Chapter 6

"They're all beginning to look the same…."

Harper groaned to no one in particular. She was, after all, alone in the room. It'd been seven hours. Seven hours of mug shots, too strong coffee, greasy pizza, and more strong coffee and Harper wasn't any closer to identifying the mystery man from Connie's building. Her head hurt, her ass hurt, hell, her entire body hurt. She got up, walked around the room, and stretched her sore muscles. She kept going over the events again and again. There had to be something, something she wasn't remembering. This was easily the most aggravating thing she'd ever experienced.

Jack walked into the interrogation room without being noticed. He smiled, if he hadn't known better he'd have thought Harper was practicing a summation. She paced around the small room, mumbling, arms slightly flailing in different directions.

"How's it going?"

Harper turned around to find Jack a few feet away. His eyes were smiling at her and she felt their calming influence immediately.

"Don't ask," she chuckled.

"Well," he walked over and absently thumbed the pages of one of the books, "maybe he's not in here. Did you eat?"

She nodded.

"Well, I think it's time to call it a day. Let me take you home."

Harper suddenly felt the weight of the long day wash over her. "OK."

"Connie should be over later… maybe." Harper smiled impishly, "She has a date."

Jack nodded detecting her inferred meaning.

"She wanted to cancel, but I insisted she go. She's already cancelled on him twice. He's a detective - from Major Cases."

Jack was studying the cluster of framed photos on the apartment's wall. "Mm… you ladies and your cops." He grinned her way.

The fact that he lumped her into the generalization made her feel a little wounded. "Yeah, well, the necessities of life, right?" She smirked trying not to let the injury show. "Anyhow, his name's Mike something. Logan, Mike Logan."

Jack looked at her, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"We've crossed paths a few times…."

Jack didn't elaborate, so Harper took the opportunity to change the subject. As much as she loved Connie, she didn't want to spend the rest of the night talking about her date. She walked over to her iPod dock and turned on one of her mellower playlists for background noise. While she got Jack a drink he brought her up to speed on her colleagues' progress.

"It's not much, but they're keeping an eye on DiCillo's place. They'll track him down. As far as Romano goes, we went to Riker's, applied some pressure. He's not talking, not yet anyway."

Harper absentmindedly rubbed her tired eyes as she rested her head in her hands. Jack continued noticing her weary expression.

"Don't worry. We'll get him."

"Oh, I'm not. I have every faith in your persuasiveness. I'm just a little worn-out."

Jack rose for his seat and internally chastised himself for overstaying his welcome. "I should go. Let you get some rest."

"No! No, please don't." Her voice pleaded with just a hint of whine. The last thing she wanted was for Jack to leave. "Please stay, I didn't mean it like that. I just… I don't know… I just want things to be normal again, you know?"

Jack smiled a crooked smile that made her heart flutter. She liked having him here - in her space. It made her feel like he was more apart of her life. The idea seem silly, even to her. He was her boss, of course he was a part of her life, but having him here made is seem more, more personal. The irony that it took getting beat up and threatened by a mob boss to get him here was not lost on her.

Jack's eyes wondered around the room. He couldn't help but feel a little out of place in the eclectically decorated apartment. The décor was actually quite refined, far nicer than he ever managed on her salary. The living room walls were adorned with framed vintage posters: an old film, The Sin of Nora Moran, an advertisement for the second New York Film Festival, and Puccini's La Boheme. There were nice feminine touches around like a vase of white daisies and a cozy, pink throw over the back of the sofa. All the while her ever-present iPod played some slow blues reminiscent of Billie Holiday. It created a very nice ambiance. He knew his unease had nothing to do with the enviroment and everything to do with his escalating feelings for the apartment's inhabitant. Feelings he knew he could never act on, especially not after what's happened.

He meandered over to the pink iPod. "What's on this thing?"

Harper chuckled at his usage of the word 'thing.' "Oh you know, a little of this, a little of that."

He began pushing at the buttons. Eventually finding his bearings and scrolling through the artist menu.

Harper smiled, Jack looked adorable scowling at the small gadget. Adorable probably wasn't a word used to describe Jack McCoy on a regular basis - or irregular basis for that matter. Kittens and puppies are adorable. Jack McCoy is charming, sexy, even attractive maybe, but rarely adorable.

"Buckcherry, 'Crazy Bitch'," he frowned questionably at her, "Colorful."

"Yeah…" Harper chortled and fidgeted as Jack hit play and the loud rock music began playing. "You, probably don't want to hear that one."

Harper's insistence peeked his interest. He held up his finger as he listened to the songs lyrics.

"Break me down, you got a lovely face, we're going to your place, and now you've got to freak me out, scream so loud, getting fucking laid, you me to stay, but I got to make my way, Hey! You're a crazy bitch, but you fuck so good I'm on top it-"

"OK…." Jack quickly stopped the song from continuing.

Harper laughed out loud. His embarrassment tickled her. She even thought he was blushing a little. "Told you…."

Jack was glad to here Harper laugh even if it was at his expense. He quickly scrolled down the artist names on the iPod. "Bob Marley, Iron & Wine, Johnny Cash, The Moldy Peaches, Rihanna, Otis Redding…" Jack smiled approvingly, "Sheryl Crow, Van Morrison, The Who… that's quite an extensive collection."

She shrugged sheepishly. "I like music…."

Jack continued scanning the assortment.

Harper smiled as the opening notes of Van Morrison's 'Into The Mystic' began to play. She closed her eyes and began to sway to the strumming guitar.

Jack watched as the battered young woman lost herself in the music. As he walked over to her the little voice inside him told him to stop. No, it screamed at him to stop. He ignored it's pleas and he reached down and took her small hand in his.

Harper was gently jostled out of her reverie.

Jack motioned to the open space in the floor and mumbled a barely audible, "Come on." Jack smiled as she followed him in bafflement. He exhaled softly as she slid into his warm arms.

"We were born before the wind, Also younger than the sun, Ere the bonnie boat was won, As we sailed into the mystic…"

Harper's heart was beating so fast and hard she was certain it would leap out of her chest at any moment. She wondered if Jack could feel it. She felt like the temperature in the room surged by twenty degrees and knew full well her face was as red as a sunburn. She wished she had some control of the affect he had on her.

"…Hark, now hear the sailor's cry, Smell the sea and feel the sky, Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic…"

The sensation of having her so close was intoxicating. He was keenly aware of everywhere their bodies touched. Her hand clutched his bicep, his arm wrapped around her waist while his hand rested on the small of her back, her other hand was like a feather in his, and their hips touched ever so lightly. Unable to resist Jack pulled her in closer, dangerously closer. He could feel her warm breath on his neck and the air swam with the scent of her coconut shampoo. Their faces were within centimeters of one another. She looked at him, her eyes marred with both desire and uncertainty. Reluctantly he looked away.

"…When that fog horn blows, You know I will be coming home, And when that fog horn whistle blows, I gotta hear it, I don't have to fear it, And I wanna rock your gypsy soul, Just like way back in the days of old, And together we will float into the mystic…"

The song faded and they slowly ceased their swaying. She pulled away slightly so she could look at him. He dropped her hand and let both of his rest on her delicate waist. She wanted him to kiss her so badly she thought she was going to burst. He smiled down at her. Something in that smile told her it wasn't going to happen. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was a sort of quiet resignation in it.

She pulled away a little more and decided to break the tension in her usual manner. "Just so you know, dancing with you in my leaving room isn't exactly normal." She smiled teasingly as she broke their embrace. "But it is a normal I could definitely get used to." Her hand slid down his chest and poked him playfully as she walked to a safe distance.

"I should go…."

"Yeah…."

He headed for the door before turning around adding, "Don't forget to call your parents."

She blushed and nodded. "Goodnight Jack."

A/N: A special thank you to Charaxes for the crack pairing of Rubirosa and Logan. I couldn't resist the temptation! XXOO