| A really annoying sound dragged Lennie out of a sound sleep. As his eyes blinked, he realized it was his alarm clock � something he�d forgotten the sound of in the past month. He glanced at it � 6AM � and groaned. He�d been up tossing and turning half the night, the last time he�d seen was 3 something. Which was why he felt like shit now � he�d been really out of it when the alarm went off instead of his usual half-awake waiting for it. He sighed heavily and stumbled into the bathroom, hoping that the hot water would help wake him up. Showered, shaved, and dressed for work. It felt so strange to put on the suit, necktie. Even stranger to take his gun and badge out of the lockbox, tuck them into place. It had been over a month since the last time he did this. A month in which his life had changed dramatically. He�d found happiness, and love, and then Mike had turned up two days ago and upset his apple cart rather dramatically. He was thinking that he could do with a little less drama right now � He stumbled into the kitchen and on auto-pilot grabbed a coffee mug, filled it with water and a coffee bag and tossed it into the microwave. Then he remembered the coffee machine. Jack�s gift. He felt so guilty for letting himself be seduced last night by memories of Mike Logan. // Get over it, Briscoe, // he thought. Back to work today, he had to focus on that. Lennie parked his car in the lot behind the 27 and made his way inside, almost dreading what was sure to come. He tried to keep a low profile, slip over to his desk unnoticed, but there was no chance of that. As soon as somebody spotted him, the word spread like wildfire. The fallen hero was back. Everybody stopped him, pounded his back, wished him well. By the time he made it to his desk, everybody in the precinct knew he was there. Rey stood by his desk, grinning, reaching out to grasp his partner�s hand. �Welcome home, Lennie! About time you got back here. Profaci�s been driving me crazy.� Just at that moment, Profaci meandered over, doughnut in hand, and started rummaging on Lennie�s desk. Lennie groaned as the jelly filling dripped out onto some papers. �Oh, hey, Lennie, welcome back. Sorry, I left a few things over here �� Fighting back a grin, Lennie raised an eyebrow. �What, I�m gone a few weeks and you take over my desk? How many more jelly smears am I gonna find?� Profaci grunted. �Just a few �� he muttered, guiltily. Lennie just laughed and shook his head, then noticed Anita Van Buren standing outside her office, arms crossed over her chest, grinning at him. When she saw him looking, she beckoned him to come over. �Uh, oh, looks like I�m being summoned to the principal�s office. Profaci, just clean up the jelly, huh?� Lennie picked up his coffee mug � at least somebody had had the decency to clean it out for him while he was gone � and stopped by the office coffee machine on his way to Van Buren�s office. She perched on the edge of her desk, smiling as he entered. Normally quite reserved, this morning she allowed herself the liberty of briefly squeezing his arm as he entered. Her warm smile touched him deeply. �We missed you, Lennie. Welcome back.� �Thanks, LT. It�s good to be back.� She looked him over critically, noted the dark circles under his eyes. �You sure you�re ready, Lennie?� He realized what he must look like, decided to minimize the issue. �Yeah. Just had problems sleeping last night. Been lazing around too long, up late, sleeping in. Getting up at 6AM wasn�t fun �� She laughed, accepting the explanation. �Well, we�re sorry to disrupt your schedule. But we are glad to have you back.� She proceeded to bring him up to speed on several cases the precinct was working on. Rey would still be teaming with Profaci in the field until Lennie was cleared for more than desk duty, but he�d at least be able to be part of the team again, working on all the behind-the-scenes digging. Finally, he settled back in at his desk and started going through the pile of crap that had accumulated while he was gone. Rey watched him from across their desks, also seeing the dark circles under his eyes. �Lennie? You ok?� �I�m fine, Rey. Just not used to getting up at 6AM anymore.� Curtis met his gaze and distinctly got the impression that there was more, but Lennie wasn�t going to talk about it here. For the moment, he decided to let it drop, planning to take his partner out to lunch later. Unfortunately, the phone rang and Curtis and Profaci had to go check out the homicide du jour, leaving Lennie stuck in the station. It was well past lunch time when Curtis and Profaci got back. Lennie had ended up going to lunch with Van Buren, stealing half her French fries as usual. By the end of the day he was really dragging, partly because of his half night�s sleep, partly just because it was his first day back and he wasn�t used to a full day�s activity anymore. Rey caught him on his way out to the car. �Lennie? How are you doing � really?� Lennie sighed. He remembered Don�s words � �I�m all Mikey has right now.� Implying that Lennie had others he could lean on. Rey knew he was gay. If there was anybody he could lean on now, it was his partner. He managed a small smile. �I�ve been better, Rey. It�s not just the injury �� �Then what?� Rey�s concern for his friend was evident. Lennie took a deep breath. �It�s � complicated. I�d really rather not talk about it here �� Rey nodded. �I hear you. You want to grab some dinner?� Lennie actually blushed. �I � I�ve got plans �� Rey raised an eyebrow. �Part of what�s complicated?� Lennie nodded, not sure his partner really wanted to be bothered with details of his love life. Rey grinned. �Think you can fit me into your social schedule tomorrow night?� Lennie laughed. �Yeah. That would be great.� Rey reached out and touched Lennie�s arm. �I�m here for you, partner. Don�t ever forget that.� �Thanks, Rey.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By the time he got home, Lennie was truly exhausted. He kicked off his shoes and threw his suit coat over a chair, tie already stuffed in the pocket. Took off his dress slacks, and was going to reach for a pair of khakis when the lure of the bed became too much for him. Sending the dress shirt in the direction of the laundry hamper, he crawled back into the unmade bed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was close to 7PM when Jack knocked on Lennie�s door and was surprised to get no answer. He�d seen Lennie�s car parked in the alley behind the building. Feeling very unsure, he unlocked the door with the key Lennie had given him, in exchange for his own. �Lennie?� Hearing no answer, Jack moved into the apartment. The living room lights were on. Half afraid of what he might find, Jack headed back to the bedroom. Jack had returned to his apartment late last night, intentionally distracting himself so he wouldn�t be thinking about Lennie and Mike all day. The message Lennie had left, �everything is ok,� somehow hadn�t reassured him. Much to his relief, Lennie was alone, sound asleep. Jack sat down on the bed beside him, wondering if he should wake him. He finally decided that with Lennie�s devotion to food, he�d be pissed if their dinner got cold. Looking down at the sleeping man, he felt that amazing tenderness again. He wanted to take care of him, make him happy, keep him safe. Long fingers reached out and gently brushed the hair back from his forehead, caressed his cheek, followed momentarily by his lips. Lennie sighed, not quite waking up, but rolling over onto his back. Jack�s lips brushed his gently, and his eyes fluttered open. He smiled. �Jack.� �Hey there. Rough day?� Lennie yawned and stretched. �Kind of. This getting up at 6AM is for the birds.� Jack laughed, but wondered if he�d slept any better than Saturday night. �Dinner�s waiting.� Lennie sighed happily. �You take good care of me.� Lennie just pulled his robe on over his underwear and followed Jack out to the living room. Jack grabbed the �to go� bag from the coffee table where he�d dropped it on his way in and they took it into the kitchen to eat. As they finished, Jack started an after-dinner pot of coffee. �So, did you try the one-cup option this morning?� �Tell you the truth, I was so out of it I just used the microwave as usual. Auto pilot.� Jack gazed at him. �Didn�t sleep well again?� Lennie blushed. He really didn�t want to talk about this. Or did he? �No.� Jack poured them a couple of cups and they went out to the living room. �You want to tell me what happened yesterday?� Lennie stared into his coffee, wondering how much to say. �He apologized. For Saturday, and for two years ago. Said he realized he�d been an ass. It just hurt too much, knowing it was all his fault. Losing his position, losing me. All because he couldn�t keep his temper in control.� Jack�s arm slipped comfortingly around his shoulders. �About time you heard that.� Lennie nodded. �I guess. I just wish he�d talked to me about it instead of stewing about it all this time, holding it in until it all exploded on that idiot Camberton.� Jack grimaced. �Camberton? From the Daily News? Is that who he slugged this time?� Lennie nodded and told Jack the story. �So what�s he going to do?� �He�s taking the disability retirement. Leaving the NYPD. Says he wants to go somewhere and start over. Someplace he doesn�t have to see this rotten, stinking city every day. Someplace where he can be himself.� Jack nodded. It made sense. �He wants me to come with him.� Jack froze. Lennie could see the fear in his eyes. �I told him no, Jack.� Jack let go of the breath he hadn�t realized he was holding. Lennie leaned into him, inwardly smacking himself for ever thinking Mike offered anything worth giving this up for. Jack cared for him, cared ABOUT him, in a way he didn�t think Mike could even understand. �Like I said, everything�s ok, Jack.� �So why couldn�t you sleep last night Lennie? Somehow I don�t think it�s just back to work jitters �� Lennie bowed his head, embarrassed. Jack hugged him close. �Come on, Lennie. Tell me.� A sigh. �I can�t stop thinking about him, Jack �� Jack hugged him, then let go and turned him so that they faced each other. �Let me make you forget about him, Lennie.� He caught Lennie�s face in his hands, holding it tenderly as he kissed him. Mouths locked together as hands began touching, caressing. Slow and languid at first, becoming more and more intense as passion grew. Jack pulled aside Lennie�s robe and ran his hands over the thin undershirt, leaning in to tease at a stiffening nipple through the thin cotton, nibbling, sucking. One hand snuck down below, encouraging the burgeoning erection. Lennie whimpered, delighting in the attention. Then he remembered that he owed Jack one, and as tired as he was, he was determined to not just be a passive recipient this time. He sat up, pushing Jack back, taking control of the kiss. His own hands began unbuttoning the stiff blue dress shirt, pushing it aside, off the broad shoulders. Jack cooperated, shrugging it off as Lennie pulled it out of his jeans. His t-shirt was a good deal heavier than Lennie�s, so that had to go quickly too. And the damned jeans Jack always wore when riding the bike. Much too bulky. Lennie stood, pulling him up from the couch, leading him back to the bedroom. Clothes fell to the floor, then they were together on the bed, holding each other close, touching with every millimeter of skin available. Jack rolled on top, straddling Lennie�s hips, their cocks just inches apart. Lennie wrapped his hands around both of them, pulling them together, as Jack began a gentle rocking motion. The friction felt amazingly good. He kept it up as he laid down over Lennie�s body, bending his head to suck at a stiff nipple before claiming Lennie�s mouth again. Once freed, Lennie looked up at him. �Take me, Jack. Love me �� Jack kissed him again, then rolled off, reaching to the nightstand. // have to pick up some for my place � // The random thought suddenly occurred to him. He glanced over at Lennie, still on his back this time, knees bent, feet flat on the bed. Jack repositioned between his legs and carefully applied a generous amount of lube to his fingers and slipping one inside. Lennie�s smile was all the encouragement he needed. He thrust gently in and out, probing for that spot, finding it as Lennie let out a small gasp. A second finger, as his left hand gently caressed the hairy leg beside him. He leaned to the side and kissed the knobby knee, sliding his tongue into the fold behind the knee. Lennie�s eyes got wide at the unexpected contact, and he laughed, teasing with his tongue as his fingers worked at loosening the tight passage. Lennie laid back, watching him, amazed as Jack teased at his knee. By the time the third finger slipped inside him, he was nearly mad with desire. �Enough, Jack. You.� Jack pulled his fingers out and wiped them off before laying over Lennie again to kiss him. The kisses trailed back down his body, neck, shoulder, nipple, stomach, abs, finally a gentle kiss to the head of his cock. At long last, Jack slicked himself up and moved into position. He�d been doing some reading on the net and wanted to try something. He lifted up one of Lennie�s legs then slid in between like scissors. It left him in a reasonably good position, so he pressed against the entrance and watched his lover�s face. Lennie nodded, and he pressed in, holding still. Lennie moaned as Jack entered him, and had a sudden thought. Mike had always taken him from behind, like they had that first night. Always. He�d never seen Mike�s face take on the rapture he saw in Jack�s eyes now as he began slowly working his way in. // Damn it, Lennie, stop it! // He couldn�t believe he could think of Mike now of all moments. Jack saw a flicker of something crossing Lennie�s face. Anger? Pain? But it was gone before he could pin it down. Now all he saw was his lover�s desire, need, love. Lennie�s hand caught his, and they began moving together, slowly. Taking their time, building long and slow toward their climax. His hands caressed the long legs beside him. As they moved together, Jack could have sworn their very heartbeats came into synch. When his climax finally came, it was so sudden Jack wasn�t expecting it. �OH! Oh, Lennie!� He cried out as he exploded deep inside his lover. Lennie watched him, captivated by the expression on Jack�s face. He reached down, taking his cock into his hand, wanting just a little more. He stroked himself as Jack caught his breath, then smiled again as Jack�s hand joined his. Still partly hard, Jack began moving inside him as their joined hands jerked him off. It didn�t take long before Lennie found his climax as well. Finally still, Jack pulled out of him and reached for a wipe to clean them both up. Lennie laid back on the bed, smiling, as his lover took care of him yet again. Then Jack surprised him further, pulling the covers up and tucking him in. �You should sleep well after that. I�ll lock up on my way out. See you tomorrow?� Lennie sighed. He didn�t deserve this. Wait, there was something � �Not tomorrow, Jack. Having dinner with Rey.� Let him think it was a family dinner � Jack was a little disappointed, but understood. It had been a long time for the partners, they had a lot to catch up on. �OK, Wednesday, then.� Lennie smiled at his raised eyebrow. �Wednesday.� Jack bent down and kissed him gently, then shut out the light. �Night, my love.� Lennie sighed. �Night.� Jack checked the alarm clock, making sure it was turned on, then got up. Of course, Lennie didn�t see that he stood there in the doorway until he was sure Lennie was fast asleep �. Continue to Chapter 4 Return to the Story Index Send me some feedback Disclaimer: These characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
| Another Andrew Lloyd Weber song, this one from �Phantom of the Opera� Say you love me every waking moment, turn my head with talk of summertime Say you need me with you, now and always promise me that all you say is true - Promise me, that's all I ask of you |
| All I Ask of You |
| Chapter 3 |