"Mom, you really needn't go to all this trouble," said Claire as her step-father Dr. Mac Geller, an NYU law professor, handed her the front section of the New York Times, "Thanks, Mac."
"I'll pamper you if I like, Claire," her mother retorted jovially. "Besides, we've got a big day ahead, with all the last minute preparations. And of course, the party is tonight."
Claire smiled. She stood up and crossed to her mother, a short, stout woman from whom Claire had inherited her lovely face. She wrapped her mother in a warm hug and said, "I love you, Mom." Her mother reached up and patted Claire's cheek.
"I couldn't be prouder of you, honey. You've made an incredible life for yourself. You have a wonderful career, you're bright and talented, and you've managed to find yourself a good man who loves and cherishes you. I just hope you won't make me wait too long for grandchildren..."
"Mother!," said Claire, feigning exasperation. "We're not even married yet and your already checking me into the maternity ward?"
"So tell me Claire," said Mac, "How do you feel on your last day as a free woman?"
"Mac!" she exclaimed, laughing, as she returned to the table. "You make getting married sound like I'm going to prison!"
"You are, Claire, you are," he said, laughing back at her. Claire's mother threw a dish-rag at him, and it hit him in the face.
"Jeannine, my dear," said Mac's mother to her daughter-in-law, "If my son thinks being married to you is like a prison, you've done your job well."
The four of them laughed. Just then, the phone rang. Mac picked up the cordless from the middle of the table. "Hello? Of course you can....here she is."
"It's your husband-to-be," he whispered as he handed Claire the phone.
Claire stood, took the phone from Mac, and went out into the living room.
"Hi, love," she said into the phone.
"Hey babe," said Jack McCoy, Claire's intended. They had been working together at the Manhattan District Attorney's office for a little over 2 years. Jack, as the Executive Assistant District Attorney, was technically Claire's boss, though he had never really treated her like an underling, as Ben Stone, the EADA for whom Claire had worked before being assigned to Jack, had. Jack had always treated Claire as a colleague, a lawyer as bright and competent as himself, though with far less experience: when Claire had graduated from law school, Jack had already been in the DA's office for 20 years.
Their personal relationship had developed a little more than four months into their working relationship. It was something neither of them had looked for, despite Jack's track record of bedding each of his previous female assistants in his many years as an ADA, and Claire's own affair with a married appellate court judge for whom she had clerked in her first years out of law school.
"What's up, Jack?" asked Claire.
"Nothing, babe..."
"You sound a little funny...not backing out on me, are you?"
"Me? No...I just had to hear your voice. I hate waking up in the morning without you. Can I see you sometime today?"
"Oh, Jack...we've got so much to do today before the party tonight. Don't you have a stag party to prepare for?"
"I have to see you Claire."
"What's wrong, Jack?"
"Nothing...no...it's silly," he hedged, "Look, can't we at least have lunch or something?"
"Jack, just tell me what the problem is. I promise not to think it's silly. Tomorrow I'm committing myself to you for the rest of our lives...I can handle anything you have to tell me."
"I had an unsettling dream last night, and I just can't shake it. I thought if I could see you today, it'd put me at ease."
"What sort of dream Jack?"
"It was awful, Claire. Remember that accident you and Lennie had the night of the execution?"
"Of course Jack....you proposed to me soon after."
"I had to, Claire. The thought of losing you just killed me. It made me realise that I wanted you with me forever."
"So what does my accident have to do with your dream?"
"In my dream, the accident was much worse. You were in a coma, Claire, for a couple of weeks. Eventually they determined you were brain-dead," Claire's heart contracted as she heard Jack's voice crack: it was obvious he was trying to suppress a sob. "And...and for some reason, I had to be the one to make the decision to pull the plug on your life-support system. It was horrible. And then you were dead, and Adam gave me a new assistant. It was so real, Claire. And Jamie, that was the name of my assistant, was obnoxious as hell. A real ball-breaker. So different from you. She was always pulling stupid tricks and getting me into trouble. Eventually, everyone wanted me to have a relationship with her, even Adam. I couldn't understand how Adam would want me to do that, when he knew how much I loved you. It was so real, Claire. I woke up sobbing, and I haven't done that since I was a kid, when I used to dream about my father abusing my mother. And it freaked me out when I woke up in our bed and you weren't here with me. It took me a few moments to calm down and remember you were staying at your mother's until after the wedding. At least I had Lucy and Thumper here to comfort me."
"Oh, Jack...I'm so sorry....I don't know what to say," said Claire. She knew how difficult it was for him to show his vulnerability to her, even after all this time. She wished he were there with her so that she might wrap her arms around him and assure him that she was very alive, indeed.
"Just say you won't ever leave me Claire. No matter what."
"I won't Jack....God, you know I won't. I love you, Jack, more than I've ever loved anybody."
"I love you, Claire. I've waited my whole life for you."
They fell silent for a moment, listening to each other breathe through the phone.
"Can I see you today?" Jack asked again.
"I want to, Jack...I just don't think there's any time."
"How 'bout tonight? After the parties? They're both early enough that we can see each other for a while after."
"Sure..." she relented. "Page me when your party is over, and I'll call you and let you know where I'm at."
"Great!" he exclaimed. "I love you, Claire."
"I love you too, Jack."
"Oh, and Claire?"
"Yes?"
"I can't wait to marry you tomorrow."
"Claire!" her mother hollered from the kitchen, "Breakfast is ready. Tell that man of yours to let you off the phone so you can come and eat!"
"I heard her," said Jack. "You'd better go eat."
"See you tonight, Jack."
"Goodbye, Claire."
*****
Later that night, Claire and her mother and step-grandmother returned from the bachelorette party. They had gone, along with Claire's female relatives and some of her friends from college and law school, a few co-workers, Jack's sister, Liz Olivet, Lennie Briscoe's girlfriend Laura, with whom Claire had become quite close over a long stretch of months, and particularly after the accident she and Lennie had been in, and Anita Van Buren, to a bar featuring the All-Male Chippendales Review. Someone, though none would cop to it, had paid the leather-clad stripper in biker-gear to do a special dance for Claire. It was as close to a lap dance as Claire could imagine a male stripper would do, and had slightly embarrassed her. Were she not on her fourth margarita by that time, she would have found the situation unbearably embarrassing. She was never the sort of woman, despite her looks, who liked to call undue attention to herself.
Claire's mother, more than a little tipsy herself, stumbled to her bedroom as soon as she and Claire walked through the front door, with Mac's help. Mac had been at Jack's stag party, but had left a little early. He liked Jack well enough, even more so knowing how happy he made Claire, but Mac had never really been the carousing type. Violet followed them up the stairs, worn out from the evening. They disappeared into their bedrooms, and Claire was not to see or hear from them until the following morning.
The combination of the alcohol, and the thought that by this time tomorrow she would be Mrs. Jack McCoy, had Claire feeling giddy. She eagerly awaited the page she knew would be coming from Jack, but in the meantime, set about getting ready for bed.
Claire was in her old bedroom when she heard the beeper in her purse going off. It was a number she didn't recognise, although Jack's personal code was typed at the end. She hurriedly went to the phone and dialed. He picked up after one ring.
"Claire?"
"Hi, Jack. You drunk?"
"Yeah...a little. You?"
"A little. Where are you?"
"Payphone around the corner."
"Tell me where and I'll come meet you."
"I was thinking I could come over..."
"Oh...you were, were you?"
"Mmmhmmm..."
"Well....you have to be quiet...my mother is very superstitious, and she'd go ballistic if she knew I saw you the night before the wedding."
"I'll be quiet as a church mouse, Claire, I promise."
"Okay...don't knock or ring the bell, I'll watch for you."
Five minutes later, Claire was sneaking Jack into her bedroom. They felt ridiculously adolescent, and were hard put to control the giggles that threatened to escape them.
Once inside her room, the mood became more serious. Jack pulled Claire into his arms and held her tighter than he ever had before. "Good," he said, "It was just a dream."
"Yes, it was Jack...I'm very much alive."
Cupping his face in her hands, she stretched up and brought her lips to his. Their mouths opened to one another instantly, and they could taste the alcohol on each other. The combined sensations of taste, feel, and smell had them aroused very quickly, and soon they were furiously pawing each other as their tongues danced.
Claire pushed Jack down so that he sat on her bed. She stood between his legs and rubbed his shoulders as they began to kiss once more. He pulled her close, and she was instantly aware of his arousal.
"Been thinking about me?" she asked him.
He nodded. "How could you tell?"
"What were you thinking about?" she asked, not answering his question.
"I was wondering.... you see, Lennie had one of the strippers give me a lap dance, and..."
"Wait, Lennie did what?"
"Shhh...don't get jealous. Those strippers have nothing on you, my love. You're far more beautiful.... sexier... and everything you've got is real."
"You're good, McCoy," she said, lining his lips with s series of fluttering kisses. "So what were you thinking?"
"I was wondering if I might be able to talk you into giving me one."
"Oh you were, were you?"
He nodded.
"Hit me up tomorrow night," she told him. "I might be willing to add that on to your list of wedding gifts from your new wife. Tonight I don't have the patience."
"Why is that?" he asked, his hands sliding up under her shirt.
"I'm hot for my soon-to-be husband."
He drew her hands up over her head and eased her shirt from her.
"Let's see what we can do about that..."
"Let's," she whispered hoarsely as his hands grazed over her breasts. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, plundering his mouth with her tongue. They fell onto the bed, completely engrossed in one another.
They lay entwined in each others arms for some time after it was over, revelling in the contentment, safety, and love they found only in each other's arms.
"You know you're making me the happiest man alive today, don't you?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
"If I'm making you half as happy as you make me, then yes, I do know," she told him.
"Who would have thought," he began, "that day you first walked into my office, that this is where we would end up."
"I sure didn't expect it," she said.
"I figured I'd get you in the sack," he confessed, "But I never imagined that you would steal my heart. You're the woman I always wanted Claire, only I never knew it."
"I love you Jack," she said, and leaned in to kiss him.
"Remember how this all started?" he asked.
"Of course I do, Jack. How could I ever forget. I remember it as if it were yesterday..."
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