Disclaimer: Many thanks to Dick Wolf for his characters from Law and Order and Rene Balcer for developing them. I'd like to say I own them and created them, but I didn't and I don't profit from them.

Chapter 4

Bad Partner, Bad!

Alex drove to her favorite restaurant. She didn't ask anyone, she just drove. Anyone who knew her knew that she was furious. Bobby didn't want to be the target of her anger. It was very wrong that his partner to be upset and he was casting furious looks at Jerry. Though he didn't know why she was in such a temper it definitely had to do with him.

Karen just kept quiet. She figured that whatever Jerry had done, either accidentally or on purpose, to upset Alex, he deserved what he got. Being a cop did not mean that he was immune to bad judgment and he seemed to have some antiquated ideas about his role as even a temporary partner to a woman.

"Why do you keep looking at me like I've committed a murder?" Jerry asked impatiently.

"Whatever you did was worse than murder. You have really put your foot in something. I'd suggest you figure out what exactly you did and make it right real quick or you're liable to be in a world of hurt." Karen informed him seriously.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Jerry informed her. "I don't have anything to apologize for."

Alex slammed on the brakes in the middle of a fortunately not busy street and tried to turn around in the drivers seat. Her seatbelt and the steering wheel prevented her so she settled for glaring daggers in the rearview mirror at Jerry. "You didn't do anything wrong?! Are you serious?!"

"I am. I helped you question the staff at the….."

"No, you didn't help me do anything. You contradicted me at every turn, insinuated that my judgment was suspect because I'm pregnant, gave the impression that you were humoring the little woman and made a mockery of my authority. I heard the disparaging remarks you made to the office manager about 'let her do what she wants and we can go talk in here.' I'd like to make you ride back to the station on the top of the car. DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN OR SO HELP ME I'LL HAVE YOU UP ON CHARGES OF OBSTRUCTING AN INVESTIGATION AND INSUBORDINATION. ARE WE CLEAR ON THAT, MISTER?"

Goren looked into the back seat of the SUV and glared anew at the younger man. "I'll have you know that my partner has never let anything interfere with her ability to solve a case and being pregnant is no different. She's smarter, wiser and more fully capable of interrogating a suspect on her worst day than you ever will be. She is the Senior, senior officer in this team and you damned well better never forget it."

Honking of horns made Alex swear and drop the gearshift back into drive, but she was still furious. Jerry looked offended. "Well, excuse me for trying to do my job. Can you believe them?" he asked Karen.

"I can't believe you. Where in the hell did you get the bright idea that women can't do their job? And where exactly did you get the idea that being male made you so great at everything? I have to agree with Alex on this one. That kind of ego belongs in a cave, not a stationhouse."

"I expected you to agree with them. That's what you do. You're right there when they say jump." Jerry said acidly.

"Pull over." Bobby said darkly.

Alex glanced at her huge partner and recognized the towering anger. "We only have a couple more blocks, Bobby…."

"Pull over, now, Eames." Bobby barked angrily.

Alex took her time finding a place to pull over but Bobby was not to be deterred. As soon as the vehicle stopped, he got out and glared at Jerry, "Get out!"

"Now look, big guy." Jerry threw up his hands and tried to smile. "I'm sorry I…."

"Get out. Right now or I"ll…." Bobby started to reach across the vehicle.

"Okay, okay. I'm getting out." Jerry hurriedly exited the vehicle.

"Bobby, don't,…Bobby, he's just…" Alex tried to talk to her husband.

He very firmly and decisively shut the door in her face. Jerry hurried around to the drivers side of the car while Bobby was talking to Alex from the riders side. He seemed to think that that would at least give him a head start on his race for safety. Alex knew that would do him no good, but then he didn't know Bobby like she did.

Bobby pointed to the buildings, out of sight of the SUV. Jerry shook his head. Bobby started around the vehicle. Jerry darted back to the rear of it. Bobby used his huge muscles to come up on the hood as though to go over the top. He stopped part way and said something that the closed windows couldn't properly convey and lowered himself when Jerry moved in the direction pointed out earlier.

"Oh, shit, they're going out behind the building. This damned seatbelt won't come undone…." Alex struggled with the belt.

"Let them go, Alex." Karen said. "There isn't anything that Bobby has to say to Jerry that he can't stand to hear."

Alex continued to wrestle with the seatbelt. "You don't know Bobby like I do. He could very well give Jerry some serious injuries."

"I doubt it. He may scare the living tar out of him, but I doubt he'll hit him. I don't think he'll need to. Bobby's a big guy and Jerry is immature but he's not stupid. He'll figure out that Bobby means business. We may have to find him some new pants to wear, but he's obviously been indoctrinated into the red-neck, good ole boys network and nothing we could say in a month will make as much impact on him as this one talk with Bobby. Let's wait and see what happens. If nothing else we can always call 911."

Alex whipped around to see if the younger woman was smiling. "You have an awful lot if insight into situations like this. What makes you so sure of my husband."

"I see a gentle man, who tries to keep the world at a safe distance with his attitude. I see a man who tries to make it a little better by doing what he loves and I see a man who loves you."

"Are you sure you're only 27?"

"I equate a lot of what I see in the world to what I learned growing up around a ranch. When you have a young horse who is a bully, you put them in the pasture with a bunch of broodmares. Those mares give him an education no human possibly could match. They don't take any nonsense. They let him know in no uncertain terms. Bobby's doing the same thing."

"Are you equating my husband with a broodmare?"

"I guess, in some ways, I am. I'm sorry."

Alex was making suspicious noises in the front seat. Karen grew alarmed and released her seatbelt to scoot forward in the seat to see if she was crying. "Alex, I didn't mean to insult….."

But Alex wasn't crying. She was laughing. In spite of the gravity of the situation, she was nearly convulsed with laughter. "Bobby as a broodmare. Oh, my, God!" she gasped, trying to get her breath.

Karen grinned in the seat behind her and sat back, relieved that she hadn't done something to make her madder. "Here they come."

The talk, though brief, appeared to be bloodless. Jerry kept a discreet distance between himself and Goren, but he didn't look to have been physically worked over. The guys got back into the SUV. The ladies glanced back and forth at the guys then looked at each other in the mirror and burst out laughing again.

Now it was time for the guys to look confused, but Alex would only shake her head that she wouldn't share but that she was fine. Neither of the women would look in the mirror at each other for fear of making Alexs driving suffer.

The talk between Bobby and Jerry had a profound effect on Jerry. He was very much the gentleman once they reached the restaurant, holding out Karens chair at lunch and Bobby held Alexs. They ordered from the waiter and looked at each other. "Did you get anything?" Alex asked her husband.

"Karen ran the interviews." He shrugged. "Go ahead, Karen."

"I sincerely doubt that it's one of the arena cleaning crew. There was one guy there that I didn't think much of, but I doubt that he can do any more than talk. He certainly couldn't pull off this type of job."'

"Jerry, what did you find out?" Alex asked.

"The ones I talked to are unhappy with their work load, but I doubt if any of them could have masterminded it. I think we might be looking at the wrong lead."

"There's no doubt about it. My interviews were the same way." Alex agreed.

Bobby nodded. "I agree. I got the impression that it might be just coincidence that these robberies are happening on those nights. None of the workers we interviewed had the scheming personality for that. So what else do they have in common?"

"What about people who provide services to the stadium for these Events?" Karen asked.

"Or businesses who get customers from the traffic inside the stadium? They might get to know season ticket holders. Are these holders that might be giving the information to the crooks even accidentally?" Jerry interjected thoughtfully.

"Good thought. Check it out. In the meantime, Karen and I'll…." Alex had to stop for the arrival of the food. As soon as the waiter left she resumed. "Start calling around and getting the names of the vendors for the arena."

"Alex, why don't you let Jerry and I check those out. You look like you need to sit down where you can relax. And I did hear captain Deakins say that there was a push to get the paperwork done. Not that I think that that's all you're good for." Karen hastily amended seeing Alex's tense frame.

"Nice save." Alex made a face. "I am a bit tired."

"Then it's a done deal." Bobby announced.

"Let me ask a question. How come she can make a comment like that but if I do I get…. in trouble?" Jerry asked.

"It's all in the tone, Junior. I'm really concerned about Alex and her baby. I'm not trying to score points with the ladies." Karen informed him, sharply.

Jerry leaned forward and glared at his partner. He opened his mouth to argue. Bobby coughed softly into his hand and Jerry sank back onto his chair. He didn't like it, but he had had a taste of Bobby in a rage and didn't want another in a hurry.

"Call a cab, Bobby, and let them take the SUV. We'll meet you back at the station house to see how it went before the shift ends." Alex sighed and sat back. She was done eating, but then she signaled the waiter for a doggy bag.

Bobby put the keys to the SUV in the middle of the table under his hand. "I'm going to let you settle it for yourself as to who's going to drive, but there had not better be a scratch on it when it comes back." He growled, glaring significantly at both of them a moment before he removed his hand.

He helped Alex to her feet and gave them another stern glance before he escorted Alex from the restaurant.

The keys sitting in the middle of the table was a temptation. The two younger detectives eyed each other and the keys, each waiting for the other to take up the gauntlet.

TBC