| Faith - Chapter 2 |
| Monday morning, Lennie was not looking forward to going in to work. Everyone knew he hadn�t just called in sick on Friday. An APB had gone out on him. Uniformed cops were sent to canvass the area he disappeared in Thursday night. Based on Jack�s report of their argument, the logical place to look for him was gay bars. Finding him alive had been more important than keeping their secret. He was outed. And after years of denying the rumors, who was going to believe that the denials really had been true until just a few months ago? No, he was not looking forward to this. Sunday afternoon they had retrieved Jack�s bike from the parking garage at One Hogan Place so he could get to work on his own today. They were sharing a quick cup of coffee before Lennie headed out. Jack could see that his lover was worried. He wished there was something he could do to make this easier. �Lennie,� he started. Lennie shook his head. �Nothing you can do, Jack. And it�s NOT your fault, so don�t apologize again. This was bound to happen sooner or later. In a way I�m kind of glad it�s over. Or I hope I will be after today.� Lennie knocked back the last of his coffee, and they got up from the kitchen table. Jack walked with him over to the door. Just before he left, Jack grabbed him and kissed him thoroughly. �Just wanted you to remember what you�re going to put up with hell today for.� Lennie smiled and hugged him, then walked out the door. He felt every eye on him as he walked into the squad room. The roar of conversation dimmed as people stopped to whisper about him. He ignored it and headed toward his desk. �Morning, Lennie.� Ed�s simple, normal greeting was exactly what he needed to hear. �Hey, Ed, how was your weekend?� �Not bad, man, not bad. Came out ahead of the game, 2G�s!� Lennie sighed. �A gorgeous weekend like this and you were inside gambling? Ed, you have GOT to get your priorities straight!� Lt. Van Buren leaned out of her office. �Lennie � can I have a minute?� Again, everybody watched him as he was summoned to the principal�s office. Of course, they didn�t know that she knew long before last week. He shut the door behind him and sat down across from her. �Lennie, you�re going to be driving a desk for a little while. IAB has to investigate the loss of your gun and badge. It�s a formality, don�t worry about it, but you�re stuck in here for at least the next couple of days.� �Lieutenant, no! Not now! Everybody knows where you were looking for me. You saw the stares when I walked in this morning. If I�m stuck in here all day, somebody is going to push the issue.� �I know, Lennie, but there�s nothing I can do about it. I�m sorry. I�ll try to keep an eye on things, keep the harassment to a minimum. How are you going to handle this?� He had given this a lot of thought over the weekend. �If anybody asks me outright, I won�t lie. But you know me; if they give me any chance of sneaking out with a wisecrack, I will.� She smiled. �Whatever works, Lennie! Now get out of here. I�ve got work to do.� Ed looked up at him as he came back to his desk. �I�m stuck in here until IAB clears me for losing the gun and badge. Guess you�re on your own outside for a while.� �I think you�re just slacking off, man.� �Yeah, I planned it this way so I didn�t have to listen to your scintillating wit all day.� Ed just smiled at him. �Well, you don�t get rid of me quite that easily, partner. You can help me cross-reference the call logs on the Jameson thing.� Jack had watched Lennie until he disappeared into the elevator, then gathered his things to head out himself. Nora would be back in the office today, and he was sure somebody would fill her in on his highly inappropriate actions last week. He just hoped he could get to her first. And if the NYPD grapevine was talking about them, it wouldn�t be long before the entire DA�s office knew as well. He sighed. He knew he didn�t have the problems Lennie would have as an outed gay cop, but it still probably wasn�t going to be a pleasant day for him either. When he got there, his secretary told him Nora wanted to see him ASAP. // Great. Oh well, time to face the music. // He quickly changed into a suit and headed to her office. �Nora? You wanted to see me?� The look on her face frightened him. A mixture of sadness, disbelief, and resolution. He closed the door behind him. �I suppose you know why you�re here?� Jack nodded. �Jack, when I�m not here, you are the top person in this office. I trusted you. I did not expect you to get drunk and pass out in your office over a lovers� quarrel! I did not expect you to shout at your assistant to �get the hell out of your sex life.� I realize Adam gave you quite a bit of latitude in the past, particularly when it came to your assistants. But this is ridiculous!� Before he could get a word in edgewise, she continued. �And perhaps the worst offense of all, Jack. Is it true what I�m hearing about you and Lennie Briscoe?� He nodded. �Jack, do you realize the conflict of interest you have created for this office? How often has Det. Briscoe taken the stand to testify for the state? What would have happened if a defense attorney found out about your relationship and used it to discredit his testimony? AND YOU DIDN�T EVEN TELL ME ABOUT THIS! I don�t give a damn about your sex life, Jack, but this could have a direct effect on this office. Before he took the stand, you should have told me about the exposure.� Jack hung his head. He had in fact worried about exactly that. He knew he should have told her. �What can I say, Nora? I screwed up. More times than I can count.� She nodded. �Jack, I could fire you for this. I probably should. For now, you are on administrative leave until I decide how to handle this. Go home.� Lennie was buried in paperwork when he heard a familiar voice. �Hey, Lennie, I heard you got lost last week!� He looked up to see his old partner Rey Curtis grinning at him. �Rey! What are you doing here?� �Had to get some paperwork to the L.T., decided to come myself and see if you were OK.� Hyper conscious of the covert glances he knew were directed at him, he suppressed his impulse to hug Rey and simply shook his hand enthusiastically. // God, he looks terrible. // Lennie thought. The effort of taking care of his invalid wife and three small children was definitely taking its toll on Rey. // Not enough sleep and way too much worry.// He realized Ed was staring. �Rey, have you met my new partner, Ed Green?� The two sized each other up and shook hands. Rey turned back to Lennie. �It�s almost lunchtime. I was kind of hoping you could get away for a bit?� Lennie heard the unspoken �so we can talk� at the end. // Great. He�s heard. How do I do this? // �Sure, Rey. Hey Ed, can you hold down the fort for a while?� �Sure, man. Enjoy!� They walked a couple of blocks to a deli they used to frequent whenever the job actually gave them time to sit down for lunch. They slid into a booth in back to talk. Lennie wanted to keep Rey away from �the� topic as long as possible. �How are YOU doing, Rey? You don�t look so good.� Rey sighed. �It�s hard, Lennie. Every day she slips further away. And there�s so much to do. There just aren�t enough hours in a day.� �Rey, I�ve told you before. If there�s ANYTHING I can do to help, just ask. When was the last time you had an evening off? I could come stay with Debra and the girls while you take a little R&R time. Even God rested on Sunday, right?� Rey blinked back the tears. Lennie was a good man. There was no way the rumors could be true. �Thanks. But I can�t bear to be away from her one minute more than I have to be. It�s not going to be much longer, Lennie.� He looked up into his friend�s eyes, seeking comfort. Lennie saw the agony of his friend�s loss. He reached out to touch Rey�s arm. �I�m sorry,� was all he could say. Rey nodded. �In a way it will be a blessing. She�ll be in a better place, and I might finally get some rest.� Lennie squeezed. �Like I said, Rey, ANYTHING you need, now and especially then, you let me know, OK?� Rey smiled weakly. He was almost hesitant to bring it up, but he had to be sure. �Lennie, can I ask you something?� // Oh, no, please don�t let this ruin everything! // �Let me guess. You�ve heard the rumors.� Rey nodded. �There have always been rumors, ever since you moved in with Jack. I know it�s nonsense, but they�re saying that based on McCoy�s description of your fight, the uniforms were told to look for you specifically at gay bars. How drunk was he, anyway, to come up with that?� Lennie could tell, Rey wanted the rumors to be false. But he couldn�t lie to his old partner. But he could stall for a while yet. �Drunk enough to come to an AA meeting with me on Saturday.� �Oh!� The very image of the EADA after hours without a glass of scotch in his hand seemed foreign. �So the whole thing was a mistake, right?� Lennie sighed. �Rey, I can�t lie to you. This time the rumors are true. Jack and I had a lovers� quarrel, and he got drunk and made a really nasty comment. I stormed out and just walked for hours. Wasn�t aware of my surroundings until some punk put a gun to my neck. I wasn�t in a gay bar, but I could have been. If I�d been just a little angrier, I might have done it.� Rey�s world shook. This couldn�t be. He didn�t hear a thing after the words �lovers� quarrel.� �No. Lennie, say it ain�t so. It can�t be!� // I let this man stay with my daughters! // Lennie bowed his head, then looked up, refusing to apologize for being who he was. �Rey, I know you don�t approve of this sort of thing, But I�ve got to tell you, since this happened back around Thanksgiving, I�ve been happier than I�ve ever been in my life. I realize now that this is ultimately why my marriages both failed. I was looking in the wrong place all along. I�m just grateful that I finally found my path before it was too late to enjoy it.� Rey simply could not deal with this. �No, Lennie, you�re wrong. He took advantage of you. You don�t really want this! You couldn�t!� Lennie looked at his friend sadly, �Rey, I do. I�m in love and I�m happy. Can�t you just accept that?� Rey shook his head. �It�s wrong, Lennie. And you�re deluding yourself � there�s no way it could possibly be love.� They sat there in silence for a few minutes, before Rey got up. �I gotta go.� He bolted out of the deli, leaving Lennie sitting there, dejected. He knew that it had been inevitable that someone would react negatively to his new lifestyle. He had deliberately avoided talking to several people, including both of his exes, who frankly didn�t need to know, so he didn�t need the aggravation of telling them. But Rey mattered. Those three beautiful little girls who called him �Uncle Lennie.� Would he ever see them again? And the timing couldn�t be worse. If Debra was hanging on by a thread, Rey was going to need help more than ever, help that Lennie was uniquely qualified to give. But would Rey let him now? When he got back to the station alone, Ed took one look at his face and knew. Lennie�s sarcasm was in full force. �I suppose you�ll be wanting a new partner now.� Ed looked at him, confused. �Now why the hell would you say that? I told you months ago I was down with this. Why should that change now?� �Because now everybody ELSE knows. Can�t be risking your ass when some idiot decides not to back us up because your partner is a faggot.� The very idea pissed Ed off. �Said idiot be risking HIS ass when I get ahold of him! Look, man, I told you before and I�m telling you now. They mess with you, they mess with me. That�s just the way it is.� Ed didn�t mention the half dozen emails he had gotten today making the same suggestion. He had told them the exact same thing. Lennie�s anger suddenly deflated, and he collapsed into his chair. �Thanks, Ed. I needed that.� �Curtis not take it well?� Lennie shook his head. �I knew it was going to be bad. Rey�s a good man, too good sometimes. He�s gotta be the most devout person I�ve ever known. There�s just no room in his universe for someone like me. The bible says it�s forbidden, therefore it�s forbidden. No excuses, no explanations. No shades of gray.� He shook his head. �And what makes it worse is he told me his wife is dying. He�s got so much on his mind right now, and I have to hit him with this. But I just couldn�t lie to him, Ed. I couldn�t do that.� �Shit, Lennie, that�s tough. But you can�t blame yourself. He could have not asked the question. Don�t ask if you can�t deal with the answer.� Lennie shook his head. �I know, but it still hurts. Come on, let�s get back to work. I need to think about something else.� They spent the afternoon correlating the data and came up with several leads for Ed to follow up with tomorrow. Ed deflected a couple more nasty emails by the time they decided to call it a day. // Today maybe it�s a good thing he doesn�t use email! I�d hate to see what they sent directly to him! // Lennie was surprised to find Jack stretched out on the couch when he got home. He had figured the DA would have to work late to make up for the lost time last week. �Hey, Jack, you�re home early.� �Not really.� The tone of Jack�s voice set off a warning bell in Lennie�s head. �It�s hard to be home early when you�re not supposed to be at work anyhow.� Jack sat up, leaning over with his head in his hands. �Jack? What happened?� Lennie sat beside him, hand on his back. �Nora put me on Administrative Leave, pending her decision on whether to fire me.� �For last week?� �No. Sure, that�s part of it. But mostly because of you, of us.� �What!� �Calm down, Lennie, it�s not that. But we took a big risk. Last month, when you testified. What if the defense attorney had found out about us and used it to discredit your testimony? I should have told Nora about that risk. I didn�t. That�s the real problem.� �Oh.� Lennie went from righteous indignation to pure guilt in 10 seconds flat. �Lennie, I want a drink so bad . . . � �Oh, god, Jack!� He wrapped his arms around Jack, holding him tight, feeling the tension throughout his friend�s body. Jack sagged against him. �I left the office by 9, just got on the bike and rode for hours. I almost stopped at a bar, but I didn�t. Eventually I came back here, didn�t know what else to do. I knew it was safe here.� He buried his face in Lennie�s shoulder; Lennie gently caressed the silver hair. �It�s OK Jack. I�m here now. And I�m so proud of you.� For a good while, Jack just held on as if for dear life. Lennie�s strong arms holding him gave him the support he needed right now. Finally, he began to relax. He sighed and looked up at Lennie, who smiled and bent to kiss him. �Jack, do you have any idea how good you did today? To get through this without a drink. You have the strength to make it. I know right now things look pretty dark. But you made it today � alone. That�s all you ever have to do. �One day at a time� isn�t just a slogan. It�s real. And I am VERY proud of you. But, dammit, Jack, next time CALL ME! You shouldn�t have had to face this alone.� Jack nodded and sat up. �You�re right. Abbie reamed me out Friday morning for not letting others help me. I just can�t seem to get that one right. And besides, I knew this was going to be a tough day for you. I didn�t want to add to your burden.� Jack jumped at the chance to change the subject. �Speaking of which, how did it go?� Lennie hesitated, not sure he wanted to let go of the discussion just yet, but he figured that worrying about Lennie�s problems would be better for Jack than worrying about his own. �Not too bad, actually. People were talking, staring when I first got there. Van Buren�s got me driving a desk until IAB clears me on losing the gun. Ed backed me up 100%.� Lennie smiled. �It�s not like it was news to him. No reason for him to change sides now� �Yeah, well, you never know. When nobody else knows, you�re not really putting your own life on the line. Once the word gets out, you never know when some dumb shit is going to not back you up because of your partner. He�s taking a risk staying with me. And that means a hell of a lot.� It was Jack�s turn to offer comfort, sliding his arm around Lennie�s shoulders and squeezing. Lennie smiled, but the smile faded too quickly. �There�s more?� Lennie nodded. �Rey came by to drop off some paperwork and to check up on me.� �I�m guessing it didn�t go well?� Lennie shook his head. �We went over to the deli, talked about him first. This thing with Debra is killing him. And her � he says it�s not going to be long now.� Jack knew how close Lennie was to the family. �Oh, Lennie, I�m sorry.� �I offered to help, but he wants every last second with her until the end.� Jack reached out and caressed Lennie�s face. �I can kind of understand that.� Lennie caught his hand and kissed it. �But then he had to bring up the rumors. I couldn�t lie to him, Jack. And he couldn�t accept the answer. He tried to blame it on you � said you took advantage of me. He just wouldn�t listen. Said whatever we have can�t possibly be love.� Curtis� words cut like a knife. Jack felt anger building. �Lennie, I know you care about him and his family. But if he�s that narrow-minded . . .� �No, Jack. Please, don�t judge him. Right now was the worst possible time for him to have to deal with this. He was reacting without thinking. I won�t write off his friendship without giving him a chance.� Jack backed down. �I guess if you didn�t write me off after last week, you can put up with this for a while.� He shook his head. �Lennie, you are loyal almost to a fault.� Lennie grinned. �Yeah, just a big ol� puppy dog.� Jack laughed. �Well, then, come here and let me rub your belly!� The next thing Lennie knew he was rolling on the floor laughing as Jack tickled him mercilessly. He tried to retaliate, but was laughing too hard to get in a good shot. Eventually, Jack had him pinned and was lying on top of him. �Uncle! Uncle, already!� Lennie cried breathlessly. Jack just grinned down at him and bent down to kiss him, tongue probing deeply. After the pressures of the day, he realized he needed this desperately. Lennie could feel the hard cock pressing against his leg and wrapped his arms around Jack�s waist, pulling him closer. Jack lifted up just enough so that he could get his hands between them to start unbuttoning Lennie�s shirt. When it was open, he let Lennie lift up just enough to slide the undershirt up to expose his nipples. Jack slid down to start gnawing on one nipple while his hands undid Lennie�s belt and zipper. Lennie almost didn�t notice how hard the floor was beginning to feel as Jack�s hand slipped into his pants and began caressing him through his boxers. He moaned happily. After a while, Jack moved further downward, pulling Lennie�s pants and boxers away. Finally freed, Lennie got up and quickly added his shirt to the pile of discarded clothing. �Hey! I wasn�t done with you!� Jack�s face showed his mock indignation. Lennie grinned and helped him up. �That�s good, because I�m not done yet either! Get undressed and park it on the couch. I�ll be right back.� He kissed Jack and copped a feel, then ducked back toward their bedroom. Jack was wondering what Lennie was up to now. But he was more than willing to go along for the ride. He quickly tossed aside his clothes and sat down on the couch, absently fondling himself. Lennie returned carrying a bottle of lube. He stopped, entranced at watching Jack play with himself. // Damn, that�s hot! Have to remember that! // He finally broke the spell and came into Jack�s field of vision. �Oh, that looks yummy!� Jack looked up, startled, and suddenly stopped. Lennie laughed and came up to the couch and knelt, straddling Jack, leaning in for a kiss. Jack�s arms wrapped around him to hold him in place. He savored the feel of warm flesh against warm flesh. Finally, he slipped out of Jack�s lap and stood, bending now to apply the lube to Jack�s cock. He handed the bottle to Jack and turned around, bending over slightly. Jack got the idea and spread his cheeks to apply the lube there. Lennie turned back around and grinned at Jack. �OK, now we see if this couch is up to the task. Slide forward as far as you can.� Jack obliged, and Lennie again crawled on top of him, positioning himself above his target. He eased downward, feeling it press into him as he impaled himself. �Aahhhhh!� They moaned in unison. He let himself drop all the way, Jack�s cock buried in him to the hilt. Jack�s arms wrapped around him to hold him in place. He leaned forward to pull Jack closer and kiss him. // Oh, god, this is incredible! // With Jack�s mouth on his and arms holding him tight, they rocked together until they just couldn�t stand it anymore. Lennie cried out as the orgasm shook him, and he over-balanced backwards. Jack just barely caught him, but they still both ended up tumbling to the floor, laughing, breathless. �OK, now if you can work on the balance thing, I think that one�s a keeper!� Jack grinned at him. �Yeah, yeah, yeah.� He brushed the hair from Jack�s face. �It was nice, huh?� �Yeah.� The hard floor didn�t encourage a long afterglow, so they got up, got dressed, and decided to make dinner at home, then settled in front of the TV watching a baseball game. As the evening wore on, Jack started to worry about tomorrow. Luckily, Lennie was working on the same problem. �Hey Jack. Can you do me a favor tomorrow?� Jack looked down at him; Lennie was snuggled under his arm, stretched out along the length of the couch. �Sure. Not like I have anything else to do.� He almost managed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Lennie noticed, and reached up to squeeze the arm wrapped around him. �I need you to go get me a cell phone.� Lennie stopped, waiting for the inevitable reaction. �WHAT! First surfing the internet, now a cell? What has gotten into you lately?� Lennie laughed. He�d gotten the desired reaction. �Actually, I started thinking about it Friday morning. Thanks to the damned things, half the pay phones in this city don�t work and nobody cares about fixing them because it seems like even the homeless have cell phones these days! And besides, if you need me, I want you to be able to find me. No more toughing it out alone, Jack.� His voice had become soft, compassionate. Jack couldn�t believe it. If Lennie was willing to be �shackled� to a cell phone, he was serious about this. �You got it, Lennie. And Lennie? . . .Thanks.� Lennie sat up and wrapped his arms around his lover, holding him close. They kissed, then Lennie slid back down into slug mode. �Great. After that, you can come over to the station and drop it off, then head over to the DMV and get in line for me, and call me when they get within a half hour of calling our number. I�ve been driving without a license since that creep got my wallet.� Jack laughed. �What am I, your �personal assistant?�� �Hey, now there�s a thought! About time I had an assistant! Complete with the pre-requisite illicit romance. Do I have to buy you flowers for Secretaries� Day?� Jack drummed his fingers against Lennie�s chest, trying to look stern and displeased. But the laugh just ruined the effect. �What am I going to do with you, Lennie?� He shook his head, laughing, and slid his arm around Lennie�s chest in a hug. Lennie�s answering chuckle was all he needed to hear Continue on to Chapter 3 Send me some feedback Back to the Story Index Disclaimer: These characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC; I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
| Repercussions from "Hitting Bottom" hit the fan from all directions. |
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