| Twilight was taking hold of the sleepy little town as Mike wound his way from the Interstate to the town proper. It had been a long day � he�d hit the road at about 10AM. The driving directions from AAA had said it was about an 8 hour trip, and he�d stopped several times for food or gas or just to stretch his legs. He could have broken it up into two legs, stayed overnight somewhere around Boston. But in the first place, he really didn�t want to use up his meager stash of cash on a hotel when he didn�t have to, and besides, now that he was going, he wanted to get there. So he pushed on, and at about 9PM he pulled up in front of a big old Victorian style home. In the dim light he could barely make out the shingle hanging over the front porch: �Law Office of the Hon. Benjamin Stone.� // �Honorable,� huh? So he�s a judge now? // There were lights on inside; somebody was home. Mike got out of the car and stretched, then reached in back to get his suitcase. He felt strangely nervous as he walked up the steps to the front porch. He hadn�t seen Ben in about three years, they�d never been friends or anything, just worked together, sometimes severely getting on each others� nerves. This felt so strange. // You�ve come this far, Mikey. No turning back now. // He reached up and tapped on the door. He was somewhat surprised to hear a sharp bark inside, followed by a scrabbling sound, and footsteps coming toward the door. �Easy, Max!� The door opened to reveal Ben Stone, looking very much like Mike remembered him. A little balder, a little heavier, and more relaxed than Mike could ever remember seeing him. Beside him sat a large German Sheppard, looking uncharacteristically timid pressed against his leg. �Mike! Welcome! Come in, come in.� Mike entered and nervously skirted the dog. Ben bit back a laugh, wondering who was more afraid of who. �Relax, Mike, Max here wouldn�t hurt a fly. He washed out of police K-9 unit training because he wasn�t aggressive enough.� Logan and the dog stared at each other, each not quite believing there was nothing to be afraid of. Logan shook himself out of it, turning to his host. �OK, if you say so.� Ben smiled reassuringly at him. �Please, come in, make yourself comfortable.� He gently laid a hand on Mike�s shoulder as he steered him toward a study with comfortable overstuffed furniture. �Can I get you something, Mike? Coffee, tea, something stronger?� Ben wandered over to a bar, pouring himself something. Logan sat down in a big comfy chair, still stretching, trying to get the kinks out. �Uh, sure. Whatever you�re having.� Ben smiled and reached for another glass, then took them over to the chair opposite where Mike was sitting. Mike sipped; it was very good brandy. Very expensive. But then he remembered hearing somewhere that Stone�s family was loaded. He nodded his approval. �Very nice.� Ben chuckled. �I thought the beginning of a new life was worth breaking out the best.� He raised his glass. �Here�s to your future, Mike.� Mike found himself blushing slightly, suddenly feeling rather shy. He raised his glass and clinked it against Ben�s. �I hope it�s better than the past �� Stone sat back, looking at the ex-cop. Logan was a little older, more battle-weary than Ben remembered. Lines around his eyes spoke volumes about the stress he�d been under. But Ben found he really liked the touch of gray at the temples; it gave Logan a certain dignity that had never been there before. Of course, he had always enjoyed looking at Logan; the broad shoulders, slim hips, dark hair and greenish-gray eyes. He had been one of the first men Ben had ever �noticed.� Shaking himself back to the present, Ben answered him. �It will be, Mike. Just take your time, don�t rush into anything. You�re welcome to stay here as long as you need to.� Mike shook his head. �You don�t know how much that means, Ben. I think one of the reasons I was so fed up with New York was seeing every day just how terrible people can be to one another. I � I really needed to get away from that.� Ben nodded. �Believe me, Mike, I understand that.� Just then, Max finally worked up his courage and came into the room, sitting by Ben�s chair, all the while looking almost plaintively at Mike. Ben reached down, rubbing the broad head, scratching the ears. �Good boy, Max. You�d better get used to each other, Mike�s going to be here for a while.� He looked up at Logan. �Mike, hold out your hand. Let him smell you.� Mike was nervous. �Uh, Ben, I�ve been a city boy all my life. Not real comfortable around dogs.� �And he reads that, Mike. Both of you are going to have to get over it.� Mike took a deep breath and leaned forward, reaching out one hand toward the large dog. Max looked at him, not sure HE wanted to do this either, but finally the big head stretched forward and sniffed at the fingers. �See, Max? Nothing to be afraid of. Mike�s our friend.� Ben�s soft voice was soothing more than just the dog. Finally Max pushed his head against Mike�s hand, asking to be petted. �Go ahead, Mike. Scratch his ears, he loves that.� By now, Mike had slid out of the chair and was sitting on the floor with the dog. His mother had hated animals, never allowed him to have a pet, and since he left home he�d always lived in apartments. He was entranced as Max pushed against him, wanting more attention. Ben watched them, smiling. He had a feeling these two were going to be good for each other � �So Mike, how was the trip?� Logan tore his attention away from his new friend and sat back, leaning against the heavy frame of the chair rather than getting back up into it. �Not bad. Long, but I took quite a few breaks.� He reached up to retrieve his brandy, and they sat there talking about generalities for a while. Max crept closer, eventually settling himself so that his chin was over Mike�s ankle while his tail draped over Ben�s. The brandy and the relaxed environment conspired to set Mike yawning. �Well, you have had a long day. What say we get you settled into the guest room?� Mike nodded and scratched the furry head on his foot. �That means you gotta move, Max.� One ear perked up at the sound of his name. Mike laughed and gently reclaimed his foot. Max looked disappointed. �Come on, Max. Bedtime.� His owner�s voice convinced the dog to move. Ben stood and offered Mike a hand up from the floor, then led him up the stairs into a spacious bedroom. �Bathroom�s at the end of the hall, I already put out towels and such. Make yourself at home, Mike. I�ll be in my office by about 8:30 if you need anything.� �Thanks, Ben. Uh, thanks for everything �� �My pleasure, Mike. Now get some sleep.� As he settled into the comfortable bed, Mike reflected on the day. He was very glad Don had been there to see him off, and that Lennie had at least sent his gift. Lennie was right; while he needed to put the past behind him, he could still hold onto the few good memories he had, the people who had mattered to him. And after this evening, he felt like he was off to a good start. For the first time in a long time, Mike drifted off into a peaceful sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He woke the next morning somewhat disoriented. It took him a moment to remember where he was. This was it � the first day of the rest of his life. God, what a clich�. And yet that really was how he felt. Yesterday had been about saying goodbye. Today was all about the new. He pushed aside the heavy comforter and came face to face with a Maine fact of life � even at the end of May, the New England mornings were COLD! He shivered as he dug in his suitcase for his robe. He thought he�d brought it more as a courtesy in sharing the house with someone, but he now realized it was more of a necessity here. A hot shower warmed him up considerably. He glanced at the clock before heading down � it was about 9AM, Ben should be in his office by now. He found his host sitting at his desk, reading the morning paper, Max curled up on the floor by his feet. �Ah, Mike, good morning!� Mike grinned at him. �They always this cold around here?� Ben chuckled. �Ah, I should have warned you about that. By July, you shouldn�t need the comforter. But yes, it does get a bit brisk overnight.� Mike eyed the cup of coffee on Ben�s desk. �Got any more of that coffee?� �Oh, yes, of course. In fact, let�s give you the tour of the place, shall we?� Ben led Mike into a fairly small kitchen for such a big house, with Max tagging along after them. He showed Mike where glasses and mugs were stored and Mike finally got his morning caffeine. �By all means, Mike, make yourself at home here. Help yourself to anything you like. If there�s anything special you want, just let me know, I�ll have the store send it over.� Mike laughed as he helped himself to a blueberry muffin from a covered pastry plate. It tasted fresh. �The grocery store delivers?� Ben shrugged. �It�s a small town, Mike. And I guess I�m something of a prominent citizen �� �Yeah. Noticed the �Honorable� on your shingle.� �Yes, well� I spend two days a week down at City Hall, taking care of the few trials we have here. Mostly though, I handle wills, contracts, and such. Just the normal day-to-day stuff. No life and death decisions here �� Ben�s voice trailed off. Mike remembered the case that sent Ben out of the city; a witness who had testified against her better judgment and then been killed by the Russian mob. Ben had been the one who talked her into testifying. Mike laid a hand on his arm. �I didn�t mean to bring back bad memories, Ben.� Stone shook his head. �It�s all right, Mike. It�s all in the past now.� After Mike finished his breakfast, they continued the tour. What would have originally been the formal living room and dining room were now Ben�s office and conference room. The rest of the main floor was occupied by the kitchen and the den they�d been in last night. The focal point of the den was a beautiful stone fireplace that Mike now realized would be very nice on a chilly evening. Upstairs was the master suite, with a private bath and doors opening out onto the balcony formed by the roof of the porch. Three smaller bedrooms and the hall bath finished out the level. Overall the house was bright and cheery, lots of overstuffed furniture, books everywhere. Large windows let in a lot of sun. Mike felt strangely comfortable here. It was so different from the small townhouse he�d grown up in, and definitely from the shabby apartments he�d always lived in. �I�ve got a little bit of paperwork to do this morning, Mike, then I though I�d take you out to lunch and show you the town?� �That sounds great.� So Ben settled back in his office. Mike jogged back up the stairs, intending to unpack a bit. In doing so, he found his journal. He had started it a few weeks ago at Dr. Olivet�s suggestion, and had found that it really did work. In order to write about what he was feeling, he had to think about it. It gave him a chance to second-guess himself. After hanging a few of his nicer things in the closet, he took the journal and went back downstairs to the study. There was a huge bay window in the study, with cushioned seating around it. He curled up there looking out at the small town. The house was at the end of what looked like a busy Main Street; he could see storefronts just down the road. People walked down the street, stopping to chat with others, just taking care of their normal daily business. Nobody was rushing, pushing, shoving, all the rudeness that you just take for granted in New York. It seemed amazingly peaceful. Tired of being ignored by his master, Max wandered into the study and shoved his head under Mike�s elbow. �Hey, Max, how ya doin�?� He scratched the soft ears. Max. He suddenly was flooded with memories of the other Max in his life. Max Greevey had been his first partner as a homicide detective. He�d taken the young rookie under his wing and taught him how to be a detective. Then he�d been shot. It had really shaken Mike up to lose him like that. It seemed like every time Mike found something good, something happened to mess it up. Phil had gotten shot too, but at least he had survived, moved on to a desk job in Admin. It had taken Lennie months to get it through his thick head that he wasn�t leaving too. They had been great as partners, until Mike got stupid. Life had sent him a few hard knocks, but lately he had to admit his problems had been of his own creation. He pushed away everybody who had ever cared about him. Except Donnie. Mike still wondered why Cragen continued to put up with him after all these years. He remembered the day he had found out about Donnie�s secret. The day they arrested Fr. Joe, Lennie had tracked him down in a bar, determined to find out what was bugging him so bad about this case. He�d confessed, and been so surprised when Lennie matched him. That evening had been the beginning of a new era for him, as Lennie gently taught him how to make love to a man. He almost hadn�t caught the reference when Lennie told him about HIS first time with a friend named �Don.� It suddenly occurred to Mike to wonder why he and Donnie had never connected. They�d talked so much about what it meant to be a gay cop in the NYPD. At first, he�d been hot and heavy with Lennie, but ever since then, he�d been alone. Had never trusted anybody enough to let his guard down, expose his secret again. Donnie knew, but had never done anything. Why? And then Cragen�s last words before Mike drove away finally sunk in. �Take care, son, ok?� Son. And that gentle kiss on his forehead, like you�d kiss a child. Tears stung at the backs of his eyes as he realized that there was at least one more person who truly loved him. The one who had stuck with him through it all. A soft whine from Max, and a warm, wet tongue was slobbering all over his face, washing away the few tears that snuck out. Mike laughed. �Hey! Stop that!� He got up from the window seat and ducked into the powder room to wash the dog slobber off his face. By the time he got back, Max had taken over the window seat, so he picked up his journal and parked it on the couch, writing out all he�d been thinking about this morning. Just before noon, Ben emerged from his office. �Mike? You ready for some lunch?� Mike put the journal aside. �Sure!� They headed out, walking down the street toward the business section. It looked like a bustling town square, a small shopping center with grocery store, several small shops and restaurants. Several people greeted Ben along the way. When he introduced Mike, they were friendly but reserved. Finally, they came to the restaurant Ben was aiming for, a little place called, whimsically enough, the Last Unicorn. Mike smiled, recognizing an Irish Pub when he saw one. They got a table, and a waitress came right over. �Afternoon, Ben! Who�s your cute friend?� Ben laughed. �Hello, Gail. This is Mike Logan, he�s visiting from New York for a few weeks.� Mike swore she winked at Ben as she went off to get their drinks. After lunch, they took a walk down by the river. The chilly morning had given way to a nice sunny warm afternoon. �You know, Ben, I think I just figured out what it is.� �What what is, Mike?� �That sound that�s been bugging me.� �Sound?� �It�s quiet. You can actually hear stuff. I�m so used to the constant hum of the city �� Ben laughed softly. �Ah, yes. I remember. I don�t miss it at all, Mike. You�ll forget it in no time.� They wandered through the streets of the town, chatting with people. Mike got the strangest feeling that they were all �checking him out.� He mentioned it to Ben as they walked back toward his house. �Well, Mike, this is a small town. Everybody knows everybody, and they don�t know you yet. Give them a chance, Mike, they�ll warm up to you.� They walked up the steps and found the front door unlocked. Ben didn�t seem to be upset. �You usually leave it open like that?� �Oh, no, I locked it on the way out. Nettie must be here.� �Nettie?� Just then a middle-aged woman with red hair and a big smile walked out of the kitchen. �There you are! Judge Stone, are you going to introduce me to our guest?� Ben laughed. �Mike, this is Nettie Miller, my housekeeper. Nettie, Mike Logan.� �Pleased to meet you, Mike. Welcome to Waterville!� Nettie wrapped her hands around his. Mike gave her his best grin. �Thanks, Nettie. I was wondering who kept this place looking so nice.� Ben laughed. �Please tell me you didn�t think it was me?� �Never considered it.� �Well, I�m done here, so I�ll get out of your way. There�s a big bowl of my clam chowder in the fridge, and some fresh bread on the counter. See you on Monday, Your Honor!� Ben laughed as she left. �I really don�t know what I�d do without her. Nettie�s been a godsend.� �I can see that.� �Why don�t you relax a little. I need to check my messages and such.� Mike settled back into the sofa in the study, picking up his journal. Max was still curled up in the window seat. Almost without thinking, Mike started doodling on a blank page of the journal, sketching the dog. He was still doodling when Ben came out of his office and stood behind the couch, watching him. �You know, that�s really very good.� �Huh? Oh, Ben, you startled me.� �Sorry about that, didn�t mean to sneak up on you. You seemed rather engrossed.� Mike chuckled. �It�s actually kinda relaxing.� �Have you thought about taking an art class?� A shrug. �Never had time.� Ben smiled. �You do now, you know.� Mike blinked. �You�ve got a point. I guess I haven�t even started thinking about what�s next, yet.� �Well, what�s next here is dinner. Nettie�s clam chowder is a special treat. Come on.� They washed up and headed into the kitchen. Ben got out two generous sized soup bowls and ladled out the thick, creamy soup, putting them into the microwave to warm. The thick crusty bread was a perfect companion to the meal, along with a couple of beers from the fridge. It was a simple but hearty meal, very typically New England. They ate at the small kitchen table, since the dining room table was doing double duty as a conference room and was currently covered in papers. After dinner, they adjourned again to the study. Mike could feel the evening chill descending, despite the heat of the afternoon. �You know, I think I�m gonna have to buy a sweater or something. I�m not used to it getting so cold this late in the year!� Ben laughed. �Tell you what. I don�t usually indulge when I�m alone, but �� He got up and started laying a fire in the fireplace. In a few minutes, a roaring blaze was going. Mike had to laugh at the way Max backed away from the fire, but wouldn�t take his eyes off of it. �Better?� �Much, thanks.� Before sitting down, Ben poured them a couple of glasses of the good brandy. �So Mike. I got the feeling there was more to your departure than just Mr. Camberton �� Mike sighed and stared into the dark amber liquid in his glass. �Much more, Ben �� �Mike, you don�t have to say anything. But if you want to talk, I�d be glad to listen.� They sat in silence for a while, until finally Mike started to talk. �It�s WHY I slugged Camberton. And Crossley before him.� Mike was silent again for a little while. �You know, this is a really nice little town, Ben. I can see why you�re happy here. I just wish I could stay someplace like this �� �Why can�t you, Mike?� He shook his head. �I � I�d never pass muster, Ben. They�d never accept me, not in a town where everybody knows everybody�s secrets �� �Don�t be so sure, Mike.� Ben gazed at him levelly. // Damn it, Mikey, just say it. You were the one who wanted to be �out�! // �Ben, this is harder than I thought. I � I�ve only ever told one other person �� Stone sat quietly, waiting. Logan took a sip of the brandy, feeling it burn down his throat, then looked up into soft blue eyes. �I�m gay, Ben.� // Well. Isn�t that interesting � // �Oh. Is that all? I thought perhaps it was something terrible. Although I can see why that would make the NYPD a somewhat � inhospitable place.� Mike nodded, stunned by Stone�s quiet acceptance. �It doesn�t bother you?� �Why should it? It�s your life, Mike. As long as you�re not hurting somebody else, why shouldn�t you do whatever makes you happy?� �But what would Nettie think? Or that waitress this afternoon, Gail? Or any of your other friends here?� Ben�s attempt to suppress his laugh turned it into a smirk. �Oh, I suspect they�d be quite amused, actually. But more to the point, it would give them something to gossip about for a while, then they�d be trying to set you up with their unattached male cousins, I expect.� Mike took another sip of the brandy, his brain feverishly trying to process this information. �I thought small towns were supposed to be so conservative �� Ben shrugged. �Mike, these are good people. They work hard, and take care of their own. They may not be as sophisticated as folks in New York, but they�re not stuck in the last century either. Trust them; you won�t be disappointed.� Ben watched as Mike took it all in, staring into the flames. // I wonder who he told � // Max was slowly getting over his fear of the fire, inching closer and closer to the two men sitting in front of the hearth. Mike started to relax as he felt the warm muzzle drape over his ankle. He reached down and rubbed the dog�s head. �Well, Max sure doesn�t care.� Ben laughed. �No, as long as you scratch his ears, Max couldn�t care less. He wasn�t cut out for police work either.� Mike sighed. �You know, that�s one thing that really pisses me off. I was a good cop, Ben. But all the constant hiding, first from myself, then from everybody else, just made me so mad.� Ben studied him. �I do seem to remember you had quite a temper.� Mike blushed. �And that was before I�d ever �� �Ever?� Another sip of brandy. �I�ve known since I was 14, Ben. I just couldn�t do anything about it. I � I was molested by my priest. It screwed up my wires pretty good. It wasn�t until about a year after you left that I finally found a friend to talk to �he � he helped me through my first time. I�d always been angry, but somehow after that it got worse, not better. I was just coming to deal with it in my head when that asshole Crossley shot off his mouth.� �Ah, yes, I do remember that. When I first came here, I got the New York papers for a while �� �Oh. Not my proudest moment �� �What�s past is past, Mike.� �Yeah, but I did it again. Camberton made some snide insinuations that happen to be true, and I lost it again. And lost everything this time.� Ben could see the depth of that loss in Logan�s eyes. And knew there was still something else beyond what Mike had told him � something more personal. It would come, or it wouldn�t. Right now Mike needed reassurance. �Mike, listen to me. You did the right thing. You may have lost the past, but you�ve gained a future. You�re starting off right, not hiding anymore. You�re aware of the anger and are trying to take yourself out of situations that intensify it. That journal I saw you writing in earlier is another very good idea.� Mike nodded. �Liz Olivet got me started on that. Said it would have to do until I settled down somewhere and found a good therapist.� Ben nodded. �We�ve got some excellent medical staff here, Mike, two major regional hospitals nearby.� Mike looked up. �You say that like staying here is a possibility?� Ben shrugged. �Why not? But you certainly don�t have to make any decisions any time soon. Just think of the next two weeks as a vacation. Relax and enjoy yourself, think about what you want from life and whether you can find it here. If you want to talk, I�ll be around.� Mike hid behind the last of his brandy, once again overwhelmed by Ben�s generosity. �Thank you.� �My pleasure.� They sat there in a companionable silence until the fire began to die and then headed upstairs. Walking up the steps, Mike felt Ben�s hand land on his back. They paused in front of Mike�s room. �Good night, my friend.� Ben gently squeezed his shoulder. Mike smiled. �Good night. And � thanks.� Ben nodded and continued on to his room. Continue to Chapter 3 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. |
| Corner of the Sky |
| Chapter 2 |
| Welcome to Waterville, ME. BTW, this is a real town I did some consulting work for a couple of years back. In the winter. Can you say COLD?!!! |