I've written this based on all the wonderful reviews that I received from so many wonderful and kind people. You guys are amazing and I appreciate the time and effort you took and leaving a comment for me to read. It made my day in more ways that you could actually imagine. I'm not sure about this so I do appologise for any character flaws on my part.

The alcohol is actually written in on purpose and I know that she wouldn't normally turn to it because of her Aunt, however take it from someone who doesn't touch the stuff I know that in times of absolutely need and hurt, you do.

Everyday Is A Winding Road

Chapter Two: The Long Road to Recovery

The room was dimly lit and she was sat on a chair with her head in her hands, using her elbows and knees to give her head support. The tears had long since stopped and all that could be heard was muffled breathing and the ticking of the clock. She could have made herself believe she was alone but she knew that wasn't true.

He had not left yet.

"I'm gonna make you deal here." He spoke in that deep voice that practically echoed inside the still and quiet room. Alex looked up at Mike and she shot him a look of curiosity. "I won't tell a soul about you and what happened tonight if, and I stress if you speak to your partner about it."

"Just exactly what makes that a deal? Why would you tell anyone?" Her voice, barely audible, was strained from yelling and crying.

"I should tell someone, I wouldn't exactly say you're fit for active duty, would you?" Mike replied and kept his gaze on her as she slowly nodded her head and looked down at the floor. "So what do you say? Deal?" She didn't answer, she seemed to be pondering it and Mike stood up from his position opposite her and pulled up a chair next to her. She looked at him and gave him a small, sad smile and she nodded once. He nodded his agreement and then put his hand on her arm to say goodbye, he didn't really feel the need to speak.

And neither did she. She watched him leave and then put her head back in her hands and allowed the tears to fall once more as the anxiety at having to speak to Bobby Goren about it began to grip her.

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Next morning she arrived to work slightly late from lack of sleep and it was evident in the way she looked and the way she had dressed. Bobby looked up from his desk as she walked into the squadroom, he took in her appearance and his worry about her grew tenfold. He was worried how she was keeping it all bottled in and that she wouldn't let him help, she was barely talking to him, which is why he was surprised when she suddenly spoke to him. "Bobby, could we please go somewhere to talk?"

Bobby nodded, stood up and followed her out of the room. They never said a word in the elevator or on the streets, the next time she spoke they were at a table drinking coffee in the nearby Cafe.. "I'm sorry." it was all she said. She just picked up her coffee and drank the whole cup.

Bobby couldn't understand what she was appologising for, she had nothing to be sorry about in his eyes. "Eames, are you alright?" Bobby asked, for what could possibly have been the hundreth time he had said it since she had returned. A waitress came by and filled up her cup. She nodded her thanks and then glared at her partner.

"No, stop asking me that. No, I'm not." Bobby was taken back by her sudden honesty, he hadn't expected it. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry." She stood up. "This was a stupid idea, we should get back. Ross will be waiting for us." She started to walk out when Bobby held her arm to hold her back.

"Eames, w-whatever you want to say, please say it." She looked at his face and realised that she'd started it so she must finish it. She sat back down on the seat and sighed, heavily.

She closed her eyes for a moment and then when she opened them Bobby was still looking at her with that intense stare that he has that makes anyone just stop and explain. "I don't blame you. I don't. I ..." His gazed shifted towards the table and then back at her. Fresh tears were forming in her eyes as she tried to find the right words. It seemed easier when she was yelling about it. "It's just that I, well, I can't seem to..." Her head lowered and she began staring at the pattern tiles of the coffee shop.

"You're angry that you were taken because of me." He spoke softly and slowly. She quickly shot her head up from looking at the floor. She looked at him questioningly "I can tell." Of course he could, she should've known that he would've seen it before her. "I - I would be ... too." He paused and watched her as a full range of emotions fluttered across her face and he felt a strong urge to hold her. This wasn't the Alex Eames he had been partnered with, she wasn't herself right now and he also knew that something else was bothering her.

She remained silent, sitting, looking at her coffee. The coffee was going cold as she stared at it. "I don't want to be mad at you." She spoke quietly, too quiet because Bobby had to repeat the words in his head before he realised what she had said. He felt a pang of regret and it hurt, he turned away from her andhis mind began to race as her words impacted him. She was shaking her head, "I don't blame you, Bobby. I said that before and I do mean that. See, I don't ... I don't really understand who I blame and where I..." She suddenly looked up at him with a renewed sense of confidence. "This isn't me." She quickly wiped the tears from her face, the few that had fallen. "I'm sorry, I just had to tell you because I don't want this to come between our partnership or our friendship."

"Eames, it won't. Please let me help you." He wanted to plead with her as he felt her pushing away again, he didn't want her to do that but he did find it ironic that she was doing the same thing he usually does.

"I swear to God, Bobby, you had better not be suggesting a Shrink." Bobby felt grateful for the slight return of the Eames he knew. Bobby gave a small smile and nodded in response. "No." That was her reply and she looked at him with defiant eyes. "I don't want to talk about this with a stranger that barely knows me but wants to know all about me."

"I-It could help you, it could help us." He paused and then explained, "We're partners and I think we need this."

"You want to go with me?" She asked, incredulously. He didn't really reply which she figured meant that was what he had suggested. "Look, I don't want to go at all." She looked around the coffee shop, which was getting busier the more they sat there. "I know this is going to sound a little strange but I'd rather talk to you."

"That isn't really a good idea, the anger that you have is not just towards you're - you're kidnapper, it's also aimed at me and probably yourself. You need to t-talk to someone who isn't involved. They have shrinks within the NYPD..." Bobby was talking a mile-a-minute with his hands moving with his words as he spoke and Alex held up her hand to get him to stop.

"No, see, I'd rather talk to you."

"What if I took you to your counselling sessions and waited for you?" Bobby asked and Alex couldn't help but wonder if he was trying his luck or trying her patience. She definitely knew he was pulling at straws, she was never going to agree to that. "Alright, we'll talk after work tonight." He relented, he didn't really have a choice, he knew his partner and she was one of the most stubborn people he had ever met. If Bobby was honest with himself he wanted to know what was going through her mind, he wanted her to talk to him about it, he just didn't want her to know that what she had admitted hurt his feelings in a way he hadn't expected. Honestly, Bobby did blame himself and he knew she had every right to be angry at him, he should've seen it.

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