The Long and Winding Road: 2

By: The Confused One

Rating: I'll say PG-13 Mild language and blood

Summary: After something happens to Bobby, things go spinning out of control.

A/N: All right.  This chapter holds lots of surprises.  A couple of things to keep in mind while reading ALL of this fic, I'm leaving things out.  There are secrets, feelings, thoughts, that you don't know yet.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised as things are revealed.  He he he  Oh, Thank you tattered rose for reminding me about some things.  They're being used nicely, especially later on.

Feedback: I'd love some.  Please send to Charmed1500@yahoo.com

Archive: Yes to Amorous.  Someone else?  Please let me know where it's going.  Thanks.

Disclaimer: I'm a poor college student, so no; I don't own any part of this, sadly.  Please don't sue.  Thanks.

Alex had literally run up the flights of stairs to the roof and swung the door open as fast as she could.  There was a part of her that was relieved to find nothing, and another part of her was even more panicked with not knowing where he was.

She began looking around the roof.  She immediately noticed the wire and two suitcases lying on the ground.  She mumbled, "Great.  Now what Bobby?"

Her attention was immediately drawn to the gun that was at the edge of the roof.  She noticed that one of the bricks was missing.  A sudden sick feeling began to grow in the pit of her stomach as she contemplated one of the reasons for them not being on the roof either.  She whispered, "Oh my God!  No!"

She ran over towards the edge, only to have her worst fears realized.  She now saw the two large puddles of blood.  She stood in shock.  She whispered, "Bobby."

After a few minutes of standing there, she began wondering where the bodies were.  She followed the blood trail with her eyes to where the other car had parked, when someone behind her spoke, "Detective Eames?"

Alex was startled.  She jumped and turned around to see a nice looking uniformed officer waiting for her to answer.  Wiping a couple of tears away, Alex distractedly replied, "Yeah."

The officer, Nikolas, seemed to relax just a little.  He hesitantly replied, "There's no-no sign of Detective Goren."

Alex nodded.  She had been afraid of that.  She wasn't sure what to think.  She replied, "Thanks."

Nikolas watched nervously as Alex walked the roof to gain some perspective on the situation.  He asked, "Detective Goren, he's-he's your partner isn't he?"

Alex looked up at Nikolas.  She didn't appreciate him interrupting her, and she could sense he was tense and nervous.  She replied, "Yeah, he is.  Is there something wrong?"

Nikolas looked down at his feet.  He wasn't sure what to say.  He decided to just be frank about it all.  He explained, "Detective Goren and you are sorta legends, ya know?  I've heard some wild stories about you two.  And I'm not sure what to expect."

Alex smiled.  She let out a little laugh.  She dryly replied, "He's not so bad.  You just have to know him."

Nikolas gave her a small smile.  He replied, "Heard something about some the things he does with bodies."

Alex was distracted again.  She wasn't in the mood for chitchat.  She ignored his comments, and pointed to the briefcases and wire.  She began, "The struggle looks like it started here.  One of them backed the other to the edge there, but someone slipped on a lose brick.  They both fell, and the two guys below took them."

Nikolas watched as Alex walked to the edge of the roof.  He replied, "It makes sense, but I don't think anyone could survive a fall like that."

She took a deep breath.  She knew he was right.  If her theory was right, it was very unlikely that Bobby had survived, but she couldn't think that he was dead.  She had to assume, believe that he was alive.  She wasn't sure she could take it if he was dead.  She hesitantly replied, "Until I have a body, I'm not giving up on him."

Nikolas nodded again.  He just watched her look out over the side of the roof for a moment before her cell phone rang.  A tiny, little part of her wanted to believe it was Bobby calling to assure her that he was OK.  Alex instantly answered, "Eames."

Deakins had gotten a call that something had gone wrong, that crime scene units and officers were at the scene.  He worriedly asked, "What happened?"

Alex took a deep breath.  She instantly closed her eyes and chastised herself for having such silly hopes.  She stepped away from the ledge as swarms of officers and forensic people began arriving onto the roof.  Alex replied, "Santos attacked Goren.  We moved in only to find the place empty.  Captain, we don't know what happened yet.  We don't know where he is."

Deakins took a deep breath of his own.  This was not what he wanted to hear.  He replied, "Hodges called in the teams.  You should be swarmed with forensic guys.  He called me."

Alex closed her eyes, knowing that she had screwed up.  She wasn't doing things like she was supposed to.  She has been too busy trying to find Goren.  She began again, "I'm sorry.  I know I should have called, but I went to try and help.  I wasn't going to sit in there, like Hodges.  I got distracted up here…"

Deakins had immediately regretting snapping at her.  He could hear the stress she was feeling over the phone.  He knew that stress.  He apologized, "I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have…  There's no sign of him?"

Alex took another deep breath.  She choked back a tear that threatened to fall.  She answered, "No, and I'm afraid they both fell off the roof."

Deakins gasped.  He quickly demanded, "Fell off the roof?  How did that…"

Alex interrupted, "They were fighting over a gun.  It looks like one of them tripped over a lose brick and they both went over.  There are a couple of huge pools of blood on the ground.  I think the other two dealers who were here took them."

Deakins was still taking it all in.  He hesitantly asked, "Why would they take them?"

Alex was as confused by that one as anyone else.  She replied, "I'm not sure, but I don't think anyone was supposed to get hurt.  I think Santos overstepped.  Someone might have survived for all we know."

Deakins knew what she was hoping for.  If he were to be honest, he was hoping the same.  They both wanted Bobby back in one piece.  Deakins replied, "It's a long shot."

Alex's frustrated replied, "I know.  I just can't give up on him yet."

Deakins took another deep breath.  He understood her reaction, but he also knew procedure.  He understood it too.  He understood how, when it's your partner, your judgment is clouded.  He knew he should take her off the case, but he knew she wouldn't go.  She'd interfere till she was completely involved after all.  He decided to try to ask her to take herself off now and only force her off if he had to.  He finally replied, "Are you sure you can do this?"

Alex knew the meaning behind the words.  She knew he was worried about her judgment, but she wasn't about to pulled and taken out of the loop when her partner's life was at stake.  She raised her voice only slightly, "I'm not walking away, and I think you know that.  I have to find him, dead or alive.  I just.  I have to find him."

Deakins immediately knew he had been right.  He quickly smoothed things over, "I had to try."

Alex instantly softened some.  She replied, "I need to go.  I'll keep you informed."

Deakins worriedly replied, "Be careful."

Turning off her phone Alex noticed that Nikolas was still on the roof talking to a couple of the other officers.  Noticing that she was off the phone he called her over, "Detective Eames."

Alex took a deep breath before joining the two men.  Nikolas began, "They need you to authorize blood samples and evidence gathering."

Alex closed her eyes and nodded.  She replied, "Yeah, we need to get this over with."

Nikolas nodded too.  Looking over at the man beside him, he replied, "See, she's alright."

Alex rolled her eyes.  She couldn't believe people were still afraid of Goren and her, even after all these years.  Pushing it out of her mind, she focused.  She didn't have time for such trivial stuff at the moment.  She needed to find him.  She had to find him, her partner.  She watched the man walk away before asking, "Where's Carson?"

Nikolas shrugged.  With a sigh, Alex took off back down the stairs.  The young officer began following.

Alex was walking as fast as her legs would carry her.  In the parking lot, she finally saw him, Carson, the man who had been stationed to protect her partner on the other roof.  The sniper who had been put there to go ahead and take Santos out if it had come down to that.  Getting in his face Alex screamed, "What the hell happened?  You were up there to prevent something like this!  Why didn't you shoot the bastard?"

Carson was momentarily taken aback to have Alex in her face.  Wide-eyed, he stammered, "I.  I'm sorry.  I, I couldn't get a shot.  Goren was in the way."

Getting out of his face, Alex brushed her hair back.  She forced herself to keep her composure.  She couldn't melt down now, not yet.  There was too much work to do.  There was too much ground to cover.  There were too many possibilities.  Taking a deep breath, to choke back the tears that threatened her resolve, Alex lowered her voice considerably, "What did you see?  What the hell happened up there with those two?"

By the time Carson was done reiterating what happened, including Bobby losing the wire and being the one to slip on the brick.  Alex could have just about screamed of the irony of it all.  The one time Bobby wasn't faking his clumsy, bumbling guy act, he fell off a roof.  She was sure now that the stars were aligning against both herself and Bobby.  At the end, Carson caught Alex's eye.  With pain and sadness in his eyes and voice, he replied, "I'm so sorry Eames."

Once again Alex almost lost it.  Nodding she replied back, "I know.  Did you see anything else, at all?"

With a sigh he informed her, "I was positioned to be able to see.  I don't know.  I.  I'm sorry.

Alex once again held back a few tears.  Nodding she replied, "Alright.  Carson, go on.  Thanks."

Nikolas was now beside her.  He touched her arm, before breaking in, "Detective.  I know.  I know it's not my business, but.  But are you OK?"

Alex refused to turn around to face the young man, afraid that all of her pain and anxiety were that obvious on her face.  Stiffening and replacing her resolve mask, Alex replied, "No.  Not really, but there's nothing left for me to do here, and I have to be doing something right now.  Do you know anyone who knows where the local clinics are around here?  I want to make sure Bobby and Santos aren't in one."

Nikolas eagerly nodded.  He jumped on the opportunity, "I live around here.  I know where they are.  I can show you around."

Alex half smiled.  Turning around to face the officer now, she replied, "Alright Smith."

Nikolas looked confused.  He stumbled over his words, "How did you know…."

Alex gave a slight smile as she walked away towards her car.  She interrupted, "It's on your name tag.  Let's go."

Nikolas immediately followed excited by the prospect of getting some recognition and helping the detective.