| Choices Chapter 11 |
| The Happy Ending |
| Lennie sat there in the theater, enjoying the show. So far, it had been a perfect day. He�d slept in � always a good thing! � and taken his time getting ready, reading the paper, downing several cups of Ed�s excellent Jamaican coffee. His partner had the work thing covered so he and Jack could play hookey today. Jack had arrived just before noon, and they had gone out to lunch in the theater district. Lennie�s mom had loved the theater, he remembered many childhood trips to this area. Of course, everything had changed. It was now tourist central. But that was OK, at least it kept the area pretty nice. For once fate smiled on him and delivered the tickets he really wanted: �Victor/Victoria.� The Julie Andrews/James Garner movie was one of his all time favorites; he�d been looking forward to seeing the show live. And given the current state of their lives, the gender-bending comedy seemed somehow appropriate. And best yet, Jack was loving it. They were having a wonderful time, for once not at all self conscious about being gay lovers in public. Lennie couldn�t ask for a better day. When the show ended, they followed in the stream of people exiting the theater, talking about the show, laughing, holding hands. Afternoon rush hour was in full stall mode, so they ducked into a little caf� to kill some time. The waitress brought them a couple of latte�s; the coffee drinks looked more like a dessert than a beverage, with the whipped cream and caramel sauce. Jack laughed. �You and your desserts, Lennie. I swear I don�t know how you stay so thin without working out.� Lennie shrugged. �Good genes, I guess. Been having some interesting ones this week. Strawberries dipped in chocolate. Cheesecake. You trying to tell me something, Jack?� Jack hid behind his glass, trying to find the right words. Finally, he took a long drink and put it down. �Something very interesting happened on Monday, Lennie. I went to see Mike Logan.� Lennie looked at him, worried. �No, Lennie, don�t worry. I didn�t do anything stupid. I just needed to hear from him that he didn�t think you two were serious. I get it now, I really do. Something happened that really made it clear for me, Lennie.� He paused, nervous, not sure how to say this. �He asked if in all my worry over whether I could still get it on with a woman, had I ever considered another man? He touched me, Lennie, and I liked it. I liked it a lot.� He shut up and looked into Lennie�s eyes. A smile gradually stole over Lennie�s face. �Well, I�ll be damned.� He reached out and took Jack�s hand. �I�ve been having this fantasy about having you and Mike at the same time �� Jack smiled nervously. �I think I�d like that. I don�t know if I could approach him alone just yet, but with you �� Lennie nodded. �That would make me about the happiest man on earth, Jack.� Jack smiled, and suddenly the words just came. �Lennie, with you beside me, I can do anything. I just realized that that is what I want more than anything in this world. To go through the rest of my life with you beside me. I�m ready to make those promises now, Lennie. To stay together no matter what. To love you but not to own you. I could never come between you and Mike, any more than he could come between us. I want to explore the whole world with you at my side. Will you come with me, Lennie?� Somewhere in there it became Jack who was holding Lennie�s hands. For a moment, Lennie sat there, stunned. Jack had indeed �gotten it.� His words were pure music to Lennie�s ears. �How could I say no to that?� The emotion was taking over, tears stinging behind his eyes. He squeezed Jack�s hands. Jack lifted their twined hands to his lips. �Is that a yes?� Lennie laughed. �Yes.� They sat there for a few moments, looking at each other, the joy washing over both of them, not quite believing what had just happened. Finally, Jack spoke. �I�ve been thinking about this for a couple of days now, Lennie. It�s funny � for somebody who makes his living with words, I can�t find a single word for us. I don�t want to say we�re getting married, we�re not, that has too many connotations I just don�t want. But I do want some of it. I want something to show we�ve made a commitment. To remind us every day that we�re not just assuming this, that we did make a promise. Just not necessarily the �standard� promises. OUR promises.� Lennie nodded. �I like that. Rings?� Jack bit his lip. �I know it�s �old-fashioned,� but yeah. Unless you have a better suggestion?� Lennie shook his head and smiled. �I like rings. Swore I�d never wear one again, but like you said, we�re making it represent OUR promises, not theirs.� Jack couldn�t keep the grin off his face. �Want to go shopping?� �Now?� �When better?� They finished their drinks and headed out, spending the rest of the afternoon wandering into a number of jewelry shops. Fortunately, especially in the theater district, two men looking at wedding rings wasn�t even worth a raised eyebrow. Finally they settled on something relatively simple, a two-tone design bringing in the silver and gold of their neck chains. There was a brief moment of contention when Jack insisted on paying for them both. �We�re going to have to have a talk about finances, Lennie. I think you�ll be pleasantly surprised.� �I didn�t want to assume that was included �� �OK, on the record, it is. Now shut up and let me pay for these.� Lennie grinned at him. �Yes, dear.� The clerk gave him the two boxes, which Jack promptly tucked into his pocket. They walked out of the store into the early evening. �Come on, let�s get back to the garage.� Lennie looked at him, wondering what Jack had in mind, but more than willing to go along for the ride. They collected the motorcycle, and Jack wove his way through the early evening traffic in a direction that made no sense to Lennie. The sky was just beginning to turn to twilight as they came to a hidden turn-off which led up a fairly steep hill. The view when they reached the top took Lennie�s breath away. They were looking down from high above the Hudson River, the city lights twinkling in the deep red glow of the sunset. �God, Jack, this is beautiful! How did you ever find this place?� �Purely by accident. Just wondered where that turn-off went, followed it one day.� They had gotten off the bike, Jack was standing behind Lennie with his arms wrapped around him. They stood there for several minutes, watching the sunset, until the red was gone and all that remained was New York lit up for the night. Finally, Jack let go of Lennie and reached into his pocket for the rings. He laughed. �I have no idea which one is which. Yours is bigger, right?� They took a few moments to sort them out. Then Jack took a deep breath, holding Lennie�s hand. �Lennie Briscoe. Will you walk down the path of life with me? Will you stand by my side when I need support, and walk away when I need to stand alone? Will you love me without needing to possess me? Will you share all aspects of my life � good and bad?� He looked up into Lennie�s eyes. �Yes� His hand trembled as he slid the ring onto Lennie�s finger. Lennie licked his lips, suddenly feeling very dry. He took Jack�s hand. �Jack McCoy. Will you share my life, my love, my soul? Oh, hell, I�m not good with words. What you said before. Will you?� Jack laughed gently at Lennie�s discomfiture. �Yes.� The ring slipped onto his finger. Then Lennie�s arms were around him, and they got lost in the kiss. After what seemed like hours, he looked up. �Shall we go home, my love?� Lennie kissed his forehead. �Home. That sounds perfect.� Continue on to "Honeymoon" 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. |
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