15. Re-tethered
The purpose of dancing isn't to end up at a particular spot on the floor. The purpose of dancing and of life is to enjoy every moment and every step, regardless of where you are when the music ends.
~Dr. Wayne Dyer
There's a lady in the house, he thought as he lowered the toilet seat. He went into the kitchen and flicked the radio on and lowered the volume. Eames could use some more sleep. It seemed he'd done nothing but sleep for days. He was feeling better. His muscles didn't ache so much today. The face in the bathroom mirror had been a bit frightening, but still, an improvement from yesterday.
He ran the water and filled a glass, downing it in one go. He pulled the coffee he'd ground before he left from the freezer and went through his coffee making routine. He made a full pot knowing Eames would need her morning fix of caffeine. He wondered if he'd get his favourite reaction. A smile tugged at his lips as he unconsciously raised an eyebrow.
What had Eames bought for groceries? He rummaged in the fridge and decided on just toast. He'd fix them both a real breakfast when she woke up.
As he waited for the coffee and toast, he checked his voice mail. Only a reminder from the dentist. Nothing from Frank. Eames had obviously been here while he was in Tates as there was a neat pile of mail on the table. He poured himself a coffee and flipped through the pile. Bills. Welcome home, Goren. The stack of envelopes made a slapping sound as they returned unopened onto the table.
He poured himself a coffee and went into the livingroom and flicked on CNN, which is where Eames found him. She entered the livingroom doorway wrapped in her blanket, her hair spilling over the top, her head bent down as she squinted in the light. He watched her with amused affection. She flopped down on the other end of the couch and pulled the blanket even more tightly around her. A huge yawn threatened to dislocate her jaw and he couldn't stop the growing smile any longer. This certainly wasn't the Eames he was used to seeing.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing." He said, curling the corners of his mouth down, denying any amusement.
"Your lips must be better. Too bad."
Whew! Cranky! She was usually more of a morning person than this.
"Why don't you go back to bed?" he suggested.
"Mmmph". Alex stood up and dropped the blanket. She snatched two of the Skittles he'd left on the coffee table last night and headed for the bathroom. Goren couldn't help but watch her departure, her muscular calves and long thighs topped by his t-shirt, which had taken on a fascinating new shape as it hitched up on one of her hips.… He returned to the news feeling like he'd been gone a long time.
But as Alex walked by the kitchen, the smell of coffee pulled her in. She opened a series of cupboards trying to recall the location of the mugs and found them up on the second shelf up above the glasses. Figures. She planted her palms on the counter and was boosting herself up when out of no where an arm slipped smoothly around her waist. Before she could even utter a sound, she was hanging on Bobby's hip, her hands scrabbling for balance as he swung her away from the counter then slowly lowered her feet to the floor and released her.
"Just ask", he stated. "You don't need to break your neck". Alex turned around to glare up at him. Obviously her humor had not improved.
"You are a little bit of a thing" he observed down at her, which increased the glare and the squaring of her jaw. He was as surprised he'd said it as she was to hear it, but without shoes she didn't even come to his shoulder height.
"At least there's air down here", she retorted. "And your counter is nothing Goren, I can climb walls when necessary".
Suddenly he was deadly serious. "I know. I saw the blood trail", with reference to her escape from Jo Gage.
"Yeah, I bet. People were dying to get out of that place." She snarked darkly, attempting her traditional sarcasm to hopefully ended that line of conversation she hadn't meant to start.
Bobby silently reached over and past her to take a mug out of the cupboard, then turned to fill it with coffee.
Alex was reaching for the sugar when Bobby grabbed her wrist. He pulled her quickly and firmly towards him and she slammed into his solid body in confusion. Then the fingers of both her hands were trapped in his and she was being shoved away from him. Back in to slam his body again, then she was moving away and one hand was released. She was spinning back then slamming into him yet again. She couldn't believe this. They were dancing – or rather she was dancing. He was hardly moving. What had come over him? Here she was spinning and twisting wearing virtually nothing but his Academy t-shirt. This was the last thing she expected. He'd been lucky she hadn't kneed him!
As she was flung away from him one more time, she realized it was Abba playing on the radio. Take a Chance on Me. Goren was never going to let her forget about that Abba fan card she'd confessed to having as a kid. And then she was clasped tightly in his arms, her head over his heart and they were twirling together around his kitchen. He knew exactly how much room he had and where he was going, as though he'd done it a thousand times.
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around.
Alex threw her head back to look up at him and her hair flew out behind her. Her surprised smile lit her glowing face. All traces of sleep and grumpiness had vanished.
I've never seen anything so beautiful, he thought as he smiled down at her face just below his. His smile was so broad that his cheeks were dimpled. He didn't even care that his chapped lips were cracking. He was loving every second of this. She was easy to move around and offered no resistance at all once she had realized what he was doing.
Then he twirled her away from him and back again. Now he had one large had on each of her hips and was moving her forward rotating her hips as she stepped towards him.
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down…
He spun her one way, stopped her and spun her in the other direction. The unexpected change had her laughing with delight. He spun her towards him again, their arms tangled, then her back was cradled against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and she lost her breath. She was so short, he had to bend over so they were cheek to cheek as they continued moving as one. Almost as quickly she was away from him again, in a never ending blur of motion. Just as she thought they were losing the tether that bound them, at the last split second he would firmly grasp her hand and pull her back to him.
His playfulness was infectious and combined with some of her favourite music, her relief from the strain of the past days lifted her to a wildly joyful response to his moves. For a few short moments she felt released from burdens, like a teenager again, full of anticipation of life to come, and threw herself into a carefree celebration of movement.
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line…
Goren could hardly believe what he was seeing. The one time he'd watched her dance, she'd been stiff and self-conscious and across the dance floor, he'd teased her by catching her eye before spinning his partner, Margie Timmons. Alex had tripped shortly after watching his show off. The woman now in his arms was a completely different creature.
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
As the last strains of the song died away, he pulled her into him and smiled down at her. He could feel her chest rising and falling against him. Her flushed face looked up with absolute joy. He had never seen his partner like this and wondered why on earth she would live alone. She was absolutely stunning like this.
It had been a long time since Alex had been held so closely by a man and this was very very nice. Sweeter than anything, because a few days ago she hadn't known if she would ever be able to talk to him, much less be so … alive with him again. He had such beautifully dark warm eyes that were so close to hers she could easily see them dilate.
Alex was nose to nose with the unguarded Robert Goren. And it was intoxicating.
She began to rise up on her toes and tilt her head, then remembered his ruined lips and stopped. As their eyes held, her smile began to fade with uncertainty, mirrored by the look in her eyes. That was not an expression he saw from her very often, so he let her off the hook with a flippant comment.
"At least they didn't play Waterloo" he said with a wry smile, hinting at possible outcomes from his Tates folly. Then he loosened his grip on her.
"Well I'm going for my Waterloo" as she hastily pulled away from him, turned and headed for the bathroom. She wasn't ready to use that segue into the conversation they must soon have.
"What about your coffee?" he asked as she walked away.
Without looking back, she replied, "I'll just have the barista make me a fresh one."
He quietly humphed and shot back "He might be busy!" to the closing door.
Goren was making the second pot of coffee as Alex came out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her.
"You need a better fan, Goren", she commented. He was rather disappointed that Alex was no longer in his t-shirt, but had dressed. Probably just as well. As she approached him she tossed him the lip ointment then resumed scrunching her hair with a towel. He was happy just to watch.
When she was finished, he handed her a mug of hot fresh coffee.
"I don't need to dance for this one?", she raised a teasing eyebrow at him. The radio station had switched to rap. He shook his head.
They had business to discuss and she felt more comfortable being completely dressed. It was almost like her serious objective persona slipped into place with her clothing.
Alex unexpectedly reached over to Bobby and gently pinched the skin on the back of his hand. His flesh returned to normal quickly, no longer holding the pucker of a person suffering from dehydration. It was his turn to raise an eyebrow in amusement. "Thinking of changing careers?" he asked, suggesting that nursing might be next on her list of accomplishments.
"I hope I don't have to", Alex replied in a cautious voice, tinged with worry.
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen", he said firmly. "I'll deny you had anything to do with it. I'm not sure what we'll do about Ross, though. When does he want to meet with me?"
"As soon as you can. I told him it wouldn't be for at least 48 hours. I'm going to phone him shortly."
One of the first things Ross had ever told her was to keep Goren in check. She really didn't understand and it had always worried her where he had gotten such an impression of Goren. She guessed the Chief of D's. Why did he dislike Goren so much? Was it professional jealousy or just incomprehension of Goren's work methods? She wished she could predict how far the effects of Goren's actions were going to go.
"What are you thinking?" she asked over the rim of the mug she held in both hands. She needed to know his game plan and she was pretty sure he already had one. If this was going to play out like one of their cases, she needed to know at least the skeleton of his strategy. She badly wanted to fix this for him.
"I'm not sure yet", he replied as he walked to the livingroom to sit down. It seemed this was going to be their "war room".
"There are quite a few moving parts, aren't there?", he said, seeming to ask her agreement. "We need to learn all we can about the warden", he stated, with the unspoken implication that Alex would be doing that research. He told her the obscure department where she would be able to access information easily without trouble. Alex looked at him and shook her head, not even trying to conceal her wonder.
"No matter how long I work with you, you never cease to amaze me. How do you know that?" she asked and was surprised that the crooked smile he flashed her was tinged with shyness. She guessed it was because she'd openly complimented him. Usually her response was just an eye roll if it was really obscure trivia.
Her compliment caused him discomfort. He could never seem to shut his mouth and always ended up telling her minute details about things. That penchant didn't stop at the elevator at 1PP either. He saw it as a huge flaw in his personality and felt lucky that she accepted those know-it-all comments. He could never seem to stop himself but he hadn't caught her rolling her eyes in a long time – at least not so he could see.
Alex had resumed her place on the couch, nursing her cup of coffee and gently blowing the rising steam to cool it. She looked at him seriously.
"I need to know everything, Bobby", said Alex firmly. "From the time you went into Tates, till you came out. Then we'll need to figure out what everyone is going to do under all conditions in the aftermath."
This was what Goren was so superb, and incredibly fast at. He worked things out by predicting human behaviour and he then adjusted to whatever was coming at him. Mostly it was logical prediction of behaviour based on quick determination of personality types, but the other part was using his "magic gut" as Deakins would have termed it; his intuition.
Goren sat silently with his thoughts while Alex waited patiently for him to start sharing. He didn't have enough background to predict Donny, so he needed whatever knowledge Frank could share. Frank and Ross he could predict in this instance. He hoped he couldn't predict the Chief of D's because it wouldn't be favourable. Alex he could predict in work situations; that's what made their predatorial dances so successful. But outside the office, it was hard, if not impossible to anticipate her. He would never be completely sure of Alex Eames. After the last few days, predicting her would be even harder, as so many of her actions had been completely unexpected. He paused his thoughts and his eyes slid towards Alex. Beautifully unexpected. It left him wanting to know more and yet afraid.
Alex suddenly put her coffee down on the table and pulled her phone out of her pocket where it had been vibrating. She wasn't quite ready to enter the real world again unless she had to. It was her sister. Alex let it go to voicemail and then checked the message. She would only respond if it was urgent. And it was.
"Bobby, I have to go for a bit. Liz needs me."
Goren nodded his understanding without needing the details.
"It won't be long. Don't go anywhere. I promised the doctor I'd be with you", she frowned. He said nothing.
"Call me right away if you need me", she said. Alex shook her head with concern at being pulled in two directions, but in typical Eames style she had quickly chosen the most reasonable course of action.
Goren watched her with eyes that consumed all the details. In an instant he had been given the opportunity that he wanted. He would not be there when she returned. And in the following seconds of that decision he felt bereft. It was over. Their time together as the rest of the world seemed to stand still for them was vanishing. But not as though it had never existed. He would keep it as a sweet memory woven into a tumultuous time, forever embedded in his mind. Could or would they ever be able to recapture the intimacy? He didn't know. He memorized her every move as she reached for her jacket, slid it on and unconsciously patted her pockets and belt. She made sure she had everything she came with.
With a quick smile, she opened the door.
"Fluids. Lots of them." She ordered as she looked back at him. "I should have you measure the output…. I can't believe I just said that", as she struggled to suppress a smile. Goren said nothing.
"Two hours", she said just before she closed the door after observing his confirming nod. This is a mistake, she thought. He won't be here when I get back. Goren wasn't the only one who could predict human behaviour.
Well then, she would just wait. He would come back to her. She wouldn't imagine a world without him.
Alex strode swiftly to the driver's side of the rented SUV, her mind in transition from her partner to her sister. She remotely unlocked the vehicle before reaching for the handle. It was a bright, cold day for November, the sun attempting to regain some of its summer youth by melting the night time snowfall. As she reached over to put the key in the ignition, a flash of reflected light struck her.
Alex looked up and leaned away from the steering wheel. Her expression softened. Suspended from the rear view mirror was her missing necklace, the tiny cross winking its presence as it spun in the sunlight.
For these two, life will get harder before it gets better...
A huge thanks to all those who have read and especially those who have commented on Re-tethered and urged me to continue. I had never written anything before this and have appreciated your comments and encouragement immensely.
A special thanks to my beta, who is not a shipper, but has patiently made corrections and comments without judgment. You are my gem!