Title: Work Out

Author: thousand-miles

Rating: T

Summary: The four detectives have fun outside work. Mike and Carolyn decide to tease Bobby and Alex with their obvious attraction to each other and play matchmaker too.

A/N: Don't have any idea where this one is going yet. The idea of a work out popped into my head. Hearing from many people that there's too much angst in this fandom, I went for fun and romance yet again. I like the combination. It gives me some more freedom with the characters. Also gives me the chance to warn you that this is just me having fun and this isn't a serious 'angst' filled fic. Of course there will be a little angst to get Bobby and Alex together, but fun and romance is the motto.

Part one

"Seriously, it's just too much." Alex explained to her friend as she sat down on the bike in the NYPD gym.

"But it's still romantic!" Carolyn Barek, Alex friend and colleague, exclaimed. Yesterday they'd had their regular girls night out. This time they had stayed in and watched Jerry Maguire.

"Romance doesn't mean a thing."

"How can you say that? Don't tell me you don't a little romance every once in a while." It hadn't taken long for both detectives to get along. However they didn't know each other that well yet. So sometimes, it happened that one surprised the other, like Alex surprised Carolyn.

Finding a comfortable cycling rhythm, Alex looked around the room for a moment. There were only three other detectives. Two were working with weights and another one was on the rower. "I'm not saying I don't like it. It was just unlikely. I mean you complete me, it's just so sappy." Alex explained, answering Carolyn's question.

"Don't you want a guy to tell you, you complete him? Someone who completes you? It's so romantic."

"What are you, a 16 year old teenager again? I think I'm complete enough. There doesn't seem to be a part missing, at least not to my knowledge. And what does you complete me actually mean? Because when someone says that, it doesn't mean you've found eternal bliss. Many things can happen." If Carolyn had asked her this question ten years ago, her answer would have been quite different. Back then she believed in true love and soul mates.

"Even if that man is a certain six feet four tall, dark haired detective who goes by the name of Bobby Goren? If he would walk in and tell you, you complete him. Don't tell me you wouldn't melt!" Carolyn was no fool. She knew Alex liked her partner. And she couldn't deny herself that Robert Goren was an attractive man.

"Are we talking about the same man here?" Alex laughed. One thing was sure, that was never going to happen. "And may I ask why Bobby?"

Giving her friend an incredulous look, she shook her head. That woman was in real denial. "Come on Alex, don't deny it. You fancy Bobby."

"Fancy? Who still uses that word?" Alex asked, totally ignoring her friend's words.

"Fine, keep denying. We both know it's true. You fancy him."

"Fancy who?" Mike Logan, Carolyn's partner, suddenly appeared next to them. He was dressed in black shorts and a white shirt.

"Nobody." Alex shot Carolyn a warning look.

"Tell me, what did you two ladies do last night?" Walking up to Alex's bike, he put his hand on the steering wheel to lean on it.

"Watched a movie." Carolyn answered as she focused on her rhythm.

"Chick flick?" He asked.

"No, not really. I prefer the name, drama." She told her partner.

"Chick flick." Mike repeated again. Looking around he watched the different kinds of equipments. He decided on the treadmill.

After ten minutes of cycling, Alex and Carolyn walked over to the rowers. "Ocean's two is back." Carolyn nodded towards Logan and Goren. Both were now on a treadmill.

"How long shall we give them?" Mike and Bobby almost always got competitive during a work out. First time Alex had interrupted, telling them to grow up. Second time she didn't care anymore. After that she just watched. It was kinda fun. And seeing Goren working those muscles wasn't bad either. As long as the competitive streak didn't appear during their work, there was no problem.

"Ten." Carolyn guessed, taking a seat on a rower.

"Seems right."

Getting back on their previous subject, Carolyn tried again and she knew Alex didn't have a real problem with that particular subject. "Don't you like it when a guy woos you?"

"What!" She stopped rowing. "What is it with you and your weird words?"

"Don't ignore my question." The dark haired detective countered back. "Just answer it."

"Fine. It's not that I don't like it. It's just… a man doesn't have to 'woo' me. Just a nice evening out and a good conversation would make me very happy."

"Clearly it's been too long since you've had a date."

"You don't have to tell me." Alex agreed, getting back into her rhythm.

"I'll just tell Bobby he's going to have to woo you."

"Carolyn!" She cautioned her friend to say another word when she saw Bobby approaching them.

"Tell me what?" Bobby asked. He'd heard his name, but that was all. He saw Alex shooting Carolyn a angry look. He wondered what that was all about.

"That it's been too long since a guy has taken Alex out on a date. I wonder why?" An idea formed in Carolyn's mind and she smiled. Seeing her partner approach she waited for him to join them before she continued. "Glad you joined us, Mike. We're talking about Alex's lack of dates. Why is that? She's nice, she good at her job. She's not some psychopath. So what is the problem. She's attractive too, right?" She looked at the two men for answers. Mike just smiled and Bobby, he quickly averted his eyes from Alex. Inwardly Carolyn laughed, sometimes those two were too easy. She knew she could count on Mike. "You're a guy, Bobby. Tell me… is Alex, in your opinion, an attractive woman?"

"Well… I…I'm not sure…" He was flustered. There was no way he could answer this question without embarrassing himself and Alex. "I don't think this is…" He started again.

"A simply yes or no will do. Let me show you." Mike suggested. "Yes, I think Alex is an attractive woman. Now you try."

He was really reluctant to answer the question, so he simply went on. "We wanted to ask you to… to join us in a little basketball game."

In a way Alex was glad he didn't answer Carolyn's question. However his reluctance to answer, confirmed her suspicions. He was indeed not attracted to her and he didn't want to hurt and embarrass her by saying so in front of everybody. It really wasn't that much of a surprise. The girls he usually dated weren't anything like her. She could not deny that his refusal did in a way hurt her.

Looking at her friend, Carolyn decided to drop the subject. It seemed for the best. She agreed to the basketball game. They were so going to kick Goren and Eames' asses. She was sure. Alex nodded her agreement too and the four of them walked to the small basketball court that was next door to the gym.

Walking ahead of the women, Goren looked behind him to try to judge Alex's mood. He'd noticed she wasn't looking him in the eyes. He wasn't sure if his refusal to answer the question hurt her. Surely it wouldn't. Whether he found her attractive or not should not matter to her. It didn't matter to her, right? At the moment he wasn't so sure.

TBC...