A/N: It seems several people wanted a 'mutual confession' kinda thing to finish this story off. So as special thanks to all those who reviewed, and to those who enjoyed reading the first two chapters enough to come back for more – here we go. :D


Fin Tutuola glanced around the bar wondering where his partner had got to. It had been a long week and they'd decided to grab a few beers and relax, no sooner had they arrived at the bar than Munch had vanished on him. 'Probably chatting up that waitress who was eyeing him when we got here.' Fin complained silently to himself.

As he took another look around he spotted a couple of familiar figures sitting in one of the booths along the side of the room. 'Nah, it couldn't be. Could it?' Fin took another look, 'Yeah, it's definitely them.'

Fin slid off the barstool and wandered over. "Hey, man, how ya doin?"

Bobby Goren looked up at his old friend from Narcotics and smiled. "Fin, long time no see. I believe you know my partner." He waved a hand towards the pretty blond sat opposite him.

"The fair 'Defender of Man'." Fin had never been able to resist teasing Alex Eames about the meaning of her name.

Alex laughed, "Oh 'Gentle One', how have you been? It must be, what, at least a couple of years?"

Goren stared at his partner. She grinned, "Ya think, you're the only one who can know obscure facts like name meanings?"

Fin laughed as Goren blushed, dropping his eyes to the table.

"So, care to join us?" Alex slid sideways on the bench seat, making room for Fin.

"So long as I'm not interruptin' anything." Fin glanced from one to the other.

"Just partners having a drink, is all." Goren waved Fin into the seat beside Alex. "Sit down, it's been way too long."

Fin joined the pair and they spent the next thirty minutes chatting and catching up.

Fin suddenly got a thoughtful look on his face, "I think this must be only the second time I've actually been in the same room as the two of you together."

Goren's mouth went dry, he knew exactly which occasion Fin was thinking of and he wasn't sure he wanted the subject of that particular evening raised.

Before he could say anything though, Alex spoke. "The night you left Narcotics." She pointed a delicate finger at her partner.

Fin nodded and smiled. "That was some party. I had a hangover for three days straight after that." he chuckled.

Just then, much to Goren's relief, John Munch appeared at the side of their table.

"Where'd you vanish to?" Fin shot his partner a suspicious look.

"I was just speaking with a young lady." Munch shrugged. "I just got a call from the Captain, we got a break on our case. You still sober?" He eyed the glass in front of his partner.

"I only had the one, we've been talking. This disreputable letch is my partner, John Munch." Fin nodded towards Goren. "This here is Bobby Goren, we worked Narco together a few years back, this is his partner Alex Eames."

"As in Goren and Eames of Major Case?" Munch raised an eyebrow.

"As in John Munch, the NYPD's very own resident conspiracy theorist?" Alex countered, holding out her hand.

Munch took Alex's hand but instead of shaking it he bent low over the table and placed a kiss on the back of it. Fin watched as Goren bristled at Munch's routine, luckily for Goren Alex wasn't looking at her partner. Munch straightened and offered his hand to Goren, who shook it firmly.

Fin by now had stood up. "Alex, Bobby, good to see you both. Take care of yourselves, okay." Fin shook hands with Goren and dropped a quick kiss on Alex's cheek.

"Bye Fin, you take care." Alex grinned up at him.

"Yeah, man, you be careful." Goren gave Fin an easy smile.

"Come on, Old Man, move those tired bones of yours." He nudged Munch and they headed towards the door.

"See you guys around." Munch called over his shoulder as they left.


Once they were alone silence fell over Bobby and Alex, not their usual comfortable quiet when they didn't feel the need to speak but an oddly expectant silence, as if there was something waiting to be said that neither of them were willing to give voice to.

"You wanna get something to eat?" Bobby asked.

"How about you cook me something? I don't really feel up to staying out tonight." Alex felt tired all of a sudden, as if there was something wearing her down.

The case they'd just tied up had been a complete nightmare. A pair of shrinks playing crazy games using third parties as pawns in their sexual competition with each other, managing to ignore their daughter in the process to the point where the girl had murdered her mother's lover in the vain hope of getting just an ounce of attention from her parents.

The whole scenario would have been bad enough but Alex had spent half the time they'd been interviewing the mother having to stop herself from slapping the woman, who had been blatantly flirting with Bobby. Logically she knew she had no claim on her partner should he wish to respond to the woman, who was at that point a suspect. She also knew there was no way he would respond in the way the woman wanted him to, Bobby could see straight through such blatant diversionary tactics. Somehow that didn't stop Alex from wanting to scratch the bitch's eyes out every time she started thrusting her breasts in Bobby's face.

Just lately she'd been having a hard time keeping things even close to professional around her partner. He'd been so thoughtful throughout her pregnancy and so sweet since her return to work following her maternity leave, all she wanted to do was turn around and hug him. Only she knew that wasn't all she wanted to do at all. She wanted whole lot more than just to hug him and that wasn't about to happen.

Alex Eames was not the kind of woman who went around jumping into bed with a man. Since Joe's death she'd dated on a fairly regular basis but meals out and dancing was as far as it went. Having casual sex with someone she didn't know that well wasn't something that appealed to Alex. She had to really know a man and feel that he truly knew her to be able to take that step that led to a physical relationship. The only person who'd gotten that close to her since she became a widow was her partner. The irony of the situation was not lost on her.

"Hey, Eames, you comin' or did ya change your mind?" Bobby gentle admonition broke through Alex's thoughts.

"Sorry, guess I really am tired." She shrugged, standing up and letting him help her on with her coat.

"Wanna flag a cab rather than getting the car?" They'd left the SVU at 1PP a couple of block away, they'd have to walk back there to pick it up, then there was the drive to his apartment. If Eames was feeling tired it might be better just to leave the car in the garage at work.

"Yeah, sounds good to me." Alex replied, stifling a yawn.


Luckily it didn't take long to find a taxi. They were at Bobby's apartment within half an hour but hardly spoke at all during the drive there. Both seemed lost in thought.

They made their way upstairs and Bobby unlocked his door, holding it open for Eames to go inside first. Bobby locked the door behind him. They moved around each other easily as they removed their coats and shoes, often being in each other's homes brought them a level of intimacy that went beyond the bounds of mere partnership. They were close friends, well versed in the goings-on in each other's lives, knowledgeable with regard to various personal likes and dislikes.

Had they been asked to they could have told you about favourite foods and drinks, books and music, places to visit and what kind of movies each preferred. Thanks to his tailor, whose details she had gleaned from his precious portfolio, she could have told you his collar size and the length of shirtsleeve he wore (you can't buy a guy a decent shirt without his measurements, right?). Thanks to careful questioning of her mother he could tell you her exact taste in jewellery, not just the functional stuff she wore to work but what she would wear for an ordinary evening out and better still for special occasions (no point getting her something nice for Christmas if she'd never make use of it, right?).

Each of them was well aware of the 'shift' that had been going on in their relationship since Eames' return from maternity leave but neither seemed quite ready to broach the subject. They were almost getting to the point of walking on eggshells with each other at work, it wasn't affecting their ability to function as a team but it was being noticed. Deakins had called Eames into his office during this last case, asking if everything was okay with the two of them. Eames had reassured their Captain that things were fine, even while she questioned herself about what was really going on in her head.

Goren headed into the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, "You want coffee or wine?"

"Actually, you got any soda? I don't think I should drink any more and I could really use some sleep tonight so coffee's probably not such a great idea." She said, following him.

"Sure, there should be some in the fridge." He walked to the cupboard where he kept the glasses and passing her one. Their fingers brushed against each other as she took the glass and a jolt went through their bodies, as if they'd touched a live wire. They both ignored it.

He stepped around her, reaching for the fridge. "Let's see; Coke, Seven-Up, or there's juice?" he glanced over his shoulder at Alex.

"Seven-Up, no caffeine." She took the proffered can, being careful this time to avoid touching her partner's fingers.

"Chicken? I've got the fixings for stir fry if that's okay." He was sure she'd go for the offer of a quick, fairly light meal.

"Sounds great. Okay if I got catch the news?" she really didn't feel like standing around in the kitchen while he cooked tonight.

"Fine, make yourself at home." 'In fact feel free to move in anytime you want … Hell where'd that thought come from?"


By the time Bobby had finished cooking, Alex had dozed off in front of the television. Bobby carried the plates through to the lounge and placed them on the coffee table, shaking his head slightly at the sight of his partner, curled up sleeping on his sofa. He barely managed to resist the temptation to brush her hair out of her face, telling himself to stop being such an idiot.

He shook her shoulder gently, "Hey, Eames, dinner's ready."

Alex stirred, smiling at the sound of his voice. "That was quick," she said as she opened her eyes and sitting up.

"Not that quick, you fell asleep."

Alex covered her mouth as a yawn escaped her. "Guess I'm even more tired than I thought."

"Eat, then you can get to bed."

She looked at him, a puzzled look on her face. "D'ya honestly think I'm gonna let you go home tonight? You wouldn't stay awake long enough to get to the end of the street, never mind all the way out to Rockaway. You take the bed, I'll sleep out here."

She knew it was pointless arguing that she fit better on his sofa than he did, so she simply picked up her plate and starting eating. He sat down beside her and did the same. There was no talking during their meal, they ate and drank in a heavy silence, the 'something' that had been hanging between them since the bar was still there.

Once they finished their meal Bobby cleared the plates, bringing his partner a fresh soda before returning to the kitchen to wash the dishes and clean up. When Alex came through and offered to dry the dishes he shooed her back to the lounge, telling her she was tired and to go sit down and choose a movie or something.

Once again, she didn't argue with him. She returned to her spot on the sofa, flicking through the channels until she found a movie to watch. She curled her feet under herself once more, getting comfortable and drinking her soda. This time she managed to stay awake, smiling and patting the sofa beside her when Bobby came back through from the kitchen.

"You gonna actually relax at all tonight?" she teased him.

"I am relaxed." He muttered in response.

"You've been in knots since before we left the bar. As if something Fin said put you on edge." She watched as a gentle blush coloured his cheeks.

"It's nothing, really, I guess I'm tired as well, that's all." He tried to avoid her eyes, if she could see his eyes right now she'd be able to tell he was lying.

She shifted so that she was facing him, drawing her legs up in front of her and resting her chin on her knees. "It's not nothing Bobby. Whatever it is talk to me, we'll figure it out, like we always do."

'You want me to talk to you. You want me to spill my guts and tell you how much I want you, right now.' He stared at her for a moment, then shook his head and looked away. "Leave it, Eames. It really is just that I'm tired."

Alex ran back over the end of their conversation with Fin earlier that evening. Realisation dawned.

"The party. You went quiet when Fin mentioned the party the night you left Narcotics." She stared at him, wondering what on earth there could be about that night he was so set on avoiding.

He moved slowly, picking up the remote and turning off the television, then turning to face her. "What do you remember about that night?" his voice was so soft it was barely more than a whisper.

"I remember Joe was putting on a show at the bar. I remember talking with Fin." She decided to bite the bullet, if ever there was a time to take a chance, this was it. "And I remember a certain talk, dark, mysterious gentleman watching me from the other side of the room. 'And I remember how much I wanted kiss him.' What do you remember?"

He gulped, "Mostly, you."

She leant forward, bringing one hand up from her knees to touch his face gently. "Mostly, me?"

He nodded, revelling in the feel of her hand against his cheek. "Yeah, I couldn't take my eyes off you. Then you went over to the bar to reclaim Joe and I realised who you were."

"I remember you looking at me that night." Her thumb stroked against his chin, then she ran the pad of her thumb along the edge of his lower lip. 'Stop this now or face the consequences, Alex,' she told herself, but she couldn't seem to stop the words that slipped from her lips. "I remember wondering what it would be like to kiss you. It scared me, that feeling." She looked into his eyes, seeing again the same passion she had spent so long telling herself she had imagined that night. "It doesn't scare me now, Bobby."

She shifted her position again, moving her legs aside and closing the distance between them. Her lips brushed softly against Bobby's and sparks flew along her nerves. She was vaguely aware of her partner's arms going around her but all conscious thought seemed to have left her.

'Oh, God, this is not happening. This cannot be happening.' Bobby thought even as he wrapped his arms around Alex, gathering her to him as he had wanted to for so long. He knew he should be stopping this, they should at least talk this through, consider the consequences, that kinda thing. He just couldn't seem to resist deepening the kiss, the tip of his tongue gently pressing against Alex lips. She opened to him, her own tongue sliding along his even as he explored the moist cavern of her mouth.

She wriggled on to his lap, straddling his thighs and pressing her body tightly against his. One of his hands came up, cradling her head as he finally regained some degree of control and pulled back slightly, breaking their kiss.

"Alex," his voice was rough with barely controlled passion, "we've gotta …"

"Shush," she whispered before she reclaimed his mouth.

Somehow he didn't feel inclined to argue any further.


A/N: I must admit there is a very 'M' ending to this chapter that is still in the editing process - I may be persauded to post if anyone's interested? ;-)