By the time she recovered from his kiss, he was gone and she was confused. Where the hell did he go? And why? Once again, he caught her totally off guard with his intensity and unpredictability. She would never have guessed he'd take off like that. Well, maybe, if she had reacted differently when he kissed her. But she gave him nothing but encouragement...

She sat down and tried to regain her senses. What he had done to her...wow...that was something else she would never have predicted. As many kisses as she had been a party to...there were none like that in her memory, and something like that she would have remembered!

What she just just wasn't getting was why he freaked out. Now, if she had been the one to kiss him, then, yes, she would have expected that reaction, especially from him. But he had been the one to kiss her. His confusion and embarrassment were...unexpected. Now, she had to do damage control. Dammit.

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Goren hit the stairs and kept going, not stopping until he got to the parking garage. God help him, he'd just kissed his partner. What the hell had he been thinking? Okay, he hadn't been thinking...he'd been...reacting...and what a reaction...Oh, God...

All he'd wanted to do was give her a nice dinner and help to relieve some of the week's stress for her, especially after he'd made her deal with Cressmoor. It had been such a long and frustrating week. He remembered how, back in December, she had relaxed in his arms when he'd danced with her at the Christmas party. She'd been worried about being a month post-partum and not back to her normal self. He'd thought she was perfect. When she had danced with him, all her worries seemed to fade, and he'd wanted to recreate that for her, if he could. He had not forgotten how much he'd enjoyed it either. Of course, the circumstances had been different. Very different.

Everything had been fine...until she stepped into him. The way she had moved against him sent him reeling. He had no idea what had possessed him to kiss her, but she had not withdrawn. He didn't know what to make of that, but...he'd kissed her! How far out of line had he stepped? He had no business coming anywhere near the line that separated partner from lover. And there was no taking it back, either. But...if given the chance, would he? He felt that, yes, he would have to, but a large part of him, if he were honest with himself, said no. He'd go to his grave with that kiss burned into his memory.

He was halfway home when the phone rang, but he ignored it. He was still reeling and he couldn't talk to her. How could he apologize to her? Should he even try? He didn't know how to even begin to interpret her response to him. She...oh, God...She was his partner, the best partner he'd ever had, and now he'd put that partnership in jeopardy. How could he have done that? And he had no idea what to do or how he could ever manage to fix it.

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It probably wasn't the brightest idea, but, several hours later, a mostly-empty bottle of scotch on the table in front of him, he answered the phone. "It's about damn time!" she scolded. "Where are you?"

"Home."

"How long have you been there?"

"I, uh, don't know. I...stopped off someplace before I got here."

"Someplace where?"

"Does it matter, Eames?"

Now was not the time to argue with him. "I guess not. Why haven't you answered your phone?"

"I-I had no idea what to...to say."

"Hello is usually a good start."

Confused, he muttered, "What?"

Ok, she wasn't going to get him with humor... "Bobby, are you okay?"

He looked at the tumbler of scotch in his hand. "I'm okay."

"Why did you take off like that?"

"I, uh, I should not have...done that."

"I agree. There was no reason for you to run away."

He paused, confused again. "N-no, Eames. Not that. I should...never have kissed you. I'm...s-sorry. I shouldn't have put you in that situation."

"What situation? If I recall correctly, I didn't object."

No, she didn't...but she should have. "I...you should have."

"Why, Bobby?"

He leaned his head back, watching the room spin past him. He was not in any condition for this conversation. "You...just should have."

She exhaled in exasperation. "Can I come over?"

"I, uh, I don't think that would be a very good idea right now."

"Why not?"

What was going through her head? She had to know he'd been drinking...and there was no way he was going to even be in the same room with her right now... "I..I can't."

"Can't what?"

He closed his eyes. "I just..can't. Good night, Eames."

He closed the phone, tossing it across the room onto the easy chair. He topped off his glass, spilling as much on the table as he got in the glass. Oh, God...what had he done?

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The door opened, spilling light into the dark room. Eames eased herself quietly into the apartment. She turned on a tabletop lamp before closing the front door. She stood there for a moment, watching him sleep. Why did he have to make things so difficult? He kissed her...it wasn't a catastrophe, but he acted like it was. She let him kiss her...it wasn't a mistake, but he seemed to think she should have slugged him.

She approached the couch and gently fingered his hair. He didn't move, but she didn't expect him to. In spite of his objections, she had come over to make sure he was all right, and she was relieved to find him sleeping. Of course, the empty bottle on the coffee table had a lot to do with it, but maybe he'd have a clearer perspective when he woke up. Yeah, right. In order for him to get a clear perspective, she was going to have to knock some sense into him first. What an idiot...but she loved him.

She walked to the hall closet and got a blanket. It was cool in the apartment and he was sweaty; she didn't need him getting pneumonia. Covering him with the blanket, she kissed his forehead and whispered, "Good night, you idiot."

Switching off the light, she left the apartment, locking the door behind her.