Just something different I thought of, and is kind of an experiment. Explores a scenario where in which Mike get's too involved in a case, and it's people!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of 'Law and Order'.

Category: Connie/Mike friendship

Rating: T, for adult themes.

Mike's Dilemma

By LTP-girl

Mike paced around the room, his hands on his hips.

"I happened to bump into her after the trial, and we got talking," he explained to Connie.

He stood still for a moment.

Connie sat at her desk, listening with undivided attention, her eyes turning soft yet concerned, as Mike continued his story.

He cleared his throat nervously. "So, I offered her a place to stay," he confessed, staring down at the ground with embarrassment, avoiding direct eye contact.

He couldn't believe he was telling Connie, of all people, about his little endeavour.

Connie nodded understandingly, continuing to listen, her expression without judgement.

"I thought it would be the decent thing to do," he said, gesturing with his hand, his other remaining on his hip. "The right thing to do."

He carried on. "I couldn't just leave her to go back to her dorm on a Friday night, with all that rowdiness, drugs and booze, and God knows what else," he reasoned. "And I certainly couldn't let her stay at her family home, where the murder had taken place." He paused for a moment. "I also felt that she needed someone to be there for her, and since she had nobody else... I thought I had better step in."

"Of course," Connie agreed reassuringly.

Mike sighed exasperated. "I offered her my bed, but she insisted she sleep on the couch, so I made her a deal and set up the sofa bed for her." He leaned against the rounded table in the middle of the room, next to her desk. He swallowed. "She stayed for few nights, which was completely okay. But the other night, I woke up at about three, with her lying next to me."

Connie raised an eyebrow. "Did you sleep with her? I mean... you know."

"No, of course not," he retorted quickly. "She must have sneaked in."

"Yes, she must have done."

"I went back to sleep, trying not to disturb her, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable or anything like that, especially with all that had happened," he stated, sliding his hands into his jacket pockets. "I woke up later that morning, and she had returned to the sofa bed."

Connie nodded, resting her head in her hand.

Poor Mike's got a dilemma, and he wants me to help him fix it, Connie thought to herself, with a hint of sarcasm. No surprises there.

"I need to tread carefully now. I can't tell her to leave just like that, and I can't really confront her about this. She's too vulnerable at the moment."

Connie sighed. "I know, but you're going to have to let her go sooner or later," she sighed, indecisive. "I know she has nobody to turn to. But you've done enough for her. We've done enough for her. I know we didn't get a guilty verdict, but we tried our best, Mike. That's all we can do."

Mike's face suddenly appeared drawn. "I walked into the kitchen this morning to find her dressed in one of my shirts, making pan-cakes," he explained, a look of perplexity entering his eyes. "She smiled at me, said good morning, and then she said how contented she was that she had found someone like me, and how happy she was that we were starting our lives together."

"Well, I'm sure there are a lot of things going through this young woman's mind at the moment, especially having both parents killed," Connie tried to justify. "And now with that perpetrator getting off scot-free, you can't expect her to not act out in certain, unpredictable ways." She sighed again, a little frustrated. "But she's going to have to learn to rely on herself a bit more. Seek help from other sources."

Mike pondered for a moment. "I never intended on this to happen, I don't even know how she could have gotten the idea. All I did was offer her a place to stay, to grieve, to get away from all of this nastiness for a while. How can I make it clear to her that it's not the right thing for us to be doing?"

Connie looked up at him wearily. "You'll just have to do it the hard way," she replied truthfully. "Just do what you do in court. Use that cold exterior of yours, and make it clear to her that you are in no way interested in forming a relationship with her, romantic or otherwise, and that her behaviour is unacceptable."

Mike shook his head disbelieving.

He could never do something like that to her.

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