"You didn't even realize you did it, did you?"
His pen stopped moving at her question, his shoulders straitening just a little as he tensed. It was with a slow movement that he twisted his head just enough to look at her from his seat at his desk. His face was as blank as it ever was as they waited for a verdict, but she had worked with him long enough to see the worry under the mask.
She tapped her pen on her own legal pad as she waited for his answer because she knew she was right. He didn't realize what he had done. She was both surprised and unsurprised at the lack of tension between them in the week and a half since it happened.
It was just another late night in Jack McCoy's office as they went over files for the cast they were working on. Their take out dinner was piled on the desks and they shared the couch. Somewhere between picking up Detective Briscoe's statement and making a note for clarification on a point, she felt his fingers on her nape, lightly caressing before tangling gently in her hair.
She stiffened and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. He was adsorbed in the file he was reading, eyes moving rapidly over the words as he flipped to the next page.
"Jack?" Her voice wasn't loud, but held meaning.
"Hm?" He didn't look up
"Jack!" Her vice was sharper, sharp enough to get his attention. He looked up, inquiringly, thinking she had found a point they could use in trial. She didn't move, just used her eyes to point back to his arm on the back of the couch, where his fingers were still playing with her hair.
He frowned and yanked his hand back, holding it between them like he's never seen it before. His mouth opened, but no words came out. His eyes flicked to her and he snapped his mouth closed, swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut.
"I'm sorry, Claire." He said tightly, before quickly collecting his files and going to his desk. They didn't say anything else that night, but neither of them had sat on the couch since then.
Tonight she had been watching him, thinking about all the small things Judge Thayer did at the beginning of his suction of her. None of that was in the pinched look on Jack's face as he moved to his desk. His action had been because it felt right between them.
"Claire," he sighed, the pinched look coming back as he put his pen down, "I'm sorry about that. I know we talked about it on your first day, and I promise it won't happen again. If you feel the need to go to Adam-"
"Jack! It's okay."" She shook her head as she cut him off and bit her lip before continuing. "It's okay because I know you didn't realize what you were doing." She met his eyes.
"Claire?" His voice was soft, questioning if he was reading her correctly, because they both knew it was a bad idea. He had three previous assistant/lovers to show him and she had her experience with Judge Thayer "Are you sure?"
"My car's in the shop." she said, closing the file she was working on. "Drive me home?"
His pen stopped moving at her question, his shoulders straitening just a little as he tensed. It was with a slow movement that he twisted his head just enough to look at her from his seat at his desk. His face was as blank as it ever was as they waited for a verdict, but she had worked with him long enough to see the worry under the mask.
She tapped her pen on her own legal pad as she waited for his answer because she knew she was right. He didn't realize what he had done. She was both surprised and unsurprised at the lack of tension between them in the week and a half since it happened.
It was just another late night in Jack McCoy's office as they went over files for the cast they were working on. Their take out dinner was piled on the desks and they shared the couch. Somewhere between picking up Detective Briscoe's statement and making a note for clarification on a point, she felt his fingers on her nape, lightly caressing before tangling gently in her hair.
She stiffened and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. He was adsorbed in the file he was reading, eyes moving rapidly over the words as he flipped to the next page.
"Jack?" Her voice wasn't loud, but held meaning.
"Hm?" He didn't look up
"Jack!" Her vice was sharper, sharp enough to get his attention. He looked up, inquiringly, thinking she had found a point they could use in trial. She didn't move, just used her eyes to point back to his arm on the back of the couch, where his fingers were still playing with her hair.
He frowned and yanked his hand back, holding it between them like he's never seen it before. His mouth opened, but no words came out. His eyes flicked to her and he snapped his mouth closed, swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut.
"I'm sorry, Claire." He said tightly, before quickly collecting his files and going to his desk. They didn't say anything else that night, but neither of them had sat on the couch since then.
Tonight she had been watching him, thinking about all the small things Judge Thayer did at the beginning of his suction of her. None of that was in the pinched look on Jack's face as he moved to his desk. His action had been because it felt right between them.
"Claire," he sighed, the pinched look coming back as he put his pen down, "I'm sorry about that. I know we talked about it on your first day, and I promise it won't happen again. If you feel the need to go to Adam-"
"Jack! It's okay."" She shook her head as she cut him off and bit her lip before continuing. "It's okay because I know you didn't realize what you were doing." She met his eyes.
"Claire?" His voice was soft, questioning if he was reading her correctly, because they both knew it was a bad idea. He had three previous assistant/lovers to show him and she had her experience with Judge Thayer "Are you sure?"
"My car's in the shop." she said, closing the file she was working on. "Drive me home?"