Do they honestly think … ?

Disclaimer: LO:CI is not mine, unfortunately, I'm just borrowing some characters to feed my rather strange imagination. I promise to put everyone back where they belong when I'm finished with them (no matter how much I wish I could keep Bobby).

Summary: The rumour mill keeps on churning but do their colleagues honestly think Bobby and Alex would be so stupid as to get caught so easily?

A/N: Couldn't resist this idea when I popped into my head. My B/A obsessed brain just wouldn't let it go. Hope you enjoy.

Alex Eames could feel her colleagues watching her and her partner, Bobby Goren. She'd heard the rumours, each one more ridiculous than the last, about her pregnancy. Before that she'd heard the speculation about exactly how close their relationship was. Occasionally she'd had a quiet word with some offending gossipmonger. Less frequently Bobby had loomed over some leering detective who's comments went beyond casual speculation and into the salacious, he would not allow his partner's character to be impugned in such a manner. Generally, however, they ignored the rumours or laughed about them in the privacy of their apartments.

Since Alex's maternity leave, and Bobby's very obvious reaction to it, the rumour mill had been running at full tilt. The only too obvious silences at the water cooler whenever one of the partners walked by, coupled with the stares and whispers every time they were called into Deakins' office were beginning to grate on Alex's nerves.

The situation came to a head one Friday afternoon. Alex had received some results from CSU by email and rather than waste time walking to the printer Bobby had moved his chair round to her side of the desk and started reading over her shoulder. This movement caused several detectives to surreptitiously stop working themselves and start watching MCS's Golden Team working instead.

Bobby's chair came to rest slightly behind and a little to the side of his partner's and leaning forward to get a better look at the computer screen he rested his left arm along the back of Alex's chair, placing his other elbow on the desk beside her right hand, which held the mouse. Despite the fact that he was left handed, Bobby was used to operating a mouse with his right hand as he often used Alex's computer at work. He didn't even think about it, as he reached the bottom of the screen his right hand came down to use the mouse to scroll down the document, and ended up over his partner's.

Unfortunately at least half a dozen fellow detectives, and one very upset secretary, saw Bobby Goren 'holding' his partner's hand, in the middle of the MCS squad room no less. Within a few hours the story had made its way around the building and arrived back at MCS, and Captain Deakins' office, considerably mutated.

"Goren, Eames. Get in here. Now!" The anger in Deakins' voice was obvious for the entire bullpen to hear. The partners exchanged glances and shrugs and headed into their boss's office.

"Sit down, both of you." Deakins ordered as soon as the door was closed. He'd resumed his own seat behind his desk.

'Okay' thought Alex. 'This looks awful serious. Which case just went up in flames?' she was unable to think of any other reason for this level of agitation in her Captain.

'What have I done now?' Bobby's first response to Captain Deakins being in this sort of mood was always to take the blame.

"I want an explanation, before the Chief of Detectives rings me. What have you two done today that was out of the ordinary? I know what I've just heard isn't true but I do need an explanation this time." He paused looking from one confused face to the other. "You really have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Per…perhaps you could tell us what exactly it is you heard?" Bobby suggested.

"Okay, at some point this afternoon the rumour started circulating that you and Eames got caught … how should I put this … making out … in an Observation Room. Apparently I walked in on the two of you … erm … necking." Deakins was pretty sure that by this point he was blushing as deeply as his two detectives.

"Captain," Alex's voice came out several octaves above its usual pitch. "You know this didn't happen. You've never caught us, I mean not that there's ever been an opportunity for you to catch us. We've never 'necked' in an Observation Room … not that we do … I mean …" She finally fell silent, unable to control the anger that was causing her brain to overload and wiping out her ability to form a single coherent sentence.

"Sir, I think what Eames is trying to say is that we're not involved in such a way that we'd be caught in a situation like that." Bobby stated, firmly.

'How does he keep so calm?' well at least Alex could still think, even if the shock of hearing Deakins' statement had robbed her of the power of speech.

"Besides Captain, you know that you didn't catch us doing anything in any of the Observation Rooms." Bobby somehow managed to keep his voice level, as his mind ran back over the events of the day, trying to figure out what he and Eames could have done to set such a ridiculous rumour in motion.

Alex made the connection first. "The mouse," she groaned turning to her partner, "you idiot, next time just wait and read the damn printout."

Now Deakins looked thoroughly confused. "The mouse?"

Goren couldn't help grinning. "I was reading a report on Eames' computer, over her shoulder. We both grabbed the mouse at the same time."

"I didn't grab anything, thank you very much Goren. You just had to try and scroll down the screen when I was about to anyway."

Deakins looked from one partner to the other incredulously. "That's what this is all about? You both having your hand on a computer mouse at the same time?"

"Well Janey was walking past my desk at the time." Eames muttered, as if that explained everything.

"Janey? Janey Carmichael, the new secretary? The one who arrived just before Bishop left? I don't get it." Deakins looked as confused as ever.

"Well, she's probably the worst gossip in the building." Eames cast a sideways glance at her partner. "She also seems to have a thing for tall, Italian types, particularly if they dress in Armani. Oh, and she certainly didn't take kindly to being rejected by Bobby."

"Eames, I told you, nothing happened. I simply told the woman I was busy is all." Goren said, once more going a rather unattractive shade of pink.

Deakins didn't quite manage to hold in a highly unprofessional snigger. "You mean she asked you out and you turned her down? This is some sorta 'woman scorned' thing?"

"I … I suppose you could put it like that Captain." Goren was now looking at the floor rather than either of the people in the room with him.

Seeing the deep blush now colouring his detective's cheeks and noting the chagrined expression on his face Deakins was unable to suppress his laughter.

"That's it, all this just 'cos you wouldn't take the new girl out on a date?" he managed to gasp.

"Captain, it's not really that funny." Eames took pity on her partner, finally coming to his defence. "Apparently she'd been talking to Denise, you know in the Chief's office. Well Denise had been talking up a storm about Goren being such a perfect date, always a gentleman and how she wished he was stilled interested. Janey decided she liked the idea of being treated like a lady and asked Bobby if he wanted to go for a drink sometime."

Deakins interrupted, "So she did ask him out. Not that it's any of my business, but she's quite attractive …" He got no further, as Alex interrupted him and continued explaining.

"Yeah, I know, tall, brunette, stacked." Now it was Deakins' turn to blush. "Anyway, to cut a short story shorter, Bobby politely declined the invitation and since then, well let's just say there have been even more rumours than usual doing the rounds."

Just then Deakins' phone rang. "That's probably the Chief now. Look it's late, you two clock out for the day. You're both off this weekend anyway, that should give it enough time for this particular rumour to run its course at least."

Not needing to be told twice Goren headed for the office door, holding it open for Eames to precede him into the bullpen. They couldn't help but overhear the beginning of Deakins' conversation.

"Yes Chief, I've heard that too but I can assure you …" Goren shut the door behind them.

They wasted no time in getting out of there, ignoring the speculative looks as Goren helped Eames on with her coat, as usual. Eames grabbed her bag from her drawer, as Goren retrieved his leather binder from his desk. They walked out of the bullpen heads held high, Goren's hands stuffed in his pockets so as to resist any temptation either to rest a hand near the small of Eames' back, as he often did, or, as he felt like doing at the moment, using a few quick smacks to wipe the lecherous smirks off some of his colleagues' faces.

They didn't dare look at each other during the elevator ride down to the parking garage, both afraid they'd look completely crazy if they ended up laughing their heads off for no apparent reason. They managed to make it to the SUV without anyone they passed on the way mentioning their 'indiscretion'. Once in the car, however, the gloves came off their respective senses of humour.

"Did you really have to discuss Janey in quite so much detail?" Goren spluttered between chuckles, thinking of the look on their Captain's face at Alex's description of the other woman.

Alex managed to keep a straight face, other than quirking an eyebrow. "What exactly did I say that was so wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied, managing to get his laughter under control, "but, honestly Eames, how did you expect him to react when you referred to her as 'stacked'?"

"Well, Goren," she responded, whilst concentrating on fighting her way through the early evening traffic, "I don't think 'flat chested' or 'boyish' would have been very accurate. Do you?"

"Can't say as I've actually looked that closely."

"Believe me, you don't need to be close. Besides, she does match the profile for your 'type', given your past conquests."

Goren decided this was one of those situations where he wasn't going to win, he had a suspicious feeling he was standing in an ever-deepening hole and it was best to stop digging before ground level got higher than the top of his head.

"So, you wanna grab something to eat? Maybe we could head over to Sal's?"

"I really don't feel like eating out tonight, it's been a long week. How about heading back to my place, putting on a movie and ordering a pizza?"

"Whatever you want." He leaned back comfortably. 'Eames is right it has been a long week', he thought as he closed his eyes.

"Hey, Bobby, can you believe they honestly think that two first grade detectives would be so dumb as to get caught making out in an observation room?" When she got no response Alex looked over at her partner. 'Great, I get to drive, while he falls asleep.' She smiled gently and turned her full attention back to the traffic.

Bobby opened his eyes slowly, trying to get his bearings as he came out of a deep sleep. Looking down at Alex, still sleeping, snuggled up against his bare chest he smiled and gently brushed the hair out of her face. He lay there watching his partner/lover as she slept.

'Do they honestly think five minutes in an Observation Room would be anywhere near long enough for me to show this incredible woman how I feel about her?' he grinned to himself, shaking his head at the thought and chuckling silently.

"Bobby?" Alex mumbled, half waking as she felt the soft laughter ripple through his chest.

"It's nothing, sweetheart, go back to sleep." He placed a soft kiss on her hair.

"'Kay" she muttered, snuggling still closer as he wrapped his arms tighter around her and let himself fall back into peaceful slumber.