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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.

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The silence was deafening. Bobby turned away, like he was going to pace the room, then he spun around, grabbing Raum by the throat and lifting him off the floor.

�All these years I�ve had that box,� Bobby said, no trace of smiling eyes or boyish charm now, just cold fury, �you - you never came looking for it.�

�You�re not an easy man to track down, Detective Goren,� Raum choked out, his feet kicking against the cinder block wall, "especially since I didn�t even know your name.� Bobby let go of him, wiping his hand on the leg of his slacks as he paced across the room and back. �Besides,� Raum continued, rubbing at his throat, �when I killed my Master and took his power, I damned myself beyond redemption. My sister's illness wasn�t all that important anymore. I had my own problems to deal with.�

�So why come after it now?� Alex asked. �A sudden attack of conscience?�

"It was fate," he said with a shrug. "I happened to pull that woman out of the river -" he jerked his head toward Nicole. " - and you happened to be the one that killed her, Detective Goren. Everything just sort of fell into place."

"A lot of good the amulet's going to do you, or your sister, once the Council gets you," Alex said. "I would have tried to keep my freedom in the bargain." Raum laughed.

�My freedom would only be a bargaining chip if I were truly your prisoner -� He twisted his wrists and the cuffs fell to the floor with a clatter. �- which I am not.� Alex reached for her weapon, but Raum held out his hands placating. �By all means, slap them back on, if it makes you feel better.� Bobby bent and retrieved his cuffs, slipping them back into his belt.

�Say it then, so that there are no misunderstandings,� Bobby said.

�You bring me what I want, I give you what you need to bury Nicole once and for all. Simple as that.�

�And if the amulet isn�t in the box?� Alex asked. �Of if it�s the wrong box?�

�No deal,� Raum said coldly, �but I will give you this; make a true effort, with no trickery or deception, and when I escape, I will never bother either of you again, nor knowingly meddle with anyone you know.� Alex exchanged a glance with her partner. Something about this didn�t feel quite right, like there was something they were overlooking. �You should probably also note, that if I discover you tried to cheat me, I will make you very sorry. I will kill her.� His eyes slid over to Alex. �Slowly.� Bobby grabbed him by the throat again.

�If you touch her -� Raum shoved his hand away.

�Do that again, Detective, and you will be left with nothing but a stiff neck from looking over your shoulder, wondering when I will return, understand?� He glanced up at the clock on the wall. �It�s almost seven. The sun sets between eight thirty and nine this time of year. You have until then to give me what I want. Any later than that, and the deal�s off.�

�Fine,� Bobby said, �but you have to agree not to make your �grand escape� until then.�

�Agreed. Now, take me back to my room. The view from this one is ... monotonous.� Indeed, Nicole was still sitting as she had been when they entered. As Bobby escorted Raum back to the room next door, Alex lingered, leaning against the glass as she stared at Nicole. Something about this didn�t sit well ... something ...

�What are you thinking?� She didn�t look up as Bobby stepped up beside her.

�That we�re about to get screwed on this one,� she said. She sighed and walked away from the glass. �No matter what we do, Raum gets away.�

�For now,� Bobby conceded, �but the Witch�s Council will get him. We have his fingerprints in the system; it�s only a matter of time before he�s caught. Now Nicole, on the other hand ... �

�This is all about her, isn�t it? You�ve got it set in your mind that Nicole has to be brought in, no matter what. Maybe ... maybe you�re too close - �

�I have not lost my objectivity, Alex. Nicole is a cold-blooded murderer.�

�So is he. Damnit, Bobby, you died because of him! Just because you came back doesn't negate that fact. And what about Kia Lighthawk, who died trying to help you?� Bobby turned away as if she�d slapped him. Perhaps it was a low blow, but he was being selfish. What about John, what about Olivia, and Edward and everyone else who had been pulled into this surrealistic nightmare? What about their justice? Bobby wasn't the only one who had been wronged in this. "What about all the people he's going to hurt? Can you really justify turning him loose just so you can get Nicole?"

"Find John Munch," Bobby said, his barely audible as he stood with his back to her, his head hung low. "He'll know how to stop Raum escaping. Since he withdrew his freedom from the bargain, he can't hold it a - against us for trying. I have to go get ... the box."

"Fin's looking for Munch - hell, half the city is. I'm going with you." She heard him draw breath, as if to speak, then he glanced over his shoulder, a thousand shades of insecurity, fear, doubt and sadness in his dark eyes. �I�ll stay in the car,� Alex told him, �but I�m not making you make that drive alone.�

~*~*~*~*~*~

The weight across her shoulders was steadily growing worse. All the meaningless, distracted banter in the world couldn't drive away the one thought that sat like a crouched tiger in the forefront of her mind, motionless, but impossible to ignore. Three times she'd tried to let it out, but each time Bobby seemed to know what she was trying to say and cut her off with some remark about the traffic, or the weather, or the little black sports car that just ran the yellow light in front of them. Finally, she could stand it no more.

"Bobby," she said, glancing over at him. He was staring out the passenger's side window, or perhaps watching his own faint reflection in the glass. "Bobby, that amulet, - "

"Don't say it Alex," he murmured, closing his eyes. She crossed another intersection before she spoke again.

"Just making sure you understand - "

"Acutely." Alex signaled, turned the corner, and then changed lanes, merging into the freeway traffic.

"It's not like he can do anything - "

"I'm not putting you in danger!" he said, looking surprised at the forcefulness of his own voice. He glanced at her and shifted restlessly in his seat.

"I'm in danger, Bobby, we both are, all the time, it's what we do. Or are you going to make me quit my job now because it's too dangerous?"

"That's different."

"No it isn't. Life is dangerous. It has a one hundred percent mortality rate. You just have to enjoy the time you have, to make the most of every moment, and you can't tell me that having you mother's illness cured wouldn't make your life even a bit more enjoyable. That amulet could do it."

"How can you possibly ask me to weigh your life against curing my mother's illness? You can't. It's unfair."

"He's not going to kill me. I'm sure Fin found John and Raum is lying doped to the gills on the floor of that interrogation room right now. The Council will take him, kill him, whatever, and everyone's happy." Bobby didn't respond.

As they neared Carmel Ridge, Bobby seemed to grow more restless, absently chewing on the side of his thumb as he stared out the window, shifting in his seat so much the leather creaked like a rusted porch swing. He'd have made a great commercial for hemorrhoid ointment. Alex tried to ignore it, but when she glanced down at her hands and found them gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, she'd decided she'd had enough.

"For the love of God, stop wiggling," she said through her teeth. "Just say it - whatever it is, get it out. We agreed you wouldn't do this, remember?" He didn't answer right away, but she knew him well enough to know he was trying to find the right words.

"I'm hoping this has been a good day," he murmured. "She doesn't have many, but ... I don't want you to see her on - on a bad day."

"I said I'd stay in the car," she reminded him gently. "I don't mind -"

"No, I - I want you to meet her," he said, "it's just ... no one ever visits her but me. My brother used to, around her birthday, maybe Christmas, but not for a while. I feel like - like she's mine, my ... burden, my ... joy, mine alone, but now ...� I don�t want to be alone, I want you to share this part of my life, but I�m afraid ... afraid that you�ll leave, that you won�t want someone so ... damaged. As if he had spoken the words, she suddenly understood.

"Bobby, if you think meeting your mother is going to scare me off, I obviously never told you about meeting my husband's mother for the first time. She threw a crock pot at me. I still married him. So don't worry, okay. I - I understand that this is a big step for you, and I'm honored beyond words, really, no matter what happens."

"Thanks, Alex," he said. As if the warm smile overflowing with gratitude hadn't been enough of a reward, he settled quietly into his seat.

'Can I ask you a question?" she asked after a moment. "It's about Edward." She could have said, 'It's about letting Nicole go.' and have gotten the same reaction. Every muscle in his body tensed. "Why can't you get along with him? He's not such a bad guy."

"Not such a bad guy," he repeated, looking out the window instead of at her. "Forgive me if my 'girl talk' is a little rusty, but doesn't that roughly translate to 'He's gorgeous, so who cares what an asshole he is,'?"

"He's not an asshole," she said. "Wish I could say the same about you, right now." An angry silence filled the car, broken only by the hum of the pavement beneath their tires. "Is that all it is, you don't like him because he's good looking?"

"I don't like him because he's after you!" Bobby burst out, slamming his fist against his knee. "From the day he transferred in, every woman in the building has had her eye on him, but he's had his eye on only you. Guys like him, they think they can have anything they want, but they're - they're fickle, they don't know what they want. But if they see you with something, they think it must be worth having, and they don't stop until they have it - then they don't want it anymore, they throw it away ..."

"What was her name?" Alex asked softly. Bobby shook his head.

"It's not important. I just - I've known guys like him. They pretend to be your best friend, until they've gotten what they thought they wanted from you."

"He's not like that," Alex said, feeling like she was talking to a wall, "but even he was, I'm not interested. I wasn't interested before I found out you've been secretly pining for me all these years." That got him to laugh. "I guess I can't expect you to give him a chance, but don't expect me to stop being friends with him."

"Fair enough," Bobby said after a moment, "just don't let me catch you sleeping in his arms again."

"It's a deal," Alex said with a crooked smile, "I won't let you catch me."
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