A/N: Again many thanks for the reviews, I try to reply to all of them, but would like to thank Abby for her wonderful review - I would have replied, but it was anon.
Disclaimer: Not mine, although my imagination seems to be in denial.
When she pulled up outside Theresita Casas' house, they could see every light on inside. Frowning, she put the car into park, before sliding out from behind the wheel, and waiting for her partner to join her. They walked up to the door, ringing the bell and waiting. She shot a few glances towards the other half of the condo, and frowned again.
"What?" Bobby whispered next to her, leaning down so she could hear him.
"It just- it must be hard for her to be next door like this.." she whispered back, leaning her body towards him, mirroring him unconsciously. She heard the knob turn, and stood straight, and then the door opened and Theresita Casas stood there , illuminated by the overabundance of light behind her. She was a pretty woman, who looked to be in her late thirties, with long dark hair hanging down her back. She had black pants on, that looked like part of a lounge suit, and a plain white shirt that was too large for her. Her skin was blanched underneath the olive complexion and she had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes. She smiled wanly at them, opening the door further and indicating they should come in.
"Thanks for coming- I know it was short notice, but I feel like if I don't do this now, I never will." Her tone was warm, and self depreciating. It sounded worn, much like she appeared to be. She lead them into the living room, which was for lack of a better word, white. White walls, bleached oak floors, a fireplace in cream stucco – the only splashes of color came from her deep blue sofa and red chairs, and the photos lining the wall. Alex seated herself in one of the red wing chairs, while Theresita curled into a corner of the sofa. Bobby, unsurprisingly, wandered around looking at photos and examining books and knick knacks around the room.
"Sorry – that's just what he does." she spoke apologetically, but Theresita just shrugged in response, not seeming bothered by it.
"It's alright – everyone has their quirks. He can look all he wants." A large tan cat stalked into the room and stared in disgust at the newcomers before leaping with grace onto his owners lap and settling there.
Alex took out her tape recorder, and placed it on the scarred wooden coffee table, pulling out her notebook along with it, she cleared her throat slightly to let Bobby know she was starting. She heard his grunt in reply , which meant to start without him. Sighing, she turned to the detective in front of her. "Thanks for letting us speak to you so quickly Det. Casas-"
"Call me MJ, please." she spoke in a friendly tone, and stroked the animal on her lap comfortingly.
"MJ's an- unusual nick name- how did you get it?" Bobby's voice rumbled from across the room, proving he was listening intently, even if preoccupied.
MJ smiled, and the action lit up her face for a moment. "I worked Narcotics for a while when I first joined. None of the guys would call me by my first name and they hated spitting out Casas all the time. One guy was intrepid enough to discover my full name – Theresita Herminia Casas – and he noticed the initials."
"THC." Bobby's voice startled Alex, and she turned seeing he was now standing behind her chair, and moving to seat himself in the other armchair.
"Yeah- so he started calling me Mary Jane – and it got shortened to MJ eventually, and kind of caught on." She took a deep breath, looking decidedly more tense now that Bobby had joined them.
"Your photos-" Bobby waved an arm around the room as he spoke - "They're all work related, right? You're wearing your shield in almost all of them." He explained at her startled expression.
"Yeah – well, I don't have family outside of work." Her tone had become terse, and Alex frowned. Seeing their confused expression, she deliberated on her statement. "I was abandoned as a baby." She shrugged, brushing off the seriousness of her statement. "I was brought to a free clinic, and was there for three years before being passed onto the foster care system. After that I was in and out of homes until I turned eighteen and joined the force."
"Your mother was a drug addict?" Bobby questioned, making a note in his ever present binder.
"Yeah – it took them three years to stabilize me."
"Alright-" Alex cut in softly, taking control of her partner's wandering tendencies and refocusing the subject. "- tell us about Det. Collier."
"I don't know where to start really-" she sighed softly, her hand running through the cat's fur absently as she spoke. "I guess, in order to tell you the whole truth, I need to start from the beginning. I haven't told anyone this story-" MJ glanced up and met her eyes, and she was startled to see tears swimming in them. "But I have to now- for Mark. It'll probably get me fired.. but that's not important. You need to know everything – if only to eliminate me as a suspect."
Bobby glanced over at her, and she met his eyes, and they both leaned forward slightly, knowing that what would come next might explain alot of things. MJ ran an agitated hand though her hair and sighed. Bobby merely nodded in her direction, indicating she should continue.
"I was at CCS for about half a year when Mark came in and we got paired together. I kind of- hated him in the beginning. He was always very calm and detail oriented, together – basically everything I'm not and never will be. Plus he was an Army transfer – from Intelligence no less, and he had that whole Army attitude. Used to strict rules and very by the book, if you know what I mean." Alex snorted, glancing at Bobby. Two men coming from the army couldn't sound more different – Det. Collier adhered to his military training, whereas Bobby seemed to break as many rules as possible, maybe because he had to follow such strict rules while in the Forces. Bobby just looked at her, as usual knowing what was going through her head.
"Wow, you guys have been partners for a while huh?" MJ's voice broke in. "Unspoken signals- you can tell. Were you army too, Det. Goren? I'm sorry-"
"No, it's fine." Bobby waved her apology off, and waited for her to continue.
"Anyway- so we didn't get along. Mark would deliberately call me by my last name – ever though no one else did. And I would deliberately get his wrong for the first few weeks, just cause it irritated the hell out of him." She smiled in memory for a moment, before her expression seemed to catch and crumble. "Anyway – we caught a real bitch of a case – involving old rapes – and we were staking out the suspect. We – talked alot on that case. He told me he had been calling me Casas because he didn't know why they called me MJ and he didn't want to assume. After that we became closer. Friends even. I had a ton of issues before Mark partnered me – I had a hard time identifying with victims and dealing with families. I'm not what you'd call tactful, exactly." She smiled wryly as she spoke.
"Mark- he dealt with the families alot- and he was good at it, so he handled that aspect and I handled interrogations. It worked – really well. We were friends outside of work – he wanted me to buy this place when his neighbors left- he hated them. His best argument was that when we got a call, we wouldn't have to pick the other up." She laughed shortly, wiping a hand across her eyes as she spoke. "After that we spent almost all our time together. He was my best friend." She whispered softly, and they remained silent, both silently agreeing not to interrupt her story.
"He had told me about his parents- his dad was shot you know, and his Mom was stabbed. I'd help him look for the perps, when we weren't working new cases. He knew all about me too – I think we kind of stuck because we had no one else, you know?" She glanced up at them, her eyes red from crying. Bobby nodded in response.
"Anyway when he finally caught a break- he had the knife re examined for a secondary blood sample-"
"Most stabbings inflict wounds on the killer as well." She muttered softly, and MJ nodded in agreement.
"DNA had moved forward in leaps and bounds, and they discovered a separate sample. Ran it through Codis and got a match. Mark didn't wait for me that day- he took off to question the suspect on his own. Turned out there were two of them there that day. He got in the house, asked them some questions, and they drew weapons on him. That's when I got there- Mark was inside with his weapon drawn, at a standstill with them. One of them turned to run, and Mark shot him- and then the other perp shot Mark, in the chest. I didn't think- I couldn't really, but I fired on the perp and killed him. It was declared a clean shooting though." She spoke in a soft voice, and clearly they could see that she was back in that moment again.
"Mark was-" her breath hitched slightly and she pressed a hand to her mouth for a moment. "- he was laying there and there was so much blood. It was everywhere, all over me, and him, and he wouldn't wake up- I called for a bus and applied pressure, and after that it was kind of blurry. I don't really remember, if you know what I mean? It was like I was in auto pilot. Next thing I knew I was sitting in a waiting room, praying for him not to die, still covered in his blood. And I knew." She looked up at them, her dark eyes soft. "I knew that Mark wasn't my best friend. He wasn't just my family – he was my life. And I had never really thought about it – until I was there, facing the thought that he might not be there anymore."
"I know." Bobby was leaning fully forward now, and nodding along with MJ, "Eames she was- taken not-" He stopped abruptly, glancing at her, clearly afraid he'd said something wrong. Alex looked at him, realizing that as terrifying as her kidnapping had been for her, she had at least known Bobby was out there looking for her. He had been out there, thinking she was dead. MJ seemed to stare at him for a moment, before nodding.
"I read about that in the papers- I'm sorry Det. Eames." MJ spoke in a worn voice, transferring her gaze to her.
"It's alright." She answered somewhat shortly – she still hated the looks she got when people realized she was the cop who had been kidnapped by a serial killer.
Running a hand through her long hair, MJ looked down at her hands, twisting them together absently. She sighed softly glancing up again. "I guess you kind of have an idea what comes next right?" She smiled wanly, taking a deep breath and continuing anyway. "I loved Mark. But now I was aware I was in love with him as well- and I didn't know what to do. The thought of a new partner terrified me. No one else would be able to calm me like him, or keep me in line, or know the way I was thinking, even if he didn't think the same way. I didn't want to lose that – but there was this voice. This little tiny voice whispering in my head – I almost did lose him anyway. And did I really want that to happen again – ten years, twenty years – hell a month down the road – and not be able to know? Have a long partnership and a boatload of regrets for never knowing if it could have been more? So I got really drunk one night. And I kind of told him."
"What did he say?" Alex leaned forward – pausing to wonder for a moment if she was a bit too interested in this story, but brushing it aside. She could feel Bobby's curious eyes on her, and she leaned back slightly, in an effort to appear less interested.
MJ smiled again, but it was brighter this time, and seemed to seep into her eyes, warming them. "He said 'Go get sober and tell me tomorrow.' So I did. And he felt the same, and it was- God it was more perfect than I had ever imagined. At first we agreed- we would tell the Captain right away and let the chips fall where they may. Well, Mark was agreed anyway. I kept putting it off – after this case, Mark – oh but this one really needs us so after this one. And we worked together just as well- hell, maybe even better than we had before. We had always had that unspoken communication, but suddenly we were better – anticipating the others moves before they even happened- finally I just asked if we really had to tell? We were working together – better than ever – and I was selfish I guess. I didn't want to adjust to a new partner." She shifted and the cat on her lap glared at being displaced before wandering to the other end of the sofa, and curling up.
"A year into it, Mark asked me to marry him. It was his way of forcing my hand, I knew – he knew if we got married- we'd have to tell, right? But I said no. And he asked again the next week, and I said no. He asked me every week for a damn year and I said no each time. I didn't see the point- we were living together- we were still working – why ruin it with marriage? Then we took vacation that year, and Mark wanted to go to Michigan of all places – like what the hell is in Michigan right?" She laughed, tears filling her eyes again and she swiped at them angrily.
"Secret marriage laws." Bobby spoke thoughtfully, and MJ looked up startled. "Right? I had -" he hesitated for a moment "- friends who got married there. Michigan has a law that enables couples to marry in the presence of a judge, but the documents are sealed and no one but them is aware they're married."
"Why would a law like that be created?" Alex wondered out loud, and Bobby turned towards her, alert.
"Lots of reasons, family feuds – work related – some people just don't want the world to know. It has all sorts of practical applications as well, such as the WPP – they can legally marry people in the program, without alias'-"
"Alright Bobby- I get the point." She spoke dryly, chuckling a bit.
"You're right Det. Goren. We got married- Mark said it was something he wanted- not because he wanted us to tell the truth, but because I was his life and he loved me. He wanted to have proof of that. He said to me ' Sita- if something happens to one of us- don't you want proof? To know that we were more than just partners?'" She pressed a hand to her mouth tightly, her voice tripping over the words. "And I said yes." she whispered softly. "And then- then the lie seemed so huge. There was no way we could tell now, right? So we didn't." She laughed, but the sound seemed strangled in her throat. "When Mark brought up kids- we both knew- we knew that once that happened, the truth would come out. We knew we might lose our jobs, but I think part of us was hoping we wouldn't. Mark would always say we could do something else- and he could have, he was so damn smart. But I- I didn't know how to do anything but be a cop, you know? I was scared, but at the same time – I wanted this. I wanted to have kids with him." Tears were streaming down her face now, and Alex handed her the box of kleenex on the table between them. MJ smiled in thanks and wiped her eyes, struggling to get her breathing under control.
"We started trying, but we had problems. I had to go see a specialist and he put me on-"
"Repronex." Alex finished softly. At MJ's startled expression she explained. "We found a syringe in the garbage."
"Yeah- it made me really moody. Mark hated that." She smiled slightly. "I was at my doctors yesterday morning. I had just found out-" her voice caught in a sob- "Found out that it worked. And we were pregnant." Pressing a hand to her abdomen, she was crying in earnest now. After a few moments, she seemed to calm and looked up at them. "It was why I kept calling him- to tell him." Rubbing her eyes she laced her hands together and for the first time Alex noticed she wasn't twisting her hands, she was twisting her wedding rings. Noticing her stare MJ smiled. "I always wore them on a long chain- but- it didn't seem right today. Now that everyone is going to find out anyway- I can wear them all the time. I can use his name now-" she gave a short bitter laugh. "I just had to lose him to do it."
Alex sat back, part of her a bit stunned by the tale they had just heard, the other part of her wasn't really shocked at all. It wasn't unusual for partners to become more deeply involved with one another – but the extent to which MJ and Mark had lied shocked her a bit. Looking down for a moment, she felt all eyes in the room resting on her. "MJ- where did you go after the doctor's? You first call was at 9:15 but you didn't arrive home until well after noon."
"I had an appointment at a day spa. Mark told me to take the day off- I think he was worried how I would take it if it didn't happen again this month. He booked me an appointment for a pedi- said I need to relax. When I couldn't get a hold of him right away, I assumed he was working- and he'd call me back anyway. But I couldn't get a hold of him all morning, and I was starting to worry. And then-" She stopped speaking abruptly, and they nodded in unison. MJ picked up a slim folder from the table next to her, handing it across to Bobby. "It's my doctor's number- and my receipt from the spa, and their number as well. I know- no I know" she waved off Bobby's protest before he even spoke. "I'm a suspect. I'm closest to him, and I'm his wife. First place to look. I get it. I just want you to eliminate me so you can concentrate on finding the real killer. I don't want this case on my desk in six months."
"It won't be." Alex spoke reassuringly. "MJ, what about other people in Mark's life? Did he have any friends, enemies.. that kind of thing?" MJ was shaking her head before Alex had even finished speaking.
"Everyone at work loved Mark. And he didn't have many friends outside work – a few Army buddies, but he hasn't seen any of them in years. I can get their names if you need. He never had any issues at work- well aside from Joe Clemmans, but he kind of hates everyone, doesn't he?" Alex snorted under her breath, Joe Clemmans worked in the records department, located in the basement of the IAB building. Everyone had crossed his path at one time or another, needing a case history pulled, and Joe was seriously cranky all the time. She always sent Bobby down to get files because of the way Joe spoke to her. Voice dripping with contempt, like because she was a woman she didn't deserve to be there.
"Yeah he does." Bobby spoke thoughtfully. "Eames won't even go get files anymore – she sends me." He rubbed his hand along his jaw thoughtfully, clearing turning the new facts over in his head. "MJ, if you don't mind, I would like those Army buddies names and contact information. It seems like whoever did this had a grudge- and if everything we hear about Mark is true- we may have to dig deeper to find it." MJ merely nodded, before standing with grace and exiting the room. Bobby turned towards her with a raised brow. "Looks like you were right Eames, I think we can safely cross MJ off our list."
"Yeah, too bad that leaves us with a big fat no one as suspects." She spoke tiredly. Glancing at the clock she saw it was after seven now. "Should we grab food on the way back to One PP?" she questioned tiredly.
"Why don't we just go to your place? We can order food, and any calls I need to make tonight can be done there. I'll- I'll even help you type up the interview." He smiled slightly and she nodded in acceptance. A moment later, MJ stepped back in the room with a printed list that she handed to Bobby. Alex stood, gathering her tape recorder and walked over to join them.
"This is my card MJ- my cell number is on the back, If you need anything, call me. I'll try to update you on what we have once a day." Alex pressed the card into MJ's hand, smiling at her gently. She remembered too well what it was like to be left out of an investigation into your husband's death. But in MJ's case it was murder- and had to be ten times harder.
"Thank you Det. Eames." MJ spoke softly, clutching the card in her hand.
"Call me Alex. And it's nothing, I just understand. You can't be involved, but I won't keep you uninformed as well."
Bobby was suspiciously quiet on the ride back to her place. When she pulled into her drive, she rested her head against the steering wheel for a moment, drinking in the silence until she couldn't stand the stillness anymore. "Bobby? What's wrong?"
He didn't answer for a moment, clearly deep in thought. "I just- I think it's wrong, I guess. That they had to be that afraid to tell the truth."
Sighing, she looked over at him, angling her head so that he entered her line of vision. "The rules are there for a reason Bobby. Partners get involved and bad things can happen. You become clouded in your judgment-"
"But what about cases like Mark and MJ, Eames? They didn't let it affect their work-"
"And who decides if it won't affect their work Bobby? Should they be evaluated by IAB and be judged? What about officers who don't quite work the normal way to begin with, do they get shot down?" Her voice was tense, aware that this debate could bring them to an uncomfortable precipice very quickly, and she tried to avoid the fall with all her might. "What I don't get is why not tell? And get it over with- sure they might have been re paired, but they might not have. Now her job is in jeopardy because of a stupid lie."
"You don't get it Eames, some people- some people couldn't stand the thought of losing their partner. In a job like ours, where our work is more often than not our life- it's who we are. I am Detective Goren, and you are part of that identity. Goren and Eames- one without the other means I don't know who I am anymore." She drew in a sharp breath, knew they were standing so close to the edge of this discussion that they might fall off, but the censure in his tone made her want to shove him off and damn the consequences. So instead, she unclipped her belt, getting out of the vehicle before she said something too stupid to take back. Entering her house, she left the door open, knowing he would follow her. She took calming breaths, bracing herself when she heard the door shut behind her.
"Eames, I'm-"
"No." Her tone was hard and she whirled to face him, somehow finding the strength to dredge up some good old fashioned anger. "No Bobby, you do not get to imply that somehow our partnership is more important to you than me and get away with it. I mean- do you have any idea what you just said?"
She stomped around her house as she spoke, ripping her coat off and removing her holster and slamming the gun on the counter top. Bobby flinched at the sound, stepping backwards when she finally turned towards him. "You basically just said that for some people , people that don't include me obviously, their partner is part of who they are. So clearly you think that should we ever be split up for whatever reason, I would be fine with it. Guess what genius? I wouldn't be." She was startling herself with the amount of anger in her tone. She had gotten angry to avoid other, scarier emotions rolling within her, but when she latched onto the anger, it seemed to grow within her. I have a right to be pissed. Dumbass.
Stalking up to him, she poked him in the chest, causing him to step back again. "You do not hold the corner on being unable to work with anyone else Bobby. You lost so many partners before because you drove them off- because you didn't try. Hell, you didn't even try with me in the beginning, you just sat there waiting for me to take off. And you know what Bobby? I almost did. So pardon the hell out of me, if I can keep partners longer than you. I worked with some assholes- but I put up with them because I don't quit. I dig my heels in and get stubborn, and prove that I am every bit as good as the idiot I work with."
"You're right. " Bobby held his hands up in surrender, looking at her like she was about to shoot him.
"You're damn right I am!- wait- what?" She stopped in confusion, glaring up at him.
"You're right. My methods drive partners away, and I don't exactly try to keep them. I always thought I worked better alone, but not now. You stayed, and I know different now, I didn't work better alone. I work better with you. I guess I just assumed that you would be able to move on if we got split up- I – I don't know why I thought that." He was leaning down towards her, stooping to look her in the eye, because she had kicked off her shoes when she came in. "I'm – I'm sorry."
She stared at him for a moment, wanting to giggle at the comical image of this huge man crouching in front of her. A smile crossed her face and she sighed. "It's fine Bobby. I just- listen this case- it's going to bring up issues. For both of us. I just- I don't-" She stopped , rubbing a hand over her hair and sighing. She was just so damn tired.
"I don't either." Bobby spoke softly, before straightening up and crossing the room to her jacket. Searching her pockets he pulled out her recorder, and wandered over to her coffee table, opening the laptop there. "You call for food. I'm going to type this interview up. And if you could call Carver and see if we can get Mark's military records subpoenaed, that would be great." Shrugging his coat off, he lowered himself to the floor, unfolding his long legs under the coffee table and starting the recorder. She smiled at the gesture, sending up a silent thanks for being able to avoid disaster. Turning in her socked feet, she headed to the kitchen, deciding to make something instead of calling for takeout. If Bobby was making an effort, she could as well.