Chapter 6 – Retrograde

The living room walls wore a new color. The easy chair that was solely John's domain had been reupholstered. The picture frames that were scattered on tabletops and bookshelves contained older versions of familiar faces, and there were two new grandchildren added to the mix. Other than that, the Eames' home looked much the same as the last time Bobby had seen it.

John, on the other hand, had aged. He still appeared to be fit and mentally alert, with a wide, welcoming smile for Bobby. But the man who was now in his early seventies looked his age. Because of an earlier stroke, Alex's mother had needed extra care in her final years and that alone would have taken its toll. Bobby could only guess what impact her death must have had. They were a loving, devoted couple. He'd always envied Eames her parents.

"Can I get you a beer, Bobby? You look like you could use something," John interrupted his musings.

"No…thanks," Bobby grinned at him. "I, uh…I better keep a clear head."

They heard Alex coming down the stairs and John leaned closer to Bobby so he could speak in a low voice. "Don't think too much, son. She wants you in her life and whatever the end result, it's got to be better than what you two have been through."

Bobby's head snapped up and his spine stiffened in stunned reaction to John's insight. He was still studying the older man curiously when Alex walked into the room.

"Everything okay?" she sounded concerned.

When he turned to look at her, Bobby couldn't answer. Yeah, sure…he'd seen her twice in one day earlier in the week. That day still hadn't prepared him for the déjà vu, heart-stopping moment of seeing her again in what had once been a familiar setting.

"Yeah, fine," he said absently. Eames looked incredible. He would swear she wasn't a day older. As a matter of fact, with her hair once-again cut to chin-length and a light fringe of bangs, Bobby thought she actually looked younger than when she left for Chicago.

One thing he could relax about was his choice of casual clothes. Alex wore a pair of charcoal gray cotton twill pants and a black v-neck, jersey-knit sweater. Not too casual, not too dressy – perfectly Eames.

As they stood there staring at one another like idiots, John's voice broke their daze – proving he was the only clear-headed person in the room. "So…what're our plans for today?"

"Wh-…what?" Alex looked at her dad.

He smiled and wrapped his arm around Alex's waist. "What are we doing today?" he looked eagerly at Bobby. "Where are you taking me?"

Bobby's eyebrows shot up and he turned to Eames whose mouth was gaping open while she gawked at her dad. As the awkward seconds passed in silence, John finally released Alex and rolled his eyes. "It was a joke!" he grumbled. Turning to walk toward the kitchen, he fired a final parting shot over his shoulder. "You two need to lighten up. Get the hell out of here and go have some fun."

Chuckling, Bobby shook his head and grinned at Alex who looked totally mortified. She closed her eyes and sighed. "What was I thinking?" she murmured.

"You were thinking you love your family and it was time to come home."

Alex slowly opened her eyes and just as slowly smiled at him. In that moment, all his suspicions were confirmed. He'd never stopped loving her. And he never would.

He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair, stalling as he tucked his emotions safely aside. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Starved!"

"Good. I was thinking about Tortelli's." Bobby knew Eames' favorite used to be Northern Italian cuisine, and Tortelli's was the best place for it. Squirreled away on a side street in Little Italy, she was the one who first dragged him there. At the times when he thought he could stand the memories, he still enjoyed dining in the small, quaint restaurant.

"It's still there?" she sounded surprised. "The food's still good?"

"I just ate there last month," and he was pleased to see how excited she was.

"Good idea, Goren," Eames grinned and headed for the front door. "What are we doing after lunch?" she asked as they stepped out onto the porch.

"After that…I thought I'd make the rest of the afternoon a little more, uh…interactive," Bobby answered mysteriously.

Alex stopped dead on the sidewalk and turned to give him a look that was oh-so-familiar.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Eames," he admonished with some difficulty.

TBC…