Infinity

TITLE: Infinity (8/?)

AUTHOR: Master F&M

FANDOM: Law and Order: SVU

RATING: Everything from PG to R—just like life.

SUMMARY: A Fin fic— to give him a life that the show refuses to give him

DISCLAIMER: L&O: SVU and all its characters belong to Dick Wolf, NBC, and whomever

                          else puts the show out for our enjoyment. I just get to play with them.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Sam is a character of my own creation. She does not exist on the show.

FEEDBACK: Please give some. For entertainment purposes only.

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CHAPTER 8

            John Munch looked across his desk to Fin who was busy with a phone call. It had been
two days since he’d left his partner and his niece alone together at dinner. In that time, they’d
discovered that not only had all the mothers of the victims in their case once lived in the same
fifteen story brownstone, but they had all also belonged to the same teenage social club. Because
the victims were minors, their names had not been released to the public, so none of the mothers
had known about the others.

            The purpose of their little club had apparently been the torture and humiliation of a
socially awkward boy who also lived in the building. They had taken turns alternating between
flirting with and insulting him, then chronicling the details for anyone interested at school.
Richard “Dick” Weeks, and Munch could just imagine the fun they must have had with his name
alone, was now their primary suspect. After high school he had dropped into obscurity, but the
unit was betting he hadn’t dropped the grudge he must have held against those girls. Now he was
taking it out on their daughters. The sins of the mother, Munch mused.

            A part of him almost felt sorry for the creep. Munch himself remembered what it felt like
to be bullied and teased, and knew first hand what kind of impact it could have on a person’s life.
He could still feel some of the anger he’d felt against those boys, but at least he hadn’t hurt any
innocent people because of it. Or killed anyone.

            His mind reached back to a time in Baltimore when he was working homicide, and to a
case where three of his colleagues had been shot and the perp had walked, only to turn up dead a
short time later. He let his memory linger there for a few minutes, then, sighing, turned his
attention back to Fin.

            Munch was somewhat disappointed by the aftermath of Fin’s dinner with Sam. He hadn’t
known exactly what to expect, but he hadn’t expected it to be nothing. He knew Fin hadn’t gone
home right after dinner because Munch had called his apartment an hour later and got the
machine. Fin always answered the phone when he was home. John suspected that he was hoping
against hope that one day it would be Dorian on the other end. It was possible that Fin had left
Sam’s, then gone out elsewhere, but Munch doubted it. Fin wasn’t very social these days.

            That left only one explanation: Fin had stayed at Sam’s at least for a short while. Though
he was near bursting with curiosity, he didn’t want to raise either of their suspicions by asking
about it. And neither had volunteered anything.

            Munch watched Fin as he finished up with his call. From the animated look on his face,
Munch was guessing it wasn’t about work. His suspicions were confirmed when, after hanging up,
Fin sat for a few seconds while a small smile played around the corners of his mouth.

            “Who was that?” Munch asked, testing his theory. “Was it the M.E.?” They were waiting
on the final DNA results from the lab that confirmed whether or not samples taken from the
victims all belonged to one perp.

            “Who? This?” Fin asked in response, holding up his cell. “ That was Sam.”

            Munch nearly laughed out loud when Fin suddenly began rummaging through his desk
drawers in search of something. In all the years he had sat across from Fin, never ohad had Fin’s
desk been messy. And never once had Fin not known where something was on or in it. Rifling
through the drawers was a nervous habit for him. Now what could possibly be making you so
nervous, my friend?

            “Sam? Really? Did she find out anything new about Weeks?” Munch made a show of
checking his own cell phone to make sure it was on and functioning.

            “I wonder why she didn’t call me with it?” He pretended to look a little perplexed.
“Anyway, what did she come up with? Oh, and FYI, don’t get pissed at me ‘cause I didn’t give
her your number.”

            Munch nearly went giddy with the look that came over Fin’s face: the proverbial hand
caught in the cookie jar.

            “Nah. She didn’t have anything new. That was about something else.”

            “Oh? How’d she get your number then?” Munch sat up quickly like he’d just gotten an
idea. “Look. If she’s been doing her computer thing and got it that way, let me know and I’ll talk
to her . . . ” Munch’s voice trailed off as Fin shook his head.

            “That wasn’t it. I gave it to her yesterday. It’s cool.”

            “You did? And it is? I thought you hated it when ‘nonessential personnel’ called your cell.
What’d she want anyway?”

            Munch suppressed a smile as Fin squirmed a little. It was obvious that he was
uncomfortable with the situation, and uncomfortable meant there was something to be
uncomfortable about.

            “Yeah, well, I gave it to her just in case she got something and couldn’t reach you.” After
a short pause, he added, “The Knicks are on tonight.”

            “So?”

            “So she invited me over to watch the game.”

            Fin got up and walked over to the coffeepot. He took his time pouring a cup, much longer
than he would have if he’d simply wanted some coffee, then returned to his desk. He had averted
his eyes the entire time from Munch who still hadn’t responded. Munch waited until Fin looked up
at him.

            “You gonna go?”

            Sure, that’s the reason, Munch thought to himself. The system.

            “I’m insulted. I wasn’t invited to this little soiree.”

            “Man, you don’t even like basketball.”

            “That’s beside the point.” He took a breath and held it for a second before exhaling it.
“You’d think a girl might be more disposed to not leave out her favorite uncle.”

 

            “You’re her only uncle.”

            “All the more reason for me to be her favorite.”

            Fin shook his head, then tried another tactic. “She probably thought you had another date
with your mystery woman. Tori, wasn’t it?”

            Now it was Munch’s turn to squirm. He knew everyone wanted to know about the new
person in his life, but he wasn’t quite ready to talk about her yet. So far things were going well -for him that was saying a lot - and he didn’t want to jinx it. Not that he believed in such
superstitious dribble.

            “No such luck. She happens to be busy tonight, so that leaves me free as a naked jaybird.”

            Fin grimaced. “That was an image I could have done without.”

            Munch laughed. “Then I guess you’re lucky you weren’t around in Baltimore at one time.
Did I ever tell you about the time one of my ex-girlfriends took this picture of me and . . . ”

            “Yeah. Yeah. I’ve heard it. You told me,” Fin stopped him. “Don’t tell it again. Please.”

            “Hey! That was one of my better anecdotes. No one appreciates the fine art of storytelling
anymore. For instance . . . ” Munch’s cell phone rang, interrupting him.

            “Saved by the damn bell.”

 

            Munch made a face at Fin then answered it. “Munch.”

            “Speak of the devil. We were just talking about you . . . My partner and I, that’s who . . .
So he said . . . And why wasn’t I invited? ...Well it would have been nice to be asked . . . (he
laughs) . . . That’s okay. I don’t really like basketball anyway, but apology accepted . . . No
problem . . . Talk to you later.”

            Munch hung up the phone and turned back to Fin. “Now. As I was saying . . . ”

            “No, you don’t, you lunatic. I ain’t listening to another one of your stories. I’m gonna sit
here and quietly finish up my paperwork. Then I’m gonna relax and watch the game. You do
whatever you want. Just leave me out of it.” Fin opened a file on his desk and started reading.

            “I see manners have befallen the same fate as storytelling.”

            When Fin didn’t take the bait, Munch muttered something, then got started on his own
paperwork. Nearly an hour later Fin got up, straightened his desk, and put on his jacket.

            “I’m outta here.”

            Munch looked at his desk, then at Fin’s. “You made good time.”

            “Amazing what you can do when you’re not yakkin’ away, huh?” Fin walked toward the
door.

            “Don’t worry about me,” Munch called after him. “I’ll be here. Slaving away. All alone.”
Fin ignored him and kept walking.

            Munch watched him go. Have fun.