I thought it would be interesting to see what Mike would be like as a parent, lol. Just some drabble, enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Law and Order' and its characters or some of the phrases found in this story. I do not own Johnny Walker.

Category: Connie/Mike

Rating: T, for foul language and some themes.

Trouble Maker

By LTP-girl

"Caroline, turn that music down, now! It's too loud," Mike demanded, annoyed.

"But Dad, I like it!" she whined back, equally disgruntled.

"Well, I don't!" he yelled, waltzing into her room. "I've got this big trial tomorrow, so you should at least show me the slightest bit of curtsey, and turn that noise down."

"It's not noise, it's hip-hop," Caroline protested.

"I don't care what it is! All I hear is fuck ya this and fuck ya that, and I'm sure the whole building can too! I don't know why people should be subjected to such abhorrent language blasting into their ears!" Mike angered. "You know, at my work, when I tell my people to jump, they jump, no questions asked!"

She rolled her eyes.

"Maybe if you gave me back my iPod, you wouldn't have to put up with this noise," she muttered.

"You know very well why you're not getting your iPod back!" Mike replied, infuriated. "You're not getting it back until you apologise to Mr McCoy for calling him that nasty word!"

"Fine, Dad, I'll turn it down then," she relented, feeling defeated. She walked over to her stereo and turned the knob.

"Good, I would like it to stay that way."

He then left, closing the door behind him.

Caroline Cutter didn't like being told what to do, and she certainly didn't like it when her father told her what to do.

***

Mike sighed exasperated, as he paced around the lounge room. "I don't know what to do with her, Connie," he said, peeved. "I negotiated with Caroline that she could ride the subway home with some friends, and go to the mall if she wanted to, as long as she came home by five o'clock. It's now eight."

Connie placed the mug of tea she was nursing on the chrome coffee table in front of her. She looked up at him gently. "Come on Mike, she's fourteen. Of course she's defying your parental authority," she explained. "Teens like to get out and test their boundaries."

Caroline had been removed from her mother's care, and placed in full custody of her father, Mike. This followed a recent incident where she turned up during the middle of the day at her school's front steps, slurring and swaying all over the place, before passing out drunk in the foyer. Teachers and staff then discovered a half empty bottle of Johnny Walker concealed in her blazer pocket, which called for immediate custodial intervention.

She had only been living with Mike for two months, and here she was already running amuck, causing her father constant worry and fury.

Mike loosened his tie. "She came home yesterday with this form she asked me to sign. It was another detention. This time for smoking outside the gym," he complained. "That's her twelfth this month. Sharon and I pay thirty-thousand dollars a year to send her to that school, and look what she does. She'll be out on her ear before we know it."

"I told her that her behaviour was unacceptable, and asked her why she does stupid things like that. You know what she said to me? She laughed and said, oh Dad sometimes it's fun to get into trouble with your friends, you know?"

Connie stifled an amused laugh. "Well, that's teenage rebellion at its finest, Mike."

He continued to rant with frustration. "She died her hair purple last week, and so of course her school wasn't happy about that, with all of their strict uniform regulations. I had to go up to the school and talk to her principal about it," he explained. "And she's had her blackberry confiscated more times than I can count. People that work in the office at that school always look at me as though thinking, 'what's Caroline done this time?' I'm getting tired of it."

Connie crossed her legs. "I guess you just need to set stronger boundaries," she suggested. "She's just come from a home environment with passive parenting, so of course she thinks she can walk all over you. You need to be firmer with her."

"It sounds easier than it is, Connie. I mean, what would I know about being a father? My father was never there for me after my parents divorced." He gestured with his hands.

"Hm, well maybe having Caroline back in your life has given you the chance to do it better," Connie pointed out.

Mike slid his hands into his jacket pockets, continuing to grumble about his wayward daughter. He was having a field day. "She's going to be in so much trouble when she gets home. No more phone, no more TV, no more internet, and no more crude music!" he drew the line. "She's grounded."

"That's a start," Connie said, agreeing with Mike's decision. "And here you were thinking you wouldn't make a good parent."

The end.

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