Goren closed his eyes when he heard the clanging of the doors. He readied himself, telling himself once again that he was ready for this. Opening his eyes, he looked at his partner. Beneath the table, she pressed her knee against his leg and he gave her a slight smile. On either end of the table, the two attorneys were seated. Carver did not miss the subtle interplay between the two detectives and he felt reassured. Maybe this would not be the disaster he was fearing it would.

The door opened and Wallace was brought in and uncuffed. The two guards moved away to stand by the door, as per their instructions from Carver. Normally, when a woman entered a room, any woman, Goren would get to his feet. His mother had taught him to always be a gentleman and he had old-fashioned manners. But he did not extend Wallace that courtesy. He remained seated. She took her seat across from the detectives and smiled her feral smile. "How nice of you to come to visit, Bobby."

As was her habit, she ignored Eames. After all, she was incidental. Bobby was her prey. Eames bristled inwardly at Wallace's familiar manner with him; she always had. She had never liked the way Nicole interacted with him. She was a true predator, luring the unsuspecting into her lair with honeyed words and then pouncing. But, to his credit, Bobby had always seen her for what she was. Sure, he played her game, his own dance with the devil, but he knew better than to be lured by her flirting. She settled herself with effort and turned her attention back to the verbal duel that was just beginning. While Bobby sparred with their quarry, she would watch, looking for the chink in the dragon's armor.

His leg moved. She expected him to pull away, as he always did when Wallace made an appearance, but he surprised her by pressing his leg more firmly against her knee. "You're looking a little pale," Wallace purred.

"Almost getting killed will do that to a person."

She ignored that. "So...how is your little girl?"

Eames didn't have to see the tension that cropped up in his body; she could feel it. "She's fine, thank you."

Deceptively polite...good for you, Bobby.

"We had a few nice talks about being 'Daddy's little girl'."

"She told me. It seemed to me you were trying awfully hard to turn her against me."

"Now why would I do that? You'll be able to manage that quite nicely all on your own. After all, like father, like son."

He bristled at that, and Eames violated one of the more strict rules of their partnership by resting her hand on his thigh. She was close enough to him that no one noticed and he settled. Carver was relieved to see that Goren was keeping his word, although a part of him was almost wishing he wouldn't. Wallace had noticed his reaction to her jibe about his father, but she was surprised when he didn't step into her trap. Something had changed about him. They were no longer on equal footing. Somehow, Goren had gained an advantage over her, and she did not like that one bit. His voice was calm and controlled, with no hint of the explosive anger he'd once harbored, barely contained. "There's where you're wrong, Nicole. I told you-fatherhood is not a game to me. I didn't step into it by chance-" Ok, so it was a bit of an exaggeration. "-I wanted to be a father." That was fully the truth. "And I'm a good one." Also very much the truth.

"You wanted to have children, with her?" she spat.

Eames' hand tightened on his leg before he could show any response. Wallace continued, her voice thick with malice, "Any number of women would have jumped at the chance to mother your children, Bobby, but you pined away for that one. You waited until she was ready to take you, when all her other options were exhausted."

Goren leaned back in his chair, considering Wallace carefully. The almost-grin on his face made Eames cringe and reflexively, she tightened her hand a little more. Carver tensed. He didn't like it either. But Goren refused to be baited. When Wallace had injured his little girl, she had effectively eliminated the ability of her words to effect him as they once had. "Ok, Nicole," he conceded. "If it makes you feel better to think that, go right ahead."

Wallace shifted her position. This was not going the way she anticipated. She was pushing all his buttons, but getting nowhere. Now she was filled with barely-restrained fury, which she swallowed with difficulty.

It's nice to see the shoe on the other foot for a change, Eames reflected. She spoke for the first time...just two words. "Jealous, Nicole?"

Wallace turned ice cold eyes toward her, treating her to a look that would kill if given half a chance. Goren fought back a grin. Leave it to his spunky partner to hit the nail on the head with a stick of dynamite. Goren shifted in his chair, drawing Wallace's attention from Eames, something he had always tried to do. He also made a point of moving his leg again, to maximize its contact with her. He felt fully in control; nothing was spinning beyond his grasp. Wallace managed to get her rage under control. "So why are you here, Detective Goren?"

He smiled. Her retreat to formality told him she was getting the message. "It's very simple, Nicole," he said, taking care to remain familiar, to send another message. "I wanted to let you know that you didn't get to her."

Wallace's expression, which she tried to keep neutral, told him she knew what he meant. But she played ignorant...he refused to think of Nicole as stupid because that was something she most definitely was not. "Didn't get to who?"

Goren leaned closer, over the table. "My daughter." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "She still climbs up into my lap to go to sleep at night. She still asks for me when I'm not home. She still loves me."

Eames released her grip on his leg, pressing harder into him with her knee as she folded both arms on the table in front of her. "You failed, Nicole," she said. "He has always been the most important person in Maggie's life, and he still is."

Wallace bristled at the word 'failed.' Her glare shot daggers at Eames. Jealous, Nicole? With crystal clarity she had brought everything into focus for him. They had met Nicole together and, while he had been her target from the start, at every subsequent meeting, they went after her together. Wallace seemed bent on driving them apart, but she had never succeeded. Even her attempt to discredit him had not affected Eames. Nicole had grossly underestimated them and their bond to one another. He leaned back in his chair. "So, Nicole," he said. "What did you think when I got married?"

Eames did not mind that he had switched from 'we' to 'I'. He always made it a point to draw Nicole's venom away from her. Wallace's eyes narrowed. "My first thought was 'why her?'"

Again, he leaned over the table. "Because I love her, and that's all I ever needed. To love my wife and be certain she was happy. Two beautiful children made her very happy."

"'Eggs ripe and ready for hire,'" Eames said, throwing her words back at her. She leaned closer and, in a quiet voice, said, "He never had to hire them. He's very skilled at harvesting them on his own, Nicole."

Goren and Carver both raised their eyebrows. Wallace glared at Eames, who had not taken her eyes off her. There was a murderous gleam in Wallace's eyes. Hatred came very easily to her. Eames went on. "Like he said, he gave me two beautiful children, and I wouldn't trade him for any other man on earth." Goren looked at her. "My biggest mistake was that I did settle, instead of pursuing my first choice from the very start. But I have him now," she grinned. "And he's all mine."

Goren had shifted his gaze back to Wallace. He saw it...a subtle bunching of muscles, a fleeting look in her eyes, like a cat seconds before it pounces on its prey...and he reacted. Wallace launched herself from her seat, across the table at Eames, but all she grabbed was Goren's suit jacket. He had quickly but gently shoved Eames out of the way and stepped in front of her. The guards jumped forward and grabbed her. Both attorneys were on their feet. Before they pulled her away, Goren growled, "You won a couple of battles and I concede that. But I won the war, Nicole."

As the guards pulled her away, she let loose a primal howl of rage. She was still screaming as they dragged her from the room, Shaeffer close behind them. Carver shook his head. "Just when I think I've seen everything from the two of you...that was interesting, detectives, to say the least."

"Did we compromise your case in any way, counsellor?" Goren asked.

"No, detective. You did not. I was impressed by your reserve. Nice job."

Goren nodded at him. "Thank you for setting this up."

They signaled the guard that they were ready to leave. "I hope it helped you, detective."

Goren eased himself into the passenger seat and looked at Eames. She frowned. "What?"

"Touche, Eames. You struck a lethal blow."

She laughed. "I admit it-it felt good."

He sighed, then leaned toward her, over the console between the seats. Amusement filled his eyes. "Harvesting them on my own, Eames?"

"I could have been much cruder."

"That's true. You didn't just push her buttons. You sent the elevator through the roof." He sighed again. "I guess I've always known how you felt, but...hearing you say it...that I'm all yours..."

"Aren't you?"

"I always have been."

"You really didn't think you were ever an afterthought or my second choice, did you?"

His mind went back, over the course of her marriage to Ricky Waters. Always she treated him with respect and affection...always she let him know he was important to her, that she did love him... Let me decide what your place is in my life...I need you, damn it...never go anywhere...your husband is not this child's father...

"No, Eames. I never believed that."

She kissed him. "Good. Now let's get the hell out of here."