| Partners |
| Thomas Miller was 'escorted' to an interrogation room in the station that housed the SVU. Not surprisingly, he'd refused to speak until his lawyer was present. The gun found was sent immediately to forensics for matching against the bullet recovered from the crime scene.
Munch and Fin were in the interrogation room, while Green and Fontana watched from the one-way window along with Cragen and ADA Novak. Things were not going well. "Tell me again, Mr. Miller, just what you and Det. Logan were doing the night of the murder." Munch was playing 'good cop' to Fin's 'bad cop,' sounding quite reasonable as he asked the question. "I told you this afternoon, Detective, I don't deny that he was there, and that we had sex. It was something we'd been doing a lot lately." Fin glared at him. "Define 'a lot.'" "Just about every day for the past week and a half, I'd say." Fin shook his head. "Guess again. Logan wasn't the type for a 'relationship.' He didn't tend to stick around." Miller couldn't suppress a self-satisfied smirk. "I guess he finally met his match." Fin raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?" "Meaning he found somebody strong enough to hold him." Miller's lawyer looked uncomfortable. "Thomas! That's enough!" Miller glared at his lawyer. "Look, Ernie, I'm not ashamed of what I do. It's recreational, and it's purely consensual. Yes, their CSU team will find evidence that Logan was there. I don't deny he was there or what happened. It had nothing to do with his murder. The same can be said for my gun." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No matter what attack they used, Miller held to his story. Watching from outside, Joe shook his head. "He's used to being in charge. In business, in the bedroom. He says jump, his 'boys' ask how high on the way up. You're not going to get him to change his story." Cragen frowned. "You're probably right." Anita had called him earlier and given him the full low-down on Fontana's arrival and how it had affected Mike's promotion. While it clearly wasn't Fontana's fault, Cragen still wished the man had stayed in Chicago; they might not be facing this particular nightmare right now. Mike might not have felt the need to throw himself into this abusive relationship. And if Charlie Dietz ever crossed HIS path, well, he'd just better hope he didn't. Just then a technician tapped him on the arm and handed him a report. Cragen's frown turned into an outright scowl. "The gun's legit. Registered to Miller. Lab says it hasn't been fired in at least a month. It's not our murder weapon." Casey Novak turned to him. "In that case, I'd suggest we'd better let Mr. Miller go. At least until we find some actual evidence." Cragen turned his displeasure on her. "It's a solid circumstantial case, Casey. He was the last person to see Mike alive. The murder was within walking distance of his home. There is evidence that Mike was physically there." Casey shook her head. "What's the motive, Captain?" Fontana chimed in. "Sanborne said Miller likes to keep his 'boys' close to home. Logan wasn't the kind to be 'kept.' Maybe he tried to break it off and Miller exerted his ultimate authority over his sub?" Casey shrugged. "Maybe. Get me some solid evidence of that and we can think about it. As of now, let him go." Reluctantly, Cragen nodded. He took a deep breath, then opened the door. "All right, Mr. Miller, you can go now." The angry looks on his detectives' faces prompted him to specify, "The gun we found hasn't been fired recently. You're free to go." Miller looked entirely TOO self-satisfied for his own good as he stood and glared at Munch, who stood between him and the door. "If you will excuse me, Detective?" Munch forced himself to be calm as he stepped out of the way and Miller and his attorney left the interrogation room. Once they were gone, the cops gathered around. Novak addressed them. "Either get me some real physical evidence, or at least a solid motive, or we can't touch him." Cragen jumped in. "Surely there's got to be SOME evidence out there of what happened? Canvass his building. See if anybody saw or heard anything. Get me SOMETHING! Because right now we've got squat. Nada. If this guy killed Mike Logan, he's not going to get away with it! Do you hear me?" Cragen's explosion caught them all off guard. Everybody nodded, and quickly made their exits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Munch was slumped in the passenger seat of Fin's car as they headed back toward his apartment. Stopped at a light, Fin turned to him. "This is gettin' to you, ain't it?" Munch just shook his head. "I'm not sure which is worse. That Miller gets off from torturing people, or that people actually ASK him to." With Munch in this mood, Fin realized that nothing was going to happen tonight. "You want to stop for a beer or something?" The pub where Munch occasionally met Lennie Briscoe for pool was a few blocks away. "Yeah. Why don't we stop at Annie's, see if we can grab a table for a couple of games." Fin grunted, but pulled into a parking lot not too far from the bar. Annie Taylor had been one of the top women's Billiards players on the pro circuit a couple of years ago. When she'd retired, she used her winnings to open up this place. It wasn't your typical, run-down pool hall bar. She kept the place clean, well-lit, and kept her tables in top condition. There was even a top-of-the-line, tournament quality table in a back room for her own use. Lennie was one of the few patrons who had ever been invited to play her back there. The entire place had crowded around the window which formed the side of the room. Lennie had held his own against her, but ultimately the pro had beaten him. Munch had secretly enjoyed that night �ok, not so secretly. He rubbed Lennie's nose in it every chance he got. As the partners walked in and made their way to the bar, Fin noticed a knot of people anxiously watching a game in progress. They got their drinks and made their way over. // Why am I not surprised, // Munch thought with a laugh as he realized the center of attention was none other than Lennie Briscoe. At the moment, he was confidently running the table, while his opponent watched helplessly. Every shot was just about perfect, sinking the intended ball and leaving himself lined up for the next shot. Finally, the 8-ball was sunk and the crowd cheered. "You picking on some poor unsuspecting schmuck again, Lennie?" Munch called out over the crowd. Lennie looked up at the familiar voice. "John! What the hell are you doing here?" He pushed through the crowd to join his friend, greeting him with a firm handshake. Munch grinned; he hadn't expected to see Lennie out, but he was glad he was here. "We just stopped by for a drink and a game before heading home. Been a rough day." Lennie nodded, acknowledging Fin. Out of habit he asked, "So what're you two working on?" Munch realized he probably didn't know. "Um, we're working with Green and Fontana �." Lennie's face suddenly went white. "Mike." Munch grabbed Lennie's elbow and steered him towards a booth in back. He slid in beside Lennie, while Fin took the other side of the table. "You ok?" Lennie nodded. Munch looked up and flagged down a waitress, ordering a Club Soda for Lennie, and refills on their beers. After a few moments, Lennie regained his composure. "So you're having a rough time?" Fin shook his head. "Lennie, you know we can't talk about it. Not this time. You're not a fellow cop in this one, you're the victim's family." Lennie sighed. "Yeah. And let me tell you, it SUCKS." The waitress returned with the drinks, and Lennie downed half the soda in one pull, wishing that this time it could be something harder. But he was still determined not to go there. Mike had self-destructed; it didn't mean he had to. Munch nodded understanding. "Look, I'm guessing you came here to get away from thinking about it, and so did we. So enough of that. How're you enjoying retirement?" Lennie laughed at Munch's abrupt change of subject. "OK I guess. Kind of bored, though. Gotta find something to do with my time. At least now I really don't have to worry about money �" At Munch's raised eyebrow, Lennie hesitated. "Mike didn't have family, John. He named me beneficiary on his insurance �" Munch groaned. He had a feeling that no matter how hard they tried, that subject was just going to keep coming up tonight. "Oh," was all he said. Fin had an idea for a change of topic. "Why don't you try your luck on the pool circuit? Bet Annie'd get you connected with the right people?" Lennie just looked at him. "Now why the hell didn't I think of that?" Munch laughed at his reaction. "Because for years the NYPD forbid you from making money from pool?" Lennie made a face. "Like THAT ever stopped me? I just kept it small scale, under their radar." Fin grinned. "Well, now they don't care. And the pro circuit isn't illegal gambling, it's a sporting event!" Lennie nodded, starting to get into this idea. "Yeah. And I doubt they start tournaments at 8 in the morning �" That left them all chuckling. Watching them together, Fin realized this was exactly what Munch needed. This case had them all wrapped tight. And after what they'd seen in Miller's place this afternoon, he had to admit sex wasn't high on his list of recreational activities right now. But he felt like a third wheel; he had a feeling what would help his partner most of all was spending some time with Lennie. So he finished his beer, and bowed out. "Listen, you two have some serious catching up to do. And I've got some serious catching up on SLEEP to do." His eyes focused momentarily on Munch, as if blaming him for that state. "You get home ok from here?" he asked Munch. Munch nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about me." "OK, then catch you later. Nice seeing you again, Lennie!� Lennie smiled and raised his drink in salute. He'd noticed that look Fin had given Munch during the sleep comment, and it had him wondering. Could these two be more than partners? Or was he just seeing sex in everything? Ever since finding out about Mike, he'd been plagued by thoughts of what might have been. Intensely erotic dreams at night, and fantasies during the day. It was as if knowing Mike might have been interested was enough to reawaken his long-dormant libido. And now Munch was still sitting next to him on the bench of the booth, and he found himself suddenly very aware of that fact. He decided to probe a bit. "So, you two seem to have found your stride." Munch had been watching Fin leave the bar, enjoying the view of his backside. He'd almost forgotten he was sitting next to Lennie. The voice brought him back to the present. "Uh, yeah. Took us a while, but Fin's a good guy. And a good cop." Lennie nodded. "You know, that's one of the things I miss most, being retired � having a partner I can trust. It's kinda lonely not having someone. You don't realize how much the friendship means until you don't have someone like that around." Munch nodded and flagged the waitress for another round. "Yeah. I never thought I'd be this close to somebody like Fin. We hated each other at first. But he's good. Damned good. Funny thing is, he likes to give off the 'tough guy' routine, but underneath it all, he's a softie. Never saw anybody who cared about the victims the way he does. Especially kids." "He have any?" "A son. Must be about 17, 18 by now." Lennie nodded. "That explains it. He see the boy much?" Munch shook his head. "Not since his ex found out � she thinks he'd be a 'bad influence' on the kid." Munch realized as soon as he said it that he shouldn't have. And Lennie wasn't about to let it go, either. "And why's that?" Lennie sipped the new glass of soda, one eyebrow cocked at his companion. Munch just shook his head. "Not my place to say, Lennie �" Lennie smirked. "You telling me he's gay?" "I'm not tellin' you anything." He forced himself to look into Lennie's eyes, asking for understanding. Lennie nodded. "You didn't tell me nothing, John. I figured it out all by myself. The way he looked at you when he made that crack about being short on sleep, for one thing. You been keeping your partner up late?" He couldn't help grinning at Munch's shocked expression. "Damn you, Lennie �" "Hey, John, I was a cop for twenty-nine years. Cop's instincts don't turn off just because I'm retired. I just never would've figured you for a switch hitter." John shrugged and hid behind his beer. "Me neither." And then Lennie's hand was on his thigh, under the table. "So I guess you wouldn't mind if I did this?" Munch practically choked on his beer. "Lennie?!!! But you � you slept with my ex-wife!" Lennie laughed softly. "So did you, John. That was then, this is now." His voice had gotten low, husky. He let his fingers trail suggestively toward Munch's crotch. He couldn't believe how much this was turning him on. Munch closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. Which was difficult, as Lennie's long fingers were having a real effect on him. His cock was already at half-mast, and growing rapidly. Finally, he opened his eyes and focused them on Lennie. "I, uh, I would've thought after Logan's death you wouldn't be looking for anything right now?" Lennie just shook his head, noticing that John hadn't done anything to pull away or move his hand. "Other way, John. I keep thinking about what might have been, if only we'd had the courage to tell each other. What would it be like with somebody you know, somebody you trust? Not just some nameless stranger you pick up in a bar for one night. And god, that gets me hot, John." His fingers emphasized the point, openly caressing the now prominent bulge behind Munch's zipper. "You wanna go back to my place?" Munch's brain wasn't getting a whole lot of blood at this point. "Sure �" he gasped, as Lennie's hand gave a parting squeeze. The next thing he knew, he was sitting in the passenger seat of Lennie's car. The short drive was long enough for Munch's brain to steal back enough blood to realize he was making a mistake. They parked in the alley behind Lennie's apartment. Munch decided he didn't want to have this conversation in the car, so he followed Lennie up to the second floor apartment. As soon as the door was closed, Lennie turned toward him, but John's hands had come up. "Whoa, Lennie, wait a minute. I know what just happened, but I can't do this. Please, let's talk, ok?" The sudden reversal threw Lennie off. "What do you mean you can't do this? I thought you and Fin �" Munch nodded. "Yeah, me and Fin. That's WHY I can't do this, Lennie. Not with you. Not right now." As his meaning slowly sunk in, Lennie sank down onto the couch. Munch sat beside him, but not TOO close. "So you two � it's serious?" Lennie finally asked. "I don't know, Lennie. I think so. I mean, we're partners, right? We gotta trust each other. I can't go doin' something like this behind his back. And besides, you really don't want Fin pissed off at you. It's not pretty." Lennie sighed, leaning forward, his head in his hands. "No, I guess not. I � I'm sorry, John. I don't know what came over me back there." Munch reached out and laid a hand on Lennie's back. "You've had a rough week, Lennie. And I'm guessing it's reminded you of how alone you are. Seeing Green with his new partner. Me and Fin. And then the whole 'what if' thing with Logan." Lennie nodded, grateful for the warmth of Munch's hand on his back. Alone. That was the word that summed up his life. He was alone. And he hated it. "Yeah," was all he said. Munch could see he wasn't getting anywhere. "Look, Lennie, it'll get better. You'll find someone. Now that you know that's what you're looking for." Lennie took a deep breath and sat up. "You're probably right, John. Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "If it wasn't for Fin � would you have? With me?" Munch managed a sardonic grin. "Now what would I want with your skinny-ass white butt? No, wait, that's what Fin says to me." It got the desired chuckle from Lennie. "Yeah, I would. But not tonight." Lennie nodded. Munch realized it was time to go. He got up. "Lennie? You gonna be ok?" "Yeah. I'll survive. I always do �" He got up and walked Munch to the door. Just before opening the door, Munch turned and pulled him into a tight hug. "Hang in there, pal," he murmured into Lennie's ear before letting go and ducking out the door. Lennie just stood there for a minute, stunned by the gesture of affection. John Munch rarely let anything get past the fa�ade of 'cool' that he projected. Tonight had been something truly special. Finally, Lennie shook himself and locked the door, shut out the light, and headed back to his bedroom. Despite the sudden change of direction, he was still feeling horny. Tossing his clothes in the laundry pile, he crawled into bed. At first, he thought about John Munch, remembering that moment in the bar when he'd felt the other man up under the table. God, that had been a turn on. But Munch was right; he had his partner. It wouldn't have been right to come between them. So inevitably his thoughts turned back to Mike Logan. Always the same moment; the evening after Mike had decked Councilman Crossley. That's when it should have come out. Just WHY Crossley pissed Mike off so much. Looking back now, it made so much sense. Mike's career in Homocide would still have been over, but if they had gotten together outside the job, it wouldn't have been so devastating. He dropped back into the familiar fantasy � Mike had looked so lost, so guilty when they left the precinct that night. He knew he'd never return here. Lennie helped him clean out his locker and schlep his stuff out to the car. "Mike? You gonna be ok tonight? You wanna come over to my place for a bit?" Logan shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it, Lennie �" Briscoe glared at him. "Yeah, right. You're Catholic � confession is good for the soul." Another head shake. "Not this. Church wouldn't approve of this." His face suddenly got angry. "Although Fr. Joe would have LOVED hearing this confession! Hell, he'd've probably been jerking off in the confessional!" The intensity in Mike's voice scared Lennie. But the meaning of his words got through. "Whoa, easy there, Mike! Are you sayin' what I think you're sayin?" Luckily the parking lot was deserted. Logan suddenly spun around and looked Lennie right in the eye. "I'm gay. There, I said it. Are you happy now?" He practically spat out the words. A small smile tugged at Lennie's lips. This was too good to be true. "Yeah, actually I am. Come on, we need to talk." The reaction caught Logan completely off guard. He'd been expecting disgust, disapproval, anger. Not a smile and a wink. What the hell was happening here? They got into Mike's car, leaving Lennie's in the precinct lot. Not a word was spoken until they got to the alley behind Lennie's apartment. Mike silently followed Lennie up the stairs and into the apartment, watching as Lennie carefully locked it behind them. Lennie finally broke the silence. "Me too, Mikey. And DAMN, I have wanted you for a long time." He closed the distance between them and reached out to touch Logan's face, pulling him in to a kiss. At first, Mike was too stunned to respond. But at the insistent pressure of Lennie's tongue, he opened his mouth as his arms came up and wrapped around his partner. // Former partner // some part of his brain prompted. Lennie's heart soared as Mike responded to him. Tongues twined, darting in and out. His cock had been growing ever since Mike first said those fateful words, and by the time he pulled Mike close, it was hard and ready. No way the younger man could doubt his intentions now. As his own arousal grew, Logan began taking charge of the situation. He pulled Lennie close to him, grinding his hips into the older man's body. Both of them were ready for action. Finally, he let go long enough to gasp out, "Bedroom?" Lennie grinned and led him back toward the bedroom. Shirts, ties, and pants went flying in their haste to get naked. And then they were, lying together on the bed, writhing together in passion. Mike rolled them over so that he was on top, and grinned down at Lennie, who looked up into hazel eyes, sparkling with delight. His partner's face was alive with passion, and a sheen of sweat was starting to form from their exertions. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. And then it was gone, as Mike kissed a trail down his chest, stopping at each nipple, raking it with his teeth, leaving them hard in his wake. Unexpectedly, a hot tongue dipped into his navel before trailing down further. And then all thought vanished as Mike's mouth consumed him in a hot wetness. His entire body felt like it was on fire as he writhed under Mike's talented ministrations. He couldn't help thrusting up toward that mouth, so hot, so, so HOT! And then the crash took him as Mike eagerly milked him dry � Lennie shuddered as his orgasm came with the climax of his fantasy. He lay there, sprawled across his bed, a pool of his own spunk on his chest. No lover to lick him clean, only his own hands. He sighed and got up, went into the bathroom to clean up, and crawled back into bed, under the covers this time. His restless mind went back to the fantasy � because it wasn't all about sex � Afterward, they lay together in a pool of contentment, Mike's dark head snuggled onto Lennie's shoulder. "Why didn't we do this a long time ago,?" Lennie mused � Mike shook his head. "Couldn't have. Even if we knew, it would have messed up things up for work." Lennie was puzzled. "Not necessarily." Mike sat up and looked at him. "Lennie, I don't do relationships. You know that. This is just tonight, right? Great way to say goodbye?" Lennie reached up and touched Logan's face. "It doesn't have to be, Mike." Looking down, Logan realized there was something more in Lennie's eyes. Longing for something special. For him. He didn't want to hurt Lennie, but � "It does, Lennie. Every time I've let someone in, they've hurt me. I can't face that again." There was real pain in Logan's eyes. Lennie sat up and captured the younger man's face in his hands. "I know you've been hurt, Mikey. I've seen what it's done to you. But this is me. Lennie. Your partner. For the past three years you've trusted me with your life out there on the streets. Are you sayin' you can't trust me with your heart?" Lennie's words obviously hit their target. After what felt like forever, Mike took a deep breath as a single tear slid down his cheek. Lennie gently brushed it away, and leaned in to kiss him, drawing him back down to the bed � "If only, Mikey, if only �" Lennie whispered into the pillow. Continue on to Chapter 6 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 5 |
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