Note: Due to a request, consider this officially categorized as a CD.

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Forty-five minutes later, the two detectives managed to convince Bobby to shower and get dressed. When he emerged from the bathroom Carolyn had made coffee, and judging by the expressions of the partner's faces, they weren't going to be leaving any time soon.

Bobby sighed resignedly and shuffled into the kitchen where Carolyn had a steaming cup of coffee waiting. Pulling out a kitchen stool to sit on, he stared at the detectives in a stony silence. They stubbornly stared back.

Carolyn put down her cup of coffee and broke the silence, "We're worried about you, ya know?"

"Why?" Bobby asked bitterly.

"Deakins said you missed your last two appointments," Mike commented.

"And?" Bobby retorted stubbornly.

"Departments not gunna let you back unless you pass the psych review," Carolyn said softly.

"Who says I'm coming back?"

"You're not coming back?" Mike questioned.

Bobby shrugged noncommittally.

"Why?"

Bobby turned to look at Mike, his gaze empty as he replied; "I was already the detective who was off his rocker, on the fast track to the psych ward at Bellevue. What do you think they're going to say now?"

Mike lowered his eyes to Carolyn, silently asking her to answer.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Not my fault?" Bobby angrily exclaimed, slamming down his coffee mug, the hot liquid splashing over the rim.

Mike sat up a little straighter, keeping an eye on his partner.

"You couldn't have stopped it!" Carolyn yelled back. "She wanted to be there. She wouldn't let you send her out. She knew the risks!"

"She shouldn't have been there! That bullet was meant for me! I should have been in her place!"

"How long are you going to do this to yourself? You're not the only one who lost her ya know. I know what you're going through."

Bobby gave her a blank stare, "How would you know?" He glanced bitterly at Mike. "You still have your partner."

Carolyn sighed, "Get up."

"Excuse me."

"You heard me. Get up. Mike, get his jacket."

Wordlessly, Mike got Bobby's jacket and brought it to his partner. "What are you doing?"

"Goin' for a little walk." She replied quietly, meeting his concerned eyes. "I'm going to tell him about what happened before I came here."

"You sure?"

She shrugged, "Couldn't hurt."

Mike nodded his understanding, "I'll wait for you."

Bobby silently followed Carolyn out of his apartment. The silence continued as the duo walked several blocks.

Finally Carolyn broke the silence, "Mike ever tell you why I left the Bureau?"

Bobby looked down at her in confusion.

Carolyn looped her arm through the large detectives and pulled him over to a park bench.

"I don't think it was any big secret that I didn't want a partner when I first got here."

"Nope." Bobby mumbled as he looked up at the dark thunderheads in the sky.

"Six months before I transferred here, I was working a joint sting with the DEA. I was deep undercover with the Columbians operating on the east coast…with 'em for close to two years. The taskforce had been trying for close to a year to get someone in with no success until they gave me a shot. There was going to be a big hand off of heroin going down so it was now or never for the raid. My partner Drew wanted me to beg off on the day of the raid, said he didn't want me to get hurt. Overprotective sonofabitch." She sighed, and then collected herself.

"What happened?" He asked.

"When the Feds came through the door it didn't take them long to put two and two together. It was the worst gun battle I have ever been in. When it was over we had four agents down. Drew was one of them. He was covering me. He took a bullet that was meant for me. He died on the scene." She concluded bitterly.

"I'm sorry." Bobby offered.

"When I came back to work people said a lot of things. How he died protecting a woman who shouldn't have been there…Law enforcement is no place for a woman…never to my face of course, but I still knew about it. When I came here, I thought all the rumors would follow me, and it took me a long time to let Mike in. Now that I have, I don't know what I would do without him."

For the first time since she started talking she looked at Bobby. His eyes, although still sad, no longer held the emptiness to them.

"Bobby, my point is, its not easy. It never is. I know what you guys had was special," She covered his large hand with one of her own. "It was hard enough losing Alex, please don't let us lose you too. We are all here for you."

Carolyn could see that he needed some time to process what she had just told him. Giving his hand a final squeeze she stood up, "You gunna be alright?"

"I just need some time…" He trailed off.

"Take as much time as you need." She said gently.

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