TITLE: The Bet Chapter 5

RATING: T or PG or whatever
BETAed by: Linda, Brynna, Brynnamorgan (it's flying now)
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.

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

Readers Enjoy! And all you Readers that Review Thanks!

They raised their clasped hands up to try and drive the point home.

"Oh come on. Straight, gay, bi, whatever, anybody can hold a hand. I could probably hold my partner's hand." Logan gestured at their hands. "That proves nothing. Alex seems very touchable…." Alex gave him a look that stopped his train of thought immediately. Logan swallows hard and corrects himself. "Touchable if given permission, which I'm sure." He looked at Bobby, trying to avert Alex's piercing glare, "I can see you have."

Alex was ticked off big time. She disengaged her hand and stood up in a manner that made her seem much taller than her real height. "You come in here, pumped up that we are a couple, you asked, we answered and now what, Mike? What do you want? Eight by ten glossies?"

Barek steadied herself as the disaster meter in her mind went off the scale. For the love of God, Mike don't say anything, please. Insert your foot in mouth and clamp down.

"Well, ya know if it wouldn't put you out, if you have an extra copy…" The room fell into a cold hard silence…

Barek's mind flashed to a memory of documentary she saw years ago. An A-bomb being detonated and the blinding light that washed everything away, which was then followed by a deafening stillness, stillness that once it was complete, signaled the obliteration of all things in the phenomenal wake of unencumbered force. She now feared she would momentarily know exactly what that event would feel like. She involuntarily closed her eyes and braced herself.

The quietness ends and Barek's eyes snap open at the sounds of … laughter?

"I told you he's got a set on him." Alex gave Bobby's shoulder a push. "Pay up Bobby."

"Un-uh, we did this on a point system." He pulled a folded paper out of his shirt pocket and gently shook it at her. "I was right about him doing this during work hours."

"I was right on more items than you, you know it." Alex reached to snatch the paper out of Bobby's hand. He pulled it back just out of her reach.

"After dinner we'll sort this out." He grinned and returns the paper to his pocket.

Barek chortled. Oh, you are so owned Logan. Play with fire and you do get burned.

"Damn it!" Logan knew he'd been had. "You guys were betting on, on me?" He threw his head up and rolls it to the right and down. "…son of a…You played me!" Mike slammed his hand down on the desk in frustration. "Carolyn said you guys were good, that's one hell of an act."

Bobby looked at him. "Oh, you and Barek had a little bet going on?" He looked at Alex "I think I just picked up a couple of points."

Alex folded her arms and slightly tilted her head back. "And I recall saying Carolyn would bet only if Mike was annoying enough, more points for me, I'm sure."

"I think, overall, you won your bet, Mike." Bobby acknowledged. "It's not all an act."

Barek knit her brow. They want Mike to know? What are they up to?

"Right, don't rub it in." Mike folded his arms. "You can turn the act off."

The door opened behind her and a very composed Captain Deakins returned.

"Carolyn, fill me in. What the hell is going on?"

"Sir, Mike wanted, needed, decided to resolve a question that has been hanging in this squad room for years." Please, don't kill the messenger.

"That question being exactly what I think it is?" Deakins looked rather peeved.

The detective nods. "Whether Alex and Bobby are together, as a couple."

"Mike has got some big…" Deakins says through gritted teeth.

"I think they just covered that sentiment. Sir." Carolyn responded with a grimace.

"So, he knows that they are not a couple, right?"

"Yes sir, by telling him they are, he knows their not."

"Say again? They said they are?" Deakins knit his brow and was digging into his pocket. "And the revelation that they are makes Mike thinks they are not?"

"Right." Barek nodded to a confused captain. "It's not as complicated as you would think. It still is just a spin to confuse Mike."

"Well the confusion part is working just fine."

Bobby and Alex exchanged looks.

Alex snarked back "Act? What act Mike? Bobby and I are a couple, you won your bet with Carolyn. Rejoice."

"Barek said you two could pull anything off undercover. So you now are doing the same here." Mike's body language was screaming out, 'Show me, I dare you!'

"Mike we already told you..." Alex looked at Bobby, "He wants proof, now we need to prove that we, oh this is stupid…"

"No, not really that dumb" Bobby places a on her shoulder. "Just Mike being thorough.

Like any good detective, he needs evidence to back up his assumptions."

Alex rubbed her brow. She gestured toward Bobby. "He makes a mean bouillabaisse, reads the 'Smithsonian' magazine, and likes to go to the library to unwind."

Bobby continued with, "She likes her coffee with extra sugar, and good margaritas. Most weekends she spends being a grease monkey working on cars."

Mike was not impressed. "Right, you learned at least that much about each other in the first weeks you worked together."

Alex's patience was wearing thin. "He grinds his teeth when he sleeps, prefers electric shavers to blades, and sleeps in the nude."

Bobby scratched the back of his head. "She talks in her sleep, prefers showers to baths, and paints her toenails."

Mike slowly shook his head, as if this was the lamest information he has ever heard.

Exasperated, Alex asked, "OK, Mike can we fake this?"

Barek couldn't believe that there in the middle of PP1 that two of her colleagues were going to, to… What the hell are they going to do?

Alex and Bobby embraced. And the Amazon River is just a river. As they kiss, they were alone in their envelopment of each other. The moment was brief, intense and electric. Barek mumbled, "I haven't seen that many sparks fly since last July." They parted and the charged atmosphere dissipated.

Barek looked over to see the captain's reaction to all of this. It was not a pretty site.

"That is it. This ends now!" Deakins went from slack jaw shock to hyper ass kick mode in record time.

"But, sir it's an act, a spin……"

"An act?" Deakins headed for the door but abruptly turned back toward Barek. "Explanations, I want them now. I have questions and I want the answers now!"

Barek didn't know what to say. I'd like to shoot my partner right now for dragging me into this. And… The sounds of a chair crashing across the room diverted her and Deakins attention back to the interrogation room. They saw that Bobby was slamming Mike up against the glass.

"Want to try pushing some more buttons Mike?" Bobby was holding him tight against the two way mirror.

Barek wondered what exchange prompted this action. Mike can't you control yourself for five minuets.

"Mike, I'm a big guy." Bobby was wearing a wicked grin.

The rapid bobbing of Mike's Adams apple signaled he was not very comfortable.

Bobby dropped his voice low, so low it was not coming in on the speakers. Deakins couldn't hear what he was saying. But Carolyn was reading his lips.

"A really big guy. So… she likes to be on top."

Carolyn covered her mouth with her hand. Holy s… What the hell brought on that exchange?

The captain had had enough and heads out the door.

Bobby let Mike loose and looked straight at the mirror. "What do you think Barek?"

What the… Bobby is asking me? Of course, they know Mike would need a witness, and who else but his own partner. Barek clicked on the intercom "Red Alert. The captain knows!"

A collective "Uh-oh" of looks flashed about the room as Deakins burst in.

"You two my office now, you two are next so don't go anywhere!"