Title: Risks, Chapter 5

Author: Sorsha711
Fandom/Pairing: JM/OFC

Rating: M, adult content
Disclaimer: The Munchkin isn't mine, except in my dreams! Sigh! DW owns him and the others.
Summary: A sequel to my Halloween fantasy, Whispers. Everything of worth has risks; what would you risk to find true love? JM/OFC & OE

Feedback appreciated... pretty please!!!

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Risks, Chapter 5

"Hey, John… where you off to?"

Looking back toward his partner, John pointed to the clock on the wall above the coffee pot. "In case you hadn't noticed, it's after 5 on a Friday afternoon. I actually thought I might partake of life outside the confines of this building. You should give it a try sometime."

"Keep being a sarcastic bastard and I'll change my mind about asking if you want to go for a beer," Fin retorted.

"Take me as I am; I'm not changing at this point," John quipped. "A beer sounds good, but I need to ask for a raincheck. I have to go home and get changed. I have plans for tonight."

"The Munchkin has plans?" Elliot demanded, coming up behind him. "This is big news, buddy. A beautiful lady involved?"

"Could be, but I don't kiss and tell… like some people I know," he retorted, giving Fin an over-the-top of his glasses smirk. "That would be the other half of the dynamic duo of Munch and Tutuola."

Glaring, Fin corrected, "That's Tutuola and Munch, smartass."

Olivia had followed Elliot into the squadroom. Stopping at John's side, she placed a hand on his arm. "Something fun I hope."

Relenting… a little, in response to her smile, he offered, "I've been invited to dinner at an elderly couple's home. Mrs. Kirpachi is from the same village as my mother in the old country. They hid together with a Gypsy band during the war, but lost touch afterwards. They want to meet me."

"Your mom's Romanian, right? Your dad was Danish?"

"Da."

"Can't say that sounds like much fun to me… spending the evening talking about the Nazis and death camps," Fin observed. "Sure you don't want a beer or three to get you mellow for the rest?"

"Actually, I do, but I somehow don't think I'd make a very good impression if I showed up with beer on my breath, wearing the same clothes I wore all day to work," John lamented. "They're old-world, so I should show a little respect visiting their home."

"Your mother would be so proud," Olivia teased. "Her little Johnny is such a gentleman!"

"Yeah, right!" John laughed. "More likely she would faint from shock."

"Now, that sounds right!" Fin agreed, trading a grin with Elliot. "You two up for a beer?"

"Count me in," Elliot agreed, "but Liv probably has plans with the 'mystery man'."

Biting back a retort, Olivia forced herself to smile. "Nope. Free as a bird. Give me a few minutes to finish the DD5 on the Rollins case and we can go. "

A revived smile lit Elliot's face. "Well, OK then. I need to re-file the stuff we pulled on the Marlow case, so that should give you enough time. John, you still plan to bring the cat over for Elizabeth tomorrow?"

"Be there around one," John confirmed.

"Great. Have fun tonight being the good son. You two wait on me," he instructed, before disappearing down the hall.

Watching him as he hurried out of the room, Olivia murmured, "I have been… for years."

Rolling his eyes, Fin rose and walked toward Cragen's office. "Hope the Cap can come. Otherwise, I have the feeling I'll be playing third wheel and making an early exit."

Chuckling at his partner's observations, John looked back to Olivia. Seeing her undisguised longing, he urged, "Go for it, Liv. Take a few risks. That's the only way you'll ever know."

Cocking her head to study him, she asked, "Speaking from experience, John? You seem… happier lately than I can ever remember seeing you. Got any secrets to share?"

An amused chuckle was his only reply to her question. Pulling on his coat, John countered, "Just repeating the advice you gave me a few weeks ago. Risks, Olivia… take a few risks."

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"I need to warn you…"

Looking over at his lover, John was again struck by how beautiful she was. Refusing to become distracted by her lovely green eyes while her safety was in his care, he forced his eyes back to the road. "Warn me? That doesn't sound promising."

Sighing, she cautioned, "My oldest brother and his wife are in town and will be joining us for dinner. Sophie and her husband will be there as well. Mama didn't tell me until just before you arrived to pick me up."

"Ok… but why didn't she tell you sooner?" he asked, easing his car into an opening in the heavy Friday evening traffic. "Is it that big a deal?"

"Think about it, John! I'm Josif's baby sister. With the big difference in our ages, he's more like a second father most of the time rather than my brother," she moaned. "He plans to grill you… put you through the ringer! That will only inspire Papa to do the same… or should I say, be worse than he would otherwise have been. They are brutal when they get together and gang up on someone. Mama knows this. She should have warned me earlier!"

"And your mother didn't tell you earlier because… why? She was afraid you would warn me so I could be prepared… or that you would argue with her, try to get her to un-invite them… maybe, give me time to find an excuse not to come?" he pressed, his nerves escalating in response to hers. Meeting 'the parents' wasn't any easier at 54 than it had been when he was 20.

Nodding, she offered, "We could always say you got called back to work on a case."

"Are you afraid they won't approve of me, Rella?" John asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Of course not! You and my father will get along great once he gets through grilling you. He's a conspiracy nut too!" she insisted, ignoring his snort of laughter at her description of his interests. "It's just that it's too soon for them to demand to know your intentions towards me. I…"

"Do you want to know my intentions towards you?" he quietly interjected, suddenly confident the time had come to admit his growing feelings to her.

Wide-eyed, she held his gaze as they stopped at another light. "Yes… I think it's only fair for me to know before they do."

Chuckling at her comment, he leaned over to gently kiss her. "My intentions are as honorable as any man's intentions can be when you're talking about the most beautiful, desirable woman he's ever seen. I'm falling in love with you, Rella. I'm hoping like hell you feel the same and want to try to make this work… permanently."

A soft gasp of wonder left her lips as she tugged his head down to hers. When they finally broke apart, she whispered, "I'm falling in love with you too, John. My intentions are a lot like yours."

A contented glow settled into the depths of John's eyes. "Good to know. I guess we are as ready to face the music as we are ever likely to be then. And it's better to have the first meeting out of the way before your show opens. You don't need to add that tension to the mix."

"True. Now hush and kiss me again."

The loud blaring of horns finally got their attention. Pressing a last quick kiss to her lips, John turned back to his driving. "And there is the business of Max. I still haven't won him over… I'm on a mission."

Giggling in relief at having this conversation behind them, Rella teased, "Max has never been won over by anyone. He's a one person cat. He still hisses at you when he finds you sitting on the couch, much less sleeping in my bed."

"He can hiss all he wants. He'll just have to get used to my being there because I don't plan to leave it now that I've found you," John promised, reaching over to take her hand in a possessive grip.

"Then, I'll leave it to you to work out a truce with him. That should be fun to watch!"

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The man in the next car shook himself and forced his attention back to the traffic. "Damn! That was Munch! Munch and the lady we saw on Halloween! Munch and the gorgeous lady from the bar kissing… passionately! Damn!"

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Esmerelda had had enough. "OK, the Inquisition is officially over! Leave John alone and eat your meal before it gets cold!"

Two identical pairs of brown eyes turned in her direction. Seeing the fierce glow in her green ones, father and son decided a strategic retreat was in order. "The roast is delicious, Sophie. You outdid yourself tonight," her grandfather offered.

"I was happy to come over and give G-Mama a hand with the meal." Trading a grin with her husband, she added, "It was also the most effective way to be sure David and I got ringside seats to the show!"

Flashing green eyes turned in her direction. "Keep it up, Soph…"

"Hey, don't turn on me! I seem to remember you were sitting right where I am the night they did this to David and didn't say a word to help him!" her niece and best friend retorted. "Payback's hell!"

"Damn it, they weren't this bad to David!" Rella insisted, reaching over to seize John's hand in a protective grip.

"Like hell they weren't!" Sophie chuckled, doing the same to her husband's. "I was sure I'd never see him again after that night."

"Language, my dears," Tatiana interjected, taking a sip of her wine.

Squeezing her hand, John soothed, "While I appreciate the support, honey, I'm fine. I've been a cop for over twenty years, so I've had enough dealings with lawyers not to be overly intimidated now. Besides, they are just looking out for you; I figure it's justified. God knows you could do a lot better than me."

"Don't! I hate it when you run yourself down. You're a wonderful man and I'm lucky to have met you," she insisted, frustrated by the entire evening.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Rella," he admitted, touched by her defense. "They are only concerned with your best interests and I can hardly object to that, now can I? I want the same thing."

"John has dealt with serial killers, Rella, so Papa and I must seem quite tame in comparison," Josif offered, trying not to laugh at the outrage on his sister's face.

Chuckling, John replied, "Actually, serial killers are easier to handle. They are usually shackled and I'm the one doing the questioning. On the up side, I've picked up some nasty new interrogation techniques tonight I'll use the next time I interview a perp."

"Oh goodness! The two of you behave and leave John alone," Tatiana insisted, a grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. "I don't want my dinner parties to get that type of reputation and I very much hope John will be willing to come back again soon."

"It would be my pleasure, Madam Kirpachi," John replied, relaxing slightly in hopes the worst was over. He quickly realized his mistake.

"Good. After Christmas, my husband and I usually go to Florida for a few months to avoid the worst of the cold weather. We go by train, so that we can rest whenever we tire. Flying is so stressful for me; I never grew comfortable with it," Tatiana began, fixing John with a determined stare. "At our age, one needs the comforts when traveling, so the train is ideal."

Unsure of where this was going, John tentatively offered, "I've always loved flying, but I enjoy traveling by train too."

"I am glad to hear this. Perhaps you and Rella might come with us as far as Baltimore so that I can visit your mother, John," she proposed, clearly determined to make her position clear. Her baby was obviously in love with him and she was pleased to discover she liked him… that he reminded her of her own husband. "I would very much like to see her again and at our age, it isn't wise to put such matters off for too long. Indeed, there are several very important things I wish to see before I die… some I have been waiting for since my daughter was but a baby."

Sputtering on her wine, Rella stared at her mother in shock. Sophie and her mother, Maria, rose quickly to begin clearing the table for dessert, grabbing a few plates before disappearing into the kitchen. David followed on their heels with Josif bringing up the rear. The closed door failed to muffle their combined laughter.

Taking a deep breath to clear her throat, Rella silently fumed. /Great! First Papa and Josif try to scare him off and now Mama is dropping none too subtle hints about setting a date. We've been dating for less than a month, for pity sake! What did I do to deserve this?!/

Squeezing her hand again, John lifted it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the knuckles. "I understand, Madam Kirpachi. Some events are more important than others, especially to parents. Tell me when you plan to leave and I'll see if I can arrange to take time off from work to make the trip. My mother was very excited to hear I was dining with you and your family tonight. She would very much like to see you again, as well."

Smiling broadly that he had taken her meaning and appeared to be amenable to her directive, Tatiana replied, "Excellent. Please give me her address and I will write to her tomorrow."

Rella stifled a groan. /Perfect! Now she plans to enlist his mother in putting pressure on him! Anna Munch doesn't even know me… and John can't be interested in jumping ahead this fast! How did I let us get roped into this? Mrs. Munch isn't going to be happy with me as a prospective daughter-in-law. I'm Catholic… not the 'nice Jewish girl' she's wanting for her oldest son./

/I never saw this one coming… but I guess I should have. She's already planning our wedding! I wonder if Rella and I will be allowed an opinion?/ John mused, struggling not to grin. /Mother will love this! She's already asking if I'm serious about Rella. Rella may not be Jewish, but she's Romanian and part Roma. With my track record, that is good enough at this point! I won't know how to act having her actually approve of someone I'm dating, much less marrying! Damn, did I really just…/

"Good. Now that this matter is settled, you will be joining us for Thanksgiving," Tatiana instructed, taking his agreement as a given. "We dine in the evening, so you will still be able to join us even if you must work that day. Tell me, John…"

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"So… you and your mystery man aren't doing anything tonight?" Elliot asked, staring into his half-empty glass of beer. Fin and Don had already left, both claiming they had other plans they had suddenly remembered. Now that he had Olivia to himself, he wasn't able to resist finding out if he had any reason to hope she might one day turn to him.

Tilting her head to study him, Olivia took a deep breath… and a big risk. "Kind of hard to do something with a man I made-up. I'd rather be here with you."

"What?!!!"

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