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Release	By : KaticaLocke Category: G through L > Law & Order Views: 3499 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Law & Order, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Four o�clock in the morning in New York City is about as quiet as it gets. Alex could barely hear the hum of wheels on pavement, the occasional honk of a car horn, and the muted roar of a jet sailing through the dark, moonless sky overhead. The stars were all but obscured by the city lights, leaving only the brightest to glimmer weakly in the faded black of the night. Alex breathed deep of the cool air, scenting tar and the old, musty odor of the air conditioning unit. Bobby walked past, apparently lost in his own thoughts, because he didn't seem to notice her. She stared after him, breathing the faint, manly smell of him on the bitter city wind.

Sighing, she shook her head. He was such a private man, so quiet, so shy; the only time he ever talked about himself, his friends, his family was when it helped him to understand a case. She couldn�t imagine what it had taken for him to open up to her. And she couldn�t even manage to tell him how much she cared about him in return. He was Bobby - of course he knew, but it wasn�t the same as hearing the words from her own lips. She took a deep breath and started toward him. She didn�t get very far, though.

�Are you ready for this?" Munch asked, appearing at her side. She stared at Bobby�s broad back silhouetted against the glow from the streetlights, then turned to face the warlock.

�Ready as I�ll ever be, I guess,� she replied, tossing her hair back out of her face and trying to put on a brave, unconcerned front. Apparently, it didn't work.

�Don�t worry,� Munch said, resting his hand on her shoulder, �I�ll walk you though the whole thing. It should be a piece of cake.�

�Should be,� Alex repeated, �but Raum is still out there, somewhere.� Munch gave her shoulder a squeeze, then let his hand fall to his side.

�I put in a call while you were with Goren,� he said. �I went ahead and called in a favor from an old friend. I won�t say more than that, just in case someone is listening, but we are covered, at least a little.�

�That�s good to know,� Alex said with a forced laugh, her eyes darting across the faces of the buildings rising up around them. So many dark, blank windows, so many roof tops, so many fire escapes. Her fingers touched the cold butt of her gun before she realized she was reaching. She put her hands in her pockets.

�All right, everyone,� Munch said, taking a step away from her and raising his hands for attention. If Alex hadn�t known better, she�d have sworn he was enjoying this. �If you could clear this area, please, and Alex come forward, thank you.� Reaching into his box of tricks, Munch pulled out the bag of sea salt. �Okay, Alex,� he said, handing the bag to her, �just draw a circle in salt, about fifteen feet across, clockwise. It doesn�t have to be perfect.�

"Could we light some candles, or something?" she asked. "I can hardly see a thing."

"I wouldn't want to draw unwanted attention," Munch said, glancing into the pre-dawn sky.

"Raum?" Olivia asked.

"Him too, but I was more worried about news choppers. Can't you just see us on the six o'clock news, right after the morning traffic report?" There were hints of nervous laughter. She could see the story, all right, and it ended with all of them in Bellevue. Alex took a moment to visually measure out the area as best she could before describing the circle. �Make sure the ends touch,� Munch said once she�d reached the beginning.

�Okay, now what?� she asked, handing him the bag. He swapped her for a bundle of dried herbs with a spicy, pungent smell. A match flared to life in his hand and he lit the herbs on fire. They flamed for a moment, then began to smolder, releasing a thick, eye-stinging gray smoke. �Will I be able to pass a UA after this?� she asked, trying not to inhale.

�It�s just sage,� Munch said with a smirk. One of the guys muttered, �Too bad,� but she couldn�t tell which one. They all chuckled, except Carver, who still had that dour, dazed expression. �Make another circle,� Munch instructed, �same direction as before, and try not to step on the salt.� Alex solemnly paced off the distance around the circle, thinking nothing of it as she tried to keep the irritating smoke out of her eyes, until she caught Logan�s smirking face peering at her over Dr. Huang�s head. Now she noticed Elliot and Fin grinning uneasily, and Deakins hiding his smile behind his hand. She suddenly realized how ridiculous she must look, and it was all she could do to complete the circle without dissolving into a fit of giggles.

�Here,� she said, trying to hand Munch his burning bush. He motioned toward the center of the circle.

�Toss it in there,� he said. �It needs to ground the circle and purify the air. It�ll burn itself out in a few minutes.� Carefully walking around the outside of the circle, Munch gathered his �coven� around him like a school teacher on a field trip. �Number one: nobody must enter the circle until I say, got it? Number two: this is the last chance to back out. If you want to quit, say so now - we�ll probably call you names, throw stones at you and forget your birthday, but there won�t be any permanent damage. Once we do this next part, the Binding, only we twelve can work the spell without about three days worth of unbinding chants. Understand?� There were twelve murmurs of assent. �Does anyone want out?� Alex glanced at Edward, who met her eyes unflinchingly, and then smiled. No one spoke up. �All right, let�s get on with this.�

Munch had them line up and recite a simple incantation. Simple in word, at least.

�I, Alexandra Eames, hereby bind myself and my spirit and my energy to the task before me, to free a soul from the dark magicks of another, with only love and peace and friendship to guide my hand, else my work be for naught. So I swear.� All the fancy wording aside, she�d basically chained herself to this spell, which would only work if everyone participated with pure and selfless intentions. She eyed Elliot, Novak, Carver and Bishop as they said the words, searching for some sign that they really understood what they were getting into. Only Bishop seemed to take it seriously, reciting the lines flawlessly and without prompting. Show-off.

When everyone was dutifully sworn in, Munch allowed them a five minute break to stretch their legs, use the restroom or get one last cup of coffee before they began the spell. Apparently, once you started, there were no bathroom breaks. Alex made a bee-line over to where Bobby was standing at the edge of the roof, staring down into the street below.

�I do love you,� she said quietly.

�I know.�

�I needed to say it.�

�Thanks.� They were silent for a moment. �I don�t want to pretend that nothing�s changed, Eames. I want to be able to - to look at you without feeling guilty that I�ve seen you at you most vulnerable ... and most beautiful. Even - even if we ... never again - I want to remember.� She didn�t respond at first, letting the moments she�d saved replay through her mind: his hands, his lips, his skin, his touch, his kiss. She casually reached over and entwined her fingers with his.

�Please remember,� she said, �and if I start to forget, you can remind me.� Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance her way. She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. Yes, she meant exactly what he thought she meant. Never was a very long time, after all. They dropped hands and she turned as footsteps crunched on the gravel behind them.

"Sorry, Alex,� Munch said, �you'll have to save the pillow-talk for later. I have something important to discuss with you two." Alex let his comment slide. She knew when to pick her battles and the meaning of the phrase: 'The lady doth protest too much.' Beside her, Bobby turned away from the street.

"Like what caused our wounds to heal?" he asked. Munch waved his hand dismissively.

"No, I already know why that happened," he said. "Well, I have a pretty good idea." Alex raised her eyebrows inquiringly.

"And were you going to tell us?" Munch glanced around, making sure they couldn't be overheard.

"When shared by the right people for the right reasons, really, really good, earth-shattering, life-changing sex is the second most powerful force in the universe." He paused, waiting.

"Okay, I'll bite," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "What's the first?"

"Love." She and Munch turned to look up at Bobby. He was staring off between the buildings, that deeply contemplative look on his face.

"That's right," Munch said, sounding irritated at having his thunder stolen, "but not just any love. This is the idea from which all other loves are born. It will not weaken with time or distance, will not be tarnished by thought or deed, cannot be marred by jealously or spite, and cannot be silenced by fear or pride. It's the kind of love you read about in fairy tales, that awakens the dead with a kiss, that cures the ill with a touch, that turns frogs into princes and beasts into men."

"That's very pretty," Alex said, chancing a glance at her partner. He was still gazing off into the distance. Yes, she loved him, but it couldn't be that kind of love. They were sensible adults, after all, not horny, hormone-crazed, idealistic adolescents. "But I don't believe in fairy tales."

"This morning, you didn't believe in magick, either," Munch pointed out with a smirk. "The stories had to start somewhere. Anyway," he continued before she could form a protest, "what I came over to talk to you about. Detective Goren, this is for you." He handed Bobby a faded pink hydrangea blossom.

"Thank you," Bobby said, taking the flower, "but I already have a date for the prom." Alex smirked silently, trying to keep from laughing.

"Everybody's a comedian," Munch muttered, rolling his eyes. "Hydrangeas are used to break hexes, Detective, and you're really not my type. Also, I need to know what you want done with the incubus."

"Done with it? I want it out of my partner, that's what I want done with it."

"Yes, but do you want it sent back where it came from, or do you want it put into something ... or someone?"

"Not someone," Bobby said immediately. "No one should have to suffer this."

"And I don't think Raum should get it back," Alex said. "He's dangerous enough now. I shudder to imagine the carnage if he suddenly got his passion back."

"Well, they do say that revenge is a dish best served cold," Munch said, raising one shoulder in half a shrug.

"But this isn't even his revenge," Alex pointed out. "It's Nicole's."

"If he can be believed," Bobby said. Munch peered at him over the tops of his glasses.

�We tend not to lie; untruth does strange things to the magick.� Munch said. �If he said it, then he should be believed. Usually. Did he mention Nicole Wallace first, or did you?" Alex frowned as she played back their coversation in her head.

"I did ... No, he did, he said something about 'the one that got away, not once, but three times' and then I asked if Nicole put him up to this. That's when he told me about pulling her out of the river."

"I suppose it's possible that he just read about Nicole in the papers and is using her to distract you, to keep you from seeing his real motive, whatever that might be." Munch stared up into the sky as he rubbed his chin. "Are you sure you didn't drop his little brother out of a thirty story window or something?"

"Very funny, Detective," Alex said, glancing up at her partner. One eyebrow twitched in a frown and she gave him a small 'I'll explain later' smile. She wasn't surprised - if it wasn't on PBS or the Discovery Channel, it wasn't worth watching. One of these days, she was going to have to introduce him to the joys of overacting and gratuitous violence. "So, back to the incubus, what do we need to put it into? A box?"

"Something metal, silver or gold, preferably, and fairly sturdy. If the item is destroyed, the incubus will return to Raum, unless he's dead, and then it will latch on to whoever's nearest." Alex rummaged through her pockets, finding a pack of gum, a blue hair scrunchy, sixteen cents in change and a wrinkled grocery receipt.

"Will this work?" Bobby asked, holding out a worn gold wedding band. Munch took it, examined it, and handed it back.

�That�ll do. Don�t lose it.� Bobby slipped the ring on his finger.

"Do you always carry that with you?" Alex asked. It was the prop ring he used whenever they went out as a married couple. Hers was locked in her desk.

"It was in the jeans," Bobby said with a crooked smile. "Forgot to ... put it away after the last case."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Coleman's missing bull, Pepper Jack." She turned to Munch. "Can you imagine a bull worth one hundred and fifty thousand dollars?"

"That's some expensive T-bones."

"He was bull of the year on the professional bull riding circuit," Bobby said. "Ridden once in eighty-three times out, with an average score of forty-seven. That nets you twenty-five thousand a pop for stud fees."

"I didn't peg you for a bull riding fan," Munch said. Alex laughed and shook her head.

"It was a case, which makes him an expert. He fit right in with all those cowboy types. I, however, ended up knee deep in manure. You did look good in that hat, though," she added, a teasing smile on her face. "Too bad you had to return it to wardrobe."

"The one they had was too small," he said. "I bought my own."

"You took it back, I suppose." He shrugged, a playful quirk hiding at the corner of his mouth.

"I've been meaning to. Haven't really found the time. Maybe this weekend. Unless you - you think I should keep it." Alex shrugged back, trying to keep her face straight and finding it increasingly difficult. She kept picturing Bobby in that black Stetson ... and not much else. What was the saying these days, 'Save a horse, ride a cowboy'? She shook her head and took a calming breath, then glanced up to find Munch watching her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Something you�d like to share with the rest of the class?� Alex put on a penitent face and shook her head. �Do you mind if we get started, then?" She held her hands up in surrender, not ready to trust what might come out of her mouth.

"So, what's my part in this?" Bobby asked, twirling the hydrangea between his fingers.

"Just stand there and look pretty," Munch said with a smirk. He turned around, raising his voice as he called for attention. "Is everybody here?" They glanced around and did a quick headcount. "Good. Everyone got their plants?" Several people nodded and murmured affirmatively. Taking a deep breath, Munch nodded solemnly. "All right, let's do this." It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop, or the beat of a crow's wing.

"Alex, look out!" She glanced up as Bobby shouted, instinctively reaching for her weapon, but before her fingers could touch the butt, or the dark shape in the sky above her head could register, she found herself flat on her back, the gravel digging into her shoulders as Bobby's weight drove the air from her lungs. Light flared, a horrible red-gold light, flickering like hellfire, surrounding them, burning her eyes, stinging her skin, scorching her lungs as she drew breath and screamed.
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