Title: Boundaries
Author: Debb
Rating: PG
Show/Pairing: LOCI B/A
Synopsis: Bobby and Alex have a little talk.
Disclaimer: I own nothing whatever concerning LOCI.
Thanks to Moo for the beta read.


They sat over lunch at a small table in a small restaurant. Talking about relationships. She'd been seeing some guy named John; he hadn't seen much of anyone lately. That was unusual for him.

"I thought you'd keep going until every woman in the precinct had seen you naked," she said, forcing a smile. He could see it, she was interested. Interested, but not willing. That would take convincing. She was... opinionated. Strong. He needed to push their boundaries.

"Does that include you?" His question filled the silence, making her nervous. She started chewing on her thumbnail.

He watched through long lashes as her gaze left him, offering a lopsided grin when it returned. She blushed, then stood abruptly. "We should be working." Bobby nodded silently, trailing after her as she headed for the SUV.

She glanced behind at him. "Why do I always feel like I'm being followed?" she asked, striving for her usual dry humor as she climbed into the driver's seat.

"I like the view," Bobby replied quietly, seating himself beside her.

Alex looked sharply at him, then stared out the windshield for a moment. "You have serious commitment issues," she said finally, starting the car.

"Uh, I do, yes," he admitted.

"We work together. I spend more time with you than I spend with my family. That puts a lot of strain on a relationship. One that both of us are already nervous about."

"I'm not nervous," he said, looking her straight in the eye. "Well... marriage makes me nervous. It leads to children... in-laws who think I'm weird." He grinned. "Your parents love me."

Alex nodded, conceding the point. Her father liked her having a six-foot-four partner with an army background, her mother liked that she didn't have to cook dinner when he came over.

"We're a good fit, Alex," he said intently. "I don't think we'll fall apart. I cannot imagine my life without you in it." Alex gave him an exasperated look. "I don't mean that I can't live without you, just..." he trailed off, groping for the right words. "You're my best friend. I don't need more than that, I just... want more. If you say no, I can deal with it. If we fall apart in the future, I can deal with that, too. I'm a grown-up. I just want you to consider it. I want you to consider me," he finished softly.

Alex parked the SUV back at one police plaza and climbed out without speaking.

"Hey, I thought we were going to look over Hancock's apartment," he called after her.

"CSU is still working on it," she called without looking back.

"Are you going to answer me?" he demanded plaintively.

He got no answer, and wandered toward the elevators, frustrated. He felt like he'd been following her around for a month, begging for sex. Well, that was his fault. He had, really.

Oh, hell. The view was good from back here.

end.