Fic: The Art of Breaking and Healing (Chapter 5b/?)
Title: The Art of Breaking and Healing (Chapter 5: …and Other Fallacies)
Fandom: Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
Pairing: established Olivia/Melinda
Author: Mirandyscrow
Rating: Pg-13 to R
Summary: Life with our favorite detective and Medical Examiner is full of obstacles as they juggle crime, family, and love. Olivia/Melinda. Melivia. Yes, femslash!! Don’t like it? Don’t read it, por favor.
Spoilers: none for this chapter
Archive: Sure if you really want it. Lol, it would be a surprise to me, just ask my permission first. (It’s nice when people ask)
Disclaimer: Law and Order: SVU belongs to Dick Wolf, NBC and anyone else that would possibly have any claim to the show or its franchise. Any and all other brand names, songs, schools, etc. belong to their respective owners. I’m only writing this story for entertainment purposes. Please don’t sue; I only own a considerable amount of debt in student loans to offer you. :P
Author’s Note: See first chapter for full Author’s Notes
Big thanks to Kerri for being an awesome beta and becoming the second person to take on my ignorance. Any and all careless mistakes I claim as my own.
Special thanks to LegaspiWeaver for all her help!
Previous Chapters
x-posted at my journal
The days became longer as they flowed into weeks. The weeks turned into months and before anyone knew it spring was here. Jasmine looked out the window at the nice sunny day. It only reminded her that graduation was right around the corner. She knew she’d likely be a shoe in for valedictorian and it made her nervous. After high school was her eighteenth birthday then college. It just seemed as though everything was happening far too fast.
“Hey, J. Why the frowns?” Andrea nudged Jasmine.
Jasmine turned her gaze to her friend. “Nothing, just thinking.”
“Yeah, I got that much. You’ve been thinking for eight hours. Dude, its time to not think,” she said, turning up the radio. An upbeat dance song blasted from the speakers of the truck.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Mila said excitedly. “Mission one I’m gon’ put this on. When they see me in this dress I’m gon’ get me some. Hey!” she sang along to the words. Pretty soon the whole car was filled with off-key singing.
Andrea lowered the volume on the radio once the song was finished. Her eyes caught a figure walking up the street a little ways ahead of them. She poked Jasmine in the ribs.“Hey isn’t that Stabler?” she asked Jasmine.
“Uh, yeah that’s him but he has a first name,” Jasmine responded, glaring a little at her friend and rubbing her side.
“Yeah right.” Andrea nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. She snapped her fingers. “It’s uh…Dickie, right?”
“He prefers Richard like he’s told you several times before,” Niu said from the backseat.
“Tough,” Andrea returned as she pulled alongside Richard Stabler. “Yo, Dick!” she called.
“Andy!” Jasmine hissed to her friend. “Hey, Richard,” she said pleasantly to Dickie Stabler.
“What’s up, Jasmine?” Dickie said politely, but Jasmine could tell he was irritated.
“On my way home.” she shrugged. She hoped he’d open up a little bit. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing much,” Richard said. He looked down the street and said nothing else.
“Jasmine, I’m sorry to interrupt but we just got a text from our mom. She wants us to babysit our cousin,” Zihao said.
“Alright we can go,” Jasmine said. She turned back to Richard. “If you want to talk, give me a call.”
“I will,” he said just before they drove off.
Jasmine kept her eyes trained on him in the mirror. Just before they disappeared around the corner, she saw Elliot run to Dickie. They looked like they were arguing. She shook her head sadly.
Of course.
Almost all of Dickie’s problems tended to revolve around his father lately. She just hoped he would call her soon. If he was anything like Elliot he was carrying a bunch of anger inside.
When Andrea came to a complete stop in front of her house, she hopped out of the black Chevy Silverado. Andrea handed Jasmine her backpack. “Thanks,” she said.
“No problem, Jazzy Jeff,” Andrea said with a teasing grin.
Jasmine just rolled her eyes. Andrea had been calling her that since they met in sixth grade. She honestly hated the nickname but nothing she said ever deterred her punk rocker friend from saying the name several times a day. She finally gave up and decided to embrace the nickname. “Bye, Mila, Niu, Zihao, and I guess goodbye to you too Andy.”
“Later Jasmine.”
“See ya, Jazz,” the brother and sister chorused back and Jasmine waved.
As the truck drove away, she walked the short distance up the walkway and into the house. She checked the security system to see if it had been armed before hanging her keys on one of the small hooks by the door. She made her way through the house to
the living room and jumped when she saw the two people standing right in her path.
“Holy crap!” Jasmine jumped then glared at her parents. “Why are you guys standing there smiling like mannequins?”
Melinda and Olivia didn’t say anything. They just continued to stare at her with eerily cheerful smiles.
“Hey, I know this really shouldn’t be a question I’d have to ask as you both work for the police department but did you happen to do a bunch of drugs while I was out?” Jasmine asked, getting a little creeped out.
“You got your first letter from a college,” Olivia said, revealing an envelope from behind her back with an even wider smile if it was at all possible.
Jasmine’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “R-really?” she took the envelope from her mother, gazing at it intently.
“Okay, honey, now whatever it says just know that you’re a terrific catch for any school,” Melinda said, ushering Jasmine to the couch and sat down. Olivia immediately occupied the seat next to her.
Jasmine held the letter in her hands, staring at it as if it held all the secrets of the world within it. She bit her lip and looked at both of her mother’s
“What’s wrong?” Melinda asked.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Jasmine said. “But I don’t want to open this in front of you.”
“But why not?”
“I just want to wait until my grad party,” Jasmine said cryptically.
Melinda and Olivia exchanged perplexed looks. “We’ll let this go on one condition,” Melinda started. Jasmine looked on expectantly. “You’ll bring your boyfriend over for dinner tomorrow.”
Jasmine’s face took on a stricken expression. “But,” she tried.
“No buts,” Melinda said firmly. “You bring your boyfriend over or your grounded until you leave for college.”
Jasmine sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to argue. Her luck finally ran out. “Okay,” she said with another sigh. “I’ll…I’ll go call him now.” She left the couch with her letter in hand and opened her cell phone.
“What do think he’s like?” Melinda asked her fiancé as soon as Jasmine left the room.
Olivia shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Me either.”
“Mom, what time is dinner tomorrow?” Jasmine asked from the upstairs.
“Tell him to come over at about seven,” Melinda said.
“Okay.” Jasmine called back.
“Whoever he is I don’t like him already,” Olivia said, glaring into the empty space in front of her as if she was locking eyes with a difficult perp.
“Spoken like a true overprotective parent,” Melinda teased the detective.
“Shut up,” Olivia said without malice.
-x-
The next evening was spent getting ready for Jasmine’s boyfriend. Melinda was currently doing her final checks for the food. She paused for a moment and let the realization of the present situation wash over her. It seemed as though it was just yesterday that Jasmine would come home and declare that ‘boys were yucky.’ Now she was upstairs, going through all her clothes to find just the right outfit for her favorite ‘yucky’ boy.
“Baby, have you seen my black button-up shirt?” Olivia called from upstairs.
Melinda came out of her thoughts, taking only a moment to comprehend what her fiancé asked. “The one with the breast pocket or the one with the pearl colored buttons?” she shouted back.
There was a slight pause. “Pearl buttons,” Olivia responded.
“It’s in the second drawer down,” Melinda said, sprinkling the vinaigrette over the salad before placing it in the refrigerator.
“Thanks, babe,” Olivia returned.
“Mom, have you seen my silver flats?” Jasmine shouted.
Melinda smile with a shake of her head. Sometimes she could have sworn Olivia gave birth to the teen. “They’re under your bed!” she said. She checked on the rising yeast rolls on the counter. She placed them in the oven and took out the resting pot roast.
After quickly washing the few dirtied dishes, she walked through the dining and living room to make sure both were fit for guests. She headed for the stairs and removed her apron. She was halfway up when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Jasmine said, hurrying past her mother.
Olivia followed Jasmine’s descent a couple of seconds later. Melinda’s keen eye noticed she had her service weapon clipped to her belt. She grabbed her fiancé’s arm, dragging her back into the bedroom.
“Mel,” Olivia protested as they made it their bedroom.
“You’re not going down there with that weapon on your belt in plain view.”
“So I can hide it?” Olivia asked with a coy smile.
“No,” Melinda said firmly.
“He could be defiling our daughter as we speak,” Olivia said, trying to step around Melinda.
The curly-haired woman stopped her progress. “He’s barely been here thirty-five seconds,” she reasoned. “Take off the gun and you can cock-block as much as you want,” she said.
Olivia raised an amused eyebrow. “Cock block?”
Melinda shrugged. “I picked it up from one of my interns.”
Olivia grinned a little before she ejected the clip form her gun and put both in her lock box at the top of the closet.
“There now, it wasn’t so painful was it?”
“It was a little,” Olivia said with a mock pout.
Melinda kissed the pouting lip. Olivia smiled, deepening the kiss. “We’ll have to finish this later. I have to go save our daughter from a defiler.” She gave Melinda’s behind a quick squeeze before making her way out of the room.
Melinda shucked off her shirt. “I’ll be down soon,” she said, going to the outfit hanging on the closet door.
Olivia nodded even though Melinda did not see her. She took a few steps down the hallway and stopped. She looked over her shoulder briefly. She grabbed her backup weapon from the secret compartment under the small table against the wall. She checked it to ensure the safety was on and tucked the gun in the back of her pants. With an intimidating swagger, she entered the living room just in time to see Jasmine and her boyfriend jump apart like they’d been electrocuted. The boy appeared ashamed while
Jasmine just looked annoyed.
Olivia took this time to gaze over the boy. He had light brown hair with, intense glass green eyes. His face was clean shaven and even sitting Olivia could see he had an athletic build. He was cute. Olivia narrowed her eyes. Cute or not this pretty boy had obviously been kissing her baby girl. She walked forward, shooting Jasmine a disapproving look.
“Hey, I’m Jasmine’s mom, Detective Olivia Benson.” She extended her hand.
The boy stood. “Troy Baxter…ma’am,” he said, gripping her hand.
She held his hand firmly with a shark smile. The boy swallowed audibly. “Troy. That’s a nice name,” she said, reveling in his fear. “You look like a teenage boy with a healthy…appetite,” she said lightly with her eyes twinkling.
“Mom!” Jasmine said embarrassed.
Troy’s face immediately went crimson as he glanced to Jasmine and back to Olivia and paled when he realized what she meant, what she had to mean. “N-no. My ap-appetite is actually quite small. I mean I’m not…er…hungry. Ever.”
“Not even for Melinda’s pot roast? She’s really an excellent cook.” Olivia’s smirk widened as she spoke in a casual tone. The smell of baking bread was beginning to permeate the room. “Jasmine, why don’t you go ahead and take the rolls to the table,” Olivia said though it wasn’t a request. She gently pushed the stricken looking young man on the couch beside her with a smirk firmly in place.
-x-
Dinner was a tense affair. It was as though Olivia was pulling out all her best interrogation tactics to ask simple question.
“So Troy,” Olivia started, cutting her roast slowly. “What are your intentions with my daughter?” She shifted in her seat a little. “Oh,” She took the gun from the back of her pants and placed in on the table as if it was something she did everyday.
“Ma’am?” Troy squeaked, nearly choking on the potatoes he’d just put into his mouth when he saw the gun.
“Your intentions,” Olivia repeated. “What are they?” she asked him with a steely gaze.
“Oh geez,” Jasmine groaned. She never wished for an emergency that called for her mother’s attention so desperately until just this moment. Of course, her prayers went unanswered.
“Liv, give the boy a little time to breathe and gather his thoughts and put that gun away,” Melinda said with in stern tone.
Olivia didn’t look the least bit contrite when she left the table to place the gun back in its proper place.
“Thank you, Mrs. Benson.” He looked at her gratefully. He was much more comfortable looking at her than Olivia.
Melinda couldn’t help the swell she felt in her heart when Troy called her ‘Mrs. Benson.’ “Please, call me Melinda,” she said kindly.
Olivia returned to her seat and looked at Troy expectantly. He cleared his throat before speaking. “My intentions with Jasmine are completely honorable I assure you. I love her with all my heart,” he said, trying not to pull at his collar in nervousness. “I’d like to say I would never hurt her but I’m only human so all can say is that I would never hurt her intentionally,” he finished.
Olivia was impressed that his voice hadn’t wavered when he addressed him. She looked at the boy long and hard. She could tell his words were genuine. “That’s all I wanted to know,” she said finally.
-x-
After dinner, Jasmine and Troy stood, reaching for the dinner plates. “We’ll do the dishes, Ma.”
“No, that’s fine. Go and prepare the movie with your Mom. Troy and I can take care of the dishes.”
Jasmine shot a panicked look to Troy. The other teen looked at her confused.
“You’ll help me right, Troy?” Melinda asked pleasantly.
“Yes, ma’am,” Troy said quickly, taking the stack of plates away from Jasmine.
They walked into the kitchen together. Once they reached the kitchen sink, Troy watched as Melinda filled the left side of the sink to the brim with hot, soapy water. “Could you hand me all the plates, please?” she asked.
He took this moment to truly look at the older woman. She had a classic beauty that she obviously didn’t flaunt if the minimal make up was any indication. He could see that Jasmine would be aging very well. He knew Jasmine wasn’t just the product of her biological mother and father. In just the short while Troy’s known her, he’s been completely blown away by her confidence and fierce protectiveness of her friends that he could now see from her other mother Olivia.
“What you said at the table was really sweet,” Melinda said softly. She passed him a clean plate to rinse and continued, “You impressed me.”
“I meant every word,” Troy answered.
“Of that I have no doubt,” Melinda responded. She picked up the carving knife from the water and twirled it hands. Troy’s eyes snapped down to the utensil of their own accord. “I’m glad Jasmine found you,” she said and deliberately cleaned the sharp blade.
“There are so many evil human beings. I’ve seen a lot of what mankind can do to itself, so it’s nice to know Jasmine has found herself a decent guy.” She smiled at him.
Troy couldn’t help but smile back if only apprehensively. His eyes kept flicking back and forth to the ‘weapon’ in her hands. “Thank you,” he said.
“Let’s finish the dishes,” Melinda said, finally passing the knife to the teenager.
Troy nodded, grateful to have the knife in his possession. He rinsed the dishes that had accumulated in his side of the sink, and placed them in the dish rack. In just a few minutes, all the dishes were washed and dripping dry.
“You’re a great help, Troy,” Melinda commented. “I like a man that has no problem cleaning.”
“I’m definitely no stranger to a mop and broom. I’m the oldest of four siblings, so I helped my mom out a lot."
“That’s good to know,” Melinda said, rinsing the dishtowel out. She wrung out the extra water and placed it on the divider of the sink. “Troy, may I ask you something personal?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Troy answered, though he was confused by the seemingly out of nowhere question.
“How much do you value your manhood?” she asked bluntly.
Troy choked on air. “M-ma’am?” he managed to finally squeak.
“Now Troy I told you to call me Melinda,” she said conversationally. “Is it really a hard question?”
“N-no, ma-Melinda.”
“We can try a different type of question. On a scale of one through ten, how much do you value your manhood.?”
Troy looked at her. She was calm, too calm and he knew she meant business. He swallowed thickly. “I’d have to say thirty,” he finally said.
“As would all teenage boys,” she said wryly. “The reason I ask is that if you ever break your promise and willingly hurt my daughter, I’ll remove my ‘pound’ of flesh without anesthetic. Do we understand each other?”
The young man could only manage to nod silently. Melinda nodded back and walked out of the kitchen, not bothering to see if you Troy was following. “Have you ever seen Terminator 2, Troy?” she asked, settling on her place on the couch beside Olivia.
“No, ma’am,” he said.
Olivia shot him a look like he just kicked a puppy. “You're kidding?” she asked in disbelief.
“Oh great, you’ve offended her now, babe,” Jasmine joked to Troy.
Olivia was so surprised that Jasmine’s term of endearment slipped her notice. She popped the DVD into the player and they all settled down to watch the movie. When Jasmine reclined back against Troy’s chest, Olivia sat up, ready to separate them.
Melinda grabbed her arm and shook her head. “Leave them alone,” she whispered.
Olivia looked at the two teens once again. “Okay…” she settled onto the couch and held Melinda tightly.
-x-
As, the credits rolled onscreen, Troy yawned softly and looked at his watch. “I should head home,” he said and stood. “I’ve got just enough time to get home in time for my curfew.”
Melinda and Olivia got to their feet as well. “Okay, take care,” Melinda said.
“Thank you for having me for dinner,” Troy said kindly.
“It was our pleasure,” Melinda said.
“Not all of ours,” Olivia muttered under her breath.
“Come on, Troy,” Jasmine said loudly to cover up her mother’s comment. “I’ll walk you out.” She held his hand on the way out of the house.
Once the door closed, Melinda smacked Olivia’s arm. “You’re terrible.”
“But you love me.”
“That I do.” Melinda smiled at her. She grabbed the blanket from the couch, folding it and placed it on the back of the couch. “Let’s get ready for bed.”
“Oh no, I don’t want my daughter making out on the front porch.” Olivia walked briskly toward the front door.
“Olivia, get away from that window. Don’t you trust our daughter?”
“Of course I do. It’s the boy I don’t trust,” Olivia responded, moving the curtain just a few inches. Jasmine and Troy had just broken their kiss and were now hugging.
“Liv…,” Melinda said lowly behind her.
Olivia turned around and was promptly hit in the face with a blouse. She removed the piece of clothing from her face with a confused look. Her eyes flicked from the blouse to her fiancé’s toned abs and lace covered chest.
Melinda held her hands above her head in a lazy stretch. “If you’re going to play spy all night, I may just take things into my own hands,” she said. She lowered her arms and wiggled her fingers teasingly. With a smile, she started for the stairs.
Olivia was behind her in a matter of seconds. She scooped Melinda up in her arms and proceeded upstairs. Melinda squealed at being picked up and laughed when Olivia bounded up the stairs.
-x-
Troy pulled away from Jasmine when he heard the commotion. “What was that?” he asked.
“If I know my parents, it’s probably the first bell of the first round,” Jasmine said.
Troy laughed. “That common, huh?”
“Sometimes I feel like I’m the grownup and they’re the teens.” She sat on the bench right beside the door with a roll of her eyes.
“They’re cool though.”
“Thanks. I’ve always thought so,” Jasmine said with a reflective smile. “How badly do I owe you?” she glanced at her friend.
“Oh so much,” Troy said with a smirk, settling down next to her. “Why couldn’t you tell them who you’re really dating again?” he asked.
Jasmine dropped her head with a sigh. “It’s complicated.”
“They’re not dangerous though, right?”
“No,” she said at once.
Troy raised a questioning eyebrow at the abruptness of her answers. “Really?”
“Yes, really. They are absolutely not dangerous.”
“Okay,” Troy said, checking his phone. “I’m going to let you get back to you lesbian looove palace so I can hook up with my baby.”
The two friends stood embracing again. “Tell Louis I said I’m sorry about cutting into his cuddle time,” Jasmine said, patting Troy on the back.
“I will.” Troy broke the hug and ruffled the curls on Jasmine’s head. He took the keys out of his pocket. “I hope we get to actually meet your secret boyfriend soon.”
Jasmine watched as Troy got into his car and drove away. “I hope so too,” she said into the night air.
-End of Chapter Five Part II-
So, Jasmine has a mystery love. Any guesses as to who it is? Anyone? Anyways, I’ve posted the pictures of Jasmine’s friend’s. The link is in the previous chapter. Even though this chapter was more Jasmine oriented, I hope you all still enjoyed.
Thanks for reading!! ^_^
Fandom: Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
Pairing: established Olivia/Melinda
Author: Mirandyscrow
Rating: Pg-13 to R
Summary: Life with our favorite detective and Medical Examiner is full of obstacles as they juggle crime, family, and love. Olivia/Melinda. Melivia. Yes, femslash!! Don’t like it? Don’t read it, por favor.
Spoilers: none for this chapter
Archive: Sure if you really want it. Lol, it would be a surprise to me, just ask my permission first. (It’s nice when people ask)
Disclaimer: Law and Order: SVU belongs to Dick Wolf, NBC and anyone else that would possibly have any claim to the show or its franchise. Any and all other brand names, songs, schools, etc. belong to their respective owners. I’m only writing this story for entertainment purposes. Please don’t sue; I only own a considerable amount of debt in student loans to offer you. :P
Author’s Note: See first chapter for full Author’s Notes
Big thanks to Kerri for being an awesome beta and becoming the second person to take on my ignorance. Any and all careless mistakes I claim as my own.
Special thanks to LegaspiWeaver for all her help!
Previous Chapters
x-posted at my journal
The days became longer as they flowed into weeks. The weeks turned into months and before anyone knew it spring was here. Jasmine looked out the window at the nice sunny day. It only reminded her that graduation was right around the corner. She knew she’d likely be a shoe in for valedictorian and it made her nervous. After high school was her eighteenth birthday then college. It just seemed as though everything was happening far too fast.
“Hey, J. Why the frowns?” Andrea nudged Jasmine.
Jasmine turned her gaze to her friend. “Nothing, just thinking.”
“Yeah, I got that much. You’ve been thinking for eight hours. Dude, its time to not think,” she said, turning up the radio. An upbeat dance song blasted from the speakers of the truck.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Mila said excitedly. “Mission one I’m gon’ put this on. When they see me in this dress I’m gon’ get me some. Hey!” she sang along to the words. Pretty soon the whole car was filled with off-key singing.
Andrea lowered the volume on the radio once the song was finished. Her eyes caught a figure walking up the street a little ways ahead of them. She poked Jasmine in the ribs.“Hey isn’t that Stabler?” she asked Jasmine.
“Uh, yeah that’s him but he has a first name,” Jasmine responded, glaring a little at her friend and rubbing her side.
“Yeah right.” Andrea nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. She snapped her fingers. “It’s uh…Dickie, right?”
“He prefers Richard like he’s told you several times before,” Niu said from the backseat.
“Tough,” Andrea returned as she pulled alongside Richard Stabler. “Yo, Dick!” she called.
“Andy!” Jasmine hissed to her friend. “Hey, Richard,” she said pleasantly to Dickie Stabler.
“What’s up, Jasmine?” Dickie said politely, but Jasmine could tell he was irritated.
“On my way home.” she shrugged. She hoped he’d open up a little bit. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing much,” Richard said. He looked down the street and said nothing else.
“Jasmine, I’m sorry to interrupt but we just got a text from our mom. She wants us to babysit our cousin,” Zihao said.
“Alright we can go,” Jasmine said. She turned back to Richard. “If you want to talk, give me a call.”
“I will,” he said just before they drove off.
Jasmine kept her eyes trained on him in the mirror. Just before they disappeared around the corner, she saw Elliot run to Dickie. They looked like they were arguing. She shook her head sadly.
Of course.
Almost all of Dickie’s problems tended to revolve around his father lately. She just hoped he would call her soon. If he was anything like Elliot he was carrying a bunch of anger inside.
When Andrea came to a complete stop in front of her house, she hopped out of the black Chevy Silverado. Andrea handed Jasmine her backpack. “Thanks,” she said.
“No problem, Jazzy Jeff,” Andrea said with a teasing grin.
Jasmine just rolled her eyes. Andrea had been calling her that since they met in sixth grade. She honestly hated the nickname but nothing she said ever deterred her punk rocker friend from saying the name several times a day. She finally gave up and decided to embrace the nickname. “Bye, Mila, Niu, Zihao, and I guess goodbye to you too Andy.”
“Later Jasmine.”
“See ya, Jazz,” the brother and sister chorused back and Jasmine waved.
As the truck drove away, she walked the short distance up the walkway and into the house. She checked the security system to see if it had been armed before hanging her keys on one of the small hooks by the door. She made her way through the house to
the living room and jumped when she saw the two people standing right in her path.
“Holy crap!” Jasmine jumped then glared at her parents. “Why are you guys standing there smiling like mannequins?”
Melinda and Olivia didn’t say anything. They just continued to stare at her with eerily cheerful smiles.
“Hey, I know this really shouldn’t be a question I’d have to ask as you both work for the police department but did you happen to do a bunch of drugs while I was out?” Jasmine asked, getting a little creeped out.
“You got your first letter from a college,” Olivia said, revealing an envelope from behind her back with an even wider smile if it was at all possible.
Jasmine’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “R-really?” she took the envelope from her mother, gazing at it intently.
“Okay, honey, now whatever it says just know that you’re a terrific catch for any school,” Melinda said, ushering Jasmine to the couch and sat down. Olivia immediately occupied the seat next to her.
Jasmine held the letter in her hands, staring at it as if it held all the secrets of the world within it. She bit her lip and looked at both of her mother’s
“What’s wrong?” Melinda asked.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Jasmine said. “But I don’t want to open this in front of you.”
“But why not?”
“I just want to wait until my grad party,” Jasmine said cryptically.
Melinda and Olivia exchanged perplexed looks. “We’ll let this go on one condition,” Melinda started. Jasmine looked on expectantly. “You’ll bring your boyfriend over for dinner tomorrow.”
Jasmine’s face took on a stricken expression. “But,” she tried.
“No buts,” Melinda said firmly. “You bring your boyfriend over or your grounded until you leave for college.”
Jasmine sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to argue. Her luck finally ran out. “Okay,” she said with another sigh. “I’ll…I’ll go call him now.” She left the couch with her letter in hand and opened her cell phone.
“What do think he’s like?” Melinda asked her fiancé as soon as Jasmine left the room.
Olivia shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Me either.”
“Mom, what time is dinner tomorrow?” Jasmine asked from the upstairs.
“Tell him to come over at about seven,” Melinda said.
“Okay.” Jasmine called back.
“Whoever he is I don’t like him already,” Olivia said, glaring into the empty space in front of her as if she was locking eyes with a difficult perp.
“Spoken like a true overprotective parent,” Melinda teased the detective.
“Shut up,” Olivia said without malice.
-x-
The next evening was spent getting ready for Jasmine’s boyfriend. Melinda was currently doing her final checks for the food. She paused for a moment and let the realization of the present situation wash over her. It seemed as though it was just yesterday that Jasmine would come home and declare that ‘boys were yucky.’ Now she was upstairs, going through all her clothes to find just the right outfit for her favorite ‘yucky’ boy.
“Baby, have you seen my black button-up shirt?” Olivia called from upstairs.
Melinda came out of her thoughts, taking only a moment to comprehend what her fiancé asked. “The one with the breast pocket or the one with the pearl colored buttons?” she shouted back.
There was a slight pause. “Pearl buttons,” Olivia responded.
“It’s in the second drawer down,” Melinda said, sprinkling the vinaigrette over the salad before placing it in the refrigerator.
“Thanks, babe,” Olivia returned.
“Mom, have you seen my silver flats?” Jasmine shouted.
Melinda smile with a shake of her head. Sometimes she could have sworn Olivia gave birth to the teen. “They’re under your bed!” she said. She checked on the rising yeast rolls on the counter. She placed them in the oven and took out the resting pot roast.
After quickly washing the few dirtied dishes, she walked through the dining and living room to make sure both were fit for guests. She headed for the stairs and removed her apron. She was halfway up when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Jasmine said, hurrying past her mother.
Olivia followed Jasmine’s descent a couple of seconds later. Melinda’s keen eye noticed she had her service weapon clipped to her belt. She grabbed her fiancé’s arm, dragging her back into the bedroom.
“Mel,” Olivia protested as they made it their bedroom.
“You’re not going down there with that weapon on your belt in plain view.”
“So I can hide it?” Olivia asked with a coy smile.
“No,” Melinda said firmly.
“He could be defiling our daughter as we speak,” Olivia said, trying to step around Melinda.
The curly-haired woman stopped her progress. “He’s barely been here thirty-five seconds,” she reasoned. “Take off the gun and you can cock-block as much as you want,” she said.
Olivia raised an amused eyebrow. “Cock block?”
Melinda shrugged. “I picked it up from one of my interns.”
Olivia grinned a little before she ejected the clip form her gun and put both in her lock box at the top of the closet.
“There now, it wasn’t so painful was it?”
“It was a little,” Olivia said with a mock pout.
Melinda kissed the pouting lip. Olivia smiled, deepening the kiss. “We’ll have to finish this later. I have to go save our daughter from a defiler.” She gave Melinda’s behind a quick squeeze before making her way out of the room.
Melinda shucked off her shirt. “I’ll be down soon,” she said, going to the outfit hanging on the closet door.
Olivia nodded even though Melinda did not see her. She took a few steps down the hallway and stopped. She looked over her shoulder briefly. She grabbed her backup weapon from the secret compartment under the small table against the wall. She checked it to ensure the safety was on and tucked the gun in the back of her pants. With an intimidating swagger, she entered the living room just in time to see Jasmine and her boyfriend jump apart like they’d been electrocuted. The boy appeared ashamed while
Jasmine just looked annoyed.
Olivia took this time to gaze over the boy. He had light brown hair with, intense glass green eyes. His face was clean shaven and even sitting Olivia could see he had an athletic build. He was cute. Olivia narrowed her eyes. Cute or not this pretty boy had obviously been kissing her baby girl. She walked forward, shooting Jasmine a disapproving look.
“Hey, I’m Jasmine’s mom, Detective Olivia Benson.” She extended her hand.
The boy stood. “Troy Baxter…ma’am,” he said, gripping her hand.
She held his hand firmly with a shark smile. The boy swallowed audibly. “Troy. That’s a nice name,” she said, reveling in his fear. “You look like a teenage boy with a healthy…appetite,” she said lightly with her eyes twinkling.
“Mom!” Jasmine said embarrassed.
Troy’s face immediately went crimson as he glanced to Jasmine and back to Olivia and paled when he realized what she meant, what she had to mean. “N-no. My ap-appetite is actually quite small. I mean I’m not…er…hungry. Ever.”
“Not even for Melinda’s pot roast? She’s really an excellent cook.” Olivia’s smirk widened as she spoke in a casual tone. The smell of baking bread was beginning to permeate the room. “Jasmine, why don’t you go ahead and take the rolls to the table,” Olivia said though it wasn’t a request. She gently pushed the stricken looking young man on the couch beside her with a smirk firmly in place.
-x-
Dinner was a tense affair. It was as though Olivia was pulling out all her best interrogation tactics to ask simple question.
“So Troy,” Olivia started, cutting her roast slowly. “What are your intentions with my daughter?” She shifted in her seat a little. “Oh,” She took the gun from the back of her pants and placed in on the table as if it was something she did everyday.
“Ma’am?” Troy squeaked, nearly choking on the potatoes he’d just put into his mouth when he saw the gun.
“Your intentions,” Olivia repeated. “What are they?” she asked him with a steely gaze.
“Oh geez,” Jasmine groaned. She never wished for an emergency that called for her mother’s attention so desperately until just this moment. Of course, her prayers went unanswered.
“Liv, give the boy a little time to breathe and gather his thoughts and put that gun away,” Melinda said with in stern tone.
Olivia didn’t look the least bit contrite when she left the table to place the gun back in its proper place.
“Thank you, Mrs. Benson.” He looked at her gratefully. He was much more comfortable looking at her than Olivia.
Melinda couldn’t help the swell she felt in her heart when Troy called her ‘Mrs. Benson.’ “Please, call me Melinda,” she said kindly.
Olivia returned to her seat and looked at Troy expectantly. He cleared his throat before speaking. “My intentions with Jasmine are completely honorable I assure you. I love her with all my heart,” he said, trying not to pull at his collar in nervousness. “I’d like to say I would never hurt her but I’m only human so all can say is that I would never hurt her intentionally,” he finished.
Olivia was impressed that his voice hadn’t wavered when he addressed him. She looked at the boy long and hard. She could tell his words were genuine. “That’s all I wanted to know,” she said finally.
-x-
After dinner, Jasmine and Troy stood, reaching for the dinner plates. “We’ll do the dishes, Ma.”
“No, that’s fine. Go and prepare the movie with your Mom. Troy and I can take care of the dishes.”
Jasmine shot a panicked look to Troy. The other teen looked at her confused.
“You’ll help me right, Troy?” Melinda asked pleasantly.
“Yes, ma’am,” Troy said quickly, taking the stack of plates away from Jasmine.
They walked into the kitchen together. Once they reached the kitchen sink, Troy watched as Melinda filled the left side of the sink to the brim with hot, soapy water. “Could you hand me all the plates, please?” she asked.
He took this moment to truly look at the older woman. She had a classic beauty that she obviously didn’t flaunt if the minimal make up was any indication. He could see that Jasmine would be aging very well. He knew Jasmine wasn’t just the product of her biological mother and father. In just the short while Troy’s known her, he’s been completely blown away by her confidence and fierce protectiveness of her friends that he could now see from her other mother Olivia.
“What you said at the table was really sweet,” Melinda said softly. She passed him a clean plate to rinse and continued, “You impressed me.”
“I meant every word,” Troy answered.
“Of that I have no doubt,” Melinda responded. She picked up the carving knife from the water and twirled it hands. Troy’s eyes snapped down to the utensil of their own accord. “I’m glad Jasmine found you,” she said and deliberately cleaned the sharp blade.
“There are so many evil human beings. I’ve seen a lot of what mankind can do to itself, so it’s nice to know Jasmine has found herself a decent guy.” She smiled at him.
Troy couldn’t help but smile back if only apprehensively. His eyes kept flicking back and forth to the ‘weapon’ in her hands. “Thank you,” he said.
“Let’s finish the dishes,” Melinda said, finally passing the knife to the teenager.
Troy nodded, grateful to have the knife in his possession. He rinsed the dishes that had accumulated in his side of the sink, and placed them in the dish rack. In just a few minutes, all the dishes were washed and dripping dry.
“You’re a great help, Troy,” Melinda commented. “I like a man that has no problem cleaning.”
“I’m definitely no stranger to a mop and broom. I’m the oldest of four siblings, so I helped my mom out a lot."
“That’s good to know,” Melinda said, rinsing the dishtowel out. She wrung out the extra water and placed it on the divider of the sink. “Troy, may I ask you something personal?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Troy answered, though he was confused by the seemingly out of nowhere question.
“How much do you value your manhood?” she asked bluntly.
Troy choked on air. “M-ma’am?” he managed to finally squeak.
“Now Troy I told you to call me Melinda,” she said conversationally. “Is it really a hard question?”
“N-no, ma-Melinda.”
“We can try a different type of question. On a scale of one through ten, how much do you value your manhood.?”
Troy looked at her. She was calm, too calm and he knew she meant business. He swallowed thickly. “I’d have to say thirty,” he finally said.
“As would all teenage boys,” she said wryly. “The reason I ask is that if you ever break your promise and willingly hurt my daughter, I’ll remove my ‘pound’ of flesh without anesthetic. Do we understand each other?”
The young man could only manage to nod silently. Melinda nodded back and walked out of the kitchen, not bothering to see if you Troy was following. “Have you ever seen Terminator 2, Troy?” she asked, settling on her place on the couch beside Olivia.
“No, ma’am,” he said.
Olivia shot him a look like he just kicked a puppy. “You're kidding?” she asked in disbelief.
“Oh great, you’ve offended her now, babe,” Jasmine joked to Troy.
Olivia was so surprised that Jasmine’s term of endearment slipped her notice. She popped the DVD into the player and they all settled down to watch the movie. When Jasmine reclined back against Troy’s chest, Olivia sat up, ready to separate them.
Melinda grabbed her arm and shook her head. “Leave them alone,” she whispered.
Olivia looked at the two teens once again. “Okay…” she settled onto the couch and held Melinda tightly.
-x-
As, the credits rolled onscreen, Troy yawned softly and looked at his watch. “I should head home,” he said and stood. “I’ve got just enough time to get home in time for my curfew.”
Melinda and Olivia got to their feet as well. “Okay, take care,” Melinda said.
“Thank you for having me for dinner,” Troy said kindly.
“It was our pleasure,” Melinda said.
“Not all of ours,” Olivia muttered under her breath.
“Come on, Troy,” Jasmine said loudly to cover up her mother’s comment. “I’ll walk you out.” She held his hand on the way out of the house.
Once the door closed, Melinda smacked Olivia’s arm. “You’re terrible.”
“But you love me.”
“That I do.” Melinda smiled at her. She grabbed the blanket from the couch, folding it and placed it on the back of the couch. “Let’s get ready for bed.”
“Oh no, I don’t want my daughter making out on the front porch.” Olivia walked briskly toward the front door.
“Olivia, get away from that window. Don’t you trust our daughter?”
“Of course I do. It’s the boy I don’t trust,” Olivia responded, moving the curtain just a few inches. Jasmine and Troy had just broken their kiss and were now hugging.
“Liv…,” Melinda said lowly behind her.
Olivia turned around and was promptly hit in the face with a blouse. She removed the piece of clothing from her face with a confused look. Her eyes flicked from the blouse to her fiancé’s toned abs and lace covered chest.
Melinda held her hands above her head in a lazy stretch. “If you’re going to play spy all night, I may just take things into my own hands,” she said. She lowered her arms and wiggled her fingers teasingly. With a smile, she started for the stairs.
Olivia was behind her in a matter of seconds. She scooped Melinda up in her arms and proceeded upstairs. Melinda squealed at being picked up and laughed when Olivia bounded up the stairs.
-x-
Troy pulled away from Jasmine when he heard the commotion. “What was that?” he asked.
“If I know my parents, it’s probably the first bell of the first round,” Jasmine said.
Troy laughed. “That common, huh?”
“Sometimes I feel like I’m the grownup and they’re the teens.” She sat on the bench right beside the door with a roll of her eyes.
“They’re cool though.”
“Thanks. I’ve always thought so,” Jasmine said with a reflective smile. “How badly do I owe you?” she glanced at her friend.
“Oh so much,” Troy said with a smirk, settling down next to her. “Why couldn’t you tell them who you’re really dating again?” he asked.
Jasmine dropped her head with a sigh. “It’s complicated.”
“They’re not dangerous though, right?”
“No,” she said at once.
Troy raised a questioning eyebrow at the abruptness of her answers. “Really?”
“Yes, really. They are absolutely not dangerous.”
“Okay,” Troy said, checking his phone. “I’m going to let you get back to you lesbian looove palace so I can hook up with my baby.”
The two friends stood embracing again. “Tell Louis I said I’m sorry about cutting into his cuddle time,” Jasmine said, patting Troy on the back.
“I will.” Troy broke the hug and ruffled the curls on Jasmine’s head. He took the keys out of his pocket. “I hope we get to actually meet your secret boyfriend soon.”
Jasmine watched as Troy got into his car and drove away. “I hope so too,” she said into the night air.
-End of Chapter Five Part II-
So, Jasmine has a mystery love. Any guesses as to who it is? Anyone? Anyways, I’ve posted the pictures of Jasmine’s friend’s. The link is in the previous chapter. Even though this chapter was more Jasmine oriented, I hope you all still enjoyed.
Thanks for reading!! ^_^