"Indivisible" – Chapter 3

"Is it me or – entertainment value aside – was that just a colossal waste of time?"

"Yes."

"No!"

After half an hour of gritting her teeth while watching Bobby and Nicole play their game with no clear winner, Alex was grateful to hear the Captain voice her exact sentiments about the interview they just witnessed.

Goren immediately, and emphatically, disagreed.

"No … we learned something very valuable here tonight." He looked from Alex to Deakins and back again, anxious to share whatever it was he considered an important insight. "Eames, she wanted you out of that room."

"Ya think?" Alex knew Bobby's statement of the obvious was only meant as a prelude to his explanation, but she really wasn't in the mood to make this easy for him.

Ignoring her sarcasm, Goren began what looked like a slow dance pattern. His steps were punctuated by the familiar hand gestures and hesitations in speech he adopted when trying to find the right words to explain himself. "That whole … scenario when we first went in there … that was all … staged by Nicole. Designed to get you out of the room."

This must really be good, Alex thought. Bobby could be childlike in his excitement to let others in on the puzzles he solved. Right now he could barely contain himself.

"Don't you wonder why?" Goren asked the room in general.

"She wanted only you in the room." Deakins hazarded a straightforward answer.

"Yes … but why?"

"My money's on her wanting to do you on the table." Alex's comment earned her an irritated frown from Goren, and the sound of Deakins spitting a mouthful of coffee back into his cup. "An audience would've just been a bonus."

Bobby quickly spun to look back into the empty interrogation room, his hand scrubbing at the back of his neck. Frustration was the word that came to Alex's mind. Goren's thoughts were probably ten steps ahead of them. He couldn't help being impatient with the need to slow down so they could catch up, and her smart aleck comments only served to hinder him further. For some reason, she felt a small sense of satisfaction.

"Look," Bobby turned back to face her, "this isn't about Nicole trying to seduce me. This is about Nicole not being able to seduce you." Goren emphasized the last word by thrusting his outstretched hand in Alex's direction.

"So, she's back to bein' a lesbian." Trust Deakins to try and find the simplest solution.

"Mental seduction," Goren clarified with a level of patience she had to admire. "Alex doesn't buy in to Nicole's illusions – she never has. Nicole can't con her." He walked back to the wall of two-way glass, staring into the adjoining room. "She can't lure her …" Bobby was engrossed in thought, and Alex recognized his behavior for what it was. Some detail was still niggling at him – some puzzle piece he needed to examine further.

"The emperor has no clothes," Bobby said absently while tracing a meaningless line on the glass with his fingertip.

"What?" Deakins mouthed at Alex. She made a face and shrugged – sometimes Bobby's thought processes were too obscure even for her.

"You're like the child in that story. Hans Christian Andersen … The Emperor's New Clothes." Bobby turned back to them, his features relaxed in the knowledge that he had it figured out. "You've always seen Nicole for what she really is. You … reveal her to the crowd. She can't have that." Goren shoved his hands into his pants pockets and leaned back against the wall. "This is good. We can use this."

"So that's it then? Nothing about the murder?" Deakins' questions cut right to the heart of the matter. Psychological analysis aside, they still had an unresolved death on their hands.

"No," Bobby admitted.

"Well maybe that's because there was no murder," Deakins went to take another sip of coffee then scowled at the mug before placing it back on the table. "Maybe the guy really did commit suicide. Wouldn't you if you were married to Nicole?"

"No …" Bobby was shaking his head, "no, she's involved. We just have to figure out how."

With no further discoveries likely to be revealed, Alex just wanted to get out of there. "Well, if that's all, I'm going home," she said while picking up the file folder she hadn't used that night. "I need a bath."

"I'm right there with you," Deakins blurted before realizing what he just said. He had the grace to look embarrassed. "I … didn't mean … the bath …" Giving up any hope of an explanation, he headed for the door. "I'm going home."

Bobby grinned at Alex, amused by the Captain's unintended suggestion. Still nursing her simmering annoyance, Alex just turned to follow Deakins out the door.

She heard Bobby trailing after her as she headed to her desk to grab her purse and coat. From the corner of her eye she could see that he had stopped beside her rather than walking around to his own desk.

"Eames, you can't let her get to you."

"You didn't keep me in there long enough for her to get to me," she retorted while slipping between him and the edge of her desk to make her getaway. She almost made it, too.

"Eames!" He caught up with her at the elevators where she was repeatedly pressing the down arrow button in a futile attempt to open the doors. "Look, I know you're angry about the interview …"

She gave up on the button and whirled to face him. "It's not just that." So, Bobby, you want to do this tonight? Fine. "You obviously figured out what it was she wanted in there and you gave it to her. Admit it, Bobby … she's a weakness for you."

He looked confused. She could tell he was actually trying to understand her, but she could also tell he didn't agree. "No, Alex … she's not. She finds my weaknesses and tries to use them against me. That's different."

Words were bubbling up, wanting to tumble out of her mouth. She'd held back her suspicions for so long, never really intending to confront him. But with sudden clarity, Alex realized she wouldn't be able to stop now, even if she wanted to. "And why is that, Bobby?" He cocked his head in question, not following her. "Why is it she's so good at finding your weaknesses?"

And then the light of understanding dawned in his eyes. "You think I've slept with her," he said softly, his voice holding a note of wonder.

For the second time that night Alex found herself gritting her teeth, and she had to look away from his penetrating gaze. Premonition or self-fulfilling prophecy, she had known when they walked into the interrogation room tonight that this incarnation of Nicole Wallace would bring them to this moment.

"You're telling me you haven't?" Alex crossed her arms in front of her and tilted her chin in a gesture of defiance. "You talk about seduction … you're hooked, Bobby and you know it. It's there in your eyes."

It was Goren's turn to clench his jaw. She watched as a range of emotions battled behind his eyes before he finally spoke. "You know what? You're right – you need to go home!" Anger apparently won the battle.

"Take a bubble bath, drink a glass of wine, do whatever it is you do to relax," Bobby angrily gestured toward some unspecified something in the air. "Get a new perspective then come back here tomorrow with a clear head because I need you with me on this."

In a move Alex had seen a hundred times during interrogations, Bobby leaned at the waist so his eyes were level with hers, ensuring he had her full attention. "But not if you can't get past your suspicions."

Moments passed as he waited for her response – she had none. The intensity of Bobby's argument left her dazed. Straightening, he turned to leave then stopped for a final parting shot.

"And just so you know, whatever … desire … you think you see in my eyes … it's not for Nicole."

TBC …