New Orleans: Chapter 2

By: The Confused One

A/N: Due to requests that this story be continued, we have a chapter two. LOL Enjoy and please don't hate me for how I end it. Thank you and please review.

Sitting at his desk, Bobby stared at the report in front of him. He desperately tried not to think about the night before. He carefully avoided looking up and at her. He had been evading her gaze and speaking to her since they had boarded the plane, and he wasn't sure how long he was going to be able to keep it up. He wasn't sure what they were going to do. He was wracked with the very feelings he had been suppressing for a long time. He wasn't sure what to do with them. He was urgently trying to let it go, trying to be like Alex.

Alex closed her eyes and sighed. She knew he didn't know what to say to her anymore. She had gotten him all flummoxed and pushed him to look at feelings they had both been trying to ignore. She could literally feel how tense he was. She knew they couldn't go on like this. She was getting worried and starting to fear that she had made a mistake by pushing him like she did. She was starting to worry that he wasn't going to be able to separate his feelings anymore. Looking up at him, she sighed again. She could tell he was conspicuously avoiding looking at her, with his nose buried in a report. Having had enough, she said his name. She was relieved when he finally looked at her. She responded, "We need to talk. Follow me."

Bobby took a deep breath and did as he was told. He silently followed her into an empty interview room. He tried to speak first, "I'm sorry…"

Alex put her hand up to stop him. She shook her head and tried to keep her voice and emotions in check. This wasn't going to be easy for her. She explained, "No. This is my fault. I pushed when I shouldn't have. I started this and then expected everything to go right back to the way they were before. It wasn't fair to you. I'm not sorry it happened, but we need to find a way to get past it."

Thoroughly confused, Bobby didn't understand her attitude at all, but he tried to explain his feelings, "It just. It got things all confused for me, in my head."

Alex chuckled bitterly. She finally responded, "Of course it did. I should have known it would. I know how you feel about me, because I feel it too, but things are better the way they have been. It has to be this way."

Bobby eyed her carefully. He finally had to ask the question, "How are you OK with this?"

Alex sighed. She resisted the urge to touch his hand or cheek. She lowered her voice, and whispered, "Because I love you, and this is what you need from me. I can't be selfish about it."

Thrown, Bobby was only able to look at her for a moment. He tried to find the words. He got out her name and then fell short. His brain was going a million miles a minute by now.

Alex swallowed hard. She tried to explain further, "It's OK. I…came to this conclusion months ago. Now, you have to."

Bobby still could only stare for a moment. Finally meeting her eyes, he tried again, "We could make it work, if we wanted to. I'm not incapable of, working with someone else."

Alex shook her head. Desperately holding onto her composure, she insisted, "It would take a very long time for you to find someone you could truly work with again. There are too many small minds out there who could never understand you. I could never put you through that."

Bobby finally looked away and sighed. He responded, wistfully, "I'd gladly give it up…"

Alex refused to hear the words. It would only make it harder, and she loved him too much to wish he could or would change anything about himself. She instantly interrupted, "Don't say that. Your mind is perfect. I'd never want you any different. This is what you were meant to do Bobby, and you need someone who understands you and can follow you. Don't make this harder, please. We just need to, accept it, find our rhythm again, and move on."

Bobby couldn't help but be amazed at her sometimes. This was one of those times. He knew he might never understand why she was so insistent, but he knew he was going to have to accept it and bury his feelings again. She was making that much crystal clear. If it had been anyone else it would have felt like rejection. It would have hurt like rejection too, but this was Alex, and somehow, knowing she was still with him at work kept any pain to a minimum. He finally asked, "I'm not going to be able to say anything to change your mind, am I?"

Alex shook her head. Shakily, she replied, "No. Our relationship is set, and I'm not going to let it change. It's too important to me. Neither of us can let anything happen again. We should. We need to get back to work."

Bobby nodded slowly. He followed her back to their desks and was at a loss. He did the only thing he knew to do. He went back to his report and hoped to ease back to where they were before New Orleans.