She smiled that feral smile, showing teeth sharpened by gnawing on the bones of her victims. "I'll never leave you alone, Bobby. Not as long as I live. Never forget that..."

She turned and pulled a handgun out of nowhere, aiming, not at him, but at them...the few people who meant everything to him...she pulled the trigger...No!

He sat up, breathing hard, drenched in sweat. The room was dark, curtains drawn...he was at home. They were safe. He tried to slow the pounding of his heart. Reaching out, he ran his hand over the empty sheets beside him, then he looked at the time. 11:23. Not even midnight. When had he come in here to sleep? Six? Six-thirty? His stomach lurched and his head pounded; the room still tilted from time to time. He was still exhausted.

He laid back on the pillow and closed his eyes, but when he drifted off, the dream returned, leaving him turning again toward empty sheets. The hell with this.

He got out of bed and went out into the hall. He heard quiet voices in the living room, but ignored them for the moment. Opening the door to Tommy's room, he walked over to the crib. His little son was sleeping soundly on his stomach, his little butt stuck up in the air. He smiled at that, feeling some of the tension slide from his body. He rested a hand on the baby's soft head, relieved to hear the soft sigh and sucking sounds Tom made as he stuck his fist in his mouth.

Quietly leaving the room, he went into Maggie's room next. He stood by the door, smiling at the mop of curls that stuck out from under the blanket. Crossing to the bed, he leaned down and softly kissed her head. She was used to being kissed in the middle of the night and she didn't move. Silently he left the room.

Pulling her door closed, he leaned against the wall beside it and considered where to go next, the bathroom or the living room. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the voices from the other room. Logan's voice...soft laughter... Eames... Barek... Humphrey Bogart... Bogart? Oh, a movie... He looked toward the dark room, illuminated by the television screen. The hall quit spinning and his stomach settled, so he headed for the living room.

Eames looked up when his silhouette appeared at the end of the hallway where it entered the living room. "Hey. What are you doing up?" He shrugged, but she knew him too well. His sleep was often disturbed but there were only a few things that caused it. He always woke for his children and for her when nightmares struck, but it wasn't either of those. Sometimes a case would stick with him and something would come to him in his sleep...then neither of them got to sleep because he had to share his excitement with her. Now he didn't have to phone her; he just had to roll over and...well, she never complained about the ways he woke her. Unfortunately, though, the most common reason for his sleep disturbances, and his inability to return to sleep readily, was nightmares. And try as he would not to wake her, she always knew. "Bad dream?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. It's nothing."

"Then why didn't you just go back to sleep?"

"I, uh, I tried. I had to...check on the kids."

"Come over here."

She shifted her position on the couch and waited until he lowered himself down beside her. He noted with amusement that she had a pint of ice cream on the table in front of her, and so did Barek. Logan had a bottle of beer in his hand and two empties on the table next to the chair he was sitting in. Goren looked at the television, watching for a few minutes before he looked at Eames. "Key Largo?"

"We were in the mood for Bogart."

Logan pointed his bottle at the two women. "They were in the mood for Bogart. I got outvoted. Want a beer?"

Goren rested a hand over his stomach and shook his head. "No, thanks."

Eames fingered his hair, which was still damp with sweat. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am now. Did Tommy go back to sleep right away?"

Logan shook his head. "Nah. We played for awhile, and he kept looking for you. He was up for an hour or so."

Barek smiled. "It was funny. He wanted you and he kept trying to run down the hall to your room, but Mike kept heading him off. He'd giggle and run to Alex, then to me, then he would try sneaking past Mike again."

Logan laughed. "He's a quick little bugger when he can keep his balance."

Eames nestled herself against Goren's side. "And he's as persistent as his sister."

He slid his arm around her and drew her close, finally relaxing and letting go of the last remnants of his nightmare. "Is that good or bad?"

"Both," she replied with a smile. "Just like it is with Maggie."

He kissed her head and leaned back into the couch. Barek had been watching him and she leaned forward in her chair. "How are you feeling, Bobby?"

"Better."

She seemed satisfied. He did look better, not as pale or sick. "Ice cream?" she offered.

He shook his head. "No thanks."

Eames considered whether or not to ask about the nightmare, but given the day's events she really didn't need ESP to guess what it was about. And he was relaxing now; bringing up the nightmare would only serve to bring back his tension and make him retreat into himself. Then she'd have to work to draw him out and, truth be told, she was tired. He knew that if he wanted to talk, she was ready whenever he was. She understood how hard it was for him to bare his soul, but she also knew that he would talk when he was ready. It was an important concession they had made long ago. She had always hated to see him retreat into himself, and that got worse after she married Ricky. But she had finally succeeded in reaching him one night, after a hard case had nearly broken him. Sleep deprivation and half a case of beer led to an important breakthrough in their relationship. And he had never closed himself off from her again. She understood his need to retreat, to get a handle on his feelings. But he always came to her when he was ready.

She nestled closer into him, draping her arm across his abdomen. She turned her attention to the movie and slid her hand beneath his shirt, lightly stroking his skin. She felt him relax beneath her; he tightened his arm around her and kissed her head again. When his arm relaxed and his breathing slowed, she knew he'd gone back to sleep. After the movie, she gently woke him and said good night to Logan and Barek.

Guiding him back to the bedroom, she slid off his shirt and he collapsed onto the bed. After getting ready for bed herself, she slid in beside him, snuggled into his arms and went to sleep.

Twice more during the night, the dream woke him. She sensed his unrest and slid closer to him, letting him pull her against him and hold her. He folded both arms around her and buried his face in her neck. She lightly kissed him, rubbing his temple or his back until he returned to sleep. Then she turned in his arms, nestling her back against him, and she went back to sleep as well.

He was being watched. He could feel it. A cop's sense...but there were no alarms, no sense of danger...and he knew. He didn't even open his eyes. He simply whispered, "Come on, mouse."

He felt her climb over him and snuggle under the blanket between them. "Bad dream?" he asked.

She pressed herself into his back. "She was back to take us."

He turned over and looked at her. Her eyes were wide with fear. Gently, he smoothed his hand over her curls and kissed her forehead. "That's not going to happen, baby. She'll never touch you again."

"Is Your Honor gonna send her to jail?"

"Yes. She's in jail right now, with police guarding her."

"Lots of 'em?"

"Yes."

She reached out and touched the white bandage on his shoulder. "She hurted you again."

"It's just a scratch. I'm fine."

"Promise?"

"Yes. I promise."

She snuggled into his arms and he held her. He looked over her head toward Eames, who was also awake. She met his eyes, understanding the dark look she saw there. Reaching over, she smoothed Maggie's hair back from her face. The little girl turned over to look at her. "I was scared, Mommy. I couldn' find you or Daddy. What do I do if I can' find anyone?"

"You keep looking, because we'll be looking for you, too."

"Al'ays?"

"Yes, baby. Always."

She sighed, satisfied, and closed her eyes. Goren kissed her head and turned onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. Eames leaned over and kissed his temple. "I can't protect her from her nightmares," he whispered.

"Just like I can't protect you from yours."

"She's four, Alex. She shouldn't have nightmares."

"You had them when you were little."

"I was seven and I was getting the demons beat out of me. I was being locked in a closet to protect me from people I didn't know never existed. There's a difference."

"All we can do is our best, Bobby. There are some things we just can't protect them from."

"Like Nicole Wallace."

"Bobby..." But he turned over and shut down on her. She sighed. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, then settled in under the blankets beside Maggie and tried to go back to sleep.

He had just managed to doze off when a soft thud brought him back to awareness. He wasn't sure he'd actually heard anything, and he strained to listen. Another noise...what the heck...realization dawned and he waited. He heard the jiggle of a doorknob and a scraping noise. He sensed rather than heard the bedroom door move. And a little silhouette appeared in the dim light that sifted from the street through the place where the curtains parted. A familiar little hand touched his cheek and then his mouth. "Dada..."

"Tommy," he whispered back.

"Uppy, peez."

He smiled and lifted the baby up onto his stomach. Tommy looked into the bed. "Mama. Maga."

"Yes. Mommy and Maggie."

The baby leaned forward and settled himself on his father's chest. "Dada," he whispered with a sigh, sticking his fist into his mouth and closing his eyes.

He gently rubbed the baby's back and kissed him. "Tommy," he whispered again.

"Bobby?"

"I win," he answered.

"Win what?"

"I told you even money they'd both end up in here."

She laughed quietly. "He climbed out of his crib again, huh?"

"Yes. And we'll find his dump truck behind the door again, too."

"Stinker."

"We'll get him a bed this week."

She leaned over and kissed him. "I love you, you know."

"Yes, I know. I love you, too."

"Feeling any better?"

"Not yet."

"When you're ready..."

"I know, Alex. I know. Give me some time."

"I always do."

"Yeah. You do."

She kissed him again and said, "Try to get some more sleep. You still need it."

"I'll try."

But for him, it was always easier said than done.