Mike is left at home alone, while Callie catches up with some of her New York friends. Also, Jack McCoy makes a big entrance. Enjoy;-)
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Law and Order' and its characters. I do not own 'Johnny Walker.' Callie is mine.
Rating: T, for language and themes.
Cutter household, 9:00pm
Callie stepped out of her bedroom, dressed clad in jeans, an ivory dress-top, and pair of black platform stilettos, ready for a night on the town with a group of friends.
"Hey, I was thinking, maybe we could order a pizza and watch a movie, or something like that," Mike called out to her from the kitchen.
Callie made her way into the kitchen, finding her father sitting at the kitchen table drowning in paperwork.
"You look nice," he commented, glancing up at her.
She took a moment to compose herself. "Oh, thank you," she replied with a smile. She paused before she spoke again. She didn't want to hurt his feelings by turning down his suggestion, a siege of guilt rising from the pit of her stomach. She cursed herself disparagingly. Your first night in New York, and here you are planning on spending it with those superficial try-hard friends of yours, instead of your lonely father who helped you ride your first bicycle, and who you haven't seen in three years. "Actually, Dad, I was going out with friends tonight. Is that okay?"
Another night alone with the shopping-channel and a bottle of Johnny Walker, he mused to himself, feeling slightly disenchanted by his lonely bachelor existence, left alone once again.
Mike tried to conceal his slight disappointment. "Yeah, th-that's alright," he replied with a forced smile. He looked back down at the case-file opened on the table in front of him.
He understood that Callie was a young adult, who had her own life, and he didn't want to get in the way of that. He didn't want to come across as a nagging parent, or worse still, be a burden on her, not having anyone else to spend the night with.
Callie noticed the discouragement in her father's tone. "Are you sure?" she asked concerned. "I can cancel it if you like, if you really want to spend time together."
"No, really, you go out and have fun with your friends. You don't want to be stuck here all night with your old man," he insisted. "I have some briefs to go over for tomorrow's arraignment anyway. I really should be doing that instead." He gave her another one of his brave smiles, the one that read please don't leave me here alone all by myself.
"Okay, I'll be home fairly late," she said, sounding almost as though she wanted him to stop her from going out, so that she didn't have to make a decision. Or tomorrow morning, if I get lucky, she thought to herself. "Don't wait up." She made her way back into the lounge room, and made her way towards the coat rack by the front door, grabbing her jacket and shrugging it on. "Bye," she called out with an optimistic tone, in an attempt to cheer him up.
"See you later," he replied. "Have fun."
The door slammed shut with a squeak as she left.
He resumed reading over the case-file, the sound of rustling crisp papers in the dull silence making the empty apartment feel all the more lonely.
Next Morning
Callie awoke to a heavy drone pulsating inside her head, a dry mouth, along with an incessant urge to vomit, as well watering bloodshot eyes. Another hangover. Well, that's what you get for staying out all night with Courtney and Tristan, she pondered to herself begrudgingly, finding herself to have been lead astray once again by the two partners in crime she called her friends. How she ever befriended such party animals remained a mystery to her.
She sat up to take in at her surroundings, realising that she was not in her own bed, or in her father's apartment for that matter, having no recollection of the night before. She glanced over at the body lying next to her, whom she suspected, given her situation, was the guy who took her home the night before. She shrugged it off, the situation not being any different from her typical morning after a late night partying. She once woke up next to her old school librarian. Whoops! Oh well, things happen! She was about to quickly get dressed, and sneak off home, when she heard her cell-phone ring in her jeans pocket. She leaned over the side of the bed to pick up her jeans, and slid her hand inside one of the pockets and removed her cell-phone. She read the number of the person who was trying to call her, and realised it was her father.
"Hello, Dad?" she said into the receiver.
"Hello Callie," Mike replied. "Big night?"
"Yeah, you could say that," she answered begrudgingly. "I was too drunk to direct the cab driver home, so I spent the night at Tristan's place," she lied.
"Okay, that's fine. I just rang to let you know that I'm about to leave for work, and I left money on the counter for pizza."
"Okay, thank you."
"I have an arraignment today, and I don't think I'll be home until late tonight," he explained. "I'll see you tonight."
"Alright, bye." She hung up the receiver, and glanced back down at the snoring figure lying next to her, a cheeky grin spreading across her face. She was now curious of who the person was, not being able to see his face with his back facing towards her.
I bet it's that cute barman I had my eye on earlier on in the night, she thought to herself hopefully. Or maybe it's that cute detective I met yesterday. She reflected back on the brief meeting she had with him when her father took her down to the precinct to meet some of his colleagues. What was his name again? Loopy? Lupus... Lupo? That's right, his name was Lupo. Nice and scruffy.
Her cell-phone began to ring again, breaking her thoughts, this time signalling a text message. She quickly searched her inbox to read what the new message said.
Hey girrrl! U waz wasted last night, lol. Hope u had a fun time with dat drunk old guy u hooked up with, he sure waz funky, hahaha! Catch ya, Tristan xoxox
A look of puzzlement spread across her face, a little startled by the second half of the message Tristan had sent her.
What drunken old guy?
The person lying next to her began to move, and he sat up.
She turned her head to say good morning to whomever it was she slept with the night before. Old guy? Maybe it was that DJ with the spiky grey and purple hair, she pondered to herself, still trying to figure out who it could be. Her jaw dropped to the ground in sight of the distinguished face in front of her.
JACK MCCOY?
Ten minutes later
"This was a onetime thing, we were both drunk," Callie reasoned, trying to remain calm and collected. "And whatever we do, we cannot let my father find out about this."
"Agreed," Jack replied, his tone slightly anxious.
She sighed with relief.
"Callie, you're the level-headed one night stand I've never had," Jack said, a hint of laughter behind his tone.
She smiled tightly, diverting her eyes away from him, avoiding eye-contact. "I'm glad you can see the funny side of this, Mr McCoy."
"Oh please, call me Jack," he retorted. "We've slept together after all."
She laughed, feeling a little more at ease. "Yeah, well, in some ways this may be fairly amusing, but it is also incredibly embarrassing."
"You're telling me. I have a meeting with Mike and Connie this morning to discuss an arraignment. I don't know how I'll keep a straight face with Mike coming in and out of my office."
Callie rubbed her throbbing temple, feeling like an idiot, as well as an insensitive bitch. My first night in New York City, and I sleep with my father's boss! Not only that, but I desert my own father, leave him high and dry in is lonely apartment, with him having nothing better to do than go over legal briefs and watch infomercials.
She wrapped herself in a sheet and go out of the bed. "You know, I had better get dressed," she said, as she picked up the clothes she had worn the night before off the floor, before making her way into the en-suit bathroom.
"I had better get ready for work," Jack replied, also getting out of the bed, and making his way towards the dresser, eyeing the attractive blonde making her way into his bathroom. She may be a Cutter, but she's a damn cute one at that! "I can give you a lift home if you like."
Callie considered Jack's offer for a moment. She thought it would be helpful having him to drop her home, considering the fact that she wasn't entirely sure where home was, let alone be able to navigate her way there. "Sure thing," she replied. "You do know your way to my dad's place, don't you?"
"Sure I do. Been there plenty of times," he answered enthusiastically. "It's on my way to the office in fact."
"Good. I wouldn't want to burden you," she called out. "I also think it's best if you drop me off a block up from my building, in case my dad sees us on his way out."
"Good idea. I like the way you think."
Okay, so the original pairings of Connie/Mike and Lupo/Callie are still in place, but I've sort of diverted away from that in this chapter, just to give it a twist, and to also bring a McCoy component to the story.
What do you think? Feel free to review, comments most welcome:-D
