Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I'd be happy to have them, but Dick would miss them too much.

Bobby hailed a cab and got back to his place. He kicked open his door and threw his stuff on the floor. The phone rang. He grabbed a beer and let the machine pick it up.

"Goren, it's Logan. Just wanted to know if you wanted to go grab a beer with Barek and me. Gimme a call. Ask Eames if she'd like to come. Oo-kay then." Bobby glared at the machine at the sound of Alex's name. It rang again.

"Bobby – " He threw his beer bottle at the machine as soon as her voice came on the line. He collapsed on his kitchen floor, shaking with rage. He reached under the sink for his gin and started drinking it straight out of the bottle. It got darker outside and he could hear the traffic passing. He'd never been this mad at her, never been mad at her at all actually. And now he could barely stand the sound of her voice. His last thought was of how he was going to explain this to Deakins in the morning.

Alex parked her car outside of his building, looking up to see if his light was on. That son of a bitch wasn't going to walk out on her. Not over something like this. She climbed the stairs to his apartment and pounded on the door.

"Bobby, let me in!" No answer. "I have a key!" No answer, no movements whatsoever. She unlocked his door and peered inside. All was dark. She could make out a figure in the kitchen on the floor. "Bobby?" The figure moved all of a sudden and stood up. Alex drew her gun. "Hands up! Get 'em up!"

"Eames, it's me." Bobby put his hands up anyway, to rub his head. The glimmerings of a hangover were in the works. "Put the gun down and shut the door before one of the – "

"Hey! Youse guys want to keep the noise down before I calls the police!"The next-door neighbor had stuck his out into the hallway.

"We are the police!" Alex kicked the door shut and put her weapon away.

"Don't be rude to my neighbors." Bobby opened the door back up and apologized to his neighbor. When he came back in, he was shooting daggers at her.

"How dare you come into my apartment, screaming a-and yelling like some banshee –"

"How dare you stomp your way out of my apartment and almost hit me in the process and say you're going to get another partner over – "

"Oh, SHUT UP!" Bobby knocked his phone off the cupboard and it landed with a clatter on the linoleum.

"Don't you tell me to shut up," Alex said quietly and deliberately, getting right up in Bobby's face.

"Shut up." He looked at her challengingly, daring her to do something.

"Make me." Alex and Bobby stared at each other, daring one or the other to do anything.

"Go on, get a new partner. I'm out of here." Alex turned to leave, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Alex – " Bobby grabbed her arm, whirling her around. She reached out to smack him. He grabbed her other hand and pinned her to the cupboard. "Alex - " He leaned in and kissed her, hard. Alex's eyes went wide and struggled against her partner. He released her and stepped back. Alex turned away from him and placed her hands flat on the counter. What just happened there? And was she going to regret what she was about to do now?

"Bobby?" She turned to look at him. He was flushed and looking at her strangely. She walked over to him and grabbed his collar, pulling his face closer to hers. She kissed him back. He picked her up and carried her back to his room.