III: Replacements

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Mr. Stone?"

Ben hadn't set foot in arraignment court in over two years – and even then, he only did so for high-profile cases. But he'd been stuck handling arraignments since Claire's resignation, and today he had three of them. Not to mention a hangover.

"I'm currently without an assistant, Your Honor," Ben replied, shuffling the papers in front of him. "Mr. Levesque is a French national, and there is a considerable risk of flight. The People request that he be remanded without bail."

"Ms. Bell?"

"The defendant has a business to attend to, Your Honor. Remanding him would cause tremendous financial hardship for his family."

"He has my sympathy, but this is a homicide. Bail is set at $100,000, cash or bond. And the defendant will surrender his passport."

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Before work, Ben went to confession.

It was awkward, telling Father O'Reilly about his adultery with Erica. He'd poured out his soul to the kindly priest, saying in hushed tones that he'd done it because he'd been drunk and lonely – still, there was no excuse for his behavior, and he knew it. He'd done penance and received absolution, and it gave him some peace.

But he was starting to become angry with himself. He'd fired Claire months ago, when she failed to disclose pertinent information during the C-Square trial. But he took her back when he won the case; if he hadn't, perhaps he wouldn't be in this mess now.

Or perhaps he should have just stuck to male assistants.

Of all the attorneys who interviewed for Paul Robinette's job, there were six that he had seriously considered as replacements. Four were men; the remaining two were women. One, of course, was Claire. After Ben made his decision, Adam ribbed him for picking the ADA that was easiest on the eyes.

"That has nothing to do with it," Ben had said.

And that was the way he really saw it; he had hired her first, and fell in love with her later. Ben liked to believe that he was above the kind of behavior that Jack McCoy was so known for.

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"I have someone in mind to replace Miss Kincaid," Adam said to Ben as they walked down the hall towards the older man's office.

A secretary passed Ben, handing him a document; he unfolded it, putting on his reading glasses. He'd been handling Claire's caseload as well as his own, and it was a heavy burden. But he wasn't ready to deal with replacing her just yet.

"I expect Claire to be back as soon as the censure is lifted," Ben replied.

"Why? You have a letter of resignation."

Ben scanned the defense motion. "She didn't have a choice, Adam. The media was breathing down her neck, and so were you."

"When did this change of heart happen?" Adam asked. "I seem to recall that you were very angry when she told you that she'd had an affair with Thayer."

"Claire's a good lawyer. She doesn't deserve to have her career ruined over this."

"Uh-huh," Adam said sarcastically.

Ben took off his reading glasses. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Would you be saying that she wasn't drop dead gorgeous?"

Ben's eyes met Adam's. "Sir, that is uncalled for. Now, I have a change of venue motion to contend with. I have to go."

"Change of venue –"

But he was down the hall and gone before Adam could say another word.

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Claire sighed as she browsed through the want ads.

It was over. She planned to return to the District Attorney's Office after her name was cleared – but not now. Dealing with Joel Thayer's lies and threats had been hard enough; she wasn't about to subject herself to more humiliation by facing Ben Stone again.

All she could do now was pick up the pieces – of her career and shattered heart – and move on.