Chapter 52

Ross sent Bobby out to DC on a consult, and Alex missed him. They hadn't seen each other outside of work in a while now, but at least they were getting along. At least they had lunch now and then.

She was getting ready for bed when her phone rang. Pleased to see Goren's name on the display, she answered it cheerfully. "Hey, partner," she said.

"Eames. How... How are you?"

"All's well here. How's the capital? You're not transferring into the secret service or anything, are you?" She teased.

"I could tell you... But then I'd have to kill you,". Bobby joked back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm... Uhm... I'm heading home tomorrow. I, uh... I just thought I'd... You know, let you know."

"Well," Alex said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

She was almost ready to end the call when she heard his voice.

"Eames?"

"Yeah, Bobby?"

"I, uh... I've missed you."

She smiled. "Me, too."

Alex felt him before she saw him. He made it to just behind her desk, and she spun in her chair. She surprised herself when a jolt of desire coursed through her.

He gave her his full smile, and with the three day growth of beard on his face, he looked incredible. Alex smiled, too. "Welcome back, Bobby."

He gave her a wink and circled around to his own desk. He plopped his binder down and folded his hands in front of him, still grinning at her. Finally, he realized he must look ridiculous, so he thought up something to say.

"What's news around here?" He asked her.

Alex glanced around before leaning closer to her partner. "Word has it Ross is dating Rodgers."

His eyes sparkled as his smile grew. "Now that is news! Is it true?"

Alex sat back and shrugged. "I don't know yet."

It didn't take long for them to find out it was. The awkward greeting between The Captain and the M.E. said it all. Alex threw Bobby a glance, and he quickly looked at the floor, trying to hide his smile.

This one was about as major as Major Case could get. Right from the get-go, they were in collaboration with Scotland Yard and Homeland Security. The "experts" were all convinced the murder had something to do with terrorism.

Bobby thought it was ridiculous. The lead Agent had already knocked heads with him, insulted him with a sarcastic comment about finding Nemo. He humored them by sitting in on their briefing, but Bobby knew they were off. No way was the victim an active, or competent, terrorist.

Fortunately for him, his partner agreed with him. They followed the leads from one man to another through the woman they all had in common. Along the way, one of their suspects turned up dead.

All of it was just a diversion. Their investigation led them to the real man behind the murder, and the real motive.

It had everything to do with old money, and a sunken ship. Both detectives were sent down a path they'd never traveled before: a real treasure hunt. It took hours of research in the library, scouring microfiche film and gingerly flipping pages of historical texts, but eventually they found both the motive and the sunken ship.

Bobby arranged everything. The crew was ready to raise the ship on his order. Their suspect stood on the open deck of the barge with him and Alex. As Bobby interrogated the man, he became agitated. He kept swiping his hand at Goren's radio, trying to grab it and call off the reclamation crew. Bobby just kept dodging, yanking his hand back, and walking closer and closer to the edge of the ship.

Alex kept in step with them all the way, and so realized just how close to the edge Bobby was. She spoke loudly, placing the man under arrest. He was too far from her to cuff him, though. She was hoping the words would make him stop.

He snatched at the radio once more, this time connecting with Bobby's wrist. Angrily, Goren twisted and flipped the Simon Harper overboard. It happened fast, and most anyone would think it was an accident. Alex knew better, though. She shook her head at her partner in disapproval before following him back to the wheelhouse.

Ross stopped her. "So... What happened?" He asked.

Without a beat, Alex answered. "Harper slipped and fell."

The cruise back to the docks gave Goren time to cool off. He was battling his anger again, and Alex was at a loss with how to help him. She gave him his space and tried to keep the Captain occupied so he wouldn't strike up a conversation with Bobby, either.

As the crew secured the ship, Goren appeared at her elbow. "Take a breather, hit the paperwork tomorrow?"

She turned her face up to look at him. He seemed at ease, now, and she admired again how handsome he looked with those whiskers. "Yeah, okay," she said.

They sat over spent dinner plates, trying to bridge the gap that had grown between them. Alex regarded him a moment and then tilted her head. Her hair fell over her shoulder, the whispy tips brushing lightly against the wood of the table.

"H-how are you, Bobby?" She asked.

His eyes met hers and it seemed like time stopped for just a minute. His gaze flitted away, and he shrugged. "You know, I'm okay."

In her mind, Alex knew it wasn't true. If he were really okay, he would have maintained the eye contact. "Any word from your brother?" She pressed.

"Nah, you know... Frank is... Frank."

Alex took a deep breath and shifted in her seat. She stared at the tabletop and spoke softly. "I remember when my Mom died, there were days when I felt like I was all alone in the world." She looked up at him, then, wondering how far she should go with it. "That's when I would practically run to Liz or Johnny's place. They could always bring me out of it."

He shook his leg under the table and swiped a hand over the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, my family's nothing like yours, right?"

She sighed. "Bobby, I didn't mean-"

"I know. It's okay. I, uh... I'm gonna call it a night." He picked up the check off the table. "I got this, okay?"

She watched him carry the receipt to the cashier's station and pay the bill. He didn't even look back her way, only turned and left.

Alex put her head in her hands.

Grief and pain and anger were all battling for attention as he walked down the sidewalk towards his building.

He always listened to Alex, though. Her words always managed to sift through everything else and sit on his heart until he was ready to hear them. Bobby paused outside his building and dialed Frank's last known number.

He listened to the shrill tones, followed by the recorded female voice. "The number you have dialed is no longer in service."

He ended the call, dropped the phone into his pocket and jogged up the steps. He spent a few minutes picking up the place. He'd left junk mail on the counter. Yesterday's tie was on the couch. Coming back into the living room, he saw the new answering machine was blinking. Bobby pushed the play button.

Declan's voice filled the room. "Bobby, I'm sorry I missed you. I'm working on a new book, and I won't be in the city again for a while. Jo asked for you today. You know, they put her on medication, she's much more... cheerful... now. I hardly recognize her, to tell you the truth. Anyway, she was reminiscing about old times and she said she'd like to talk to you. Maybe you can, uhm... Fill in for me while I'm gone? I'm sure you've got some time on your hands, since your mother's gone. Be well, son."

The machine beeped and Bobby's weary hand dropped from scrubbing his whiskers down to his side.