A/N: While writing this chapter I found Bobby to passive. I thought I needed to spice things up a little. Create some heat between Alex and Bobby. And I think Bobby could get somewhat 'nasty' if the right buttons were pushed. And in my shipper mind, Alex and the thought of Alex and another man, is something that would push that button. I just feel like Bobby and Alex should really be at odds before I will try to mend things. That's why I did what I did. I feel this is a risky chapter and I will hide behind the wall now to avoid things that might be thrown at me. Ideas and suggestions for the next chapter will be appreciated because I have no clue what so ever for the next chapter which means it'll take me longer to update. And I will probably repost chapter three some time this week because I found major grammar errors in it.

Part four

It was Monday morning and she felt wonderful. Her weekend had been truly refreshing. Saturday had been her date with Mike. They'd had a great time. Mike sure knew how to treat a lady. She knew his reputation, but that hadn't been a problem. Both knew nothing would happen. They had gone out to dinner to a nice French restaurant. The mood was perfect. They talked about life, love, friendship, memories and relationships. They'd practically talked about everything. He was easy to talk to and she found out he was a good listener. They also laughed a lot. Their sense of humor complimented each other.

After dinner, they'd gone to a bar where she'd met some of his buddies. She was surprised by the difference in all of them. There was one man whom she liked. His name was Ben and he was an emergency doctor. He was quiet compared to Mike and his other friends, but he'd started talking to her almost immediately. The fact that he was good looking was a bonus. She found out he was from Chicago and had moved to New York ten years ago. They hadn't exchanged phone numbers and she was fine with that. If he was really interested he would only have to ask Mike. She would wait and see. Most important thing was she felt really good about herself. She wouldn't mind spending more time with Mike.

Mike and Carolyn had talked about their game plan. Walking to the break room they found Bobby there. It was time to put their plan into action. Yawning loudly Mike grabbed a cup. "Hey Goren." He greeted his colleague.

"Exhausting weekend, Mike?" Carolyn started as she pored herself a cup of tea.

"Yeah, Alex and I went on our date Saturday." Poring his coffee he saw Goren flinch. They had his attention. "She's terrific."

"That she is." Carolyn agreed. Together they walked back to their desk. They'd decided to give Goren only bits and pieces. Some true, some not so true. He just wouldn't know which bits.

Some time later, Carolyn saw Bobby approaching her desk. She waved Mike over. "Did you show her all your moves?"

"And then some. Let me tell you, she appreciated each one." Mike's voice was louder than usual to make sure Bobby heard as he passed their desk.

Lunchtime approached and Mike and Carolyn walked over to Bobby and Alex. "Darling, why don't you and your partner join us for lunch." Mike suggested, winking at Alex.

"Or should we maybe go alone?" Alex wiggled her eyebrows at him. Two could play that game.

"But what will the kids think?" Mike looked at Carolyn and Bobby, who was trying hard to appear focused on the papers in front of him. However since the beginning of the conversation his hand had still and he hadn't written down a word.

"I think they're old enough. After all we raised them well."

"All right you two, come on let's eat." Mike offered Alex her coat as she stood up from her desk. It was Carolyn who noticed Bobby wasn't with them.

"Goren, come on, let's go."

"No, you go. I have some stuff to finish." He really didn't want to hear about Mike and Alex's date. Her words still haunted his dreams as well as current thoughts. Only when he was working on a case did they move to the back of his mind.

"But you gotta eat too." Carolyn was not going to give up.

"I'll grab a donut."

Alex sighed, knowing that Carolyn wouldn't succeed. She pulled his coat from the hook, walked to his desk and grabbed his arm. It wasn't easy to pull him off his chair, but she knew how to handle her partner. He knew their strength difference and would never think about hurting her. He could easily put his weight in it and there was nothing she could do about it, but he wouldn't, fearing he would hurt her. That's what she liked about him, one of the many things that is. He was so big and strong, but he would never hurt anyone. He was such a gentle man.

"Fine." He grumbled, accepting the coat she thrust into his hands.

At the diner Mike sat down next to Alex, which left Bobby to sit down next to Carolyn. "Where did you two go?" Carolyn asked after the four of them had given the waitress their orders.

"We went to 'Le Jardin'. Mike smiled at Alex.

"It was great. Nice restaurant, good food and great company." Alex kept her eyes on Bobby. He didn't join the conversation nor did he look at her. But he heard every word and reacted to them. She wondered what it all meant. She wanted to resolve things with him, to know where she stood with him. She needed to know before she could move on. If it was rejection, well she was a big girl, she could take it. It was up to him to take the first step. After all she'd already tried once. If joking around like this would provoke a reaction than so be it.

"And afterwards?" Carolyn asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Afterwards? Took her to meet some of my buddies, but of course she only had eyes for me."

Alex laughed at the last bit. If they only knew the truth. "Of course. You know Carolyn, his reputation as a ladies man seems to be quite right, at least as far as I could tell. And who am I to object to the benefits?"

"So, did he woo you?" Carolyn referred to their conversation in the NYPD gym a few days ago.

"I don't know." She turned to Mike. "Did you woo me?"

"Yes!" He said, offended that she wasn't sure. "We went to a nice restaurant, had a romantic dinner, drank something afterwards and I brought her home again. If that isn't wooing then I don't know." Thinking Goren had been silent for far too long, Mike addressed him. "Goren, tell us, how do you woo a lady?"

Bobby decided if this was how they were going to play it, he would play along. They were clearly trying to get him to react, including Alex and he had enough. Two could play that game and she was going to find out. "Depends on the woman. Not all women like wooing. Some just want a nice dinner and a quiet evening to talk and enjoy each other's company."

He shifted in his seat, his foot slightly touching Alex's leg. Sure that he had her attention he continued. "If it's a special person, I'll pick her up and give her white roses. We have dinner at a nice Italian restaurant where we sit at a secluded and romantic table. Candlelight, champaign and some soft music on the background to create a nice mood. After dinner we go to a small jazz club and sit in a small booth, close together. We get to know each other better, drink, listen to music and maybe even dance. Then I like to talk a walk in the park before we go home. I'm thinking this isn't our first date and I know this woman fairly well. I invite her over to my place where I light candles and offer to give her a nice massage."

Seeing he had everyone's attention, especially Alex's whose cheeks had colored slightly, he went on with his narrative. "It's all about setting the mood. I always make my own massage oil, so I'll choose one depending the mood and the person. I slowly start massaging her back, smoothing all the muscles and have her purr like a kitten. These hands…" Bobby said, raising and waving them. "can work magic. It's one of the many advantages of having big hands." He had watched Alex closely. She wasn't obvious in her reaction, but a occasional flinch of tensing of the hands were noticeable to him. Bet she hadn't expected this. Time for his surprise. He turned his body towards Carolyn. "How about it, Carolyn? You and me, a nice dinner, jazz club? Mike showed Alex a nice time, how about you and I have a nice time of our own. Give them something to talk about."

She had to give him credit for the way he turned the tables on them. Hearing him talk about how he would woo a woman, why should she refuse? Besides, of course, Alex being pissed at her. Bobby was an attractive man, nice and seemed to be good company. A night on the town with him sounded very nice. She could deal with Alex's death glare. "Sure, I'd love to, Bobby."

Alex couldn't believe Carolyn accepted his offer. She was going out on a date with her partner. She shot the other woman a death glare. She should have known Bobby would get back at them. And he knew exactly how. She knew that it meant nothing to them. Carolyn liked Bobby, but wasn't interested romantically. Bobby would have asked her out sooner if he was truly interested. She would not let this bother her. After all he wasn't interested so why should she care?

"We could have dinner or just skip to that massage." Bobby went on, wanting to provoke her.

"Mmm…that sounds nice." Carolyn could imagine those hands working its magic. "What kind of oil would you make me?" She asked, not seeing the way her words were affecting Alex. If she had seen Alex nervous twitches, she wouldn't have continued the conversation.

"Summer rain." Bobby's eyes settled on Alex's on purpose and he kept them there. He was indeed getting to her, her jaw set tight. "But I could make something really special for a truly special person. Maybe summer rain is a bit too common for you. Nothing special about it." Direct hit, he thought as he saw Alex close her eyes and take deep breath. He'd wanted a real reaction, not the subdued once she had given so far. He regretted his words immediately when he saw her look at him with unshed tears in her eyes. God, he was a jerk! It was too late to take back his words. He had truly screwed things up now.

Standing up, Alex grabbed her coat, tossed some money on the table and left without even finishing her lunch. It couldn't get any more obvious, she meant nothing to him. She'd wanted clarity and she had gotten it. It was just a lot harder to deal with rejection than she'd expected.

TBC...