Disclaimer: You know the deal. They belong to the man, Dick Wolf, and his team. I ain't connected. (But damn I wish I was). Some characters I did create, so those are mine. I'm sure you can tell the difference. We know next to nothing about Nina right now, so I made up some people in her life the way I imagine it. It's all in fun.

This is a side story to my fic "The Way To Break" from the Broken Knight trilogy, but you don't really have to have read those to follow this. But you should :D. This one is short, just an explaination to something I threw into the last story. So if you haven't read my trilogy yet, this will be a very very minor spoiler from "The Way To Break".

She sat alone in the dim bar, swirling the drink in her glass. The quiet bar was uncommon for her. She skipped the normal watering hole, where she would be sure to catch other cops. She didn't feel like being around anyone she knew, or anyone who might know her. She needed time by herself, whoever she was. She wasn't quite sure lately. She picked up her colorful drink and knocked the end of it back. 'Here's to you, Detective Beauty Queen,' she thought to herself.
Nina Cassidy was a few months into her new role. Detective. A title she used to salivate for. A title that still made her giddy when thought of. But it wasn't anything as she'd imagined. To start off with, she had to deal with that ridiculous publicity that painted a forever picture of her to her new squad, and every other NYPD she came across. And in that, she had to deal with the tough and brittle Lieutenant that she'd been assigned under. Then to top it off, she was partnered with a man who was no picnic. Yes, he was a great detective, a good teacher, and civil. But that's where it had ended. He had been obviously going through a lot of personal issues in his life, that at times he brought to work with him. Before long he became rude and snippy and truly the least favorite part of her job. The job that she had been dreaming of for so long, the job that she wanted to show everyone she could do, and it was such a struggle.

And that particular day had been a doozy. She and her partner had gotten into a verbal lashing over a case, and his stubborn moody self had given her about as much as she could take. Just when she had thought they were finally getting along, too. And because of something she had done, their perp had gotten away and they had no leads on him. So in addition to battling with her Lieutenant and partner, she got to add Assistant DA Rubirosa and Executive Assistant DA Jack McCoy to that list. The latter of the two having given her a nice trickle of shouting. She sighed, and picked up the new drink that was placed before her.

"I thought I was the only one who knew about this place," a voice said beside her. She glanced over as a tall, extremely handsome, man sat beside her and signaled for a beer. He was dressed primly in a dark gray suit, white shirt, and black tie. Vague recognition blurred through Nina's mind. She must have been obvious in looking him over, trying to place him, because he gave her a wide toothy grin. "I don't think we've officially met. If it helps jog your memory, imagine your partner and Detective Goren between us, fighting."

Nina thought back to the day, just over a month ago, she'd had to restrain her partner from getting in a fist fight with his friend Bobby Goren. She nodded, "Right, Major Case."

"And you're Ed Green's new partner up at the 2-7," he commented.

"I am." She must not have sounded thrilled because he laughed.

"I don't envy you." He held out a large hand. "The name's Mike Logan."

She placed her hand in his, gripped tightly, and shook. "Good to meet you...Logan..." she ran the name through her memory bank. "Slugged that politician, exiled to Staten Island. You used to be at the 2-7, didn't you?"

"Yes, yes, and yes." He drank his beer and sat back in a relaxed slump. "And I hear they call you-"

"Don't say it," she shook her head, but smiled.

"Never seen you out here before," Mike said, politely changing the subject.

"Never been here," she admitted. "I needed a drink from somewhere hidden. So much for that."

"I can move down the bar if you want," he offered.

"No, no it's okay. If you're here too, I would guess you know how it feels."

"I do." He drank from his bottle again, then glanced at her. "Didn't get your name."

"Nina. Cassidy."

"Well, Nina, here's to hiding in dark bars," he held his bottle to her and she clinked her glass to it.

"Cheers, Mike." They smiled at each other, both envisioning it a perfect night for a one night stand.

"You're gonna give me a heart attack, woman," he mumbled into her ear, as her nails grazed through his hair, across his cheek, and down his chest.

"Mmm, then I'll let you sleep," she said. She started to get up so that she could dress and head home, but he took her by the arm and gently pulled her back down.

"Damned if you won't be a great way to die," he said.

She was zipping up her coat at the front door. He padded out to her having put on boxers and a white t-shirt. She glanced at him. "I'll call," he said sleepily.

"You don't have my number," she reminded him. Then she let herself out and shut the door behind her. As she left his building and looked for a cab, she laughed to herself. It had been a long time since she had left a strange man's apartment in the early morning hours. She slumped back in the cab seat and stared out the window. She was tired. She wanted to crawl into bed and sleep forever, or at least the few hours she had before she had to get up for work.