Office of Executive ADA Kate Logan

June 6, 2006

1:45 pm

Hearing a knock on the door frame to her office, Kate Logan looked up to find Detective Ed Green, wearing a broad smile.

"With a grin like that, I'm hoping you're bringing me good news?" she began.

"Nico Buskevich is being held in the County lock up in Augusta, Maine," he grinned, walking into the office.

"That's damn good news," she returned the grin. "You'll totally make my day if you tell me they're going to release him to us for trial."

"Consider your day made. They'll have him processed for extradition tomorrow morning at 7 am."

"Well then, I guess that calls for a road trip, doesn't it?"

"You up for it?"

"Me?" she seemed surprised.

"Come on, Kate, you know you're dyin' to get this guy as bad as I am," he coaxed.

Jack McCoy spoke, as he walked into the office. "I think you should go."

"And why do you think I should go?"

"You earned it," he simply said. "You've put more man hours in on this one than anybody else. You mean to tell me you're going to give up a chance to save your win in the bottom of the ninth inning?"

"There he goes with the baseball metaphors again," she laughed.

"They've served me well," he playfully sniffed, then, "She's going with you Detective. Consider it an executive order."

"Well then, I guess I'm in." She looked at Ed, "You want to set it up and let me know what time we're leaving?"

"Yeah, it's like a 5 and a half hour drive," he returned, thinking out loud, "If we leave first thing in the morning…"

"My suggestion?" Jack chimed in, causing them both to look at him, "Go up tonight. Be there at 7 am when Buskevich is ready to go."

"He's got a point," Ed agreed. "If not, it's going to take all day and then we have to turn around and drive back."

Kate mulled this over, "Let's see if we can find a semi decent hotel near the jail. We'll ride up tonight, and be there waiting when they open the jailhouse doors. Now, I just need to get a hold of my husband and give him the good news."

Major Case Squad Room

2:30 pm

Mike Logan was not happy. Truth was, he hadn't been thrilled about work since Megan Wheeler took off for some bogus assignment in Europe. He'd been without a partner, often working third wheel with Goren and Eames, sometimes working alone. He didn't mind the latter, but hated being a tag along.

Today, he was working with Goren and Eames. "Working with" being another term for doing the crap research jobs that involved spending hours on the internet, the phone, and pouring through old case files.

Tiredly, he picked up his lukewarm coffee and took a sip. As he set the cup down, the phone rang. He lifted it on the second ring. "Logan," he barked.

"Hi Mikey," Kate's voice began, causing him to smile.

"Hey, Katie, how are ya?"

"Pretty damn psyched," she began, and he could hear the excitement in her voice.

"About?"

"Nico Buskevich is in the county lockup in Augusta, Maine," she explained.

Logan recognized the name of the pedophile that'd skipped bail during his trial four months ago. He knew that Kate had felt it her own personal fault that the man was on the loose, despite the fact that the arraignment judge gave him bail, not her personally. "That's great. Is Maine going to extradite?"

"Tomorrow morning at 7 am, he belongs to the great state of New York again."

"Cool, who gets to go get him?"

"Well, that's why I'm calling. I'm going."

"Kate…" he began, but she cut him off.

"Mikey, come on. You know how I feel about this one. "

"Who are you going with?

"Ed Green from the 2-7. It was his case the first time around."

"So, you need me to take Jay to day care tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah, but I also need you to meet me at home as soon as you can. We're driving up tonight, so that we can be there at 7."

"Are you sure that's smart?" he asked, hackles rising. Something about her riding up to Maine wasn't sitting right with him. He wasn't quite sure why, but he didn't want her to go.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she countered, her tone mirroring his.

"Katie, come on…why do you need to go tonight?"

"Cuz it's an almost 6 hour drive and it will take all damn day and night tomorrow to get there and back."

"But…"

"Mike, if you can't take care of Jami, I'll call your sister and ask her to keep her for the night."

"That won't be necessary," he shot, knowing he wouldn't win this battle.

"Good, I'll pick her up and get her home. Ed's meeting me at our place at 7."

Apartment of Mike and Kate Logan

June 6, 2006

6:45 pm

Mike sat on the sofa, watching while Jamison happily gummed a set of plastic keys.

"Mikey," Kate began, walking out of the bedroom. "Are you sure you don't want me to call Tess?"

"I'm sure," he said, looking up at her. She'd changed from her tailored suit to a pair of faded jeans and a black scoop necked t-shirt. He liked it when she was dressed for work, looking all tight assed and official, but had to admit, he liked it better when she dressed down. She'd even pulled her hair up into a high pony tail. She looked relaxed, comfortable, and terribly sexy.

A wave of jealousy flowed through him as he remembered that she would be spending the night, not with him, but with another man. Sure, he knew it was work related, but she looked good and he had to admit, he'd have a hard time resisting her if he was stuck in a hotel room with her. Of course, it was way too convenient that the hole in the wall motel they chose only had one no-smoking room available. Come on, the place was five minutes from the county jail, how could they be that booked up? Something just did not sit right with Logan on that one.

"What's that look for?" she asked, hanging her garment bag on the edge of the entertainment center.

"What look?"

"I dunno, you tell me," she mused, sitting down next to him and lifting Jamison onto her lap.

Jamison grinned at Kate, "Mama!"

"I wasn't aware I had a look," Logan continued.

Kate shrugged, "You did, but whatever. I laid out her clothes for tomorrow morning. All of her stuff for daycare is packed up in the pink bag in the kitchen. Her snacks and stuff are in that thermal bag with the kittens on it in the fridge…"

"I know, you left me a note," he said, willing himself to relax.

"Mikey…" she tiredly said. "I'll be back in 24 hours."

"Yeah, I know…"

"Hey," she reached out and took his hand, "Talk to me. What's eating you? You're still freaked out about what happened to Alex Borgia, aren't you?"

He shrugged, not willing to admit to her that his thinking went nothing along that line.

"We're picking up a pedophile, who's been in jail for days. He's not part of a gang; no one's going to come after me. Hell, there will probably be a few people who want to shake my hand."

"I worry, so sue me," he shrugged.

"I'll be perfectly safe. Ed's gonna be armed the whole time and we're gonna have a uniformed officer from Augusta sit in the back seat with Buskevich the whole way home."

"And tonight?" he asked, watching as her expression changed. Shit, he thought, she figured me out.

"That's what this is about?" She could tell by the subtle shift of emotion in his eyes that she'd hit on his reasoning and it pissed her off. "Let me get this straight. You're concerned about me sharing a room with Ed Green? What? You think we're going to drive 6 hours to a cheap ass hotel in Maine just to hook up?"

"No…"

"Bullshit." She shook her head. "Jesus, Mikey, I cannot believe you." She stood up and sat Jamison in her walker. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Yeah, but look at it from my side," he tried, although he knew it was a losing battle.

"I'd try, but I don't think I could get my head that far up my ass," she sniffed.

"Nice, real nice," was his dry reply. "I'm sending you off, looking all hot like that, to spend the night in a hotel room with a guy who's got a reputation for liking the ladies."

"For Christ's sake, Mikey, I'm a married woman and he's practically married to Doctor Cesarone from the morgue, or have you forgotten that?"

"Practically married ain't married," Logan sniffed.

"I'm going to stop having this conversation with you before I say something that I regret."

Logan opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of the door buzzer. He watched as Kate walked to the intercom and hit the button.

"Hello?" she said.

"Kate? It's Ed Green."

"Hey, Ed, I'll buzz you up," she said, the pressed the button to open the door. She turned back to Logan, "Don't be an ass, okay?"

He didn't reply, instead, he lifted Jamison from her walker. "Hey there, Ms. Jay," he smiled, causing her to smile and clap. "It's just you and me tonight. What do you say we watch the Yankees game?"

She clapped and loudly squealed.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he agreed, as Kate opened the door and ushered in Ed Green.

"I'm just about ready to go," she said, as they walked into the living room. "Just gotta say a couple of quick goodbyes."

"Hey, Logan," Ed nodded.

"Green," Logan returned, trying hard to be pleasant.

"Hey there, Jamison," Ed smiled, waving at Jamison, who grinned and waived back.

"You two have met?" Logan asked, clearly surprised.

"A couple of times," Kate explained, "Ms. Jami likes to spend lunch hour in my office." She took the baby from Logan and held her close. "You be a good girl for Daddy tonight, Jami," she cooed, kissing the top of her head. "Mommy will be home before bedtime tomorrow."

"Sooner, if possible," Ed agreed. "I've got to be home to go to a concert tomorrow night."

"Really? Who are you going to see?" Kate asked, handing the baby back to Logan.

"Ruby Cesarone's violin solo debut," he proudly said, then laughed. "She's pretty good for a nine year old."

"Doctor Cesarone's kid?" Logan asked.

Ed nodded, "Yeah, she's all freaked out about playing her first solo and made me swear I'd be there."

"See," Kate quietly said, as she pecked Logan's cheek. "I told you."

"Katie," he said, as she stepped away, but she ignored him.

"You ready, Ed? I wanna get to the hotel in time to get some sleep."

"I'm ready when you are," he returned, picking up her over night bag.

"Call me when you get there, okay?" Logan asked.

"I don't wanna wake you up," she dismissed.

"I'll be awake."

"Okay," she shrugged, then with a big smile, "Bye Jami! I'll see you tomorrow night."

RodeWay Inn

Augusta, Maine

June 7, 2006

1:05 am

Kate kicked off her shoes and padded barefoot across the carpeted floor. "No offense, Ed, but that was one long ass ride."

"Who are you tellin'?" he agreed, dropping his suitcase on one of the two double beds. "I drove."

She sat on the other bed and studied the alarm clock, "Okay, so, we're five minutes from the jail, so to be there at seven…"

"So, we need to get up around 5:30?"

"You want to take the first shower?"

"You go first," he dismissed, opening his bag, "It doesn't take me long to get ready."

"Cool, works for me," she yawned, "Oh, excuse me."

"Don't start," he laughed. "I've gotta call home and let her know I'm here safe."

"Yeah, I suppose I should do that too," she agreed, watching as Ed pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

Kate pulled her cell phone out of her purse, trying not to listen as Ed spoke. As she dialed home, she could hear his side of the conversation.

"Hey Boo, it's me…" he began, his voice quiet and soft. "Yeah, we're here. It was a long ass ride. Good damn thing Kate was there or I'd've been sleeping…"

Sighing, she dialed her own phone and waited two rings before Logan's voice answered.

"Katie?" he began, sounding wide awake.

"Hey there," she replied, pulling a pair of silk pajamas out of her bag. "We're here."

"How was the ride?"

"Long," she said, carrying the pajamas into the bathroom and pulling the door shut. "Jami go to sleep okay tonight?"

"She was looking for you, but after half an hour in the rocker and me singing to her she crashed."

Kate smiled, "You sang to her?"

"Yeah, I didn't know what else to do. Talking to her only woke her up more, so I sang to her."

"What did you sing?"

"The only slow song that came to mind," he said, hesitating. "Babe, by Styx."

Kate laughed. "Where the hell did that one come from?"

"It was on the radio in the break room when I went in for coffee and it got stuck in my head," he laughed. "Trust me; it wouldn't have been my first choice."

"I would have loved to see that," she softly laughed.

"Yeah, well, if you were here, I wouldn't have had to do it," he allowed, then, quickly, "I don't mean anything by that…"

"Yeah, I know," she sighed.

"Katie, I'm sorry I was an asshole," he quietly said.

"I'm sorry you were, too. Look, Mikey, we'll talk about this in person, okay? I'm tired, I've got to get up in four hours and I'm just not in the frame of mind to do this right now, okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

"Me, too."

"Call me at some point tomorrow?"

"I'll send you a text when we leave up here, okay?"

"Okay. Good night, Katie."

"Night," she said, flipping her phone shut.

Kate quickly changed into her pajamas, and then walked back into the room.

Ed was lying in bed, but still on the phone. Spotting her, he placed his hand over the mouth piece, "You can turn off the light. I'll be done in a minute."

"Don't rush off on my behalf. See you in the morning," she smiled, slipping into bed and turning off the light. She turned on her side, facing the window and closed her eyes. She didn't want to eavesdrop, but found herself listening to his conversation.

"Yeah, I know," he quietly said, "I love you too…Give Rubes a kiss for me in the morning…I will…'kay…'night, Boo."

Apartment of Mike and Kate Logan

June 7, 2006

6:45 pm

"Okay, Jamison," Logan said, watching as she picked up an "o-shaped" noodle and placed it in her mouth. "Finish those noodle things and we'll have some cookies."

"Cook…" she said, her spaghetti sauce face forming a grin.

"Yeah," he laughed, "And we'll hose you down, too."

Hearing the front door open and shut, Jamison looked up, her eyes wide. "Mama?"

"I think so," Logan nodded.

"Mama!" Jamison called.

"It's me!" Kate called back, walking into the kitchen. "Look at you, all covered in sauce. You're a saucy little monkey."

"Up!" Jamison commanded, holding her arms out.

"Let's clean you off first, okay?" Logan said, grabbing a baby wipe from the container on the counter and wiping her hands and face. "We don't wanna mess up Mommy's suit." Once she was clean, he took off her bib. "There, now you're safe. Let's get rid of this tray…"

Kate watched him work. Despite the smile he wore, she could read the guilt he felt.

"You ready to grab her if I pull off the tray?" he asked.

"Go for it," Kate replied. As soon as he pulled off the tray, Jamison threw herself at Kate, who caught her in a bear hug. "Hello there Jami," she said, kissing the baby. "Were you a good girl for daddy?"

"She was very good," Logan answered. "Especially this morning, she got right up and didn't fight me when I got her dressed."

"What a good girl!" Kate said, causing Jamison to smile. She turned to Logan, "And what a good Daddy."

He shrugged, "I did my best."

She pecked his cheek. "You did a good job. Thank you."

He shrugged again, "Did you eat?"

She thought for a moment, "I'm running on six pack of Red Bull and one hot dog from Sammy's cart."

Logan winced, "Ouch, you're going to crash and it's not going to be pretty."

"Not in the least," she agreed. "Did you have dinner?"

"I was waiting for you. What are you in the mood for?"

"Something I don't have to chew?" she tiredly said, then, "Surprise me?"

9:30 pm

Yawning, Kate slipped into bed. As she laid her head back onto the pillows, Logan walked into the room. "God it feels good to lay down," she sighed.

"Can you go in late tomorrow?" he asked, striping off his clothes.

"I wish," she yawned, watching as he got into bed and turned off the light.

He lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling. "If I try to hug you, will you knee me in the nuts?"

"Mikey," she sighed, rolling onto her side and placing her hand on his chest. "I won't knee you in the nuts."

"You should."

"Stop, please?"

"I was an asshole," he protested.

"I'm not gonna lie and say you weren't."

"Wanna hear my side of it?"

"Sure, go ahead."

He turned onto his side to face her and placed his hand on the curve of her hip. "Between the shit I caused last month and Alex Borgia getting' killed, things have been weird around here. You've looked so down and haven't been yourself, except when you're around Jamison."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued talking.

"When you first told me about going up to Maine, I did think about your safety. But, when you got home, you were so…" he searched for the right word, "Excited. You walked out of the bedroom in your jeans, with your hair all up and it was all I could do not to jump you right there."

She blushed, "Mikey…"

"What? I'm not allowed to get turned on by my own wife?"

"Yeah, you are, but you're forgetting the point of your story," she gently coaxed.

"Oh yeah, anyway, I guess I got jealous, thinking you were going to be with Green all night instead of me and sharing a hotel room and all. I know it was stupid, but..."

"I can't believe you even thought that Ed and I would think of something like that."

"Come on, Katie, you said it yourself, you think he's a good looking guy."

"Of course I do, he's hot," she agreed. "And, yes, in another world, if he and I were both single, I would probably go out with him if he asked. But, this is not another world. Neither of us is single and we both know that. So, instead of trying to date each other, we've hit it off as friends. Want to know what we did on the car ride up to Maine? Talked about you and Trina Cesarone, and Jamison and Trina's daughter Ruby. Wanna know what happened in the hotel room? We checked in, called home, and went to sleep in separate beds."

"Katie…"

"He knew you were pissed about me going and more than once, he offered to take me back home," she went on, clearly on a roll.

"Oh great, so now he thinks I'm an asshole, too?"

She shook her head, "No, he doesn't. He said he could understand where you were coming from and actually spent the better part of an hour trying to make me understand it."

Logan raised a brow. "He did?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he did. You owe him one, cuz I was really ready to pack my shit and move out when I got back."

"You were?" he seemed surprised.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I was. Come on, Mikey, less than a month ago, you kissed another woman. I thought I'd forgiven you for that, but last night, when all the jealousy shit came out, I started thinking about how hypocritical that was and for a while, yeah, I was wondering what the hell I was still doing here."

"Wow," he simply said.

"Yeah, wow," she agreed. "It really kinda scared me. It still does."

"So, what does this mean?"

"I honestly don't know. I called Emil Skota today and made an appointment to talk to him. Obviously, I'm not over it like I thought I was."

"I can't believe I'm fucking this up again. Like I didn't learn after the first time."

"And I think that's what got pulled up when you told me about Holly," she admitted. "I'd really put it behind me, but I guess I didn't."

"There's got to be something I can do or say…"

"I think it's me," she admitted, then dryly laughed. "I always hated the it's-not- you- it's- me line, but here I am using it."

"Katie, you gotta know how much I love you," he said, desperation clear in his tone.

"I know, Mikey, and I love you, too," she caressed his cheek.

"You really thought about leaving me?"

"For a few minutes, yeah," she nodded. "It scared the shit outta me."

"I wouldn't blame you, you know. You are married to the world's biggest fuck up."

"Stop it," she firmly said. "I will not lay here and listen to you beat yourself up."

"Yeah, well, somebody needs to kick the shit outta me," he sniffed. "I went to see Liz Olivet after we closed the case on Holly. Told her how I nearly blew everything, I sat there and beat myself up pretty damn good. She gave me some psychological bullshit about how people can be so afraid to lose someone that they subconsciously push them away."

"You're afraid you're going to lose me," she said, digesting the statement as she said it.

"I have been," he admitted, grateful for the darkness. "I was afraid after Holly, then Alex Borgia gets killed and that set it off even more." He pulled her into his arms. "Katie, I love you. I can't let you walk away again. I will do what ever I need to do…"

"Stop," she quietly said, exhaustion taking over her mind. She needed to sleep, not argue. "Just stop, okay? The thought was there, for a few minutes, but it left. Now, I need to get some sleep, okay?" She pecked his cheek, rolled over onto her back, pulled the covers up and closed her eyes. Within moments, she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.