This chapter is dedicated to Bean02, Darcy Brandon and I.Alder. Thanks, you guys totally rock. Again, this is rpg-based, so many of these ideas are not my own, but used with permission from my fellow players, who are awesome. Thanks again guys. Anyway, enjoy.


Part 2

Five days earlier

He quickly picked up the phone almost as soon as it rang. "Goren."

"Hi," the voice on the other end, automatically recognized as his partner's, said in an annoyed tone, "Where are you?"

"On my way to the Sag Harbor hospital…" Bobby replied and hesitated slightly, "To talk to Carver. Where are you?"

"I just got off the phone with Barek," she stated, "Wondering why my partner never called to tell me he was going to Sag Harbor to talk to Carver."

"I was going to call you.."

She sighed, "When, Bobby? When you were all done and finished everything?"

"Alex," he started, "I was going to call you."

"Bobby, I'm your partner."

"I know!" he said quickly, "I was going to call, I need to do this alone. She.. she could be there."

There was a small silent pause on the other end of the phone. "I'm still your partner. You need to be professional about this."

"I am being professional!" Bobby sighed deeply. "I'm.. I'm not risking you here."

"Not going to risk me.. Bobby, you can't do this. This is my job. This isn't the first time in this case that you've kept me out of the loop, I need to be there doing my job. We can't keep going like this."

"This..this isn't… Alex, please trust me."

There was another pause before she spoke softly, "I do trust you, Bobby. I need to know what's going on. You know that nothing can change between us. You can't protect me like this, it has to be normal again."

"Normal?" Bobby repeated, "Nothing about this is normal. I have to do this on my own."

"Would you say this if we weren't sleeping together?" she asked, starting to sound frustrated.

"Yes," Bobby said, almost without hesitation.

"…I'll see you there." Her voice was replaced by silence.

Bobby quickly looked down at his phone to call her back.

"What?"

"Listen to me, don't come."

"I said I'll meet you there, Bobby…"

"No Alex," he said in a very serious tone, "I'm telling you not to come."

"What did we just talk about, you can't be protecting me. This is different than it's even been before."

"You're right," Bobby replied quickly, "You're..you're right. It is different. And what did I say, even if.. if our relationship was different, I would do the same thing. It's Nicole Wallace, Alex."

She sighed a little, "And we've faced her before – together, Bobby. Just like this."

Despite that he knew she couldn't see, he shook his head in response at first. "No. Not like this. She's never kidnapped.. any of us, she's never killed-…" Bobby trained off for a moment. "I need to do this alone. If she's there, she'll want me. I'm not risking anyone else to deal with my mess."

There was another pause. Finally, Alex added softly, "I'm not risking you either. I'll meet you there."

The phone was silenced again. Bobby sighed, tossing it in the seat next to him and gripping the steering wheel. His hands were sweating. He didn't want to go. But he had to. There were too many things on his shoulders. Too many people involved.

As always, Nicole knew what she was doing, and Bobby hated not knowing what her next step was. She knew that too. It always ran the same way, Bobby always had the upper hand because he could look into a perp's head, walk in their shows and know exactly where they would go and what they would do next.

Nicole Wallace was one of the few who could turn it all around. She could slip through his defenses and blindside him easily. But their striking similarity was what scared him the most. It was as if Bobby was fighting against a darker version of himself, or what he could have – or could – become.

That scared him. And she knew.


"Wake up…" she whispered into his ear.

He wanted to sleep…only sleep. But her voice was persistent and wouldn't let him. Her hand brushed back through his hair gently, "That's it, open your eyes…"

No..he didn't want to. She touched the side of his face with her hand. He tried to move his head away, but it took so much effort. She laughed softly.

That laugh…it made him feel so cold, as if it carried evil in itself. Just as everything about her did. He could feel the danger lurking beside him. He had to get away. Trying to lift his arm, he found that he couldn't. Neither arm would move.

Fear.

Danger.

Panic.

He shed off the sleep haze and opened his eyes, struggling with both arms. His vision wouldn't focus, he couldn't see. Only hear her voice.

"Ah..good morning."

Slowly, her face came into his view. She smiled at him – a horrible smile of hidden evil.

Chair..he was tied to a chair. Tied…to a chair… Couldn't get away.

There was a sharp pain in his arm. Slowly, he looked over. Blood, needle… Why? Why were they taking his blood?

He struggled to speak, looking up at her, "Wha-.. what… what are.. are you…doing?"

Smiling, she stroked his face with the back of her hand, "Leaving a message for your little friends, of course. They'll be looking for you."

He pulled away with a disgusted look. She frowned and stood up. "Very well…if that's the way it is."

As he watched her, he felt as if he was in a fog. Lost in a fog. He couldn't make his mind work – he couldn't think or act. Only watch. Only watch as she held out her hand to her assistant for the gun that he carried.

His heart beat faster. Danger. Panic. "No…" he whispered.

She smiled at him gently, "I am sorry my dear, truly I am. There is no other way. But it will be over soon."

No! He tried to get away, pulling at the restraints on the chair. They wouldn't give – he couldn't move. Couldn't get away. Trapped.

She aimed the gun.

Swallowing hard, he watched her helplessly.

The hammer made a familiar click as she pulled it back.

No… No..don't. Please don't. He begged her in his head – with his eyes, until he couldn't look at her anymore. Squeezing his eyes shut, his thoughts rested with only one thing. One person. What if…he never came back. If he never saw her again. If he could never tell her…

"I'm sorry, my dear Bobby," she said with almost the smallest hint of sympathy.

He had long since forgotten she was there. She was out of his mind. Only…

Alex…

The gun went off.