A/N: Here's the confrontation I was talking about. Yeah, don't get too mad at me. Question for the one's who read. It's obvious that Bobby needs to take action after their talk. Whatshould be the setting, OPP, Alex apartment or somewhere else? Ideas for the next chapter would be very welcome. I believe it was TristateCop suggested that Bobby should woo Alex. I think it's a bit too early for. Like I said, suggestions and ideas are really welcome. I have no clue what to do with the next chapter and that means updating might take some time. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter and thank you for the reviews!

Part eight

"Are you sure about this?" Deakins asked his detective. He really didn't want to do this and Bobby's request even had him shocked. However, he wasn't sure if he could ignore his detective's request, nor was he sure if he should agree with it.

"I think it's for the best. She seems happy with him." He'd made the request yesterday afternoon after his talk with Carolyn. It was a tough decision to make, but in the end it seemed for the best. He would not ruin her career. He would not stand in her way if she needed this.

"Does she know?" Deakins looked into the squad room through the glass that surrounded his office.

"No." He followed the Captain's glance. Alex was sitting at her desk, laughing at something Mike had said. Carolyn stood next to her, laughing along.

There was no way he was going to tell Alex, Deakins thought. He knew better than that. He wasn't going to fight Goren's battles for him. "You know you're going to have to tell her?"

"Yes." He sighed.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Do you really want to do this, Goren?" Deakins walked back to his desk and sat down, putting Goren's paper on his desk.

"Yeah. I'll… I'll go tell her." He said, leaving Deakins alone in his office.

This was going to be one hell of a mess, that much was sure. Looking at the form in his hand, Deakins didn't sign it. He would not give up on them. He decided to give them a month. If they hadn't told him by then that they wanted to be back together, only then would he approve the permanent change of partners.

Slowly Bobby approached Alex and Mike. His heart pounded loudly in his chest. He wasn't sure how she would react. After being separated from her for two weeks now, he couldn't read her anymore. It was too long since he'd looked into her brown eyes, too long since he'd seen her smile, too long since he'd felt her presence.

"Alex." He hesitantly stepped up to her desk.

"Hi." Alex smiled at him. She'd wanted to talk to him today. She was glad and surprised to have him standing at her desk. After her talk with Mike she'd done some serious thinking. What she and Bobby had was too good to throw away without a fight.

Why did she have to smile for the first time in two weeks when he was going to tell her they shouldn't be partnered together anymore? Or maybe she wasn't sincere, just smiling because she didn't want to make a scene with Carolyn and Mike around. "Can… can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure. Mike, I'll be right back. Try to stay out of trouble." She followed Bobby to one of the exam rooms and nodded at him as he held the door open for her.

Closing the door behind them he took a deep breath and turned to her. He kept the distance between them, knowing that her nearness would make him nervous and he might even back out. "I… I did some thinking about our situation. I wish I hadn't said what I said. I wish things were different. I'm sorry I hurt you, Alex." He really didn't know how to say what he wanted to say. "I asked Deakins to make the change permanent." He blurted out.

"What?" Surely she misunderstood his words.

"Mike is going to be your partner from now on and I'll be partnered up with Carolyn. That's the way it's going to be from now on."

"And you just made this decision on your own?" Her voice held a dangerous tone.

"I… I want you to be happy, Alex. You seem to like having him as a partner, like being with him. I… I won't..."

"Ooh, shut up! You want to be in control. Don't talk to me about my happiness. You should have talked to me about this!" Gone was her control. She wasn't going to hold back.

Shocked by her outburst he took a step back. "You seemed happy."

"Really? I thought you knew me! Clearly you have no clue. Why didn't you talk to me? Do you think this is your decision to make?"

He wasn't going to let her blame him for everything. "How can I talk to you when you refuse to even look at me? I tried to talk to you, I tried several times, but you blew me off every single time. What was I to do? Grab you and force you to talk to me?" Taking a step closer to her, he went on. "I see the contempt in your eyes. You don't want me anywhere near you." He waved his hand in Logan's direction. "You seem perfectly happy with him."

She ignored the jealous undertone she heard in his voice. That seemed less important at the moment. "I was angry Bobby. You really hurt me, telling me I was nothing. What do you think? I was just going to forget about it and go about in my merry way? I thought what we had was good and strong. You know as well as I do that every partnership has it's ups and downs." She'd closed the distance between them and was now in front of him, almost touching his chest. "Why won't you fight for us? Why don't you believe in us?" The anger in her voice had turned into sadness. She turned her back on him.

"Is this all one-sided? Am I the only one who wants to fight? Am I the only one who wants our partnership back? Am I the only one who believes there can be more" She heard him step closer, knowing he was about to talk. "You don't have to say it, Bobby. Your actions speak loud enough."

Silence, filled with tension, fell between them. Had he come to the wrong conclusion? Didn't she want to have Mike as a partner? Had he been misreading the signs? He looked at her, sitting on the table, her shoulder slumped, head bowed. He was willing to fight for their friendship. He just wasn't going to fight if she could be happier without him. "I want what is best for you."

"Step down your high horse. Don't tell me you're doing this for me. I don't buy it." The resentment was back in her voice. "You're doing this for you. This way you won't have to think about what you feel! Don't have to confront your feelings. Rather let life pass you by and soak in your own misery. What if you might start to feel things? Can't let that happen, can you? God forbid you might actually feel something!"

She looked up into his eyes and showed him how his actions hurt her. She didn't want to hide from him. If this is what he wanted then this is what he was going to get. "Run away, Bobby. Run like you've been doing your entire adult life. I'm not going to follow. I'm not going to fight when there's nothing left to fight for. I'm not going to be the only one."

"Tell me what to do, Alex." He wanted so much to reach out, to feel her skin beneath his, to take her hand in his. He needed to feel connected to her, but knew the connection was thorn when he'd spoken about finalizing the partnership.

"Damnit, Bobby, I can't! Can't you see that? I cannot tell you what to do or what to feel. Like I said, I can't be the only one. Unlike you I can't make decisions on someone else's behalf."

He closed the distance between them and hesitantly reached out to touch her hand. He watched how his finger traced her hand. It had been too long since he'd felt her. He didn't want to lose this, didn't want to lose her. "Tell me what you want." He whispered.

"I wanted you to fight for us, Bobby, but you won't." She briefly placed her hand on his cheek, before she pushed him back. Sliding from the table she passed him and walked to the door. "I'll agree to your request." Opening the door she paused before she walked out. "I'll miss you." She choked, her emotions getting the best of her. Quickly she walked out of the room before she would fall apart. She had just walked out of his life.

He had screwed up yet again and even worse than before. He thought this would be best for her. Instead he'd ruined any chance for them to get back together. He was such a fool. He just…. He hadn't known that she still wanted him, wanted their friendship. "Damnit!" He growled, grabbing the table and pushing it over.

TBC...