--Knock, knock, knock--

Bobby Goren stared forlornly at the heavy wooden door steadfastly mocking him. He wonder whether the doctor or lawyer who owned the gigantic house in this grossly upscale neighborhoods ever had time in his busy schedule to actually set foot in it.

--Knock, knock, knock--

Still no answer. He swore he had seen a light on in this house, unlike the four others he'd tried since a flat tire had left him stranded at dusk on the side of a suburban highway without a spare, in the pouring rain.

Correction, hailstorm. Bobby ducked under the eave of the house, cursing as he rubbed at the top of his head. The hailstone that had just hit him was roughly the size of a marble, it was still sending shooting pains down to the base of his skull. Looking out to the street, he could see the icy pellets bouncing off the pavement. He let out a massive sigh and leaned his back against the sturdy door. It was obvious no one was home, otherwise they would take issue with his nonchalant use of their entryway.

Bobby sneezed and pulled his NYPD-issued cell phone from his pocket to try calling Eames again. Flipping it open, he saw the error message he'd been getting all day and wondered what cosmic power was playing a practical joke on him. 'Unable to connect call. Please upgrade tower-interface software.' Why the hell would the NYPD provide their detective with phones that had outdated software?

As he powered off the phone and popped out the battery, hoping a soft reset would do some good, a devious smile crept across Bobby's face. He popped the battery back into the phone and powered it up, his cold and aching body hoping against hope that it would work this time, and his sense of self-preservation hoping it wouldn't.

Eames was going to be furious. She had been hounding him all day to go home early for a change, since they'd wrapped up their case yesterday and it was after all a Friday. He'd finally conceded after lunch, and he really had intended to go home. Right up to the point that the berserk Evel Knievel wannabe nearly took off his front bumper while going at least fifteen over the speed limit, right in front of a squad car no less, and the cop inside the cruiser letting it slide. His sense of justice outraged, he followed the kid on the motorcycle to his destination, which happened to be a mini-mart clear on the other side of town.

He entered the store after the kid, intending to tell him off, flash his badge and scare him a little. As usual, things didn't go according to plan and the next thing Bobby knew he was back in his car, chasing down the sticky-fingered, Evel Knievel biker who had ripped off several dollars worth of beef jerky, potato chips, and beer from the store after slugging the clerk in the face for trying to stop him.

The car chase turned into a foot race when Evel ran out of gas on the highway. Bobby pursued him through the wooded area that fringed the ritzy Shady Pines community. Unfortunately, Evel was almost as fast a runner as he was a driver and by the time Bobby caught up with him - the kid slipped on a patch of pine needles - he had dropped his personal cell phone and sported a scraped knee and ripped out pant leg from his own encounter with the slippery underbrush.

Bobby's only bit of luck occurred when a cop drove by just as he pulled the wannabe-Knievel back onto the main road, saving the detective from a two-mile struggle back to his car with the long-haired, complaining teenager. Handing off the juvenile delinquent to the cop, Bobby slowly trekked back to his car in the rain, only to discover his flat tire and missing phone. The rest was history.

Now he hit the 'send' key on his remaining phone, and his eyes widened when it actually began ringing. He let out a sigh of relief when Eames picked up on the third ring.

"Goren, what's wrong?" his partner's voice questioned.

"I'm great, it's just…well…I could use a ride. I've got a flat tire and no spare."

"How can you not have a spare tire?" Goren was prepared for everything, why not this?

"That's a story for another time... a drier time. Can you just..."

"I thought you were going home," she said flatly.

Great. Now she's suspicious. How to best say this? With as little information as possible, that's how. "I was, and then I got a flat tire," he replied, clearing his throat.

"Bobby, you left here two and a half hours ago. What's really going on? You sound terrible."

"Well, I may have gotten a little sidetracked on my way home, but that's beside the point. I really do have a flat tire and no spare. And it's raining."

Eames heard him sneeze and could sense his frustration and discomfort over the phone. She rolled her eyes, deciding to give him a break. For now. "Where are you?" Eames quickly scratched down the address and then told him to stay put when she found out how far away from his car he was.

"Not that it makes any difference, I'm already soaked." Bobby looked down at his clothes plastered to his body as he wiped rivulets of water from his face.

"Well, then go ahead and walk, I don't care. You could use the exercise anyway."

"I heard that. Not funny Eames."

"You were meant to Goren. But for once though, can't we just do things my way. I'll pick you up where you are right now." Eames sighed in frustration. "Oh, and you're buying dinner too."

Not unless you're in a better mood by the time you get here. "Fine, sure, whatever. See you when you get here," There was a pause as Bobby sneezed again, "and Eames, please hurry."

Alex hung up her phone and slid into her jacket. She was just locking up her desk when Captain Ross passed her, also on his way out.

"Calling it a night, detective?"

"Yes, you too?"

"Yep, I have the boys this weekend. How 'bout you? Any exciting plans for the weekend?"

"Other than rescuing my partner, nope."

Ross groaned as he stopped in his tracks, "Do I want to know about this?"

Eames smirked as she shook her head. "Nothing for you to worry about, Captain. At least not this time. But you never know about Goren..."

"That's what scares me." Ross said as he shook his head.

Very cute. I loved it when Eames was talking to Ross. He just never wants to know anymore. Loved it.

another great story! I love Alex's comment about recusing her partner!

Nother great story, Kat! Eames is right, you never know, with Goren!

I agree with the comments here. Nice job, Kat!

An amusing, well-done story.

"Well, I may have gotten a little sidetracked on my way home, but that's beside the point. I really do have a flat tire and no spare. And it's raining."

Hahaha, this line was golden. Nice job!

Thanks for reading and reviewing - I appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think about it.

I'm kind of at a loss for a new story, so I've been looking at some earlier ones...
A/N: Added a follow up chapter… The first chapter was a great stand alone story (I liked it anyway...) and I may have just ruined it, because the tone of this chapter is a little different, but still kind of the same. Read it for yourself and let me know …


Eames peered through the dark and rain-swept street, looking for the address Bobby had given her. Searching for the house numbers in the dark was difficult enough, but most of these homes were still dark, their owners not yet home from work or out unwinding from a long week in the city.

Bobby had told her, '638 Winchester Terrace'. Well she was on Winchester Terrace… where was he? Following the road around a slight curve she noticed a dark shape moving toward the curb several houses up on the right. Slowing her car, she powered down the window and leaned over to follow Bobby's progress as he approached her car. He too, leaned down, resting his weight on roof of her car as he bent his head down to look at Eames.

"Thanks… I really appreciate this." Bobby's sheepish grin melted the caustic comment waiting for her to voice.

"Get in… and try not to drip all over everything."

Looking down at himself, he shook his head in defeat, "Eames… I'm completely drenched, there's nothing I can do about it."

"We could always tie you to the roof, it would complete that 'road kill' look you're rockin'. What the hell happened to you?" she asked as she took in the scratches on his face."

"If you let me ride inside the car, I'll tell you."

"Get in…" she sighed. "There's a towel in the back seat. I was going to go to the gym on my way home…"

"Thanks, I'm… I'm sorry I ruined your plans." Bobby gratefully dried his face and hands before bringing towel up to ruffle through his hair to tame its dripping.

"I wouldn't exactly call that 'my plans' but…" As Eames pulled away from the curb, she turned to him and watched as he dried his hair. As much as he exasperated her and as much as she knew about him, she'd never completely crack the code that would explain Robert Goren. She understood she would look back on this relationship one day and see that it was one of the best of her life. One of the most enduring.

Softening, she asked, "So, what happened?"

Placing the towel in his lap, to soak up the water pooling in his lap, he sighed before he started his tale. "You see… it all started when…"

Eames burst out laughing several times during his recitation of events. Bobby was pleasantly surprised to feel his frustration slipping away as her laughter soothed his embarrassment at having called her to rescue him.

"… and that's when you drove up. Now you know every embarrassing second of the rest of my day."

Bobby could see her smile in the dim glow cast by the passing streetlights. "Hey, you caught the guy right? Maybe it wasn't the prettiest or smoothest takedown ever, but I'm sure the clerk at the store is going to be glad to know the kid who attacked him is locked up."

"Yeah, and I still have to go over to the local precinct to give my statement – to an Officer Terry Michaels from the 3-7, that's the officer I handed the kid over to, and then there's finding out who took the call at the store, probably someone from the 1-2-1. The next couple of days would be a lot easier if I'd just let that kid go."

Eames shook her head as she turned to look over at her partner, "Bobby, face it… you were never fated to have an easy life."

"I don't believe in fate, Eames."

"Phfft… given you're history, you should." Turning her attention back to her driving she asked, "Do you want to deal with your car tonight, or tomorrow?"

"I called Lewis while I was waiting for you, he's going to send one of his trucks out to pick the car up and bring it into his shop. But I would like to stop and get a few things out of it, before we head back into Manhattan."

"Speaking of Lewis, why didn't you call him to come out and get you at the same time?"

Bobby stared out the window, wondering the same thing. Why hadn't he called Lewis first? Sure, he was having trouble with his phone, and wasn't sure any call would go through, but Eames had been his first thought. Could it be because it was his work phone, and work meant Eames? Or was it for some other reason?

"I don't know, I just automatically called in… I honestly didn't even think about calling Lewis until I started thinking about my car." I need help I call Eames, my car needs help I call Lewis. Makes sense to me. "My car's up the expressway about a mile from the turn in to this development. I have a couple of things I need to get out of it."

"I know, I heard you the first time. You already said that there were things you needed from the car."

"Oh.... right."

The hailstorm had long since past, but a light misty rain continued to fall. The road was slick and Eames concentrated on her driving. Bobby was still contemplating Eame's question and absently muttered, "… car's just up here on the right…"

Alex signaled and pulled over onto the small shoulder, where Bobby had abandoned his car to give foot chase to his motorcycle-driving thief. As Bobby opened the door Alex turned on her flashers, checking traffic before opening her door to follow him.

"I want to pull that motorcycle back closer to my car. I asked Lewis to if he could take it down to impound when he picked up my car. He's licensed to tow for the city." Bobby walked past his car about a hundred yards to pick up the motorcycle that was lying abandoned on the muddy bank beside the road.

When he reached the back end of his car, Bobby gently let the bike fall back onto its side, the muddy bank too ran soaked to allow the kickstand to support the weight of the bike. He wasn't willing to sacrifice his paint job for the welfare of the beat-up motorcycle.

"Nice bike." Eames remarked sarcastically.

"It was, once. This guy's never taken care of it though. I wasn't joking when I called this guy an Evel Knievel wannabe. This is a Harley XR750… the bike Knievel rode in the 70's… after the Caesar's Palace jump and before that Snake River fiasco…"

"Uh huh… how 'bout that dinner you owe me?" Eames rolled her eyes at Bobby, behind his back.

Smiling at the change in topic, he glanced back at her as he popped open the trunk. "Look Eames, I'm soaking wet, and all I've got in here," he pulled his gym bag out of the trunk, "is a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

"That's all that's needed to pick up something at Chinese Gardens and take it back to your place to chow down on it." As he slammed the trunk lid into place, she added. "Do you have any movies worth watching? Or just the same ol', old movies?"

"They are not old movies, Eames, they are classic films."

"They're in black and white. They're old movies."

Realizing he wasn't going to get out of this, and that it was the least he could do, even though she hadn't really had plans for the night, he gave in. He knew that there were times when not having a plan was the best plan. And to find that non-plan interrupted, was often very frustrating.

"Fine, what do you want?" Bobby asked as he opened the car door and slid into the seat as Eames jumped in and fired up the engine.

"I'll have the Guai Hua Shrimp with Scallops, Wonton Soup, Steamed Dumplings, Barbecued Spare Ribs, and Vegetable Lo Mein," Pausing to get her breath, she added, "and a couple of bottle of Tsingtao beer."

Bobby was surprised that his mouth wasn't hanging open, only realizing it wasn't when he opened it to speak. "When was the last time you ate, Eames? A month ago?"

"Hey, I'm going need all that to make it through one of your 'classic films'." Eames pulled the car over into the parking lot of a McDonald's. When Bobby turned to her, she added, "So you can change out of those wet clothes…"

Bobby nodded, and jumped out of the car, while Eames waited inside. Leaning back into the car, Bobby said, "I was afraid you needed a snack before dinner."

Minutes later, when Bobby came back to the car, Eames handed him a cup of hot coffee. "It's not really a snack, but I thought you could use this."

Bobby gratefully sipped at the hot coffee. Discovering it wasn't too hot, he gulped it down, feeling its warmth spread through him. He hadn't realized how cold he had gotten.

"Thanks. Did you…?" He'd been about to ask if she'd gotten herself one, but saw her take a sip from her own.

He saw her nod and smile, "Of course I did." Starting the engine, she asked, "You ready for that Chinese food now?"

Feeling a smile spread across his face, he nodded 'yes', as Eames backed out of the parking space and pulled back out into traffic.


Both were soon wishing they had ordered a snack from MickyD's, it took them almost another hour to get back to Bobby's apartment with their food, and by then the two were starving. Bobby was glad that Eames had ordered as much as she had, which turned out to be not the much less than what Bobby ordered.

Eames started spreading out the food on the coffee table as Bobby went out to the kitchen to grab plates and put the extra beers into the fridge. Returning to the living room Bobby helped himself to a healthy portion of everything from the take out containers, as did Eames.

After several minutes of eating in silence, Eames looked over at Bobby questioningly. He looked completely relaxed, leaning back into the sofa cushions, feet propped up on the edge of the coffee table. She hadn't seen that in a very long time, and again wondered what forces warred within him.

Catching her look, Bobby muttered "What?" around a mouthful of Moo Shoo Pork.

Smiling she shook her head, she couldn't, wouldn't admit the serious turn her thoughts had taken. Seeing his expression and hoping to divert him, she asked, "I was just wondering about the evening's entertainment, and what form it was going to take."

Leaning forward, Bobby set his plate down and walked over to the cabinet by the TV in the corner. "How 'bout an Orson Welles movie."

"Oh, not Citizen Kane again…" she whined.

He didn't turn around as he answered her, so she couldn't she his smile as he replied, "No, not Citizen Kane again, there other Welles movies, Touch of Evil, he plays a border town Police Captain in that one, nothing like Deakins or Ross though or there's The Third Man, you know the famous line from that one don't you?"

Now he turned around with a questioning look on his face. Seeing her shake her head, he stepped forward, in all seriousness and recited the line…

"You know what the fellow said—in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Bowing briefly, before adding, "Of course, they were wrong about that, the Swiss aren't famous for the cuckoo clock, that would be the Germans in the region of the Black Forest."

"Ohmigod… just put the movie in… I don't care which one."

"The Third Man then."

"Fine."

Setting up the DVD, he walked back over to the sofa and plopped down on it, before starting the player. Glancing at Eames as the opening credits rolled, he asked, "Are you going to tell me what you were thinking about earlier?"

"I don't think so."

"C'mon Eames, tell me what it was? Or ask me what you were going to ask me?"

Knowing how she was going to deflect him, she teased, "Are you sure you want to know? It might embarrass us both?"

Leaning back to appraise her, he slowly nodded and said, "I can take it if you can."

"Okay." She set her plate down on the coffetable and turned to face him. "I was wondering, since you were so drenched and all you had were the sweats and t-shirt…"

"Hmmm, hmmm." He nodded.

"Well, I was wondering…" she adopted one of his mannerisms as she pointed a finger at him and used it to repeatedly trace a circle. "… what exactly was going on in there?" As her finger stopped rotating and pointed directly at his crotch. "You were so drenched, I was wondering if you're sitting around in soggy underwear or…"

"Or… or commando?" he managed to sputter out, before roaring with laughter.

Eames laughter was almost as out of control as his. Pleased to see that she had diverted him, she relaxed knowing now he wouldn't question her any further.

Nodding her head, she managed to say, "So, which is it?"

His laughter under control, he grinned and raised an eyebrow as he leaned forward to pick up his dinner.

"C'mon Bobby, after all that, you have to tell me." She begged.

Bobby grinned and as he lifted a fork full of Moo Shu Pork to his lips. "Watch the movie, Eames, watch the movie."

Glancing at her in the semi-darkness, he knew that she wasn't being honest about what she'd been thinking. If that had really been the turn her thoughts had taken, he wouldn't have seen the look of sadness flit across her face as he caught her looking at him. He decided to let it pass as he had many other times, just as she had at other times.

He wondered how long they were going to be able to avoid answering and answering for these unspoken thoughts and questions.

He turned his attention to the movie and was soon lost in the world of Harry Lime, post-war Austria, ferris wheels and cuckoo clocks.

OMG, I was cracking up over this one. I had to laugh over the commando thing. I just couldn't help it. You gotta wonder though.

I like this as a follow up. I don't think you ruined it at all.

Very funny stuff in there! I like the Commando thing, too.....

I DO have to wonder. I've written the 'commando' thing in a couple of different stories now, I just can't get past it, I guess I just 'gotta know, gotta know, gotta know'.


Thanks FM!

I know this has gotten a few more 'hits' than it had when I added the update, so I'd like to thank everyone who has visited. I hope it was an enjoyable visit.