| Love is All Around |
| Jack stared at a nearly empty desk. He�d been too efficient in getting through his caseload, handing things off to others for the week he�d be gone on his honeymoon. It was early Friday afternoon, the day before his wedding, and he had no work to do. Nothing to keep him from getting nervous � Jamie Ross watched him from the hallway, smiling softly. She couldn�t believe tomorrow was the big day. Jack and Lennie were getting married. It still sounded strange to her, but she couldn�t argue with something that had made him so happy. He seemed a different man from the lonely person he had been, just a few months ago. Claire�s death had hit him hard, but Lennie�s love had somehow healed him. She�d never understand what had happened, but that didn�t matter. They were together and all was right with the world. Except of course for Jack�s daughter. They had gotten the ridiculous court order forbidding him access set aside, but Jeanne still refused to allow Kelly to attend the wedding. Jamie had a feeling it was more sour grapes than any real concern for her daughter�s well being. But so far, no amount of reasonable argument had changed her mind. Jamie shook off that line of thought and focused again on Jack. He was fidgeting with the rings, which he had picked up at lunch time. She smiled and stuck her head in the door. �Jack, stop playing with those. You�re going to wear them out before you ever put them on!� He looked up, surprised by the voice. �Oh, hey Jamie.� He laughed nervously as he put the rings back into the box. Jamie grabbed them. �Maybe I should hold on to this until tomorrow.� Her grin teased him. Jack laughed. �I know, I know. Actually, I think that�s Adam�s job as best man.� �Well, he�s not doing a very good job then!� Jack just shrugged, smiling. �Fine, you�re deputized. Just make sure we have them tomorrow.� Jamie nodded. �So everything else ready?� Jack took a deep breath. �The house is clean, your friend called this morning to confirm she�d be there at 10AM to set up the catering. Mike and Ben got in last night, and today they�re helping Lennie with the last minute stuff and planning out the ceremony. We�ve got the tickets for the flight to Miami and the cruise. I think that�s everything �� Jamie looked at him closely at the mention of Mike�s name. �How�d things go last night with Logan?� Jack smiled. �It�s fine, Jamie. All in the past now. Really.� Jamie shook her head. �You�re awfully forgiving, Jack. Not exactly what I expected from you.� Jack sighed. �I know I have a reputation in the courtroom as a hard ass, Jamie, but that�s not really me. At least, not anymore.� �I�m glad, Jack. You are a lot easier to work with when you�re happy!� Jack laughed, and looked up at a knock at his door. Adam Schiff stood there, attempting quite unsuccessfully to glower at them. �Doesn�t anybody work around here anymore? And if not, could you at least invite ME to the party?� �Come on in, Adam. Jamie was just trying to keep me from getting too nervous.� She smiled and handed him the rings. �I believe these are your responsibility. He was going to lose them, so I took them away from him.� Adam chuckled. �You weren�t this nervous last time, Jack.� Jack shrugged. �I wasn�t this serious last time.� �Well, I know how to calm your nerves. My office is more comfortable.� The three of them wandered down the hall to the DA�s office. Adam instructed Sally to not interrupt them unless it was a real emergency. Jack settled into the comfortable leather couch while Adam poured three glasses of his best scotch. Jamie perched on the nearby chair. Adam handed them each a glass, then raised his own. �To a lifetime of happiness, my friend.� They smiled and clinked the glasses together. Jack enjoyed the smooth burn of the very good scotch down his throat. He sighed. �Thank you, Adam.� Schiff grunted, his usual monosyllabic response. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lennie was a nervous wreck. He and Mike and Ben had spent the day getting everything ready for the big party tomorrow. He envied Jack having to work today; at least he had something to keep his mind off of the reason behind all this activity. Lennie couldn�t think of anything else. // my god, I�m getting married again. I swore I�d never do this � // Those words kept cycling around and around in his mind. He knew this was different. Jack didn�t want him to be something that he wasn�t, the way Gloria had. Hell, just the fact that he was marrying another man made it entirely different. But he couldn�t shake the feeling that something, somehow, had to go wrong. The house looked perfect. Mike had gone to the hardware store and gotten proper mounting hardware so he could hang the painting above the couch. It looked absolutely perfect there. The SUV had come in handy going over to the rental place to pick up the two dozen folding chairs and couple of serving tables they had ordered. They had rearranged the furniture, moving the second arm of the L-shaped sofa back against the side wall, leaving the middle of the room wide open. The folding chairs were set up around the kitchen/dining area and the rest of the living room. Their dining room table and the extra serving tables were covered with matching blue tablecloths. Ben finished setting up a row of chairs and turned to look at his host. �Lennie? Are you all right?� Lennie had been standing there, staring into space for about 10 minutes. Ben�s voice shook him out of it. �Huh? Oh, uh, sorry. Yeah, I�m fine �� Ben chuckled softly. �I�m not sure �fine� is the correct word. I remember how nervous I was before my wedding.� Lennie managed a sardonic smile. �Well, they say third time�s the charm �� �I think you�ve got it right this time, Lennie. I didn�t quite believe what Mike told me about you two, but seeing is believing. You convinced me last night that I really didn�t have to worry about losing Michael to you.� Lennie looked at him, his brow furrowing. �Ben, you really thought that?� Stone sighed. �I�ve always been a bit � insecure � about relationships. Michael has always said what you had was in the past, but I have to admit I didn�t fully accept that until last night.� Lennie smiled. �Believe it, counselor. Yeah, I love Mikey, and I�m so glad that you two found each other, because he needed somebody. It really hurt me to see him hurting so bad last time, you know? We both made mistakes. I�m just thankful Jack was able to forgive me and not let it mess us up.� Ben nodded as Mike came back in from the other room. �OK, I think that�s all the chairs. What now?� Ben slipped his arm around Mike�s waist. �I think Lennie is a bit nervous, Michael. Did you plan anything for this evening to keep him occupied?� Mike laughed. �Lennie, nervous? Never! Let�s see, HOW many times have you sworn you�d never wear a wedding ring again?� Lennie blushed. �Yeah, yeah, I know what I said.� �Is Donnie coming over tonight?� Lennie smacked his forehead. �Shit, I knew I forgot something! Yeah, actually he suggested we meet over at O�Malley�s for dinner and, uh, how did he put it? �A bimbo-free bachelor party.� Mike laughed. �Oh, god that sounds just like him!� Just then the phone rang. Lennie picked it up. �Hello?� �Hey, love. Just wanted to check in. You still planning on going out tonight?� Lennie laughed. �Yeah, actually I just remembered that when Mike asked if Don was coming over.� Jack chuckled. �Good. I think this is turning into an impromptu party here in Adam�s office as well. Um, is Ben going with you guys? Because Adam would really like him to come join us.� �Hang on, I�ll pass on the invite.� Lennie covered the phone. �Ben? Jack wants to know if you�d like to come over to his bachelor party. Adam wants to see you.� Ben simply stood there for a minute, uncertain what to do. He had been feeling ambivalent about going with Mike and Lennie and Don Cragen this evening, knowing the three had a long history together and had a lot to catch up on. And yet he was quite nervous about facing his old mentor, and especially in the offices at Hogan Place. Mike�s hand rested gently on his back. �I think you should go, babe.� Ben looked at his lover. �What, trying to get rid of me already?� His grin took the sting out of the words. Mike laughed. �Yeah, well, you know, big orgy tonight, didn�t think you�d feel comfortable.� Lennie snorted. �In your dreams, Mikey.� Mike shook his head. �Not anymore, Lennie.� He turned to Ben. �You do know that now, right?� Ben nodded. �I know, Michael. I�m not worried about you. It�s just � so many memories over there, I�m not sure I want to open that wound.� Mike leaned in and gently kissed Ben�s forehead. �Go. It�ll be ok. Trust me.� Ben looked into the green eyes and smiled. �All right, Michael. I�ll go.� Lennie turned around, passing the message on to Jack and giving them some privacy � ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lennie and Mike dropped Ben off at Hogan Place then headed over to the pub where Don Cragen was waiting. He was sitting at a table when they walked in, but got up as soon as he saw them. Lennie hung back, smiling. Mike walked up to the table. Their eyes met, and suddenly they were both holding on tight. �Aw, Mikey!� Cragen�s voice broke, and he was glad that more words weren�t necessary. Finally they broke apart and the three of them sat down at the table. A waitress brought over a Guiness and a club soda. Mike laughed. �We�re so predictable, aren�t we?� Lennie chuckled. �I don�t know. Don here seems to have found a new twist �� Cragen blushed. Mike jumped all over it. �Yeah, Donnie, Len says you actually had a date with your WIFE? AND another guy?� Don shook his head. �Geez, you guys don�t give a guy a break for a minute, do you?� Mike grinned. �Hell no! So give � how�d it go?� �Uh, great. Really great. In fact, I�m not going to be able to stay too late tonight. They wanted some time alone to get to know each other better, but they�re expecting me to come home for � dessert.� Mike and Lennie looked at each other, thoroughly enjoying their friend�s obvious discomfiture. Mike burst out laughing. �Way to go Donnie!� Cragen just shook his head, determined to change the subject. �You look good, Mikey. I don�t think I�ve ever seen you this relaxed.� Mike smiled. �Yeah. I can�t believe how different my life is now. It�s working, Donnie. I almost never yell anymore.� Lennie laughed. �Except when Ben forgets to pack the lube �� Logan groaned, his face turning beet red. Cragen looked at Lennie, waiting for an explanation. �Last night, we�ve all gone to bed. Jack and I were messing around, trying to keep it quiet so as to not keep them up, when all of a sudden we hear Mike�s voice, loud and clear. I swear we almost died laughing �� Mike gave him an �I�ll get you for that� glare before breaking up into laughter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ben stood at the door to Hogan Place, memories of his time there washing over him. Some good, some bad. He took a deep breath and went in, stopping at the security desk. �Oh, yes, Judge Stone, they�re expecting you up in Mr. Schiff�s office.� Apparently Jack had warned security to let him through after hours. Of course the elevator took forever to get there, but finally he stepped out into the world he had inhabited a lifetime ago. So much still looked the same, and yet there were subtle differences. Computers everywhere instead of just a few of them. His feet remembered the path, taking him unerringly towards Adam�s office. The door was open and he could hear happy voices inside. With more than a little trepidation, he tapped on the door, standing just outside. Adam Schiff turned at the sound, a warm smile on his face as he saw his old friend. �Ben! Don�t just stand there, come on in!� Ben felt something tighten in his chest at the sight of his mentor. He came into the room, his eyes locked with Adam�s. The older man reached out, laying his hands on Ben�s shoulders, not quite embracing him. They looked at each other for a long moment, then Adam finally pulled him close. It only lasted a moment, but it was what Ben needed. He let go and smiled. �Hello, Adam. It�s good to see you again.� Schiff smiled and nodded, turning to pour another glass of Scotch. He handed it to Ben and topped off everyone else�s, then raised a toast. �To old friends and new beginnings.� After the toast, Ben turned to the one unfamiliar face in the room. Jack jumped in. �Ben, this is Jamie Ross, my assistant.� Ben took her hand. �You look familiar, Ms. Ross �?� Jamie laughed. �I used to be Neil Gordon�s wife and partner in the firm. Left them both about two years ago.� Ben nodded. �Ah, yes, I remember now. What brings you over to the prosecution side?� Jamie laughed. �I got tired of Neil being so proud of getting real scum off without paying. He can be so � annoyingly arrogant at times.� �Yes, I do remember that �!� They laughed together and chatted for a bit. Jamie finished her drink and put down the glass. �Well, I think I�ll leave you gentlemen to your party; I have to get home to Katie.� She turned to Jack, laying a hand on his arm. �You going to make it to tomorrow, Jack?� Jack laughed. �Yeah, I think so. Thanks for keeping me sane today.� Jamie smiled and squeezed his arm. �See you tomorrow, then.� Adam got up to pour some more scotch. �So Ben. You�re a judge now?� Ben shrugged. �It�s a small town, Adam, nothing exciting.� Adam gazed at him. �But that�s what you wanted, isn�t it?� �Yes, exactly what I wanted. I�m happy there, Adam. Especially now �� Ben�s voice trailed off, not sure how to approach the subject. Adam raised an eyebrow. �Now that you�ve taken custody of our errant Mr. Logan?� Jack chuckled. �Don�t let Mike hear you say it that way, Adam.� Ben smiled. �He really has come a long way, Jack. He�s not the same person anymore even since you sent him to me this spring.� Adam shook his head. �If I had known what that phone call was going to lead to �� Ben looked at his mentor. �Adam? Does it bother you? About me and Michael?� The DA regarded his friend over the glass of scotch in his hand. Ben hadn�t changed much, at least in terms of appearance. A little older, body heavier, hair thinner. But there was something else different; something Adam couldn�t pin down. �He makes you happy, Ben?� Stone nodded. Adam grunted. �Then who am I to argue? Of course, I should have seen this coming �� Ben looked up at him, startled. �Adam? How?� Schiff pondered for a minute, debating what to say. He finally decided on the truth. �I knew what happened with Paul, Ben.� Adam could see the fear in Ben�s eyes as their gazes locked. Finally, Ben found his voice. �How?� Adam took a drink of his scotch. �He came to me when it happened. Who do you think talked him out of a harassment lawsuit?� Ben buried his face in his hands. Jack felt like he was watching a tennis match, but he was missing some important facts. �Paul? Robinette?� Comprehension started to dawn. �Ben, you made a pass at Paul?� Ben shook his head. �It was the biggest mistake of my life, Jack. I�m not proud of what happened �� Adam grunted. �Ben, listen. He really was already planning on leaving; we had talked about it a week before this happened. He didn�t know how to tell you. And then when you � well, lets say it just made it easier for him to leave. You didn�t chase him away, Ben.� Ben stared at Adam. �I was so sure I had �� Adam got up and came to stand beside Ben�s chair. �Ben, listen to me. Even if you had, it�s water under the bridge. That was a long time ago. In the grand scheme of things, it�s a small blip, barely worth noticing. What matters now is that you�re happy with Logan. You both got a second chance, and you�re taking it for all that you can get. I�m proud of you, Ben.� Ben felt Adam�s hand on his shoulder and looked up into the older man�s eyes. He covered the hand with his own. �Thank you, Adam. That means a lot �� Schiff gave the shoulder a brief squeeze, then grunted and went back for more scotch. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Around 10PM, Don decided that he�d kept his lovers waiting long enough and bailed to go join that party. Lennie and Mike sat across from each other, alone for the first time since that night back in May. Lennie leaned back and took a drink of his club soda. �So Mikey- sounds like you found your corner?� Mike chuckled, remembering Lennie�s goodbye gift. �Yeah, Lennie, I think so. You know, I listened to that damned CD halfway to Maine and kept coming back to that song. I wondered if you were tryin� to tell me something.� Lennie smiled and nodded. �Glad you got the connection. And even more glad that it worked. I gotta tell ya, when you said you and Ben were together, I just couldn�t see it.� Mike laughed. �Oh, trust me, Lennie, it took a while for me to get used to it too. But he�s a lot different now, and I guess I am too �� Lennie looked at him, seeing just how much he had changed. �I�m glad, Mikey. So glad you got it worked out.� Mike grinned at him. �All of it, Lennie. ALL of it.� His eyebrows told Lennie what he was talking about. Lennie laughed, getting the message. �Damn, Mikey. It must be love �� Mike sighed. �I think so. I�m startin� to hope maybe it�s as good as what you two have.� Lennie smiled. �I think you got a shot, kid. You know, we both ended up a whole lot better with them than we would have together.� �What do you mean?� Mike wasn�t sure where Lennie was going with this. �Well, look at us. Couple of retired cops, we each have a rich lawyer to take care of us. Now I don�t know about you, but I�ve decided I kinda like being a kept man.� Lennie�s grin said it all. Mike laughed, realizing Lennie was right. Ben had family money as well as a lawyer�s income. He shook his head. �You know, you�ve got a point there, Lennie. God, if we�d ended up together, neither one of us would have ever been able to retire �� Lennie laughed. �If we survived that long. I don�t know about you, but I�m glad I�m off the streets.� Mike looked at him. �Lennie? You ever miss it?� �Course I do. I was a cop for almost 25 years. But I�ve got other things to keep me busy now. And most of all I have Jack. Doesn�t leave me much time to miss being a cop.� Mike nodded. �I hear ya. So you ready for tomorrow?� Lennie nodded. �Funny, I�m not real nervous right now. I was nervous about getting everything done, but now that it is, I�m fine. Not nervous at all about the wedding itself. I was a nervous wreck when I married Gloria; I think I knew even then that it was a mistake. But this time, Mikey, it�s perfect. I found my corner too.� Mike toasted him with the last of his beer. �Come on then, it�s getting late, let�s get you home.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don found Marge and Emil snuggled together on the couch in their underwear when he walked in the door. �Ah, there he is. Enjoy the party, Don?� Emil�s deep voice greeted him. Don shook his head. �I still can�t believe Lennie and Jack are getting married.� �I think it�s terribly romantic,� Marge offered, getting up from the couch and coming over to Don. Her hands pulled aside the already loosened necktie as she leaned up and kissed him. Surprised, Don responded almost automatically, his eyes closing. He got another surprise when he felt Emil come up behind him, wrapping his arms around Don�s chest, helping Marge unbutton his shirt. �Um, guys �� �We have plans for you, Donnie.� Marge purred. Emil pulled his shirt back over his shoulders, throwing it onto the floor. He leaned in and kissed the back of Don�s neck, wrapping his arms back around the now naked torso. Marge flicked those long fingernails over his nipples while Emil�s hands slid lower. Don groaned softly. �Wh � what kind of plans?� �Oh, I think you�ll like them.� The doctor�s deep voice rumbled next to his ear as his hands caressed Don�s rapidly growing erection. Marge turned her attention to his belt and soon his pants had joined the discards along with his shoes and socks. Emil�s hands teased his shaft through the cotton boxers. He could feel an answering hardness pressing against him from behind. Much to his surprise, Marge slid her hands inside his shorts and tugged them gently down. She knelt before him and licked his quivering cock. Don whimpered and sagged against Skoda. Marge sucked him in while Emil sucked on his neck and played with his nipples, his cock pressed against Don�s ass. Don couldn�t believe the feelings of pleasure coursing through his body. Then Marge sank even lower, sucking his balls into her mouth one at a time as Emil�s large hands replaced her mouth on his shaft. �Oh, god!� He cried out, sure his knees were going to give at any moment. Just when he thought he couldn�t take any more, Marge let go and crawled up. �I think he�s ready, Emil. Let�s go.� Skoda steadied him on his feet. �What do you say, Don? You ready?� Don blinked, letting the world come back into focus. �For what?� Marge grinned at him. �Does it matter? You are having a good time, aren�t you, Donnie?� �Oh, yes!� �Then come with us, sweetie.� Marge led him back to the bedroom. Emil pushed him down onto the bed. �On your back, Donnie.� Marge crawled to the head of the bed, taking Don�s head into her lap. Her hands gently caressed his face. Emil grabbed a bottle of lube and settled himself between Don�s legs. �Come on, Don. You know the drill.� Don spread his legs, lifting his hips as Emil stuffed a pillow beneath them. Emil took a good long time opening him up, loosening and stretching him out. He was nearly insane with desire by the time he felt the fingers slip out of him and Emil moved into position, lifting his legs to get a better angle. He heard a sharp intake of breath as Emil pressed in and was surprised to realize it was Marge. She was watching eagerly as Emil worked his way in, short thrusts burying his cock an inch at a time. Don groaned with the pleasure as it passed his prostate. Marge sighed. �Oh, yeah, Emil. Fuck him. Yes!� Finally Skoda was completely buried inside him. He held still and grinned at Marge. �OK, your turn.� Don wasn�t quite sure what to expect. Marge got up, gently settling his head back down on the bed, then climbed over him. She bent down to kiss him, then squirmed backwards, impaling herself on his stiff, dripping cock. �Oh god!� Don�s whole body started shaking as his cock was enveloped in the warm wetness. Then Emil began thrusting into him, and each thrust pushed him into her. Marge hung on tight, pushing back against him. Emil picked up the pace, and Don thought he was going to have a heart attack. He was in the middle this time, and it felt unbelievable. He looked up into Marge�s eyes just in time to see the pleasure crash over her; that high wail was coming from deep inside her throat. �Oh, Donnie!� The combined stimulation was too much; his own climax exploded from him, his body bucking furiously. He was only vaguely aware when Emil joined the combined explosion. Somehow they managed to disentangle themselves; Marge and Emil laid down on either side of him. As he regained his breath, each of them pulled him into a kiss. Emil gently caressed his face. �You all right, Don? We kind of sprung that on you �� Don nodded. �Oh, yeah. OK. More than ok �� Marge laughed and gently laid her hand on his chest. �You didn�t mind me joining in?� He just blinked at her. �Oh, hell no, Marge! I � uh � I don�t remember it being like that before �� Emil chuckled. �Well, it wasn�t. Two may be company, but sometimes three isn�t a crowd. I�d say he liked it, Marge.� Don looked up at the two of them. �You two are freakin� dangerous together, do you know that?� Emil laughed. �Don�t worry, Don, we�ll plan something to get back at her next time she�s out of town.� Marge grinned. �Ooh, now I can�t wait!� Don just laughed and pulled them both close. �I can see things are going to get awfully interesting around here from now on �� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jack and Ben got out of the town car and stumbled toward the front door. Luckily Adam had his driver to take them home; they never would have made it on Jack�s motorcycle. Quite a bit of Adam�s excellent scotch had been drunk this evening. Stories had been told, and embellished. Old friends had been fondly remembered. And somewhere along the way, the old rivals had truly become friends. Adam shook his head as he watched them making their way up the steps. His two most talented students, so different from each other and yet in some ways frighteningly similar. He�d expected great things from both of them, and he had to admit that despite Ben�s career change, they�d both delivered. And now, by some miracle, both of them had found personal happiness as well as professional fulfillment. What more could a father ask for? There was a light on in the hall bathroom, so Jack knew Lennie and Mike must have already gotten back. He tried very hard to be quiet as he slipped into their bedroom. His clothes were tossed onto the floor; time tomorrow for neatness. Right now all he wanted was to slip under the covers and snuggle up to Lennie. His best friend, his lover, his life. The man he was going to marry tomorrow. He crawled into bed, finding Lennie asleep on his side. He spooned in behind him and gently kissed his cheek, then fell asleep with a smile still on his lips. Continue on to Chapter 7 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. |
| Chapter 6 |
| A pair of bachelor parties, and a party of another king ... |