Time for me to beat some dead horses. Since the less that spectacular 8th season of CI is over now. Nothing is left, but for me to rehash old episodes that made me go hmm.

Still telling it from the voices in Eames head…

I was never a particularly big fan of flying. Add to that fact, that I'm flying across the country with my partner. My partner, who's estranged, junkie brother has just been murdered by his arch nemesis.

We've both seen better days.

We're flying to Phoenix because we need to speak to Gwen Chapel. A young girl, that may have been the only thing Nicole Wallace ever came close to genuinely loving. Bobby suspects there will be clues with this young lady. Both of us know that regardless of the clues, Donnie is in trouble.

I take my seat next to Bobby on the plane and make the conscious decision that I will remain mute for the majority of the flight. In my mind, it's the best way to avoid discomfort for either of us. Exhausted, I almost immediately try for sleep. Bobby, on the other hand, has case files spread across his lap. He intends on obsessing for the next 5 hours. I figured he wouldn't even entertain the notion of sleep.

*********

After what may have been about ninety minutes, I jolt from a restless and uncomfortable slumber. My neck is sore and I have the faint inkling of a nightmare stirring in my conscious. Something about Nicole being a vampire and making Bobby a member of the undead by sucking the life out of him. I gaze over at my partner through a sleepy haze and I realize my nightmare might be coming true.

Bobby Goren is all stubble and gray hair. He's pale and melancholy. Each shoulder looks as if it carries hundreds of pounds of invisible cinder blocks. His brown eyes look darker than I've ever seen them. They seem to be burning holes into the paper, which he's either reading or trying to set on fire with his glare.

So much for being mute…..

"Bobby." I whisper. "Aren't you tired? We've got a lot of ground to cover…. I'm not….." I pause. "You know it wouldn't hurt if you got a little sleep."

There... I said it.

Bobby just looks at me, expression blank as a fresh sheet of paper, and I let out a big breath and wait for his lecture.

"You're right Eames…. I'm not sure I can sleep though." Bobby's expression softens to my surprise. "You know, I didn't mention it earlier, but I just want to thank you Ea… Alex. Thank you for…." His voice trails off, as always, my cue to intervene.

"No problem Bobby." I was worried that I sounded overly sincere. "I just want you to be okay."

Such a simple, stupid, statement……

Bobby's mouth actually turned in the shape of a faint smile, again to my surprise.

"I know Eames….. I… I know." He nods, his expression almost could be described as dreamy, or maybe just three days without sleep.

"You're right, you know. We should both try to nap before Phoenix." Bobby gathered his papers together and slid them into his binder. I stared in amazement as my partner actually took my advice without argument.

"Hey…. Do you mind if I borrow a shoulder?" The words were out of my mouth before I could think to reel them back in.

A smile…. That's definitely a smile.

"Yeah….of course, no problem." Bobby slid a little lower in his seat so his shoulder better met my level. I tilted my head and curled my body towards him. The faint smell of nicotine on his jacket confirmed my suspicions about Bobby's smoking habits. I felt the tension in his shoulder under my chin.

"Goodnight Bobby. " I whispered, sure that my breath was skirting his ear. Wondering if that did anything for him….

"G'night Alex." He replied and let out a huge exhale. I could feel some of the shoulder tension release with his out breath. Glancing from under my lids, I needed to know his eyes were closed, before I could truly close my own. Bobby looked so peaceful, a stark contrast to his waking life. I smiled and drifted into my own hopeful swirl of peaceful dreams, with my partner at my side.

********

At some point Bobby and I ended up holding hands.

This isn't a dream. We really did end up holding hands while we slept. The dream, on the other hand, was not the least bit sexual or lovey dovey, really. Bobby and I were walking the streets of New York and Frank kept emerging from every dark alley we passed. He kept asking us if we were going to invite him to our wedding. I felt awkward and let Bobby handle the question, but he would never answer Frank. He'd just grab my hand and run, until the next alley, where Frank appeared again.

Then I woke up. My fingers interlaced with Bobby's long, expressive ones. His grip curled around mine. One could almost assume we dreamt the same dream. After all our years together, the idea doesn't seem impossible to me.

Bobby is still sound asleep. I can tell by the gentle snoring and deep breathing pattern. I decide to keep my hand where it is. It feels nice and so very much like home, to have even limited physical contact like this. I close my eyes, but know that sleep won't come. It's too close to our destination and I'm too anxious about Bobby's response to our hand-holding.

**********

The pilot makes his announcements as we near Phoenix's airport. Bobby stirs and shifts. He squeezes my hand a few times before he breaks the grip and removes his. He looks over at me, under sleep heavy lids.

"Hey" Bobby whispers, his voice hoarse.

"Hey yourself. Get some z's finally?" I assume Bobby is not going to acknowledge the handhold.

"Yeah" He sighs. "I did." And then Bobby Goren does something that totally hits me out of left field.

He reaches down and grips my hand again, fingers interlacing.

"Thanks to you….." He trails off and looks down. This time our contact feels a little less like home and a little more like the back seat of his car. I feel a twinge in my midsection. The same twinge I sometimes feel when Bobby brushes up against me a little harder than normal. The same twinge I get when I see him after a long time of being apart. It must read in my eyes because Bobby breaks contact again and turns to reach for his binder and belongings.

"Well I'm glad." I say a little louder than I meant to. " You needed that. Glad I could be of assistance." I give a wry smile that I hope would counter the look of longing I had a minute prior.

Bobby just nodded and smiled, as we both prepared to exit the plane