"Those are all good points, Alex. So I'll drive to work tomorrow. You want a lift?"

            A change in subject that abrupt usually meant that Bobby was going to be stubborn and it was best to just let it go unless she wanted to fight. She was confident enough in her reasoning that she decided not to press the issue.

            "You mean today?" she teased. "Sure. Call me right before you head out so I have enough time to get ready."

            "Ok. I'll see you in a little bit. Goodnight, Alex."

            "Try to get some sleep, Bobby. See you in a few hours."

            And she hung up the phone and fell asleep; only to be awakened by the phone's incessant ringing after what felt like a few minutes.

            "Hello?" her voice was groggy.

            "Good morning."

            "Oh hey, Bobby."

            "You going to be okay with me coming over now?"

            "What? Oh right. Yeah, I'll be fine. See you in a bit."

            She made her shower a cold one to help wake her up and she turned the hairdryer on full force to dry her hair as quickly as possible. She had just found her other shoe when she heard the apartment door buzz. She went to the intercom and pressed the button to let Bobby in. When he knocked she opened the door and took a step back to allow herself the necessary room to ease her foot into her shoe. She stood back up to see him leaning against the door jam, waiting patiently. He held a bag in one hand and a cup in the other.

            "I see you made a pit stop on the way over here," she said by way of greeting. "Did you suddenly decide you don't like my coffee?"

            He grinned.

            "No. I could tell by the tone of your voice that I woke you up when I called and I figured you might cut that part out of your morning routine to save time," he paused and stepped fully inside the apartment, taking a deep breath. "I see that it would appear that you did indeed plan on forgoing coffee until we got to the precinct. So my efforts were not in vain."

            He handed her the bag and the cup. She brought the cup to her nose and inhaled deeply and jerked her head up in surprise.

            "Is this what I think it is?"

            And she pulled the lid off of the cup to reveal exactly what she suspected, a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

            "You're forgiven," she stated as she took a swallow and closed her eyes in satisfaction.

            "What for?"     

            "I have no idea. But whatever this peace offering is meant to soothe consider it a done deal."

            He grabbed her coat off the rack and held it for her while she juggled the bag and the cup. As they strapped into the seats in Bobby's car she set her cup of hot chocolate down and opened the bag on her lap, thrilled to discover a chocolate iced donut filled with chocolate crème, her absolute favorite kind. She took a bite and hummed with happiness. Bobby chuckled and shook his head. She twisted to face him.

            "So what favor do you need?" she asked without preamble.

            "Who said I need a favor?"

            "Right. You buy me hot chocolate and my favorite donut, the one that means you had to travel an extra ten minutes out of your way to get it for me, and I'm supposed to believe it was just no big deal."

            "Exactly."

            She twisted back in her seat and shrugged, totally suspicious but knowing that unless she figured it out beforehand she would have to wait until Bobby unveiled the reason behind the gesture. And since she didn't feel like thinking about the reason it looked like she was in for a wait.

            They pulled into the precinct and Alex put her now-empty cup into her now-empty bag and followed her partner into the building. As they sat at their desks going through the pile of messages each had in their inboxes Bobby reached over for the handset on his desk phone while casually addressing Alex.

            "Oh by the way I know a guy who owes me a favor. He sits on the Board of the Lowman Gallery."

            Her reaction was instantaneous.

            "Damn it, Bobby! I knew you were up to something! I came this close to believing that line about it being 'no big deal' but I know you better than that. The hot chocolate alone, maybe…but that and a donut? I should have refused to answer the door."

            He picked up the phone and dialed, ignoring Alex's indignant outburst. Once Bobby started speaking Alex reluctantly shut up, praying that he wouldn't be able to finagle a couple of tickets for them. His triumphant grin in her direction as he hung up told her all she needed to know.

            "Great. Now I suppose I have to find a costume."

            The day of the museum gala arrived and Alex couldn't believe that she and Bobby were actually going. She dreaded the thought of her costume. It was unlike anything she was even remotely used to wearing. At the time she had tried it on she had gotten a kick out of her reflection and had spontaneously agreed to rent it. Now she was sure it was going to be a nightmare for her. She had tried on the outfit again last night and had concluded that she looked stupid. She had put the entire matter out of her mind while she worked until Goren started talking to her about it a few hours before they needed to leave.

            "So are you excited about tonight?" he asked cheerfully.

            "So, so anxious," she bit back.

            "Aww come on, Eames. It'll be interesting, to say the least."

            "Mmm. I'll reserve judgment, thank you very much."

            "Have you picked out a costume, yet?"

            "Yes."

            He waited a moment and then when it became clear that she was going to remain mute on the subject he grinned.

            "And what is your costume of choice, pray tell?"

            The absolute truth was out of the question. So she settled on a version of the truth.

            "I'm going as a kitten, if you must know."

            He shook his head and stood up, picking up his portfolio and walking over to the coat rack. He came back to his desk and replaced a file folder he had pulled out of his binder earlier. Then he turned and started to leave.

            "I'll meet you there," he told her as he made his way to the door, coat in hand.   She stood up without thinking and called out to him.

            "Wait a minute! Where are you going?"

            "I have to go pick up my costume."

            "That reminds me. You didn't tell me what you're dressing up as."

            He smiled that half-smile of his that meant he had a secret.        

            "It's a surprise."

            "How will I find you?" she asked.

            He just smiled. "Don't worry, I'll find you."

            Waving him away she plunked back down in her seat and reached for the file folder in front of her. She continued to work for another couple of hours and then made the trip home to face the horror that was her costume. After she was all dressed and ready to go she concluded that Bobby was going to have too much fun at her expense. But it was too late to do anything about it and so she resolved to make the most of her night and set about trying to distract herself by wondering what Bobby would appear dressed as. He had appeared far too amused by this whole fiasco as it was, and she was sure that his outfit would put hers in the pale. She brightened as she considered that they were going to be observing Jun-Thai as closely as possible throughout the evening. There wouldn't be much of a chance for them to even talk to each other a great deal. If she was really lucky she would emerge from the event unscathed, and possibly with something to tease Bobby about later, depending on just how outrageous his costume was.

            She pulled up in front of the museum and got out, accepting the ticket from the valet with a nod. She couldn't help but notice that he had eyed her outfit a bit more than expected. She decided that she was being paranoid and went inside to look for her partner. After ten minutes she still didn't see him in the vestibule so she ventured inside the main area of the gallery where the party was already in full swing. Her eyes quickly swept the room and she didn't see anyone who looked like Bobby. Realizing she had left her mask dangling from one wrist she quickly pulled it over her head and affixed it over her eyes. She turned to the right slightly, thinking she had seen someone who could possibly pass for her partner. When she twisted back to the other side she was surprised to see a man standing next to her, apparently trying to get past her. She realized with no small amount of embarrassment that she was indeed standing in front of one of the doors.

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Disclaimer: Me=Not Owning Characters.

Author's notes: Thanks for reading. Reviewer thanks are below.

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