A/N: The first part of this chapter is for runawaynun, because she asked for it. You didn't have to beg :-)

Logan was alone in the courtyard. It was late but he couldn't get himself to settle down. Maggie was sound asleep with her father; she had not wanted to leave him so Eames had let her stay. Eames had taken Tommy to the motel to put him to bed and Barek was asleep. He tried to sleep, but he couldn't relax. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Wallace, laughing at him because he had failed to do his job. Then his mind would turn to Goren, wanting one final confrontation with Wallace, in the controlled environment of the prison. The biggest question he had was how controlled was Goren going to be? There was a fine line between confronting and accosting, and he really didn't want his friend in shit-deep trouble for trying to strangle Wallace. No...he wouldn't strangle her. That wasn't Bobby's style. He'd snap her in half. Logan wasn't a small guy, and he was tough as they came, but he knew that he would be no match for Goren's greater size and strength. If Goren went off on Wallace, by the time the guards came in, it would be too late.

"Here you are," came a voice from behind him.

He tipped his head back to look at Barek as she came up behind him. She placed one hand on either side of his face and kissed his head. He grinned. "I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to think."

She came around to sit beside him. "What's troubling you?"

"Goren is."

"What did he do now?"

"He wants to go see Wallace."

"What? Has he lost his mind?"

"Not yet, but I wonder how close he is."

"Seriously?"

He smiled. "Not really. But...I don't know what will happen if he gets in a room with her."

"What did Maggie tell him?"

"He won't say, but he's all worked up about it. He agreed not to go alone, but he wants me to go with him."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know."

"So why'd you agree to go with him?"

"Because he doesn't want Eames anywhere near Wallace and I don't think he should go alone. He's going to need someone to try to keep him in check."

"Don't you think Alex should be the one to go with him?"

"I do, but he doesn't. Hell, he didn't even want her to know he was going. At least I talked him into telling her."

She smiled. "And what do you think she's going to do?"

"I hope she'll convince him to take her instead of me."

She rested her arm along the back of the bench and gently played with the hair at the base of his neck. "You've seen how she gets to him. She can talk him into anything."

"I don't know about this. He's determined to protect her from Wallace."

"From Wallace or from seeing him skirt the edge again?"

Logan sighed. "I really wish he wouldn't do this at all. It can't turn out well for him no matter what."

"Alex will take care of him. She always does."

"Yeah, well, he wouldn't even be in this position if I'd done my job."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I had her, Carolyn. Right in front of me, in the cross hairs, and I didn't take her out. I just had to give her a chance to turn herself in. What the hell was I thinking?"

"Isn't it enough that she shot you in the chest? You hit her twice."

"But I didn't finish the job. I let them down, and now he's stepping into the lion's den, unarmed."

"Bobby's never unarmed, Mike. His mind is his best weapon."

"Sure, but when he hits emotional overload, his mind shuts down. I don't know what she told Maggie, but it sent him toward that point. I could see it. It's not good."

Her fingers caressed his neck and he closed his eyes. "I don't know what it is about the two of you, but you have to realize that sometimes, things just don't work out the way you want them to. But that doesn't make it your fault. Why do you both insist on bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders?"

He turned his face toward hers and answered, "Because we have so much to protect."

For once, she didn't have an answer. No smart-ass quip, no words of wisdom. And because she didn't know what to say, because he was right, at least on some level, she did the only thing she could think to do. She closed the distance between them and kissed him. "What was that for?"

"Would you rather I smack you upside the head?"

"Uh, no."

"Ok, then. Tell me...does Bobby blame you for not killing Wallace?"

"No, he blames himself for not doing it."

She shook her head. "I swear. No wonder Deakins has ulcers." She took his hand. "Come on, cowboy. Let's go to bed."

He hesitated. He was still unsettled, but now he didn't know if it was guilt or anxiety. Goren was his best friend. The guy would do anything for him, and he gladly reciprocated. But confronting Wallace...when Goren was already on edge because she had crossed some line with him by taking his children and traumatizing his little mouse? He would do it, but he wouldn't look forward to it. Not at all.

Barek gently nipped his ear and shook him from his reverie. Her breath whispered past his cheek. "I'll make sure you can sleep."

That was all she had to say.

Eames lifted Tommy from the tub and wrapped him in a towel. It was always fun giving him a bath. He laughed and splashed, poked his fingers at the soap bubbles and tried to eat the washcloth. Whether she felt like it or not, Tommy could always get her to laugh...just like his father. Once he was dry and dressed, she called Bobby's hospital room. "Hello?"

He didn't sound right. "Are you okay, Bobby?"

"Just tired."

"What's Maggie doing?"

"Watching TV."

"I'm going to send Mike up to get her so I can pop her in the tub. He and Carolyn are going to take the kids to the zoo."

"Okay. What are you going to do?"

"Spend the day with my husband."

He laughed softly, and she relaxed a little. "Prepare for a boring day."

"With you? That's never happened."

Another soft laugh, followed by "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too. See you soon."

He was sleeping when she got there an hour and a half later. His nurse was in the room when she walked in. "How is he?"

"He had a difficult night, but he's doing okay."

Eames sighed. "He has a lot of difficult nights."

"Your daughter slept well."

"No nightmares?"

"No. He watched over her all night long."

She shook her head and stepped to the side of the bed. "Did you sedate him?"

The nurse laughed softly. "No. He went to sleep as soon as she left."

"Thanks."

The nurse left the room and Eames reached out and touched his cheek. She sighed, kissed his forehead and turned toward the chair by the bed. A hand closed over her wrist and she turned back to him. He smiled sleepily. "I thought you were sleeping," she said.

"I can sleep anytime. Right now I can't see you anytime. I'd rather see you."

"There you go with that smooth talk again."

He pulled her closer. "Whatever it takes..." he said softly.

She kissed him, then sat on the bed facing him. "So...do you want to sleep or do you want to talk?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Define sleep."

She laughed, and he enjoyed the sound. "Where are we, Goren?"

"Damn."

She rested her hand on his abdomen. "We do need to talk."

He sighed heavily. "I know. That doesn't mean I want to."

"So go to sleep, then."

"And miss this?" He slipped his hand over hers and brought it to his mouth, lightly kissing the inside of her wrist. "Not a chance."

She caught her breath, trying to hide it, but not succeeding. Gently, she pulled her hand away. "Talk first, play later."

He looked interested. "Meaning?"

"I don't think I stuttered. Or do you only play hooky with Logan?"

"I've never left the property with Logan."

She leaned closer and kissed him, lingering, teasing, running her tongue across his lips. "You're killing me, Eames."

"That's the point. So what's it gonna be?"

"Okay, we'll talk."

She smiled. "That's what I thought you'd say." She held his hand in both of hers. "What happened with Maggie?"

He wasn't surprised. He closed his hand around hers. "I...I only thought I hated Wallace before. She...she tried to sabotage our relationship with Maggie...my relationship with her. She wanted her to question me...question my love for her and Tommy. And she got somewhere with it. Maggie...began to think I-I wasn't coming for her. Alex, she told her that we didn't need them because we could make more babies. She tried to make her think that I would sacrifice them to be with you."

"In Wallace's mind, maybe you would."

He stared at her. "What?"

She almost smiled at his reaction. "That doesn't make it so, Bobby. Consider her background...and yours. Maybe in her own warped way, she was trying to prove what a bastard you really are. How could she know how much they mean to you?"

He shrugged. "She figured out what you mean to me."

"That doesn't take a genius. Remember...she saw you the day I got married to Ricky."

He took a deep breath, deeply unsettled. That was not one of his shining moments. "She also told Maggie that my father hurt me and tried to get her to believe I would be like him."

"Which you're not. Maggie knows that."

"No one's ever lied to her, Alex. She didn't know what to do with that information."

"Of course she did. She asked you about it. It was all about you, Bobby. She was troubled by the things Nicole told her about you. That's why she wouldn't talk to Mike or even me. She had to hear it from you. So what'd you tell her?"

"The truth. That I would never, ever hurt her, or her brother, or you."

"Me? Where'd that come from?"

"She said you cry sometimes. She never knows why. She just knows you do."

"That's not you...well, almost never."

He brought both of her hands to his mouth and kissed them. "I...I never intend..."

"I know." She leaned closer to catch his eye. "I know."

He pulled her into his arms and held her. She slid her arms around him. She always knew exactly what he needed...always. She kissed him just in front of his ear and whispered, "This is not about anything you did wrong. Got it?"

He nodded and she pulled back. He rubbed a hand over his face. "She asked me if I love her and Tom the way I love you."

She raised her eyebrows, interested. "And how'd you explain that one?"

He shrugged. "I tried to explain about different kinds of love. I love them just as much as I love you, but in a different way."

"And how'd you get her to understand that?"

"I asked her if she loved Mike and Tommy the same way she loved me."

"Let me guess...she doesn't love anyone like she loves you."

That surprised him. "H-how'd you know that?"

"She's Daddy's little girl. So was I. I know that love."

His smile was gentle. Yes, she would know that love. No wonder she never questioned his bond with Maggie. She understood their daughter probably better than he ever would. "It...it doesn't affect my love for you."

"I never thought it did. Now Wallace...she would. Maybe she's seeing herself in Maggie...and her father in you."

He leaned back, his smile gone. "P-please, don't. Don't compare them."

"You don't have an open mind here, Bobby. I know it's not your fault, but it does cloud your judgment. Don't think for an instant that I'm not as furious as you are about it. But I'm nowhere near as close to it as you."

He averted his eyes. "She's your daughter, too."

"And I love her just as much as you do. It's your venom for Nicole that clouds your judgment. She plays your game, but not by your rules. She takes and takes, and she resists giving. Fights it tooth and nail, in fact. But you get her, almost every time. You throw it in her face, knock her off balance. She sent you reeling this time. So it's your turn to get her...the last word, the last laugh. It's yours."

"Did-did you talk to Logan?"

"About what?"

"Wallace."

"No."

"He talked to Carver this morning...to arrange a visit."

"You and him?"

He nodded. "He said I needed to tell you."

"But you didn't want to. Are you protecting me again, Goren?"

He looked away and didn't say anything. She had her answer in his silence. He expected anger, but she surprised him...and it threw him for a loop that she could still do that. She took advantage of the fact that he wouldn't look at her by leaning closer, drawing his attention back to her. When he did look at her, she closed the distance, kissing him hard and taking his breath away. The room tilted and he worked to catch his breath. "You're an idiot," she whispered into his ear. "But I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else. You don't need Logan to go with you. You need me. I know her and I know you. There's your edge."

His head was still swimming. She added, "Mike might be able to handle you physically, like he did when you went to see Ricky. But my money would be on you this time. I don't need to take you down. I can handle you, Goren. And I can handle Nicole. She took my babies, she hurt my little girl, and she hurt me, but she really did a number on you, and I will never forgive her for that. We need to let her know that she drew the short straw. She'll never win now. It's over."

He moistened his lips and pulled her back into his arms. With one kiss, she'd sent him spinning, and he needed her to do that again...and she did.