A/N: Final chapter! Thanks for the reviews and to everyone reading! There will be another story to come; I won't post until I finish 'Dogs of War', so it'll be awhile.

Enjoy!

Two Weeks Later

Mike Logan's Apartment

Lower East Side, Manhattan

He banged on the door until he heard the lock being dropped against it. He didn't back away as it was opened and revealed a woman; she was tall, dark, and had eyes that reminded him of Dorothy Dandridge. Bobby looked at her for a moment and said, "Uh…do I know you?"

She shook her head slightly at him and said, "Yes, we used to date, remember."

He wrinkled his head in confusion as he asked, "You sure?"

"It's Denise, Bobby. I can't believe you still don't remember-"

He started to laugh a little and she reached out to hit him on the arm. "Ouch, I was only kidding. Is Mike awake?"

Denise let him into the apartment, telling him, "He's up; I don't know about awake." She shut the door behind her and placed the lock back on the door.

He turned to her and held out the bag he had in his hand. "Want a donut? They're chocolate."

She grabbed the bag from him and took them with her into the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Bobby looked around the living room and spotted the tell-tell signs that Denise was becoming a permanent fixture in his friend's life. An untrained eye would have missed the subtlety, like the Essence magazine he spotted on the coffee table, a few jazz CD's he knew Logan would've even know about on the stereo system, and the woman's jacket hanging on a hook by the door. "How is he?"

"He can walk on his own. He swears he can go back to work but I guess he'll find out today whether or not his doctor agrees. Thanks for taking him to his appointment, Bobby."

He walked into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. Smiling, Bobby took the offered cup of coffee from her and one of the donuts he brought. "How are you?"

She smiled over at him and he could see how happy she was just by that smile. Bobby remembered her giving him a few of those a long time ago. Well, two years, but it was long enough, especially since he was in love with Alex. It felt like he'd been in love with her for…forever.

"I'm good, thanks for askin'."

"Hitting on my girl, Goren," Logan said as he walked around him into the kitchen.

Bobby moved out of his way as he took a bite of the donut and drink of coffee. "I think she likes me, Mike."

Logan shot him a look before leaning over and giving his girlfriend a kiss.

"I'll…" Bobby gestured over his shoulder as he turned around to leave the kitchen.

Sitting down on the couch, he waited for Logan to get ready as he pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

After a couple of rings, she answered, "Eames."

"I'm going to have to delay our dinner date tonight," he told her and instantly regretted having to do it.

Alex groaned and he heard the disappointment in her voice. "Is there a good reason why?"

Bobby downed his coffee and the last of the donut before telling her, "I've got a meeting." She was quiet on the other end and he further explained, "It's with Captain Cragen."

"Tonight?" she asked in confusion.

Bobby leaned back and rubbed at his head. It was only eleven in the morning, and he was already craving a smoke and a drink. The cravings had gotten worse as his memory continued to get better, sharper, and clearer. There were still things he hadn't remembered yet, but he most of it was back. And with his returning memory, and the fact that he was cleared of any wrong doing in Caleb Cunningham's death, along with Brenda's, he would soon be back to work.

Alex was at Major Case now, finishing up paperwork and preparing to have Logan return as her partner. They put Barek with a new guy who just transferred from his old Narcotics department, Brooklyn North. As for him, he would be hopefully be returning to Special Victim's by the end of the week. He only had one thing he had to do before then, and that was tonight at six with Captain Cragen.

"Yes, tonight," he told her as he thought about the past few weeks.

Despite what had happened and all the reasons behind it, he had come to the conclusion that it was in part his fault. He had been slowly going down for a long time; putting himself into very vulnerable positions, not taking good care of himself, and obsessing over all the wrong things. His obsession with Nicole had helped to fuel her obsession with him, and that caused it all. Nicole had sought out ways to hurt him. In that search she found his brother, she found Caleb, his real father, and she had used all of it to hurt him. And he had let her.

Well, he was done letting her have that power over him. It helped that she was, and probably would be, forever in a coma. He knew where she was and he knew she wouldn't be hurting anyone else. He still didn't know who his real father was, and like he had told Nicole, he didn't care. He was raised by William Goren; he was his dad. His childhood with William was what shaped him to be the man he was, and nothing Nicole told him would change that.

He had two choices: learn from his past and move on, or, let it destroy him. Before, he would've let it destroy him. He would have dwelled and obsessed over what he could not change. Now, after everything that had happened, he realized it was time to finally let it all go.

Part of that moving on was the meeting tonight with Cragen. He couldn't deny it any longer, and if he could beat his demons than he could do anything. He could maybe finally actually start loving Alex the way she deserved to be loved.

"Should I be worried," Alex asked and he felt like smiling at her concern.

"No. I'll call when I'm on my way home. I love you," he told her and it felt so good being about to say it without any baggage hanging off it like there used to be.

He couldn't explain it, but the amnesia had seemed to help him. Bobby was able to take his memories and gradually explore them and keep them at a distance that he hadn't been able to do before. Instead of feeling damaged and broken by them, he felt relieved. He was able to tell himself that they were the past, and that they needed to remain there. His demons had no place in his future with Alex. Not anymore.

"I love you too," she told him before they hung up.

Bobby pocketed his phone and looked up as Logan walked into the room. He had changed out of the sweats and t-shirt he'd been wearing and into a pair of jeans and button-down shirt. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Logan muttered in annoyance as he headed for the door. "I'm ready to get back to work."

"You and me both," Bobby said as he got up off the couch and followed him to the door. As Mike grabbed his coat and pulled it on, he called out, "See you later, Denise!"

"Watch him, Bobby, he actually thinks he didn't just have life-saving surgery two weeks ago," she told him as she walked into the room carrying a cup of coffee and cell phone. "This is yours." She handed Logan the cell and gave him a kiss. "We need to get together for dinner sometime, Bobby. I'll like to get to know Alex better."

"I'll talk to her about it; I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Bobby pushed him out the door and when he went to help him down the steps, Logan shoved him in to the wall, causing him to laugh. "Making sure you could still defend yourself."

Logan huffed out a laugh as he continued down the steps. "Don't push it, Bobby."

"What're you mad about?" he asked once they were outside. Bobby rounded his car and opened the door to get in. "You're about to be given the okay to go back to work…You're alive. Stop being so angry all the time."

Logan turned to him once they were in the car. He looked him over and said, "You've changed."

Bobby looked over at Logan and said, "I had lost my memory, Mike."

"I'm not just talking about that. Even now, with your memory returning, you're still different."

He saw the light change and immediately stepped on the gas. "How am I different? I really want to know what you think is so different about me that's making you this pissed off?"

Logan breathed out as he turned and looked out the window. He didn't say anything for a long moment before telling him, "You're not caring."

Bobby barely heard that as he eased the car into the right hand lane to make a turn. He glanced over at Logan as he took the right turn. He didn't know what Logan was trying to tell him. He cared. At least, he thought he cared. "What am I not caring about? I think I care more now than I ever did."

"You care about not caring."

"That doesn't even make any fucking sense, Mike."

"Yeah, it does. You would want to know."

"I would?" he said skeptically as he looked over at Logan.

Logan turned to him and said, "Yeah, you would. There's a man out there who's your real father. A man who was with your mother while she was married to the man you thought was your father. You knew your dad cheated, but not your mom and you don't care!"

Bobby felt his chest tighten at that accusation. It wasn't that he didn't care, he did. It was the fact that he knew he'd been confronted with that before, and it had nearly ruined his life. Shaking his head, he told Logan as calmly as he could, "I choose not to care. I choose not to let her win. And I definitely choose not to let it do to me what it did to me before. I knew before. I remember…I freaked out, Mike. I went to talk to my mother about it and she refused even acknowledge that I was there. I knew the entire time and I couldn't face it. So, what did I do? I made myself forget everything. I don't care? I care to never lose my memory again, that's what I care about, you asshole."

"Oh, so now I'm an asshole!" Logan snapped.

"You're acting like one," Bobby stressed back to him as he stopped for another light. "What'd you want me to do? You want me to go and beat down my brother for answers? You want me to run my DNA against every DNA sample in the system, across the United States, and see if my father's ever been arrested? I can do that you know, but it still won't change anything."

"You'll know. And if you were the Bobby Goren you were before, you would want to know. You'll be obsessing over the not knowing," Logan told him as he pointed his finger at him. "That's what I'm talking about. You're not giving a shit and it just isn't right."

Bobby took a left turn and stopped in front of the clinic. "I'm not staying."

"Good, I'll take the subway," Logan angrily yelled as he got and out slammed the door shut. He walked around the car and stepped up onto the sidewalk and stopped. Turning around, he tapped on the glass.

Bobby sighed and rolled the window down manually.

Logan stood in front of him with a chastened look before softly admitting, "I forgot my wallet."

Bobby shook his head as he dug into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a twenty and handed it to him. "How could you forget your wallet?"

Logan shrugged as he started for the door. "I haven't needed it for over a week."

Before Logan opened the door, Bobby yelled from the car, "Hey, Mike." Once he turned around, he asked, "This weekend, dinner at my place?"

Logan smiled and gave him a wave before heading into the clinic.

Major Case Squad

It was going on three in the afternoon and she was getting so tired of paperwork. Going through another stack of forms, she transferred all the information into the department's database before placing it on a stack to be delivered to the Captain for final approval. It was a long process and it was starting to get tedious. Alex muffled a yawn, took a sip of her herbal tea, and then got started on another one.

She was halfway done with it when she saw someone next to the desk. Looking up, she was surprised to see Logan there. "Mike."

"Hey, Alex, you got a minute?" Logan asked as he glanced around the squad room. He saw Detective Barek across the room talking to one of the civilian employees over a file.

"Sure," she said as she closed the laptop.

Logan looked back down at her and gestured over his shoulder, asking, "You need a break?"

Alex smiled slightly as she got up. "I'd love one."

She followed Logan out of the squad room and down to the cafeteria. After getting a couple cups of coffee and a salad for her, they grabbed a table against the far wall. Logan was looking better. The last time she saw him was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago. He had been groggy and annoyed, but happy to be alive. They hadn't talked much, and neither one of them had yet to bring up what happened in that house. Or the fact that he had taken evidence from the scene. All she told Logan when he had asked about it was that it was taken care of.

Then he had been discharged a few days later and had been holed up in his apartment ever since. Alex knew he was in a relationship and that Denise was staying with him during his recovery, so she hadn't been by to see him.

Logan looked to be deep in thought as he took a couple sips of his coffee. He hadn't shaved in days and he kept rubbing a hand over the hair growth on his jaw and chin. Finally, he said as he looked over at her, "How's Bobby doing?"

Alex gave a shrug as she told him with a slight teasing tone, "He's almost back to normal, whatever that is."

Logan chuckled and was quiet for a moment. She could tell that there was more to it, and she was suddenly on edge. She knew that Bobby had driven Mike to his doctor's appointment this morning. Which reminded her, "How did the appointment go?"

"Great," he said with a wide smile. "Everything's healing properly. There appears to be no lingering damage. Doc says I'll be able to get on desk duty starting next week."

"I'm glad to hear it; you can take over doing the paperwork," she tease and Logan smiled wider.

"Gladly," he said before he told her, "He's not right."

Alex stared over at Logan as she felt a deep worry twist her gut. "Bobby? Mike-"

"He's not, Alex. I can tell."

"Can you?" Alex asked as she continued to stare over at her partner. "You've only known Bobby for three months. I've known him for over four years. He's actually doing pretty damn well. He's happier, like he used to be before the world beat him down. Mike, you never knew what he was like before everything started going to hell. This is it. All the burdens, the baggage, the depression…It's all gone. And I couldn't be happier."

"I'm not talking about that," Logan stressed as he leaned a little on the table. "I'm really happy that he's finally stress free and that's he's lightened up a lot. He's much easier to get along with and I'm actually excited to have him as a friend. What I'm talking about is his sudden lack of empathy."

Alex sighed and shook her head, telling him, "That hasn't changed."

"Yes, it has. I don't know how he's going to be on the job; it doesn't seem like his empathy has changed when it comes to victims and all that. But, he's not caring about his own life. He's completely indifferent to anything concerning himself. It's no wonder all his burdens are gone, he doesn't care. He stopped caring."

Alex sat still for a long moment as she thought that over. It was hard to admit that Logan was right. Logan being right meant that there was something wrong with Bobby. Yes, he was happier, but at what price. She took a breath and told him, "He hasn't visited his mother."

Logan narrowed his eyes at her and asked, "Sundays, right? That was yesterday, and he didn't go?"

Alex shook her head. "I asked him if he remembered that he visited her every Sunday. He told me he did, but he didn't go. I asked if he was going to call her, he said he'd get around to it. HE never did. She called him last night, but…" she trailed off as she shook her head. "He didn't answer it. He looked at it ringing and I asked him who it was; he told me it was his mother, and he shut the phone. I've never seen him not accept a call her; the only exceptions were if we were in the middle of an interview."

Logan gave a nod in understanding. "Then I'm not the only one who's noticed."

"I'm trying not to get paranoid yet," Alex said as she tried to fight the unease out of her chest. "He's still recovering. There are still a lot he doesn't remember."

"How much?"

Alex rubbed at her head; it was starting to hurt a little. "I don't know. He doesn't give me a play-by-play, Mike. He'll mention things in passing." After giving it some thought, he told him, "It's mostly from his adulthood." He wrinkled her head in confusion as she gave it more thought. "Now that I think about it, he hasn't mentioned much of his childhood."

"That necessarily doesn't mean he's not remembering his childhood," Logan told her as he finished his coffee. "He's always been private about that part of his life."

"Yeah," she said even though she wasn't convinced. She finished her coffee and made it a point that tonight she would ask Bobby if he was recovering any of his childhood memories. Looking over at Logan, she gave him a small smile, "He'll be fine."

Logan tried for a smile as well, but he looked miserable and unconvinced. "We'll see."

They returned to the squad room and were immediately waved over by Captain Deakins. "You too, Logan," he said as he went back into his office.

Alex was the first in and waited for Logan to walk in before shutting the door. Taking a seat, she waited.

Deakins sat on the edge of his desk and he asked Logan, "How're you doing?"

"I'm good. Doc says I'll be able to come back next week."

"That's good," Deakins smiled before pointing at him, "but I'm going to start you on desk duty."

"Yes, Cap," Logan told him as he took a seat. "So, what's this about?"

Deakins crossed his arms and looked them both over before telling them, "Well, first off, Benjamin Lubik tried to run. He was stopped by Jersey PD for excessive speed on the turnpike. They're waiting for us to come pick him up."

Alex figured the guy might have tried to take off. Last week they had finally tracked him down and formally charged him with conspiracy and harboring a fugitive. Lubik had been helping Nicole Wallace with more than just lending her the house to live in. He'd been helping her evade police ever since she disappeared after going into the East River months ago.

The captain wasn't done as he paused a moment and then reached around to pick up a file. He handed it to her and said, "The reason the house was for sale, and has been on the market for so long is that it has a history."

Alex took the file and glanced over at Logan before opening it. She looked at the name and then the picture of the man the file was on. Looking up at Deakins, she said, "You've got to be kidding me. Mark Ford Brady, the serial killer."

"It was the house he grew up in," Deakins confirmed before growing quiet.

Logan muttered something under his breath before shaking his head. "Damn."

Alex glanced over at him and saw the look on his face. She then looked back at the file and wondered why that house. Then, she shut the file and shook her head as it clicked. "There's no way."

Deakins nodded but said, "We'll have to check."

"No we don't," she said as she glared up at her captain. "This was all a game to Nicole, based on lies. This is just another lie. We're not going to play this game any longer, Captain. She's out of the picture. And as far as I'm concerned, I hope she never wakes up."

Deakins was quiet again as he stared back down at her. Then he held out his hand, gesturing for the file. She handed it over to him as she got up to leave the office. "You're right. There is no merit to it. There's no reason to ever consider the possibility-"

"No, there isn't," Alex said as she stopped at the door.

Logan finally spoke up, asking, "We're going to keep this from him?"

"There's nothing to keep from him but more lies," Alex said as she crossed her arms. "He doesn't need this right now."

"It's not right," Logan said as he got up and turned to her. "We all know now that his father wasn't his father. We know that he had a half-brother who was a complete psychopath. And there's a possibility that all this time Nicole was trying to tell him that his father was also a complete psychopath."

Alex took a deep breath and glared at Logan. "And you want to go to Bobby and tell him that? Look at what happened last time."

"Well, if he's still as uncaring as he has been, it won't even make him bat an eyelash!"

"Hey!" Deakins yelled, silencing Alex before she could have a comeback. "What's all this about? Is Goren okay?" he asked as he turned to her.

Logan was the one to answer, saying, "Oh, he's great. He doesn't give a shit about his own mother, but he's fine."

"That's not fair, Mike," Alex snapped as she stepped up to him. "I'd like to see what you're like after you've lost your whole life. Give him time."

"And then what? Then we still do nothing?" Logan said as he stepped away from her. He was clenching his fists and she wasn't sure who he was angry with, but she was ready to leave.

"Yes," she said. "Because like the Captain said, there is no merit to this claim."

"So we ignore it," Logan said as he turned around. "Wallace killed two people over this. You think she did all of that over something that held no merit? How did she find Caleb Cunningham anyway? She knows more than we do. She knows more about Bobby's life than Bobby!"

Everyone grew quiet as they all looked around the office at one another. Alex was having a hard time keeping calm as she felt her entire chest start to ache. There needed to be a decision made, and she knew what it would have to be. She would keep this from Bobby as long as possible because it was a lie. It had to be.

Deakins gave a nod and said, "It doesn't have to be included in the file. However, we're not going to just forget this. I think the easiest, and the best thing to do, is to inform Goren of the details. If he wants to know, if he wants tested, then we'll respect his wishes. If not…" he left the rest unsaid as he tossed the file on the desk.

It took a moment for her to steady her breathing; once she was calm, she gave a nod before shaking her head at Logan. She turned around and left the office; feeling extremely pissed off and scared at the same time.

She was scared because she had no idea what this knowledge could do to Bobby, especially now that he was doing so much better.

Basement of Lady of Lord's Catholic Church

Chelsea, Manhattan

He looked around the cemented room and spotted the man he was searching for standing by a long table full of refreshments. Walking over to the table, he unzipped his coat and took it off as the temperature in the room increased. He stopped at the table and reached for a cup as he said, "Good evening, Captain."

Cragen was startled as he saw him next to him. "Goren? What're you doing here?"

"Moving on," he said as he glanced over to his Captain. "You said Monday at six, right?" Picking up the pot of coffee, he said, "I'm taking it that the coffee is decent," he gestured to the cup Cragen had poured for himself.

"Yeah, it's okay," Cragen said as he continued to look at him. "This is a surprise. How did you know I was here?"

"I asked around." At seeing the shocked look on Cragen's face, he chuckled and told him, "I followed you."

"Oh," he said, releasing some of the tension that had built. "Well, how're you?"

"I'm good, thanks," he said with a smile as he mixed in some powder creamer. "I'm following Doctor Olivet's orders and we have a meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Then after that, I should be reinstated and back to work by the weekend."

"Don't worry, you will be. I already talked to the Chief and he's just waiting for Olivet's final word of approval. C'mon, let's grab a seat," Cragen said as he gestured to the row of chairs.

Bobby took a seat in the front row along with Captain Cragen, placing his coat on the back of the chair. He leaned back and took a look around the room as he sipped on the coffee.

"Tell me, Goren, what's your real reason for being here?" Cragen asked as others started to enter the room and take their seats.

Bobby took out a pack of gum and offered one to Cragen who waved it off. Taking out a piece, he un-wrapped the stick of gum and stuck it in his mouth while thinking of his answer to that question. Putting the pack back into his jeans pocket, he said, "It was a good thing, the amnesia. Helped me to reset, you know. Clear out all that was poisoning me from the inside. Uh, emotionally, mentally…and, I don't want to be there, to that…dark place I was before ever again. I was on a downward spiral and I can't deny it anymore."

"Deny what?" Cragen asked.

That was a big question. And before, it had been so hard to answer it. However, now, it seemed so easy. "That I need help, Captain. I know that now. I was self-destructing…and alcohol was my crutch, my tool. That's why I'm here."

"And the gum?"

Bobby smiled slightly as looked around and watched as the last person entered the room and then shut the door. Posted on the door was the Twelve Steps to sobriety. "If I'm expected to beat one addiction, I have to beat them all. I haven't had a cigarette in sixteen days." He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Cragen smile.

"Good for you."

Giving a nod, he turned back as the meeting got underway. The first order of business was to ask if there were any new members who wanted to start it off.

Without hesitating, Bobby stood and with release of breath introduced himself. "I'm Robert…and I'm an alcoholic."

Alex's Apartment

Rockaway, Queens

Alex had been very slowly moving into her apartment. She was fine with that since she was in no real hurry to move out of Bobby's apartment. He had made a comment that the apartment could be a getaway of sorts. She had to admit that she liked that idea. They could turn this apartment into a retreat. It was out on Rockaway, and only a few streets over from the beach. So, that was what they decided on. She would still live with Bobby, but on the weekends or whenever, they would come out here. Or whenever she had her nieces and nephew, she could bring them there so they could go to the beach and have a kind-of hangout.

So, she was decorating it accordingly. Bobby had suggested a theme and she rolled her eyes at him. Then she thought it wasn't such a bad idea. If it was going to be a retreat for them, why not have some fun with the place. Make it look like they were out in the middle of nowhere.

When Bobby had called her earlier, she had told him she was there and not in Brooklyn. He told her that he could come there instead, and bring groceries to cook her dinner. She liked the idea of that and told him she couldn't wait. The only furniture still in the place was the mattress on the living room floor; only this time she now had the box spring that went with it. She had gotten her entertainment center out of storage by had no TV seeing how hers was in the bedroom in Brooklyn. But, she did find her stereo. It was a combination record, CD, and cassette player. She had scavenged through her storage space and the only box she could find had all her old records and cassettes. Most of her CD's were either in her car or at Bobby's anyway. So she dug a record out and put it on, dropped the needle and smiled as the music filled the apartment.

There was a knock and the door and she put down a record she was looking at, and wondering why she even had it, and went to let Bobby in.

He was holding two full brown paper bags and one plastic was dangling from his fingers. "Can you?" he asked as he held out his hand.

Alex took the plastic bag as he walked in. "It's a good thing I also found my box with all my cookware."

"Yeah," he said as he hurried toward the kitchen. "I stopped by my place first and picked up what I would need if you didn't."

Alex shut and locked the door before following him. "How'd you like it?"

Bobby sat the bags down and looked around with a approving nod. "Great. Got a pot?"

She chuckled and pointed to the cabinet by his knees. "Want a drink?"

Bobby shook his head before reaching into a bag and pulled out a six pack of soda. "I'm not drinking."

Alex smiled a little and said, "Okay, but I've got wine if-"

"You're not…" he stopped as he stared at the counter for a moment. Bobby rubbed at his head as he peered up at her. "I, uh…I'm not drinking, Alex."

She looked at him as heard the sternness in his words. Alex saw the determination in his eyes and asked, "What're you saying?"

He reached over and took her hand. Giving it a squeeze, he said, "Tonight, the reason I'm late it's because I went to a meeting…AA. Captain Cragen, he's uh…he's now my sponsor."

Alex sucked in a breath before the tears filled her eyes. "I'm…God, Bobby, I'm so proud of you."

He smiled and she saw how happy he was to hear that.

Alex went to him and pulled him into a hug. She didn't want to let go. "This is great. You know you don't have to."

"I want to," he told her as he stepped back. "I need to take control over my life, and this is a step. I want to do this."

Alex stared up into his eyes; they were so full of love and hope it nearly hurt her heart. She pulled him down for a kiss. After a moment, he broke it as her phone started to ring. "I hate my phone."

Bobby chuckled as he let her go. "Answer it. I've got dinner to make."

Alex grabbed her phone off the counter and pulled out the charger. Seeing that it was Logan, she told him, "I'm going to take it in the bedroom."

Bobby didn't even question her as he pulled out the pot and grabbed a bag of groceries.

Once in the bedroom with the door shut, she answered, "What'd you want, Mike?"

"Hello to you too. Have you told him yet?" he asked without hesitation.

Alex shook her head into the phone as she told him, "I'm not telling him."

"You have to," Logan nearly snapped. "We can't keep this from him."

"He went to AA, Mike."

Logan went quiet before asking incredulously, "He went to AA?"

"Yeah. He just told me. Do you know what damage this could do if we tell him now? He's finally admitting he needs help, and I won't sabotage that," she stressed to him.

He was silent for a moment and she could hear his deep breathing over the phone. "Okay."

She let out a breath of relief. "Thank you."

"Yeah…whatever you say, Eames," Logan told her right before he hung up.

Alex closed her eyes and groaned. Logan wasn't really okay with it, but he would do it. She knew this was putting a strain on him and she wasn't quite sure why. Trying to think too much about it, but losing, she shut her phone and headed back out into the kitchen.

Bobby had filled a glass with ice and the cola and was sipping on it as he covered the pot and set the heat on low. "It's going to be awhile."

"I'll make a fire," she said as she took her drink into the living room.

Alex got a fire going in the fireplace and was standing in front of it sipping on her glass when Bobby stepped up behind her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her back as he sat down on the mattress, bringing her with him. She sat between his legs as he wrapped both arms around her waist, holding her.

"We're going to be okay," he softly told her as he placed his chin on her shoulder.

Alex reached up, running her hand over his face and through his hair. "Yeah, we are."

"I love you."

Smiling to herself, she told him, "I love you too."

The End of this story…

To be continued in Part 6, which will be titled "Dark Was the Night"