten Island for 10 years? said a voice in his head that sounded remarkably like Barek's. "Ok, ok…" he responded to the mental Barek before heading back to his desk.