Lennie, Part XIX

by Cirocco (500 words)

When did Mike Logan transfer back to the 2-7? Because this morning I swear I saw him saunter in whistling his "I got lucky last night" tune.

Except it wasn't Mike, it was Ed.

I guess I don't have to ask how things went last night with Jack. Not that he'd tell me; Ed's not Mike. Mike the morning after, you don't wanna hear about. Or maybe you do; there was Taniika with a double I, whose parakeet told dirty limericks. And Sylvia the Contortionist. And Gloria, who had breast implants, which was bizarre because of course I'm picturing my Gloria while trying not to picture my Gloria and thanking god she's not 'my' Gloria any more.

So, since I don't wanna know about Jack's pets or flexibility or implants, I'm real grateful Ed doesn't kiss and tell. I got too much information already last night, when he answered his cell a little breathless. "Green," he said, laughing.

"Ed, we got a break on Swenson."

"Swen- oh! Lennie! Uh, yeah-" and I could hear him struggling to change mental gears, because obviously work was the farthest thing from his mind right then. "You mean the fingerprints?"

"They match."

"The daughter?"

"The mother."

"Dana Swenson?" He broke off and there was some talk in the background. "Yeah, her. No, he said-" then a bit of a mixup while Ed tried to sort out who he was talking to, and then Jack came on the line.

"Dana Swenson? You're sure?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I'll have Serena draw up the warrant."

"OK. Uh, thanks."

So all I really need to know is they're OK, right? Still, this morning's been... awkward. First saying hi was uncomfortable, knowing he knew I knew, and I knew he knew, and you get the picture. But we had a debriefing with Narcotics first thing, so we just sorta nodded to each other and went to work. Regular routine, except for some weird silences here and there. At lunch Ed ducked out with a half-embarrassed grin, which I figured meant he was gonna meet Jack for lunch. And after lunch we went back to half-conversations, until at one point Ed took a deep breath and came out with, "Look, I uh... I'm uh, sorry about the last few days..."

And neither of us really knew where to go with that. I managed "Fine, no problem," and that was that.

All I really need to know is they're OK. I think. But I'd like to know if there's anything I should know about. Like are they actually dating or just sleeping together? What can I say or not say? What about boundaries between them as a couple, and us and the DA's office?

Besides, this is awkward, and it doesn't really have to be. So. Here goes.

"So, what happened?" I ask.

"What?"

"With McCoy. And no, I don't need details. I just wanna know what's going on, roughly. So I don't stick my foot in my mouth."

And Ed grins.

Ed, Part XX

by Cassatt (812 words)

I know the past few days have been rough, and I'm thinking I should apologize for them and all, given how cool Lennie has been. On the whole. Well, he has been. And even if last night was a bit weird, having this normal who-did-what-to-whom work conversation, like Lennie, Jack, and me were sittin' around the table in Jack's office, when actually Jack was nibbling on my shoulder while I was trying to answer the phone--still, Lennie's been cool.

"So, what happened?" he asks me.

"What?" I'm really not following him. Sometimes, I don't.

"With McCoy. And no, I don't need details. I just wanna know what's going on, roughly. So I don't stick my foot in my mouth." The mouth he's referring to is set in a tight line.

The guy looks like a really pretty waitress has just given him a pizza with pineapples on it, and he can't find an inoffensive way to show his distaste. He's working hard to stay cool. And I know he doesn't need details--trust me, I wouldn't dream of giving them. But I'm afraid I'm going to start laughing out loud any second.

"What?" he asks, his eyes narrowing.

"Nothing," I answer, and I grasp at something to appease him with. Something he can relate to. "Well, things are fine. Good. Jack and I are--dating." I smile. "So there's nothing that's gonna cause you to stick your foot in your mouth. Hell, I already took care of that, this morning." Ah, fuck, and here I had every intention of steering clear of details. Sure enough, he can't help himself. Lennie's curiosity.... Fuck.

So he's again asking me what happened, and I'm giving him the quick and dirty--no, dry--version of my conversation with Jack over coffee in his kitchen, about how I had to explain to Jack that I sort of broke up with my boyfriend 'cause of him, and how Jack freaked a little.

I say, "He got kind of--overwhelmed, at first." Now, there's no way I'm gonna give any more description than that, 'cause Jack looking stunned is something that I'm not even sure I could describe. I mean, the man's face has a million expressions, if you care enough to study them. And I do. I did. I plan to.

"Huh. McCoy, overwhelmed. I'da thought he might be more flattered, given the guy's ego."

Again--there's no way I'm goin' there with Lennie. Not defensive, and not explanatory. "I just needed a few minutes to make it clearer to him," I say, smiling, "that Barry and I were already on the skids, even before I--" and I can't go any further. This is getting a bit more personal than I planned. And Lennie's face is startin' to pinch. "You know," I say.

Lennie coughs. Whether something just didn't sit right in his throat, or he's really coming down with the flu is anyone's guess. "But he's okay now," Lennie finally says.

"Yeah." I can't keep the grin off my face, 'cause now I'm remembering exactly how okay Jack was, this morning, when he eventually got the picture. Jack reached across the table and took my hand, and started stroking his thumb across it, and his eyes were so clear, and so warm, that pretty soon we were both leaning forward and kissing so sweetly, and deeply, that I had to stop myself from dragging him back to bed and spending the next two weeks there. "Chemistry" doesn't explain the half of it.

"So," Lennie continues, "you're okay now, too."

"I'm--happy, Lennie." I stop, embarrassed.

Lennie smiles, and I can see that my happiness is no surprise to him, but the surprise to me is that he seems genuinely happy for me in return. And this does surprise me, I admit it. If there was ever a man whom Lennie could honestly say he really didn't like, it would be Jack. Hence--the pineapples on the pizza.

I'm walking toward my apartment building, and I swear I'm gonna start whistling like some goofus in a movie musical, all because I see Jack's bike parked on the street. Then I'm grinning like my cat just came home after being lost for two weeks because Jack himself is leaning against the building, reading by the light over the doorway. Maybe my cat did just come home--a sleek, strong leopard, and I think I must be falling pretty hard 'cause I'm getting way too poetic.

He looks up when I'm twenty feet away and smiles, and whoa whoa whoa, man, my heartbeat starts thundering. I want him upstairs, against the wall, tongue down my throat in, like, ten seconds?

"Hi," he says, still smiling.

"Hi." My smile almost hurts, it's so wide.

I unlock the door; he's right behind me. Okay, five seconds, tops.

Lennie, Part XXI

by Cirocco (500 words)

Days like this, I'm really glad my partner's dating the EADA. Because I screwed up, frankly, and so did Ed.

Hindsight's twenty-twenty. Everybody liked that lady for her brother's murder, since their dad had just cut her out of the family business. And then she starts flirting with Ed while her brother's still lying in the next room, telling Ed that if he'll just let her go without telling anybody she'll come back for questioning later and maybe there'll be something in it for Ed...

First off: good luck, sweetheart, and second: you're under arrest.

So we haul her in, which, yeah, maybe we shouldn't have without just a little more proof. And we later find out that, no, she didn't do it; it was her brother's girlfriend. And now her fancy lawyer says that (a) we used excessive force, and (b) Ed arrested her because he was pissed because he came on to her and she wouldn't play.

Right. Good luck making that stick with Jack on our side. He'd fight it anyway, because that's his job, but he might not be as convinced Ed was telling the truth if Ed was just another cop. Lucky for us, this is Jack. He knows damn well that there's no way Ed would ever flirt with a suspect, or a woman. Or anyone, for that matter, now that they're a couple.

Yeah, they've finally worked it out. Took a while, which shouldn't be a big surprise. Jack doesn't have what you'd call an impressive track record with relationships. And I'm sure Ed "Excessive Force" Green was no romantic prize either. Plus there was some ugly mop-up at the beginning with Ed's ex. And then Ed had a hell of a time with Jack's commitment-phobia. And then there was the fact that they weren't sure what the hell they were doing... and trying to fit dating in between their busy schedules was no walk in the park either... and what was it gonna do to their careers if anybody ever found out... and who could know and who couldn't know, and why or why not...

Helluva lot of fuss over something pretty damn simple in the end. They liked each other. They wanted to be together. Once they both finally got that through their thick heads, the rest was pretty easy. It just took months of intense blow-ups and arguments that I half-heard or wrestled out of Ed.

Heh, yeah, that was me. Poking around, impersonating Ann Landers, helping my partner date another guy. This really wasn't covered at the Academy.

It's been worth it, though. Ed's happier, we get along with Jack, and they're both professional on the job. It's easy to forget they're a couple until I call Ed's number and Jack answers. And on days like today, being partnered to Ed is very, very nice.

I just can't believe my partner shacking up with a lawyer, let alone with Jack McCoy, has actually made my life easier. Who knew.

finis

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