A/N: Sorry this is such a short chapter. Where I ended this part just seemed to be somewhere logical to end. I will post more soon. Thanks as always to my beta, Tripp3235. Her insight makes this fic better. :)
Disclaimer: Not mine. All Law and Order characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just playing with them.
Fortune Gardens Restaurant, Cannon Beach, Oregon, Sunday, February 7
After they are seated in a quiet table in a corner at the restaurant and the waiter has taken their order, Mike pulls out his Blackberry. Connie gives him a look.
"It just beeped. Looks like I'm running low on battery." Mike looks a little sad.
"You can charge it when we get to my place tomorrow morning. The world isn't going to end if you turn if off on a Sunday night. Besides, you can't turn it on while we're in the air anyway."
"You're right." Mike turns off the Blackberry and puts it back in his pocket.
After fiddling with various items on the table for several minutes, amusing Connie significantly, Mike says awkwardly, "Umm. I just thought of something that I probably should have asked you before. Umm –"
"Just spit it out, Mike." Connie smiles in encouragement.
"Umm. Are we using some other form of birth control other than condoms?"
Connie blushes deeply and is very glad that they were seated away from other patrons. She can't quite look at Mike when she answers. "Uh. Sometimes. When I have the opportunity, I-umm-remember to use spermicidal jelly. Why are you asking this now?" Connie says the last bit through gritted teeth.
"It's just that I was thinking about something else and realized that we hadn't –ummm - talked about this."
Still not looking at Mike in the eye, Connie says, "If you must know now, I have a doctor's appointment this week on Thursday to look at alternatives."
"Oh good to know. Just so you are aware, I emailed my doctor last week and I have to go to the lab this week to run a battery of tests to ensure I have a clean bill of health before we consider a different form of birth control."
Connie looks at Mike puzzled, but doesn't ask the question.
"I don't have an issue with the current method. My concern is failure."
"Oh." Connie's demeanor is softer when she realizes what he's getting at.
"Not that if there was a failure and a resultant conception that I wouldn't propose right away and marry you, but I don't want that to push you into something you're not ready for."
Connie is again pleasantly surprised by Mike's constant concern for her well-being and how outward pressures would push her into something she not absolutely sure about.
Connie reaches out and takes Mike's hand into her own and says, "Thank you for your concern. I know that your heart is in the right place."
Just then their food arrives and they spend the rest of the meal discussing whether they liked the food here better or the stuff that they get for take out at work.
At the airport, Mike is pacing. The drive back from Cannon Beach was dark but uneventful. Connie took the opportunity to take a short nap. The car return had gone smoothly. They had gone through security with less hassle this time and they are just waiting to board. Connie took some Woll work from her briefcase and is reading. After about his fifth trip across Connie's field of vision, she says, "Why are you so agitated? You're about to wear out the carpet by the window."
"I'm just figuring out a few things and I find my thoughts flow more freely when I'm moving."
"At this rate, you'll have world peace figured out before we board." Connie is mildly amused. She knows from working with Mike the last couple of years that he can rarely sit still and this just confirms why he's always in motion at the office and in court. Still, it's a bit more movement than she's used to.
Mike's pacing becomes almost frantic when he takes out his Blackberry and finds out that the battery is too low to turn on.
Taking pity on him, Connie reaches into her purse for her Blackberry and asks, "Would you like to borrow this?"
Mike's eyes nearly glow at the offer. "Thank you! You're the best!" Mike gives Connie a quick kiss on the forehead and proceeds to channel nearly all of his pacing energy into the PDA. He even sits down beside Connie as he looks up various things.
"Don't over use my data limit or you'll have to approve for the extra charges when they come through. I'm not paying for them." Connie knows that Mike routinely overuses the data limit set by the office for all ADAs, as she has often overheard various conversations that Jack has had with Mike over overusage fees.
"Yeah, no problem." Mike is already distracted by his engagement with Connie's Blackberry.
Connie tries again to read the motion in front of her, but now Mike's intense negotiation with her Blackberry is distracting her. Connie is amused by Mike's intensity. Reflecting on the recent change in their relationships status, Connie now realizes that Mike does nothing by halves and while it is amusing in certain situations, it can be overwhelming in others.
Take for example, his earlier confession of love and fear of rejection at the trinkets shop and at the beach. It was a little overwhelming to find out the intensity of his love for her and his constant fear that she will toss him out at a moment's notice. Connie is not without feeling but she has generally been in control of her emotions. Perhaps that is why she has always worked so well with Mike and why she feels the attraction to him. His intensity of feeling, his passion for justice is such a contrast to her own. It reminds Connie of that Jane Austen novel that she had to read in junior high, Sense and Sensibility, where she is the sense to Mike's sensibility.
Perhaps that is why this relationship, though less in her control and seemingly a little more reckless for Connie, seems right. Perhaps they are two sides of the same coin, and really, how easy is it to extract yourself when the person you love sees you in such a light that you can do no wrong?
After another few minutes of trying to read the motion in front of her, Connie gives up, though not the pretense of reading and uses the opportunity to surreptitiously observe Mike. Mike is enthralled by the Blackberry and at times seems to worship at its altar fervently oblivious to his surroundings.
The intensity can be seen in Mike's face and Connie can visibly see when he has found what he is looking for and when he is frustrated by obstacles. Mike has never been good at hiding his true emotions except when dealing with defendants and defense lawyers and this is no exception. Connie can read him like a book and it is definitely more interesting that what she's trying to read.
Connie is vastly amused by the litany of expressions Mike is exhibiting and eventually, she can't help but giggle. Mike looks up at her and says, "What?" which only makes her giggle even more.
When Connie regains her composure, she says, "You are very amusing to watch. You're completely engaged with the Blackberry and if anyone were watching, they would be able to read you like a book. I take it that you don't play poker much."
"No, I'm not a gambler," Mike says distractedly.
"I wouldn't say that. You gamble with the juries, with the defendants, the witnesses at nearly every trial, but you probably don't play poker much because you don't tend to win and if I know anything about you, is that you like to win."
"How did you know?" Mike is surprised by Connie's observation.
"Just watching you since you borrowed the Blackberry, it's pretty obvious what you're thinking, when you are successful, when you are frustrated. What I don't understand is how well you mask your emotions when we're dealing with defendants and defense lawyers in comparison."
"Well, in court, I'm concentrating on how to get the witnesses to say what I want them to say or on how to get the jurors to understand my point of view."
"Just a thought, perhaps you should consider doing that more often in other aspects of your life. Dealing with defendants and defense lawyers aren't the only times where it can be useful."
Before Mike can reply, the airline announces their flight. Being in the last row of seats has its advantages. It means that you get to get on right after the first class passengers. So Mike and Connie start to gather their stuff so that they are ready to go when their seats are announced next.
Once the plane has taken off and is gaining altitude, a puzzled Mike asks, "What did you mean by the fact that I should consider acting as if I'm dealing with defendant and defense lawyers in other aspects of my life?"
"Something I never told you before is that Marcus Woll had you pegged even before his trial began. He waited outside my apartment the day I was to testify against him and told me that I was breaking your heart. I knew that you found me attractive right from the beginning of our working relationship, but I thought that I figured it out because we were working so closely together. To have Marcus Woll, say it that day almost threw me for a loop. It took a lot of mental preparation on the way to court to put myself back into the proper state of mind to testify."
"What? Woll was stalking you?" Mike is alarmed by this revelation.
"No, he knows where I live as I haven't moved since starting at the DA's office plus I don't have an unlisted number and now he's behind bars so I'm not worried. However, that isn't the point. The point is that after watching you at the gate I just realized that you don't hide anything unless you're in court. If we want to keep our relationship out of office gossip until I change jobs, I think that we have to be more careful in our interactions at the office. Mike, I know how you feel about me and I hope that you know how I feel about you. Perhaps, we can both show a little restraint in our interactions so that people can't tell right away what we feel for one another?"
Mike contemplates what Connie just said and thinking back in some ways she's probably right. He has been more flagrant in his behavior than he probably should have been. The fact that Woll caught on early should have tipped him off. The thing though is that he has always been a man of bold moves. Some might call it reckless, but Mike has always felt that bold moves are better than timid ones and he's a little upset that Connie is always shutting him down, especially at work. She says that she wants to change jobs for 'us' and she says that she loves me, but why is she telling me to show even more restraint at work when we spend eighty percent of our time there? Is she just stringing me along?
However, Mike is concerned that his behavior is causing Connie grief and he wants to show her that he can do better. "I guess, you're right. I will try to show more restraint in my interactions with you during work hours. However, I would offer a compromise that we spend some time together outside of work every day where I can be free to show my love for you. Otherwise, you are asking me to only show restraint with no way to show how I feel."
"It's temporary, so I'm certain we can work something out. Thanks for hearing me out, Mike."
"I'm glad you told me about Woll." Mike doesn't really want to think about the other part.
"I guess that means it's the end of your love notes. I really liked those," Connie confesses.
"I'll just have to be more discreet in where I put them for you to find then." Mike smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes though Connie doesn't notice this.
Since they aren't at work, Mike looks around to see whether a steward is looking their way and he sees none, he takes the chair arm between his and Connie's seat and moves it up so that it is in the seat cushions and he puts his arm around Connie's shoulder. She leans toward him and relaxes against him and he kisses her hair. Just then the cabin lights dim for the red eye flight. He takes a moment to enjoy the smell of her hair and her fading perfume. Despite the fact that he is now worried about how Connie feels about them, there is absolutely nowhere else Mike Cutter wants to be.
Their flight lands right on time at JFK and as expected, traffic is at a near stand still. By the time they get to Connie's apartment, it is after ten o'clock in the morning. After dropping their coats and luggage in a heap in the front hall, they stumble into Connie's bedroom and after a quick removal of any uncomfortable clothing; they collapse on the bed in utter exhaustion. The red-eye allowed them about three hours of semi-restful sleep before descent started. The journey to Connie's apartment during a normal Monday morning rush hour did nothing to help them relax.
Just before they fall asleep cuddled against one another, Connie in her bleary-eyed state says, "Don't forget to charge your Blackberry. My charger is on the front hall table." So Mike stumbles back out to the heap of coats in the front hall and barely manages to plug in the Blackberry properly. By the time he gets back to the bed, Connie is already asleep. Mike snuggles as closely as he can without waking her and promptly falls asleep.
A/N2: I should mention that I wrote first draft of the BC talk before Alana de la Garza announced her pregnancy and before the show was canceled they were planning to write it in (as according to her pregnancy announcement). [Soapbox]I'm a firm believer that two intelligent, well-educated adults, like Mike and Connie, should be able to talk about BC and use it if they are in a sexual relationship and don't want a resultant conception rather than letting the chips fall where they may on the off chance that they aren't fertile.[/Soapbox] If you've read my other fic, Happily Ever After, you know that Mike and Connie do get pregnant despite using contraception. I had written that piece before the show was canceled and it will remain in my little AU corner of the Mike and Connie universe regardless of what happens in the show/to the show.
A/N3: (Sorry, didn't mean to make this chapter longer by adding so many A/Ns. I tend to get chatty, just ask my beta.) So what do you think of Connie's observations? Is she right? Is Mike too flagrant with his behavior at the office? Does Mike have something to worry about with Connie? As always, would love to hear from you. :)
