A/N: They aren't mine. Written awhile back, and it's finally up. If you'd be so kind as to read and review.
The annual DA's office Christmas party had been well under way for a couple of hours. Lawyers and alcohol, so typical. It was no different than any other year, Jack McCoy thought. Except that the female ADAs kept getting younger. He smirked to himself, knocking back a bit of eggnog brandy. He was a scotch man, bourbon if he had to, but it was after all, Christmas-time.
He glanced around. Jamie Ross was supposed to have arrived when he did. The original plan was leaving together from Hogan Place and then bailing early on the party. But she'd gotten a call from the nanny and had to rush home. She said she'd make it back if she could… He sighed. They'd been working together for several months and while he would never admit to her that he enjoyed her company, they had formed something of a friendship. Sparring partners, Adam Schiff called it. Schiff also referred to it as 'a pain in my ass' but that was the District Attorney for you.
He was rocking back on the balls of his feet a little anxious, mostly bored, when a probie accidentally ran into him.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. McCoy! It was an accident, Mr. McCoy…"
He gave the kid a glare and took another drink. He wasn't actually angry. If anything, he was annoyed at how damn afraid these new prosecutors were. If Ross were here, she would have smirked along with him as the kid scurried off, fearing for his job.
"Enjoying your power trip?" she'd say.
"Of course I am," he would reply.
McCoy smirked to himself and went for another plastic cup of eggnog. He grabbed a handful of pretzels as he did. Way to spring for the whole nine yards, he thought to himself. He sauntered over against a wall that was decorated in cheesy Christmas cutouts. People kept giving him looks as he leaned against the wall, but he wasn't sure why. It wasn't terribly unusual though so he just drank and discounted them.
He didn't know how long he'd been hanging out there, how many cups of eggnog he'd had or how many freaked out looking ADAs had gone by when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"What the hell are you still doing here?" Jamie's eyes were amused as she looked up at him..
"…I don't know," he said. "Scaring people?" In truth he wanted to say, 'waiting for you' but that would be misconstrued. He knew better.
She smirked, then leaned up and to his surprise, pecked him on the cheek. "Merry Christmas. Leave it to you to stand under mistletoe all night."
"…what?" He looked up, over his head, as Jamie laughed. So that's why they'd all been staring at him. He laughed too, thinking of all those probies wondering if they were supposed to kiss him or something. And not one of them had the nerve to. Except for Jamie. Of course, she was out of their league. He would never admit that, either. Instead, he gave her a kiss right back, on the cheek as well.
"Well, you're standing right under it too…"