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Lennie Briscoe quietly made his way up to his front door. He stood outside in the hall, listening intently for any sounds from within. He expected loud cursing and perhaps crashes from overturned book shelves and/or broken glass. Jack hadn't exactly been in a pleasant frame of mind during the first three Cardinal victories and now that there was a fourth.... Maybe he should have taken John up on his offer to sleep on the couch until the World Series was over.
And the World Series was most definitely over. It really didn't matter to Lennie. The Cardinals played better and won. They took advantage of their opportunities while Detroit made mistake after mistake. The Cardinals were champions in 2006. That was the end of the story.
"But there's no joy in Wrigleyville," he muttered.
However, he didn't hear anything. He cautiously slid his key into the lock. As quietly as possible, he slipped inside the dark apartment and locked the door behind him.
The lights in the front room were off. He took a deep breath and went back into the bedroom to confront the October beast in its den. He found Jack sitting up in bed, giving a pretense of watching Jay Leno, but every line in his body was rigid and he wasn't laughing at any of the jokes.
"Hey, Jack," Lennie tried lightly.
Jack McCoy blinked and looked at his lover. He managed a small smile in greeting. "Hey."
Lennie sat on the edge of the bed and took his shoes off. "I beat John again tonight, but I guess that's not news," he said, hoping to divert Jack from a conversation he didn't want to have.
"Tell me when he wins. That will actually be a surprise," Jack answered dryly.
Lennie laughed. "If it ever happens."
Jack used the remote to turn off the TV and folded his arms across his chest. "I guess you know what happened," he said sourly.
Lennie stood and began stripping out of his clothes. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently, without looking at Jack.
"They won," Jack answered distastefully.
"Who?" Lennie asked as if it didn't matter.
Jack grunted. "You know very well who."
Lennie stripped down to his undershirt and boxers. He left his dirty clothes on the floor and he'd deal with it in the morning. He crawled into bed next to Jack. "I'm sorry your nemesis won," he said earnestly.
Jack didn't hear. He shook his head in frustration. "Detroit played like a bunch of little leaguers. They practically gave the Cardinals the World Series trophy. I expected more from a team coached by Jim Leyland."
"We know what they'll be working on in spring training in the Detroit camp: bunt plays." Lennie stretched out on his back and stared up at the ceiling. "Jack, I'm beat. Could you turn the light out?"
"All those errors," Jack continued. "Detroit didn't deserve to win."
Lennie sighed heavily. This was going to be as bad as when the Cubs blew the 2003 NLCS. He was just going to have to ride the storm out. He rubbed Jack's arm. "It's over, Jack," he said gently.
Jack pouted. "I know, but I don't have to like it."
"There's always next year," Lennie offered. It would be another season of disappointment for Jack. Of that, he was sure, but he was smart enough not to say so.
Jack covered Lennie's hand with his own. "Yeah, I know."
Lennie grinned. "I have to say that you're taking this better than I expected."
Jack arched an eyebrow. "What did you expect?"
"The October Beast in all its glory, overturned bookshelves, broken glass, and all. Maybe even a broken TV," Lennie answered, deadpan.
Jack snorted. "I'm not that bad."
"That's what you think. Remember 2003?"
Jack's face got red. "We needed a new TV anyway. Okay, maybe I am that bad."
Lennie gave Jack's arm a squeeze and let go. He closed his eyes. "But I love you anyway. Now, turn off the light."
Jack chuckled and did as he was told. He lay next to Lennie and gave him a brief kiss on the lips. "I love you, too, and thanks for putting up with the beast."