| Now That's Love |
| Thanksgiving 2001 - Their first anniversary |
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| Monday before Thanksgiving Holidays always drove Anita Van Buren crazy. Everybody wanted time off, but she had to have coverage. The bad guys didn�t take the holidays off, so neither could the cops. She tried to make sure that at least those who had children got the big days like Christmas and Thanksgiving off. But she knew that made it hard on those who for whatever reason didn�t. It was Thanksgiving week, and the duty roster had just been posted. She sighed as she saw Lennie Briscoe heading towards her office. Lennie was one of the unlucky ones who always ended up working the holidays. She knew he had a family of sorts now, but it still wasn�t going to get him the day off � Lennie�s head poked into her office. �Lieu, you got a minute?� She smiled. �Sure Lennie. What�s up?� She was kind of surprised when Lennie closed the door behind him. He sat down in front of her desk and took a deep breath. � I need some advice.� That got her attention. She studied his face; Lennie definitely looked like something was bothering him. �OK. About what?� �This weekend.� He bit his lip and looked at her, wondering if she remembered the significance. Anita realized there had to be something important she was forgetting. Suddenly she remembered. �Jack. It was a year ago Friday that he was attacked.� Lennie nodded. �That�s part of it. It was that same weekend that we became lovers.� The whole picture suddenly fell into place. She had guessed that the events of that day had something to do with them becoming more than just friends, but had never heard the entire story. She decided to push a little, see if he would talk about it. �I didn�t realize it was so closely related.� Her upraised eyebrow made it a question. Lennie smiled, realizing the curiosity was killing her. He decided to tell her. �Yeah. I guess I had been thinking about it for a while before that. But I never would have done anything if it wasn�t for that creep Owens. When Ed and I got to the scene, I almost died seeing what he had done to Jack. I think it was then that I realized I really did love him.� Anita looked confused. �I read the reports, Lennie. Your name wasn�t mentioned.� He nodded. �I really didn�t do anything, Lieu. Ed left my name off the reports so I could go to the hospital with Jack.� She could understand that. �And I�m guessing he needed somebody to lean on after that?� Lennie nodded. �And the rest, as they say, is history.� She smiled. This pairing was not one she would have predicted, but it seemed to be good for both of them. �So what�s the problem?� �Well, it�s kind of our anniversary, but I�m not sure if it�s something he wants to celebrate. As many bad memories as good, you know? And since I have to work � and no, I�m not asking for the day off � it makes it kind of hard. I just don�t know what to do.� Anita thought about it for a moment. Her eyes landed on his wedding ring. �Well, you could make THAT your �official� anniversary, that way you don�t have to worry about being able to get the day off or any less-than-happy memories intruding.� He shrugged. �You�ve got a point. But I guess I wanted to do something, at least this first year, to acknowledge it. This was a huge change for both of us, it just doesn�t seem right to ignore it.� �Well, then, why don�t you plan a romantic evening at home? That way, when you get there, you can play it by ear. If he�s dwelling on the bad memories, you can draw him out; if not, well �� Her grin said the rest. Lennie chuckled. �Good point. Any suggestions?� Anita shook her head. �Flowers and candles work for me, but you know him better than I do, Lennie. You�re on your own, there!� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanksgiving Day. It had been a long time since Jack had looked forward to this particular holiday. Thanksgiving was about families, the bigger the better. You just didn�t cook a ten pound bird for one person � or even two. But like so much this year, his life had changed dramatically from his old way of doing things. Abbie was coming over this afternoon, to help prepare a feast. If only Lennie and Mike didn�t have to work � But his partner had assured him that he�d eat more than his share when he finally did get home this evening. And once the bird was in the oven, they�d have several hours to find something interesting to do with the day. Knowing Abbie, Jack had certain hopes for the afternoon. And they didn�t involve watching football. So he finally rolled out of bed and headed to the shower. Just after lunch, Abbie showed up with bags of groceries. Jack already had the bird thawing in the kitchen sink; Abbie had brought the rest of the fixings. They found they worked as well together in the kitchen as they did in a courtroom. In short order the groceries were put away, the bird was prepped and into the oven. Abbie flopped into one of the chairs at the kitchen table, grabbing a handful of the munchies she had brought to hold them over until the somewhat later-than-usual meal. �OK. So the bird comes out around 5:30, it can easily stand until the boys get here, as long as they�re not too late. I�ll need to start on the stuffing a little before then; it can go in the oven when the bird comes out. You should probably start on the potatoes about then too. I�m not worried about the veggies, that�s quick. So, we�ve got at least 2 and a half hours to kill. You got any ideas, Jack?� Her grin hinted that she did. �Well, it occurs to me that Mike and Lennie have had more than their share of �quality time� together, but you and I never got the chance.� �Just exactly what I was thinking.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was just after 6PM and Lennie was about to leave the precinct. It had been a pretty quiet day after all, but you never knew when some idiot crook was going to decide to not take the holiday off. He looked across the desks at Ed. �So where you headed tonight?� Ed shook his head. �Just home, Lennie. Family�s all at my sister�s place in Ohio this year.� �That sucks.� Ed shrugged. �We�re so spread out, I�m kinda used to spending the holidays alone.� Lennie sighed and nodded. �I hear ya, Ed. Hey, listen, why don�t you come home with me?� �Nah, you two don�t need me butting in.� Lennie laughed. �No, really, it�s a party. Mike and Abbie are there, Jack actually cooked a bird. The real thing. I�m sure there�s plenty for one more.� Ed looked confused. �Mike? As in Logan, your old partner? With Abbie?� Lennie raised an eyebrow. �Come along and I�ll tell you the story.� Ed laughed. �OK, this I gotta hear.� Lennie called ahead to let Jack know to set another place. They left Lennie�s car at the station; Ed promised to pick him up the next morning. On the way home, Ed was trying to sort it out. �Isn�t Mike gay?� Lennie grinned. �Mike�s a switch hitter, Ed. Like Jack.� Ed blinked. �And Abbie doesn�t mind this?� A chuckle. �She loves it.� Ed�s eyes got bigger. �You mean�� The chuckle got deeper. �She likes to watch. The four of us kind of have an understanding �� Ed groaned. �And I�m the only straight person here tonight?� �Well, yeah. Not that it matters.� Ed shook his head. �If you say so�� Lennie laughed. �Seriously, Ed, relax. Nobody�s going to jump you.� Ed had his doubts, but they disappeared in minutes after arriving. Mike had arrived a little earlier, and the feast was spread on the table. Abbie had made a spicy Texas cornbread stuffing with red and green bell peppers and just a hint of jalapenos. The traditional mashed potatoes and gravy, a green bean casserole, and fresh cranberry sauce completed the meal. Champagne flutes filled with something golden and bubbly sat at each place. Ed knew it couldn�t be the real thing, was surprised to taste something sweet but with a tart bite when Jack raised the toast to �Family.� He finally spotted the bottle � sparkling apple cider. There was an amazing feeling in the apartment that night. An easy camaraderie among these four, a feeling of family that had nothing to do with being related. Most amazing was the easy way he became part of it. He found himself later that evening sitting at the kitchen table chatting with Mike, sharing stories about partnering with Lennie, while Jack, Lennie and Abbie literally curled up together on the couch. They didn�t hide what they felt, but they didn�t push it either. Ed got the feeling that if he wanted to join the pile of bodies on the couch he�d be welcome, but that if not, nobody would be upset. A little later, they clustered back around the table as Mike produced a hot apple pie from the oven and a container of ice cream. Everybody was already stuffed to the gills, but nobody turned down dessert. Nobody had the energy to get up from the table when they were done. Finally, Ed groaned and pushed his chair back. �I hate to break this up, but we�ve got to work tomorrow.� He glanced pointedly at Lennie, who grimaced. �You had to remind me?� Ed laughed. �I�ll pick you up at 7:30, OK?� �Oh, all right.� They all got up to see him off. Mike pounded his back, while Abbie leaned in to kiss his cheek. Finally he stood at the door with his hosts. He grinned at Lennie. �Thanks for the invite, partner. This was great.� Jack shook his hand. �Glad you could join us, Ed.� Ed looked at Lennie; his partner had a dangerous glint in his eye. �You�re not gonna hug me are you?� Lennie laughed and pounded his shoulder. �I thought about it. Now get out of here. See you in the morning.� As Ed closed the door behind him, Jack pulled Lennie into a kiss. From across the room, Abbie called �Come on, you two. Let�s get this cleaned up so we can get our hard working policemen to bed.� Finally, the table was cleared, the dishwasher loaded, and the few large items washed. Leftovers were safely stashed in the fridge � even with 5 people, they�d be eating turkey sandwiches for a week. At last, Mike and Abbie were chased out the door and they were alone. Once again, Jack pulled Lennie close. �I wish you didn�t have to work tomorrow.� Lennie gently brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. �Me too. But we�ll have the weekend, love.� Jack sighed and laid his head on Lennie�s shoulder. Back in the bedroom, Lennie shut out the light, then settled in with Jack nestled on his shoulder, one arm across Lennie�s chest. His curiosity was killing him. �Well? Did you?� Jack chuckled. �Was wondering how long it would take you to ask. Yeah, we did. She had the same idea �� Lennie laughed and ran his fingers through Jack�s hair. �You have fun?� �Oh, yeah.� That brought out the deep, evil chuckle that never failed to send shivers down Jack�s spine. �Stop that. Or you won�t be getting ANY sleep tonight.� Lennie sighed. �Oh, all right.� He bent his head to gently kiss his lover. ��Night, Jack.� �Night Lennie.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday morning Jack groaned as he crawled out of the fog of sleep. He vaguely remembered Lennie�s alarm going off a few hours ago, taking his lover away from him again. He hated these mornings, waking up alone. And this one was going from bad to worse. As he sat up, he felt the dull ache in his right shoulder. He got up and looked outside; the weather had turned from yesterday�s cold but sunny to a bleak gray rain that hovered on the edge between rain and sleet. Just the thing to make the injured shoulder ache. // It was a year ago today // he realized. Well, tomorrow by the actual date; but he always thought of it as the day after Thanksgiving. He stumbled into the bathroom, rummaging through the medicine chest to find his pills. Hopefully the 800 mg ibuprofen combined with a long hot shower would ease the ache. Of course, that wouldn�t help with the ache in his heart. He sighed; yesterday had been so wonderful; surrounded by people he loved. He was glad Lennie had invited Ed along; he hated to think of the young detective spending the holiday alone when he could be with friends. Jack had spent too many holidays alone in his life. Although not as many as Lennie � He really wasn�t sure why he was in such a downer mood today. Maybe it was the contrast of the quiet, rainy day to yesterday�s exuberance. Maybe it was the memories of what had happened a year ago that hovered just at the edge of his consciousness. Maybe it was the realization that last night had been far warmer and more loving than any family Thanksgiving he could remember, even as a child. He shook his head, trying to shake off the mood, and climbed into the hot shower. After a good long soaking, his shoulder did feel a bit better. He pulled on a comfortable old pair of jeans and a nice warm sweatshirt and headed in to the kitchen. Lennie hadn�t made coffee this morning; he must have been running late. Jack sighed and put on a pot. This was the kind of day that it wouldn�t go to waste. While it was brewing, he wandered over to the stereo. He definitely wasn�t in the mood to read or watch TV; music might help. Something upbeat to jolt him out of this mood, or quiet and run with it? He found a disk of soft piano music he had gotten years ago for a romantic evening with Claire. There was something about piano and rain that just seemed to go together. He slipped it in and went back to the kitchen to grab his coffee. He sat in the corner of the couch, leaning against the arm, his legs pulled up. Claire. He hadn�t though of her in a long time. He shook his head, still somewhat amazed by all the changes in his life this past year. It was a year ago today that Lennie had replaced her in his heart. He knew he had to get it over with, so he allowed his thoughts to go back to that awful day. The pain, the fear, and ultimately, the love. He remembered sitting here on this couch with Lennie that night, crying as the terror hit him once again. The suppressed memories of a beating at his father�s hands made it worse than it would have been otherwise. But Lennie had held him, those strong arms making him feel so secure and safe again. He remembered a gentle pressure against his head; he suddenly realized Lennie had kissed him. It had become something familiar since then, something Lennie liked to do when they were sharing quiet time together. Had that simple gesture been what finally pushed Jack over the edge that night? He didn�t think he had been consciously aware of it until just now. Whatever the reason, he was deeply grateful that things had taken this route. He realized that despite all the pain of that day, and a few bumps along the road since then, his whole life was immeasurably better now, better than it had ever been. Out of the ashes of that fire, he had been reborn into a new life, one full of friendship and love. He even had his Katie back. Hmmm � maybe he should call her this afternoon. He had a family far better than the one from his childhood. Life was good. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lennie tidied a pile of folders on his desk as he prepared to go home. Ed looked at him and sighed. �You about ready to call it a day, Lennie?� His partner nodded. �Yeah. Enough paperwork for this week.� They pulled on their overcoats and headed out to the precinct parking lot. Ed had parked right next to where Lennie had left his car last night. As they approached the cars, Ed stopped, laying a hand on his partner�s arm. �Lennie?� �Yeah?� Lennie turned to face him. �Listen, I just wanted to thank you again for inviting me last night. That was really great.� �We were glad to have you, Ed.� Ed nodded, hesitating. Lennie looked at him. �Ed? Something else?� Ed glanced around, didn�t see anybody else in the dark parking lot. �Just this.� He reached out and pulled his partner into a quick hug. Lennie barely had a moment to return the squeeze before Ed let go and stepped away. Lennie laughed and patted Ed�s arm. �Thanks, partner. �Night!� He was still chuckling as he got into his car and drove off. Ed was a good partner. Throughout the past year, he�d been there when Lennie needed him, and gave him space when he needed that. He knew the very idea of his relationship with Jack had weirded Ed out at first, but even then he had stood firmly behind his partner. He realized how far the man had come to be able to hug him like that; had it been something last night? There had been an almost magical feeling of belonging; maybe some of it had reached Ed. As he got closer to home, he began to wonder what he would find. This cold, rainy weather was sure to aggravate Jack�s shoulder, which would undoubtedly remind him of the events a year ago. The wrong ones. He was prepared to be there if all Jack wanted was to cuddle on the couch. He pulled his car into his parking space and took the elevator up to their floor. �Jack?� he called softly as he opened the door. His lover stood there, dressed in the deep burgundy cashmere sweater he�d worn last Christmas. Lennie loved the feel of that sweater. The silver neck chain hung outside, sparkling in the candlelight. Something soft and romantic was playing on the stereo. Jack held his hands out. �Come dance with me?� Lennie smiled as he tossed his overcoat and suit jacket onto the couch, then moved into Jack�s arms. For a moment it felt odd, but then he gave himself over to it and began gently swaying with the music, reveling in the feel of Jack under the soft cashmere. They looked into each others� eyes and smiled. �Happy Anniversary, love� Jack said softly, reaching up to caress Lennie�s cheek, then sliding the hand around his neck to pull him into a kiss. Lennie sighed and melted into that kiss. He hadn�t realized how worried he�d been that this day would be difficult for Jack. But all for naught, apparently. He slid his arms down Jack�s sides, around his waist, pulling him closer. They stayed there, swaying together, until the last song on the CD finished and it clicked off. �That was nice,� Lennie sighed as they reluctantly separated. Jack nodded and took his hand. �But this is even nicer�� He led Lennie back to their bedroom. The fancy satin sheets were back on the bed, and the room was filled with candles. He sat down on the bed and laid back, pulling Lennie on top of him. They laid there, kissing, hands roaming, until finally Lennie rolled off onto his side, facing Jack. He ran his hand down Jack�s arm. �I love that sweater.� Jack grinned. �I know. That�s why I wore it.� Lennie chuckled. �But right now I�d rather you didn�t.� Jack sat up and pulled off the sweater, leaving a plain white shirt underneath. He smiled at Lennie, teasing. �Better?� Lennie gave him an annoyed look. �Not yet.� He sat up and began slowly unbuttoning the shirt, leaning in for a kiss as his hands worked their way down Jack�s chest. His hands slid under the shirt and over his lover�s skin, drawing a deep sigh from the man. Lennie gently pushed it off his shoulders, letting it fall, hanging from where it was tucked into the jeans. His hands slid back over the shoulders, down the softly furred chest, to rest on the belt. One hand wrapped around Jack�s waist as the other continued down to caress the growing bulge below. Jack moaned and leaned back, giving Lennie full access. Lennie caressed him through the denim for a while, enjoying the look on his lover�s face. Finally, he brought his hands back to the belt, releasing the catch and undoing the zipper below. He smiled at the sight of the silky black underwear he had given Jack for his birthday, running a fingertip down the length of the shaft straining to escape. �Ohhh,� Jack moaned again as a shiver ran through his body. �Let�s get rid of these.� Lennie tugged at the waist of the jeans as Jack eagerly lifted his hips, letting Lennie take them away. He leaned back in for another kiss, one arm around Jack�s waist while the other hand gently caressed him below. Jack wallowed in the pleasure Lennie�s hands gave him. And yet there was something wrong. Oh, yeah. Lennie�s shirt was still in the way. He fumbled one-handed to open the buttons, his other arm wrapped tightly around his lover�s waist. Lennie brought both arms up around Jack�s back and gently laid him back on the bed. A brief kiss, then he stood up and took off his shirt and pants. He crawled on top of Jack, straddling him, leaning down to kiss him Jack�s arms wrapped around him, catching him off guard as he pulled Lennie down and rolled on top. He laughed at his partner�s momentary confusion about which way was up as his hands took their turn covering Lennie�s body. Of course, Lennie didn�t care much which way was up once those hands found his cock. His turn to sigh as Jack caressed him through his boxers. Jack slid off to sit beside his lover, still caressing him. �Lennie?� �Mmmm?� �I�ve got an idea. You want to try that viagra Doc Skoda gave us as a wedding gift?� That was unusual enough to get through to his otherwise switched off brain. His eyes opened. �We don�t need that.� Jack chuckled. �Need, no. But I hear it can make things even more fun, last longer, more intense. I called him this afternoon to see if there were any risks. He said as long as we�re healthy, there shouldn�t be any problems. Told us to enjoy it.� Lennie thought about it for a minute. Jack wasn�t usually the one who introduced something new into their lovemaking. How could he say no? �Why the hell not?� he said with a grin. Jack reached over to the nightstand � he�d stashed the pills there along with a bottle of water. He popped two of them out of the blister pack, putting the rest back on the nightstand. He swallowed one and handed the other to Lennie with the water. Lennie had to sit up to drink, so he took the opportunity to reposition. As Jack returned the water to the nightstand, he piled the pillows against the headboard and leaned back against them, his legs spread wide. Jack took the hint and knelt between them, leaning forward to kiss him as one hand returned to its gentle kneading. Lennie happily drifted off into a state of total bliss. At some point, he responded to a tugging at his waist as Jack removed the boxers, moaning as his lover�s hands finally reached their ultimate target. His eyes managed to focus as Jack nestled between his legs and began sucking him off. He wasn�t sure what was turning him on more, the sensations or the simple sight of his lover worshipping his cock. Jack had gotten very good at reading the signs, and was able to bring Lennie right to the edge several times, backing off JUST before the explosion. Lennie couldn�t believe how good this felt. Was it the drug kicking in? He didn�t know, he just felt wonderful. He groaned as Jack brought him to the edge yet again. Looking down, he swore his cock was bigger and harder than it had ever been. But this time, his lover didn�t back off. When the climax took him, he felt like his whole body was exploding. Every single nerve seemed to be on fire, and it went on for an eternity. Jack watched in wonder as Lennie writhed under the power of his orgasm. He crawled up beside him, pulling his lover into his arms, holding him as his body finally relaxed. A gentle kiss as the eyelids fluttered open. �You liked that.� Lennie laughed as he gasped for breath. �Whatever gave you that idea?� He just held Lennie for a good while, letting the other man regain his strength. But finally his own need insisted on attention. He caressed Lennie�s face. �My turn?� Lennie�s eyes traveled the length of his body, finally coming to rest on the sharp contrast of the black briefs against Jack�s pale skin. His smile was almost predatory as he rolled Jack onto his back. One hand slid down his chest as Lennie leaned in for a passionate kiss. Jack moaned as the hand found its target. Teasing Lennie as he had been always got him hard, but this was something special. His whole body ached with his need. He whimpered as Lennie�s mouth found his tight nipples; even they felt more sensitive than usual. Lennie thoroughly enjoyed the sight of Jack squirming helplessly beneath him. He realized his lover wasn�t going to last very long once he got serious; he was already wound as tightly as he sometimes got when they were playing with the restraints. Lennie decided to take pity on him, letting go of the nipple and moving his complete attention below. Jack felt Lennie�s hands tugging down the sexy underwear; he sighed with relief. It was long past time to get rid of them. Finally he felt the warm touch of a tongue on his throbbing cock and cried out with the pleasure. His lover expertly captured him, not taking the time now for a slow seduction, but rather confidently swallowing him whole. That talented tongue swirled around him, making him absolutely crazy. His hips involuntarily thrust towards Lennie, and in moments it was his turn to be lost in the ecstasy. Lennie came up to lay beside him, resting his head on Jack�s shoulder and snuggling in close. He could hear his lover�s heart pounding as he recovered from that powerful explosion. Eventually, Jack�s eyes opened and he pulled Lennie close for a kiss. �That was awesome.� Lennie chuckled. �I thought so.� He sighed and held Jack close, happy to be together on this special day. Going down on Jack had started him growing toward round two already; it had to be the drug, but he wasn�t going to argue. But there was plenty of time; they had all night, and he didn�t have to work tomorrow. He sat up, propping himself on one elbow so he could look down at the man he loved. His free hand trailed lightly over Jack�s chest. �So how was your day?� Jack enjoyed the gentle play of Lennie�s fingers over his skin. �Started lousy. You weren�t here.� Lennie chuckled. �Sorry about that, love. Actually, I was worried with the weather that your shoulder would be acting up.� His hand gently caressed the offending joint. Jack shrugged with his face. �It did. Got me thinking about why, and what else happened a year ago. Probably a good thing you weren�t around this morning � I was something of a grumpy Gus.� Lennie had to laugh at his choice of phrase. �I see you got over it?� �Yeah. I realized if it wasn�t for what happened, we might not have ended up like this. And I wouldn�t trade this for anything in the world, Lennie.� Lennie looked down at him, his heart filled with love. �Me neither, Jack.� He leaned down to kiss his partner, his life mate. The one who made it all worth while. He rolled on top of Jack, the kiss stirring his passion to full intensity again. He had a feeling round two wasn�t going to be the end, either � ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hours later, they laid together, utterly exhausted, passion finally spent. Jack�s head was pillowed on Lennie�s stomach when it finally decided to protest the fact that they had skipped dinner. He laughed. �You want to order a pizza or something?� Lennie chuckled. �I don�t think I could get up right now if my life depended on it. I�ll be fine.� Jack sat up, surprised. �You sure?� Lennie nodded. A tender expression took over Jack�s face. �I�ll bring you breakfast in bed tomorrow.� Lennie grinned. �Now that�s love.� �I do, you know. Love you.� Lennie pulled Jack back down beside him, kissed him gently. �I love you, too, Jack.� Author�s note: And thus ends (for now) the Phoenix saga. 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 proofit. |