Disclaimer: Dick's, not mine.
A/N – I'm going to try to finish this up soon…like in the next day or so. I'm leaving for Albany on Sunday morning and I'll only be home on weekends for the next eight weeks. Maybe I'll get some inspiration there or something. Hah! Well, I hope this chapter comes out better than the last one. I needed something to bring Mike and Lynn closer together, but it didn't come out as good as I'd hoped. And to Boohoo650 – I almost did have her running into a mailbox. I nearly died when I read your review. Okay, enough babble – let's do this!
Six Months Later…Bobby pushed Nan in the swing at the park, listening to her laugh every time she went up in the air. She was a very bright little girl whose favorite activities involved playing airplane with Uncle Mike, finger-painting with Aunt Lynn and ripping the books out of Aunt Carolyn's hands and pointing to the characters. And, of course, turning Daddy into a human jungle gym any chance she got, which was quite often. She was looking more and more like Alex as time went by. Nan would look at the pictures that have been surrounding her since Alex died and yell ma. He didn't really know if she knew, probably not, but Alex's picture was the only person she referred to as Ma now. He was Da, Lynn and Carolyn were both Lynn, and Mike was Me. Mike got a kick out of that.
It was oddly warm for an October day, but Bobby used it as an excuse for getting out of the apartment. Work was slow, and Carolyn had found some one. She met Avery outside of the restaurant she was trying to escape from due to a very bad blind date. He helped her hail a cab and they'd been inseparable ever since. They celebrated their four-month anniversary earlier that week. It was so cute Mike and Bobby decided they were going to be ill as Carolyn gushed about him. Avery had gone through thorough questioning from both Mike and Bobby and deemed him fit enough for Carolyn after he didn't run away. In fact, Bobby, Avery and Mike had all become close, and much to Carolyn's relief Avery had no problem with her involvement with Nan.
Mike and Lynn had been going strong ever since her accident. He ended up moving in with her; she couldn't stand his place and neither could he. Lynn made him sublet it though, just in case. At work, Mike still played his charming ladies' man routine, and Lynn had a great poker face. Every time Deakins talked to them he almost forgot he knew there was something going on. But they weren't partners, so they were pretty safe.
Bobby looked at his watch – four fifteen. He had to meet Mike and Lynn for dinner in an hour. He listened to Nan's never-ending glee of being pushed by her daddy in the swing and decided another fifteen minutes wouldn't hurt. He kept pushing as a woman with another toddler walked up to them. The dark haired woman smiled as she put the child in the swing.
"I couldn't resist taking her out either. It'll be snowing again before we know it," the woman said. She swung her hair back from her face. She looked like Salma Hayek. Bobby smiled and concentrated on pushing Nan. She spoke to him again.
"I'm Nia and this is my daughter Emer. She'll be twenty months next month. How old is yours?" She pushed a giggling Emer higher.
"Oh, Nan is going to be twenty months as well. I'm Bobby by the way." Ever the gentleman, he reached his hand out to shake hers. What the hell am I doing? He had a silent panic attack She was asking him something, shit! "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."
"I asked what you do for a living? I'm a writer."
"Oh that's nice. What do you write for?"
"I do free-lancing for Vogue, Elle…you know, fashion magazines."
God did he know. It was Carolyn and Lynn's shared passion and they were dragging Nan in with them. "Um, yes. I've heard of them."
She frowned for a second. "And…you do?" She raised her eyebrow at him, a smile on her face. Oh, she was pretty. No, no, no…
"I'm, I'm a detective."
"Really? That must be hard on your wife, taking care of the little one while you're out chasing the bad guys. She must be a saint." She controlled Emer's swing so it stopped going so high, much to Emer's dismay. She didn't see the pained look on Bobby's face.
"Uh. Yeah. No, my wife was a detective as well." He looked at his watch again and then looked down at Nan peering over at Emer. She was still a little leery of any children that she didn't know as her cousins. Shy like her father, his mother has said.
Nia caught the hitch in Bobby's throat. "Was?" Bobby nodded. He slowed Nan's swing down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I'll stop being so nosy. It's just rare that you get a bona fide parent here and not a nanny or a super-mommy."
Bobby looked up at her. "Super-mommy?" She laughed and nodded her head.
"Yes, the super-mommies. They are perfect in every way. And I mean every way. Their children are perfect, the schools their kids go to are perfect, and their marriages are perfect. Everything is just perfect. Although, the song "Mommy's Little Helper" springs to mind describing them to you."
Bobby laughed. "I get it." He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry about before. My wife…she died on a case. It's still kind of tough."
"Well I can't say I understand. My husband left me after he found out I was pregnant. Didn't come to see her after she was born, no child support, nothing. I'm glad though. I don't have to share her with anyone but my mom." She half-smiled.
Bobby could sense the bitterness in her voice. Once again he checked his watch. Shit, he was going to be late. "Listen, I hate to run but I was meeting friends for dinner and I've got ten minutes to get her home and cleaned up. And I'll still be late. I did enjoy talking to you, though." He shook her hand again and pulled Nan out of her swing.
"Well, I'm sorry to have kept you. You're a good listener. Must be that detective work." She cringed inwardly. Oh god, that was lame. "I'm in the phone book if you want to know more about the super-mommies. Delaney." She winked at him in a conspiratorial way.
Bobby laughed. "Thanks. See you around." He put Nan in her stroller and started walking back to the apartment. That wasn't so bad. What was he thinking? It's only been six months.
"Da? Me! Me! Me! Me!" Nan bounced in her stroller seat and pointed. Bobby followed her outstretched finger. Mike was, indeed, walking towards them.
"What's going on, little girl?" He bent in front of the stroller to give her a kiss and then stood up and walked the rest of the way back to Bobby's apartment with him. "Where have you been? We've been waiting forever."
"I'm sorry. I took her to the park because it was so warm and I got caught up talking to a woman who was swinging her daughter next to me."
"Oooh. What'd you talk about?" Mike nudged him.
"Nannies and super-mommies, her husband leaving her alone and pregnant, and Alex getting killed. It was good times," Bobby responded sarcastically.
"Just kidding. Sorry." Bobby wouldn't do anything to him in front of Nan. "Was she cute?"
He glared at him. Then he sighed. "Yes. Her name is Nia and she looks like Salma Hayek. Her daughter Emer is the same age as Nan." He looked down at Nan who was clapping her hands at the sound of her name. They reached the apartment and took the elevator up to Bobby's floor where they were greeted with a very annoyed Lynn.
"Where were you? You said you'd be home!" She punched Bobby in the arm and caught the baby as she ran over to her. "Hi, baby girl!"
"Lynn, Lynn, Me, Me, Da, Da," Nan sang to herself as Lynn put her back down again.
"I just have to change her and we'll be on our way. Are Avery and Carolyn joining us or not?" Bobby grabbed Nan and took her to the bathroom to change her pull-up pants. No accidents, he thought to himself. This kid was too easy; he dreaded her teen years already.
"No, they have plans with Carolyn's sister so…" Lynn trailed off. "Well let's go!" Lynn picked up Nan before Mike could get to her and they all left the apartment.
Carolyn and Mike – On The Phone Later That Night…"…So, he seemed to like her, but you know how he is." Mike sank down into his couch, Lynn immediately cozying up to him with her book.
Carolyn paced in her kitchen ten blocks away. "Yeah, but it's only been six months. I'm not saying he shouldn't try, but don't make it seem like he must find some one and it must be now." Avery gave her a confused look from the living room. "Bobby met a woman in the park and she told him to call her," she stage whispered to him. Avery nodded and went back to his program. "I wasn't talking to you I was talking to Avery. Oh shut up."
"Well maybe some one should learn to not to talk to other people while she's on the phone. Anyway, I'm not trying to make it seem like he must find some one now. But we should let him know – looking is okay. Getting back into the game is okay. Find some one Alex would have liked to get to know, had circumstances between them been different."
Carolyn got quiet, thinking of her friend. "Yeah…I get what you mean." She leaned against the wall and exhaled slowly. "Mike, I'm still having the dreams. They're not as bad but still…"
Mike looked down at Lynn who had fallen asleep in his lap. "Have you told Avery about them?"
"No." Carolyn whispered. "I don't want to worry him." Carolyn peeked around the corner into the living room. Avery was passed out on her couch. "I'm going to go, Mike. Talk to Bobby."
"Uh-uh. You talk to him. He'll listen to you. He'll think I'm being a dog. Good night." He hung up his phone and tried to think of the best possible way to get Lynn off of him without waking her up.
Carolyn's Apartment…Carolyn sat next to Alex on a bench in the park, snow falling softly around them. Alex was catching snowflakes on her tongue. "Alex? I don't know." Carolyn looked at Alex, who seemed to not know she was there. "Alex, can you hear me?" Some one was walking towards them. Alex stopped to watch them walk past the bench, tongue still stuck in snowflake catching position. It was Bobby and Salma Hayek. They kept on walking, hand in hand down the path. Carolyn could feel her face turn red in shame.
"Well. How long has he been seeing Salma Hayek?" Alex grinned at Carolyn.
"Alex, I'm sorry." She put her head in her hands and cried.
"It's all right. I just don't think Salma Hayek will make him happy. Anyone but Salma Hayek." Alex rubbed Carolyn's back.
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah. It's okay though. I have to go. Thank you." Alex stood to leave.
"Where are you going?" Carolyn grabbed Alex's sleeve.
"You did good." Alex looked behind her, impatient to go. "I have to go now." Alex kissed her friend on the cheek and walked away down the path. Carolyn sat on the bench a little while longer, until Alex was a dot on the path. The alarm went off. Seven AM. Carolyn was in the shower when it dawned on her – there would be no more Alex dreams. She smiled a sad smile and rinsed the conditioner out of her hair.
A/N- Well, got this is in just in time, now I have to leave...this isn't over yet...Note to The Confused One - it's about damn time! Also, I wanted to post this before I left town so it's not proofread or anything - very sorry about that. Thanks for reading!
