8:10 PM

"Hi."

"Hi."

"You weren't home."

"I was here."

"So I see." She unlocked the door, surprised to see him hesitate at the threshold. "Do you want to come in?"

Distracted, he muttered, "Oh yeah," then followed her inside, mentally chastising himself for being less than suave at this moment. Unsure of what to do with himself, he hung his coat and fidgeted just inside the doorway, until a small pair of hands encircled his waist.

Pulling Bobby close, Alex leaned up to kiss him, and he automatically bent down to accommodate her.

"Hi again," she smiled.

"I like that greeting better," he grinned, kissing her again for good measure.

"Me too." She sighed, leaning her head against his chest. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Maybe later. I, uh, I need to talk to you."

Her heart froze. This is it, this is where he says that he didn't mean it. Looking up at him, a suspicious glint in her eye, she asked, "About what?"

Oh, about my being an unromantic and big-mouthed dork. "About, uh, what I said in Ross' office today."

Pulling away, she walked over to her futon and sat down. "Oh. I wanted to talk to you about that too. You shouldn't feel obligated because of something you said under stress. Don't worry about it."

Stunned, it took Bobby a moment to respond. "Eames, that's not what I meant! I'm the one who should be telling you not to worry; your nod was not a binding agreement."

She squinted at him. "I'm confused. Are you saying you meant what you said and think I don't want to, or that you didn't mean what you said because you don't want to?"

"Uh, Eames, I have no idea what the hell you just asked me, so can I say something?"

"Okay." She looked up at him expectantly, reading his eyes and feeling her stomach start to twitch. He moved over to her and sat down awkwardly, knees nearly touching his chest. She would have laughed at the sight if her heart hadn't started doing the cha-cha.

Taking her right hand in his left, he brought it to his lips and kissed her palm. "I love you."

Smiling softly, she whispered, "I love you too."

He let out a big breath of tension. "Good thing, because I've never done this before and I may need your help."

She laughed, "Okay."

"Would you like me to get down on one knee?"

Suddenly incapable of coherent speech, she simply shook her head no.

He growled, "You. Will give. Verbal. Answers."

Giggling, she said, "No, that's not necessary, Bobby."

Turning to face her, he smiled nervously. "Okay, here it goes. Alexandra Margaret Eames, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are the best friend I've ever had, the most extraordinary woman I've ever known, and the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me."

She was unabashedly crying now, but tried to speak. "Bobby, I…"

"I wasn't finished," he objected.

"Oh, sorry," she chuckled, wiping tears from her face.

"You're also beautiful, and hot, and smart, and funny, and the best partner anyone could ever have, and you make my life a much happier place to be." He looked over to make sure she wasn't going to interrupt again, but she was staring at him like a deer in headlights. I hope that's a good sign. "So, without our captain around, I wanted to ask you – will you marry me? Please answer OUT LOUD." He grinned at her.

"Hot, huh?"

"I swear to God, Eames…"

Laughing and crying, she threw her arms around him and said "Yes, Bobby. I want to marry you." She kissed his ear and whispered "yes" again to make sure he understood, as he pulled her onto his lap and buried his head in her neck.

They stayed that way for some time, just enjoying the peace of the moment together, when Bobby jerked, nearly knocking Alex to the floor.

"What the? Bobby!" She grappled for balance, and he quickly caught her before she tumbled off his lap.

"Sorry, I just, uh, I-I forgot something." Reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket, he drew out a small, turquoise box.

"You're kidding," she said breathlessly.

Not understanding, he said, "No, I'm serious. Look, I got a ring." He opened the box and the velvet one inside it to reveal a small but beautiful square-cut sapphire with a round diamond on each side of it, set slightly askew.

Alex was speechless. This has to be a record for the number of times in one day I can't say anything. Must. Find. Voice.

"Bobby, that's gorgeous! You didn't have to get me something so…so…"

Voice husky with emotion, he said, "You deserve the best. It's blue for NYPD, see, and then the diamonds are like us. Not quite evenly set, but…perfect anyway." Her eyes were round as saucers, and again finding herself without words, she simply kissed him as if kissing were going to be outlawed tomorrow.

He was very proud of himself. She likes it! Go, mental Eames and Ana! Reluctantly pulling away from her kiss, he asked, "C-can I, uh, put it on you?"

She grinned. "Were you planning to wear it?"

"Oh, great, you get your voice back and it's all smartass again. I may like you all stunned and quiet." He smiled at her, then placed the ring on her finger, hoping his guess at her size had been in the ballpark.

It was a perfect fit, and for a few moments, she just stared at the ring on her hand, overwhelmed by all it meant, and all it represented. More than six years earlier, when she had shaken the hand of the giant they'd brought in to be her partner, she would never have guessed this was where it would all end up. A sudden thought occurred to her, and she hopped off Bobby's lap and ran to her closet.

A bit taken aback, Bobby yelled, "It's a studio, Eames. If you're trying to escape you went the wrong way!"

Reappearing, she smirked, "Hilarious, Goren, you should become a comedian." She held a small box in her hands, and returned to the futon and his lap. Holding the box out to him, she explained. "This is the pin the academy gives you when you graduate; I'm sure you have one too." He nodded. "This is mine. I want to – I want you to have it."

He took it from her reverently, and spent a moment appreciating the value of what she was giving him. He knew how hard she had to work to earn this pin; truth be told, female candidates had it much harder than their male counterparts, and offering it to him was her way of expressing the depth of her devotion and trust. He thought back to the day he'd met the famously hard-assed Alex Eames, and had nearly dropped his teeth when he realized that not only was she a woman, but a tiny, incredibly feminine woman. Little had he known what the future would hold, but he did remember thinking how lucky he was to have found her. That sentiment had much more depth now, and he vowed to himself never to forget it.

With shaking hands, he placed the pin on the lapel of his jacket, where it could be seen and admired. Smiling at her, he nearly missed what she'd said.

"This is a MUCH better story for the grandchildren. Except we won't tell them about this next part."

And she made good on her bargain; the next part was certainly not appropriate for children. Adults, on the other hand, had a mighty good time.

A/N – Sorry I didn't do this last night – damn real life and its demands on my time! We're almost done here, kids, and in case I forget to say it, THANK YOU!