-1As always, these characters belong to Dick Wolf, not me. This story is for fun, not profit.
Another One Bites the Dust
"Arthur, the man's office is like a Miss Universe pageant!"
"Now, Ron, that's a bit of an exaggeration, wouldn't you say?"
"Sally Bell, the former Mrs. McCoy, Diana Hawthorne, Kincaid, Ross, Carmichael, Southerlyn, Borgia, Rubirosa…That's nearly three decades of women assisting Jack McCoy! Arthur, am I the only male this office has hired in thirty years," joked Ron Carver.
Branch laughed as the bartender brought the two men their drinks. "Jack has had more than his share of attractive assistants; I'll give you that, Ron."
"Jack McCoy has a reputation that speaks for it self. Why Alfred Wentworth didn't stop assigning him women to work with, after Jack's divorce, I'll never know. I'd of thought Adam Schiff would have put a stop to it, if not before the Hawthorne case, certainly after Claire Kincaid died. I mean, the man was a basket case, for more than a year. Made some damn sloppy professional decisions because of it. Then Nora came in…"
"Ron, to be fair, Adam has told me after the Kincaid woman died; he planned to assign you to work with Jack. Then Jamie Ross interviewed. Adam couldn't pass up someone with her trial experience. But she was a defense lawyer. He needed a seasoned prosecutor to train her. As for Carmichael, I can't speak to that. Southerlyn, well, I know for a fact Jack wasn't her type."
"Serena didn't go in for the silver fox type?"
His Southern upbringing brought forth a simple, "Nope," and nothing more. Carver's remark told him his former ADA had not come completely out of the closet. Arthur didn't feel Serena's story was his to tell.
"Arthur, you yourself, keep pairing him up with these young, beautiful women. No offense but, what the hell are you thinking? Jack isn't as young as he used to be, but he's still Jack. It's got to be like a kid in a candy store for him. Wouldn't surprise me if he personally financed R & D for Viagra."
Branch chuckled. "Yeah. Surprised they don't call that stuff ViJackgra."
"Seriously, Arthur. It's a miracle Jack hasn't been named in a sexual harassment suit."
"Now, Ron. Jack doesn't harass these women. Hell, he charms them. I know Judge Ross holds him in the highest regard. God knows what she told the discipline committee to get his bacon out of the fire. When it hit the news that he'd been in front of the courthouse the day of the shooting, I not only got a calls from Sally Bell and Jack's ex wife; Abby Carmichael in D C and Serena Southerlyn called as well. No, there like moths to a flame. Even with that damn white hair!"
Carver shook his head. "His luck isn't gonna last forever. When you fired Serena that was a perfect time to break the cycle."
"I thought Alex would be good for him, Ron. Jack's had personal issues with his daughter. Hasn't spoken to her in years. Mystery as to the details. Won't open up about it. He was protective of Alexandra. Fatherly. She seems to have put an end to his skirt chasing days, at least, in this office. Damn shame what happened to her. Bad enough losing such a talented young woman. But, now I worry about Jack.
"I mean, in his years as EADA he's seen it all and taken it in stride. Ms. Kincaid's death, prosecuting colleagues, friends, a lover …hell, even death threats. Nothing kept the man down. But now…"Branch paused thoughtfully savoring his brandy. "Now, it seems as if more often than not, were working at cross purposes. Fire's not quite out, but…"
Carver smirked, looking across the room. "I don't know Arthur. Looks pretty warm over there, to me."
Branch followed Carver stare. Across the room sat Jack McCoy and Connie Rubinnosa. Even from that distance, Arthur could see the winkle in McCoy's eyes. Branch cringed, as he heard Connie laughing, at something McCoy had whispered in her ear.
"Hell, no! This is not happening. Connie doesn't even like Jack - cuts him down with are marks like 'Please, I hate war stories' when he even looks like he's going to share something about himself and leaves. Flat out tells the man 'no'. Refused to make an important call for a case last week…", Branch stopped and waved, smiling brightly.
McCoy and Connie had stopped laughing. Connie blushing uncomfortably. McCoy mildly annoyed, as evidenced by the sudden lowering of his head. Before meeting Arthur's gaze.
Branch elbowed Carver, continuing to meet Jack questioning glance. "Looks like we might be able to nip this one in the bud," Branch stood picking up his glass. "Bartender, send another round over to that table."
"Arthur, I don't think they want company."
"That's exactly why they're gonna to get it. Help me out here, Ron. Be sure to mention that Viagra theory to Connie while I distract Jack. Maybe it'll make her think twice about the silver fox, here."