A/N: Danny Ross and Law and Order, as well related characters are property of Dick Wolf and NBC Universal. However, Marien McKenna is an original character of my own creation.
"Danny."
Ross almost jumped at the sound of his name. He was in the supermarket placing a loaf of bread into his basket when he was caught off guard. He turned around and gave a half-startled smile.
"Marien…hi."
"You remembered my name." She said it with a smile and a soft tone. But he knew her well enough to know that the quiet tone she usually spoke in had different meanings—she could say "How's the weather?" and "Fuck you" in the exact same tone. It was a little disarming to some but he'd known her for several years and was used to it. Still, for some reason, today he was slightly unnerved.
Detective Marien McKenna had been on the taskforce he'd led for three years. Two of those years they had been co-workers and just good friends. After Nancy had left and taken the boys, Danny stayed at work even longer than his normal long hours. Marien's only child was grown and her husband had been dead for nearly ten years. She had nothing else but the job.
It had begun with casual glances and quiet remarks…and on the surface, had stayed that way. Not one of the members of the taskforce knew of the relationship. They were both good at keeping their emotions in check on the job. At work, it was work.
He was close to Megan Wheeler even then and it was the two of them who usually garnered the questions, never he and Marien. The mentor/protégé relationship he had with Wheeler was obvious and easily looked upon with suspicion. Seen from the outside, McKenna was just another member of his team.
He'd promised Marien that once the taskforce was over they could make their relationship public. He hadn't expected to get the job at Major Case. Now he had the brass to deal with on a daily basis; he worked in the same building as them. Between Deakins' departure, the still-freshness of the Logan shooting and Goren's…normal behavior, Major Case didn't need any more bad publicity. All he needed was the brass finding out that he was seeing a woman who he'd been directly in charge of for three years and so he hadn't been so quick to act on his promise.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
" Not at all, Danny." There was no mistaking the annoyance. "But if you say you're going to call, then call. Or don't say you're going to call."
"You could have called me just as easily."
She narrowed her eyes. "You said you couldn't be bothered."
"I didn't say that."
"Look, I'm not going to argue the point with you. And certainly not in the grocery store. But you don't have the taskforce to hide behind any more, Danny."
"Marien…"
"It's very simple, Danny. Do you want to continue seeing me or not?"
It wasn't as simple as she made it out to be and they both knew it. Ross was used to making split-second decisions while in command of a squad. But this was different. Words formed at the edge of his mouth. He hemmed and hawed.
"I…"