"What If" Challenge
Title: Meet Me In The Light, Part 1
Author: gorenrocks
Rating: T
Genre: Angst
Characters: Goren/Eames/Deakins (for now)
Summary: What Alex's request for a new partner went through?
Warnings: A "What If" Challenge Story, so it is A/U
Spoilers: Just in case, first season up to Homo Homini Lupis (The Maggie Colter Case)
Title: Meet Me In The Light
gorenrocks
Detective Alex Eames sat at her desk and eyed the empty desk across from hers - that of her partner’s, Detective Bobby Goren. She’d waited for him a few minutes but scanned the bullpen and when he didn’t magically appear, decided she’d waited long enough. Pulling a small-mirrored compact from her purse, she snuck a quick peek, ran her fingers through her hair and then after a glance to be sure no one was looking, pinched her cheeks. Though she wondered why she bothered for a man who hardly looked at her; anyway, she was almost certain he never noticed her appearance.
Not that she cared if her partner Bobby noticed her looks. Frowning, she put away the compact and stood to begin the search for her missing gentle giant, wondering just when she started to have these odd thoughts about him. It was only about a week ago she’d put in a request for a new partner.
She’d handed the form to Captain Jimmy Deakins immediately after the Henry Talbot case. The foul little man murdered four women, and they’d worked long and hard to prevent him from killing a fifth. Bobby had devised a plan for her to gain Henry’s trust, but it had made her feel used - even after all her years on vice! She couldn’t explain it. Alex finally figured that in vice she’d played a part, even wore a costume; she wasn’t herself. With Henry Talbot, she was Alex Eames, yet at the same time, not. It just felt different, and although she had agreed to do it, she blamed Bobby for her unsettling feelings.
The thoughts caused her to pause and even stop in her tracks, realizing it had been much longer than a week since the Talbot case, and that her request for a change was a mistake, a huge mistake! At that time, she hadn't fully understood how Bobby’s mind worked, and she had over-reacted. As soon as she found him and they finished their paperwork, she had better get to Deakins and make sure he didn’t send in the damn form.
Because things had changed, and now, she couldn’t imagine her life without Bobby Goren in it.
“Hey. Here you are,” said Alex, watching Bobby's big frame squeezed into the standard size chair in a small conference room at 1PP.
Eyes closed, Bobby opened one and said, lazily, “Hey, yourself. You’re the one who disappeared.” His arms behind his neck, he was leaning back, and when he tried to straighten up she noticed he winced.
“So you came in here to hide?” she teased, and standing behind him, laid her hands lightly on his broad shoulders, frowning at the tensions she felt beneath her fingers.
“I came in here to think.”
Alex leaned around to look at him, eyebrows raised.
“Okay, to think alone, away from the madding crowd,” he smiled when she started a gentle massage on his shoulders,“ of which you were not a part,” he conceded.
Satisfied, Alex straightened, and instructed, “Loosen your collar and tie.”
“Okay,” he said, complying, and added, “you’re too good to me.”
“Hardly.”
“What?” Bobby tried to twist and look at her, but she stopped him with her firm grasp.
“Never mind, Goren.”
He sighed, his body still tense but looking slightly less tight. “Where were you, anyway?”
“I was on a search for some 901-A forms. We need them to finish up.”
“Oh.”
“Lucky for us, I found some.” Alex let her right thumb rub against his neck once, back and forth. His skin was so soft and very warm, and maybe she imagined it but she saw his body lean into her touch. Her body heated, so she continued quickly, “Look,” and she kept kneading the knots out of his tense muscles, “you did nice work with Maggie Colter, gaining her trust. And again with Simon Matic.”
Alex gave his shoulders a pat, and stopped the massage. She walked around the chair and leaned up against the small conference table, facing Bobby. “It was really good work, Bobby.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Eames.”
She looked down. “That’s not true.”
Bobby grabbed her hand and she glanced at him sharply, but his brown eyes were warm and sincere. He squeezed her fingers and his thumb caressed her wrist, and then he released her.
“It is true, Eames. You don’t know how true it is."
Alex felt the flush creep up her chest and cover her face; all she could do was get out of there quickly, so she stood and said, “What will be true is we both won’t have jobs if we don’t finish our paperwork. So c’mon, Goren. Party over.”
Later that day...
“Alex?”
“Captain,“ troubled by an ominous timbre to Deakins’ voice, she added, “What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to you, now. In my office.”
Alex’s head started to throb, just behind her left eye.
“Well, can you just tell me here?” They stood at the end of the hallway; they were alone.
“I’d rather not.”
“Just give me a piece of it, and then we’ll go to your office. I promise.” Alex touched the Captain’s forearm. “Please, Captain.”
Deakins’ rolled his eyes. “Alright. Against my better judgment,” he added. He guided her close to the wall and placed a hand on her shoulder. Almost frightened now, Alex asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Remember that request for a new partner you turned in, a few weeks ago?”
“Oh yeah, that! I was going talk to you about that, but we’ve been swamped with so many cases. I want to rescind it. Definitely. No question. I jumped the gun, it was a big mistake.”
And the look in Jimmy Deakins’ eyes terrified her.
“It’s too late. Alex, your request was approved. You have a new partner, effective Monday. Goren goes to SVU on special assignment until one can be found for him.”
She felt her body sway a bit until the Captain’s firm grasp steadied her. This can’t be happening.
“This is impossible! I didn’t-I can’t work without Bobby! I won’t do it!”
“Can’t work without me? Why would you have to do that?” Goren asked, his soft voice drifting down from above her and behind Captain Deakins. They’d been absorbed in their talk and neither had heard him; shocked by her Captain’s revelation, Alex hadn’t seen Bobby coming, either.
Horrified, she stared up at her partner. My partner. Not anymore. What have I done?
Bobby smiled at her, but as his eyes scanned her face, his features grew somber. His gaze shifted to Captain Deakins and then back to Alex, and he took a step away from them, his arms folded protectively over his chest.
“What… What’s going on?”
tbc....
Author: gorenrocks
Rating: T
Genre: Angst
Characters: Goren/Eames/Deakins (for now)
Summary: What Alex's request for a new partner went through?
Warnings: A "What If" Challenge Story, so it is A/U
Spoilers: Just in case, first season up to Homo Homini Lupis (The Maggie Colter Case)
Title: Meet Me In The Light
gorenrocks
Detective Alex Eames sat at her desk and eyed the empty desk across from hers - that of her partner’s, Detective Bobby Goren. She’d waited for him a few minutes but scanned the bullpen and when he didn’t magically appear, decided she’d waited long enough. Pulling a small-mirrored compact from her purse, she snuck a quick peek, ran her fingers through her hair and then after a glance to be sure no one was looking, pinched her cheeks. Though she wondered why she bothered for a man who hardly looked at her; anyway, she was almost certain he never noticed her appearance.
Not that she cared if her partner Bobby noticed her looks. Frowning, she put away the compact and stood to begin the search for her missing gentle giant, wondering just when she started to have these odd thoughts about him. It was only about a week ago she’d put in a request for a new partner.
She’d handed the form to Captain Jimmy Deakins immediately after the Henry Talbot case. The foul little man murdered four women, and they’d worked long and hard to prevent him from killing a fifth. Bobby had devised a plan for her to gain Henry’s trust, but it had made her feel used - even after all her years on vice! She couldn’t explain it. Alex finally figured that in vice she’d played a part, even wore a costume; she wasn’t herself. With Henry Talbot, she was Alex Eames, yet at the same time, not. It just felt different, and although she had agreed to do it, she blamed Bobby for her unsettling feelings.
The thoughts caused her to pause and even stop in her tracks, realizing it had been much longer than a week since the Talbot case, and that her request for a change was a mistake, a huge mistake! At that time, she hadn't fully understood how Bobby’s mind worked, and she had over-reacted. As soon as she found him and they finished their paperwork, she had better get to Deakins and make sure he didn’t send in the damn form.
Because things had changed, and now, she couldn’t imagine her life without Bobby Goren in it.
“Hey. Here you are,” said Alex, watching Bobby's big frame squeezed into the standard size chair in a small conference room at 1PP.
Eyes closed, Bobby opened one and said, lazily, “Hey, yourself. You’re the one who disappeared.” His arms behind his neck, he was leaning back, and when he tried to straighten up she noticed he winced.
“So you came in here to hide?” she teased, and standing behind him, laid her hands lightly on his broad shoulders, frowning at the tensions she felt beneath her fingers.
“I came in here to think.”
Alex leaned around to look at him, eyebrows raised.
“Okay, to think alone, away from the madding crowd,” he smiled when she started a gentle massage on his shoulders,“ of which you were not a part,” he conceded.
Satisfied, Alex straightened, and instructed, “Loosen your collar and tie.”
“Okay,” he said, complying, and added, “you’re too good to me.”
“Hardly.”
“What?” Bobby tried to twist and look at her, but she stopped him with her firm grasp.
“Never mind, Goren.”
He sighed, his body still tense but looking slightly less tight. “Where were you, anyway?”
“I was on a search for some 901-A forms. We need them to finish up.”
“Oh.”
“Lucky for us, I found some.” Alex let her right thumb rub against his neck once, back and forth. His skin was so soft and very warm, and maybe she imagined it but she saw his body lean into her touch. Her body heated, so she continued quickly, “Look,” and she kept kneading the knots out of his tense muscles, “you did nice work with Maggie Colter, gaining her trust. And again with Simon Matic.”
Alex gave his shoulders a pat, and stopped the massage. She walked around the chair and leaned up against the small conference table, facing Bobby. “It was really good work, Bobby.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Eames.”
She looked down. “That’s not true.”
Bobby grabbed her hand and she glanced at him sharply, but his brown eyes were warm and sincere. He squeezed her fingers and his thumb caressed her wrist, and then he released her.
“It is true, Eames. You don’t know how true it is."
Alex felt the flush creep up her chest and cover her face; all she could do was get out of there quickly, so she stood and said, “What will be true is we both won’t have jobs if we don’t finish our paperwork. So c’mon, Goren. Party over.”
Later that day...
“Alex?”
“Captain,“ troubled by an ominous timbre to Deakins’ voice, she added, “What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to you, now. In my office.”
Alex’s head started to throb, just behind her left eye.
“Well, can you just tell me here?” They stood at the end of the hallway; they were alone.
“I’d rather not.”
“Just give me a piece of it, and then we’ll go to your office. I promise.” Alex touched the Captain’s forearm. “Please, Captain.”
Deakins’ rolled his eyes. “Alright. Against my better judgment,” he added. He guided her close to the wall and placed a hand on her shoulder. Almost frightened now, Alex asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Remember that request for a new partner you turned in, a few weeks ago?”
“Oh yeah, that! I was going talk to you about that, but we’ve been swamped with so many cases. I want to rescind it. Definitely. No question. I jumped the gun, it was a big mistake.”
And the look in Jimmy Deakins’ eyes terrified her.
“It’s too late. Alex, your request was approved. You have a new partner, effective Monday. Goren goes to SVU on special assignment until one can be found for him.”
She felt her body sway a bit until the Captain’s firm grasp steadied her. This can’t be happening.
“This is impossible! I didn’t-I can’t work without Bobby! I won’t do it!”
“Can’t work without me? Why would you have to do that?” Goren asked, his soft voice drifting down from above her and behind Captain Deakins. They’d been absorbed in their talk and neither had heard him; shocked by her Captain’s revelation, Alex hadn’t seen Bobby coming, either.
Horrified, she stared up at her partner. My partner. Not anymore. What have I done?
Bobby smiled at her, but as his eyes scanned her face, his features grew somber. His gaze shifted to Captain Deakins and then back to Alex, and he took a step away from them, his arms folded protectively over his chest.
“What… What’s going on?”
tbc....