Late: Chapter 8

By: The Confused One

A/N: Well, I originally had a completely different scene for this chapter, but I had a friend read it over and they suggested that I really needed to resolve this part. So, here it is. LOL Lots more fluff in the coming chapters. Please enjoy and remember to review. Thanks.

Slipping into the passenger seat, Alex watched Bobby get into the driver's seat. He was staring, absently, through the windshield and out into the mostly empty parking lot. She tried to lighten the mood, "I meant what I said before. Once I have this baby, I'm not ever letting you drive again."

Bobby gave her a ghost of a smile. Looking over at her, he met her eyes and replied, "I wouldn't expect any less."

Alex was relieved to get even the smallest smiles from him at this point. Whenever something like this happened, it usually took a couple of days to get him back to normal. But a smile this early meant that maybe it wasn't as bad as usual. Giving him a small smile of her own, she put her hand on his. Getting serious again, she rubbed her thumb over his and asked, "You OK?"

Bobby nodded slowly. He admitted, "Yeah. I think…even you've seen her worse."

Looking away, Alex nodded. She hesitated. Several memories floated through her head. None of them were good. They were the ones that could still occasionally haunt her nightmares. No one should be strapped to a bed and look that pale and frail. They made it easier to understand Bobby's nightmares. She finally agreed, "Yeah. I have."

Looking back out the windshield, Bobby felt her remove her hand. He started the car and broke the silence. "What about you? Are you OK?"

Alex nodded slightly and assured him, "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm worried about you."

Bobby took a deep breath and commented, "I never…thank you."

Alex closed her eyes and assured him, "I wouldn't be anywhere else right now."

Bobby admitted, "I think you're the only person in the world who would put yourself through this for me."

Alex snorted. She assured him, "I care about your mother, and I love you, Bobby. I'm not putting myself through anything. This is where I want to be. No altruism, pity, or halo needed. It's just love, Bobby."

Pulling out of the parking lot, Bobby smiled again and replied, "Yeah."

Alex smiled. Relived, she asked, "When's the last time you ate?"

Bobby sighed and replied, "I don't think my eating habits are the important ones. When have you eaten?"

Alex rolled her eyes. She assured him, "About four. I'm sure you can't say the same. Stop at that diner that's just up the road. We're having dinner."

With a sigh, Bobby tried to argue, "Eames…"

Alex was not in the mood to argue. Putting a bit of an edge in her voice, she insisted, "Please don't fight with me on this."

Bobby found he didn't really want to argue either, so he capitulated. "Alright. We'll stop."

Alex was relieved and worried both. She hadn't wanted the fight, but she was surprised that he was giving up so easy. It didn't bode well for his state of mind. Facing him, she softly implored, "Let me in?"

Bobby took a deep breath. He replied, "Alex..."

Alex nodded. She knew better than to push and figured he needed his space to collect his thoughts. Then he'd let her in. She soothingly rubbed circles with her thumb on his hand. She wanted him to remember that she was there. As he pulled into the parking lot, she asked, "Do me a favor?"

Bobby nodded slightly and replied, "Anything."

Alex removed her hand as he parked. She replied, "Try to focus on the future, our future, and not the past."

Bobby nodded. Turning to face her, he reassured her, "I am."

With a nod, Alex responded, "Good. So, no more arguments about me seeing your mother, because I could have sworn we had come to an understanding about this about a year ago."

Bobby sighed. He relented, "Yeah. I just…with the baby and after last time…I wasn't sure it was a good idea."

Confused, Alex pushed, "What about last time?"

Bobby sighed and confessed, "I know…how you are, so I didn't say anything. Last time, when I woke up…I saw your face. It gives you nightmares. I…dragged you into my world. I just…I don't want that. I don't want you dealing with that, especially right now. You have enough to…worry about."

Touching his face, Alex took a deep breath and found his eyes. She insisted, "That's what this has really been about? Bobby, this is not yours alone anymore. This is us now. It's always going to be us, but that doesn't work if you're trying to protect me from something I don't need protection from. I love you, Bobby. There's nothing in your past, present, or future that's too awful for me to handle or too scary to face. Nightmares happen. It doesn't matter who you are or what you have or have not been through. Yours have always been more…intense, but it's nothing either of us can't handle. I need you to stop trying to protect me."

Bobby nodded before taking her hand from his face and kissing it. Giving it a small squeeze, he met her eyes again. Seeing the worry and love there, he knew she was right. He couldn't keep pushing her away, and he didn't want to. It felt unnatural. He had previously let her too far into his past to try to push her out now. He let the silence linger for just another moment before finally speaking again. "I'm sorry. I don't want to shut you out, and I can't stand the thought of you…feeling like I am. I'm just…not used to being able to share this. I can't ever seem to get used to it. You know that. The idea that I shouldn't protect you from my past is something I've always had a hard time accepting. Pro-protecting you in general is one of the few things I don't even have to think about doing. I just do it. I'm trying to break it when it comes to this. You know that, too. I just need you to use some more of that infamous and never ending patience you have with me a little longer."

Alex couldn't help but smile. With a quick nod, she turned and reached for the door handle. She was really getting hungry, and she knew they could finish this inside. But a sudden feeling made her stop. It took a moment for the feeling to truly register. She had felt it before.

Bobby watched her with sudden concern. He couldn't see the broad grin she now had on her face as he asked, "Alex? What's wrong?"

Turning to face him, Alex almost laughed. She shook her head and assured him, "Nothing's wrong. I felt the baby move."

Bobby's eyes immediately widened. Stunned, he stammered, "W-what?"

Alex did laugh now. She liked the idea of catching him off guard. She quickly reiterated, "The baby moved."

Bobby smiled now, too. The whole thing was incredible to him. He wanted more than anything to be able to feel it too, but he knew it was too early. Not that it stopped him. Leaning over, he placed a hand on her stomach. He finally met her eyes. Fascinated, he asked, "How does it feel?"

Alex smiled softly. Placing her hand on his, she assured him, "Just like you've read. It's like butterflies. In a few more weeks, I guarantee I won't be able to get any sleep, and you'll be able to feel the kicking."

In awe of her and the baby growing inside of her, Bobby was at a loss for words. Impulsively leaning forward a little more he kissed her, hoping it would begin to convey his feelings. Meeting her eyes for another moment, he was finally able to speak, "Yeah. God, it's amazing, Alex."

With a nod, Alex wiped away the tear that escaped. After a moment she was able to find her voice again, "It is amazing."

Bobby closed his eyes as she let go of his hand. He promised, "I'm going to do better."

Alex nodded. Closing her eyes she assured him, "We're OK. Just talk to me next time instead of getting scared and shutting down on me. Now, I am getting hungry. Come on."

Bobby smiled. With a nod, he got out of the car and agreed, "Yeah."

Getting out of the car, Alex sighed. It was getting more and more fun to get up and down. She met Bobby at the front of the car and playfully warned, "You just better hope this baby doesn't have your activity level, because if I can't sleep, you can't sleep."