'La Vie En Rose'

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Disclaimer: I own nothing resembling Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

Post-Ep for 'The Glory That Was...'. (Season 8, Episode 8)

Summary: After arresting Jack Tayler and closing the Caroline Walters case, Wheeler and Nichols chat about Audrey Hepburn movies.

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After a case closed, the detectives of Major Case usually had to face the nightmare known as paperwork. Ross liked to be able to hand off the prosecution of cases to the DA's office in one tidy, typed-up package. As a result, Detectives Nichols and Wheeler were navigating their way through the maze of colored papers.

"You look perplexed," Megan commented when she came back to the squad room with lunch.

Zach looked up at her and sighed. "Is it two copies of witness statements or three?"

"Two. One goes into filing, the other goes to the DA's office."

"And three copies of the ME's report," he continued, separating the different folders and stapled packets of paper. "Thank you for lunch."

Wheeler nodded. "I thought we should eat, since we've been at this since eight and it's suddenly two-thirty."

Nichols blinked and took the proffered sandwich. "Everything is starting to meld together."

"Well, don't confuse your Panini with Personnel files," she quipped.

"Somehow, I think the sandwich will taste better," her partner commented sardonically.

"Thank God for decent sub shops," Megan replied through a mouthful of food.

"Amen to that."

"Why are going through the witness statements?" Wheeler asked after a minute of thought. "I thought we had them wrapped up."

"Our esteemed captain wanted me to re-write my copies," Nichols replied with a grimace. "Apparently, my handwriting will mystify the DA's office."

His partner nodded. "Logan spent half his time trying to get me to do his paperwork. You're a refreshing change from that."

"Well, thank you. Still, I think this should be relatively simple for the judiciary to figure out what happened without two copies of a witness statement."

"Maybe we should include a DVD of Breakfast at Tiffany's to help the ADAs make sense of the case," Megan remarked with a smirk.

"It's not nice to tease your partner, Wheeler," Nichols retorted.

"I'm just trying to help the DA's office through your thought process," she offered.

"You sound like Ross.'I need something more to go on than Audrey Hepburn,'" he drawled in a decent impression of the captain.

"Well, it's not everyday that he gets a request for a warrant based on the antics of a 1960s style icon and George Peppard."

"I should have known you would be an Audrey fan," he teased.

"I am," she admitted with a little sigh. "Who isn't? Great clothes, even better guys..."

Zach nodded. "So, you were a little girl swooning over Mr. Peppard?"

Megan shook her head. "My mom wasn't really a fan of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Something about explaining prostitution and Mob prison terms didn't really appeal to her."

"Then, you were either singing along to My Fair Lady or maybe wishing you were a princess, Roman Holiday style."

"Wrong again. Sabrina."

Nichols laughed. "Ah, now I see. William Holden, Paris, la vie en rose--"

"Actually," Wheeler blushed and looked down at her desk, "I loved Humphrey Bogart in that movie."

"I didn't peg you to be a fan of old 'Bogie'," her partner remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"Something about a melancholy guy with big sad eyes," she mused aloud. Zach bit his lip. "Don't laugh at me!"

"Sorry," he chuckled. "I just don't see you swooning over old movie stars very often."

"A girl can dream, Zach."

"I'm not disputing that."

Megan sighed again. "It is a perfect movie, though. Just curl up on the couch with popcorn and hot tea--"

"What's a perfect movie?" Ross's voice stridently interrupted her musing.

"Nothing," Nichols said quickly, putting his head down and returning to his .

"Sabrina," Wheeler looked up at the captain with a smile.

Ross glared at her partner. "More Audrey Hepburn?"

"Don't look at me," Nichols replied indignantly.

"I do hope you have been doing more than discussing movies, detectives," the captain continued, looking over the sandwich wrappers and empty soda bottles.

Wheeler handed off a neatly filed packet of papers. "I'm just waiting for the original scene report from the local precinct."

"Re-writing witness statements," Nichols assured the captain.

"Carry on, then."

"Maybe going to the Film Forum mid-case isn't such a good idea," Zach observed after Ross had closed his office door. "Just seems to get me into trouble."

"Next time," his partner stood and stretched with a small groan, "I'll go. Maybe catch a showing of The Maltese Falcon if we're after jewel thieves."

"We won't get anything done if you start emptying your mind," he replied with a smile. "Ross will be furious."

Megan slowly headed towards the break room with a laugh. "Then, I'll just stick to daydreaming in the squad room."

"Where are you going?"

"Daydreams need chocolate," she called over her shoulder. Zach shook his head and went back to work.

Wheeler continued on to the vending machines, humming quietly to herself. The words to the old French song flowed through her mind as she punched the buttons of the machine. "Hold me close and hold me fast--"

She munched contentedly on the M&Ms for a minute. "This magic spell that you have cast--"

Megan finished with a smile. "This is la vie en rose."

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Author's Note: Just a little idea that popped into my head. All the movies are some of my favorites, so this was fun for me to write! The lyrics are from a version of La vie en rose is a translation sung by Louis Armstrong. As an additional disclaimer, I own nothing related to the movies or the songs.