Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged

Chapter 1: Starts with a Drink

A/N: Here is my very first Chicago Justice fan fiction based on last week's episode involving Anna Valdez and Judge Ray Kinsey. This was one of my favorite episodes and I began to be intrigued by the relationship they had and how it evolved which is what this fic is about. I hope that all of you enjoy this story and where it leads.

Disclaimer: Chicago Justice and all related characters are property of Dick Wolf and NBC. I only own the plot and nothing more than that.

Summary: Anna Valdez didn't intend to fall in love with Ray Kinsey when she met him for a drink. But as they get to know each other, things escalate and Anna must deal with her feelings for Ray as well as the knowledge of what will happen if others find out about it.

Anna Valdez sighed as she closed up her folder and left the office. Sometimes being the Assistant State's Attorney was very stressful, but she was glad to have someone like Peter Stone on her side. The two of them had a great chemistry and she was thankful that he was there for her.

She was walking toward her car when a voice stopped her.

"Rough day, Miss Valdez?"

Anna turned to see Judge Ray Kinsey looking at her with a sympathetic smile on his face.

"Yeah, it was pretty rough," she answered. "What about you, Ray?"

"My day was kind of rough too," he admitted. "But I know just the solution for that."

"And what would that be?"

He smiled. "How would you like to join me for a drink?"

Anna hesitated, unsure of what to do. She knew Ray was sincere in his offer to her, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if it would be wise to take him up on the offer. Another voice in her head told her this was simply an offer for a drink and nothing more. Feeling bold, she decided that there was no harm in having one drink with the judge.

"Yes, I'd like that very much," she answered.

"Good," Ray said. "Meet me at Sheridan's Bar."

Anna was a bit surprised as she had never been to Sheridan's before though she had heard of it. "Why don't we go to Molly's?" she suggested.

He shook his head. "Sheridan's is more private. Plus too many of our colleagues go there and I don't think they would approve of you and I having a drink."

Anna could see his point, but at the same time, she couldn't see the harm in it if they went to Molly's considering so many others went there. She was still curious about the new bar and decided that maybe Ray knew best in this situation.

"Okay, let's go," she said.

She got in her car and followed Ray to Sheridan's. As she parked away from his car so as not to cause undue suspicion in case anyone saw her, she got out of the car and followed Ray up the steps. He held the door open for her in a gentlemanly gesture, and she thanked him as she entered the bar. Sheridan's was definitely different than Molly's. While Molly's was big and more open, Sheridan's offered a cozier and private atmosphere and she could see why Ray had chosen it. They selected a table and he pulled out a chair for her which she thanked him for. He ordered a rum and Coke along with some wings while she chose a martini and a sandwich.

"Do you come here often?" she asked him as she sipped her martini.

"Yeah, I prefer this place to Molly's as you can see," he said. "More privacy here and not everyone bothering you all of the time."

She nodded. Sometimes Molly's could be boisterous and loud with everyone watching the latest sports game on TV. It made sense that he would want to get some privacy from the crowd at times.

"I can see that," she conceded.

"Sometimes I just want to be alone with all of this," he said. "I enjoy being a judge, but there are times where it just gets too much for me to handle. I hate seeing young kids coming in day after day for offenses they shouldn't even commit. I'm sick of hearing all of the news about shootings because I know that I may have to try one of those cases and it just makes me sick sometimes to think about it. I really wish things would change around here with all of that."

"I hear you there. It definitely makes me wonder what goes on in these parents' heads that they can't sew what their kids are doing."

"I think it's more to the point that parents want to be their kids' best friends instead of their mentor or guide," he said. "It's a damn shame, but there really isn't much you can do about it. I think it would be better to throw the parents in jail also for being neglectful to their children."

"Yeah, but what good would that do if they can just get out?" she asked him. "I also think the problem is that so many kids don't have a father figure growing up, especially young boys. We see so many cases of kids not having father figures and that's why they do what they do. It really is a shame."

Ray sighed. "Sometimes, being a father figure isn't all it's cracked up to be," he said.

Anna looked confused. "What do you mean?" she asked him.

"I have a daughter of my own, but she's not easy to handle," he said. "She has a lot of problems and it's hard for me to really control her."

"What about your wife?" Anna asked him. "What does she think about all of this?"

"My wife does all she can, but Kaitlyn is a handful and I'm so busy that I don't have the time to be there for her as I should. I took her in when no one else would and gave her a home."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Anna said sympathetically. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Just being my friend is enough," Ray said. "Do you have any kids of your own?"

Anna shook her head. "No, but I have often been told I would make a good mother."

Ray smiled at her. "I think you would be an excellent mother," he conceded. "You have a way about you that not many have."

"Thank you," she said, cheered by his words.

"You're welcome," he said. "So, what's it like working with Peter Stone?"

"Pretty interesting," she replied. "He really does work well with me, and he's good at what he does."

"Do you have more than professional feelings for him?" Ray asked her.

She shook her head. "No, I don't see him in that way," she answered. "He's just a good friend."

"I see," he said.

"What is it like being a judge?" she asked him.

"Good and bad come with it," he answered. "No case is ever the same."

"I remember there was a case that got a lot of attention," Anna recalled.

He nodded. "Yes, it was a rape case. I admit my decision wasn't the best one, but I had to do it based on the jury and the testimony that was given. It's things like that that really make my job difficult to do."

"I can't imagine having to go through that," she said sympathetically. "I know that would be hard for me to deal with."

"It was, but I got through it," he said. "People still hate me for it though."

"Well, you were only doing your job," she said.

"True, but not everyone sees it that way," said Ray.

"I guess not." Anna looked at her watch and realized it was getting late. "I better get home. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"Fair enough," he said. "It was a pleasure doing this with you, Anna. Perhaps we can do it again sometime."

Anna was startled that he wanted to take her out again, but she did enjoy his company and she didn't see why it would be a bad thing. "I'd like that," she said. "Maybe we could meet here again."

"Precisely what I was thinking," he said with a smile. "Would you like me to walk you to your car?"

"No, I'll be fine," she answered. "I'll see you later, Ray."

"See you later, Anna."

22222

Anna entered the office and smiled as she thought of her time with Ray. She had never had such a good time with someone and at the same time, she felt bad for him. He really didn't have any other colleagues to talk about stuff with or to vent about his frustrations. She felt happy that she was able to do that and to give him the time he needed to talk about real things with her.

"How was your night?" a voice asked her.

She jumped as she looked at Peter Stone who was sitting at his desk.

"It was great," she answered.

"I missed you at Molly's," he said. "I thought we were going to get a drink there together after work."

"Sorry, but I was stressed so I decided to go home," she said hurriedly.

"What did you do?" he asked her.

She flinched a little and hoped he didn't see it. Was that suspicion she detected in his voice? "I watched some TV and had dinner," she answered.

"Oh. Well, maybe we can celebrate after work tonight," he suggested.

"I'd like that," she said.

She headed to her desk and really hoped that she wasn't going to crack under the pressure. She could only imagine what would happen if Peter found out she had had drinks with Ray and what that would do to their relationship on a professional basis. Was seeing Ray again really the right thing to do? She didn't want to jeopardize her relationship with Peter and have him think the worst of her for seeing a judge. But then again, it had been fun and it wasn't like they were seeing each other. They were just having drinks.

No, the best thing to do was to keep it under wraps for now. It wasn't Peter's business what she did with her life. Seeing Ray was a good thing, and she was going to be there for him as long as he needed her.

Little did she know that eventually the truth would come out and it would cause a rift and a conflict such as she had never seen before.

A/N: And the first chapter is done. I really hope you liked it and I really like trying to flesh out this relationship. I don't know how long this story will be, but I hope to get quite a few chapters out of it before it's all said and done. Just be warned that I do have other stories to work on so if I don't update this one for a while, that's why. And also, real life gets hectic for me as I'm taking care of my father full time. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.