Goren dressed first this time since Dani's makeup job was going to take a little longer. When he returned to the living area he couldn't help but notice Alex's somber expression. He sat across the table from his favorite partner.

"What's up? Concerns about tonight?" Goren asked, concerned.

Alex sighed, looking at her handsome partner. He was again dressed in the black silk suit, this time with a loose fitting black collared shirt to compliment. She was struck at how she could have missed how much he had changed in just a short time. Damn Dani, Alex thought, I was just fine until she put her two cents in. She answered Bobby in measured tones. "No concerns about tonight. More like about the future."

Goren quirked his brow. This conversation was about to get deeply, deadly serious in a hurry. He didn't reply but let Alex continue.

"Once this operation is over, you and I need to have a long talk. I'm not going to cloud the issues now but we need to make some decisions about us and our future."

"Future as partners or something else?" Bobby didn't want to put too much hopefulness in his voice.

"We will always be partners, Bobby. I don't want anyone else. It's time we decided if we're going to be something more than partners."

Bobby smiled. He couldn't believe what she had just said. How long had Bobby Goren been waiting for Alex Eames to show some sign of where he stood in their relationship. Bobby didn't know if it was the stree of the operation or something else, he was just happy to hear Alex express sentiments he'd been hiding for a long time. He stood from the table, walked around to Alex and made her stand up next to him. He pulled her up close, not unlike he'd done with Dani in the course of their undercover adventure. He slowly trailed his hands down the length of her body, feeling Alex respond and lean into him further. He lowered his head and kissed Alex, long and hard.

Dani came around the corner but stopped short. Smiling to herself, she backed down the hallway and waited for the intimate embrace to be broken.

Bobby deepened the kiss and continued to explore Eames' body. He could feel her responding. Bobby knew he had to stop in case Dani came in. So when Goren did finally let Alex go, she was dumbstruck. She melted back into the chair and stared up at Bobby. "I've never been completely sure how you felt, Alex."

She was again dumbstruck by his use of her given name, "I've always been afraid you didn't want all the baggage that sometimes comes with me…the kind of person I am and can be. Unless I just totally misread and misunderstood your statements and," he paused for effect, "your response, I'm guessing you might be willing to take that on?"

Alex shook her head. She marveled at how someone like Dani Cantrell, who had only just met the two of them, could be so perceptive. Eames supposed it had something to do with one's proximity to the problem. Having an unbiased eye review the situation really did help. Sure enough, just as Dani had intimated, Bobby was waiting for Alex to move first. Her conscientious partner didn't want to force a relationship on her. He wanted Alex to make the choice of her own freewill.

She knew Bobby was still waiting for an answer. She punched him hard and came up against the bullet proof vest he was wearing under his suit. She shook her hand as Bobby smiled and returned to his seat, taking her non-answer as the answer he wanted. Alex finally broke the tension,

"What's keeping Dani?"

Dani waited a few more discreet minutes before showing up around the corner from the hall. Goren flinched when he saw her. She wore a sleeveless shirt that buttoned up the front, and left her midriff bare, exposing the belly button ring Dani kept hidden. The shirt, open at the neck, was paired with black, slim fitted stretch pants. The black hooker boots pulled up over the pants. The bruises on her face and arms that he had inflicted in last night's adventure were violently purple. To this, Dani had used her makeup and added a slightly blackened eye and bruising around her neck; all spectacularly on display. Dani smiled sympathetically at the big detective.

"It's really okay. It looks worse than it is and we want them to know the type of guy they're going to be dealing with."

Goren shook his head at Dani's cavalier attitude. He guessed he couldn't blame her. The end of over two years of work was almost in sight. He nodded his head and turned back to Alex.

"You're clear with our code words. No mixing up Dani's 'darlins' and 'sugars', right?"

Alex smiled. Their agreed code was simple. When Dani stopped calling Bobby "sugar" and called him "darlin" instead, that was their signal to go.

"I think we're all clear," she answered. "The backup will be there immediately."

While Bobby reviewed everything in his head one more time, Alex helped Dani conceal her listening device. Goren was pretty sure that Alex, Dani and he had covered all the contingencies. He trusted Alex to react and Dani not to react. He was also pretty sure he could protect them both but he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The girls watched him as he mentally checked off the items on his list. Alex and Dani both knew they were in good hands, well protected if the situation went wrong. They waited for Bobby to give the go ahead.

He looked into Dani's green eyes and then Alex's brown ones. "What are you waiting on, ladies? Let's get this show on the road!"

And with that they left the apartment for what they hoped was the final act in this charade.