Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: Criminal Intent or its characters…

Author's note: Here's some more of this one, if you're still interested. Sorry for the delay…I got distracted by other fics. Please let me know if I should continue with this or pour my energies into other endeavors.

Just A Little

Daydreaming

Why couldn't he stop thinking about her in inappropriate ways?

It must be her eyes, big and brown, and her hair, soft curls falling about her shoulders, tucked away from her face, and her lips, her pretty delicate lips that teased him as she spoke. He just wanted to look into her bright eyes, run his hands through her silky locks, and kiss her alluring lips. Truthfully, he wanted more than to just enjoy them, he wanted to claim them as his own. But he didn't really want to be that kind of man, and he knew that she definitely wasn't the kind of woman who could be a possession. Still, the thought of another having access to her captivating features was unbearable, and he so desired to be the only one to touch her gorgeous hair, receive her adoring looks and engage those lips in more than conversation.

She looked up and Detective Mike Logan knew he was caught. He looked hastily down at the report laid out in front of him. Stop staring. Stop Staring. Stop Staring. He could probably manage to stop staring, at least for awhile, but he couldn't stop thinking about her, desiring her. What he really wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her tight, nuzzle her neck and the soft curls of her hair. He wanted to lie with her in his arms until her tender form and gentle breathing lulled him to sleep. He wanted her there to keep the horrors of the case from taking over his mind, disturbing his slumber. And if they did disturb his sleep, he wanted her there to take it away, comfort him and let him know it would be alright. And perhaps his own strong arms wrapped securely around her petite body would provide her some relief from the terrors of the murdered as well.

And he found himself shocked at the revelation that he daydreamed about cuddling with his partner. Should he not have more manly desires? Shouldn't he be daydreaming about picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her off somewhere to have his way with her? (Well, in all honesty, he shouldn't be daydreaming about her at all, but while you're at it…) Or about throwing her on the desk and taking her right there and then, harshly and passionately, until her lips (lips that he wished belonged to him) parted-no, until he parted them in a pleasurable cry of ecstasy?

He breathed out loud and fidgeted with the collar of his shirt which suddenly felt too tight around his neck. Maybe, he desired that as well.

Detective Carolyn Barek noticed her partner shift uncomfortably. Again she looked up to check on him. His face was flushed and he looked startled as he noticed her gaze had fallen upon him again. Something was definitely wrong. He was horribly distracted, had been all morning while they sifted through paperwork, and she had a feeling that she knew why. It was because of that night, that one stupid, impulsive, thoughtless passionate night. Things had been off between them ever since, and despite how she tried she still couldn't resolve the feelings he stirred in her. Apparently, it was the same for him.

An evil thought passed through Carolyn's head. She could have some fun with this. She faked like she was overheating as well, fanning her face with her hand. Then, she unbuttoned the front of her blouse, and leaning back in her chair, let it fall open to reveal the tight form-fitting camisole beneath. She stretched her shoulders back, emphasizing her round shapely breasts. Smiling inwardly, she examined her partner's response. He was staring at her like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

Mike realized that he was ogling his partner horribly. He quickly turned his attention away, not bothering to disguise his discomfort. His head was so mixed up he didn't know what to think. One minute he was fantasizing about jumping her, the next he was scolding himself for ever even considering his partner as anything else besides the detective she was.

Carolyn considered leaning forward to 'make a note' on the paper lying on her desk, all the while offering Logan a direct view of what was down her shirt. Despite her formal exterior, Carolyn liked playing games with men. That was one of the reasons she always acted so cold towards her charming partner, reigning in the urge to flirt back and play off his innuendos. She had maintained the line for so long, but now things were all muddled up and she felt herself coming dangerously close to crossing it. She had found him alluring, undeniably since the beginning she had been attracted to him, but whereas before she would never consider acting upon it, now she found herself considering it. Except it was inappropriate, taboo even.

She studied his face as he avoided looking at her. If it was any indication, he was just as mixed up as she was. Guilt suddenly flooded into her mind, tightening her chest. She had begun to play with her partner, manipulate him when he was already so unusually off-balance. Mike Logan always seemed so sure of himself, so confident. Maybe that was why Carolyn had felt the urge to throw him off kilter, but she now realized the cruelty in it. The fault for his confusion wasn't really his anyway. She was the one who had failed to anticipate what the consequences of their actions would be. She had known what he was like when he drank, and she should have abstained from the activity herself. But it was too late for that; they were both suffering the consequences, unable to deal with the conflicting emotions threatening to tear apart their partnership, their sanity.

Aborting her previous plans to tease her flustered partner further, Carolyn stood, he once again looked up at the captivating woman. There was a strange look in his eyes, questioning, almost panicked over her perceived departure.

"I'm going to the little girl's room," she explained. She couldn't refasten the buttons on her blouse in front of him, now that she had feigned warmth. Not that it really mattered. He probably already knew that she had been playing him. He was still looking at her strangely, and it made Carolyn uncomfortable. How could she make it seem like everything was normal?

"Or do I need a hall pass, Mr. Logan?" she said, emphasizing the formality in his name, which inadvertently directed attention to the more than few years he held on the younger woman. It was callous, but it was a comment she would have made before this whole mess, and at least would maintain the illusion of normalcy to the outside world. With that she left the shocked and perplexed man, feeling ashamed and heartless of her treatment of him.

-----------------------------------------------

"Did you see that?" Detective Robert Goren asked his partner quietly, moving a hand askew to direct her attention to the desks that the other pair of major case detectives shared.

"There's something going on between them," Alex replied without looking up from the file she was perusing for information. "Something personal."

Bobby smiled and turned his attention back to the stack of files in front of him. A lot of people focused only on him, because he was the 'observant one', the one they needed to worry about discovering the truth. So they never paid much attention to Alex, and that was often their downfall. She could be even more perceptive than the infamous Bobby Goren himself, who often suffered from the single track mind. She in fact had picked up on the tension between Logan and Barek far before he had, and observed the entire exchange while covertly and expertly appearing to read the files splayed out in front of her.

He couldn't imagine solving the cases they did without her. He only hoped that the other detectives worked out their issues. Fighting the evil of the world was not an undertaking to be assumed single-handedly. A steady partner could serve as a solid anchor in reality and wisdom amongst an otherwise tumultuous and perplexing world. Bobby Goren knew that fact well. The question was, did Logan and Barek know realize that, or would they have to learn it the hard way?

A/N: More? How do you think Logan and Barek will be able to resolve their issues?