A/N: So this is my attempt at a postep fic for "The Faithful". I always wondered why noone here ever did that, since I think there is potential for conflict in there.
Sadly this ended up being not very deep. I'm also not satisfied with the ending (last two paragraphs). Any tips you give me in reviews will be greatly appreciated. Or, even better, write your own postep for this episode! I'd like to see what others make of it.

Disclaimer: Of course, they don't belong to me!

That day, Alex Eames took the subway to work. She wasn't in the best of moods, and battling traffic would only make it worse. Shouting at people who can't hear you isn't good for your emotional balance, or so she heard.

She had the incredible luck of finding an empty seat, maybe because next to it sat a girl with spiked hair, ripped stockings and about half a pound of metal in her face. Alex couldn't care less. Sitting down, her thoughts turned to her partner, who was at least partly responsible for her current mood (the fact that her coffee machine chose this particular day to break didn't help, either). She wasn't at all comfortable withholding information from the prosecution but had agreed to give him two days anyway. If Carver found out about this, they'd be in a world of trouble, that much was sure. He didn't take someone's hindering his work lightly, and withholding information certainly qualified as hindering.

Then, as soon as they'd arrived back at One Police Plaza, Bobby had left again, offering only the vague explanation that he had to go and take care of something. That had irked her additionally. On one hand, he wanted her cooperation (complicity, even); on the other hand, he deliberately left her out of the loop. Shaking her head resolutely, she told herself not to give too much thought to that apparent dichotomy.

Alex noticed that the older, bearded man opposite her was staring at her strangely. With her short, polite smile she hoped to communicate that no, she wasn't crazy, but she had the right to spontaneously shake her head as much as he had the right to noisily scratch his unruly beard (which he did right then).

Bobby had probably been so absorbed in whatever plan he had that he didn't contemplate just how his actions would seem to her. Yeah, that's just how he was. She shouldn't take it personally. With a last glance to her beard-scratching travel companion, she got up.

On the short walk from the subway station to One P P her thoughts once again returned to Delawanna, yesterday afternoon. When they had left Melanie Grasso's house she felt hopeful that McShale wouldn't get away with murder. But then Bobby had to make remarks that seemed specifically designed to make her feel guilty. Resenting that, she had reacted rather impatiently, pointing out that Melanie wasn't an innocent bystander, at least not completely. But now, breathing in the cool morning air that would have been refreshing had it not been saturated with exhaust fumes, she had to admit (but only to herself, she had to uphold a reputation, after all) that he had succeeded. She did feel bad about what would happen to the Grasso family. Melanie may not be completely innocent, having given her son to an orphanage as an infant, but her kids would have to suffer, too. If nothing else, she felt for the kids.

Sighing deeply, Alex stepped into the elevator and pressed the button. Leaning against the steel wall wearily she realized that she felt as if this was the end of a long workday, not its beginning. Note to self: Stop thinking so much on the way to work. Yeah, as if that would ever happen.

With a faint 'ding' the elevator stopped at the 11th floor and she got out. Upon entering the Squad Room, she immediately saw large cups of coffee and bags from a nearby bakery on her and Goren's adjoining desks. Unexpectedly, she felt her spirits raise a bit. Good coffee really was an essential ingredient of a good mood. Maybe this was a peace offering from her partner, or a 'Thank you' for agreeing to keep her mouth shut. However, her mood was quickly brought down to its old level by the realization that Bobby was nowhere to be seen.

"He has been called into Carver's office."

Startled, Alex turned into the direction of her captain's voice. He was directly behind her, an overflowing file folder in his hand. At her questioningly raised eyebrow, he continued.

"Apparently, McShale took the deal Carver proposed."

"25 to life?" she asked, surprised.

Deakins nodded affirmatively.

Slowly, a grin spread across Alex's face. She was getting a pretty good idea where Bobby had gone in the evening. She settled into her chair, ready to take on the mountain of paperwork every case left while waiting for her partner to return.

A murderer would go to jail, the Grasso family would remain undisturbed, she had a large coffee before her and a delicious muffin. Suddenly, the day didn't look nearly as bleak as before.