Eames and Barek had just carried the last boxes of dishes into the kitchen, leaving several heavy boxes of books for Logan and Goren, as well as a few miscellaneous boxes that were in the cars. The truck was empty and one of them would return it tomorrow. They heard a crash in the hallway, followed by several loud thumps.The women looked at each other. "What the hell have they done now?" Barek asked.

They ran out of the apartment, finding Goren on the landing looking down at a broken box and books scattered all around him. Logan was at the top of the stairs, laughing. He looked at the two women and said "Oops."

Barek was not amused. "I'll give you 'oops.' Are you trying to get someone killed?"

Eames looked down at Goren. "Are you ok?"

He grinned up at her. "Fine."

Logan frowned at his partner. "You jump my shit and she wants to know if he's ok. What gives?"

"Did he drop the box?"

"Well, no."

"Were you in range of the falling box?"

"No."

"Ok, then."

"Fine. But when he drops a box on me…"

Barek stepped up close to him. "Has he done that yet? Did he impale you on a dresser or knock you over playing roller derby with it? I swear, Logan…"

"Ok…ok…" He started down the stairs, stumbling over a stray book.

"Don't hurt yourself," she warned more gently. "Where are you going?"

"To pick up the books."

Luckily it was the last box they had to handle. Eames and Barek managed to get everything else in and lock up the truck and the cars by the time they had the books picked up and stacked haphazardly on the stairs. Eames looked from the books to her partner to Logan. "We're working on it," Goren assured her.

"Just be careful, ok?"

Barek shook her head. "We're going to get some pizza for dinner. Any requests?"

Goren shook his head and Logan answered, "Pepperoni would be nice."

"Ok. We'll be back shortly. Try not to hurt one another."

As they headed down the stairs she said to Eames, "Sometimes they're just like little kids…"

Logan called after her, "We heard that!"

"You were meant to."

Goren chuckled as he grabbed a stack of books. "Oh, shut up," Logan snapped, grabbing another pile and heading up the stairs behind him.

By the time they got back with the pizza, the books were in the living room, at least, no worse for the wear. The same couldn't be said for either of their partners. Goren was on the couch with an ice pack on his abdomen and Logan was lying on the floor by the fireplace with his own ice pack on his left eye. Eames and Barek looked from one to the other. "What happened?" Eames ventured.

Goren nodded his head at Logan. "He fell down the stairs."

"Are you all right, Mike?"

Barek walked over to him as he answered, "I'm fine. A couple more beers and it won't hurt any more."

She squatted beside her partner. "How'd you manage that?"

"You really don't want to know."

"You're probably right. Let me see it." He removed the ice pack. "Nice."

Eames sat beside her partner. "And how are you?"

He smiled at her. "Sore, but nothing's broken."

She moved the ice pack and opened his shirt to look at the bruise. "Oh, Bobby…Are you sure that's ok?"

He nodded. "It's ok. It's just a bruise."

"Let's eat," Logan said as he got up off the floor, a little unsteady.

Eames watched him. "I hope you realize you're spending the night."

"Come on, Eames," he objected. "Getting home drunk is one of life's biggest challenges."

Barek glared at him. "It's a challenge I wish you'd quit accepting…or at least give me a break and call one of these guys once in while when you can't figure out where the hell you are."

"Hey, I don't do it often."

"No, but it's always raining or snowing or four o'clock in the damn morning."

He laughed as he pulled a slice of pepperoni pizza from the box.

That had been about six hours ago. Now Eames was wandering around her new apartment. The curtains were open, allowing the streetlights to fill the room with enough light that she could see. She loved the hardwood floors and the high ceilings. There was a fireplace directly across from the door, but the landlord told her it didn't work. He'd knocked two hundred a month off the rent because of it, so she wasn't going to complain. Still it gave the room a more cozy feel. A muffled sound in the room caught her attention. She looked toward the couch, where Goren and Logan had collapsed not long after they'd eaten. Barek was asleep in the recliner, blanket pulled up to her chin. Eames smiled. She found that she really enjoyed doing things with Barek and Logan, and Bobby seemed to as well. Her partner had an odd assortment of friends, but few of them were cops. Most of their colleagues tended to avoid him. His intensity and odd behavior made them leery. She was glad to see Logan had gotten over that.

She looked at the stacks of books on the far side of the room. The lopsided columns, she guessed, had been set there by Logan because the other stacks were lopsided pyramids, and she couldn't see Logan having the patience to do that sober, much less drunk. She walked to the window near the dining table and looked out into the street. It was raining, and the streetlights reflected off the wet streets. The occasional car made a wet swooshing sound as it passed. Other than that, the street was empty and quiet. Another reason she was happy with this place is that it was closer to Goren's than her other apartment had been, within walking distance. He'd decided to stay there, which made her very uneasy, even if he did have the locks changed. She'd been furious with him for insisting she find a new apartment when he refused to do the same. He was at far greater risk than she was, but he didn't see it that way, damn him. She knew she wasn't going to rest easy with him in his apartment until Wallace was safely behind bars. So she would just have to do what she could to keep him at her place, or at Logan's or Barek's, as much as she could until the danger was passed. And she refused to listen to him when he told her there was no danger. He seemed to be able to discount Wallace's threat to himself, so she had to worry for him.

She sighed. Sliding the window open, she took a deep breath of the fresh night air. She loved spring rain, especially at night. She nearly jumped out the window when a hand touched her back. Two strong hands grabbed her waist and a soft voice asked, "Hey, why so jumpy?"

She hung her head down, waiting for her heart to stop pounding. "Damn, Bobby…make a sound when you creep up on a person."

"I wasn't creeping. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just…enjoying the night air."

"Alex," he whispered softly into her ear. "You were thinking about her, weren't you?"

"You know I was. Why ask?"

He rested his head against hers, gently kissing her. "You can't let her do this to you."

She turned her face toward him. "She haunts you."

He couldn't deny it. And he understood why she haunted his partner, though it troubled him deeply that she did. He didn't want her to have to go through what he did, but there was nothing he could about it. "I'm sorry," he said sadly. "If there was any way I could change it…"

She placed her hand against his lips. "There isn't. You have no idea how she haunts me, Bobby. And when you dismiss the danger she presents…" She shook her head. "We've been through this. Go back to sleep."

She walked away, leaving him by the open window. Damn…he couldn't leave it at that. He followed her to the bedroom. "Alex…"

"Don't," she said. "I don't want to argue."

"I won't. I promise."

"What are you going to do, Bobby? She's going to pop up again. She left with the edge, remember? She won the last round."

"I know. And that was all my fault."

"Yes, it was, and I'm glad you accept the blame. But this isn't just about you. It's about me, and Logan and Barek as well. Maybe she doesn't know where they live, or where I live any more. But she knows where you are. And you are her primary target. That's why I don't sleep at night."

She'd never told him that. He had assumed her nightmares had to do with her own ordeal as Wallace's victim. It had never occurred to him that it wasn't herself she was concerned about, but it should have. He walked away from her, over to the window, which she had opened earlier. He leaned against the wall and looked out into the street. She ignored him, busying herself with putting clean sheets on the bed. Without turning, she said "I'm ready to go to bed, Goren."

Ok, he couldn't leave it like this. If he left the room now, he knew there wasn't enough beer left to ensure he could sleep. He walked over to her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. She started to pull away, but he tightened his grip. Finally, she turned, furious. "Look," she began.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, interrupting her tirade before it began.

"You…what? What did you say? You're sorry? You damn well better be." She paused and took a deep breath. "What are you sorry for?"

"For worrying you. I…I just assumed it was your ordeal…I…I never thought it was me."

"How self-centered do you think I am?"

"It's not that…" This was just getting him in more trouble. He wasn't sober enough to get himself out of it. "Oh, hell…forget it. Go on and go to bed." He kissed her cheek. "Good night, Alex."

She remained where she was and let him go. It was a decision she would regret.