--

Alex was feeling awful about the way that she blew Bobby off after the Mulrooney case. She knew why she did it, but it didn't make her feel any better. And then when she finally did try to call him, he didn't pick up. She asked him to call her back so she could explain, but he didn't. She knew she'd made a huge mistake.

For a week or so after, she tried to talk to him, but he closed her off. He was hurt. She didn't realize just how hurt he was until she cornered him in the break room one day.

She looked around to make sure they were alone before she spoke. "Bobby…can we talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Eames. We're fine."

"Really? Because you seem fine at all."

"It's just your imagination." And then he was gone.

She hung her head down and sighed. She didn't know what to do.

A couple of days later, she'd noticed he was letting his beard grow back in. He knew she didn't like his beard, so she was certain that he was growing it just to spite her. Part of her wanted to slam her fists into his chest and tell him how ridiculously juvenile he was being by doing that. But another part of her understood he was doing it out of feeling hurt and angry. So she bit her lip and ignored him.

They caught a case soon after that, it involved a male model and an obsessive multi-millionaire. They both were able to set aside their personal feelings throughout the case and they managed to keep their investigation on solid footing while not betraying their private problems. But after the case wrapped up, Alex knew it was time for her to own up to her mistakes.

--

A night later…

She stood in his doorway, holding up a bottle of Duke DeGuerin's scotch.

"Where'd you get that?" He didn't want to seem too interested; not only in the scotch but in her being there. However, even though he was still upset, he really missed her. So he was most definitely interested in both .

"You really wanna know?"

He looked from her to the bottle, then back to her, tightened his lips and shook his head. "C'mon in." She followed him to the kitchen and waited while he took out two glasses. Without asking, he put a couple of ice cubes in one glass and handed it to her. He knew how she liked her scotch.

"Can we sit down?" She asked timidly. Despite being let in, she knew she was on shaky ground. He silently grabbed the bottle then moved into the living room and sat on the couch. She followed and sat down along side him.

He cracked the seal on the bottle, twisted the cap off, then took a long sniff of the golden liquid. "So...this is what a two thousand dollar bottle of scotch smells like?"

They tentatively smiled at each other, then he poured some into a glass and handed it to her.

He raised his glass to her but she put her hand on his arm to lower it. "Before we drink this, I need to apologize to you."

He shook his head, "Don't. It's fine." He was trying to act like what she did didn't bother him, but the tone in his voice changed once she brought up what she did and she could tell that he was hurt and angry.

"It's no where near fine! I was a complete bitch to you after we arrested Mulrooney. And really, even before that I wasn't exactly pleasant to be around…I snapped at you more than once during that investigation…when you were just trying to do your job."

He glared at her. "Eames," He said firmly, "I said it was fine so just drop it."

"Fine. Then cheers." She sounded just as angry.

She raised her glass to him but he just drank his without toasting. It was her turn to glare at him.

She decided right then that she wasn't going to let him get away with trying to stop their conversation. "You know, Bobby...you're not the only one around here that can pick up on people's moods...or their feelings."

"You don't say." His tone was sarcastic again.

She chose to ignore his anger. "Yeah. And I'm not just talking about how I acted with the Mulrooney case. I'm talking about this last case. You had a lot to deal with here."

He just sat on the couch, watching her. He didn't respond so she continued. "Duke…he hit a nerve with you for a couple of reasons."

This time she waited for him. He stared at her intently for a full minute before responding because he wasn't sure if he liked where she was leading them. Finally, he simply said, "Go on."

"I think his kink hit close to home for you. That maybe you felt like you were dealing with Brady all over again."

If he could have, he would have kicked himself. He let that show. Or, did he? Maybe she just understood him more than he realized. Either way, he knew she wasn't wrong. He also knew he had to acknowledge her. He couldn't ignore her or abruptly end the conversation. Not now. Not after how close they have gotten and after she just tried to apologize to him. He was still angry, but he loved her so he knew he had to try.

"It was…disturbing for me."

She nodded her head. "I get that…Are you gonna be okay?"

And just like that, she was letting him off the hook.

She wasn't there to probe his dark side, or force him to share pain he wasn't planning on ever sharing with anyone. She just wanted to make sure that he knew she understood him and that she wanted to know if he was okay. If he did want to talk, he could have and she would have listened all night long. But if he didn't, she wasn't going to push him. He fought back the urge to sigh in relief.

Instead, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I'm gonna be just fine." Then he kissed her cheek before he moved away from her.

"Good." She said softly. Then she took another sip of her drink before continuing. "You know…there was something else I couldn't help but notice about this case…"

"You mean, something else about Duke and Brady?"

"Nope. There was something else about this case that really seemed to...how should I say it...intrigue and frustrate you."

He looked at her, slightly amused at her attempt to read him, "And what makes you say that?"

"Well... I think you were intrigued by both Duke and Hamp. Here were two men that had the world by the balls. They were rich and successful, and they could have any woman they wanted...and they did." She took a sip of the scotch and put the glass on the table. "That intrigued you. You love to examine human behavior...and with these guys, you were able to look into the worlds of two men who were driven by their libido's, to the point of it being pathological...and, well...let's just say this was a case study you found completely fascinating."

He inwardly applauded her. She knew him so well

He didn't take his eyes off of her while he nodded. "Yeah...I guess that's true. Learning about what makes people tick...it's something I'll never get tired of." She reached for her glass again, and he took the opportunity to let his eyes wonder up and down her body. He really liked the white, v-neck sweater that she was wearing. It looked soft and a little fuzzy, and his eyes settled on the spot where the "v" came to a rest on her chest. He could tell that all he'd have to do was tug it down a tiny bit, and then he could run his finger along the upper outline of her breast. All his daydreaming took place in a matter of seconds, but he let his eyes linger one second too long, because when he looked back up at her, she was smiling at him with a look that said, "caught ya!".

He turned red and cleared his throat and tried to turn her attention away from him and his leering. "So...why do you think I was frustrated by the case?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She knew this one was a little more delicate to discuss. She adjusted a bit in her seat, tucked her leg underneath her a little more, then took her arm off the back of the couch and rested it on her lap with her other one. She looked down, letting her hair fall in front of her like a veil while she played with her fingers. "Bobby...there was a time, not too long ago, that...in a way...you were like them."

He was shocked. "Excuse me?"

She looked up at him, then looked back down at her hands. "What I mean is... you used to have that swagger. You used know that you could get any woman you wanted...at least that's how you carried yourself."

He wasn't really sure how to take her comment, so when he spoke again, he was quiet. "You - you mean...do you think I was arrogant and conceited?"

She slowly looked at him. She knew how important it was that he really understood her. "Conceited? No. Never. Arrogant? Yes. But, Bobby...you had every right to be arrogant. Your job needed you to be that way, it still does. But, I think we both know that the past couple of years have been tough on you, they've worn you down…physically and mentally. But before then, you had a way of taking over every room you entered, and owning every woman in it."

He quickly dismissed almost everything she just said and zeroed in on that last comment. "Every woman?" She looked at him but didn't answer him, instead she continued, "And I think you're frustrated by that. I think you miss being 'that guy'."

Now he looked concerned, and a little hurt. "So, you think I've let myself go."

She reminded herself that it will only help him if she was completely truthful. "Honestly? No."

"But you just said - "

"What I said was 'the past couple of years have been hard and you've let that show'...but I didn't say I think you've let yourself go."

He gave her a small smile, "Eames, you're talking in circles."

She pursed her lips for a moment as she contemplated her next words. "Bobby, just because you've aged and added some weight, it doesn't mean that I don't still find you attractive."

"Still?" She heard the suggestive tease in his voice again.

"C'mon Bobby, don't make this any harder on me than it has to be."

He laughed to himself. "No, I'm sorry...you're right. By all means, continue." She still heard the teasing and couldn't help but smile.

She spoke very softly. "Of course, 'still'. I've always thought that you're a very handsome man. Over the years, you've gone from being the kind of guy that turned every woman's head and loving every minute of it, to a man that doesn't consider himself good looking...probably considers himself a mess. And if I'm being honest, I like you this way a little better because you seem to have no idea just how great you still are. And to me, that is ten times more sexy than guys like Hamp or Duke."

"Really?"

"Really."

He sat for a minute, trying to digest what she just said. After all, she just told him that she finds him more attractive now than ever before.

After he mulled it over some more, he tilted his head and spoke. "So Alex, if you were out and you met me, Hamp, and Duke..."

She cut him off, she knew where he was going with his question. "You. I have never been attracted to guys like them."

She watched his lips curl into a wicked grin and she knew he was about to say something that was really bad, "Well…what if you met me and Mulrooney?"

Her jaw dropped but couldn't stop the smile form on her face. "That's a low-blow, Detective!"

He pretended to be serious, "No…No, I think it's a valid question."

She leaned over closer to him and raised her drink up. "Do you really want to know what it's like to have two thousand dollar scotch poured over your head?"

He shook his head and took a hold of her wrist. "But, Alex…you said yourself that you almost slept with him…I mean…you haven't come close to sleeping with me yet…so it makes me wonder if you liked him more…after all, we couldn't be more different…How could you be attracted to both of us?"

Ahhhhh.

Alex bit her lip to keep from laughing because she knew that this was no laughing matter. Bobby was not only still jealous of Mulrooney, but he had also obviously been wondering about this since she'd confessed to almost sleeping with the slime ball.

She lowered her arm, his hand was still wrapped around her wrist. She grabbed her glass with her other hand and set it on the table. Then she took his glass from him and put it next to hers. Still using her one free hand, she ran her fingers down his cheek and then over his lips.

"Bobby," her tone was gentle, "Kevin Mulrooney met me at the most vulnerable time of my life. I was a complete mess. And I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes, I did bare my soul to him. I needed someone to listen, and he did that very well. But…the truth is, it could have been anyone. There was nothing about Mulrooney that set him apart. I guess you could say that he just had the good fortune of perfect timing."

Bobby was soaking up every word she said. So when she paused, he knew she was waiting for a little feedback from him. "So…you're saying that you would have regretted it if you had slept with him."

She nodded. "Absolutely. I realized later on how lucky I was that the case fell apart, I would have made the biggest mistake of my life…and look at how he couldn't wait to tear me apart, to expose my past and show everyone… mostly you…just how destroyed I was after Joe was killed."

He removed his hand from her wrist and covered her hand with his. Then she turned her hand over and laced their fingers together. "Alex…you don't know how badly I wish that I had known you back then. And that I was the one you turned to. I wish I was the one to help you through your pain."

"I know…me, too." Then she lifted their joined hands and kissed his fingers.

"I will say one thing…" She fought back a smile, he knew she was trying to lighten the mood, she had had enough focus on her and her problems, "It sure was a lot easier to kiss him…you know…because he's so short and you're so damn tall."

He gave her a quick glance before pushing her shoulders back onto his couch. His body quickly followed. "Really…so you'd prefer him right now?"

He let all of his weight drape over her. Then he pressed his hips into hers and she instantly felt his desire for her.

Quickly realizing they had had enough talk, enough explanations, and enough apologies, she lifted her mouth to his. After a beautiful kiss, he moved his attention to her neck.

"Bobby…"

"Hmmmm," he replied absent-mindedly as he kissed her cheek and jaw.

"I don't want to talk about Mulrooney, or Duke, or Hamp any more."

"Good." His reply was muffled since his face was buried in her neck.

"Mmmmmm," she couldn't help but groan.

He moved his mouth to her ear and spoke softly, "Well…then what do you want to talk about?" His hands were sliding under her shirt.

The heat she felt as his hands explored her sent her reeling. "All I wanna know is if you will make us coffee in the morning…'cause I have a feeling we're gonna need it."

He paused, raised his face to meet her, "Are you implying that we're not gonna get much sleep tonight?"

"MmmHmmm," she replied as she gave him a sultry look.

"Good." He kissed her quickly, then looked at her again.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this?...Waiting for you?"

She smiled at him and ran her fingers through his hair. "Actually…I think I do."

He gave her a quick nod then stood up and lifted her into his arms. "So then you won't mind if I move us to my bed?"

She kissed him, then smiled and whispered to him, "There's no where else I want to be."

--

The End.

I can't tell you how I struggled with this ending. After Loyalty, I felt like I should fold those episodes into this story because the time line is so close. But after watching those episodes about a billion times, I decided that I'm not ready to tackle them. I've even been leery about reading fics that are about "the end". I've only read a couple, I guess I'm not ready to deal with it.

So, this is the end of this story. A big thank you to LadyBlueDevil86 for, once again, lending her eyes and opinions. I very much appreciate it! And, for Ouroborosnyder - hope this made you smile!

Anyway - thank you to everyone who has read, commented, story alerted, or story fav'd. I'm sorry this took so long to complete.