"She did what?" Mike Logan exclaimed. "Has she lost her mind? She's been hanging around you too long."
"I have no idea what she's thinking. All she'll say is she wants to meet her."
Logan looked into his drink. "Tell me something, Bobby."
"What?"
"What happened between the two of you out there?"
Goren sighed. "We talked mostly."
"And when you weren't talking?"
Goren was silent, but Logan noticed the far-off look in his eyes. He smacked Goren's shoulder. "You slept with her!"
"Well...technically...but we never had sex."
"Why the hell not? You weren't with Eames then."
"She...refused to go that far...not until after I'd tried working things out with Eames."
"If she hadn't refused, would you have?"
"Yeah, I would have. I just...I wanted to stop hurting."
"And that would have stopped the pain?"
"For awhile."
Logan finished his drink and then signaled for another. "I know you love Alex and all you want is to be with her. But this other woman...you're attracted to her?" Hesitantly, he nodded. "You still think about her?"
"I can't help it."
"If you had a chance...?"
"I don't want a chance."
"But if one presented itself...what would you do?"
"Uh...shoot myself."
"You know, all that talk is fine and dandy when she's two thousand miles away. But when she's in front of you, and it's all right there..."
Goren looked down at his hands. He downed his drink. "I love Alex," he muttered.
"Be square with me, man. Do you love Emily?"
"How can I answer that? I don't know her well enough to answer you, Mike. Could I love her? Yeah, I think I could. Do I? I don't see how I can."
"But the attraction's there."
Goren shifted nervously. "Yeah, the attraction's there," he sighed. God, was it ever...
"Does Alex know how you feel? About her and about Emily?"
"She knows I love her, and she trusts me. Emily...has class. She wouldn't put me in that position."
"So what are you worried about?"
"I...don't know. I just...am."
"Chill out, man. If these women love you, they're not going to do anything to hurt you. They won't put you in that position." He shook his head. "Shit, Goren. I wish I had your problems."
"No, Mike. You don't."
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"You don't know me! How can you make those assumptions!"
The suspect got to her feet, furious and bordering on hysterical. Eames remained calm. "If I'm wrong, Helene, just tell us where you were the night of the 24th. We'll check out your alibi and if it's legitimate, we'll leave you alone."
Then Goren started in on her. Eames watched as he came in for the kill, and the suspect snapped. She hurled herself right at Eames, which neither she nor Goren expected. Eames threw herself back just in time to avoid the woman's grasp, and Helene never got any further. Goren was right there, restraining her and waiting for the uniforms to come through the door to take her away. They dragged her, screaming and threatening, from the room. Carver was pleased and so was Deakins.
Goren stood at the door, watching them drag her down the hall, followed by Carver. Deakins headed back for his office.Then he turned back into the room. She was a little shaken, he could tell. That had been unexpected. He walked over to her and tipped his head down to see her face. "Hey...you ok?"
Eames nodded. "She just...surprised me."
"Me, too."
She met his eyes. "Thanks."
"Come on, Eames. I'll treat you to lunch. The paperwork can wait for an hour or so."
She smiled and he touched her shoulder. A simple gesture, reassuring, very...him. She got up as he headed for the door, opening it and letting her pass into the hall before him, his hand resting lightly against the small of her back. They headed for the elevators.
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She ate her sandwich in silence, knowing he was watching her. She wasn't surprised when he reached across the table, touching the back of her hand with a finger. She slid her hand into his. "Are you sure you're ok, Eames?"
"Yes, Bobby. I'm fine."
"Look at me and say that."
She lifted her eyes to meet his and she gave him a smile. "I'm fine."
"It's not the suspect, is it?"
"I got over that by the time we left the interrogation room."
"Then what is it?"
"It's nothing I want to talk about right now, ok?"
The truth of the matter was she had talked to Emily last night. The conversation had not been about him at all. It was something else entirely...something that left her feeling...she wasn't even sure how she felt. Maybe after Emily arrived the next week she would have a better idea of how she felt and what it really meant to her...and to him. But she couldn't help that it troubled her. She found herself anxiously awaiting Emily's arrival. She had been talking to the Texas prosecutor frequently over the past three weeks and she found herself really liking her. She was funny and spontaneous. She had a way of lightening any mood and Eames found that she understood her partner's attraction to her. It was really hard not to like Emily, and she was just his type.
She was actually surprised when she began talking to Emily and their conversations had nothing to do with Bobby. She talked about her nephew and listened to Emily discuss her three-year-old niece, to whom she was devoted. One night they had talked for three hours about nothing at all. And they did talk about Bobby, which she knew he'd been afraid they would do. If only he knew...
He watched her and wondered where she was, lost in her thoughts. He gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, but he didn't intrude. He let her mind wander. She certainly left him to his thoughts enough times. He contented himself with watching her finish her food and dwell on whatever was occupying her mind. He never minded watching her. In fact earlier that morning he'd woken forty-five minutes before the alarm and he'd spent the time just watching her sleep. It had been the most peaceful forty-five minutes he'd spent in a long time. He'd switched off the alarm before it rang and woken her in his own way. He smiled at the memory.
"What are you grinning at?" she asked, bringing her mind back to the present.
Softly, he said, "I love you."
She smiled. "Where did that come from?"
"From my heart," he responded.
She squeezed his hand. "I love you, too, Bobby."
He sighed softly. "We'd better get back. The paperwork will wait, but I doubt Deakins will."
She laughed and finished her coffee. "You're right about that."
Sliding out of the booth before he did, she moved over to him and lightly kissed him before he stood up. "Thanks, Bobby."
"For what?"
"Just...for being there."
"I'll always be there, Eames. You'll never have to look for me."
She laughed softly as they headed for the cash register. "You're a hard one to miss, Goren."
Smiling, he pulled out his wallet. She waited while he returned to the table to leave a tip and they headed back to the squadroom.
