| A Matter of Trust |
| Over the next several days the witnesses for the prosecution made their way through Judge Feldman's court. Day two saw the rest of the police witnesses, Det. Curtis and Lt. Van Buren, as well as the sound technician, who basically corroborated Lennie's statement. Day three brought in Damian Jade and Tony the bartender, as well as the intern who had examined Sandhu the night he had been attacked. Jack and Lennie had lunch with Damian and Tony. Out in public during the trial, they kept to a high level of decorum, but even so, Damian couldn't resist touching Lennie's arm comfortingly. Jack was a little surprised by how jealous it made him feel. Lennie had told him that Damian was just a friend, and he trusted Lennie, but still � As they were leaving, Tony pulled him aside. "Listen, Jack, I know it's none of my business, but you really don't have to worry about Damian. He's always like that. Touchy-feely. Doesn't mean anything." Jack sighed. "Was it that obvious?" Tony laughed. "I'm a bartender. I see it all." It was late Friday afternoon when they finished with the rest of them. Now the only remaining witness was the prosecution's star witness, Jack McCoy. Lennie groaned inwardly when he realized Jack wasn't going to testify today; they'd be left hanging over the weekend. And sure enough, after the intern was excused, Judge Feldman declared a recess until Monday morning. Lennie could tell Jack was keyed up from the anticipation of his testimony. They left the courthouse together in Lennie's car. An overnight bag with clothes for the weekend was in the trunk. "You ok?" Lennie asked as he drove toward Jack's apartment. It was still too early for dinner, but he was having an idea. "Yeah. I just want this to be over �" Lennie reached out and squeezed Jack's leg. "I know. And now you have to wait for Monday." Jack groaned. "Don't remind me." Lennie laughed. "I have an idea to take your mind off it for a while." Jack turned to him with an eyebrow raised. He half hoped Lennie was propositioning him. "When was the last time you went to Coney Island?" Jack's jaw dropped. That was about the last thing he would have expected. "Before the divorce � must have been 20 years ago." Lennie laughed again. "Well, then, you're overdue." He pulled into a visitor parking space in the garage of Jack's building. "Come on, let's get changed and go have some fun!" Jack couldn't believe Lennie was serious. But once they got there, the ambiance of the amusement park started to relax him. It was late summer; everyone was out for one last fun weekend before going back to school. Kids and teenagers swarmed around the rides or rollerbladed down the boardwalk. The walked along the boardwalk, enjoying the evening breeze coming in from the water. Lennie stopped at a hot dog stand and scored them a couple of corn dogs, practically burying his in mustard. Jack had to laugh as he tried to eat it without getting the mustard all over his face. They came to the huge Wonder Wheel, which rose 150 feet above the ground. Lennie got a huge grin on his face. �Come on, Jack,� he said, nodding toward the ride. �You�ve got to be kidding?� �It�s just a Ferris Wheel, Jack. Not like I asked you to go on the Cyclone!� Jack laughed. �Heaven forbid!� Lennie just grinned. This would take some warming up before he got Jack onto the park�s famous roller coaster. �Come on. It�s a great view from up there!� So they found themselves strapped into a seat and rising gently from the ground. Jack had to admit Lennie was right � the view was spectacular. And the gentle rise and fall of the wheel�s motion was oddly relaxing. And then there was Lennie�s hand, resting gently over his, safely out of sight. It felt good. The ride came to an end, and they meandered down the boardwalk, enjoying the sights and sounds. And smells. There was just something about carnival food. Especially when you were a human garbage disposal like Lennie. Jack was beginning to wonder if there was a kind of junk food Lennie wasn�t going to eat before the evening was through. Although he happily indulged in a soft-serve ice cream cone buried in multicolored sprinkles. As they walked down the boardwalk, Jack noticed that they weren�t the only gay couple there. In fact, nobody seemed to notice the two guys holding hands just ahead of them. // are we a couple now? // Jack�s subconscious snuck the question in while he wasn�t looking. He wasn�t sure what he wanted the answer to be. They found the bumper cars and once again Lennie dragged Jack in. For adults, it was one person to a car. Once the music started and Lennie started targeting him, Jack quickly got into the spirit of things. By the time the ride was over, they were both laughing. �Got you! 17 hits to your 15!� Jack seemed to enjoy the competition. Lennie laughed. �Who was counting?� �I was!� They laughed together and moved on. Somehow from that point, Jack didn�t need so much convincing; he seemed to really get into the spirit of the evening. In fact, it was his idea to tackle the Coney Island Cyclone, one of the most famous roller coasters in the world. When they got off, they were both breathless with an almost child-like glee. �Damn, Lennie! I haven�t had this much fun in years!� The sun was going down and the carnival lights were coming on, turning the entire place into an enchanted fairyland. Giggling like a couple of kids, they wandered into the penny arcade. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of target-style games. Lennie grinned. �Always knew there had to be a good reason for qualifying on the pistol range!� His police-honed skills got a boost from the fact that he was showing off for Jack�s sake. And the second best prize was a teddy bear in a cop�s uniform. Lennie intentionally missed the last shot just to get it. �Oh, too bad, sir!� The attendant handed him the bear. With a grin he handed it to Jack, who looked embarrassed but secretly pleased. �Oh, now here�s MY game!� Jack handed him the bear as he approached a darts game where you had to pop the balloons with the darts and you�d win the prize that was written on a piece of paper in the balloon. Lennie watched with a smirk as he realized it was now Jack�s turn to show off. It took a couple of throws to get the feel for the darts, which of course were off balance, but shortly a balloon popped and the attendant retrieved another stuffed bear. They had to laugh when they saw it, dressed in biker leathers. They traded again, Lennie carrying the biker bear and Jack carrying the cop. As they walked down the boardwalk, laughing and talking, Lennie suddenly felt Jack�s hand take his. Without missing a beat, he squeezed it gently. They spent the rest of the evening just wandering the boardwalk holding hands. Neither one of them wanted to break the spell of this magical evening. But finally the PA system announced closing time, and they reluctantly made their way to the exit � along with all the other late night revelers. �Can you say traffic jam?� Lennie groaned at the thought of getting out of the parking lot. Jack was in too good a mood to let it get to him. �Who cares? It�s worth it.� Lennie smiled. �You had a good time?� �You have to ask?� Lennie looked at him, his face alive, his eyes sparkling in the parking lot lights. He was glad he�d been able to bring this joy to his friend. He smiled softly. �No.� It was well after midnight when they got back to Jack's apartment. Jack locked the door behind them and turned to Lennie. "Thanks. I needed that." Lennie chuckled. "It was fun, wasn't it?" Jack nodded. "I think I forgot I could have fun �" Lennie just smiled as they fell into a tender embrace. Jack sighed. "I also forgot how tiring fun can be." Lennie laughed outright. "Come on, then, let's get some sleep." They stumbled back to the bedroom and undressed, but not before parking the two stuffed bears on Jack�s dresser. By some unspoken agreement they had been sleeping in their underwear when they were together. Jack had at least gotten comfortable with stripping that far in front of Lennie. They crawled under the covers and Jack shut out the lights, then spooned in behind Lennie. Lennie sighed as he felt Jack's arm wrap around him. But tonight it wasn't just an affectionate hug. Long fingers slid through the thick curls on his chest. The hand moved restlessly around before finally coming to rest near his left nipple, fingers teasing lightly at it. He rolled over on to his back. "Jack? I thought you were tired �?" Jack all but purred as he settled his head on Lennie's shoulder. "Not THAT tired �" His fingers got more aggressive. "Jack?" Before he could get the rest of the question out, Jack's lips covered his own, tongue thrusting hungrily into his mouth. Lennie was surprised, but he wasn't about to disappoint Jack the first time he'd shown real interest since the rape. He wrapped his arms around the body hovering over him, pulling him close. They ended up laying side by side, kissing passionately as arms and legs entwined. Lennie tried to hold back, but he couldn't stop his body from responding. Jack took the lead, rolling Lennie back onto his back. His kisses trailed down the long neck, across the collarbone, down to one already stiff nipple. He worked at it with his mouth while his hand tormented its twin. Lennie was groaning with the pleasure by the time he finally moved on. The hot tongue delved into his navel as one trembling hand caressed him through his shorts. "Jack, you don't have to do this �" The mostly-silver head looked up at him. "Yes I do. You've done so much for me, Lennie. Let me do this �" He reached out to caress the beloved face, letting his fingers slip through the thick hair. "All right." Jack smiled at him and turned his attention to Lennie's shorts, pulling them away over the stiff cock tenting the soft cotton. Lennie lifted his hips to help. For a moment Jack just sat there staring at Lennie's cock. Finally he reached out and tentatively touched it, running his fingers over the soft skin. He smiled as Lennie groaned appreciatively. // it's like riding a bike � you never forget! // His touch quickly became more confident as his muscles remembered what to do. He slowly spread the drop of pre-cum around the head with his fingertip, then trailed the finger down the length of it. Finally he grasped it in his hand, fingers wrapping around it, enjoying the solid feel of it in his hand. He began striking gently, and squeezing lightly, wringing more groans from Lennie. He looked up at Lennie's face, suddenly captivated by the blissful expression he saw there. He'd never really paid attention to his partners before. It suddenly occurred to him that this was the difference between making love to somebody and just fucking them. Right now, Lennie's pleasure was far more important to him than his own. He watched, entranced, as he took Lennie to that special place where his world exploded in pleasure. It was a beautiful sight. When it was over, Lennie lay there catching his breath. He pulled Jack down to him, holding him close. "Thank you," he whispered breathlessly. "You're welcome." Jack snuggled his head into Lennie's shoulder as Lennie's hands floated gently over his back. After a while, Lennie realized that Jack had fallen asleep in his arms. He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They spent the weekend doing anything to avoid thinking about the case. Saturday was a dreary, rainy day, so they stayed in and watched movies on the cable channels. That night was a repeat of the one before. Jack made the first move, then fell asleep as Lennie was recovering. Sunday was clearer, so after brunch, they took a walk to one of the places that sold last-minute unclaimed Broadway tickets for half price and picked up tickets to a matinee performance. After the show they grabbed a late dinner, then headed back to Jack's. Lennie sighed, regretting the end of a wonderful weekend. "I guess I'd better get going, Jack." The attorney looked at him, fear suddenly reappearing in his dark eyes. "Oh. With my testimony tomorrow, I was kind of hoping you'd stay?" Lennie reached out to caress his face, wishing he could take the fear away. "We agreed about weekends. And besides, we really shouldn't be seen arriving at the courthouse together tomorrow." Jack sighed, knowing Lennie was right. But he was growing accustomed to the comfort of a warm body next to him at night. Reluctantly, he agreed. "You're right." Lennie looked at him with concern. "Jack, you'll be fine. You know how to play this game, you're not some helpless victim who can be intimidated by the defense. They're trying to beat you at your own game. They won't succeed." Jack turned away, deeply touched by Lennie's belief in him. "I hope so �" Lennie turned him back around. "I know so." He pulled Jack close and held him tight. It was Jack who pulled back and initiated the kiss. Finally, Lennie pulled away. He grabbed the overnight bag he'd packed this morning after getting dressed. "See you in court, counselor!" He grinned at Jack as he closed the door behind him. Jack sighed as he looked around his empty apartment. He had a feeling he wasn't going to sleep well tonight. He locked the door, then turned to the bookshelf where he kept the scotch and poured himself a stiff drink. It wouldn't do to get drunk, but one drink to help him sleep should be fine. He sat in his recliner, sipping the scotch and trying not to think about tomorrow. Instead his thoughts went back to the past two nights with Lennie. It had been such a revelation to focus on his partner's pleasure. Now if only he could get past the fear of letting Lennie return the favor. He had definitely gotten aroused this weekend, but the thought of anyone touching him THERE was still tangled up with the rape in his mind. // get over it, already! // he angrily ordered himself. Lennie had been so patient with him, so undemanding. So � loving. He finished the scotch and got up with a sigh. He wasn't ready to go there yet either. He shut out the lights and went back to the bedroom. They hadn't made the bed that morning, and the sheets were stained with the evidence of Lennie's pleasure the past two nights. He quickly stripped them off and replaced them with clean ones, but he didn�t change the pillowcases. Instead, he undressed and crawled into the bed, wrapping his arms around the pillow he now thought of as 'Lennie's.' He could smell the detective's after-shave and shampoo on the pillow, and he wouldn't have traded that comfort tonight for anything except the real thing. Suddenly he remembered something, and reached out to turn the light back on. He smiled as he saw the teddy bear cop from Coney Island sitting on his dresser. The biker bear was gone; for some silly reason, it made him feel good to know Lennie had bothered to take it with him. He got up and got the little cop, then crawled back into bed. He sighed and eventually fell into a fitful sleep. Continue on to Chapter 30 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 29 |