(Disclaimer: These characters are part of the Law and Order universe.)

(Hello, it's great to be back! I've worked really hard on this story and I am so excited to post it at last! Even if you are not a hopeless romantic, I hope the trial case itself will be enough to entice you to continue reading!)

LOVE AND ORDER

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Chapter 1

New York City, 10 pm

It was dark when Bureau Chief Michael Cutter stepped out of the DA's office. Even with a thick jacket on, the cold New York City winter sank deep into his bones, and the wind blew easily through several layers of clothing. It was almost intolerable.

It was too late to stay in the office, but too early to go back to the quietness of his apartment. So he did what he did many nights at this hour—head for the neighborhood bar.

The Whiskey Tavern was a neighborhood bar within walking distance of the office. Late evening was a perfect time to come, for only a few patrons were present. He liked the solitude, plus the drinks were served stiff and strong.

Michael took his regular seat at the bar as the bartender came over immediately.

"The usual?"

The bartender did not even wait for a reply as he automatically produced and poured a glass of whiskey for him and left Mike the bottle before he sauntered away.

Mike quickly downed the drink. The first swallow was always the best. The liquid burned all the way down his throat and he was glad for that. He poured himself another. It felt good to numb his mind.

Anything to stop thinking about Connie again.

It had been a year since she had left New York, yet he could not seem to get her out of his mind. Strangely, it was the little things about her that he missed the most. The way she folded her arms and leaned back when she was listening attentively, the closeness of their bodies as they walked in tandem to the courthouse, or how casually she would sit on his desk, tossing his baseball as she waited for a court decision.

She was always there and he had taken that fact for granted until the day she had up and left. Gone from New York City, gone from the DA's office, and gone from his life. He took a deep breath in.

No matter how hard he tried, there was just no getting over her.

He touched his hand to his glass, intending to take another drink when from his peripheral vision, he saw movement beside him. He turned slightly to glance at the new occupant sitting one seat away from him. She appeared to be a random pretty blonde who smiled pleasantly up at him. He nodded before concentrating again on his drink.

As he lifted his glass to take another drink, she directed her words at him.

"You come here often; I've seen you here before." Her voice was low and sensual.

But Mike did not notice how her voice sounded as he took a gulp; he really wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He did not care to encourage the flow of conversation.

"It's a place to keep away the cold," he commented as he stared forward at his drink.

"…or a place to forget about your problems, per chance?" she bluntly asked.

That got Mike's attention as he turned to give her a better look.

She really was quite attractive as she looked at him with those violet eyes. Ah, but what he wouldn't give to be looking into warm, coffee-colored ones instead. Still showing no interest, he turned and faced his drink again.

"Perhaps."

"Let me guess...nursing your drink over girlfriend problems?"

Mike smiled awkwardly, his dimples still able to show through. She was trying her darnest. And she had managed to pique his interest with her last question.

"And how do you know my problem is not money or work related?" he asked her, still staring straight ahead.

"Oh, that's very easy," she was ready with an answer, "…due to the appearance of your clothes. They're expertly tailored and despite a day's work, they're still crisp, neat, and clean. You definitely make a good living and you care about your job. No...it has to be girlfriend problems."

Humph! Mike thought, as her words reverberated in his mind, a good living being a civil servant? That's a laugh! Mike lifted his glass by its rim and swirled the liquid around a bit.

"Girlfriend problems, eh? If it were only that…" he wistfully stated.

The blonde woman slightly furrowed her forehead, not understanding his last remark. But at least she had engage him in conversation.

She stuck out her hand, "My name's Stacey, by the way."

Mike turned and looked hesitantly at her welcoming hand before reaching out and shaking it. As they clasp hands and loosely shook, he felt nothing at the physical contact.

"Mike," he responded with a nod.

She tilted her head and gave him her most enticing smile, "Well, Mike, nice to meet you and I think we are off to a good start…"

For the next ten minutes they conversed. Or, rather, Stacey corrected herself, she conducted an interview. For it seemed that every topic she hit upon only received a mild response from him. To her, he was merely feigning interest. Although the conversation was nice enough, she felt this Mike guy seemed…detached. If anything, he seemed more involved with his drink.

Perhaps she needed to send out stronger signals.

She leaned in closer towards Mike, placing her hand encouragingly on his upper thigh. So as not to be overheard, she spoke in a very soft tone, "You know, Mike… we could always finish this conversation at a more intimate place, if you'd like…"

Mike turned fully to look directly in her eyes for the first time.

"You are not one to mince words, are you?"

She stared straight back, without blinking.

"I like the direct approach, Mike. Cuts down on wasted time, misunderstandings. Yes, we could circle around each other, flirting, teasing, laughing and then end up at my place, or we could go there first and let whatever happens, happens. I personally prefer the latter."

She waited, watching, not sure if Mike would respond.

"Mike?" she prodded, "No promises, no attachments, cross my heart."

Mike was once more looking at his drink as he mumbled, "Early morning strangers."

Stacy scowled, not sure she heard right, "What?"

Mike at last, turned to look at her.

"Since we are being so open with one another, I'm referring to if we were to leave together. We'd only be late night acquaintances who will wake up as early morning strangers."

Now Stacy looked slightly perturbed, "I never said anything about staying overnight."

"Isn't the implication there pretty obvious?" Mike's tone was emotionless, as if he never planned to go through with that plan anyway. He turned back to his drink.

Trying to conceal her disappointment, she drew the correct conclusion that this would not be her night.

She felt an attraction for Mike, but they were definitely not on the same wavelength. Getting up from the bar stool, she pulled out her business card from her purse. Stacey then leaned in and spoke almost in a whisper-like tone, as she left the card on the counter in front of him.

"Look, my earlier suggestion was just a way for two attractive people to deal with the case of the lonelys. It doesn't have to mean anything. So, if you ever need an 'early morning stranger' in the future, Mike, give me a call."

She tried to give her most inviting smile, but Mike wasn't even looking at her as she departed.

With her gone, Mike picked up her business card and stared at it.

He knew this was one number he would never call. His mind then drifted back to Connie. So many times in the past year, he thought of calling her. But they had been merely working colleagues. Both of them had made that issue very clear.

Also, a year had past. She had moved on and he had…moved in circles.

"…she's some piece of work…" the bartender interrupted Mike's thoughts. The bartender had started wiping the counter area near him. It took Mike seconds to realize that the bartender had witnessed Stacey and him interacting.

Mike took out a twenty and left it on the counter, alongside the business card.

"Yeah," responded Mike absent-mindedly, "she was pretty aggressive."

The bartender stopped wiping, "You think I was referring to Blondie? No, I'm talking about the woman who broke your heart."

Mike's head popped up with a stunned expression on his face, "What?"

The bartender knowingly guffawed.

"Listen, son, I've been doing this a long time and I've seen it all, " he said, "and you are definitely someone who has lost the love of his life."

Mike had no response as he turned to leave. He had talked to two people tonight and yet he could not have felt more alone. And what made Mike feel worse was that he could not deny the bartender's parting words.

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Los Angeles 7 pm

At that same time, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office was quiet. Only one hard working prosecutor had elected to stay late at her desk.

A solitaire desk light shined on her desk, its beam focused on the file opened at her desk. District Deputy Attorney Connie Rubirosa looked at the clock, as she took a break from the many hours of reading her files. She needed to rest her eyes. It had been another long workday. She leaned back in her chair, rubbed her eyes and stretched. There were two cases pending and she still had some research to complete.

In the daytime she welcomed the bustle of the office workers and the humming of the machines. There was so much to do and she rarely had time to think of anything personal.

But now…in the quietude of the confined office, her mind was allowed to wander in wild tangents.

Or perhaps just one tangent.

She looked at the empty take- out dinner boxes sitting at her desk. It reminded her of the countless times she and Mike had ordered take out as they worked a case. She cherished those times now. She took a deep breath at the lost memory. Quickly she reached over to retrieve the boxes and tossed them in the trash.

If only she could toss aside her thoughts of Mike as easily.

For despite all manner of trying to act professional during her employment in New York City, she had found herself attracted to her boss. What's worse, it was more than a mere attraction, there were deep feelings buried underneath her heart.

She knew exactly how this night would end. Later she would lay awake in her bed hoping in vain for sleep to overtake her. She wanted her dreams to take her away from the emptiness of her life. But once again, as with most nights, she'd end up staring into the darkness, the silence interrupted only by the ticking of the clock.

And it would be at this time, totally alone in a cold forlorn bed, that she would miss him the most.

Back to the present, Connie now looked out the window at the twinkling lights of the city, wondering what Mike was doing right at this moment. Time had passed, they had moved on.

Yet, why couldn't she get him out of her mind?

She berated herself for thinking these thoughts of someone who was no longer in her life. Regretfully, she wondered once again how she could let personal feelings get in the way of her work. She shook her head at her own foolishness, for she already knew the answer to that.

Because her lonely heart had not learned its lesson.

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