Chapter 2
A/N: Alex's nephew Nate may be older, but in this story, he's around 8 years.
x x x
Saturday–11: 00 am
Alex's apartment - Queens, NY
At 11:00 am the following day, Alex's phone rings. She sees her sister's name, sets the laundry basket aside and answers.
"Hey, Liz. How was your birthday dinner?"
"It was nice. Peter took me to a seafood restaurant, and we brought Nate home some cake."
"Good."
"Peter gave me a back massage, and umm…" she clears her throat. "…a gift basket."
Alex smirks. "So… Nate is in earshot, and you'll tell me what's in that basket of adult goodies when you get a chance?"
"Exactly. Your nephew asks too many questions. If he grows up to be a cop, I'm blaming you."
"Noted."
"How was your date with Mark?"
"We had a great time."
"Glad to hear it."
Alex resumes folding her laundry. "We had dinner at Delmonico's. The appetizers alone were worth the trip. I wish I had brought some home. After that, we went to this open mic show. It was fun."
"You stay at his place?"
"Yes."
"Hmm… I hear a smile. It sounds like someone finally got some."
"Some…. What, Mom?" asks Nate.
"Um… Popcorn," Liz answers him.
"Popcorn?" Alex repeats, snickering.
"Kid alert," Liz tells Alex. Liz to Nate: "Sweetie, go put these papers on Mom's dresser, okay?" To Alex: "I'm back."
"Not 'finally.'" Alex corrects her. "Mark and I have sex."
"Great sex?" she asks in a whisper.
"Yes, but… There was a catch."
"What?"
"Last night… let's just say I was 'almost' there. I assumed I wouldn't come, so as usual, I started thinking about things to do at home, work, or anything while waiting for Mark to finish."
"Yeah."
"Well… Bobby entered my mind. Then suddenly…"
Liz laughs. "And I'll bet Mark thinks it was all him."
"But that's wrong, isn't it? What should I do?"
"Nothing. I won't tell," Liz snickers. "So, how are you feeling about this lunch thing with Bobby?"
"Nervous. I don't know." Alex startles at the incoming call and glances at her phone. "Speak of the devil. Bobby's calling. Probably to set up plans for lunch."
"Listen, just stick to safe topics. The job, bad guys, etc. I wouldn't bring up the past. If he asks something you don't want to answer or dive into, just keep your response brief. You can always bring it up later."
"Thanks, Liz."
"Absolutely. I want details!"
"Bye." She swipes to accept the incoming call. "Hi Bobby."
"Eames… Hey. I'm helping Leona fix some furniture for her to sell, and it looks like we'll be here for a while. I was wondering if we could meet for dinner instead?"
"Sure. Where do you want to meet?"
"How about Grady's Pub in Tribeca?"
"Sounds great. Hadn't been there in a while."
"And they have pool tables."
"You're on," she says, sensing his prompt for a game. "What time are we meeting?"
"Around 7:00?"
"I'll meet you there."
"I'm looking forward to it," he adds.
His words unexpectedly cause butterflies. "Yeah, me too."
They end the call. Alex looks at the phone, sighs, and then tosses it aside.
x x x
5:40 pm
Bobby's apartment - Brooklyn, NY
Bobby glances over at the clock. He has time before he needs to leave to meet Alex.
He already showered, shaved and changed into a pair of jeans, a white button-up shirt and a black suit jacket.
Bobby paces around his apartment, too antsy to sit, read, or do anything else to pass the time. In one pass, he goes to the kitchen drawer, where he keeps a stash of cigarettes. He takes the pack out of the drawer, holds it for a second, then puts it back.
Suddenly, there's a knock at the door. Good a distraction, he thinks to himself. He opens it to find Leona standing there. "Hey… What brings you here?"
She hands Bobby a book. "Just dropping this off. Thought I'd stop by to say hello since I was in the area."
"Thanks… But you didn't have to come out here to Brooklyn to return a book. Not that I mind seeing you twice in one day." He leans in and kisses her, then steps back to let her in.
"I was visiting a friend." She looks him over. "You look sexy. Where are you off to?"
He grins. "I'm meeting with the captain. We're having dinner."
"Oh, that's right. You told me." She holds his gaze. "You seem nervous, love. Everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah… I just…um… I misplaced my phone a while ago," he fibs.
"Okay."
"We're just meeting to go over some things before I start work Monday. We thought it would be a good idea."
"I remember you talking about her." Leona wanders over to Bobby's bookcase, which has a collection of pictures. Bobby sets the book down and follows her.
She picks up one that has a group picture at a restaurant. "Is Eames one of these two women?"
Bobby points to her. "That's her. She was a detective." He skips himself and moves to the others seated at the table. "That's our former captain, Captain Deakins. And that's Detectives Logan and Barek."
"Nice looking group." She hands him the picture, and he puts it back on the bookcase. "If you're not too tired after discussing bad guys and gory crime scenes…come by my place?"
He nods. "I'll do that."
They kiss once more and head off in opposite directions.
x x x
6:55 pm
Lower Manhattan (Tribeca)
Alex exits the subway and walks up the street toward the pub.
A man stands on the corner playing 'It Must Have Been Love' on the saxophone. She'd drop $50 in his saxophone case right now if he'd move over a few blocks.
The weather is pretty nice. It feels like spring.
She's taking Liz's advice to stick to what they do best, which is to talk about the job. She's not bringing up that night, or their current relationships.
Maybe once they find a rhythm with working together again, they'll be in a good place and can talk things out. For now, it still feels raw.
She finds him standing by the entrance to the pub, checking for her in all directions.
The sight of him makes her stomach flip, but then her heart sinks. She wonders whether this was such a good idea.
He notices her, grins and starts walking toward her.
They make eye contact, and her smile is instant. "Hi."
"Eames!" He opens his arms and greets her with a hug. "Good to see you."
She wraps her arms around his middle. He hugs her tight for a couple of seconds, and the scent and feel of him send her thoughts back to a year ago.
The heartache hits her, as does the urge to run, but she holds it together just enough. She's able to let go and takes a deliberate step back, leaving him no choice but to step back and release her.
Somehow, she stifles the tears and fakes a smile when he meets her eyes again.
"Umm… I just. I…umm…" He fumbles his words, then shakes his head and laughs. "How are you?"
He's nervous too. Good.
"I'm great," she lies.
"You look nice."
She's wearing jeans, a red blouse, and her leather jacket. "Thanks. So do you"
"I also wanted to add that I loved seeing you in the captain's office yesterday. There was never a doubt in my mind that it would be your office someday, but it's still… I'm elated. It suits you."
"Thanks."
He nods. "Umm… So, we should…probably…."
"…go inside. Yeah, let's go."
Bobby grabs the door handle and holds it for her, and they enter.
They're greeted with a blend of pub food scents and the sounds of conversations, clinging glassware, and utensils being bussed from tables. Leona Lewis, 'Better in Time,' plays from the bar speakers.
The place is dimly lit, other than the globe lights over the bar area, and chandeliers made from beer bottles over the dining tables. The bar is crowded. Most of the tables are full.
He gestures her toward an empty booth near the back that already has menus and glasses of water. "I got us a table."
"What did you do? Flirt with the wait staff?" she teases.
He shrugs and grins, but doesn't reply.
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
They take a seat, and Bobby's smiling.
She grins back. "What?"
"Nothing. I'm just…happy. Glad to be back. It's great to be working with you again. I'm excited about all of it."
"So, did you finish your book?"
"Yes, it's finished. It turned into a lengthy narrative, with so many edits and chapter re-writes that I almost gave up. But I'm happy with it. I got rushed into picking the cover." He shrugs. "Not the best. I'll live with it. So that's done. A few copies are being shipped to me in a few weeks. I've got them set aside for friends." He gestures to her as he concludes.
"Sounds good. Think you'll ever write again?"
"Yeah, you know? Once you get it submitted, all the anxiety, frustration, sleepless nights, and asking why I'd put myself through all this nonsense just goes out the window, and yeah…I'm already thinking about the next book," he says with a chuckle. "But there's time before I jump into that."
Alex lets her smile get a little wider. All she could ever want was for him to be happy.
"It's crazy. But yeah, it's going well. So…umm. How's your family?"
"They're good. My brother, Daniel, has finally opened up a sports pub with another friend of his. That was their plan once they retired from the NYPD."
"Bobby nods. "That's great. I'm happy for him. I remember him talking about it."
"D 's Pub in Lower Manhattan. He's so excited. Stop by and see him sometime. He misses you. So does Jasmine."
Bobby laughs. "I'll do that. And how is Jas?"
"She's great. Turning 16 in a few months. She's starting to date and Daniel's the typical panicked father."
He laughs. "He's the retired lieutenant. The boyfriends would have to be more scared of him. And how are the others?"
"Dad's good. Scott, Liz, Jerry, and their spouses are the same. Nieces and nephews are good. Have you heard from Molly or Donny lately?"
He nods. "Donny's working at a garage and staying with a friend. Says he's staying clean. Molly's doing great. I visited her and her family a few months ago." He picks up his phone. "I've got some pictures."
She smiles. "I'd love to see them."
He finds the set and turns the phone to show her. "Here are a few of her and me, and some of her and her family," Bobby says as he scrolls.
Suddenly, there's a picture of Bobby, Molly, and another woman she doesn't recognize. Bobby stands between the two of them with his arms around them.
"Wait. Who is…?"
"That's Leona. She came with me, got to meet Molly, and they hit it off instantly. Now Molly's emailing both of us."
Bobby scrolls further, and she sees a few more with him, Molly, and Leona. A few with just Molly and Leona, and the last two pictures are of him and Leona.
Leona is, no surprise, absolutely gorgeous. Short black hair, dark eyes, perfect bronze complexion. Looks like a model. "She's pretty."
"Yes, she is. Anyway, that was a trip we took."
Alex manages a smile, but there's a lump in her throat.
"So, how did you two meet?"
There are warning bells going off in her head, telling her she shouldn't go down this road.
"It's funny, actually. She lived in my building, but we never ran into each other. She rented a place in Queens because she needed an extra room for her office."
Alex nods. "And Brooklyn's getting expensive."
"Definitely. Anyway, she was moving out, and a little in over her head because the building manager gave her a narrow block of time to get it all done. I bumped into her in the stairwell. Lewis was with me and we offered to help. She and I hit it off. We went out for coffee after that. Started dating."
"I see."
"And how did you meet Mark?"
"My brother-in-law Peter knows him. They worked at the same firm for a couple months, then Mark left and went to another firm, thinking he had a better chance of making partner. Same circle of friends though, so they're still in touch. How long have you been dating Leona?"
"Less than a year," he responds while he's thinking it over.
Great. So, it took him, what… A couple weeks to get over me?
"What about you and Mark?"
"I guess about 7 months." They've seen each other once a month for the last 4 months, so it feels like less time than that.
"Got any pictures?"
She checks her phone, finds her photos, and scans through. "Maybe just one. We're not really the picture-taking couple."
"Leona loves pictures," he adds, grinning.
Ugh… He's infatuated with her!
Alex remembers one particular picture that might be on her phone. She finds it after a quick search. She's sitting beside Liz and across from Mark and Peter.
The server took the picture with Liz's phone, and Liz sent it to her. It was their first date where they went out with Peter and Liz. Not exactly a romantic picture of her and Mark, unlike the ones of Bobby and Leona cuddled together and gazing at one another.
Since he already knows Liz and Peter, she turns the camera toward him.
"So, he's a…lawyer?"
"Yeah. Don't start, he's a decent guy."
"He understands your line of work, how much you love your job, right?"
"He does."
"Then he's perfect."
She busies herself putting her phone away, then sees Bobby looking a little sheepish.
"What?"
"There's something else I need to tell you."
"Okay."
"This assignment for me at Major Case. Well, it's temporary."
"Why?"
"Umm… Leona wants to move to Lisbon."
"And you're going with her."
He nods.
So, this is what it feels like to get hit by a bus.
"There's still a lot we need to—"
"When?" she interrupts.
"She wants to move this summer. Realistically, it'll probably be closer to September or October."
"You're leaving?"
"Yeah."
"You're leaving. You're moving to Portugal."
"Yeah."
Fuck.
"Wow…so…." Her heart sinks. "Sounds like you two are practically engaged. Should I be picking out a wedding gift soon?"
"We've talked about it," answers Bobby. "But the move is a higher priority. Maybe next year."
She was joking. He wasn't.
"Chief Hannah knows about our plans. They're still planning to bring in another detective or two. He thought this would help you out in the interim. He wanted to tell you, but I thought it would be better coming from me."
Nope. It's too much.
"What would you do for work in Portugal?"
"I'll continue my writing. Leona wants her home base to be in Europe because it's more centrally located for some of the upcoming contracts that she has. I've already started some notes for a new book…" he waves his hand. "Enough about that. Tell me about Detective Lee?"
The server walks up to get their drink and appetizer orders.
"I—I'm gonna need a minute." Alex gets up from the table. "Order me a beer and whatever appetizers you want. I'm going to the restroom." She changes her mind before she leaves the table and turns back toward the server. "Cancel the beer. Make it a Bourbon neat."
After she's in the bathroom, she sends a quick text to Liz.
xx
'Bobby plans to move to Portugal w/ his GF. My night sucks. How's yours?'
xx
She grabs some tissue from one stall, grateful to see the restroom empty. She doubts it'll stay empty, so she hides in a stall until the tears stop.
Dammit! She hates feeling this way because she really wants him to be happy.
It takes another minute to compose herself. She exits the stall to fix her make-up at the sink.
A new text comes in from Liz.
xx
'Well, the cat just puked on Peter's laptop and a few legal docs, so…about the same?'
xx
Maybe it's not the funniest thing she's read, but it lightens the mood a little.
Alex texts her back.
xx
'I'd rather deal with cat puke.'
xx
In the next text, she says she hopes that all (the cat, the laptop, etc.) is back to normal soon.
While she finishes touching up her make-up and hair, there's another text from Liz.
xx
'NY is his home. He won't go. Relax and just have fun.'
xx
She texts back a 'thanks.' A minute later, she rejoins Bobby at the table with the drinks and appetizers. "I'm back."
He looks distraught. "Eames, are you…okay?"
"I'm good." Also hoping like hell that Liz is right.
He doesn't believe her. "I know that was a lot to digest."
Alex waves her hand to cut him off because she can't handle any more conversation about his perfect relationship or their romantic future. "You wanted to hear about Detective Lee?"
He's concerned about her, but knows when to back off. "Sure. Tell me about him."
"You'll like him. He's smart and very intuitive. I told him I had a partner who could identify even intricate smells at a crime scene. He said he really wanted to see that."
He chuckles. "I'm flattered, I guess. I look forward to meeting him." Bobby holds his glass up to hers. "To the team."
"Cheers."
She clinks glasses with him, and they take a sip.
"So why just one detective right now? I asked Hannah, but he never responded."
"We had two new hires after you left, and they left to fill in at other precincts. IAB was busy. A bunch of cops were let go, and some took retirement. We went through a period of cop shortages throughout the NYPD. Then we hired Detective Lee, who moved here from LA. We were partners for a few months. Hannah got promoted, and I took over for him. I was promoted to captain."
From there, they talk about past cases and funny moments on the job.
Their dinner entrees arrive, and by then, they're laughing, and things feel more comfortable.
Sure, the alcohol helps too.
After dinner, they find an open pool table and play a couple of games.
Moments into the first game of 9-ball, she has the cue ball behind the number 15 ball that she's aiming to send to the corner pocket. She calls her shot and then tries to get the best angle.
She can't hit it directly with the other balls in the way. Her only option is to sit or lean over the table using her non-dominant side.
Bobby, of course, knows she hates these shots and always wants to help.
She shakes her head and attempts the shot. It's not the spin she was hoping for, but it goes in.
"Nice one!" he cheers. His smile and eye contact make her stomach flip.
"I had some time to work on that," she says.
"Oh, does Mark play pool?"
"Nope. Just my brothers."
Bobby wins the first game. While they're into the next game, they notice the next table over has a group of guys celebrating a bachelor party. Two of the groomsmen have these tissue-wrapped confetti balls filled with glitter that they keep throwing at the groom. One inevitably hits Alex and the table as she's trying to take her next shot. Glitter is everywhere.
Alex stands up, shakes her head and glitter falls from her hair and blouse. The blouse has the top two buttons undone, so of course, there's glitter on her chest, in her bra, etc.
Bobby stands there cracking up.
Since he doesn't have a speck of glitter on him, she can't resist walking over to him and brushing herself off. He's taking steps back to avoid her, and she grabs his arm. They're looking at each other and laughing.
Her heart flutters. Temporarily at least she's forgotten their current relationships, the past year, and Bobby's impending move.
The groomsmen come over to their table and interrupt. "We're so sorry. We were just having fun with our friend Devon, who's getting married next weekend."
They turn their heads, breaking eye contact and reply in tandem. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," says Devon.
"Anyway, we'll clean that up. No worries."
One of them has a cordless hand vac. They clean up the area around her and the table and then hand her the soft brush and towel so she can clean herself up. Bobby does the same next. Then he helps her get the glitter off of her hair or any places she can't see or reach.
Their eyes meet occasionally and laughter results.
"I think I've got everything. Do you want to go check in the bathroom?"
"Yeah, I'm sure I've got glitter in…other places."
She goes into the bathroom stall to finish removing the glitter from her clothing. When she's sure she's done, she checks herself in the mirror.
Suddenly, a phone call comes in. It's her brother, Daniel.
"Hey Daniel, what's up?"
x
Bobby busies himself chatting with the bachelor party while he waits for Alex.
"Is that your wife?" one of them asks. "She's pretty cute."
He grins. "She's a good friend. We haven't seen each other in a while. We're just catching up."
Bobby sees Alex returning from the bathroom. From across the bar, he notices that something's wrong and hurries over to her.
She's shaking and crying. Pain and panic in her eyes.
As he reaches her, he puts his hands on her shoulders, hoping to settle her.
"Daniel just called," she begins. "Dad had a stroke. Said the EMTs couldn't revive him. I gotta get to the hospital."
"Where is he?"
"Brooklyn… Mount Sinai. Dammit, I'll never get a cab around here at this hour!"
"We'll find one. Let's go."
"Bobby, you don't have to…"
He shakes his head, letting her know it's a done deal. "Come on."
x x x
A/N: Please review!