Chapter 13 - Express
x x x
Sunday – 2:30 am – Redstone Women's Center
"Bobby!"
His response is a shy grin and a sleepy "Hey" back.
He debated calling her about ten times during his trip here, then decided if there was any hope of her getting sleep, he wasn't going to disrupt that.
The spark in her eyes when she sees him makes him feel a little better about showing up out of the blue.
Alex's balance gives way and she stumbles toward him. She's embarrassed, but Bobby reacts swiftly, catching and steadying her. They greet with a hug while chuckling at the awkwardness that prompted it.
"What are you doing here?" asks Alex.
"I'm here to see you." He's waiting until she invites him in to explain why he ended up here.
"Good to see you."
His shirt carries his familiar scent; a blend of something woodsy and spicy with just a hint of his last cigarette.
She's missed him.
The butterflies are back.
"Yeah, you too." A yawn coincides with his reply. "Sorry, long drive."
They release the hug, but he continues to support her weight.
"You drove…? Wait… That's twelve hours."
"I think it took ten and a half." His eyes show that he's being playful.
"How many traffic laws did you…?" Giving it a second thought, she shakes her head. "Nevermind. I—I don't want to know."
Suddenly the door to Ivy's room opens. They both look in that direction as she steps out to see what's going on.
"Shit," Alex groans, realizing they were loud enough to wake her, and probably others at that end of the hallway. Ivy once mentioned being a light sleeper.
"Sorry, Ivy."
She'll have to figure out a way to explain him to people.
At the moment, she's got nothing.
x
Alex tugs Bobby's sleeve, pulling him inside her room. He shuts the door, then reaches for the light switch and flips it on. After scouting around for her crutches and not seeing them, he extends his arms to support her again.
"Okay, so… Explain," Alex prompts.
"Temporary reassignment. They need someone in the Chicago office. Dempsey sent me."
"I thought your boss was eager to get rid of that new guy. What was his name? Worman?"
"Worman's making progress. He's got a good partner and I think that's helping. It's better than having him start over somewhere else. Dempsey thought so too."
"And this has nothing to do with my case…?" She doesn't hide her smirk.
He purses his lips together and looks away as though he's trying to come up with a response.
"We spoke yesterday morning. Dempsey let you leave? Just like that?"
"It…umm…just worked out," he responds with a shrug.
Ten hours on the road and that's all he could come up with?
"Where are you going to be living?"
"Downtown. Chicago office might have some leads on a temporary rental. Right now, I need to grab a couple hours of sleep. Is there a hotel around here or do I have to go downtown?"
"Just sleep here."
"Umm…?"
He looks at the couch, then back at her.
Maybe he'd fit, but after 10 hours on the road, she'd never do that to the poor guy.
"My bed. We're both exhausted. You'll be asleep when your head hits the pillow."
He still looks perplexed. "But…?"
"You spent a couple of nights in my hospital bed. Just get your stuff and bring it in."
He shakes his head. "This is a women's center, Eames. They might have a problem with me being here."
"No, they won't. You signed in at the front and showed your badge. They'll think you're working on my case."
"At two in the morning?"
"They talked about posting Agent Asshole with me 24/7. I stopped it."
Bobby laughs. "You really don't like Kirkpatrick, huh?"
"Something's not right about him."
Bobby nods in response, then takes a second to look around her place. "Not bad… Exactly as you described it, though."
"Yeah… Boring. But it's not like I'm waiting around for Chip and Joanna Gaines to show up."
He lifts his eyes over to a doorway. "So, your room is in there?"
She nods.
"Where are your crutches?"
"In my room."
"Doing what, exactly?" Bobby teases.
"At two in the morning, when I'm groggy and on prescriptions, crutches are a death trap."
"Here. Hold onto me," says Bobby. He leads her back into her room.
x
After retrieving his things, Bobby takes a quick shower and changes into a t-shirt and shorts. Alex gets up to use the bathroom and grabs the crutches because she's finally awake enough to use them. She quickly brushes her teeth while she's in there.
Alex re-enters her room, sets her crutches aside, and sees him lying in the middle of the bed. His arms are folded behind his head. Eyes are closed.
She hits the light switch, hobbles over to the left side of the bed, and glares at him. "Comfortable?" she teases, thinking he'll take the hint and move over to make room.
I'm petite, but come on.
He peeks at her just a little. "This is a nice bed."
"Scoot!" she says, while at the same time grinning.
He doesn't move, but he lifts the covers back and extends his arm.
Fine. He'll figure it out.
She climbs in and lies down on her right side facing him. There's not much room for her knee brace, so she props it against his leg. Her left arm drapes over him, while her right hand is wedged between them.
Her head is partly on his shoulder and the pillow. She's glad to be snuggling with him, but she won't be rolling over during the night.
"See… We fit just fine," says Bobby.
All she can do is laugh.
"What?"
"If I fall out of bed during the night, you're going to explain it to my doctors."
Bobby laughs and finally moves over and she scoots closer.
"Better?"
"Yes."
She's thinking about the hospital bed situation again and a few seconds later, he mentions it. "At least no nurses or interns will be coming by here to kick me out."
Alex's grin diminishes as another thought crosses her mind. "I'm wondering about Dana, though. She's going to figure out why you're really here."
"I'm here because I was transferred."
Alex smirks. "Dana's not stupid."
"I'm not going to worry about it," says Bobby as he rolls onto his side to face her. He puts his right arm over her and continues looking at her. His breaths graze the side of her cheek."Goodnight, Eames."
Their closeness makes her heartbeat escalate.
"Goodnight."
Moonlight filters in through her window, bouncing and reflecting off the wall, mirror, and other surfaces, and Bobby's features look even more beautiful.
Alex lifts her head, leans in, and kisses him on the lips.
It's an innocent peck if he were to say anything about it. He doesn't. Her heart continues to pound rapidly while she tries to decide if she got the point across.
She leans in and kisses him again, lingering just a little more before pulling back, but she doesn't feel any effort on his part. His eyes are closed. He may be tired, but that isn't enough to reassure her once her fears start. Her face reddens and her heart sinks while she's wondering how she managed to misread him.
She lays her head back down and hopes she falls asleep quickly.
x x x
8:07 am
Alex awakens suddenly. Sunlight filters in from her window.
She got a little light sleep. She thinks. Well, there were gaps of time when she wasn't lying awake staring at the side of Bobby's face.
She notices that Bobby isn't there and listens for any sign of him in the living room or bathroom. The memory of her kissing Goren with no reaction from him slips into her thoughts and her heart sinks yet again.
Maybe he's just as eager to forget about it.
A moment later, he enters her room in a pair of jeans and a dark button-up shirt. Just shaved. Looks and smells great.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" he asks, while rolling his sleeves and fixing the cuffs.
She shakes her head. "Are you leaving?"
He shakes his head. His gaze drifts everywhere before finding his shoes in the corner of her room. He sits on the side of the bed to put them on.
"Did you sleep?"
He shrugs. "Yeah… Some."
"I didn't wake you, did I?"
"Nah." He seems aloof this morning. Pensive. Like when he's working on a theory about a case or a suspect.
He stands up again, his eyes drifting around, making sure he's collected everything.
Finally, he looks over at her. "If you're up for it and not too busy, I'd like your company." A smile appears that makes her heart flip.
"Give me ten minutes?"
"Sure."
Someone knocks on the door to her suite. They both look in that direction.
"You expecting anyone?" Bobby asks.
She shakes her head and he goes to answer the door. He peeks through the peephole before reaching for the knob.
Meanwhile, Alex grabs her crutches, stands, and steadies herself before grabbing something to wear.
She overhears the conversation in the other room.
"Goren! What the hell are you doing coming out here?" Agent Lewis hisses. Her southern drawl coming through stronger than usual. Perhaps due to fatigue. The arrival of Malik's greeting card may have had her scrambling to get back here from New York or somewhere else.
Bobby shrugs and smiles. "Waiting for your warm welcome, Agent Lewis."
She gestures to be let in, so he steps back and they walk in a few paces. The door swings back but doesn't close completely.
"You haven't been cleared! You don't belong here," Dana adds.
He holds a hand up. "I'm here on assignment in Chicago."
"You missed a turn somewhere, sweetheart. City is 20 miles northeast of here."
"What's being done about the card that your perp left for her?"
"Not your concern."
"Let me help. I know more about this case than anyone except for Eames."
"No!" A third voice echoes behind them.
Both Dana and Bobby turn their heads and look as Agent Kirkpatrick lets himself in and approaches the two agents. "Goren, you have no business showing up!"
"I've got this, Troy," says Dana.
He ignores her and continues glaring at Bobby. "This is a closed unit. You could expose her location and get her killed…. Or maybe…" He pauses for a breath. Probably jogged from his vehicle to the center. "Maybe you're the one who led Malik here." Kirkpatrick looks back to Dana. "I think I found our leak, Agent Lewis. It's him. I'll bring him downtown and we'll sort this out."
"Shut the hell up, Troy!" Alex interrupts from the door to her bedroom. Now dressed except for her shoes, she limps into the living room area to join them. "Goren was my partner for 10 years. I trust him a hell of a lot more than I trust you!"
"Amy…" Dana cautions, looking over at Alex. She uses her cover name while keeping her tone even and calm. Maybe hoping to settle her, but also wanting them all to keep their discussion private and away from Alex's bored and extremely curious neighbors.
"Around 2:30 am this morning, there was a vehicle in the lot with expired tags," Bobby suddenly interjects. "Red Toyota pick-up. New Jersey tag. Damaged side mirror. Possibly stolen. Someone was inside the vehicle." He pulls out his phone, searches recent images, and reads off the tag number. "Picture's not great, but maybe one of the techs can get enough to ID the driver."
Dana eyes the picture. "Send it to me and Kirkpatrick."
While Bobby works on the text, Dana turns back to her agent. "Troy, run tags, then check the street camera footage from the traffic lights at Lincoln and Kearney roads. See if there's any sign of this truck entering the lot close to the time when the card may have shown up."
"Yes, Agent Lewis." Kirkpatrick tosses Goren another glare then leaves.
"There's been a breach. What's going to happen with her?" Bobby asks when they're alone.
Rather than answer, she pushes her point again. "Goren, you need to stay away from here. I've got my hands full."
"Let me help."
"I know you're a good agent. You were a damn good cop. But given your past with her, I'd have more explaining to do than I can handle. Also, I can't control Kirkpatrick."
"I don't care about him." He looks over at Alex, then back to Dana. "I thought I'd take her out for breakfast. See if anyone tails us."
"Are you kidding me? How do you want me to explain that to the Marshals?"
"I can protect her." Bobby starts pulling his profiling experience and background out to convince her, and Dana doesn't want to hear it.
Alex sees him escalating. Shifting his weight, pacing back and forth. Doesn't know what to do with his hands.
"Do you want to catch this guy or let him kill a couple more of our law enforcement colleagues?" he argues. "Because he won't stop until he gets to her. Sadly, my partner has risked more in the line of duty to get justice than anyone's doing on her behalf! She's locked up in this facility and this perp is running the show!"
"I hate this as much as you do. But you know how this works."
He steps closer. "You don't have a plan! Put me in there, I'll get it done. I don't give a damn who I have to fight to do it!"
Dana shakes her head. "Well, I heard you had a pair."
"You have no idea," Alex teases.
Dana mulls it over, then looks back at him. "You'll be a confidential informant on this case. You'll consult with me on the things I share with you. No going behind my back and exploring on your own. One slip and I swear I'll end your career!"
Bobby nods. "Understood."
"What about Kirkpatrick?" Alex asks Dana.
"I'll tell him Goren's working with me on a few things, which will explain any meetings or contact between us. I'd rather he not know about this."
"I'd rather he quit and become a mall cop," Alex deadpans.
Bobby covers his mouth and laughs.
Dana looks back at Bobby. "Kirkpatrick is a hot-headed bully who follows orders, but there's not a wealth of ideas. Just don't get in his way or piss him off. I still need him out here. I've got a few meetings tomorrow morning. I'll find you tomorrow afternoon. We'll talk about the next steps."
"Okay." Bobby starts to back away, remembers something, and turns back to her. "Umm… After Kirkpatrick runs tags and checks cams, we should wait to go after the perp. Let them think we're not onto him. See where it leads us."
"Agreed."
x x x
Sunday 3:00 pm - Chicago
Alex sits on the floor of Bobby's new apartment. It's an eighth-floor loft with a nice view of the river. Very modern with high ceilings. Bobby was in love the second he saw it.
His new boss found the apartment for him. Chicago office was thrilled to get him. The place is furnished and ready to live in, aside from a few furniture pieces from Ikea they included that need to be assembled.
After breakfast, Alex and Bobby toured his new place. They brought in his bags, and then Bobby gets called in to work. She stays back, preferring to give her knee a rest and take some medication. With nothing else to do, she starts putting some of his things away.
She pulls the last stack of Bobby's jeans and t-shirts from the duffle bag, slips them into the drawer, and closes it.
She's done except for two Ikea nightstands and a writing desk that need to be assembled.
The guy at the front counter is very sweet and had taken some empty boxes that were left behind by whoever was last in the apartment.
She brings the key with her, takes the elevator down to the main floor, and asks the front desk guy if he has some tools on hand. Goren's last text said he'd be two more hours and she's bored.
The front desk guy gives her some tools and even offers her some bottled water. While he's 10 years younger than her easily, he's clearly flirting.
He also sees the bruises from her attack. They're fading, but still there and he's putting the wrong pieces together.
She can't say she fell, because that's what lots of abused women claim. She mentions that the man with her is helping her and is not the one who caused the bruises, and he seems to accept that. Although she doesn't say that she's involved with Bobby, she doesn't deny it either.
He offers to help her, but she says she needs something to do, so she lets him take the boxes and packing materials away and he leaves her to begin assembling the nightstands.
She starts the music playlist that Bobby gave her and sorts through the pieces to see what goes where.
She and Bobby haven't talked about what happened last night. Over breakfast, they spoke about the town and speculated on the case and that was enough to fill the conversation.
She hasn't asked him directly either and she's scared at what his answer might be. But not knowing is also driving her crazy.
x x x
Alex settles back after she finishes attaching the legs to the desk. There's still a drawer to be assembled and the back piece that has to get attached. The nightstands came together easily in almost no time.
Her knee is doing about as well as can be expected. But sitting on his hardwood floor is killing her ass, so she grabs a couch cushion to sit on.
The couch is a few feet away, but this spot has the best lighting from the windows and the most room to work. She picks up the back piece and starts to match the screw holes to the frame of the desk when her cell phone buzzes.
She sets down the desk pieces, glances at the display, and answers. "Hey, Bobby."
"Eames… Hey. Well, you're not going to believe this."
"You're stuck at work?"
He laughs. "No, actually, I'm over at your place. Dana called me."
"Oh?"
"There's been a break-in. Perp got in through your bedroom window. Glass is everywhere. I didn't see evidence that they went looking for anything."
"So, he was after me," Alex admits, allowing a heavy sigh to follow. She knows she's safe here, but she's starting to shake and there's a sharp knot forming in her stomach.
"I need a second," she tells him.
She shoves the nearly-assembled desk out of the way and lays herself down flat. It's not the most comfortable, but she's trying to get a little stomach pain relief.
"I'm glad you're at my place. The perp is likely an associate of Malik. Probably hired to find you."
Another sigh. "And I assume he's in the wind."
"Yep. No fingerprints. They're checking street cams again. Anyway, I'm on my way back. I asked your friends Ivy and Tess to help me pack some of your things. You're staying with me tonight at least. I'll bring us to the office tomorrow. They talked about putting you in a motel with a cop outside the door, but I stopped that."
"Thanks."
"Sure. Local PD is sweeping the area and talking to your neighbors. The pick-up truck I saw in the parking lot could have been the perp's so that's the only other lead."
"Good catch on that pick-up truck."
"Yeah. Thanks. So, I'm getting us some pizza for dinner. See you in about an hour to an hour and a half. I'm not at all sure about the traffic."
"Thanks, Bobby."
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye."
x x x
6:15 pm – Bobby's apartment in Chicago
"Hello," Bobby says as he enters.
There's a short hallway ahead of him. The kitchen is to his left. He carries two shoulder bags on one arm; one contains her things and the other is a laptop. He also has a pizza, a small bag containing some salad, and two bottled drinks. The scents of garlic, marinara sauce, and bread wafts into the living space.
He leaves the two shoulder bags by the door, sets the food on the counter, and wanders into the living room.
"Hey." Alex lifts her head when she hears him. She's putting the spare hardware from the desk into a baggy. The furniture is finally assembled. "You know that pizza will never top what we get back home."
"Yeah, but I couldn't pass up the chance to see what they do to it here in Chicago."
He walks over to where she sits and squats down, offering an arm when he sees her trying to stand back up. Her crutches are leaning against the door to his bedroom.
She gives him her hand, which he ends up holding. Before helping her, he stops to look over the furniture she assembled.
"You…umm…?"
She nods. "Gave me something to do."
"But the tools…?"
"Jeff, the desk clerk."
"Oh…"
"You're not the only one who can flirt," she tosses back.
Bobby chuckles. "First of all, thank you. You shouldn't have, but I appreciate it. Second of all… How are you doing?" His smile quickly fades and she realizes he's referring to the news of the break-in.
"I'm fine. But if you have pictures, I'd rather not look at them right now."
He nods in reply. "They've got a crew cleaning up the glass, boarding the window, and getting your suite secure again. Local PD is trying to take over the investigation."
He supports her as she brings her injured leg around to try and stand. Alex tries to push herself up on her good knee, but Bobby isn't balanced himself. She leans into his weak side and slips, and they topple over together.
Bobby braces them with one arm for support while holding onto her with the other arm. They're both laughing.
As the laughing subsides and they catch their breath, Bobby leans in for a hug.
For most of the drive back, all he could think about is what could have happened if she had been there during the break-in. Maybe she would have swung one of her crutches and taken care of the son of a bitch. He's angry that she would have been in such a predicament.
He'd rather she stay with him. Not that she'd allow it. Eames is too independent.
He's very protective of her lately and he knows it. He was calm this morning with Dana when they were talking about him helping with the investigation and how Malik seems to be a step ahead of them. But when he saw the glass shards all over her bedroom, he had to go outside to keep from losing his temper.
He'll have to control it or they won't let him near her.
x
Alex closes her eyes, relishing the feeling of his arms around her, and the soothing way he strokes her back with his hand and nuzzles her neck and shoulder. He's being so sweet.
A couple of minutes pass quietly.
They settle back a little and his mouth is close to hers. He smells so good and still looks great. Somehow she's blocked out that incident from last night in her bedroom.
She's glancing at his lips, and before that voice inside her head can stop her, she leans in and kisses the corner of his mouth. It's not a full-on kiss. So maybe she chickened out just a little. Self-preservation and all.
Bobby seems to accept that. He even lightly pecks her back.
For whatever reason, that's not enough. Bobby's lips are like chocolate or crack or something addictive, because right or wrong, she's leaning in and trying to kiss him again.
This time, Bobby reacts and moves his head. "Eames…"
Her skin flushes warm and she's backing up. Her heart sinks and she knows she can't just burrow into the ground and disappear as much as she would like to. She avoids looking at him and focuses on getting up on her own.
"Eames…?"
"I'm fine." She hops over to get her crutches. No idea what to do, but putting space between them seems like the best plan.
He gets up quickly and steps in front of her to stop her. "Let's talk. Please?"
His voice is completely calm. Any desire she might have to shove him or hit him really hard because he embarrassed her fades when she sees concern and compassion in his eyes.
He gestures toward the couch, suggesting they sit and talk this out. There's still fear and self-preservation and fight or flight inside her, but she agrees. She tosses her crutches to the floor, which temporarily satisfies her need to throw something, not even caring how they land, or whether the 7th-floor neighbor below Bobby will be wondering what the hell is going on.
She sits down, leaving a foot of space between them.
"You just want to be friends. I get it," she begins. Trying to get the obvious point out of the way.
A heavy sigh. "Yes."
"I'm done talking. Call Dana. I'll go stay at the motel."
He puts his hand out toward her, leaving his palm open. He's hoping she takes it. "You're not wrong, Eames…"
She lifts her head and looks at him. Confusion takes over her expression. "I'm not wrong…about what?"
"For thinking what you're thinking."
"Then explain."
"It's not a good idea right now."
"Why? Because of the feds? Witsec? Dana? Our jobs? Malik?" she asks. "Screw them. Let's go to Canada."
He smiles at the thought. "I wish. But I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm trying to be the friend you need right now."
"You already are. You spent the night with me in the hospital. You gave me a phone so I wouldn't feel alone. You stayed on the phone with me a couple of nights until I'd fall asleep." Her voice starts to break with her words because she's reliving it as she says it. "And every time we spoke, you said I was beautiful. Even when my bruises were turning colors and my cuts hadn't healed."
"Because you are." He reaches for her hand and this time she lets him.
"Then you transferred out here and got yourself involved in my case. You crazy son of a bitch."
He smirks. "Yeah, I am."
"And I got close to you because of all of it."
"And I don't regret any of it. I knew we were getting too close. I didn't try to stop it. Maybe it wasn't a good idea with everything you were going through. I do care about you. I can back off if you want. Give you space and still be there for you."
She shakes her head. "I don't want you to back off. I need you."
"Then, I'm here." Bobby slides closer and wraps an arm around her. The other hand she continues to hold, lacing her fingers through them. She lays her head against his shoulder.
Maybe five minutes pass without either of them saying a word. She sniffles and Bobby gets up and goes to the bathroom to get some tissue. He returns to the living room and hands the tissue to Alex.
"Thanks," she replies. She wipes her nose. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he responds and sits down beside her again. "It's complicated. What we have is not just a friendship. I don't think we can give it a chance right now with so many obstacles."
Alex considers his words and nods. "Okay. You're right."
"I'm not dismissing the idea. Maybe when things start to settle. When Malik's in custody."
"I hope so."
"I hope so too."
Her eyes drift up to meet his.
Just be patient. We'll get there.
Her heart swells. Although kissing him would be amazing right now, being on the same page about things feels pretty damn good.
"So, are we good?" he asks. He leans his head toward hers until they touch.
"Yeah, we're good. But let me know when I can kiss you properly."
He grins. "I'll do that."
x x x
TBC…