"Jack!"

McCoy continued across the crosswalk towards the courthouse, ignoring the impatient voice behind him. As his pace quickened, so did the sound of Danielle Melnick's high heels.

"Come on Jack, slow down," Melnick hissed, just steps behind him. "These are new heels and my feet are killing me. Not to mention if I break a heel because I had to chase you down Centre Street like a process server just to..."

The district attorney sighed heavily. Realizing it would be futile to try to avoid his old friend indefinitely, McCoy abruptly stopped.

"Listen, Danielle. If...," he began, as he turned.

Melnick walked into her friend's chest, his sudden stop giving her no time to falter.

"Danielle, are you all right?"

Melnick shook his hands off of her shoulders and ignored the inviting smell of musk that radiated from McCoy; instead focusing focusing on the annoyance she felt.

"It would serve you right if I said 'no' and sued you for negligence," she shot back. "I've been trying to reach you for almost two weeks. You won't return my calls…I've left so many messages that your administrative assistant and I aren't just on a first name basis; I even know the names of all her grandchildren!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Danielle."

"Jasper, Jacob, and Joanie."

McCoy stared at Melnick blindly.

"Those are the names of Linda's grandchildren," Melnick said proudly. "My God Jack, you've worked in the same office with the woman for more years! If you took the time to look on her desk when you say 'goodmorning' to her, you'd see the frame with their names printed under their pictures. If you paid less attention to leggy troublemakers like Vanessa Galiano, you'd notcie..."

"This is exactly the conversation I was trying to avoid," McCoy interjected gruffly, as he turned and strode towards the courthouse.

"You can avoid having it with me, but you can't avoid having it with your fiancée," Melnick countered as she stayed at his heels. "Her flight should be circling Kennedy just about now."

McCoy stopped again and whirled around.

"You've talked to Brooke," he said incredulously.

Melnick shook her head.

"Not me. Sam called her after the dinner to tell her..."

"Oh God Danielle, why the hell can't everyone just leave it alone? Nothing happened between me and Vanessa. Not that that's in any way, shape, or form any of Sam's business."

"Now wait a minute, counselor," Melnick said as she reached for his arm. "Contrary to popular myth: The world does not revolve around your sex life. Sam called Brooke to tell her our news. When he asked her to bring him his mother's ring, she agreed on the condition that he call her and let her know what I said..."

"News…"McCoy looked down at ring on Melick's finger in disbelief. "Sam proposed and you accepted? When? Why didn't you tell me?"

Melnick stood, hands on hips, and gave him a withering stare. McCoy lowered his eyes in embarrassment and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

"I apologize, Danielle," the DA said contritely. "Congratulations. Any chance you'd let this self absorbed SOB kiss the bride," he said as he sheepishly raised his eyes.

"I suppose twenty years of friendship should mean something," Melnick joked as McCoy moved to embrace her. "Sam proposed the night of that dinner you thought you were going to speak at…actually you have Sam to thank for me not making a beeline to where ever you went off to with Galiano. I looked for you before we left, but you were nowhere to be found."

"I set Vanessa straight about a few things and then I grabbed a taxi," McCoy said as he shifted his feet.

Even as he said the words, his mind flashed back to the kiss…the heated exchange…the heat…

"Sure you did. That's why you were in that banquet room alone with her for almost a half an hour."

"Jesus Danielle! For a woman that's spent half her life defending the Bill of Rights you seem to have a selective memory… ever hear of a right to privacy," McCoy sputtered in disbelief, as he shook his head. "Are you having me followed? When I became DA did you hire spies to..."

McCoy's defensiveness was like a red flag to his friend of so many years. Melnick's eyes narrowed, as she studied him with growing suspicion.

"Oh Jack," she said in a quiet gasp, "no. How you could … how could you be such an idiot? What are you going to tell Brooke?"

"I wasn't," McCoy snapped, looking passed Melnick towards the traffic,"and I resent the fact you'd even think I'd..."

"Come on Jack. When you go Shakespeare on me…"

"Shakespeare?"

"Yeah," Melnick said drily."You may not be a lady, but you're definitely protesting too much."

McCoy opened his mouth to make a scathing retort and stopped. Melnick knew him too well for him to even try to banter his way around the issue.

"What kind of a man do you think I am Danielle? Do you think I forgot why Brooke went to Moscow…why Nadia Brezin even contacted her? I didn't sleep with Vanessa or anyone else."

Melnick studied the unmistakably guilty expression on her friends' face, as she would have the face of a hostile witness on the stand.

"You realize the only way I could know about the banquet room is that someone saw you, right? Maybe you didn't sleep with her, but something is going on with you, Jack. Now, are you going to tell me what it is so maybe I can help you work it through before you go home tonight and have to explain why you look as guilty as Mickey Scott to your fiancée?"