With Margaritas: Ch. 2
By: The Confused One
A/N: Sorry, it's taken so long for this chapter, but I hope it was worth the wait. The next chapter will be much faster. I promise. LOL I plan to have it up in a week, max.
Alex watched as Bobby returned to their table. Wordlessly offering Alex her margarita, Alex took the drink gratefully. She refused to meet his eyes. She knew what was coming.
Bobby watched his partner as he sat down. Sipping his margarita, he hesitantly asked, "I get the feeling you were mad at me earlier."
Taking a sip of her drink Alex shrugged. This wasn't really a conversation she wanted to have. Watching the look on his face, she sighed. He wasn't going to let this go. She was actually kind of silently pleased. He cared enough to push and make a big deal. They hadn't talked much about anything but work since she had confessed some of her secrets to him a few weeks ago. She had begun to wonder if it had been a fluke. She finally relented, "More like distressed."
Bobby was a bit relieved. Distressed was better than angry. He could work with distressed. He tried to explain, "She needed a push. She needed to a reason to turn on Atwood."
Alex understood what he was saying. Really, she did. With a shake of her head, she voiced her concern, "It was just a bit cruel Goren."
Bobby looked down at the table for a moment. A part of him knew she was right. Looking back up, he watched her take another sip of her drink. He tried again to explain, "She had to see how little he cared about her."
Looking away, Alex simply replied, "I know."
Bobby was actually felt a little bit of frustration coming on. She was not making this easy. He finally commented, "It turned Gia and got us Atwood didn't it?"
Alex hated to admit it but it did work. She sighed and agreed, "Yeah. It did."
Satisfied, Bobby nodded and continued, "I never. I don't like the idea of you being uncomfortable, but I'm not going to apologize for getting results."
Alex almost spit out her drink. There was a hint of arrogance in that statement that she didn't like one bit. She angrily fired back, "That's just it. There are lines Goren."
Bobby took a deep breath. Gulping most of his margarita, he looked back at the table and lowered his voice, "I know."
Watching him, Alex almost felt guilty. Her last statement had come out with more venom than she had meant. She also didn't like seeing anyone drink a margarita that fast, especially not her partner. She tried to sooth her wounded partner slightly, "I'm just not sure how close to the line I'm comfortable with."
Bobby felt like he knew what was coming next. It was what usually happened by about this point. Taking a deep breath, he tried to make it easier on her, "I'm sorry. If you're uncomfortable…"
Alex put her hand up to stop him. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say. Despite the letter she had written, she wasn't sure she was ready to bail. Their partnership showed promise. She smiled slightly for effect and explained, "I never said I couldn't live with what you did with her. Sometimes it's necessary."
There was a certain amount of relief and even hope that came over Bobby. He almost smiled and agreed, "Yeah. Sometimes."
Alex sipped her drink and cracked, "But can we please try to avoid towing that line often?"
Bobby smiled and easily agreed, "Yeah. I promise."
With that over, Alex nodded. She decided to change the subject. She curiously asked, "By the way, you never really told me who the guy with the tattoos was."
Bobby smiled slightly. He explained, "He's an old friend. I really figured you wouldn't want to meet him."
Alex was confused by the comment. She decided to ignore it. She couldn't help but tease Bobby a little, "I'm always curious about people you know. You're not easy to figure out or get to know."
Bobby nodded in understanding. He was beginning to think that keeping her out of the loop and away from Anton was a mistake. He started to try to justify his actions, "I'm sorry. I…"
Before Bobby could go any further Alex interrupted, "Its fine. I'm not mad, and I'm not asking for your life story now or ever. I just… I spilled my guts to you once already, but I still know nothing about you. I want to make sure you know that you understand that you can come to me. You can talk to me. I will listen."
He knew she didn't know what she was getting into. He tried to graciously decline, "I appreciate your offer, but you don't want to hear about my life."
Alex was a little taken aback. Somehow he didn't think he was good enough. Sipping at her margarita again, she insisted, "I do mean it."
Something in her voice told him it was true. She did mean it, and he did appreciate the gesture. He just definitely wasn't ready to open up, period. After a long moment he answered, "Thank you."
Alex sighed. She had a feeling she was beating her head against a brick wall. Finishing her margarita, she had the feeling they were going to be doing this some more. She also had the feeling she was going to be spending a lot of time trying to keep him in line. She smiled. Somehow that prospect didn't seem so bad. There was sweetness about him when they were alone that Alex appreciated and liked. He was like a big teddy bear that only seemed scary from the outside. Once you got close you realized there was nothing to fear. There was something that told her she could handle him. She just had to get in sync with him and try. Pulling out a ten, she assured him, "I promise I won't judge, and I won't push. I just want to make sure you know I'm here. You can trust me."
Listening to her speak, Bobby knew she was right. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he understood that he knew. He felt it. It seemed to him to be, instinctual. It made him fear pushing her away too hard and losing her. He knew, of all the partners he had had, he didn't want to lose her. He finally truly accepted her offer, "Thank you."
Feeling that she had gotten all she was going to get from him, Alex changed the subject, again, "You paid last time, so I don't want any arguments about me paying you back this time."
Bobby just nodded. Handing him the money, Alex stood up. She explained, "It's been a long day, and I think we could both use some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."
Bobby stood too. He agreed, "Night Eames."
Walking out the door, she smiled and called back, "Night Goren."
