5:36 PM
Alex drove home on autopilot, lost in thought. By unspoken agreement, she and Bobby had gone their separate ways at the end of the day. Their confrontation with Ross had left them both, while elated, drained and a little confused.
He's not going to split us up. She smiled at the thought. While it was heartening to know their partnership was in no imminent danger, Alex was concerned with Bobby's affirmative answer to Ross' question about marriage.
Did he really mean that, or was he just testing Ross like he would a suspect he was interrogating? Push further than was expected, and get the result you need.
Alex didn't really think Bobby would toy with her in that way, but the situation had been so stressful that he might have spoken without thinking it through.
And I was no help, she thought ruefully. Nodding like a moron, then losing my shit. Even if he had meant it then, he's probably rethinking it now.
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And of course he was; thinking it, rethinking it, analyzing it, and thinking it some more.
As he made his way through the crowded midtown streets, Bobby kept thinking about Eames nodding mutely, and what it meant. He had thought about it on the way up here on the subway, after thinking about it for the last few hours, and he was still no closer to an answer.
The crowds that surrounded him on the sidewalk were a mere distraction when compared to the disturbing nature of his thoughts.
She nodded. She didn't say "Oh, hell no, I would never marry this freak," but she didn't say "Oh, yes, I can't wait to marry this stud" either.
The Eames that had begun living in his head took offense at this. Stud? she asked. Then she smacked him on the back of the head.
Absently he rubbed the spot as if actual injury had occurred. Perhaps stud was taking it too far, he argued, but you didn't exactly jump up and down with excitement, did you?
Bobby, mental Eames snorted, in the 6 ½ years you've known me, have you ever seen me jump up and down?
No, he agreed, but this would have been the perfect time to do it!
Mental Eames laughed wryly at this, which annoyed him. You know, you're a figment of MY imagination. I should turn you into Stepford Eames; you can agree with everything I say, and be all…
Brain-dead?
No.
Silicone-infused?
NO! Just…agreeable. You know, say yes to everything.
You would hate that.
Not if it meant you said yes to marrying me!!
I did, you idiot! You just had to think about it instead of confirming with the real me.
You said yes?
I did. And I'm probably wondering right now why you're here and I'm somewhere else, so go DEAL WITH ME!
Even an imaginary, only in his head Eames could put Bobby back on track. He smiled, realizing what he needed to do. Looking up to orient, he noticed where his thoughts had led him.
Ah, thank you, mental Eames. Good idea.
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Actual corporeal Eames, meanwhile, had decided to hash things out with her sister Colleen. Colleen, however, was finding the whole thing far too amusing to be of any help.
"He told the captain he wanted to marry you before he told you?"
"Yup."
"And you nodded."
"Yup."
Alex held the phone away from her ear as fresh peals of laughter erupted from Colleen's end of the line. Finally she grew tired of waiting.
"COLLEEN!"
"Heh-heh. What?"
"A little help, please? Now what should I do?"
Colleen tried to rein it in; Alex sounded pretty distressed. "Alex, this is a…heh…unusual situation, but I think you should talk to him and find out what's up."
Alex considered this. "Talk to him?"
"Yeah, or, you know, gesture with your head. Whatever." Colleen was off again, and Alex thanked her sarcastically, swore her to secrecy on penalty of Dad finding out the real reason her underwear ended up in the mailbox on prom night, and hung up.
"Shit." Talk to him, huh? What if he doesn't want to talk?
Who am I kidding? It's Bobby. He always wants to talk – to me.
She turned the car around.
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Ana waved off her manager, who for the third time was trying to interrupt the ranting big dude to tell him that the store was closing. Ana didn't mind, though; she was enjoying him, and liked the way he was talking about (and occasionally to) this Eames person.
"Sir? Did you want to pick something out?"
He looked at her, momentarily stunned, as if he had forgotten she was even there. "It's not that easy. It has to be perfect, you know, and she's…special."
She smiled at him, "Of course she is, or you wouldn't be here. But you see that uptight lady over there waving at you?" He looked and nodded. "She's the manager, and the store is supposed to be closing now, so she's going to make you leave soon. Perhaps you should come back tomorrow."
"Oh, no! This can't wait until tomorrow. I'll pick it now. Like I said, she's small, so it can't be too big and overwhelming, and I can't really afford that anyway. But I don't want something boring, either. What should I do, Eames?"
Ana was beginning to think that he was crossing the line between merely funny and eccentric and time to call security, but she went with it. "Sir? If you don't want to be traditional, may I make a suggestion?" She led him to another area of the store and brought out an item for his approval. She was encouraged when his face lit up with a beatific smile.
"I'll take it."
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Alex finally gave up. Bobby wasn't answering his door, and she wasn't going to let herself in if he wasn't in the mood to talk.
Or he went out and tied one on out of sheer terror.
She sighed, and made her way home.
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Bobby was ready to give up when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He waited, and was gratified when an admittedly tired-looking Eames came face to face with him outside her door.
"Hi."
"Hi."
Mwah-hah-hah. I am now my own evil twin. Okay, truth be told, it got a little long, so I'm breaking it up. I hope to update again tonight. Thanks for reading!