Thanks for the reviews my shippified friends. Keep in mind this is all supernatural and stuff. It's like an acid flashback I need to purge… or something of that nature.
"Where are we going now?"
Bobby was almost whining to his appointed guardian angel.
"I'm not sure I need to see much more."
"Well Bobby, you asked for this. You asked for knowledge and I'm under orders to dispense it."
"Under orders?" Bobby snorted.
"You think we guardian angels don't have a boss to answer to?" Albert chuckled.
He stopped walking for a second, pointing to a pair of double doors adorned in neon.
"Here we are!"
Bobby stopped and read the neon lettering out loud.
"The Fox Den? Why would you bring me to a place like this?"
"Well Bobby, we certainly couldn't take this trip without checking in on the destiny of the most beloved person in your life, could we?"
Albert and Bobby watched as seedy looking patrons moved in and out the doors.
"Eames!" Bobby blurted. "Eames is a stripper!?!"
"No Bobby, not quite. You seem to forget she used to worked vice. Well in this current world, it became her permanent vocation."
Bobby felt his stomach flip. Alex had told him a multitude of times, she hated vice. It was degrading for someone with her personality. She didn't mind the point of the work, it was the things she had to do to get the perp, that made her nauseous.
"Alex is somewhere around here." Albert surmised as he and Bobby slid through the doors, unnoticed. Women in G-strings, in various states of undress gyrated around the room.
"This place has a problem with prostitution, so they put Alex and another female cop in here to shake the place down."
"C'mon." Albert beckoned, leading Bobby to a private room near the back of the establishment. Inside, men were seated in chairs around the walls. Women were giving lap dances and other more intimate gifts to their customers. Bobby nervously scanned the room. He knew he couldn't be seen, but he was scared about what he, himself might get a look at. Just then a familiar head of blond hair caught his eye.
It was Alex, his Eames, straddling some Japanese tourist. She was clad in only a bra and g-string. Now Bobby was the one who was nauseous. Conflicting thoughts of lust, swirled and wrestled with thoughts of disgust and melancholy for what could have been.
What should have been.
Bobby was shaken from his thoughts by an abrupt stop to all the amplified sexual activity surrounding him. Alex and another woman jumped to the center of the room, while a few of the male patrons drew guns and waved badges.
Shakedown complete.
Albert and Bobby stood by taking in the arrests and chaos. Bobby couldn't take his eyes off Alex. After the bust she immediately pulled on a sweatshirt and sweatpants. A protective sense of relief flooded Bobby. He certainly didn't like seeing anyone covet his Eames.
"She hated vice…." Bobby whispered and nodded toward Albert. "Why?"
Well Bobby, that question might be best answered if we follow Alex to her home after work."
That time thing again….
Before Bobby could contemplate it, the raid was over, Alex was gone, and he and Albert were outside walking the streets again.
They stopped in front of a modest brownstone. It was still evening and the house looked cozy and well lit.
"Welcome to the Mulrooneys, Bobby!"
"Huh?" Bobby was pretty sure he misheard Albert. "Mulrooney….what?"
"The Mulrooneys… Mr. And Mrs. Mulrooney live here."
Now Bobby was sure he was going to throw up and it had nothing to do with the scotch.
"Kevin Mulrooney?" Bobby asked in a low whisper.
"Yep!" Albert chirped.
"Kevin and Alex."
Bobby's head started to swirl. "Alex married Mulrooney? When the hell did that happen? How the hell did that happen?"
"Two words Bobby, Boz Burnham"
"That case?!? What!!" Bobby started rubbing the back of his head. "Did they end up sleeping together? Is that how this happened?"
"Bobby Bobby Bobby…." Albert shook his head. "I had a feeling you wouldn't do well with this particular insight."
Like a robot, lapsing into familiar routine, Bobby quickly straightened out his posture and tried to feign calm. Even though Albert was his guardian angel, with endless insight into the Goren psyche, it was old hat for Bobby to reel in his deep seated feelings for Alexandra Eames.
"No… No, I'm fine with this." Bobby exclaimed. "Alex…. Well…. I guess she always wanted a family… I mean…"
As Albert started to descend upon the entrance to the brownstone, Bobby grabbed his shoulder.
"Maybe we shouldn't…. I mean as long as Mulrooney treats her right, what do I need to see here?"
Albert gives Bobby an apprehensive, but knowing look.
"You asked Bobby, and I'm answering. Despite your best efforts to hide these feelings, I know you love her. You have for a long time. Your destinies were meant to be intertwined.
"Well, if we're meant to be together…." Bobby paused and corrected himself. "I mean work together. It'll eventually happen, right?"
"Not necessarily Bobby, you may know each other, but it won't be in the same capacity that it would have been, had you pursued being a cop."
Bobby nodded, his face set in what appeared to be a permanent frown.
"C'mon Bobby, we have some visiting to do… With the Mulrooneys."
Bobby followed is angel, ever so reluctantly into the brownstone.