| A Matter of Trust |
| About 6AM, Jack woke up with his head throbbing. He really had overdone it with the scotch last night. He hated to think how bad he�d feel if Adam hadn�t gotten some food into him. Groaning, he got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom, searching for some aspirin. When he came back, he paused a moment to look at Lennie lying there in his bed, his face completely relaxed in sleep. He thought back to that first night, when Lennie had bared his soul, sharing the secret he�d never shared with anyone. First he�d refused him outright, running away into the night. He still wasn�t sure what had made him go back. Even then, had some part of him wanted this? With a sigh, he crawled back into bed, snuggling up behind Lennie, wrapping one long arm over his lover. The next time he woke, he found Lennie smiling at him. �Morning,� he murmured sleepily. Lennie answered him with a kiss. With yesterday�s tension gone, his body was finally free to respond. They held each other, trading soft, lazy kisses, which gradually grew in intensity. Hands began gently caressing, exploring. It was slow, languorous, sensual. They rolled around the big bed, taking turns leading in this most intimate dance. His hand finally found Lennie�s cock, solid, hard, and comforting in his hand. Lennie moaned softly as he stroked it. He let go and rolled on top so that his own nestled right beside it. The contact felt so good. Neither of them was in any hurry. It seemed like the whole trial was a million miles away. The only thing in their world was each other. Now Lennie was �leading,� lying beside Jack and sucking on one nipple while stroking his cock. This time, he let his fingers go lower, sliding down to capture Jack�s balls, cupping them gently, rolling them in his fingers. Jack sighed happily, letting his fingers wind through Lennie's hair. Everything felt so absolutely perfect. He spread his legs, inviting Lennie to explore further, and was rewarded by a gentle caress of the soft skin behind. "Oh, yes �" he sighed, his eyes closed as he abandoned himself to the sensations. Lennie let go of his nipple and looked up at his lover's contented face. Dark lashes fluttered open, and eyes full of trust gazed at him. "Do it, Lennie. Make love to me." The words reached out and grabbed Lennie's heart. He hadn't expected this for quite a while yet. But as he looked into the dark wells of Jack's eyes, he knew he didn't need to question whether Jack was really ready yet. He smiled and bent down to take that willing mouth in a tender yet passionate kiss. Beneath him, Jack squirmed, lifting his hips so that Lennie's fingers slid over his opening. There could be no doubt what he was asking for. Breaking the kiss, Lennie gently urged Jack to roll onto his side. He ran his hand along the length of the long body, down his arm, over his hip, finally sliding behind to caress the soft globes. Knowing what his lover wanted, Jack drew up his leg, giving him free access. Encouraged, Lennie let one finger slide between the cheeks, separating them. Still keeping his touch light, he let his fingertip brush lightly over the tight pucker. Jack tensed slightly and took a gasping breath. Lennie looked at him, concerned, but Jack's smile reassured him that the gasp was pleasure, not fear. �Don�t stop.� Lennie looked deep into his eyes and nodded. He returned his attention to what he was doing, letting one fingertip gently circle the area. Jack sighed as his body began to respond. �That�s good �� Lennie bent down and placed a tender kiss on his hip. His free hand began gently stroking Jack�s cock while his other one teased at his opening. �Oh, yeah �,� came the soft moan. He realized he couldn�t go any further without lube, so he let go and sat up. �Lennie?� Jack�s voice sounded disappointed. �Just getting supplies.� He got up and rummaged in the nightstand, found the lube and condoms. He grabbed what he needed and settled back down next to Jack. He surprised Jack by first ripping open a condom and slipping it over Jack�s cock. Coating one finger with a generous amount of lube, he began circling his anus again. As he zeroed in on his target, he again looked into Jack�s eyes. �You ready?� Jack smiled. His trust in Lennie was absolute. �Yeah.� Lennie bent down and took Jack�s cock into his mouth as his fingertip pushed in. Jack moaned with pleasure as Lennie sucked him while slowly working his long finger in. Once it was in, he began slowly thrusting in and out, probing, seeking out that sweet spot. He knew he�d found it when Jack let out a soft cry. He let go of Jack�s cock and spoke quietly. �That�s it, isn�t it? Feels good.� �Yesssss.� Jack�s answer became a sigh as Lennie rubbed it again. Lennie began covering Jack�s hip and stomach with light kisses as he continued his gentle probing. Jack smiled and reached his hand out, letting his fingers tangle again in Lennie�s hair. Lennie turned and kissed his palm, then looked at him. �You ready for more?� At Jack�s nod, Lennie applied some more lube to a second finger. Again, he took Jack�s cock into his mouth as he worked the second finger in. Jack moaned happily as Lennie slowly stretched him out, still sucking softly on his cock. Finally, Lennie decided he was ready. He slipped his fingers out and sat up, reaching for a Kleenex. Jack watched him, knowing what was next. Lennie grabbed another condom and slipped it over his own aching rod, then covered it with more lube. Jack rolled onto his back, letting Lennie tuck a pillow under his hips, and watched as his lover moved into position. He smiled, vaguely aware that he should be afraid. But he couldn't be. This was Lennie. Lennie loved him. Life was good �. He felt the head of Lennie�s cock pressing against him, then there was a brief moment of pain, almost like the tiny prick of getting a shot. // Nothing tiny about Lennie�s prick! // The non-sequitur running through his mind almost made him giggle out loud. But those thoughts were quickly banished as Lennie filled him, merged with him, became one with him. His lover�s long body stretched out over him, holding him close. Lips met in kisses sweet as candy. They moved together, united in their search for the ultimate pleasure. They both seemed to know exactly what to do, when to slow down to prolong this ecstasy. But at last they simply couldn�t hold out any longer, and the pleasure crashed over them, wave after wave, leaving them limp and exhausted. Lennie lay on top of Jack, too tired to move, and unwilling to separate them just yet. Jack�s arms wrapped around him, stroking his back. He was overwhelmed by a feeling of contentment, unlike anything he�d ever felt before. Jack held on to his lover, immeasurably happy. Unbidden, his mind flashed back to his life before. He never would have had a morning like this with the guys like blondie // Steven // he reminded himself. Never had anything like this if Lennie hadn't discovered his secret. He wondered how he had lived without it. He realized they had crossed an important line here today. He had been so sure he'd never be able to let someone fuck him again. // I still couldn't ! // he realized. Lennie never fucked him; Lennie made sweet love to him. And it made all the difference in the world. Not once this morning had he felt any fear, any doubt. There was no way he could possibly confuse this gentle loving with what Blaise had done. After a little while, Jack broke the companionable silence. �Uh, Lennie? You gonna move sometime today?� Lennie chuckled. �Nah, this is just fine.� �For you, maybe. You�re on top. I�d like to breathe �� �Oh, all right.� With a sigh, Lennie slipped away from him and flopped down onto the bed beside him. Jack took an exaggeratedly deep breath. �Oh, that�s better.� Lennie cuffed him playfully. �I�m not that heavy.� �Oh yeah? Next time I�m on top, see how you like it.� Lennie grinned. �Is that a promise?� Jack laughed, shaking his head. He looked over at Lennie and the impact of what they had done overwhelmed him again. He leaned in for a kiss. �Thank you,� he said softly. Lennie�s hand came up to caress his face. The look in Jack�s eyes had changed from mirth to contemplation. �You ok, Jack?� �Yeah. I think maybe for the first time in a very long time, I�m ok. And not just since the � rape. Thanks to you. I � I couldn�t trust anybody else to do that, Lennie.� Lennie pulled him close. �But you do trust me.� It was a statement, not a question. They both knew it. Jack just nodded and settled his head on Lennie�s shoulder. // Home. // They lay together for a little while, happy and content. For once it was Jack�s stomach which rumbled, reminding them they really should get moving. He smiled and looked at Lennie. �I know what will get you up. Let�s get some breakfast.� Lennie considered for a moment. �OK, breakfast wins.� He took a shower while Jack threw together some garbage omelets. He came out wearing Jack�s old robe. His host had just thrown on a pair of sweatpants. Lennie came up behind him and wrapped his arms around the bare chest, kissing his neck. Jack laughed and pulled away. �Lennie! Stop that, unless you want your eggs cooked to rubber!� �Spoilsport.� Jack shut him up with a cup of coffee. �Now go sit down, this�ll be done in a few seconds.� They sat at the kitchen table, eating and not saying much. Both realized something special had happened this morning, and neither was quite sure what to say. When Lennie finished, he sat back and looked at Jack. �Guess I�d better get going. Got to go home and change before we go to the courthouse.� Jack really didn�t want him to leave. �You know, we�re pretty close to the same size. You could borrow something of mine.� Lennie raised an eyebrow as he refilled his coffee. �Maybe �� Comparing notes, they determined that they were in fact the same size. They went back to the bedroom, and Jack pulled out a light gray suit, as well as underwear and a shirt. Lennie dressed while Jack took a shower. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His own wardrobe tended to blues and browns, so the gray was a bit of a departure. And he didn�t want to think what the price tag on this had been; it was certainly quite a bit more upscale than anything he owned. He had to admit it looked pretty good. Jack came out of the shower now wearing the robe, and grinned at Lennie. �Looks like it was made for you.� For some reason, Lennie felt himself blushing. �It�ll do.� Just then the phone rang. They looked at each other, and Jack reached for the phone. �Hello?� �Jack, it�s Jamie.� �They�re back?� �No, but something interesting has come up. Can you meet me at the office?� �Sure. I just got out of the shower. We�ll be there in 45 minutes?� Jamie smiled, catching the �we.� �Great.� Lennie was watching him intently. �It�s time?� Jack shook his head. �Not yet, but Jamie says something else has come up. We�re meeting her at the office.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They ended up in Adam Schiff�s office, where Jamie and Liz Donnelly were already waiting. Jack�s curiosity was piqued. �OK, what�s up?� �I got a call this morning from the Edison County NJ District Attorney. It seems they want a crack at Mr. Blaise when we�re done with him.� �For what?� Jack was clearly stunned by this news. Jamie took up the story. �His foster father, Sam Myers, saw the news of the case and has pressed charges against him as well. It seems Blaise was always a tough kid, and Myers was constantly having to discipline him.� �Hence his penchant for putting �daddy� in his place,� Lennie offered. Jamie nodded. �When he turned 18, he left. Myers thought he�d never see him again, and good riddance. Then six months ago, he came back. Wanted his revenge. He had just been diagnosed with HIV. Myers had tried to instill a fear of God into the boy, and I guess he decided that the disease was Myers� way of having God punish him. He assaulted and raped his foster father, wanting him to share in the punishment. Then he disappeared again.� Jack sighed. �God only knows how many others he raped between then and the ones we know about.� Lennie nodded and laid his hand on Jack�s back. �At least we know the whole story now. So are we sending him back to Jersey?� Adam nodded. �No matter what this jury says, they�ll have another crack at him for attacking Myers.� �What about our third victim?� Jamie asked. �I�m inclined to let Jersey have him first. They�ve got the stronger case. And a judge who has already agreed to let in information from this case.� Jack bit his lip. �Do you think they�ll need me to testify?� Adam came around the desk, laid his hand on Jack�s shoulder. �I doubt it, Jack. But it�s possible. You up for that?� Jack looked up at his mentor. �I hope it doesn�t come to that, but I can do it if they need me.� Adam smiled. �Good. Knew I could count on you. Now get out of here, I�ve got work to do.� As they filed out of Adam�s office, Jamie glanced at the clock. �It�s lunchtime. You guys want to get something?� �We, ah, kind of had a late breakfast.� Jack could feel himself getting warm. Even warmer when Jamie�s look told him she knew exactly WHY their breakfast had been so late. Lennie couldn�t help laughing. �We�re fine, counselor. You go ahead.� Jamie shook her head, chuckling as she headed off. Jack steered Lennie toward his own office to await the jury�s verdict. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The longer the jury took, the worse they knew their chances were. Jack sat at his desk, pretending to read a law journal, while Lennie stretched out on the couch, reading the paper. Some of the tension of waiting had returned, but it wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday. Lennie thought about their loving this morning. // No matter what the jury decides, it�s over now. We've put it all behind us. All of it. // And they had. But still � some closure would be nice. In the form of a guilty verdict. Around 3PM, Jamie stuck her head in. "They're back. Shall we head over to the courthouse?" They looked at each other. This was it. They got up and followed Jamie out of the building, down the block to the courthouse. The media circus was already in full swing. A hoard of reporters swarmed around them. They pushed through with a brusque 'No comment!" and entered the building. There was still a little while to wait; they had to allow time for Donaldson and Blaise to arrive from Rikers. They sat on a bench in the hallway, waiting. Jamie was watching the people coming in closely, looking for someone. She spotted him, and rose to greet him. "Daniel. You came." "I had to, Jamie. I don't think I could have dealt with the whole trial, but I needed to be here today." She nodded, and turned to the others. "Jack, Lennie, you remember Daniel Sandhu?" Jack hadn't seen the other victim since that day in ICU. He offered his hand. "Daniel." Sandhu took it. "Jack." They looked at each other, realizing that they were forever bound together by what Blaise had done to them. "Thank you for speaking out. And you, Det. Briscoe." Jack shrugged. "We'll see if it did any good." The courtroom doors were opened, and they all filed in. Daniel sat with Jack and Lennie, behind the prosecution desk. Blaise was led in by a bailiff, Donaldson beside him. The jury was brought back in and took their places. Finally, Feldman entered as the bailiff made his ritual announcement. For once, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. A bailiff approached the bench with the jury's written verdict. Feldman opened it, looking it over, then handed it back to the bailiff who returned it to the jury foreman, a 40-ish black man. The judge addressed the jury. "Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?" "Yes, your honor." Feldman nodded. "For the charge of Rape in the First Degree of Daniel Sandhu, how do you find?" "We find him Not Guilty." A sinking feeling clenched Lennie's gut. After all they'd gone through �. He felt Jack's hand tighten over his own. Sandhu sat there, alone. Jack reached out and covered his hand. Daniel looked up at him, surprised, but grateful for the gesture. The Judge spoke again. "For the charge of Aggravated Assault against Daniel Sandhu, how do you find?" "We find him Not Guilty." Another nail in the coffin of their hopes. Blaise was looking awfully smug. Once again, Jack battled the desire to wipe that look off his face, permanently. "For the charge of Rape in the First Degree against John James McCoy, how do you find?" "We find him Guilty." The sinking feeling suddenly lifted. Lennie�s smile nearly split his face in half. Jack glanced over at Blaise and was pleased to see the smug expression replaced by shock. "For the charge of Aggravated Assault against John James McCoy, how do you find?" "We find him Guilty, your Honor." �For the charge of Grand Theft Auto, how do you find?� �We find him Guilty.� "For the charge of Assaulting a Police Officer, how do you find?" "We find him Guilty." It was all Jack could do to maintain his courtroom decorum. Jamie and Liz turned around and grinned at them. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I thank you for your service. You are excused. Now, as to the matter of sentencing. David Blaise, I hereby sentence you to a term of at least 12 years, not to exceed 20 years, in a facility chosen by the Department of Corrections." With the bang of the gavel, it truly was all over. As the onlookers began to leave, Jack threw his arms around Lennie, for once not worrying about decorum. Some people stopped to stare at them, but they truly didn't care. Liz Donnelly watched them with a smile. As they celebrated, Jamie went to Sandhu. "I'm sorry, Daniel �" He shook his head. "It's not your fault, Jamie. If I could have remembered, actually had something to testify, it would have been different. I'm just glad he's going down for something." She smiled and nodded. "He's not done yet, either." She told him the morning's news about his foster father. Daniel nodded. "Then I'm satisfied." Lennie and Jack finally noticed that the rest of the room had cleared out. Jack turned to Donnelly. "Liz, I don't know how to thank you." She smiled. "Just doing my job, Jack." He nodded. "Still. Thanks." "You're welcome. I think it's time I headed back to my corner of Hogan Place." She looked at Lennie. "Detective, it's been a pleasure." Lennie grinned at her. "Can't say the same here, counselor, but I am damned glad you're on our side." She laughed and squeezed his hand before turning away and striding out of the courtroom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They swung over to Lennie�s apartment so he could change into something a bit more comfortable than the borrowed suit. He hung it up neatly and handed it to Jack, who just grinned. �Why not keep it here? Never know when I might need it!� Lennie smiled at the implication, and happily made room for it in his closet. When he turned around, Jack�s arms slipped around him. The kiss was long and slow, and might have lasted all evening if the phone hadn�t rung. �Don�t answer it,� Jack mumbled, not wanting this to end. Lennie complied, settling for listening to the message being left. �Lennie? It�s Damian. Ms. Ross just called me with the verdict. I�m so happy for you and Jack! We�re kind of having an impromptu party over here, and were hoping you both could come over? Give me a call when you get this.� Lennie pulled away and looked at Jack, one eyebrow raised. �What do you think? You up for a party?� Jack pulled him close, making sure Lennie could feel exactly what he was �up� for. �Yeah, a private one �� Lennie laughed. �Come on, just for a little while. We�ll have plenty of time later.� Jack sighed. �Oh, all right.� He could see this was important to Lennie. �Can we at least stop at my place so I can change?� �Sure.� Lennie called Damian back, saying that they were on their way. Then they repeated the process at Jack�s apartment, the suit Lennie had abandoned from yesterday also finding a new home. Finally, just before 6 o�clock, they made it to the Jade Palace. As they walked in, a cheer raised from the crowd. Damian rushed up to them, hugging them both within an inch of their lives. Tony the bartender followed, club soda in one hand and scotch in the other. He handed them their drinks then gave each of them a quick hug. �Got to get back to the bar, but wanted to say I�m so glad you got that bastard!� A table had apparently been held for them; they sat down and sipped their drinks. The TV over the bar was on, tuned to the local news. When they got to the story about the trial, the entire bar quieted as everybody listened, and when the sentence was announced they all cheered again. Damian sat with them, watching his patrons, not the TV. �You know, this has never been one of those friendly bars. People here never knew each other. But since this trial, they�ve had something to talk about. They�re becoming friends. I never thought it would happen here!� Jack looked over at the bar. Tony was talking to a young blond man; Jack realized it was Steven, his �blondie.� �Looks like Tony and Steven are getting pretty chummy �� Damian smiled. �Steven was very distressed about having to testify against you, Jack. I�m glad he found Tony to talk to.� Lennie grinned. �Looks like they�re heading for more than just talking.� �Then that�ll be two nights in a row.� Damian seemed pleased about that. The biggest surprise of the evening came about 8 PM. The doors opened and an older man entered the bar. He didn�t look like the typical customer, in fact he looked a bit uncomfortable. But he pushed his way through the crowd anyway, and found what he was looking for. Jack looked up, completely surprised. �Adam! What are you doing here?� �Looking for you, what else? Ms. Ross mentioned a party. You think I�d come here for anything else?� The DA�s usually gruff exterior cracked, letting a hint of humor leak through. Jack laughed. �Well, Adam, you never know �� Schiff shrugged, letting the laugh out. �Don�t get your hopes up.� That set Lennie off into a fit of giggles. The very vision of Jack and Adam was just too weird. Adam bit back a smile and glared at them instead. It was really the first time he�d seen them together, as a couple. On top of the table, their hands were linked, fingers intertwined. It was an odd picture, but one he found he could get used to. Almost involuntarily, his expression softened, and he let the smile through. He sat and chatted with them for a little while, about the case and some others in progress. Somewhere along the line, another glass of scotch had appeared. Adam finished it, then got up to leave. �You�ll be in tomorrow?� he asked gruffly. Jack nodded as he stood to say goodbye. �Back to business as usual, Adam.� The DA nodded. Before business as usual, there was something he needed to do. Much to Jack�s surprise, Adam came around the table and pulled him into a quick, rough hug. �I�m proud of you, son,� the gruff voice whispered into his ear. Before Jack could respond, Adam had let go, and there was no indication of emotion in his face. He simply nodded at them, turned around and left. Jack all but fell back into his chair, stunned. Lennie�s arm slipped around his shoulders. For the boy who had been beaten by his father, this open expression of affection from his father-figure meant the world. That it had happened here, in a gay bar, made it all the more poignant. �Lennie �� he sighed. Lennie hugged him. �I know, Jack. I know.� He simply held his partner until the unexpected and overwhelming emotions quieted. Then he lifted Jack�s hand, gently kissing the fingertips. They spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing. People kept buying them drinks, thanking them for their courage in speaking out. Jack switched from scotch to soda, not wanting to go in to the office tomorrow hung over. Not after what Adam had just done. Finally, they called it a night, thanking Damian for throwing them such a wonderful party. They ended up back at Jack�s apartment. Lennie sighed. �Guess it really is time for me to go home. Gotta get to work on time tomorrow.� Jack caressed his face. �Have I thanked you for sticking by me through all this?� �Don�t have to. I couldn�t have done anything else.� �It�s true, then. Even when I walked out, you never stopped caring?� Lennie shook his head. �Never for a single minute.� Jack pulled him close. It was Lennie who finally let go several minutes later. �Jack, I�ve got to go now if I�ve got any chance of getting out of here tonight.� Jack grinned. �You�ve got a suit here �� Lennie laughed and shook his head. �No. Really. I need a good night�s sleep.� Jack sighed and nodded. �Yeah, you�re probably right.� Lennie leaned in and kissed him. �Goodnight, Jack.� �Goodnight.� Continue on to Chapter 36 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 35 |