I don't own any of the characters or the world they inherit and wishing it don't make it so.
a/n: This chapter is about 5% angst and 95% fluff
"Alex, will you have dinner with me?"
"What?" She asked distractedly. She had been trying to make a dent in the never ending pile of paperwork. Bobby angled his head to get in her line of vision. When she looked up at him, he asked again.
"Will you have dinner with me?"
Alex was confused by his question. Since they had declared their feelings for each other, they have had dinner together every night, not to mention breakfast and lunch. She rubbed her eyes for a minute to ease the strain on them from the paperwork.
"Help me out here Bobby, did you have reason to believe that we wouldn't have dinner together tonight?"
"No. It's just that we haven't actually been out on an official first date yet and now that we don't have to be quite so secretive about our relationship I want to take you out on a real date?"
"A real date." She said, stunned.
"Yeah you remember what that is right? You know, boy asks girl out, girl says yes, boy picks girl up.."
"Stop." Alex laughed. "I know what a date is."
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Alex will you do me the honor of being my date tonight."
"Yes."
"I'll pick you up at 8:00."
"Pick me up?"
"That's how a date works."
"I know. I just, never mind. So I'm just dropping you off after work then?"
"No, I have a few stops to make, so I 'll take the subway."
"OH"
"Miss me already?"
"Yeah, I think I do."
Alex started getting nervous when she was getting ready for their date. Really, you got to get it together girl. It's not like you haven't worked with him for over eight years, and it's not like you haven't spent every night with him for the last month. She laughed at herself as she examined herself in the mirror on the back of the closet door. Alex was wearing a royal blue dress that hung just below the knee but had a slit up the side almost to her panty line. The dress was strapless but with a matching shawl. Here she was nervous about a date with Bobby. She didn't think they could really classify it as a first date, all things considered. They wouldn't have worry about the getting to know you stage of most first dates. The door bell rang just as she slipped on her three inch heeled sandals. After all when there was the height difference between two people like them, a girl could use all the inches she could manage without breaking her ankles.
When she opened the door. Alex's only thought was WOW! She was used to seeing Bobby in a suit but tonight he had on what had to be the best suit in his closet and it looked like it had been tailor fit. It was stone gray and he wore a black shirt with a burgundy tie. He handed her a bouquet of red roses.
"Beautiful flowers for my beautiful lady."
"Keep that up and you're going to make me ruin my makeup."
"Honey, you don't need makeup to be beautiful."
Alex took the flowers and turned to go into the kitchen to put them in some water, but as she did she said, "I bet you say that to all of your ladies on the first date."
"I don't remember. You've driven them all out of my memory."
When she returned from the kitchen she placed the flowers on the end table. "Let's go Bobby. It's getting pretty deep in here." Bobby turned and bowed, gesturing out the door, "After you my lady."
"Oh brother."
Bobby had brought his mustang and Alex insisted that she should drive. "Any other time, I would say OK but not tonight Alex. Tonight it is my job to drive you." Finally she gave in and went around to the passenger side and got in after Bobby opened the door for her.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they were shown to a table next to a small waterfall fountain. There was a violinist wandering amongst the tables playing quiet romantic melodies.
"Bobby, I don't know about this place. It seems pretty snazzy, I'll bet the prices are outrageous."
"Don't worry about the prices."
" But remember, I've seen your finacials. Are you sure you can afford this right now."
Bobby sighed. "Alex, I'm going to try really hard to not take insult."
"Oh no, I didn't mean...I'm sorry..."
"Stop. Look, I know my finances aren't the greatest right now but I can afford this and I want to do this. You deserve a night like this. I need to do this for you, for us."
"I'm sorry. I promise to try not to ruin the mood any more."
"Thank you."
During their meal they both made a conscious effort to avoid the topic of work. Alex told him stories about some of her play dates with Nathan and Bobby regaled her with stories about some of the adventures him and Lewis got into as kids. Once the meal was done and they were talking over coffee, Bobby turned the conversation to a more serious note and came back around to the subject of work.
"Alex, the Chief of D's said something earlier that has been bothering me a little."
"What's that?"
"That you turned down a promotion three times in the last five years."
"Oh"
"Yeah oh. I heard the reason you gave earlier, but I want to know if that was the real reason or am I holding you back."
"Bobby, I want you to listen to me. If I wanted the promotion, I would have taken one of those offered. The higher up you go in rank, the more politics you have to play. I don't like politics. Do you remember the Henry Jones case?" Bobby nodded and she continued. "Remember Deakins telling us we could kick it back to the local precinct and go work on a task force? That it was a good chance to get noticed? Do you remember my answer to that? I'm not in it to get noticed. If you in any way held me back it was only that I love you and didn't want to leave you. I didn't think we would ever get the chance to be together like this. I was afraid that if I took a promotion that took me out of Major Case, we would drift apart. We might meet for lunch a couple of times, say we'll call each other and then well, I'm sure you get my drift."
"Alex"
"I don't regret turning down any of the promotions. I am right where I want to be work wise."
"Right on the other side of the desk from the department whack job."
"Right on the other side of the desk from the best partner I have ever worked with."
"Honey do you remember how I feel about making promises?"
"I think so."
"I don't make a promise that I'm not going to be able to keep."
"OK"
"I am going to make a promise to you. I promise that if I am asked to go undercover again without you, I am going to insist that you are going to know about the assignment or I will be looking for a new job. I am also promising you that should such an assignment come up and you are on the other end like last time, you will know before you come in the door, that I am in there. I promise you that I will never let myself be put in that position again where you have to point your gun at me without knowing about it first."
Alex was trying hard to keep her composure but was fighting a loosing battle when a tear rolled down her cheek. Bobby reached out and wiped the tear away with his thumb. "Alex, Honey, when we talked right after the bust and aftermath I know I said that I did it to get my shield back and you said how you hoped it was worth it. I need you to understand that it was worth it but only so I could get back to you. Without my shield, we weren't partners anymore. You turned down promotions to be with me. I went undercover so that I could come back to you. I promise you it won't happen again."
More tears were falling down her cheeks then. "You've gone and done it now" she said. "My make up is ruined." She was smiling through the tears though, so he wasn't to worried about it.
"I told you, you don't need it anyways."
Alex reached over and caressed his face and drew her thumb along his lips.
"I Love You Bobby"
"I Love you"
"Take me home"
"Whose?"
"I don't care as long as we're together."