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Disclaimer: I Don't own them.

Setting: Immediately at the end of Faithfully.

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Bobby put the pictures down and sat with a small smile on his face. A knock at the door pulled him from his reflection.

"Eames…come on in." He was still smiling, but now for a different reason. She was there. With him. While he was away, he had missed her as much as he knew he would. So seeing her standing at his door made him feel like he was finally home. He fought the urge to pull her to him, to hold her and tell her how much he missed her and loved her. For the past few years, he felt like he was always fighting that feeling. For so long he wanted to confess everything to her. He was pretty sure that she felt the same way for him, but he always resisted taking the step that would lead them to become more. He didn't want to drag her any further into the train wreck his life had become.

Alex walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter that was closest to the table.

"Can I get you anything?" She declined the offer so he sat back down in the chair.

"I wanted to see you…see how it felt to be back."

"Uh, good. I feel good." He glanced back at the pile of pictures. "Here are more pictures from my trip." He stood up and handed them to her. They both leaned against the counter as he pointed out who was who and where each shot was taken. When he finished with the narrative she couldn't help the big smile that spread across her face. He saw it and felt a little shy; not sure why she was looking at him like that. He fumbled with the pictures as he sat back down, tucked them into the letter they came with, then slid them back into their envelope.

During the case Alex had been watching him. She tried to make him feel at ease; to let him know nothing had changed between them. But in her heart, everything had changed. She missed him terribly while he was gone, and not just because she didn't have her partner. She missed him because she didn't have him in her life. The last time he was gone, the circumstances were completely different. He was forced out, and he had brought it upon himself. She felt sorry for him because of what he went through, but she knew he made his suspension happen.

But this time…this time was different. Other people's actions, that were beyond his control, sent his whole life into a tailspin. While it was true that the previous two years were awful for him, the final catalyst to send him crashing to Earth was not his own doing.

She was happy that he reconnected with family. They were good, stable people who only wanted to help him. And now, as she stood in his kitchen with him, she sensed he had changed. He seemed calm, serene even.

Alex knew she was different, too. His absence made her realize how much she truly loved him. She'd been in love with Bobby for longer than she could remember. She didn't know when it happened, but it did, and she stopped trying to fight her emotions a long time ago.

"Bobby…you seem…at peace. I've never seen you so relaxed." She was nervous to be leading them down that particular path of conversation. She knew it wouldn't take much on his part to have her act on her suppressed desire for him.

He let his eyes roam up and down her body. For some reason, he didn't try to hide it like he usually did. She felt his eyes, she knew what he was feeling. "I am relaxed. I guess what Declan said was true after all, because that's how I feel. Free."

"How so?" Her eyes never left him.

"For the first time in my life, I know I'm gonna be alright. That my past is just that…my past. And no one from it is going to show up and screw around with me again."

She nodded at him. "That's gotta feel good."

He hesitated, then looked back at the envelope. "It does…but to be honest with you, Eames…there are still times when I'm afraid I might be wrong. That maybe this is all just a big joke being played on me." His voice went from being strong and confident, to sounding like that of a little boy.

Now or never, she thought to herself.

Alex walked over, stood between his legs, and pulled his head against her chest. After a few seconds, she felt his arms as he wrapped them tightly around her waist. They remained that way for a couple of minutes before she spoke. "I missed you." He tightened his hold on her when she said that, then she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "I missed you, too." She heard his muffled reply and smiled.

Bolstered by his words, she decided to take it a step further. She didn't think she'd ever have a better chance. The second she felt his arms relax a little, she sat down on his right leg while she ran her hands though his hair, then latched them onto the back of his neck. When their eyes met, she saw sheer panic in his and felt his hands leave her hips.

She leaned down and placed a tiny kiss on his bottom lip. Then another, and another. He didn't push her away, but he didn't react either. When she paused to look at him, she saw his eyes were closed. She took that as a sign that he was enjoying what she was doing. She moved her hands to his face and continued giving him very small kisses on his lips. She alternated between the upper and lower lip, and from side to side. Then she kissed his cheek, his jaw, his chin, then back to his lips. He still sat completely motionless. Finally, after a peck on his upper lip, she briefly touched her tongue to it then waited for him to respond. He still didn't say, or do, anything, but she heard his breathing change so she knew he liked it.

She moved her mouth to his ear. "Bobby." She let his name slowly leave her lips and her breath on his neck made him shiver. She kissed his neck the same way she had kissed his lips, occasionally touching her tongue there, too.

She whispered into his ear again, "It's time, Bobby."

He finally spoke, his voice was deep and strained. "Time for what, Eames?"

Alex returned her attention to his lips. She kissed them once then looked right at him. "Time to let go."

His eyes bounced between her own and her lips. For a second he was afraid to do anything. But then, he pressed his lips against hers and his world finally felt complete. His hands found her hair, then her face and he held her face in front of him, as if he was afraid to let go… afraid to let her go. But he didn't need to be afraid, she wasn't going anywhere.

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Until next time…cifan.