A/N: This story is so touching, it will probably make you cry. Just saying. Also I own nothing :(

A forbidden love, much like Romeo and Juliet. A love like the moon on a dark night, shining brightly even amidst the surrounding fog. A love that worth living for, a love worth dying for.

It was chance how they met. I suppose one might label it 'fate'.

The basketball was in his hands, shaking, trembling. Cragen had no idea what to expect when he opened it up. He carefully opened up the cover so as not to frighten whatever may be inside. Once the lid was open, he looked down into the basketball to see the most beautiful sight his tired eyes had ever seen. She was beautiful, radiant, divine almost. She had a mysterious, captivating aura to her. She was a docile creature, yet she had a wild look in her eyes. Her fear was evident and Cragen felt her shiver against his body. She looked up into his eyes, pleading for tenderness. Cragen was so taken aback by her magnificence that he almost did not see how terrified she was. Once he realized this, he looked straight into her enchanting eyes and returned her expression of plea with one of kindness.

Then, she did something that took his breath away. She took her long arms and wrapped them around his neck, in an ape-like embrace. Cragen couldn't help but feel aroused at the sensation of her claws lightly grazing over the exposed skin on the back of his neck. She rested her head on his chest as a gentle 'thank you' and slowly closed her eyes, drifting to sleep. It was in this moment where Cragen realized that he was a changed man forever. He vowed to always take care of his basketball monkey princess for as long as he lived.

She became his life. She became his reason to smile. She became his reason to wake up every morning. She became his reason to persevere through the hard times that he faced on a daily basis. She gave him hope, she gave him strength, she gave his life meaning once again.

-flash forward 8 months (Cragen and Basketball Monkey are now in a committed relationship and have moved in together)-

Cragen yawned as he leisurely made his way down the stairs. It was two in the morning and he couldn't get to sleep. He had to testify in court quite early the next morning, and the more sleep he got, the better his testimony would be. He had been tossing and turning for hours though, and finally decided to get up out of bed grab a midnight snack. He walked into the kitchen and was a little stunned to discover that the light was on.

'That's funny,' he thought to himself, 'I could have sworn I turned off all the lights.'

Just then, Cragen heard a rustling noise coming from one of his cabinets. He panicked, but then assumed it must be a rodent of some sort. He picked up a large frying pan and inched closer and closer to the cabinet the noise was originating from. When he was within inches of the cabinet door, he swung it open and instantly dropped the pan he was holding at the sight that was presented before him. He discovered Basketball Monkey downing a bottle that Cragen had never seen before. Basketball Monkey instantly squealed when she saw that Cragen had discovered her, and she tried to hide the bottle behind her scrawny body. But it was too late. Cragen had already seen too much.

"BASKETBALL MONKEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" yelled Cragen. "DON'T YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS AN ALCOHOL-FREE HOUSE? DON'T YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO AVOID DRINKING EVERY DAY? I THOUGHT YOU UNDERSTOOD. I THOUGHT I KNEW YOU."

"Ooooh-oooh-oooh-ah-AH," explained Basketball Monkey. "Ah-ah-ooh-ooh-ah-OOH."

"Don't lie to me and tell me that it's just banana juice," retorted Cragen. "Do you really think I'm that dumb? Tell me, do you really think I'm that dumb?" His voice was cracking and he was on the verge of tears.

"OoAH-OoAAh-Ah-Ah-ah-oooh," Basketball Monkey began to explain. "Oooh-ah-ah-ah-OOOH-ooaah."

Without warning, Cragen grabbed the bottle from behind Basketball Monkey's back and took a swig of it. Tears flowed down his face, knowing that he had just relapsed. But much to his surprise, it really was just banana juice.

"Oh my goodness baby, I am so sorry for doubting you! Please forgive me!" pleaded Cragen.

"Ah-Ooooh-oooh-OoOoh-Ah-AH-AH!" responded Basketball Monkey, a small smile appearing on her face.

Cragen picked her up and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Thank you baby," he cried out, "You're not only my best friend, you're my prime mate."

AND SCENE!