A gentle spring breeze blew through the trees as the sun slipped toward the western horizon. Eames and Barek were sitting on the deck playing cards while Goren and Logan threw a football back and forth in the clearing. "Gin," Eames grinned.

Barek laughed. "Goren's right. You are good."

She smiled. "I can even beat him once in awhile, if I get the right cards."

"I'm bored with gin. How about we join them for some football?"

"That sounds like it could be fun."

They came down the steps into the clearing. Logan saw them first and, grinning, he yelled, "Hey, Barek!"

She turned toward him as he threw the ball to her. She caught it easily and threw it back to him. "Wanna play touch?" she asked.

"That depends. What can I touch?"

"Smart ass. What about you, Goren?"

"That's fine with me."

Logan rubbed his hands together. "Ok, let's choose up sides. I want Eames."

Goren suppressed a smile. "Ok, Mike."

Logan's eyes narrowed. "You agreed to that awfully quick."

"You want an argument? Why so suspicious?"

"Who? Me? Why on earth would I be suspicious? Come on, Alex."

Goren caught Eames' eye and she smiled at him. "Better watch yourself, partner," she said.

He just smiled before trotting to the opposite side of the clearing with Barek.

The first time Logan grabbed his partner around the waist and tackled her, he swore he forgot they were playing touch. He and Goren were used to playing tackle. The second time, he said it was a mistake. The third time, he ran for his life.

Eames shook her head as they disappeared into the woods, stepping up to her laughing partner. "Why does he do that?"

"He's just working off the stress of the last week and a half."

"And what about you, Goren? You don't work off your stress by annoying the crap out of me."

"No. I have other ways I prefer to deal with my stress."

"Really?"

He slid his arms around her and pressed his forehead to hers. "Really."

Logan ran back into the clearing, breathing hard and looking over his shoulder. He slid to a halt behind Goren and Eames as Barek came into view. Goren laughed again. "Are you expecting protection, Mike?"

"No, idiot, I'm hiding."

"Too late," Eames warned. "She's seen you."

"Crap!" He backed away, holding up his hands. "Ok, ok, I give!"

Barek closed in on him, and he continued backing up. Eames pointed to the trees behind him as he came to the edge of the clearing. "Mike! Watch out!"

Logan tripped and fell backwards into the underbrush. Trying hard not to laugh, Goren came forward. "Uh, Mike…remember I promised to show you what poison ivy looks like?"

"No…don't tell me…"

"Look around you. That's it."

"Ah, shit…"

Still trying not to laugh, Goren told him, "Hurry up and get in the shower. You might be able to minimize the rash by washing off the oil. Use lots of soap and toss those clothes in the washer."

Logan got up and looked at his partner. She smiled, also trying not to burst out laughing. "Sorry, Mike."

"Yeah, you will be."

He trotted up the steps and into the house. Barek looked at the other two detectives. "He's not going to be happy."

"What was your first clue?" Eames asked.

"I guess the least I can do is throw his clothes in the washer."

"Use gloves, Carolyn," Goren warned, as he followed the two women into the cabin.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

When Logan came out of the shower, he glared around the room. Barek choked back a snigger, and Logan looked at her. "You think this is funny?"

"I'm sorry, Mike. I really didn't intend…"

"Yeah, I know."

He looked at Eames, sitting on the couch, and Goren, standing behind her. "Hey, I warned you," Eames said. Goren just raised his hands and backed up half a step.

Logan sighed. "How about we play a nice, safe game, right here in the cabin?"

"Like what?" Eames asked.

He looked at Goren. "Is there a game you haven't figured out yet?"

Goren waved a hand at him. "I'm not going to play right now."

Eames looked up at him. He leaned over and spoke softly into her ear, then kissed her cheek. She touched his hand before he stepped away. "Are you sure?"

He nodded, letting his fingers touch her cheek as a small smile played at his lips. He turned and headed out of the house. Barek frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No. He's just going for a walk." She leaned back and said, "Since the genius doesn't want to play right now, how about Scrabble? When he gets back, he can play catch up."

Logan grinned. "I like that idea."

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The lake's water licked gently at the shoreline as Goren wandered between the dense trees and the lakeshore. The sun was touching the distant mountains to the west, casting the woods around him in the dark shadow of advancing twilight. He grabbed a stick from the ground, turning it over in his hands as he continued along the shoreline. He was letting his mind wander where it would.

His mind had little opportunity to wander at will when they were working a case. While this case had not been a particularly difficult one to figure out, since they knew who was behind it and he was more familiar with the mind of Nicole Wallace than he wanted to be, it had been terribly taxing on his emotions. He had often wondered how he would feel if it came down to the wire and Wallace had to be taken out. To his relief, there was no sorrow…just a sense of…liberation. His gut had told him long ago that the inevitable result of this years'-long showdown between him and Wallace was going to be that, eventually, only one of them would walk away. His fingers lightly ran over the now-healed injury in his side. Five months ago he had nearly been the one who did not walk away. Last night, it was over. And what it all boiled down to—his survival and Nicole's death—was Eames.

Eames…his partner…more than his partner…He had nearly lost his mind when he realized she had become Wallace's target to get to him. Damn her, Wallace had come to realize just how important his partner was to him, in spite of the fact that he had tried to keep that hidden. He was able to keep the depth of his attachment from most of the world, at least he thought so. Logan and Barek knew, but he didn't worry about them. Lewis, of course, knew. Lewis knew more of his secrets than anyone on the planet. Deakins, he suspected, also had an idea. But to the rest of the world, they were partners who had become best friends with a strong attachment and nothing more. No one else knew exactly what she had come to mean to him.

He heard a twig snap behind him and he smiled. "Is your game over already?"

"What do you mean already? You've been out here for over two hours."

He had been so lost in his thoughts he had not noticed that darkness had fully descended. He had just been walking, fiddling with the stick and thinking. He tossed the stick into the water and turned to look at her. "Come here," he said softly.

She stepped into his arms and he pulled her close, holding her firmly against him. She laid her head against his chest, comforted by the sound of his heartbeat. She had considered asking him what he was thinking about, but she changed her mind. It didn't matter. She let her fingers trail along his waist, just above the waistband of his jeans. He kissed her head, still holding her against him. She was his anchor to reality, the grounding force that enabled him to do his job better than he ever had. He could dig deeper, immerse himself further into the criminal mind, because she was there and he always came back to her. She made him the effective cop he was.

He tipped himself sideways to look into her face. She was relieved to see that his eyes were clear, bright with the passion only she aroused and devoid of the shadows that dwelled there far too often. She kissed him lightly, letting him pull her closer and deepen the kiss. She softly groaned when his tongue slipped past her lips to explore her mouth. With great effort, she stepped back from his arms. He staggered slightly before he straightened and looked at her, confused. She stepped back a little further, a teasing smile on her face. "You catch me, Goren, and you can do anything you want."

Then she was gone, running through the woods like a rabbit. It took a moment for her words to register before he took off after her at a dead run.

---------------------------------------------------

Logan watched Barek look through the cabinet, looking for a movie for the four of them to watch. They had discovered that watching a movie to relax at night was something all four of them enjoyed. They rotated choosing movies with the agreement that none would complain about the choice for the evening. That left Logan free to choose the science fiction and war movies he favored while Eames and Barek could choose any chick flick they wanted. Goren was never particular and usually went for middle of the road choices, like a classic or light comedy. He refused to get into the battle of the chick flicks versus science fiction/war movies, not even for Eames.

They heard the back door bang open and Eames charged through the room and up the stairs, followed closely by her partner. They heard a bedroom door slam, then open and slam again. Logan looked at Barek. "What just happened?"

"I don't know. And I'm not sure I want to know."

"You think she pissed him off?"

Barek laughed. "No, Mike. I doubt very much that she pissed him off." She turned back to the cabinet. "I'll give you a break tonight. No chick flick."

He laughed. "You don't think they'll be down?"

"Not any time soon."

She put the movie into its tray, closed the back door and sat beside him on the couch. He slid his arm around her and pulled her toward him. She made herself comfortable, nestled against his side, and pressed 'play'.