Disclaimer: Dick Wolf owns it all. I'm just borrowing.

A/N: Some of the things in this chapter I've taken from a couple of my other stories - Defining Moments and A Charmed Life. You don't have to read them to understand but it might help. ;-)

An Unbreakable Bond - Chapter 3

Bobby opened the door to his apartment and stepped back to let Alex in first. Neither of them had spoken a word since leaving the restaurant. Removing their coats and hanging them on the coat rack inside the door, they both moved into his living room. Alex sat on the couch and Bobby headed over to the window where he stared out at the city.

"Do you want more coffee?" he offered after finally turning to look at Alex, who sat quietly watching him.

She shook her head, "No, I'm good." Well, now that's a lie. I'm certainly NOT good right now. Alex wondered why she had started her little confession in the restaurant. The last thing Bobby needed right now was to know how much she had come to depend on his presence in her life. He was worried about his mother and his brother and she didn't want him to start worrying about her.

She apparently wasn't going to help him get things started so after pacing a few times in his living room, Bobby finally sat on the coffee table so he could face Alex directly.

"I know I've been kind of...that I haven't been able to be there for you much lately. At work or...or personally with your counseling sessions..." he began.

A couple of months after her mandatory counseling sessions had ended, Alex found herself needing a little more guidance and found herself voluntarily going back on a monthly basis. Bobby had encouraged her to seek the help and was often there immediately after to make sure she was all right. Lately, he hadn't been able to be there for her.

A pang of guilt ran through Alex as saw the pain and regret in Bobby's eyes. She shook her head and put a hand up to stop him. "No, Bobby, I didn't mean to put any guilt trips on you. I just...I'm just worried about you and I guess I was just trying to let you know how important you are to me. It's hard to watch someone you l...you care about be in so much pain."

Bobby's heart skipped a beat. She was going to say someone you love. He smiled at Alex and once again took her tiny hand in his large one. "That means more to me than you know."

"Your mom, I know she's...it's not her fault for the way things are with her. But your brother, he's another story," Alex began. "I know he's your brother and you feel responsible..."

"I am responsible, Eames. Just like you are responsible for your brothers and sisters. You're...you're family and...he's not much but he's mine. I can't just...ignore him."

Alex shook her head, "No, I'm not saying that, I just think...I think you need to cut yourself some slack. I know you, I know what you were thinking when we...saw him there on the street."

There's no hiding anything from her. Bobby sighed, "When we were little, he used to take care of me. When...when my mom was having one of her more intense episodes and my dad was off gambling or drinking or screwing some other woman or maybe all three, Frank and I were on our own and he used to...to look out for us. Sometimes...he'd...I know he did some...illegal things to raise the money. He...he never told me...exactly...what he did but I figured he was...he was stealing at the very least. Dad...he used to be...he ignored me a lot." Bobby let go of Alex's hand and stood up, pacing a well worn path in his rug. "But...but Frank...he got the attention and...well, Dad sent him to the hospital once."

Alex felt tears welling in her eyes. She had known Bobby had a rough childhood and she long suspected there was some form of abuse in his family. She just didn't know for sure. Hearing him talking about it now was breaking her heart as she watched Bobby reliving that past. She almost made him stop but he seemed determined to continue so she sat and silently listened.

"Dad didn't...he and mom...were violent with each other...and sometimes he'd hit me or Frank but...usually it was Frank. I was too young to...to know any better...but Frank, he...he knew what was going on. Dad would go away for days...he'd say he...was working but...but Frank...Frank and my Mom, they knew...he was...gambling...or having an affair...and Frank...he started mouthing off...he got resentful."

Bobby was pacing back and forth and not looking at Alex at all. She was grateful for that because she felt the tears welling up in her eyes and was wiping them away with the futile hope that bobby wouldn't notice when he was done.

It was almost as if Bobby had forgotten that Alex was even there. "He wasn't the...the greatest brother...he left as soon as he turned 18. I...I don't know...if I ever...ever forgave him for that. When...when he came to me...for money...because he...he was broke or...he...I helped him, you know? At first...and then...he...he tried to...to steal from our mother! I...I just lost it! God, Eames, I almost...I could have killed him...I was so...so angry."

Bobby had stopped pacing and was looking out the window at the city lights. "I was tired...tired of being...used and lied to...by him...by my father...I just...they left me! They left me alone with my mother. And then...he'd show up and...do what our father did. He'd lie...and I knew he was lying but...but just like with my...my...my Dad, I just...I pretended it wasn't a lie because...because I wanted a family."

At this point, Alex just couldn't help herself. The tears were now streaming down her cheeks and she was glad Bobby wasn't looking at her. She wanted to hear this, no matter how painful. She wanted to understand.

"Frank...that last time...when he tried to steal...from our mother...our sick mother! She was already at Carmel Ridge...he...God...he just got me so angry. I told him...I told him...never again. I told him I never...wanted to see him again...that he...he was just like Dad. Frank...he...hated our father at the end...he...it was the ultimate insult." Bobby was now crying as well and he didn't care. "I didn't care...I didn't care that Frank had...had taken care of me...when we...we were little. He fed us...he even...stole...and God knows what else he did. I never knew. He...he never told me. He was...ashamed...I think. And God help me...I was ashamed of him. I judged him...maybe...maybe unfairly. He...did abandon me...and Mom...but I wonder if...if I were him...if I wouldn't have...maybe...I would have done the...the same."

"No, no you wouldn't have!" Alex blurted out, no longer able to control herself. She stood up from the couch and ran over to Bobby, grabbing his arm so he was facing her.

Turning to look at her, Bobby saw was surprised to find her in such close proximity. It made his pulse quicken.

"You have to know you're better than him! I saw you, I saw how much it hurt you to see Frank out there on the street. You...it broke my heart to see how much it hurt you. I felt sorry for him then, too. But tonight...Bobby, you...I just wanted to hurt him for what he did to you," Alex admitted. "I know he's your brother. I have brothers and I think I would probably feel the same way about them but...I can't stand to see you hurt and it just seems like there's nothing I can do..."

Bobby blinked in surprise. He noticed her eyes were red and puffy from crying and without thinking, he reached out and pulled her into an embrace. Under normal circumstances he would never have done this. It would have been too much for him to deal with. He had spent the better part of four years dealing with his feelings for her.

It had always been complicated. They had a great professional relationship. They were also good friends. Contrary to speculation and rumors that circulated around the department, they had never been more than that. It wasn't from lack of interest but from the need for distance for both of them. Bobby had found Alex to be an attractive woman from the moment he met her but he hadn't found himself attracted to her until he got to know her.

He had always kept those feelings in check and except for the time she was away on maternity leave and he was saddled with a temporary partner, he never let his feelings for her get the better of him. Lately, however, it was becoming harder and harder to do. Tonight it was suddenly just impossible.

Surprised to find herself embraced in her partner's arms, Alex wasn't sure whether to feel glad that he was finally letting his guard down around her or if she should be concerned. In her case, her feelings for Bobby were also something she tended to be guarded over. She had spent her life since losing her husband eight years ago building up walls. No one had come close to breaching those protective barriers until Bobby came along and managed to slip in while she wasn't paying attention.

Since her kidnapping by Jo Gage, the daughter of Bobby's mentor Declan Gage, Alex found herself relying more and more on her partnership and friendship with Bobby to help her get through some emotional landmines. She couldn't trust herself with her family but she could trust herself with Bobby. He never pushed her and because he also had a need for privacy and distance, he felt safe and comfortable. Now she understood his fear of losing her from his life because she was feeling that same fear now.

Here they were now, in a rather intimate embrace in his apartment. Both of them allowed themselves a few minutes of comfort, then. Each gaining strength and comfort from the other.

"I'm sorry...that I worry you. But you know I'm going to be all right," Bobby said after a while.

"And how do I know that?"

"Because I know you won't let me NOT be all right," Bobby replied and he could feel Alex smiling as she rested her head against his chest.

Pulling away from him slightly Alex looked at him and nodded, "I'll do whatever it takes, Bobby. I promise I'll be there no matter what."

Feeling tears threatening to return once again, Bobby nodded and pulled her back to him. "It's the one thing that keeps me sane."

They stood there that way for a few more minutes before finally moving apart as Alex prepared to head home.

"Thanks for dinner," she said as she grabbed her purse and coat.

"Thanks for saving me from myself," Bobby said as he opened the door for her.

Alex smiled, "I have ulterior motives."

"Oh?"

"I look better at work when you're there for Ross to worry about," Alex winked.

Bobby laughed, "Glad I can be of sevice to you."

"See you tomorrow, Bobby."

"Good night Eames."

As he watched Alex walk down the hall towards the elevator, Bobby felt at peace. His family may have abandoned him but he knew now that no matter what Alex would be there for him. Their bond had been tested under the stressful circumstances of the past year but they had come through it stronger. For the first time in his life, Bobby knew what it meant to have someone to count on and no matter where he ended up at the end of it all, he and Alex would always be connected somehow.

THE END