Eames looked away from him, not even trying to stop the tears that spilled from her eyes. Why the hell had she said that? She hadn't told anyone how she was feeling…it was something she considered private. Yes, she missed the baby, but he had never been hers. And the longing for a baby of her own was akin to a physical pain. But that was her problem, not anyone else's. She did not need to burden him with this.

She returned to the couch in a hurry and buried herself back under the blanket, hoping he hadn't realized she was crying. She hated to show weakness, any weakness, to anyone. But Bobby…he always understood, and that thought just made her cry harder.

Goren stayed where he was. His first impulse was to take her in his arms and hold her, but he didn't want to get himself smacked. His second impulse was to leave her alone. What he really needed to do, he realized, was somewhere in between, and that was even more difficult, because he had no clue what that in-between something was. He just knew that he honestly did not have it in him to leave while she was in such turmoil, especially after what she'd just said, and how she'd reacted having said it.

First, he decided to give her a minute to herself. Let her collect herself. The last time she'd lost it in front of him like this and he'd tried to comfort her right away, she'd only gotten angrier, and she'd ended up taking it all out on him. That had been an ugly scene.

He slipped back in to the kitchen and put the food into the refrigerator, guessing, correctly, that she wouldn't be up to eating right now. He studied the contents of the fridge.Moving the milk, he found a four-pack of wine coolers. Not quite beer, but it might help her to relax. And she needed to relax for some reason. He didn't quite understand why she was so upset, but he did understand it had something to do with giving up the baby. He pulled a bottle from the four-pack and, taking a deep breath, headed into the living room.

She felt him sit beside her on the couch, but she refused to look at him. And he just sat there. Finally, she lowered the blanket and looked at him. He gave her a sheepish grin. Her sobs had quieted, and she could speak again. "I…I'm sorry, Bobby."

He shook his head. "Don't apologize." He offered her the wine cooler. "Maybe this will help you relax?"

"And that will make me feel better?"

"Maybe."

She held back from snapping at him. He meant well; he really didn't know what else to do. She held out her hand. He opened the bottle and handed it to her. "Go back into the kitchen and find something, Goren. I am not drinking alone. I don't have any beer, but there's some stuff in the cabinet over the fridge."

He hesitated, but she gave him a look and he got up and went back into the kitchen. She looked at the bottle and wondered if this would help. Maybe she could sleep tonight without dreaming. It wasn't that her dreams were unpleasant, because they weren't. They were just…too pleasant. She enjoyed them a lot more than she felt she should. And that made her feel guilty. It was like a snowball rolling down a hill.

He came back out with a tumbler full of amber fluid. She looked at him suspiciously. "That's not apple juice, is it?"

He smiled. "No." He set the glass on the coffee table and sat beside her again. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I don't know how I'm feeling, to be honest with you. I'm so sorry, Bobby. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I don't know why I blurted that out. It really isn't your problem."

"Why not?"

She looked at him, surprised. Just when she least expected it, he always came up with something…unexpected. "I…" she trailed off, not sure how to answer his question. "What do you mean, 'why not'?"

"Just what I said. Why do you think it's not my problem?"

"Last time I checked you hadn't given birth and…oh, forget it."

He was giving her that odd look, his head tilted. "Eames…"

She looked at him and held up a finger in warning. "Do not analyze me, Bobby."

"I…I wasn't trying to. I…just want to…understand."

"Understand what? How empty I feel? How alone I am?" Oh, shit…how the hell did he do that? She looked away, making an effort not to look at him.

He looked at his hands. He was making her uncomfortable, and he didn't want to do that. "I can go, if you want me to."

"Do you want to go?"

Ok, what was the right answer here? He felt trapped. If he said yes, she'd accuse him of running away. If he said no, she'd accuse him of wanting to get into her head. Neither was true…but she wasn't being…herself right now. He decided to be honest. "No."

"Then why did you offer?"

Finally he looked at her. "This isn't about me. This is about you. How you're feeling. If I'm making you feel worse, I'll go."

"No…no. You don't make me feel worse. I…" She closed her eyes, entirely unsure of exactly what she should say. "I want you to stay." For now, she added in her mind.

He silently handed her the box of tissues from the table. She looked at the tissues, then at him, and she laughed. He looked confused, but he made no comment. She took the tissues and settled back against the couch. "Want to watch a movie with me?"

"Sure."

That was Bobby. Anything she wanted. He was always ready to do whatever she wanted. She smiled at him, and he smiled back…that sleepy-eyed smile she'd come to love…there went her mind again, with her damn body trotting right along after it. Maybe it would be better if he left…but damn it, she didn't want him to go. "You want to pick the movie?"

"No way. I tried that once, remember?"

"Ok, I fell asleep. I was tired."

"So this time you pick the movie and I'll go to sleep."

She looked at him, the glimmer in his eye, the half-smile…and she laughed again. That's why she needed him to stay. He could always brighten her mood, whether he was trying to or not. She leaned toward him and gently kissed him, then rested her fingers on his lips. "Thank you, Bobby."

She got up and walked over to her video cabinet, pulling the doors open. He touched his lips, again confused. She was really making him work today. "Uh, f-for what?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. "For caring, for making me feel better, for being here, with me, now, because I…need you." She looked back into the cabinet. …For things you don't even know about…

She pushed the thought away and chose a movie, holding the case up for him to see as she placed the DVD into its tray. He raised an eyebrow. "The Sound of Music?"

"Bad movie?"

"No, great movie."

"Why am I not surprised that you've seen it?"

He propped his arm against the back of the couch and leaned his head on his hand. "I don't know. You tell me."

He had relaxed since her mood had settled and she felt more at ease as well. She picked up her wine cooler from the coffee table and settled on the couch beside him. He leaned closer. "Hungry yet?"

She looked surprised. "We didn't eat, did we?"

"Not yet."

She started to get up but he gently pulled her back. "I'll get it."

Before she could object, he was up and halfway to the kitchen. Five minutes later, he was back with two plates of hot food. "A bachelor who can use a microwave," she teased.

"I know my way around a kitchen," he protested.

"Sure you do, cowboy."

"I'll prove it to you. I'll make you dinner Saturday night."

She looked at him. "All right. It's a date." He raised his eyebrows at her phrasing. "Oh, grow up," she muttered, turning her attention back to the movie. He watched her for a moment, then, with a small smile, followed her lead and watched the movie. He was troubled by what had transpired, by how upset she'd been. But she was better now, so he was not going to bring it back up. This was definitely something she needed to deal with, and he would make certain that she did. But not tonight…