TITLE: The Bet Chapter 2
RATING: T or what used to be PG or now K9 the rating is longer than the story
BETAed by: Linda, Brynna, Brynnamorgan (so we meet again)
ARCHIVE: Anyone who would like. Drop me a line so I can visit.
SYNOPSIS: Logan and Barek make a wager.

COMMENTS: Inquiring minds want to know are they or aren't they.

Reviews: Come on now people, it's a necessary evil. Please.

To My Regular readers: Thanks for the reviews and support! I'm sorry for the long time between updates. If you have read my profile, I'm sure you why I'm a slow writer.

DISCLAIMER: Everything relating to Criminal Intent is owned by Dick Wolf and NBC productions. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda.

Captain James Deakins hung up the phone in his office and smiled. Most times when the call from the 'higher ups' came in, he was more likely to have a migraine coming on than a smile. However, this time, is seemed, when the performance numbers and other statistics were crunched and scrutinized the results were positive. At least someone figured out a certain captain's skills as an administrator were the reason for this effective outcome. Deakins' supervisor had just commended him on a job well done. His department's overall efficiency was on the rise and the Major Case solve rate was on the up swing as well.

The Chief of Detectives admitted that many choices Deakins had made in the past, questionable personal choices included, had been right. A few kind words and an admonishment to keep up the fine work pretty much summed up the call.

Now Deakins took a few moments to recall some of the more tough choices of those numerous decisions. He had fought hard for the people that ended up making the department what it was today.

He had struggled a better part of a week to acquire Robert Goren. Once Bobby was on the job and cases were being dealt with, things were good, for a while. Then, when Bobby was tossing off partners as quick as paper coffee cups were tossed into the bullpen trash, Deakins' phone was ringing hourly about that problem. Deakins had to fight to keep him. Given an ultimatum from above, James had spent hours doing his own version of profiling. He had read and researched every thing he could on Goren. Then he poured over potential partners, trying to get one that would last at least until the next quarterly review. He had been at his wits end and asked once for divine guidance. Twice actually, once to pick the right partner, and then again to know what to say, to make her reconsider and not go through with a transfer away from Bobby and the major case department.

Alex Eames had decided to stay. The Captain knew from his first face to face meeting with Alex that she had what it would take to do this job. She could dish it out and had no problem standing her ground. He knew that with Goren, they could be the best team Major Case had turned out in years. He had caught a lot of flack for choosing her. Alex had a great record, but someone up stairs was holding a literal 'Sins of the father' vendetta towards her. Like Goren, she had continued to produce and excel at her profession. Now in hindsight the upper brass was seeing how everything, and more importantly everyone, fit and that it all worked just fine.

The department still needed daily management. But the victories of the past had made Deakins job a bit smoother and a little less hassle.

Like getting Logan in the department, a few years back and a request for a cop with his history would have been dismissed outright. Speaking of Logan… The Captain scanned the bullpen and saw a typical sight. Logan's partner Barek was trying to get some work done and Mike was vying for her attention. The new kids. He sighs. A Captains work is never done. He watches his detectives. Barek is annoyed and Mike seems off on a tangent.

Rising out of his chair he unconsciously put a small aspirin bottle in his coat pocket.

He finds Barek stirring some cream into her coffee.

"It normally just sits on top. Cream usually can't penetrate this oil slick we call coffee."

"Captain." Barek acknowledged his comment. She glanced up from the caramel colored liquid swirling in her cup. "Physics." She held the cup out so he could see for himself. "Enough agitation can often bring about equilibrium."

The captain paused. "Does that apply to partnerships as well?" He reaches over to get an empty cup. In pre-Goren times a statement like that would have landed out in left field. Nowadays he was use to it, or as use to it as he was ever likely to be. With both Bobby and her around, he was getting double his daily dose of oblique verbiage.

Touché Captain. The detective gives him a questioning smile. Whilewe were watching the bullpen, he was watching us. Great.

Deakins finished pouring. "Mike seems a little wound up." He motioned in the direction of their now vacant desks. "Is everything going ok?"

"Oh, you know Mike, when he gets a hunch he gets a little impatient. It's not that bothersome. "

"Is this hunch a significant concern to your current case?" He sniffed his cup, but didn't take a drink.

Nope, no major concerns here, just a little blood shed and chaos. Your senior officers kicking little Mikey's ass for snooping. I'll go get a mop.

"No sir. More like one of those minor details that in the end won't have a deceive value to the situation." There is bending the truth and then there is knotting it up.

She smiled. "It was actually beneficial, Mike interrupting me. I was getting bleary eyed, needed to take a break from that paper work."

"Carry on then," Deakins nodded goodbye and headed across the bullpen.

That went well. Maybe a little too well. Nagging after thoughts are never a good sign. Nobody ever wanted to be on their boss's radar. Barek wasn't convinced her captain was appeased.

Logan, trying to appear casual, was striding across the bullpen toward his targets.

Eames noticed Logan drawing near first. Bobby never lifted his head, but his ears perked up as if he had bat sonar. Knowing Goren was on the same wavelength, she queried, "Ever feel like a Christmas present about to be unwrapped?"

He slightly lifted his head and made eye contact. "Violently unwrapped?"

They both grinned; she added, "Mike's middle name isn't subtle."

"Hey guys!" Mike trying to play it casual.

"Hi Mi-keeey" He almost winced. He hated it when Eames drew out his name like that, throwing that bit of sugar atop the contempt. He knew she could tell it grated him.

Bobby shot her a very quick 'play nice' look. Straightening up he addressed Mike. "Logan, something up?"

"Naw, nothing important." He wrung his hands. "How did the stake out go?"

"Our mark won't be back until tonight, meanwhile" Bobby gestured at the paperwork engulfing Eames' and his desks.

"Yeah, paperwork." Mike looked at his watch. "How bout lunch?"

The partners exchanged looks; Bobby replied, "We need to be here," placing a hand on the telephone, "if there is a change in the case."

Mike whipped out a look of concern "I could use a break; I know you guys need one. It will let you unwind from your unproductive morning. Look, lunch on me, I'll pop down to the cafeteria, grab some sandwiches, and we will just go down the hall here. Mitchell can cover the phones."

Alex and Bobby traded looks again. "Ok Mike, that sounds good, say about 25 minutes?"

"Great" Mike smiled. "I'll be back." He then strutted off.

Alex had a quizzical look on her face as she said to Bobby, "Unproductive? Missing our mark doesn't equal unproductive."

Bobby flipped through the pages on his report. "Mike said 'our morning wasn't productive.'" He looked up at her smiling "I found our morning, this morning, very productive."

Alex covered her mouth to hid a grin and she looked as if she was about to blush, as she dove back into her report reading.

Barek navigated back to her desk and was trying to covertly watch whatever her partner was up to. Too far away to hear anything, almost out of lip reading range. Not that the latter is an option, as she needed to keep track of Deakins whereabouts as well. She wanted to make sure she was off her captain's 'to watch list'.

Here comes Logan, smiling and with a spring in his step. Barek held up her report to disguise the fact she was looking past the fast approaching Mike, to see what reaction his visit has produced. Mmhh. Back to work, not missing a beat, casual, or too casual?

Mike leaned back and half sat on the edge of her desk.

"Are they too busy with real work to play?" Barek was back to actually reading the report again.

Mike crossed his arms. "No. Recess is on in 25 minutes. After I bring lunch up here."

Not looking up from her report Barek replied, "I seem to be on Deakins short list. He was watching us earlier. Ideas?'

"Uhh." Mike resisted the urge to check on his captain's current location. "I'll try to pad out about ten minutes of chit chat to give you time to get back up stairs. You'll leave the deck here because you need to go down and check in with the ME's office. Come up the back stairs, no one in the pen will see that you have returned."

Barek circled and wrote on her paperwork. "The captain seems engrossed with Jackson, going over his case. You know there is still time to just have lunch."

"Are you kidding? No way."

"What's your favorite flower?' Barek flipped to the next page.

"My favorite what? My favorite flower? Uh, Carnations I guess. Why?"

She finally smiled and looked up at him. "I wanted to get something nice for you to have, to look at."

Mike's knotted brow told her he hadn't a clue.

"You know, for when you regain conscious in the hospital."

He gave her a steely gaze. "Double the wager?"

"I'm feeling good about it," she put the pen to her lips, then pointed it at Logan, "so double it is."