Goren was lying on the back deck in the dark, watching the night sky through the trees. He heard the door open and close, but he didn't move. "What are you looking at?" Eames asked quietly, following his gaze up toward the heavens.

"Just the stars."

She sat down on the deck beside him. "And what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing specific…just random things." He laughed, and she wasn't sure, but it sounded almost bitter. "The random wanderings of a cluttered mind."

"Let me wander with you."

"No, Alex. My mind can be a scary place."

She sat facing him, trying to read his face, but he was hiding from her. That annoyed her. "I've been to scary places, Bobby."

"But I never took you there."

"Bullshit. Where do you think I was five months ago, when I thought you were dying? I've never been to a scarier place in my life, and I somehow doubt I ever will be." She drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She took a deep breath, to keep herself steady; those memories still could make her tremble. Her lungs filled with the scent of his cologne. Every time she smelled this scent, she thought of him, and all it ever did these days was make her...want. She wanted...him...to be near him, to touch him, to kiss him…which was damn inconvenient when they were in the middle of a case.

"Please don't shut me out. I don't want to be shut out of your life."

"I'm not shutting you out."

"Then let me be a part of you."

"Alex, you are a part of me. You're the sane part, the part that keeps me from stepping over into a very dark place and never coming back. Never forget that."

She reached her hand toward him, lightly touching his cheek. "I don't forget it," she assured him. Behind her, the door opened again. Logan and Barek both came out onto the deck and sat near each other on the perimeter bench. "So," Logan began. "What are we doing out here in the dark?"

"Looking at the stars," Goren replied.

Eames lay back on the deck, resting her head against her partner's chest. Logan and Barek leaned back, each casting their eyes skyward. Silence fell upon the deck as the four detectives watched the stars and let their thoughts wander.

Logan thought about Eames. She, in particular, had been pretty shaken by Deakins' call, but she had been through a real ordeal at Wallace's hands. Not only had she been taken hostage, but she'd damn near lost Goren, too. Goren's initial response to the call, like his own, had been anger, and then he had withdrawn. As for Barek… thankfully, his partner had never had to deal with Wallace. She knew the history, but she had no real idea of what they were dealing with. She'd read the casefiles. She knew that Nicole was manipulative and devious. She knew that she had some sort of thing for Goren and that she had nearly killed him. But she had never met Nicole Wallace. She had never danced with the devil…

Barek was glad to see Eames was relaxing again. Attention from her partner, who had returned from wherever it was his mind had taken him, went a long way toward helping her unwind. And Logan seemed to have gotten over whatever it was that had rattled him earlier. It had to have been the call…and that brought her mind to an entirely new subject: Nicole Wallace. Although she was certain she didn't want to meet Wallace, she would never hesitate to act if they were threatened, or to back up any one of them. The fact that she was also targeted didn't trouble her as much as it did the others. They had to be exaggerating the threat…

Eames was somewhat reassured by the captain's assertion that there was no way Wallace could find them, but she still had a nagging worry at the back of her mind, like the whine of a mosquito, that kept telling her never say never. It troubled her to no end that Goren could not, or would not, reassure her like Deakins had. He had to feel, at some level, that the threat was still there, even if he would not voice it to them. She knew him too well. She sighed deeply. There would be no reassurance until the threat was gone…

Goren heard Eames sigh and he gently brought his arm up to hold her, a protective gesture. He wanted badly to reassure her, but even more than that, he wanted her to be safe. If he reassured her, she wouldn't be as on edge, and that could be a fatal mistake. He was done making mistakes, dammit! He knew that Wallace's threat, like all the ones that had come before, would be cloaked in a fog of deceit. Nothing was as it seemed with her, and he was not going to settle into complacency because they were out in the woods and she didn't know where they were…yet…

Barek broke the silence. "Do you know any of the constellations, Bobby?"

"Why are you asking him?" Logan said, almost testily.

"Do you know any?"

"A couple."

Goren laughed quietly. "Go for it, Mike."

Logan studied the sky. "Ok…there's the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper….Don't they have something to do with bears?"

"The alternate names for the constellations..." Goren hinted.

"Oh, yeah...the Big Bear and the Little Bear, right?"

Goren smiled. "Right."

Proud of himself, Logan stretched out his arms along the back of the bench. His hand brushed along Barek's shoulder, and he left it there. She smiled. Of all things…she was finding that her partner really was growing on her. He annoyed her less lately, and made her laugh more. That, she knew, was a very good thing.

For what seemed a very long time, the four of them watched the stars. With her head resting on Goren's chest and her fingers gently tracing abstract figures on his arm, Eames could tell, as his breathing slowed and deepened, that he had fallen asleep. She just enjoyed being close to him, until she felt herself dozing off. Then she knew it was time to head inside, to bed. She sat up slowly and stretched. "Well, I'm going to bed."

Gently, she shook her partner. "Hey, Bobby. Are you going to bed or are you going to sleep out here on the deck?"

He groaned and rolled on to his side, pushing himself up and getting to his feet. He held out a hand to Eames. Sliding her hand into his, she let him help her up. They said good night and disappeared into the cabin.

Logan looked at his partner. "I suppose we should head in, too."

"You know, this isn't a competition, Mike."

"What's not?"

"Between you and Bobby. In case you haven't noticed, he doesn't have eyes for anyone but her."

"I…geez, Barek, I wasn't trying to compete with him. I just don't like being ignored. We all know Goren's smart and he knows a hell of a lot about almost everything…but you know, I'm not stupid."

"No one ever said you were." Leaning closer, she gave him a gentle kiss. "Good night, Mike."

He watched her go into the cabin, and he wondered what the hell that could mean.