This is my first attempt at a LOCI fic. I've got no beta, so any errors are on me. I've only got a general idea of where this story is going [Is that a BAship I see on the horizon?, so don't be surprised if I start asking for suggestions in the future.

Disclaimer: Not mine, probably never will be. Siiiiiiigh.

After wrapping up a case, Bobby Goren was the first one clocking out – or wanting to, at least. The adrenaline that came with solving a tough case always became elusive soon after a confession was obtained. It was like hitting a brick wall, with all of the hours put into the case suddenly crashing down on his shoulders. To add insult to injury, there was always paperwork glaring him in the face when all was said and done.

The latest case he and his partner had been working on was solved only hours ago, but they were mercifully allowed to leave the office without first getting started on the dreaded paperwork. It was a tough case, earning them both a temporary weekend off.

It was 11: 39 when his cell phone rang.

His first thoughts flew to work. They'd been assigned a new case, another murder, something high-profile. Something had happened that needed their immediate attention. It wouldn't be the first time his tentative relaxation plans were interrupted for something deemed more important than himself. However, he couldn't ignore that voice in his head that said this wasn't about a case at all. This was her.

He wasn't sleeping and she knew it. It was her on the phone and he knew it. She was the only one who would call him without a second thought at this time of night. On the third ring, his hand shot out to pick the vibrating bane of his existence off of the coffee table.

"Eames?" He asked, not bothering to even check the caller ID. His voice didn't betray the exhaustion that he was feeling and for that he was grateful.

"Oh, Goren, good. Glad I caught you." The tone of her voice seemed frazzled, like she'd really expected him not to pick up the phone for her. "Listen, I'm really sorry."

"Sorry?" He mimicked dumbfounded. "For what?" A previously prone Bobby was suddenly sitting up, swinging his legs off of the couch so that his feet would land on solid ground. He abruptly needed a touch-stone to keep him grounded while his mind shot off in a million different directions at once.

"I, uh… I –" She was distracted, that much was obvious. Her failed attempts to multitask left her answer to Bobby's desperate question unanswered for the time being.

"Eames?" No matter how hard he tried to control his voice that little note of panic still snuck its way into his tone.

"I used two of your vacation days." She blurted out, only vaguely aware of how thick the silence on the other end of the line had become in the wake of her muteness. A long pause followed her confession and she seemed contented to let him think it over, returning her attention to whatever had distracted her from before.

"What?" He'd finally managed to push words out of his mouth. Wherever his creative mind had been wandering, he never would have fathomed that that was what she was going to say. "Why?"

"I needed the weekend off." In his mind's eye, he could see her shrug as if this admission was just that simple. "And I mean completely off. No calls, no emergencies, no top-priority cases. Hell, I'll probably turn my phone off when I get done talking to you." She paused and it was during this interval that Bobby recognized the familiar hum of a car engine in the background. She was driving somewhere.

"…and Ross refused to give me the time off unless you took off too. Something about you being a nuisance." She let out a distracted chuckle. "So, I lied and told him that I had cleared it with you first. I didn't think you'd mind –" She'd continued speaking to him while his mind struggled to connect the dots.

"I don't." He cut her off in a quick assurance.

"I just figured after this last case you could use a weekend. To catch up on some reading. Or sleep. Or. You could just relax, you know." Her tone was apologetic as she tried to list off ways that he could spend his new-found free time. She did not claim to be a mind-reader, but she claimed to understand Bobby Goren well enough to know that he would not know what to do with this time now that he was, in essence, on his own for the weekend.

"Y-Yeah, I got plenty of things to do, don't worry about it." There was another pause in the conversation as his mind continued to wander over this newly acquired information. "Why'd you need the time off?"

"I told you," She sounded slightly confused and not a little bit hurt that he had not been listening during her first monologue. "I've got a family emergency. But don't worry; I'll be back at work Monday. I wouldn't dream of leaving you to do all that exciting paper work all by yourself." That was as close to her usual snarky self that she had come to during their conversation so far. Something else was on her mind. And Bobby wanted to know what it was.

"What happened?" His mind flared with worst-case scenarios.

"Nothing important." This was not the answer he was expecting, as 'nothing important' directly under-minded the whole point of an 'emergency.' Her contradictory answer only raised more questions in Bobby's mind, but he couldn't bring himself to question her any further on the topic. If she'd wanted him to know, she'd have told him, right?

"Where are you going?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself from prying any further into the private situation.

There was a pause before a small, amused chuckle escaped her. She should have known he would have figured out that she was in her car. "Out of town."

"To… to your parents?" He was fishing for answers, but she wasn't giving him much to go on. She hadn't said 'family emergency' but what other kind of emergency could Eames be having?

"No, out of town." She repeated distractedly. Her tone was every bit as warm and open as it had been when the conversation had begun, but she was being careful not to betray any of the answers that Bobby wanted. "Listen, I have to go, Goren. Thanks for understanding."

"No problem, Eames." Sighing, Bobby's free hand had somehow made its way to the back of his neck to scrub. He didn't like being kept in the dark, but he trusted her enough to decide whether or not it was something he needed to concern himself over.

"And Bobby?"

"Yeah, Eames?"

"Why don't you try sleeping in a bed tonight?"

A smile flitted over his features – she knew him too well. Before he could respond, there was a click followed by silence. Pulling the phone away from his ear, the end-call screen time flashed four minutes exactly.

And so the countdown for answers began.

So what do you think? Love it or hate it, leave some reviews, will ya?! I can stop it right here if it's rubbish, but if you're curious about this 'emergency' then you should probably let me know your opinion. I'm not above begging, you know. ...Please? Plllllllllease? Pleeeeeeeeease?