DISCLAIMER: Law & Order: Trial By Jury and all characters are
property of NBC and Dick Wolf.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
The Green-Eyed Monster
By Ann
Peering around the corner of the door, Kelly found Tracey to be exactly where she expected, sitting at her desk with her head in her hands. Tracey didn't take kindly to losing, and this particular case had been one of the worst losses she'd suffered in quite awhile and the trial wasn't even over yet.
The judge had ruled the evidence inadmissible, and murderers being set free because of a technicality never set well with the brunette ADA, especially one which involved a poor interpretation by the presiding judge.
Sighing, Kelly decided to face the music. Even though she wasn't alone in the oversight, she would be on the receiving end of the infamous wrath of Kibre the moment she stepped over the threshold. In fact, before she could even place her foot on the office floor, Tracey's head snapped up.
"How in the hell could you have missed the fact that the garage wasn't attached to the house? Christ, Kelly. A first year law student would have known to find out everything about the premises before issuing a search warrant," Tracey spat, her eyes burrowing into those of her colleague.
Swallowing her words, Kelly stepped into the room and took a seat in the chair in front of the ADA. She didn't bother saying a word because Tracey would've surely found something wrong with her explanation, and she certainly wasn't going to point out that they'd both seen photos of the house before the warrant was issued. They'd both missed the detached garage where the murder weapon was found.
Hurricane Tracey opened her mouth to spew more harsh words at her assistant, but a knock on the door had the two women turning to see who had the audacity to interrupt the ADA while she undressed her colleague with her words.
Tracey frowned, and Kelly smiled at the sight of the Detective Chris Ravell entering the lion's den. Kelly had been avoiding him as of late, but to keep from being on the receiving end of Tracey's tongue lashing, she'd go so far as to accept a date with the man; however, if she were the recipient of a different kind of tongue action from the brunette, the blonde wouldn't hesitate to send the detective packing. Kelly had always wished her superior would've worked out her anger sexually and, if that were the case, she'd be the first to volunteer whenever the stress needed relieving.
"Excuse me, ladies," Chris greeted and, immediately turning his attention to the blonde, he asked, "Kelly, I know this is short notice, but would you like to get some dinner?"
Turning back towards Tracey to get a glimpse of her reaction, Kelly was pleasantly surprised by the brunette's expression. She'd lost her scowl briefly to something resembling jealousy before she'd successfully placed her stoic face back on.
Tracey was the master of keeping her emotions intact, but there was definitely a slip in her demeanor. She'd even had a slight narrowing of the eyes as she shot bullets at the good detective, and Kelly was just happy they were blanks; she certainly didn't want to have to charge her superior with murder.
"Fine. You two go and have a good time while Harrison Stewart walks the streets as a free man. I hope you have a nice dinner," Tracey offered, pasting on a smile for Kelly's date.
"I can . . .," Kelly started, but Tracey jumped in and stopped her in her tracks.
"No. No, you go on ahead. I'm only going to be here another hour anyway. There's nothing else we can do tonight. We'll start back on the case in the morning to see if we can somehow salvage what we already have. We have three days to figure out how to get the evidence back in."
Rising, Kelly replied, "Okay, if you're sure. Call me if you need anything."
The ADA just nodded as she watched the detective escort her assistant out the door. At the threshold, Kelly turned and looked back at the brunette, but Tracey was already rifling through a folder.
The dinner was a disaster. Chris worked very hard to keep the conversation pleasant, but Kelly's mind kept going back to the case and, specifically, Tracey's reaction to the case. She just wished there was something she could do to make everything better for the brunette.
On the cab drive back to the courthouse, Chris reached over and took the blonde's hand, and she couldn't hide the flinch when his hand touched hers. There was only one person she wanted touching her, and sadly, it wasn't the detective. He smiled and slowly released her hand, and the rest of the drive was made in silence.
Kelly refused Chris' offer to escort her back to the office, and the two parted ways at the elevator. Thankfully, he got the message earlier and didn't try to kiss her because she really didn't want to have to turn her cheek. He truly was a nice guy, and she didn't want to do anything else to hurt his feelings.
The office light was off when Kelly stepped out of the elevator, and she was frankly surprised that Tracey had actually left. She was hoping the brunette would still be working, and maybe she could offer to buy her a drink, but evidently she was too late.
Deciding to take some of the files home, Kelly didn't even bother turning on the light as she made her way over to her desk. When she grabbed the two top folders, she gasped aloud when she saw someone lying on the couch, and at a closer glance, she could just make out the dark hair of the ADA.
Placing the files back on her desk, she quietly made her way to the couch. The light from the hall cast a soft glow in the room and, in repose, Tracey looked like an angel. Her face was relaxed and free from the frown she'd been wearing as of late. Kelly took a seat in a nearby chair and just watched the brunette, wishing she could be more than just a friend and colleague to the sleeping woman.
Several minutes past and Tracey suddenly began to fidget, and Kelly watched closely to make sure the brunette didn't fall from the couch. That's all she needed; first, Tracey had blamed her for the problem with the search, and now, she'd blame her for letting her fall on the floor. Such was the life of an assistant to an assistant.
In her attempt to keep an eye on the ADA's body to make sure she wasn't going to roll forward, Kelly had missed the dark eyes opening, watching her in return. Only when Tracey remained perfectly still did the blonde move her gaze back to her face, and she jumped in her chair when she noted the dark eyes staring back at her.
"Did you have a nice dinner?" Tracey asked as she slowly began to sit up.
"Huh? Oh, well, yeah, I guess it was nice enough," Kelly stuttered her reply, still shaken that the woman had seen her ogling her body.
"Why did you come back? You should've had Chris take you home."
Shrugging, Kelly replied, "I was worried about you," and cringing, she quickly added, "I mean the case. I was worried about the case."
"Yeah, well. I may have found a loophole. You see, Harrison Stewart lived above the garage for about a month while his house was being painted, so we may be able to establish it as his residence. The search specifically named his previous residences in the criteria," Tracey stated triumphantly.
Kelly smiled and exclaimed, "That's wonderful, Tracey."
Smiling for the first time all day, Tracey replied, "Yes. It is pretty wonderful, isn't it?"
The ADA stood and walked directly to the chair Kelly was seated in, and extending her hand, she said, "Let's go get a drink and celebrate."
The blonde slowly reached out and took the offered hand, and Tracey immediately tugged her up out of the chair. Losing her balance, Kelly fell directly into the brunette's arms, and Tracey didn't waste the golden opportunity as she pulled her close.
When Chris had asked Kelly out, she thought she'd die. All this time, she'd been admiring her assistant, trying to find the nerve to at least ask her out for a drink, and the damn detective waltzed in and snatched her out from under Tracey's nose. She'd promised herself that if she had another opportunity, she wasn't going to let it go to waste, and now, the timing couldn't be more perfect.
Kelly instantly relaxed in the other woman's arms. She could hardly believe that Tracey was holding her, granted she literally fell in the other woman's arms, but Tracey didn't let go; she was still holding her.
Whispered words had the blonde shivering in the brunette's embrace.
"Hey, are you okay?" Tracey asked in concern.
"I am now," Kelly answered honestly, not even bothering to censor her response.
Pleased with the reply, the brunette chuckled and slowly released the blonde. Looking into clear blue eyes, Tracey smiled and said, "Let's go get that drink."
Turning, she walked from the room, pulling the beaming blonde behind her.
The End