A/N: Bobby always seems to be the vulnerable one...it's time to give Alex some vulnerability

She stirred restlessly in her sleep, waking him. He hadn't intended to drift off, but he was comfortable, she was close, and the indistinct worries that had plagued him since she'd given birth had settled, for the time being. She'd seemed so tired lately, and he didn't want to disturb her if she was sleeping well. He knew nothing about her sleep patterns, so he waited for a more definite sign she was having a nightmare. She shifted into a more comfortable position, her head resting in the hollow of his shoulder, chest snuggled against his side. He was leaning into the corner of the couch, and she was nestled against him. He tipped his head forward a little, so he could see her face. She looked relaxed. She took a deep breath as she moved her arm from his abdomen to his chest, slipping her hand between the buttons on his shirt and settling back into a quiet sleep. He looked at her hand, half in his shirt, fingers resting against his bare skin, and he wasn't sure about this at all. It felt…good. Too good. The thought crossed his mind that he really ought to move that hand, but he didn't want to disturb her, so he let it be. Gently tightening his arm about her, frustrated that he couldn't protect her from whatever it was that was troubling her, he forced himself to relax and she sighed softly in her sleep. His hand hovered above her face, and he decided against touching her. She seemed to be sleeping soundly, even if her hand kept moving. So he closed his eyes and tried to focus on something other than the woman sleeping against him with her fingers lightly brushing through the soft hair on his chest in her sleep.

He was sleeping when she woke up. Her eyes widened when she saw her hand tucked into his shirt. Hoping he hadn't noticed, she withdrew it, blushing. She gently slipped from under the protection of his arm and sat up. Then she remembered why he was there. She'd called him…she'd called him, in the middle of the night, because of a dream! What was wrong with her, bothering him like that in the dead of night? And he'd come right over, because she'd sounded upset. What was wrong with him? He should have just told her to go back to sleep and forget about it, like her folks always did when she was a girl. It was just a dream. But no…he'd come over and held her until she went back to sleep. And then he'd stayed. But…snuggled up against his broad chest…she'd slept, peacefully. What was up with that?

She jumped when a hand came to rest on her back. "Sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I just…I thought you were asleep."

"I was, until you moved."

"I tried not to wake you."

"As you are so fond of pointing out, I notice everything. Do you feel better?"

She thought about it. "I do," she replied. And she did. A lot better. "I'm ok now. You really can go back home."

"Does that mean you want me to leave?"

"No," she said. Crap. She'd answered that way too quickly. "Yes. I mean, I'm fine, and you can go if you want to."

"And if I prefer to stay because I don't believe that you are ok?"

"You think I'm lying to you?"

"Not lying…but I think you don't want me to worry anymore."

She hated how he could read her so well. "Really, I do feel better."

"I believe that, but I don't believe you're fine."

"Ok, then. Stay if you want to. I'm not going to sit here and argue about it. I'll fix you some breakfast."

She was annoyed with him, but he wasn't about to let her chase him away. Something was troubling her. For her to have called him at all was one thing, but hearing how upset she was…no, this wasn't right. This wasn't like her at all. So he was going to be stubborn about it and stay with her until he knew she was ok…until he saw it in her face and her posture, her attitude…and right now, everything told him that she was not ok.

He stayed on the couch for a little while before he got up and walked to the doorway between the breakfast nook and the kitchen. She knew he was there, but she didn't say anything. She wasn't going to let the eggs burn so she could scold him for worrying…not when she was the one who'd given him something to worry about. So she ignored him, which was worse.

Spooning the eggs onto two plates, which already had bacon on them, she picked them up and turned. She almost dropped the plates, and he jumped forward, taking them from her. He leaned to the side so he could see her face, but she turned away from him. "Put the plates on the table, Bobby. I'll be right there."

"Alex…"

"Go."

He hesitated for a moment, but did as she asked. She leaned back against the refrigerator where she knew he couldn't see her. When she had turned with the plates, seeing him there, leaning against the wall…Her heart had skipped a beat and she'd damn near dumped both plates all over the floor. It wasn't that she didn't expect him to be standing there…she didn't expect her reaction to seeing him standing there.

How the hell could she let this happen? Well, she didn't let it happen…no, she would never have let it happen. And she had to stop blaming it on childbirth. She also had to get this all under control before she went back to work. She took a few deep breaths. Finally feeling steady, she turned to the refrigerator, opened it and took out a carton of orange juice. Grabbing two glasses, she headed for the table. He had set the plates down and was waiting for her, his chin resting on his hands. She couldn't help but smile at him. He could always make her smile.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still a little shaken up."

That wasn't a lie. She just wasn't telling him what she was shaken up about. Of course, she knew what was coming…

"What happened? Why were you so upset?"

Yep, that was it. How was she going to answer this so that she could appease him without embarrassing herself? She salted her eggs and mixed them on the plate. Then she poured orange juice into both glasses.

She was stalling and he knew it. It didn't bother him so much what she was doing as why. But if she was uncomfortable enough to stall, he wasn't going to push it. So he sat there quietly, waiting for her to answer him.

She slid his orange juice toward him and said quietly, "Yes, I know you have more patience than I ever will, and I won't even try to outwait you."

"Are you going to answer me?"

"You mean I have a choice?"

"Not unless you want me as a permanent fixture on your couch."

She was having a hard time not smiling. "You have to go to work eventually."

"I have some vacation time coming, and I haven't used a sick day in two years. I have time."

She couldn't help it. She laughed. "I love you, Goren," she said. Then she stopped. Had she just said what she prayed to God she hadn't said? She looked for his reaction. He didn't have one. Oh, shit…that was not a good sign.

What had she done?