A little oneshot for all my fellow Bobby and Alex shippers. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Not mine!

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Trying not to love you

Only went so far

And trying not to need you

Was tearing me apart

Now I see the silver lining

From what we're fighting for

We just keep on trying

We could be much more

Cause trying not to love you

Only made me love you more

-Nickelback, Trying Not to Love You

In the darkest recesses of the night, when she was lying in bed and sleep simply would not come, that was when she missed him the most.

They had been partners for over ten years. They knew each other better than they knew themselves, and they saw each other through some of the worst points in their lives. It was inevitable that they would grow to love each other, but she had never expected to fall as deeply in love with him as she had.

Then it all came tumbling down. He quit the force and went upstate to write books, leaving her without a partner. Without him by her side, it wasn't long before she left as well to find another place where she would belong.

She had received a few letters here and there from him. He was doing well, his letters claimed, and he was happy. He hoped she was happy as well.

Flinching, she buried her face in her pillow.

How could he think she would be happy without him? Of course she was surviving, but she was by no means happy. At least not now. Maybe a day would come where she would meet someone else and finally get on with her life, but as the raindrops flung against her window and the clock ticked on the wall, she couldn't see that day.

A sudden and desperate knock on her front door pulled her out of her thoughts. Out of habit, she reached for her piece on her nightstand. It couldn't be anyone from work; they would have called. It was well after two a.m., so it wouldn't be anything good. She hoped it wasn't her sister; she loved her dearly but the woman had a flair for dramatics.

Sliding out of her bed, she eased down the hallway and to her front door. Looking through her peephole, she could only see a glimpse of black and little else. She kept a firm grip on her gun and unlocked the door, then opened it.

To her shock, Bobby was standing there, shivering and drenched to the bone.

"Bobby?" The simple word came out of her like a bullet and suddenly her heart was pounding.

He came into the apartment and closed the door behind himself.

"Bobby, what-"

She was stunned when he roughly pulled her against himself and caught her lips in a desperate kiss. She froze, caught offguard, before wrapping her arms around his neck and eagerly returning the kiss. It was awkward and clumsy and their noses bumped together before they found a good rhythm. She didn't care that he was soaking her floor and her in the process; no, all she cared was that he was in her arms and holding her tighter than he had ever held her before.

Finally they broke apart and he laughed uncertainly.

"Eames, I…"

She pressed a gentle finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Alex, Bobby."

"Alex…" His hands moved gently over her back. "Alex, I can't… I can't do this without you."

Her hazel eyes lit up and she cupped his cheek in her hand. He leaned into her tender touch, seeking reassurance. "I know, Bobby. You don't have to."

"I… I don't?"

"No. You don't." She pulled back just enough to help him remove his sopping jacket. He then removed his shirt, socks and shoes, leaving him in his undershirt and pants. Trying not to stare, she took his hand. "Come on. Let's get some sleep and we'll talk in the morning."

He followed her easily, just as he always had, and they walked into her bedroom. She laid down first and he hesitated for several moments before following her lead and lying down as well.

Once they were both situated, Alex grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly, smiling in the dark.

Bobby returned the squeeze and shuffled a bit closer to her. "Alex…"

"Shh." She yawned and stroked his arm. "Let's just sleep."

He offered a shy smile. "Okay."

"Okay."

A comfortable silence fell over them as they lie there, breathing softly and clinging to each other.

Morning would come all too quickly and with it there would be questions and desperately sought answers. They would have the odds stacked and the world against them, but they always had. They knew they would always be there for each other and nothing would ever come between them again.

It was all they could have asked for.

The End.