Talk Therapy

By: The Confused One

Summary: Bobby, Alex, Mike, and Carolyn talk after "To the Bone".

Rating: K+

Warnings: Only spoiler warnings if you haven't seen "To the Bone".

Archive: Feel free, just tell me where.

Disclaimer: I own nothing CI related, except my DVDs. I have no money. I'm making no profit. Please don't sue. Thanks.

A/N: I couldn't resist writing a post-ep for "To the Bone". As for the ending, sorry I couldn't resist. :) Special thanks to InfinityStar for reading this over for me. Please enjoy and remember to review. Thanks.

Alex watched Mike and Carolyn walk out of Deakins office and separate. She sighed. Watching Mike go to the break room, Alex walked over to Carolyn. She met Carolyn's eyes as she reached her desk and asked, "How did it go?"

Carolyn sighed. She shook her head and replied, "Watkins is going to walk now."

Alex sighed. She offered, "Sounds like a certain Australian that Bobby and I can't seem to shake."

Carolyn watched the break room door, she lamented, "God, I hope not. She really twisted Mike up. I hope we never see her again, but just as a warning, things are going to get worse around here."

Confused, Alex asked, "Why?"

With a sigh, Carolyn looked back at Alex and cryptically offered, "IAB wants to talk to Deakins."

Alex was confused and surprised. She asked, "What?"

Carolyn sighed. She confessed, "He got a note. They want to talk to him and Martinez. Which means it's got to be connected to the shooting still."

Alex eyes widened slightly. Worried, she asked, "Just now?"

Carolyn nodded. She explained, "It's only making Mike worse."

Hearing glass shatter from the break room, Alex and Carolyn both took off towards the room. Looking inside, Carolyn and Alex were greeted with the sight of Mike with his hand in the glass of the vending machine. Walking over to him, Carolyn yelled, "Mike! What the hell were you doing?"

Meeting Carolyn's eyes, Mike let her help him get his hand out and apologized, "I'm sorry."

Alex shook her head. Reaching her limit, she spoke to Carolyn, "Take care of his hand, and then go on over to one-thirty-eight." Turning her attention to their other co-workers who were now gawking, Alex wasn't surprised that Bobby wasn't among them. Walking out of the room, she announced, "I'll call maintenance."

Carolyn nodded. As she watched Alex leave the room, Carolyn hoped she was reading Alex right. She hoped she knew what Alex was planning.

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After making the call, Alex went looking for Bobby. Finding him in an interview going over pictures from a case, she smiled slightly. Walking in, she got his attention, "Bobby."

Bobby looked up and smiled slightly. Oblivious to the commotion in the bullpen, he spoke, "Did you bring the coroner's report? She wasn't killed in that house. We have another crime scene somewhere."

Alex shook her head. Chastising herself for even thinking he might have noticed what was going on in the other room, she informed him, "Never mind that right now. We need to talk to Logan."

Confused now, Bobby asked, "Why? What did he do now?"

Alex smiled now. Sitting down beside him, she explained, "Watkins got off. IAB wants to talk to Deakins because of the shooting, and Mike is blaming himself. He just put his hand through the glass of the vending machine."

Bobby sighed. With a nod, he asked, "Where is the idiot?"

Alex laughed now. She explained, "Carolyn's taking care of his hand. They're meeting us at One-thirty-eight."

Bobby nodded. Grabbing his things, he followed Alex to the elevators.

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Bandaging Mike's hand, Carolyn sighed. Meeting his eyes again, she broke the silence, "I'm sorry I've kept my distance."

Mike nodded slightly. He assured her, "It's OK. I was an ass. I'm surprised you're even speaking to me at all."

Carolyn shook her head. She smiled slightly and replied, "Yeah, well. I know you haven't been dealing well, and I should have been a bit more forgiving. If you want to talk, ever, just pick up the phone. I'm here for you. I won't be staying over at your place, but I am here for you. I was so irritated that night that I didn't remind you of that. Instead I left you to try to do it alone."

Uncomfortable as Carolyn finished, Mike tried to blow it off again, "Really, I'm fine."

Carolyn sighed. She stood up and offered, "Let's go."

Mike sighed now too. Standing, he followed her out of the room. He knew Alex Eames didn't suggest going out and getting drunk for no reason, so he suspected the two women were up to something. He wasn't sure why he was allowing her to drag him to meet Alex and probably Bobby, but there he was, being led out of the squad room without protest.

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Walking into the bar, Mike sighed. He was right. Bobby and Alex were sitting in a corner booth with four beers quietly talking. He stopped for a moment. The gentle push from Carolyn made him sigh and move forward. As he approached the table, he was wondering what he was getting himself into. Talking to Elizabeth was one thing. He found that Bobby and Alex, while friends, were an entirely different matter all together.

Carolyn went ahead and sat down. She smiled at Bobby and Alex and greeted him, "Hi, guys. Excuse his manners today."

Mike glared at her. He softened slightly when he saw the playful look on her face. With a sigh, he ignored his better judgment and sat down next to her, directly across from Bobby. He finally replied, "You beat me to it."

Carolyn rolled her eyes and assured Alex and Bobby, "The cuts were superficial. He's just stupid and really lucky."

Bobby nodded. He was relieved for his friend. He could tell Mike was still a ticking time bomb. Deciding to defuse him, he pushed a little, "Put your hand through a vending machine?"

Mike gulped most of his beer. He was relieved. If he was going to have to suffer through this, he was glad he was going to be able to get really drunk. After a moment, he confessed, "Yeah."

Trying to goad Mike, Bobby chastised, "That was brilliant, Mike. What did that accomplish?"

Mike simply glared at Bobby. Finishing the first beer, he replied, "Shut up, Bobby."

Bobby shrugged. Unfazed, he continued, "It didn't put Watkins in jail. It didn't bring Tarkman back. It didn't get IAB off Deakins' back. What did it do besides get your hand all bloody? I mean... Alex can tell you... I've never tried that before, but sometimes I could use something to make me feel better. And, well, I've tried just about everything else. If it holds some sort of secret... if it helps, please share."

Mike resisted the urge to deck Bobby then and there. He finally spit out, "I said shut up, Goren, or I'll make you shut up."

Pointing to Mike's injured hand, Bobby continued on, like Mike hadn't said a word, "All that anger and frustration, it just builds, and sometimes, I could really use an outlet, too. Are you saying that doing that to your hand is the answer?"

Mike started to get up. He was already through with Bobby's head games. He headed for the door. Bobby's voice made him stop, "You're leaving? You're going to leave before you can prove that you can keep all that anger and resentment bottled up inside without talking to anyone?"

Alex put her hand on Bobby's arm. She was afraid this was getting out of hand. Bobby ignored her and got up anyway. Mike got in Bobby's face. He hissed, "I'm not some suspect in an interrogation room to be broken down."

Bobby, without blinking, challenged, "Then stop acting like one! You're angry. I get that, but you're letting it eat you alive."

Mike finally looked away. Sitting back down, he motioned for another beer and replied, "I don't like emotional blackmail, Bobby."

Bobby sat down. He shrugged again and sipped his beer. He replied, "No one is forcing you to say or do anything, Mike. We're just worried."

Mike sighed. Taking the beer from the waitress, he absently lamented, "You sound like Olivet."

Carolyn looked at him confused. She asked, "Who?"

Bobby met Mike's eyes. He nodded and replied first, "Elizabeth Olivet, Department psychiatrist."

Mike simply glared again. Sipping his beer, he regretted saying her name. He admitted, "Yeah."

Bobby could see the embarrassment on his face. He quickly replied, "I'm glad you talked to her. If it helps, then it's good."

Alex nodded her agreement. She assured Mike, "You don't think I talked to someone after I killed Chance Slaughter? The circumstances don't matter. They're dead all the same. The guilt is the same."

Carolyn jumped in, "And Chesley Watkins isn't like your mother."

Bobby nodded. He added, "Just like Nicole isn't like me."

Alex looked at Bobby, with a little bit of pride. She smiled slightly. She finally replied, "And how long did it take you to get that into your head?"

Bobby smiled slightly. He hesitantly replied, "Too long. You're not the only one with demons, Mike."

Carolyn turned to face Mike. She finally asked, "When did you go to see Olivet anyway?"

Mike sighed. He diplomatically left out the woman he almost picked up, "After you left me at the restaurant that night."

Carolyn closed her eyes. She apologized again, "I'm sorry, Mike."

Mike shrugged. He offered, "Why? I was a jerk. We went over this already. We both know what would have happened if you had stayed."

Surprised and confused, Alex ventured, "Is there something we should know about?"

Carolyn shrugged. She kept it vague, "We had an argument. It would have just gotten worse if I had stayed."

Bobby met Mike's eyes again and assured him, "And don't worry about Deakins. There's nothing to find. He's going to get hassled for a few days by IAB and then it'll be over."

Mike sighed. He confessed, "I feel like a heel. He gave me this chance, and I've brought this kind of trouble on him."

Alex shrugged. She promised, "It'll work out. Bobby's right. He's a good cop and a good man. He brought you to Major Case because you're a good cop, Mike, and he's sticking by you for the same reason. Besides, beneath all the bluster, we're his team. He's protective, when he can be. He sticks by his people."

Mike finished his second beer. With a sigh, he nodded. He finally replied, "On that cheery note, I think I'm going home."

Carolyn sighed. Watching him get up, she tried to get him stop, "Mike."

Mike sighed. Turning to face her, he tried to reassure her, "I promise I'm OK. I'm not going to be putting my hand through anything else."

Carolyn sighed again. With a nod, she watched him leave. Mouthing the words 'thank you' to Bobby and Alex, she silently got up and headed out too.

Once they were out of sight, Alex turned to Bobby. She asked, "Ready to go home?"

Bobby nodded. Sliding out of the booth, he put some money down on the table and followed out of the bar. It had been a long day for everyone, and he just wanted to curl up with her and go to sleep.