Lennie, Part IV

by Cirocco (500 words)

...and back to me. Or rather, back to Lennie. Who's not nearly as oblivious as he thinks he is.

I'm seeing things. That's what it is.

And I know why I'm seeing things, too. It's because my confidence as a detective is shot.

I mean, I've always been good at reading people. You have to be, if you're a cop. It's your stock-in-trade, the ability to notice from subtle cues what somebody's thinking or feeling. I've always been good at doing that with witnesses and suspects, and very, very good at doing it with my partners.

You spend that much time with a guy, rely on him to watch your back, you gotta know what makes him tick. And I always have. As far back as Reds Carpenter when I was in uniform, a million years ago. I mean, I knew what Reds was gonna say before Reds opened his mouth. And that skill didn't fade with age.

Take my last two partners. Mike Logan, Exhibit A. I knew the secret smile Mike had when he got lucky the night before, I knew the squint of his eyes when he was bugged by a case, I knew when one of his many pick-ups had gotten clingy.

Rey Curtis – another open book. I knew when he was doing a slow burn with a suspect and I'd have to step in or risk losing both our badges. By the end I even knew, from his body language and his silences, how his wife was doing on any given day. I knew he was gonna transfer to a desk before he did.

So here's me and Ed Green. I think I know him. I've noticed a gambling habit, I know when to leave him alone with witnesses and when not to, I know when his temper is gonna get him in trouble.

So how come I go four years without cluing in that he's gay?

You can see why this bothers me. And you can probably see why I don't know any more whether what I'm seeing is really there, or whether I'm just so eager to not miss anything that I see what isn't there. I confused the hell outta myself just with that sentence.

What am I talking about, exactly? Well... here's where I feel like an idiot. Because I know he has a... boyfriend, and I know they had some sorta fight. I've picked up that things are tense. As for why they're tense, that's a little tougher, because of course Ed's not gonna open up about it. But...

See, we work with this one EADA fairly frequently. Jack McCoy. And I know McCoy's a ladies' man – his rep is almost as widely known as Mike's. Ed knows that. But I've started to notice things from Ed. Very close attention to McCoy when we're doing witness prep. A wide smile, quickly covered, when McCoy calls us. A different tone to his voice when he says McCoy's name.

And here's the really dumb part... damned if I haven't started to notice the same kind of signs from McCoy. Towards Ed.

Ed, Part V

by Cassatt (500 words)

Okay, so I'm on my way to McCoy's office and I admit that I'm walking kinda fast. I can't seem to slow down the pace. My mind is bouncing around so much that I almost get hit by a cab. Once I focus on the cabbie yelling his brand of obscenities at me, I give him my "I'm a cop so don't fuck with me" glare and keep walking. My mind takes off again, in time with my feet.

Lennie. I think he's on to something, but I can't imagine he's really on to that. His eyes did the unblinking thing again when I got off the phone and told him I needed to go to the DA's office. I didn't have to tell him, Jack (and see, now I'm trying to think of him as "Jack") said I should come by later, not during work. But I blurted it out. Lennie stared. Then asked me what case it was for, and goddamn it, I didn't have an answer. So my eyes refused to blink, until I shrugged and told him I was getting a soda. Never mind that I hate the shit in those machines. I left.

Jack. McCoy. Jack, damn it. Why do I think there was something behind his request? Because I did, I sure as hell did. I only hope that my voice sounded normal when I told him I'd be over as soon as I got off. As soon as my shift was over, I should've said. Got off? What was I thinking? I wasn't, and that right there was... is the problem. I was hearing things in his voice, reviewing all of the signals that've been thrown at me over the past months, my stomach was starting to take a dive, and I ended up sounding like an idiot.

I arrive at Hogan Place. Going against the traffic flow, I get in the elevator and punch the ten. My mind is suddenly way too quiet. The elevator is rising way too fast. Eight, nine, ten, and I'm on his floor, moving. I notice that his blinds are closed, but there's light so he's really there. The blinds are closed. My stomach dives again. They're never closed. I knock, though I never do. I hear footsteps, and I'm trying to judge how quickly he's walking. Faster than normal? Would I know? The door opens. I'm really thrown. He's smiling.

"Ed, thanks for coming," he says, standing aside and waving me in.

Ed, he called me Ed, and he's only done that seven other times. I smile, too, and walk in, then don't know what to do so I stand between the desk and the couch. The couch I've had any number of fantasies about, I admit. Leather can be very... very. He approaches. He's in my personal space. Way in. My heart pounds -- I was right. He wants to say something. He's so close, I can't take it. I make my move.

I kiss him.

Anita, Part VI

by LynK13 (285 words)

... and Lynk13 jumps in, with Anita Van Buren! Yay!

It hits you in the face when you least expect it. Trouble, that is. If I've learned anything as a lieutenant, it's that you never let your guard down. But I know now, what I didn't the day I accepted my promotion. You have to watch their backs, and you can never stop, even when you think they don't need your supervision any more.

It was rough to learn that lesson with Logan. He came so very far, so close to being the cop he wanted to be. I stopped watching for trouble too soon with him, I promised I wouldn't do it again.

Ed Green, though, has been a surprise from the beginning. The warnings about excessive force and a hot temper have proven to be the least of my worries. But he's been playing it close to the chest. Most of the time.

I saw it coming, but to tell you the truth, I didn't expect this. I'd seen that he's been distracted lately, the intense focus on his case toned down a just a notch. I'd seen that something's bothering Lennie, something he's not discussing with his partner.

When McCoy came by yesterday, wearing that smile on his face, I was surprised, I admit it. His new assistant didn't seem his type. When she walked in half an hour after him, I watched his face to see if it was true. He didn't see her at all. But as he stopped by the detectives' desks, I saw my answer. I saw who he was watching. And who was watching him right back.

Edward Green, they warned me you were going to make problems for me. I guess they were right after all.