A/N: If you wondered if romance would be part of this, the answer is yes. This story is writing itself like nobody's business. I am not getting things done because all I want to do is write. This hasn't happened with a fanfiction in a long time so I am having fun. Thank you for everyone who reviews. I know it is needy to say this, but I live on that stuff. I have written for shows where I get two or three times what I get per chapter here. So I have been struggling with the thought that people don't like this fiction, but I am also aware that it is a much smaller fandom. Letting me know that you are reading helps a lot. Thanks and I hope the turns are working for you. The energy gets crazy after this chapter.

Sheila

Something Precious

Chapter 4

Logan couldn't stop himself from winking at Bobby when Alex pulled her overnight bag out of the back of the car and headed toward Bobby's apartment. Bobby had to resist an urge to reach in and grab him by the neck. Logan saw the scowl on his face, and laughed at him before driving off.

Bobby groaned as he removed his coat inside his door. There was definite stiffness in his shoulder. He suspected his face looked bad; he could feel the swelling around his mouth and his right eye stung.

Alex put her bag down next to the couch, and went around turning on lights. She had been here once before when they'd stopped in the middle of a case so that he could change his suit. She remembered his apartment as sort of cold; high ceilings and wood floors. There were books stacked to the ceiling on almost every wall. His furniture could only be described as interesting; angles and forms that were unexpected. His couch was actually a futon, and Alex was glad. She was not interested in spending the next week on narrow cushions. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bobby studying the marks on his face and she grinned. He could be as vain as a schoolgirl sometimes. She went into the kitchen and found a towel and some ice. "Hey Joe Louis, put this on your face."

He took the ice pack and planted it gently on his jaw. Alex took him by the arm and steered him toward the futon. "Sit down. I'll get dinner."

She went back to the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator. There wasn't much other than some condiments and a carton of eggs. Shaking her head, she closed the door and pulled a takeout menu off the door. She pulled her phone off her belt and called for a large pepperoni thin crust.

Goren heard her knocking about his kitchen and took the pack off his face. "Alex, there's not much to eat."

She walked back into the living room. "I noticed. We're eating pizza tonight. Creative, huh?"

He grimaced.

She sat down beside. "This is weird, Bobby. I can't pretend it's anything else."

He nodded.

"But I appreciate it." She reached over and touched his swelling around his eye. "Do you feel better now that you showed Robert what you thought of him?"

The less swollen side of his mouth turned up.

She laughed. "I didn't mind seeing him looking beat up like that. It was…refreshing, I suppose."

Unable to stifle a grin, Goren grimaced in pain.

"Are you going to be able to eat pizza? Want me to chew it up for you?"

He groaned again, but this time she was pretty sure it wasn't from the pain.

"Seriously though, I know this has to be uncomfortable for you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Ah, come on Bobby. You like your privacy. It's not going to be easy having me around."

He took the pack away from his face and looked at her. "I have guests on occasion, Alex. You are not the first female to grace my doorstep."

"Yeah, but I'm not one of the leggy brunettes that you like so well. I'm your partner."

He frowned. "Okay, first of all, you don't know that I'm partial to brunettes, leggy or otherwise. And second, I think you're the one uncomfortable here."

She shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know how to feel about everything. I trust you, but I feel so naked. My whole life has been peeled back, and you can see everything. And I don't know what you think."

"Does it matter?"

She let out a breath. "Bobby, I'm dealing with fifteen years worth of shame here. You think I'm just okay about all of this?"

"I would never judge you."

She stood up in frustration. "God, Bobby, I mean, come on. How can you not?"

Bobby looked up at her and spoke softly. "Because I think you hung the moon in the sky."

She placed her hands on her hips. "I don't even know what that means."

He got up. "It's been a hard day, Alex. I think we could both use some sleep. I'm going to bring out some sheets and a pillow. Do me a favor and save me some pizza for breakfast. I don't think I can really chew much of anything right now."

She stood there as he walked off feeling the ball in the pit of her stomach grow even larger.

……………………………………………………………………………….

"Well, aren't you a pretty picture?" Deakins leaned against the front of his desk, a scowl deeply etched into his face. Logan, Goren, and Eames sat before him. "Rolling around a strip bar with a Narcotics Lieutenant; no way to write that up without sounding like I'm running some kind of monkey exhibit over here. What were you thinking?"

Alex stood. "Sir, this is my fault. Zinsky is my problem. I don't know how much you know from my file, but—"

"I know enough, Detective. Zinsky is a waste of breathable air. I understand that Nicole has pointed you to him, but I don't understand the need to agitate him. You wounded his pride last night. If he wasn't coming after you before, he's coming now."

"Ah, it was my idea. I thought we should warn him. Make sure he knows that we know," Bobby offered, his face a mosaic of bruises.

"And I egged these guys on, Captain," said Logan looking contrite with his hands folded on his lap.

"I'm not looking for a damn scapegoat here! I need you to be smarter about this. It's not some juvenile game. You're like a bunch of kids poking at a rottweiler on a frayed leash. And you only have a week before Nicole goes back to general population. I got a call from Carver. He really went out on a limb with this one. He's been dancing with her lawyer all morning. So let's make this time count, people."

"We thought—"

"I know what you thought," the captain pointed a finger in Bobby's face. "You thought that something would feel better if you had Zinsky by the neck. Perfectly natural, I agree, but we don't have time for that." Then he pointed at Logan, "And you love any opportunity to wave your johnson around so everybody knows what a tough guy you are. Knock it off, both of you. Now, get out of here."

They all got up and headed for the door.

"Not you, Eames," said the captain, and she gave Bobby a weary look for sinking into a chair again. The captain closed the door. "Alex, are you okay?"

She nodded and then looked down at her hands.

"I thought it over, and I know Don Cragen over in Special Victims. He owes me one. He'll set up a safe house and post you in it. Benson and Tutola can take shifts. We won't kick this upstairs or anything. Just keep it low key. What do you say?"

"I don't want to hide."

"I know, I know, but I got a funny feeling about this whole thing. I can't shake it. Something's off. I don't know what it is. Plus, I can't imagine that you enjoy sleeping on Goren's couch."

"Sir, I appreciate it, but I can't sit in a house somewhere. I need to be in the middle of this, and Bobby has a nice place. I have a futon all to myself. I'm fine."

"I really don't want to hear about another stunt like that. I've known men like Zinsky my entire life. They can be just as dangerous as psychopaths like Nicole Wallace if you give them a reason."

"I promise, Sir. We won't cross into his territory again."

There was a commotion outside and Deakins strode through the door. A police captain, a beat cop, Sergeant Ryan, and Lieutenant Zinsky had walked into the room. Logan was holding Goren back, and Zinsky was trying to muscle his way past his captain.

Deakins stepped into the middle of the room. "This is my house! What in the hell is going on here?"

The police captain walked up to him. "Your people walk into my precinct, and put my Lieutenant in the hospital. I'm here to make arrests."

"In my office!" Without breaking his glare, he pointed backwards at his office. Then he looked around the room at his detectives. "Any of you make a move, and I'll let them take you wherever they want!"

The two police captains disappeared into the office. Zinsky sat down heavily at one of the desks, his face looking more mangled than Goren's. Ryan parked himself behind him. "Payback's a bitch, Lexie."

Alex flipped her head and looked away.

"Ah, come on, Zinsky. I didn't make you for a little girl crying to your captain." Logan was careful to keep himself between Zinsky and Goren.

"You come on my turf, I come on yours." Zinsky kept his eyes on Alex. "Lexie, why do you have to be such a cold bitch? We didn't have all bad times, you know. I probably taught you most of what you know, girl. And I never got one thank you."

Goren tried to push past Logan, but Logan was a match for his colleague, pound for pound. Alex walked past both of them and stood in front of Zinsky. "You have to go, Robert. I was wrong to come find you. You go back to Queens. I'll stay here. The city is big enough for both of us. You stay in your borough and I'll stay in mine."

"Sorry, darlin', you opened the door, it's too late to stuff it all back inside." He leaned back and regarded her.

Alex looked at Ryan and he refused to meet her eyes. She took a deep breath and walked away.

"Zinsky, you're a tired man. Go home. You can't handle her anymore. Leave it alone." Goren hissed at him over Logan's shoulder. He wrenched out of Logan's grip and put his hands up. Logan let him back away. "Zinsky, what hit you're the hardest, huh; that she wasn't afraid of you or that she had clearly let go? It's gotta kill you what she's become. Look at her."

Alex turned to him sharply, "Bobby, let it go."

But Goren couldn't see anything but the man who hurt his partner. "She's beautiful, accomplished, courageous. Were you prepared to see that? Did your source prepare you? She's amazing, Robert. Look at her. She outgrew you. Your women aren't supposed to do that."

Zinsky launched himself from his seat, but never made it to Goren. Alex caught his groin with her knee and sent him rolling around the floor. Deakins and the other captain were there, and Deakins had his arms around her waist, pulling her away from him. Deakins turned his head and yelled to the Queens captain, "Get him out of here!"

The Queens captain pulled Zinsky to his feet, and Ryan grabbed Zinsky's other arm, and together they hauled the man out of the room. Logan turned to Deakins, "Captain, we were doing the best we could."

Deakins shook his head. "It doesn't matter. They shouldn't have come. They should have known better. I gave the captain the lowdown and he confirmed my worst fears. Zinsky's a loose cannon. The man can barely contain him."

Goren stared at the door where Zinsky disappeared. "He's primal, survives on instincts. He's a perfect patsy for Nicole. And we just finished priming him for the task. He's not going to rest until he has Alex under his control." He turned his head and found her. "He has no choice now. He has to go after you. He has to have to make you pay for becoming better than he is."

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The rest of the day was a bust. They banged doors looking for Bettina Garcia or her boyfriend, Carlos Gregory. Nobody seems to have seen either of them. Tension mounted among the detectives, and only terse remarks were exchanged.

By evening, they had run out of places to search, and the level of frustration was high. Mike Logan was the big surprise. He showed the most energy, and when it was time to end he pushed them to sit down and eat a good meal at an Italian restaurant in the village. He did his best to keep the conversation alive, but his colleagues were emotionally spent. He seemed reluctant to drop them off, but both of them wanted nothing more than the peace and solitude of a home; barely remembering that the current arrangements would force them to face each other.

In his apartment, she wandered into the living room without a word. Bobby headed to his bedroom. He was just securing a pair of pajama bottoms when she appeared in his doorway wearing nothing but an oversize t-shirt, looking everything like an 8 year old girl at a slumber party. She looked at him with watery eyes. "A week's not going to matter. It means nothing. She sits in solitary, that's all. She's probably already put this whole thing into play, probably doesn't need to say another word. We proved that today, didn't we? Three days and three confrontations with a man I swore never to interact with again. What's left? Maybe he doesn't come for me this week. Maybe he waits a month or two. What's the plan then? Should I just stay on the futon here, and be real quiet when you bring your beauties home?" He started to say something but she put up a hand. "Oh wait! I thought of another option. I'll run away. Topeka, Kansas comes to mind. I'll marry some divorced insurance salesman. That's pretty much my choice at this age, and then I'll raise his two children while he goes off to the bowling league on Wednesday nights and some service club with an animal name on Thursday nights." She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. Every angle I look at this, it ends badly, I'm either hiding or dead. Or I could kill him. Would you visit me if I did that? Not every month, but on holidays and such." The tears started to run, and she turned to leave. He reached out a long arm and pulled her into him. His bare chest was hairy and warm, and she breathed in a smell that was uniquely his.

"Sshhh," he said, "It was a bad day, nothing more. We're tired. Just need some rest." He rocked her lightly and stroked her hair. "We're smarter than he is, Alex. We have to play on that weakness. He's all reaction. We have to be the proaction."

She calmed considerably and their breathing fell into a simultaneous rhythm. For a few moments she lost herself in the comfort of another warm body, and then she remembered, and started to push away. He held her in. "Ah, Bobby, I just realized that I'm awfully close to your skin here."

He rocked her again. "Yeah, it's not bad."

She managed to get her arms between her body and his torso. "Um, there're rules and we're not following them, specifically the 'never hug your half naked partner' rule."

He let her move away, but kept his arms on her shoulders. "I take issue with some of the assumptions you have about me."

"Like what?"

"You seem to think I'm some kind of Lothario, bringing girls in and out of this apartment like an express checkout."

She looked up at him. "You have a reputation, you know."

He breathed in. "Yes, but it's only a reputation. The guys in the squad think I'm crazy so why not let 'em think that I'm crazy like the fox that gets into the henhouse every night."

"I don't know, Bobby. You never have anyone special in your life."

"I beg to differ. I have you."

She shook her head. "But this can't be…anything. There's too much at stake. There're rules."

He smiled down at her. "Since when did you get so worked up about rules?"

"Since I realized I could lose the one person who means…" She bit her lip rather than finish the sentence.

"Haven't you ever wondered?"

"Jeez, Bobby, you gotta play fair here," she said, offering no resistance when he pulled her in against his chest again.

"Alex, you're the only beauty I've ever really wanted here."

He reached down and nuzzled her neck, and the distraction almost overwhelmed her. "I don't understand this. I don't know what this means."

He stopped and raised her face to his. "It means that I am with the strongest, most beautiful woman I know. It means that I can't imagine life without you. What man wouldn't die to feel that with a woman?"

She closed her eyes. "You must really like jumping off cliffs."

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't think you would be there to catch me." His lips were soft on hers. At first she let him explore, but soon she made it clear that his need was hers. He started to back her toward his bed, and she lifted her head, "We're both awfully vulnerable right now."

He stopped and looked at her. "Do you trust me?" Her breath caught and she nodded. "Do you want this?" He said. She looked up at him for a moment, and then pulled his head down to hers, hungrier than he had ever imagined.

Hours later, the sun was rising and he opened his eyes to find her staring down at him. She touched his grizzled cheek and smiled. "I'm not going to be a typical female about this. I'm not going to ask what you're feeling right now. I'm just going to tell you that this was very special; more than I ever imagined it would be. Whatever happens, I want you to know you mean…I feel…you're everything to me."

She started to pull away, but he caught her arm. "Don't I get to make my morning after confession?"

She looked away. "Geez Bobby, you don't need to say—"

He put a finger to her lips and pulled her back down beside him. "I feel happy; filled to the top with joy and love and everything else gooey and sweet. You make me so much more than I ever thought I could be, and I love you. How's that for role reversal, Alex?"

She traced the shape of his lips. "I loved a man once, a real man. I even married him, and then he took a bullet at a shootout and my world went blank for a very long time. Can you make me any guarantees?"

"I can guarantee that I've never felt like this with anyone. I can guarantee that my love for you is real, and that it's been there for years. And I can guarantee that I will love you for as long as you live which, I might add, will be for a very long time."

Shit, Bobby, you're killing me here." Her eyes filled and she didn't wait for him to reach for her.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

TBC