Logan leaned back in his seat. That was a great dinner. After a few beers he had a nice buzz going. Ok, now…it was time to have fun. His eyes perused the room, searching for a potential dance partner. He thought about asking Eames, just to piss off her partner and he knew it would, but he was already existing under the threat of a black eye from the big detective. Goren had a lot of power in his body and he did not want that power directed toward him in anger. That could cause a lot of bodily harm, and he didn't want his body to be the one being harmed.

He looked next to him, to his partner. She was pretty damn sexy in that dress. Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Hey, Barek, I know this isn't a date, but would you mind one dance?"

She looked at him. "All right, Logan. One dance, it is. Maybe if you're a good dancer we can stretch it out to two."

He got up and held out his hand to her, wondering when the hell he had lost the control in this partnership. Then he wondered if he had ever even had it in the first place.

Eames looked at her partner. He had finished his dinner and was playing with an assortment of swizzle sticks he'd snagged from the bar about an hour ago. He was nervous, she smiled. What he was nervous about, she had no idea. He'd had a few beers before switching to boilermakers about twenty minutes ago. But he was a big guy and it would take a lot more than that to inebriate him. "Bobby?"

He looked up. "What?"

"How about a dance?"

He hesitated, listening to the band. It was a slow dance…he liked those…but a slow dance with his partner, well, that was a different story. "That wasn't meant to be a difficult question, Goren. Feel free to say no if you don't want to dance."

His face relaxed into a smile. "A dance would be…nice."

He stood up and held out his hand. Smiling at him, she slid her hand into his and they headed for the dance floor.

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Eames slid easily into her partner's arms when they got to the dance floor. She liked the feel of his hand in the small of her back and her hand fit nicely into his. She unobtrusively unbuttoned his jacket and slipped her hand under it, letting it come to rest against his side. She was so used to seeing his bumbling detective act, she forgot how smooth and graceful his natural movements were. He was a damn good dancer.

She relaxed in his arms and let him lead her around the floor. Tilting her head up, she caught his eyes in hers and the world around them ceased to exist. It was just the two of them, surrounded only by music.

His movements were flawless. He allowed himself to be lost in the depths of her eyes, his autopilot guiding them about the floor without crashing into anyone else. She pressed her small body into his and he gasped inaudibly. It had been bad enough when she'd slid her hand under his jacket. Having her so close was more intoxicating than the alcohol he'd had. She had succeeded in knocking him completely off balance inside. As the music continued, he only had eyes for her.

He came crashing back to reality when a hand tapped his shoulder. They came to a stop and he found himself looking at the commissioner and his wife. He swallowed and tried to recover his internal balance. The commissioner smiled, oblivious to the detective's inner struggle. "Do you mind if I cut in, Detective?"

He minded very much, but he couldn't tell the commissioner that. "Uh…no…" He looked at Eames, who nodded slightly. She'd find him later.

The commissioner said, "My wife would love a dance with you."

Goren nodded, still a little dazed. "It would be a pleasure."

The commissioner's wife smiled at him as he took her into his arms and led her away from her husband and his partner. This dance was very different…it was nice, but nothing like the dance he'd just ended. He'd never had a dance like that one…never.

Six dance partners later, he ended up with Barek in his arms. She smiled up at him. "Having a good time?"

"I guess so," he shrugged.

She was still a little nervous around him, but she'd had a few more drinks and was much more relaxed. "Where's Alex?"

"I…don't know for sure."

She was quiet for a few more turns around the floor. "You're a great dancer," she commented.

"Uh, thanks. You're a good dancer, too."

She watched him, noticing that his eyes were scanning the room, even though he was being inconspicuous about it. Like him, she noticed little things like that. Smoothly, she stepped from his arms, guiding him to a stop at the edge of the dance floor. "Go find your partner, Goren. I'm going to sit this next one out."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

She headed back for the table. He made his way to the bar, eyes continuing to search for his partner. He ordered another boilermaker and continued to watch.

He didn't notice anything around him until an elbow in the ribs diverted his attention. He looked beside him at Logan, who grinned at him. "Lose something…or someone?"

Goren frowned at him, pouring the whiskey into his beer. Logan watched the big detective down the beer before he looked at him. "No," he answered. "I haven't lost anything."

Logan took a drink of his own beer, turning and looking out across the dance floor. "Eames is a great dancer," he commented. "Pretty popular out there, too." He looked sideways at Goren and saw no indication that he'd even heard him. But he knew that he had. He finished his beer and said, "Well, I'm off to find another dance partner. Catch you later."

Goren just waved at him. He turned back to the bar, switching to straight whiskey. He was halfway through the drink when he felt a gentle pressure against his side. He looked beside him as Eames moved her hand along his side and onto his back. "I've been looking for you."

"Run out of partners?"

"Don't be a jackass. You want to dance or not?"

He smiled. She had more spunk than any woman he'd ever known. He'd never intimidated her, like he often did with others, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not. He downed the rest of his drink and took her hand, leading her back out onto the dance floor.