Chapter 2

Three weeks earlier….

Harper VanMeter sat at her desk in the Manhattan District Attorney's office going over witness statements for one of her current cases. It had been two months since she'd transferred from the Brooklyn D.A.'s office and she was beginning to think she'd made a mistake. She'd always thrived when faced with a challenge, but these days it seemed she was doing more sinking that swimming. The workload was tough, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Her obstacle seemed to be more of a personnel issue-more specifically a boss issue. She'd always gotten along well with her supervisors. Understandably she was new and therefore they were keeping an eye on her and her work, but she couldn't do her job with Jack McCoy second guessing her every step of the way. In fact she'd just come from his office not too long ago. Another "discussion", this time about a plea agreement. His words still stung.

"Mr. McCoy-"

"Jack." His tone was more annoyed than anything. It certainly didn't make her want to call him Jack.

"-I understand what you're saying, but Johnson is an opportunistic creep. He took advantage of Mrs. Kramer and-"

"Offer him the plea, Harper."

"I can get the conviction without his testimony. I just need-" desperation was beginning to leak into her voice.

"Harper," the volume of his voice rose as did the annoyed tone. "Make the deal." He picked up the file he'd been reading and continued his work.

Harper knew this was the signal that all discussions were over and she should exit the office. Unfortunately, Harper's emotions sometimes got the best of her and when that happened her mouth had a mind of it's own. "With all due respect, sir, how am I supposed to do my job when you're constantly looking over my shoulder?" As soon as it left her mouth she knew she shouldn't have said it.

Jack calmly put his file down and took off his reading glasses. Too calmly-Harper knew it was a bad sign. "With all due respect, Ms. VanMeter, you do your job by going out there and doing what I tell you to. The last time I checked I was still the boss around here, so if you want keep your job you make the deal." Jack put his glasses back on and picked up his file. Looking over the top of his glasses Harper had a stunned expression on her face. "Are we clear?"

Just thinking about it now made Harper sick at her stomach. How could she have been so careless? This is where she'd always wanted to be and now she was a heartbeat away from traffic court. Sje decided wallowing in self-pity wasn't going to get her statements done so with a sigh she buried her regret in work.

Turning his light off Jack McCoy was finally headed out for the night. Mike and Connie were going to think he stood them up. On his way to the elevator he saw a light still on in one of the cubicles. Taking a detour to see who was working late he saw Harper VanMeter going through several files at her desk. As he got closer he could see earbuds in her ears and hear her humming along to the music. He knew he'd made the right decision allowing her transfer from Brooklyn. She was a good lawyer. You couldn't have her record and not be, but she was headstrong and idealistic. It would take more than a few dressing downs from him to tame her.

"Working late?" he asked walking up to her desk. She didn't notice him approach. He taped a finger on her desk, startling her out of her concentrated state.

Tearing her earbuds out quickly and repressing the urge to scream she asked, "I'm sorry?"

Jack looked amusingly at her. "What are you listening to?" He motioned to her ipod on the desk.

"Oh! Umm.. The Beatles. Revolver. I hope it's OK. I don't use it during office hours…."

"It's fine," he shrugged. Jack glanced at the files in front of her. "The McKinney case… how do you feel about it?"

"Good, this motion they applied for is without merit. I'm confidant Judge Robinson will dismiss it." She looked at him sure he'd have a scowl on his face and say something about being prepared and not taking anything for granted. He just nodded and gave a little grunt.

"Mr. McCoy-"

"Ja-"

"Jack," she paused looking him in the eye. "I owe you an apology for earlier. I over-stepped. I was out of line and I'm sorry." Jack just shrugged and shook his head. "The truth is: I have a hard time filtering between my head and my mouth and… you intimidate me. I'm not used to that and I'm not used to being second guessed...."

Jack took a seat next to her desk. "Harper, you're a very good prosecutor. You wouldn't be in my office if you weren't. That being said you still have a lot to learn and I'm not in the habit of giving young A.D.A.'s free reign on cases."

Harper's cheeks blushed with embarrassment. A trait she despised, it always betrayed her and her emotions.

"And as far as being intimidated goes, don't be." Jack smiled a warm smile that surprisingly put Harper at ease.

"Oh.. Well, I never thought of that before. Don't be." Her comment was ripe with sarcasm.

Jack chuckled. "Drinks help. Come on." He got up and started closing her files.

"What? Oh , no… I-"

"A group went down to Shaunessy's about an hour ago. We're late."

Harper soon learned that women rarely say no to Jack McCoy, regardless of the situation. They shared a cab to the bar. Harper usually found making small talk to be a laborious task at best, but surprisingly with Jack the conversation seemed to flow and when it didn't the silence seemed to be a comfortable one. Before long they were walking into the warmth of the bar. Connie was glad to see Harper had decided to join them. She had been asked a number of times, but had always declined. As she and Jack took their seats (he between Mike Cutter and another A.D.A. and she between Connie and a Detective Cyrus Lupo) Harper was very conscious of a few sideways glances at her and Jack. After much prodding Connie had filled Harper in on Jack's reputation. It was just the sort of thing Harper wanted to steer clear of. Though she found this reputation of his hard to believe. It was probably just idol gossip.

Jack always enjoyed these nights out with his prosecutors and friends. Even now that he was D.A. he wouldn't trade these nights for any dinner in any four-star restaurant in town. He was pleased Harper had join them. He had noticed her lack of socializing and it worried him. He knew as well as anybody that too many nights alone with your caseload was unhealthy.

He found himself watching Harper throughout the night. Not so much that it was noticeable, but whenever given the opportunity he'd steal glances at her. She was an attractive young woman. Her frame was small, probably around 5'1" maybe 110 lbs. Petite, but she still had curves in all the right places. Her brown hair was long, presumably she always wore it up one way or another. He could tell Harper was shy, but tried to cover it up with wit, sarcasm, and healthy dose of levity. She hid it well except whenever something would catch her off guard her cheeks would flush just a couple of shades pinker than normal. He wondered if others noticed this, or was it just a sign he was paying way too much attention to someone entirely too young.

Harper was definitely having a hard time concentrating. Between Jack McCoy across the table and Cyrus Lupo next to her she clung to cohesive thought like it was the edge of a cliff. She was well aware of Cyrus' flirting though she got the impression he thought he was being subtle. With his arm around the back of the chair he'd occasionally lean in and whisper into her ear. His breath on her neck was very distracting. Strangely enough the more Cyrus flirted with her the more acutely aware she was of Jack across the table. Just as in the cab earlier he conversed easily with his companions. She admired that ability in anyone. McCoy moved in and out of two or three conversations at a time with ease as if it were a graceful dance. His smile was nice. She didn't think she'd ever seen him smile. It was sincere. He should definitely do it more often.

Cyrus asked her to dance. After a couple of requests she finally relented. The bar's small dance space was pretty crowed, so she allowed him to pull her closer than she normally would have. He towered over her making her feel much smaller than her five feet. His hands were strong around her small waist and she was thankful she'd only had a couple of beers. Otherwise she may have been tempted to get to know Detective Lupo much better.

When Harper and Cyrus returned from the dance floor the flush on her cheeks was quite apparent. She was laughing and seemed more carefree than Jack had ever seen her. She wore it well. She look at him as she took her seat. Jack, never being one to shy away from eye contact with a woman, smiled and held her gaze. She quickly looked away, softly touching her now crimson cheeks.

Deciding she'd had enough fun for the night Harper rose to gather her belongings. Her movement was quickly mimicked by Cyrus. "Can I take you home?"

Harper was taken aback by the question. She blushed and thought she saw Jack, who was chatting with Mike, stiffen and glance her way. Cyrus had a sweet smile. It was very hard to resist, but Harper was far to practical to fall for a boyish smile.

"Why Detective Lupo, what kind of a girl do you think I am?" Her tone was teasing and her smile a bit flirty. "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know what kind of a girl I am. But what I'm not," she looked at him with an earnest smile, " is a girl that goes home with a strange man after three beers."

With his lips in a crooked smile he started to defend himself. "Well I just thought…."

"You have to give me tequila for that!" She winked and he smiled knowing all his hopes of an after party were dashed.

Jack's chuckle gave away his eavesdropping. He glanced at Harper who flashed him a Cheshire Cat grin. As much as he hated to admit it, Jack was jealous. It wasn't often he was jealous of other men where women were concerned. He's had his fair share of success with women. He didn't see the logic in it, but that's what it was pure green eyed jealousy. Just as perplexing was the relief he felt when Harper turned Lupo down on his offer. Why should he care if she took Cyrus Lupo home? She was an adult, she could do as she pleased. He was basically a good guy from what Jack could tell. But he knew he'd have been a little disappointed if they'd left together.

Harper made the rounds saying goodnight to everyone. She made a point to say thank you to Jack for insisting she come. He grinned. The look they shared made Harper feel like they had a secret, a secret only they knew. It was comforting and made her stomach do sommersaults at the same time.

Walking out she was overwhelmed with confusion. Normally in this situation Harper would look back at the man she'd spent her evening with-a final flirtatious look. But in that instance she didn't know whom she'd look at: Cyrus or Jack? She knew she should look at Cyrus. He was handsome, smart, a genuinely nice guy, age appropriate, and most importantly not her boss. In the end she didn't look back. She knew if she did her eyes would be drawn to Jack McCoy just as they had been all night long.

As always, critics and comments are always welcome!!

Thanks!!