A/N: Thanks for the reviews! This chapter took some time and effort, but here it is. Decided to try something out in this chapter, maybe it seems OOC, but hopefully not too much. Threw in a bit of flirting and of course they're going back and forth in their feelings for each other. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!

Part three

After the game Alex had gone home. Feeling the ache start in her back she had taken a warm bath to smooth her muscles. She was now lounging on the couch, watching television and eating her Chinese take out.

The doorbell disturbed her quiet evening. With some effort she got up from the couch. She was sure that tomorrow morning she would be really stiff. There had to be a way to loosen those muscles up. Slowly she walked to her front door. Ready to brush the visitor off she opened the door. In her hallway stood her partner.

"Hi." He greeted her somewhat hesitantly. He almost never came by her place and if he did it was always work related.

"Hey, come on in." Stepping aside she closed the door behind them. "Want something to drink?"

"No, thank you." Bobby stepped further into her apartment.

"Okay." Standing in her living room they eyed each other. She really didn't know why he was here. She saw him holding a little brown bag and wondered what was in it.

Bobby didn't quite know how to act. Should he keep standing or sit down? But it would be kinda rude to just sit down. "How are you?" He asked, turning to her.

"Good." She walked over to her couch.

"How's the back?"

"Sore." She answered, sitting down carefully.

"I…I…" He didn't quite know how to tell her about his idea.

"Why are you still so hesitant with me?" She suddenly asked him. "Sit down." She gestured to a chair. "I don't understand it. We've been working together for so long now. There's nothing for you to be apprehensive about with me. You can tell me anything. I thought you knew that. I thought you were comfortable with me. But lately though your behaviour has become more insecure and hesitant around me. It makes me wonder why. Did something change?" Seeing his stunned look she realized this wasn't the right time. And frankly she wasn't in the mood for a heavy conversation. "Tell me what you wanted to say."

There was no escape now. He had to tell her why he was here. She was right about his apprehension. Lately his feelings for her confused him. He didn't quite know how to handle it. Ignore or welcome them? The reason for his presence at her apartment would test his self control and confront him even more with his feelings for her. He was doing this for her and hoped it would make her feel better.

"I was worried about you and wanted to know how you were." He explained, shifting in the chair. "I know your back must be sore and thought maybe I… could help."

"Help me how?" Alex asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Maybe…I could give you a massage." His voice had gone soft and secretly he hoped she hadn't heard him.

Alex was speechless, staring at him with wide eyes. He did say what she thought he said, right? He wanted to give her a massage? He was going to have his big hands on her back? That really would be quite pleasant. She couldn't believe he was actually suggesting this, but she sure as hell wasn't going to object. Trying to curb her enthusiasm she coughed. "Well…, that would be nice, Bobby." She said, proud that her voice didn't reveal how much she liked the idea.

Silence filled the air again. Both were waiting for the other to make the first move. "You can't give me a massage from over there. Come on over here."

Standing next to the couch, Bobby contemplated if this would be comfortable for her. Her couch was big enough, but maybe she would be more comfortable in her bed. "Do you… would you be more comfortable in your bed?" He rushed out.

"Depends on what we're going to do." Seeing his cheeks turn red she laughed. "Here's fine, Bobby."

Seeing her hands go to her sweater, Bobby quickly turned around, to give her some privacy and to prepare himself for what he was about to see. He rolled up his shirt sleeves and grabbed the bottle of oil. He'd read up on the different kind of oils and decided this one would be best for her. He'd gone to the store to buy the ingredients and made it himself. Feeling the bottle he decided it needed to be warmed up. "I need to warm this up, I'll be right back."

In her kitchen, while waiting for the oil to warm, he took some deep breath. He needed to stay focused. He was doing this for her, she deserved this. He was not going to get distracted by the fact that she was lying on the couch and he was going to see her naked back. He was going to focus on the massage and ignore the fact that this was the woman he desired. The beep of the microwave brought him back to reality.

Walking back to the couch her back was presented to him. This was so going to test his self control. Carefully sitting down on the edge of the couch he put some oil on her back. Slowly he began rubbing the oil on her skin. His hands seemed so big on her small back. It made him realize that she was a small, fragile woman. On the job she was so tough and out-spoken that he often forget that. He also knew that if he even mentioned his thoughts she would injure him. No, he knew better than that. She felt good underneath his hands, her skin soft and pale. She was beautiful.

"Keep going." Alex said into the couch when his hands stilled.

"Sorry." Slowly he continued his journey down her back. He would not be distracted again.

His strong hands were gently smoothing away her aches. From her shoulder to her back, he worked all the muscles. There was nothing more soothing or relaxing than a nice massage. She groaned when he reached a sensitive spot.

Immediately he froze. Had he hurt her? Maybe this wasn't a good idea. "Did I hurt you?"

"God no, keep going. I knew those big hands of yours would come in handy some day." This massage was exactly what she needed. She was sure her back wouldn't be as sore as she first expected tomorrow. He was really good at this. She wondered how often he'd done this on other women. "What kind of oil is this?" She loved the way it smelled. "I love the smell."

"It's called Summer Rain." He was glad she liked his choice.

"I need to remember that. Need to buy some of my own." She moaned as he yet again hit a sensitive spot. "Of course my own masseur to use the oil would be nice." She was hoping her remark would provoke a reaction.

"I didn't buy it. I… I made it myself. It has lavender, rose, jasmine and grape seed oil."

"Mmm… it's really, really nice. You've gotta make me some."

He smiled even though she couldn't see it. He didn't tell her why he had chosen that one. He would keep that to himself. "I will, but only if I have exclusive rights." He whispered in her ear, his words even shocking himself. They had slipped out before he could think about them. His hands stilled immediately.

She was shocked too. She never expected anything like this from her partner. Acknowledging the fact that he was really uncomfortable at the moment, she pushed aside true meaning of his words. "I'll consider it if you continue the massage."

He smiled again, thankful she wasn't going to get into his words and started to massage her back again. His mind wandered back to the day's events and his peaceful feelings disappeared, replaced with jealousy. "Are you really going out with Mike?"

"I am." Slowly she felt his gently massage was turning more vigorous. If he was going to keep this up, she would be in more pain tomorrow. "Euuh…Bobby, ease up, okay."

"Why?" It seemed as if he hadn't heard her words.

"Because he's nice and I think we'll have fun. Now can you please slow down a bit?" Her voice was harder, hoping this time she did get through to him.

He stilled his hands again. "I don't think you should go out with him."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

She was giving him the perfect way to tell her about his feelings for her. She was taking the first step. This was his chance, but he ignored it for he feared rejection.

This time she didn't put it aside. "Tell me. Tell me why I shouldn't go. Why don't you want me to go? Is it because you don't like the thought of Mike and me? Or is because you rather have it be you than Mike?" She wanted to turn around, to see his eyes, to know what he was feeling. But she couldn't, not without exposing a bit more of herself than she wanted to at this point in time.

He really didn't want this confrontation. He was nowhere near ready for that. He had only come by her place to help her. This was not something he wanted to talk about, his feelings for her were off limits to her even though sometimes she got s glimpse of them. He removed his hands from her back and stood up. "I think I should leave." After all sometimes avoidance was the better option. Grabbing his coat he was almost at the door when he heard her voice behind him.

"Keep running if you want, Bobby. I'm not going to wait forever. By the time you turn around and figure things out, it might be too late." He didn't turn around, but she did see the slump in his shoulders. She had hit a nerve. After he'd closed the door, she was left standing alone in her apartment, with her thoughts and feelings for her partner all jumbled up. She had given him an opportunity to tell her how he really felt about her. He hadn't reacted to it.

So was her initial thought right? He didn't have feelings for her. But why had he come here to give her a massage? Maybe in Bobby's mind that was merely a friendship thing, to her… it was more. And he did flirt with her, wanting to have exclusive rights? She couldn't ignore that. Could her only conclusion be that a relationship with Bobby was never going to happen? That she should simply get over it? If that was the case, then going out with Mike was a good opportunity to start fresh and she was going to do exactly that. Maybe this was for the best. At least she knew where she stood and could leave all this behind her. Let by gones be by gones.

TBC...