Author's Notes: I'm back! L&O: CI belongs to Dick Wolf and company, so please don't sue. Enjoy:o)
Monday, August 14
Major Case Squad Room, 5:45 p.m.
"What have you got on this Anderson case so far?" Captain Ross asked. Alex and Bobby had just sat down at their desks. Alex said,
"We checked with the clerk from the bodega the victim had gone to this morning. She said he was a regular customer, came in twice a
week for a gallon of orange juice. She said he wasn't acting weird when he came in. He seemed normal. We talked to the people at
Computer City. They were the last ones to actually talk to him." "What did they have to say for themselves?" Bobby replied, "They
admitted they knew he sold marijuana, but weren't involved with his dealing." Ross sighed as he rubbed at his temples. "Is this a case
we should be kicking to Narcotics?" "I…I don't think so, Captain. Whoever killed DeMarco Anderson must have killed him for
revenge because we found a stash worth almost half a million dollars in the back of his SUV. If this were a turf war, they would have
taken that." "So, the killer or killers are either stupid or independently wealthy. Is that what I'm hearing you say, Detective?" Bobby
chewed the inside of his cheek a few times while counting to ten in his head before answering icily, "I'm just saying that we should
follow all leads we have before jumping to conclusions. Sir." Captain Ross and Bobby stared at each other for a long time.
Alex waved the copy of the power of attorney Angel had given them under Ross' nose to get his attention. "We got this from Angelica
Pierson-St. John. She's in charge of the victim's affairs. We got permission from her to search Anderson's home. We're doing that
tomorrow." Ross gave Bobby one more icy look before taking the paper from Alex's hand to look at it. "What killed DeMarco
Anderson?" he asked as he was reading. "A mixture of cocaine and heroin was injected into his system. Dr. Rogers said she'll have
her report to us by tomorrow afternoon." "Is there anything in Anderson's background that suggests he's a terrorist?" "Nothing yet,
sir, but we have a couple of more leads to follow and we're getting his arrest record from New Jersey." Captain Ross put the paper
down and looked at Bobby. "So, what is your plan of action in regards to the drug dealing angle?" Bobby took a deep breath before
standing up to his full height, forcing Ross to look up at him. "We've got a meeting with Lt. Antonio Garcia in Narcotics tomorrow
afternoon to see if DeMarco Anderson was on their radar." With that, Bobby walked off in the direction of the locker room.
Ross pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Is your partner having a particularly bad day?" Alex had to keep herself from cursing
him out. "He's doing just fine, Captain." "Okay. Finish up whatever you've got to do and go home. Don't forget you two have to be
in court tomorrow morning. Good night, Detective." "Night, sir," Alex said to Ross' departing back. As soon as he was out of ear
shot, she muttered, "Smug son of a bitch." "I heard that." Alex jumped slightly at the sound of Mike's voice. She gave him a dirty look
as he passed by her desk, a smug grin on his face. She allowed herself a small smile as he winked at her on his way to the elevator.
Bobby plopped himself down in his chair. "You okay?" Alex asked. He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes and nodded
before moving his hands. "I'm just fighting the serious urge to take off my shoe and beat the shit out of Ross with it." "Those are nice
shoes. It'd be a shame to get them covered in blood. Or shit." Bobby smiled wryly at Alex's attempt to make him feel better. "I…I
wish I knew what the hell he wants from me." Alex shrugged. "Who knows what bug he has up his butt." Alex picked up her phone to
listen to her messages. Bobby did the same. When Bobby hung up, Alex said, "Janelle left a message saying DeMarco's family is
coming from New Jersey tomorrow. They're going to be staying at his Uncle Todd's house." "Same Uncle Todd he got caught dealing
drugs with?" "I guess so." Bobby sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face; Alex yawned and stretched. "How about we write up
what we can and get outta here by 6:30?" she asked. "Sounds like a good idea to me."
Alex and Bobby rode in silence to his apartment. Bobby leaned his head against the headrest and stared out the window. "Dirty little
thoughts of Angel running through your mind?" Alex asked. Bobby chuckled. "I wasn't thinking about her, but thanks for putting the
thought in my head." "Oh. Alannah must be doing naked back flips then." "Hmmm. Even better." "Ugh! God! I'm sorry I said
anything!" Bobby laughed loudly. "Let's change the subject before I give you any more ideas." "What else should we talk about?"
"How about what you want for your birthday dinner?" Bobby shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever you and your mom decide on will
be fine with me." "I was thinking we'd have a cookout. Hot dogs, hamburgers, stuff like that." Bobby perked up a little bit. "You going
to make the coleslaw?" he asked hopefully. "Yes, I will make the coleslaw. I suppose you want Jill to make her world famous baked
beans." He shrugged. "Well, only if she wants to," he said nonchalantly. Alex laughed a little. "You're so silly. What kind of cake do
you want?" "A yellow cake with chocolate frosting," Bobby replied instantly. "I can now tell Mom with confidence that you will show
up for your birthday party." Bobby nodded and turned to stare out the window again.
"How long have you and Rob known each other?" Alex asked. "We met the first day of boot camp," Bobby replied. "Ah, I see. Is
that where the 'Robby-Boy, Bobby-Boy' comes from?" "Yeah. There was this black girl named Roberta Watkins in our company.
She was from the Bronx and named after her paternal grandmother. When she said 'Robert' we'd both answer. One day, she decided
to call Rob 'Robby-Boy' and me 'Bobby-Boy.' Rob came up with the name 'Bertie-Girl' for her. He and I were the only ones
allowed to call her that. Anybody else trying to call her that would run into a flurry of fists." Alex snorted. "I'd try to deck somebody,
too, if they called me 'Bertie-Girl,' " she said. "Rob's a real good guy. He's got this sort of…Zen quality about him." "Really? How
so." "It seemed like everyone in our company would go to him for advice. He was the official unofficial chaplain so to speak. He
seems to know how to communicate with anybody." "He sounds like a real good friend to have around."
"Tell me something," Bobby asked. "Sure. What is it?" "Back at Computer City, when Drew said his wife packed a punch, you
smiled. Why?" A big smile spread over Alex's face. "When Janelle and her family first came over to our house, I think Shane instantly
fell in love with Janelle. He would always call her "his Janelle" when he talked about her. Mom had a cookout birthday party for
Shane's 10th birthday. Some of the neighborhood kids were there. Janelle and Jayson came. There was this kid named Allen at the
party. He was a big 12 year old bully. He called Shane a "N- lover." 9 year old Janelle, who was smaller than this 12 year old, walked
over to where they were standing, balled up her fist and knocked Allen down to the ground. She stood over him waiting for him to get
up. Lucky for him, he stayed down. Needless to say, Allen wasn't welcome to our house or functions any more." "How much trouble
did Janelle get in?" "Oh my God!" Alex exclaimed. "I thought her mom was going to have a heart attack when she found out what
Janelle did. Loretta keep apologizing to my parents about her behavior. My parents were cool about it though. I think Janelle got
grounded for 2 or 3 weeks. Hell, me and John were kinda mad she hit that bully before we had a chance to."
Bobby asked, "Was Shane still in love with her after that?" "Worshipped the ground she walked on," Alex replied. "He really liked
Janelle. He took her to his junior and senior proms. Shane told me one time he wished he had taken a chance to be with Janelle, you
know. Date her, maybe try to marry her." "Do you think your parents would have approved?" Alex shrugged. "I really don't know.
I'd like to think so. I'd like to think Mom and Dad would have been at least open minded if Shane dated Janelle." Bobby nodded. He
turned his head to stare out the window again, his thoughts turning to a possible future with a caramel skinned Angel in it.
"Here we are," Alex said as she stopped the SUV in front of Bobby's apartment building. Bobby picked up his binder and said,
"Thanks." He was half way out when he stopped and got back in. "Do you want to come up? Rob's probably cooking dinner by
now." Alex shook her head. "Nah. Thanks for the offer though. Mom left a voicemail message inviting me over for dinner. Said she
was making enough pot roast to feed an army. I can't resist." "Okay. Have a good night." "Same to you." Bobby got out and closed
the door behind him. He had taken a couple steps away from the vehicle when Alex called his name. He walked back and leaned in
through the window. "Since we have to be in court tomorrow morning, how about I pick up you a little early so we can have breakfast
at that new diner Logan raved about last week?" Bobby thought about it for a second before saying, "Sure. I'll see you about 6:45?"
"Yep." "Alright. Good night, Alex." "Good night, Bobby."
Monday, August 14
Bobby's Apartment 7:00 p.m.
The smell of garlic and onions and the sight of Lewis sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on his coffee table greeted Bobby as
he entered his apartment. Lewis looked away from the TV and raised the bottle of beer he was drinking. "Hey, Bobby! Welcome
home!" he said. Bobby shook his head and sighed. "Lewis, could you at least take your shoes off so my cleaning person won't go
crazy trying to get the scuff marks out of my nice wood coffee table?" "Man, wearing those suits has REALLY changed you." Bobby
stuck out his tongue at Lewis before putting his leather binder and tie down on the countertop. Rob was tossing the fixings for a Cesar
salad together. Bobby walked over and peered over his shoulder. "Hey, Bobby-Boy," Rob said as he poured a bag of croutons into
the salad bowl. "Have a good day?" "It was okay," Bobby said as he took the empty bag from Rob to read the label. "How did you
manage to get homemade croutons from Elgin's Bakery? They only make them for their extra special customers." "I called them 2
weeks ago to let them know I would be in town and wanted some bags of their croutons." "I've been going to them since I was a kid!
I can't even get them to make me one lousy bag!" Rob shrugged. "I guess I'm more special than you." "Hmmph!" Bobby grunted.
"How come you didn't invite Alex up for dinner?" Rob asked. At the mention of Alex's name, Lewis muted the TV, got up and sat on
one of the barstools near them. "That's a good question, Rob. Why is the fair Detective Alex not here?" he said, looking at Bobby.
"Her mom invited her to have dinner with her and her dad," Bobby replied to Lewis. "Which seems like a good idea. Did you invite
Lewis over here to hook him up with Alex?" Rob stopped tossing and stared at Bobby with wide eyes. "Do I look like I have 'stupid'
branded across my forehead?!" he asked. "Lewis was waiting here on your doorstep when I came home. Pissing off a woman who
can pick me off 100 yards away with a Glock is not high on my list of stupid things to do!" "Aw, come on, Rob." Lewis said. "You
promised you'd talk to her." Rob turned and looked at Lewis, pointing his index finger. "Oh no! I said if the opportunity presented
itself, I'd say something to her about you."
Bobby looked on with amusement as Lewis and Rob debated with each other. He knew they'd go on like that for 5 minutes before
Rob came up with a solution Lewis would agree to. It felt good to be with his friends. Being with them sometimes made him long for
the precious few good times he had with his brother. Bobby shook himself of the sad feeling that was about to overtake him. Since the
great debate was still raging on, he decided to open fridge to get himself a beer. As he was turning to open the door, he noticed the
light on the answering machine was blinking. "Ssshh," he said as he pressed the 'play' button.
"Hello, Robert. It's Alannah. I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to tell you that I'm in South Beach this week, but I should get back to New York by Friday night or Saturday morning. I can't wait to see…every…inch…of…you. Bye."
The low, sultry, sexy sound of Alannah's voice made Lewis' and Rob's mouths drop open and stare at the answering machine. Bobby
ran his hand through his hair and massaged the back of his neck. His ears turned slightly red. Once he recovered, Rob said, "I need a
cigarette and a cold shower." "No," Lewis said, "that's a carton of cigarettes and a week's worth of cold showers voice. Is that who I
think it is?" Bobby nodded. "Damn! No wonder I don't see or hear from you for 2 weeks after your birthday." "Well, I guess I'd
better make plans to make myself scarce this weekend," Rob said. "No, you don't…don't have to do that. Alannah probably has
made reservations at a hotel somewhere." Lewis asked, "You have a picture of this woman? I have GOT to see this woman who can
twist you up in knots." "I don't have a picture of her, but you'll get to meet her Sunday."
Rob and Lewis exchanged looks. Lewis shrugged and said, "Go for it, Rob." Rob stroked his chin a couple of times before saying to
Bobby, "Um, how are we going to meet this lovely lady friend of yours?" "Alex and her family are throwing a birthday party for me.
You, Courtney, Lewis and Alannah are invited." "Oh, okay. I've got just 2 questions then." "Shoot." "How did Alex manage to
convince you to have a birthday party?" "I couldn't think of a good enough excuse not to have one." "Alright. I'll buy that. My second
question: who else besides me, Lewis, and I'm assuming Alex, know about your and Alannah's….situation?" "Just you three," Bobby
replied. "And Angel," he thought. "Well, I'm out of questions. Lewis, you got something to say?" "I just want to know if Detective
Alex will allow me to cop a feel at the party," Lewis said as he waggled his eyebrows. Rob laughed. Bobby playfully punched at
Lewis, but he moved out of the way. "Man, you are such a horny dog," Bobby said as he laughed. "You guys entertain yourselves. I'm
going to take a shower." Bobby reached into the fridge and got his beer. He shook his head as he took a sip and headed towards his
bedroom.
Monday, August 14
Eames' Residence, 7:20 p.m.
Alex pulled up in her parents' driveway at the same time as Shane. "Hey, Lex Luthor," he said as she got out. "Hey, Super Shane,"
she replied. "What are you doing back here so soon?" "When Mom called me today all I heard her say was 'pot roast' and 'come for
dinner.'" She gave him a quick hug and started walking with him to the house. "Whose mini van is that?" Alex asked, pointing with her
head. "Jill's. She and Bryce traded in her old one after they left my place Saturday." "Very nice." Shane knocked on the door before
opening it. "After you, Miss Lexi," he said, making a sweeping hand gesture as he held the door open. "Why, thank you kindly, Mr.
Shane," Alex said in a fake Southern accent. They laughed as they entered the house.
"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad." Alex said when she got in the kitchen. "Hey, sweetheart," Janet said. She was placing the pot roast pan on
the table. Johnny had just finished placing the last plate on the table. Alex tiptoed to give him a peck on the cheek. "Hey, darling," he
said. Janet asked, "Where's Shane? I thought I heard him come in with you." "Oh, he went to the bathroom," Alex said over her
shoulder from the kitchen sink. Jill walked in. "Hey, Alex." "Hey, Jill. Nice mini van you got." "Thanks." Alex dried her hands and sat
down at the table. Jill sat next to her. "So, how did you manage to get away from Bryce and the kids?" Alex asked. "Bryce is gone to
an engineer seminar his company is hosting in Virginia all this week. My wonderful big brother and sister-in-law agreed to take the kids
for the monthly Eames bonding sleepover tonight." "You got the house all to yourself tonight, so you're spending it with us?" "Yeah.
Besides, Mom said she was making pot roast." Alex hung her head and shook it. "Geez, we're sad," she said. "Who's sad?" Shane
said as he came in. He kissed his mom's cheek and sat down. "Mom makes great pot roast. That fact alone should make you want to
come home." "Thank you for the compliment, Shane," Janet said. "You're welcome, Mom." Alex and Jill rolled their eyes. Alex
covered her nose and mouth as if she had to sneeze. "AH-SUCKUP!" she said. Everyone laughed. Shane said to Alex, "You're just
jealous because I'm Mom's favorite." "Yeah, right. I'm Mom's favorite," she countered. "You're both wrong," Jill interjected. "I'm
Mom's favorite." "You all are my favorite," Janet said. "Now dig in before the food gets cold."
"How was your day, Alex?" Johnny asked. "It was okay," she finally replied after chewing and swallowing her food. "I saw Janelle
Hamilton today. Well, actually she's Janelle Spencer now." "Really?" Janet said. "Where did you see her?" "At Computer City, that
computer repair place that took over Uncle Buddy's TV Repair Shop. She was one of three people who last saw the vic alive in a
case Bobby and I caught today." "Oh my goodness!" "She still married?" Shane asked. Alex nodded. "Drew was another person I
had to interview." "Dang!" he mumbled under his breath. Alex shot him a quick look, but decided not to say anything. "Still the same
feisty Janelle we know and love?" Jill asked. "Oh, yeah. You better believe it. You guys remember her best friend, Angel, don't you?"
Everyone shook their heads. "The young light skinned black lady I asked to sing 'Amazing Grace' at Joe's funeral. The one with the
gray eyes." "Oh, I remember her now!" Janet said. "She had the prettiest gray eyes and a nice Southern accent. She sang beautifully at
the funeral." Shane and Jill nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I really liked her accent and her singing," Jill said. Alex said, "She's living up
here now." "Let me guess," her dad said, "you had to interview her, too." "Yeah, I did."
"I don't mean to change the subject," Janet said, "but did you tell Bobby we're throwing a birthday party for him?" "Yes, I did,"
answered Alex. "As a matter of fact, he's happy with my suggestion of having a cookout with hamburgers and hotdogs. He has even
put in a request for my coleslaw, Jill's world famous baked beans and a yellow cake with chocolate frosting." "Well! I'm impressed."
"And some of his friends are going to come." Janet raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I'm past impressed. I'm now flabbergasted!"
"Who's he inviting?" Shane asked. "His friend Rob Duncan, who's visiting from Atlanta, Rob's daughter Courtney, Lewis the
mechanic and Alannah." "Who's Alannah?" Janet and Johnny asked at the same time. "Someone's Bobby's been seeing off and on for
a while now," Alex said quietly. "Bobby's bringing a date?!" exclaimed Jill. "Oh, Mom. You're going to have to break out the real
good china for this occasion!" Janet opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I'm now speechless. Are there any other surprises I
need to know about?" "Just that I invited Mike Logan and Megan Wheeler. She's bringing her nephew." "What about Captain
Deakins? Are you going to invite him?" Johnny asked. "The thought had crossed my mind. I'll call him before I leave for work in the
morning."
Janet clasped and unclasped her hands. "Well, this is turning into a great party. Since Shane would like to stare and drool over his
Janelle, maybe I'll ask Loretta to bake Bobby's cake and invite her and her family to the party." Shane whipped his head around to
look at his mother. She flashed him a motherly know it all smile. He rolled his eyes. "Sounds like a good idea, Mom," Jill said. "It'll be
good to see them again anyway. Unless it interferes with your investigation." Janet looked at Alex hopefully. Alex shook her head. "I
don't think it will be a problem." "Good. Everybody eat up before your food gets cold," Everyone started talking about other things
with their mouths full. "Oh boy," Alex thought, "if Janelle comes, she'll want to bring Angel along with her. Bobby will probably
freak out if Alannah and Angel met. I gotta remember to tell him tomorrow that his party is going to get extremely
interesting."
Monday, August 14
Bobby's Apartment 7:20 p.m.
Bobby stepped in the shower and sighed. The warm water ran over his head and down his body, relaxing his tired muscles. Seeing
Angel again had brought a flood of memories back to him. As he continued to let the water run over him, Bobby thought back to the
last time he had seen Angel cry.
Two year ago
Last Monday of July
Bobby had just come home from work after having an uneventful day. Of course it would be since Alex was gone on vacation
for 2 weeks. As he walked towards his apartment, he saw someone sitting on the ground in front of his door. When he got
closer, he realized it was Angel. She got up as he got to the door. Bobby frowned as he looked at her. Her eyes were red and
tears were rolling down her face. She wiped at her nose with the huge wad of Kleenex she had in her hand. "Angel, what's
wrong?" he asked. Angel stared at the floor, shaking her head. He put his index finger under her chin, lifting her head to
make her look at him. "What's wrong?" "T.J. dies,' she replied softly.
T.J. had been diagnosed with a brain tumor the year before. The doctors had said that it was not growing, so there was no
need to operate. This year, after her knee replacement surgery, the tumor started growing rapidly, taking T.J. away faster
than anyone had been prepared for. Bobby pulled Angel into a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Thanks," Angel said as she
pulled away from him. Bobby noticed she had a small duffel bag at her feet. Angel stuffed her hands into her white denim
shorts pockets and looked at the duffel bag before looking back up at Bobby. "Would it be okay if I stayed here tonight? I
need to get away from the chaos before it starts." "Sure. You can stay in the extra bedroom." "Thanks." She pulled 2
twenties and a ten out of her pocket and put them in Bobby's hand. "What's this for?" Angel shrugged. "To help take care of
my lodging and food for the night. If it's not enough, I'll get you some more later." Bobby shook his head. "You don't owe me
anything," he said as he tried to hand the money back to her. She shook her head. "Use it to order dinner then."
Bobby let out a sigh as he put the money in his jacket pocket. He unlocked the door and opened it. Angel picked up her bag
before he had a chance to get it for her, so he stepped aside to let her go in. She stood in the living room area and waited for
Bobby to close the door. He said, "Make yourself at home," putting his binder down on the counter. "I'm going to put my
stuff down, if that's okay." "Sure, go ahead." Angel headed straight to the 2nd bedroom and sat down on the bed, placing
the bag down on the floor near her feet. Bobby's large frame filled the bedroom doorway as he stood there and looked at
Angel, who was just staring at her reflection on the blank TV screen. "Do you…you need anything?" She turned and looked
at him, giving him a weak smile. "No, thanks. I just want to take a shower." "Okay. I'm going to order Chinese for dinner.
That okay?" Angel nodded. Bobby smiled at her and walked off to his bedroom.
By the time the food had been delivered, Angel had showered and put on a t-shirt and shorts. She was in Bobby's spare
bedroom, laying on her side, hugging a pillow and staring at some movie playing on the TV. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes
every now and then. Bobby had changed out of his suit and into a gray NYPD t-shirt and lounging pants. He went and stood
in the doorway again. "Angel, food's here." She lifted her head to look at him and said, "I'm not hungry." She put her head
back down and continued staring at the TV. Bobby stepped into the room and stood at the foot of the bed. "Baby, you need to
eat," he said. Angel sat up, putting the pillow behind her. "What'd you say?" she asked. Bobby held out his hand to help her
to her feet and said, "You need to eat." Angel smiled and took his hand. She stood up and gave him a hug. "I heard 'baby' in
there somewhere." She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back at her and shrugged. "Maybe you did. Maybe you
didn't," he replied as he kissed her forehead and led her out to the living room area.
They talked very little as they ate. Bobby was pleased Angel ate as much as she did. He suspected she probably hadn't eaten
since breakfast because she had called him while she was waiting in line at Elgin's Bakery for a blueberry bagel with
strawberry cream cheese. Angel offered to help him clean up, but Bobby just shooed her back to the spare bedroom. When he
finished cleaning up, he went to his bedroom. He opened his nightstand drawer and took out a key ring with one key on it. He
went and stood in Angel's doorway again. She was laying down, hugging a pillow. "May I come in?" Angel sat up and patted
the bed. Bobby walked into the room and laid down in the bed on his side, propping himself up with one arm. Angel put the
pillow behind her head and scooted closer to Bobby, laying on her back to look up at him. She put her leg over his legs as she
touched his nose with her index finger. "It's getting late," she said softly. "You should go to bed and get some sleep." Bobby
shook his head. "Not until you go to sleep." "You must be planning on injecting caffeine directly into your veins." "Whatever
it takes to make sure you're okay. This….this is for you."
Bobby showed Angel the key ring and put it in her hand. She held it up to look at it. "What's this for?" "For you to escape
the chaos without having to wait on me to get home." Angel inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Oh, Bobby, I can't take this. I'd
be invading your space." She tried to hand the key back to him, but Bobby wrapped his hand around hers to keep the key in
it. "I enjoy the company. Keep it until you go back home." He pleaded with his eyes. Angel sighed. She pressed her lips
together, looking at her hand in Bobby's. "Are you sure? You've only known me since April. I could be some kind of serial
killer," she joked. "Well, I'll just have to take my chances then, won't I?" Bobby leaned down and kissed Angel's forehead.
She reached up and touched the side of his face. Bobby closed his eyes, leaning into her hand, soaking in Angel's touch. He
curled his toes a little because every time she touched him small sparks of electricity coursed through his body. " I have the
alarm on my cell set to go off at 6:30. Is that too late for you to get up for work?" she asked. "That's fine." Angel rolled
away from Bobby to put the key on the nightstand. She turned the TV off with the remote, then turned off the lamp. She rolled
back into Bobby's waiting arms, snuggling herself into him. " 'Night, Bobby." " 'Night, Angel." Bobby laid there awake,
listening to Angel breathe. As her breathing became heavier, he realized she had actually fallen asleep. Bobby smiled to
himself and kissed the top of her head. He finally allowed himself to follow his Angel into slumber.