A/N: More Alex/Bobby in this ... and some Alex/Wilma to start off with.
Alex stared at the cup of coffee in front of her, willing it to grow wings and fly toward her face so she could drink it without moving her arms. She was exhausted both physically and emotionally after the last few cases she and Bobby had solved. First, of course, was a man who had borrowed money from a lone shark and his wife and two girls had been kidnapped when he couldn't pay on time. It hadn't been two days after they had caught those kidnappers before the duo had to take on two New York judges in a murder investigation. Then they were bombarded with a case involving a guy who seemed to be a phantom who claimed to work for the UN! Her month was hell.
"You look tired, Alex," Wilma said as she sat down across from her new friend. Ever since they had met six months before, Alex and Wilma had taken to each other and every other week they went out to dinner to catch up and have a good time.
Alex groaned in agitation. "That's the understatement of the year. Damn criminal masterminds," she muttered as she drank deeply from her coffee cup.
"Tough case load? Bobby acting up?" Wilma questioned.
Alex shrugged, "I'm actually getting pretty good at filling in the missing paragraphs with Bobby when he's working a case … but for some reason he doesn't get the idea of actually taking a break." She shrugged, "Of course, he's still making me cake once a month and taking me out to dinner and drinks after the really tough cases." She sighed, motioning for their waitress to come fill her coffee again, "He's trying, I know that. It's just a little difficult to follow him sometimes."
Wilma nodded, playing with the sugar packets before saying, "He certainly is an … acquired taste." She smiled fondly at her thoughts before saying, "But, damn, that chocolate cake is good."
Alex nodded, "Yeah. Bobby surely does know how to make good cake. How's the custody thing going?" she asked, changing the subject to Wilma's recent request for joint-custody of Jeremy with Steven and Brittany.
Wilma shrugged, "One of Bobby's friends … John Mason, is an attorney specializing in children's rights. He's helping me." She shook her head as she looked at Alex, "It's not like I'm asking for full custody. I just want to see my son and be able to be his mother again. Is that too much to ask?"
Alex shook her head, "I don't think so. You have a right to be his mother in every sense of the word, Wilma."
The taller, dark haired woman sighed, "I hope so, Alex. I know Steven's going to try to bring in so many aspects of my job and say that because I'm a detective I'm an unfit mother. He'll probably even bring in my relationship with Fin … I'm so scared I'm going to lose both of them."
"Fin and Jeremy?" Alex asked for clarification. At Wilma's nod she continued, "Don't worry so much, Wilma. I've seen Fin with you – and Jeremy. He's not going anywhere anytime soon."
Wilma sighed again before smirking slightly up at Alex, "The Goren curse. We're both so afraid that the ones we need most will leave us."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, wondering what Wilma's fear had to do with Bobby.
The look she received made her feel all of two-feet tall. "Don't you ever wonder why he only calls you 'Eames' and never 'Alex' when you've been calling him Bobby from week two?"
Alex furrowed her brow, "So that's why I can't get him to call me Alex."
Wilma nodded, "That and he knew someone once whose name was Alex. He wasn't very nice to Bobby."
"Who was he?" Alex asked, wondering how far she could push her partner's sister into revealing things about Bobby's past.
Wilma shook her head, a slight smile playing on her face, "That's his story to tell."
Just then their waitress came up to see if the two women were ready to order. Throughout their meal the conversation turned to more trivial matters.
---
When Alex arrived at her townhouse that night, she was surprised to find her partner sitting outside on the steps in the chilly spring air. "What are you doing, Bobby?" she asked as she moved past him to open the door and disable her alarm.
He got up to follow her and soon the two were inside where he said, "I … uh … I needed to talk to you."
She ushered him inside, "How long have you been sitting out there?"
Bobby looked at her sheepishly as he realized he didn't exactly know, but it had been more than a few hours because they had left work at five and it was now nearing eleven. Alex just rolled her eyes, "Come on, I'll make us some tea. It'll warm you up."
The two sat in silence at Alex's kitchen table as they drank their tea. Eames knew her partner well enough to know he'd talk when he was ready to talk, and she also knew that if she pushed him when he wasn't ready it would back fire in her face.
At long last Bobby said, "Do you remember the Morris Abernathy case? You-you said I did a good job t-talking to that homeless man?"
She nodded, "You said you had a lot of practice."
Bobby looked down at his hands, not wanting to tell her what he had meant, but knowing that he had to let her know. It had taken five weeks and many, many long conversations with Wilma for him to reach the conclusion that he had to trust Eames enough to stay when she knew about his mother's illness.
Slowly, he started speaking, "When I was seven my mother started showing signs … of schizophrenia. My … father," he spat the word as if it were a curse, "left us when I was eleven and my older brother left not too long after that. It was just … me and Mom until I joined the Army."
Alex didn't know what to say. This was … unexpected to say the least. Goren never talked about his family and childhood. That he was doing so now was … she felt honored that he trusted her enough to let her in. She got up from her seat and walked around the table to stand in front of her timid partner.
Eames took a hand and raised Bobby face so their eyes met. She saw fear in his eyes and worry. What he was worried about she didn't know, but she knew he was going to bolt if she didn't say something soon.
Since she didn't know what to say: she gave him a hug. She felt him tense beneath her arms for a few minutes before finally relaxing and snaking his own arms around her tiny waist, resting his head on her shoulder.
Alex pulled back a little, to look at Bobby's face. She smiled at him slightly. "Thank you, Bobby."
He furrowed his brow slightly, confusion evident, "For what?"
"Trusting me enough to tell me."
"Y-you're not going to ask Deakins for a new partner?" Bobby asked, hope and fear clouding his eyes.
Now it was Alex's turn to look confused, "Why would I do that? Because you had a crappy childhood and had to take care of your sick mother when you should have been just being a kid?" She shook her head, "I'm not going to ask Deakins for a new partner, Bobby." She shrugged slightly, "I've grown quite fond of the one I have right now, anyway. I'd hate to have to break in a new one."
Her eyes danced with humor as he processed what she said. She could see the emotions flashing across his face as he tried to decide whether she was being serious or not. Finally he chose to take it as a joke and relaxed again.
After a few more minutes Bobby stood, "I … uh … I better get going."
"Why?" Alex asked, "I have a spare bedroom and it's late. By the time you got home you'd be too wired to get much sleep anyway, Bobby."
"Are you sure?" Goren asked, furrowing his brow again. He liked his partner and didn't want to screw up their partnership over something like the little fluttering in his stomach whenever he saw her smile.
Alex nodded, "Yep. I'll even let you make me breakfast in the morning," she said with a grin as she led him down the hall to the spare room. "Bathroom's over there and there should be some extra blankets on the shelf in the closet." She smiled cheekily again, "Try not to use all the hot water in the morning."
Goren just shook his head, "Don't worry, Eames. I was in the Army – I know how to take thirty second showers."
She tsked at him as she walked out of the room, "Slacker."
A/N: Please review! I'm going to try to get this done by the new year. I have finals this week (just two) and then I'm done for the semester, so I should have more time to write.