He felt the little hand stroke his hair before small fingers touched his cheek. A gentle, loving touch. It was all he knew from her and all she would ever know from him: gentleness and love. He opened his eyes and, in the glow from the televison he'd fallen alseep in front of, he saw the smile that lit up her baby face. He slipped his arm around her. "What are you doing up, mouse? It's still dark."

"I waked up."

That made sense. He wondered what time it was. "Would you like to lay down here with me?"

She nodded. "Can I have a drink?"

"Sure. What do you want?"

"Beer."

"What?"

"Gampa and I have beer together."

He'd bet money it was root beer and that John got a huge kick out of telling her it was beer. Alex would have had a cow, or she would, when Maggie asked her for a beer. He had a feeling he was going to get blamed for this. Sitting up, he gently pushed her curls back from her face. "How about juice instead?"

He knew her energy and if he gave her soda, he'd be up the rest of the night, chasing her around the living room. Then he'd be in trouble for giving her soda before breakfast—it had happened before and Eames had been distinctly unamused by his 'technically, it's also after dinner' argument. But the very last thing he needed after this week was to get in another argument with his partner.

Maggie followed him into the kitchen and he gave her a small glass of orange juice, reassured by the bottle of root beer that sat in the refrigerator door. He looked at the time: 2:47. She handed the cup back to him and he washed it and set it in the drain before he picked her up. She hugged him. He pressed his head lightly against hers and hugged her back. The best thing in his life was this toddler and her unconditional love. He carried her back to the couch and lay down, settling her on his chest, where she snuggled her head against his shoulder and nestled her hand into his hair. He switched off the television and gently rubbed her back, and she quickly went to sleep. He sighed and soon he was sleeping, too.

She was never alarmed when she woke up and Maggie wasn't in the room, not when Bobby slept on the couch. Sure enough, when she went out into the living room, she found her little girl sound asleep on her partner's broad chest. She smiled. He always seemed to rest better when Maggie was right there with him, knowing he could protect her and no harm would come to her. For her part, somehow, Maggie chased away his demons. Eames wished she could do that for him as well, but all she could manage to do lately was cause him more pain. She touched the graying hair at his temple and decided to let him sleep a little longer. Maybe he would be awake by the time she finished showering. Either way, a little extra sleep would certainly do him no harm.

She was surprised to find him still sleeping when she returned to the room twenty minutes later. Maggie was good for him in so many ways. "Bobby?" she softly called.

Resting her hand on his shoulder, she called his name again. His eyes opened slowly and looked around until they came to rest on her. His free hand absently settled across the baby's shoulders. She smiled. "Hey, it's almost six and I can't believe I got up before you did."

He smiled sleepily and took a deep breath. "Somebody wanted a drink at two this morning."

She shook her head. Of course, Maggie would seek him out, trusting that he had stayed the night after tucking her in. "Do you want me to put her in her bed?"

"I'll take care of her."

She nodded and let him be. "You have a clean suit in the closet. Do you want breakfast?"

"No, thanks."

"Coffee at least?"

He sat up, shifting Maggie into his arms. It wouldn't hurt to have coffee with her. "All right."

She went into the kitchen while he sat there for a few moments, watching the baby sleep. He softly kissed her forehead and stood up, carrying her into the bedroom and tucking her into her bed. Fifteen minutes later, he re-emerged from the hallway, draped his jacket over the arm of the couch and tied his tie as he walked into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, unconsciously glancing at Eames to make certain she had one. He sat down at the table across from her and smiled. "Good morning," he said softly.

She melted, relieved to see that soft, shy smile she had always loved. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded. "Did you?"

"Better than I have all week."

He sighed quietly. "Eames, do you think I overreacted?"

"No, I don't." She hesitated for a moment. "But I do think you have a big heart for forgiving me for saying what I did."

He studied his coffee for a long time before finally sighing heavily and finishing it. He looked at the time. "Your car is here?"

"Yes."

Getting up, he set his cup in the sink and, crossing behind her as he came out of the kitchen, he stopped. Leaning over, he gently kissed her cheek. "I don't have such a big heart," he replied. "It's just that you and Maggie are the only ones in it. I'll see you in the squad room, Eames."

He grabbed his jacket, headed for the front door, and didn't look back as he left the house.

Ten minutes later, just after her father got up, she left the house. Ricky's car was parked across the driveway, blocking her in, and he was leaning back against it, arms crossed, waiting. She glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Take the day off. Spend it with me."

"I can't do that. We're working a case."

"What harm can a day make?"

"You wouldn't say that if it was your mother's murder we were investigating. I take my job seriously, Ricky."

"Yeah, I know." He looked at the sidewalk. "Where did he sleep, Alex?"

"Spying on me?"

"No. I saw him leave."

"He slept on the couch, like he does every time he stays here. He likes spending time with my father and he enjoys seeing Maggie. He does not come here to see me. It's a long drive back to his place and Dad usually insists that he stay. There's nothing more to it than that. You can ask Maggie if you don't believe me. She never lies."

"So it's the truth when she says you love him?"

"The truth as she sees it, yes. Now please move your car so I can go to work."

He studied her for a minute, then got into his car and drove off without another word. She sighed as she got into her car and started the engine. Well, at least that had not disintegrated into a screaming match. Still, he had to know on some level that whether she stayed or not, the marriage was over. She was absolutely certain he'd be able to tell her exactly when the last time she'd slept with him had been, which was more than she could do. All she knew was that it had been a while...and she did not miss it. Not with him. On the other hand, one drunken tumble with her partner almost three years ago still left her yearning for more. Had that been a mistake? She smiled to herself. A mistake was something you regretted. She wasn't sure how he felt about it since he had never once mentioned it, but she didn't regret it. Not one bit. She touched her cheek where he'd kissed her before he left and she drove a little faster toward Manhattan.