Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters and stories belong to NBC and Dick Wolf.
A/N: Abbie finds a picture in Jack's desk while snooping around for a file. What does she think of it? Another one of the scenes where I expose Abbie's soft side. I think she's not shown as enough of a softie, which I know she can be. Dick Wolf usually gave us her tough side, except in Refuge. Please review. Thanks. Love, Lawabidingchild.
A Picture to Behold
God! thought a distressed and aggravated Abbie Carmichael as she sifted through Jack's drawers. Where the hell is it? We need that file to get the damn indictment! Abbie continued to sift through Jack's personal affects and his trinkets remained scattered on the floor.
That drawer was cleared of everything and Abbie moved to destroy the contents of other drawers. She overturned the next drawer, accidentally dropping it on her foot. "Shit!" she grimaced. Papers flew every where and her foot was throbbing. She saw a bruise beginning to bloom on the area where she dropped the drawer. It was just a light pink, but soon it will be black and blue. She may even need to use crutches for a little while. But something else piqued her interest long enough for her to forget about her foot. It wasn't the file.
It was the picture of a woman. The woman in this picture was breathtaking. She had a mole just under her lower lip, but that seemed to add to her beauty and her distinguished looks. She looked young, but for all she knew, she could be older. Her brown eyes were beckoning and soft. Her smile was small yet sweet.
Abbie didn't know who she was.
Jack strode into his office with an annoyed expression gracing his eyes. "Abbie!" he yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Abbie looked back at him guiltily. "I was just looking for a case file that seemed to have walked away from my drawers." Abbie began to stand up, but winced as she put pressure on her bruised foot. She hobbled over to a chair, unaware that she was still clutching the photo.
"You went through everything, didn't you?" he asked.
"Sorry. I was gonna put it back." Abbie looked down at her hand. She stared at the picture again. "Who is she?"
"Who's who?" asked Jack, who was reaching into his desk for the case file she was looking for and his emergency first-aide kit. He was popping an icepack as he realized which photo she was holding. "Claire Kincaid."
"This is her?" Abbie didn't look surprised. "No wonder," she attempted to joke.
"I'll never forget when she died."
"I doubt that, Jack. No one ever forgets those things."
Jack was now holding the icepack on Abbie's foot, applying pressure to the wounded area. "How do you manage to hurt yourself searching through people's things?"
"I dumped the last drawer out and ended up unable to keep it in my hands. I'll be fine after the ice comes off."
Jack doubted this in his head. He continued to press the issue further. "I think you should stay off your foot for a week."
Abbie groaned. "Tell me more about her Jack," she ordered, trying to take her mind off the pain in her foot.
"What's there to tell?" Jack looked down. "She was beautiful, Abbie. She was soft-spoken, she was a challenging assistant for me because we often disagreed about things, and she was a brilliant lawyer. She cared about the victims. She didn't want to do anything she didn't need to to get a conviction. She was just..." he stopped abruptly.
"Just what?" asked Abbie, confused about why he stopped so abruptly.
"When she died, I don't believe I've ever cried or meshed together so many emotions. My divorces were both messy and my daughter hasn't spoken to me in a while. Claire was always there when I needed someone to talk to. I can't just forget her, Abbie."
Abbie looked forlornly at the older gentleman who was tending to her wound. She felt a twinge of emotion as she watched him touch her foot tenderly to make sure that nothing was out of place. She wondered briefly if he was this gentile with her as well. "Tell me more about her."
"She had a gorgeous voice. Did you know that? She would always walk around the office humming some tune when she was in a good mood. But I guess that maybe I should have been at that bar when...when..." he stopped short of finishing his sentence again.
Abbie threw her arms around the man when the tears began to swim in his eyes. She held him gently. Tears fell freely from her eyes. She knew that he was describing a woman who would not be there for him anymore. He was describing a woman he loved more than anyone. And Abbie was just prying. She was prying into a situation she knew wasn't her business.
Abbie placed a gentile kiss on Jack's temple. Jack took note of this as he let go of the ice-pack to wrap his own arms around the thin, stubborn Texan who was holding him. He pulled back slightly and placed a gentile kiss on her lips. Abbie pulled back hesitantly and nestled her head in Jack's shoulder. Abbie kept herself in his arms. Jack ran his fingers through her hair for a bit. "Will you break my heart like she did?" Jack asked her.
"I have no plans to do that," said Abbie. "However, if I ever die, it's not my fault."
Abbie pulled back from the embrace, smiling at her boss. Jack ran his thumb tenderly over her cheek to wipe away any more tears that she may have shed. When Jack left to see if he could find a gauze for that now purple foot, she gazed back at Claire's picture.
It was truly a picture to behold.