We know we said we were going to wait till after the holiday weekend butwe figured what heck...we might as well post.

Chapter 12

"It's going to be hard to explain this one away," Alex said as they watched the CSU technicians take pictures of her apartment. The forensics experts were literally crawling all over her small apartment looking for anything that would give a clue as to who this guy is. Sofa fibers, shredded clothing, uneaten pizza and box, half-drunk beer, picked locks, carpet footprints… it was all being printed, taped, photographed, examined. It would be a miracle if anything showed up, except maybe DNA in the beer. The guy was too careful. But he had made a mistake before, maybe he would this time as well. The only thing they had found so far was a fingerprint in some pizza sauce residue on the entry door. They both felt that had been left intentionally. It was too obvious, too careless for this Man. He was playing with them again.

"He's definitely taken back control," Bobby said quietly.

"And probably just cost us our jobs," she whispered back to him.

"I'm sorry," Bobby said rubbing his neck, head bent down. "I never wanted it to come to this. I never wanted this to hurt your career. I'm sorry, Alex."

"I'm not. It's us first, remember. We are not our jobs. I won't apologize for having fallen in love with you. I'm sorry that this guy is using that against us and our friends and colleagues, but I'm not sorry for us and I will not apologize for it. Not to you, not to anyone. I hope you feel the same." Alex was angry and frustrated, but she was clear in her thinking. She had come to grips with whatever guilt she felt, and knew where to place her guilt and anger--squarely on the person who was responsible, not on herself or Bobby. She was determined not to let the circumstances that surrounded them darken what they had between them. It was their one shining place in their lives and work. She would keep that light burning. No matter what was thrown at them.

Bobby looked at her in surprise, a new understanding dawning on him. As much of a thinker as he was, he hadn't thought about it like that. Certainly the circumstances were far from ideal, but in the end, they were together as they were meant to be. There were no regrets. "No, I'm not sorry for us either. The circumstances yes, the outcome possibly, but not the reasons, not the life we have with each other," he gave her a brief smile knowing that this too they would get through, intact. "How do you think the Captain will take it?" Bobby wondered aloud, concerned and curious, but not fearful.

"I foresee new partners and a lot of desk duty in the future. That is, if we still have jobs." Alex was managing to even be snarky in this situation. Clearly this was a sign that she was sure about where she belonged and how she felt. Everything else would be dealt with as it came.

Her confidence in their relationship got him refocused on the situation at hand. "I underestimated this guy, Alex," Bobby sighed as he looked around the room.

Following his gaze she replied grimly, "We all did."

As soon as they entered the squad room Deakins was out of his office and face to face with his two detectives. "My office now!" he demanded in a hushed tone. Once they were inside he closed the door behind them. "What the hell you two were thinking?"

"Captain…"

"Don't 'Captain' me. There is nothing I can do for you here. There is going to be an investigation. Nothing I can say or do will stop it. No amount of perceived 'greatness' will make any difference here. You broke one of the biggest rules that we have within the department. I've trusted you a long time to not cross that line, and now… geez guys?" Deakins quieted his voice and looked down at his papers. He took a deep breath and brought his head back up. "As of right now, the two of you are off the case and on desk duty. More than likely you'll also have new partners when this is over, if you still have jobs that is." Deakin's voice sounded truly pained.

"Taking us off the case now will only fuel this guy's need to control. He'll retaliate,"

Bobby predicted.

"Should have thought of that before you went and did what you did," spat Deakins.

"We didn't plan this," retorted Alex, angry at the situation, more than anything else right then. Unsure what to say to make the situation better, she let it drop.

"No one ever does," sighed Deakins. "Go back to your desks. IAB will be here soon to take your statements."

They quietly left his office and went back to their desks.

2 Days Later

The IAB interviews had been grueling, and personal, and embarrassing. It was awful to recount how the main perpetrator to the mass killings of cops had entered Alex's apartment, hung around there destroying both male and female clothing and eating dinner, unbeknownst to them while they were also in the apartment. What were you doing Detective? How could you not have heard anything Detective? Where was your gun Detective? How long were you unaware or unavailable Detective? The humiliation was overwhelming. To add insult to injury, during the last two days they only saw each other at the precinct. Alex stayed with Carolyn since her apartment was no longer considered safe, and Bobby stayed at his place with Logan crashed on the couch. Logan and Barek seemed to be their only two remaining friends. There were no lunches, no coffees, no private conversations in the conference rooms. Nothing. They were treated as pariahs by others in the squad. The lack of information forthcoming from IAB had caused the press to create an entire Machiavellian subplot to their removal from the case. Every where they went, their neighbors, colleagues, friends, even family weren't sure what to think, or to say. It was killing them not to be able to spend time together outside the job. Even when they were alone at their desks, they spoke very little to each other. It was obvious the whole ordeal was putting a strain on them. Their reputations in tatters, their jobs dangling by a very loose thread, at least she was confident that they still had each other. She could tell by the way Bobby looked at her in unguarded moments. Yes, they were still mostly undamaged even if everything else of their world was in broken remains.

They were sitting at their desks when Deakins approached. "Our man has killed again but this time he upped the ante. He went and killed a Captain at the 3-8. Same M.O., no shell casings and a note that said if you weren't put back on the case immediately he'd kill two cops for every day you are kept off the case. And by the way, just in case we didn't think it was personal enough, he addressed the letter to both 'Alex and Sherlock.' He signed it Moriarty. I guess this is what you meant when you thought there would be retaliation, Bobby."

"Captain, we had no way of knowing…" Bobby's voice trailed off when Deakins held his hand up. Alex just looked sick.

"The Brass is putting you two back on the case. The department can't afford for this to get even more out of control. This guy obviously has it in for you two with the best case in point just being delivered to us in the form of a dead captain. I just need to know you two will put your personal relationship on hold until this case is completed and we know what is coming next."

"There's no question. We understand," replied Bobby. Alex nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, get to work. You are expected at the scene, so you might as well head over there," Deakins returned to his office, his head hanging down dejectedly.

"Well he didn't wait long," said Alex.

"He waited longer than I thought he would."

"At least he didn't call me 'Holmes',"

TBC…..Tell us what you think!