Infinity

TITLE: Infinity (11/?)

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 pthe 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.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 11

            It was a relatively quiet day at the station house for the SVU detectives. All of their major
case files were closed, and they were enjoying a rare moment of downtime at the end of the day.

            Elliot and Olivia had their heads together trying to figure out what to get Kathy for her
birthday. It usually boiled down to Elliot deciding on the general category, then Olivia picking
out the specific gift. It was a system that had worked well for Elliot in the past.

            Munch and Fin were taking advantage of the lull by trying to catch up on their paperwork.
While Fin was nearly finished, Munch, as usual, was still surrounded by stacks of files.
Frustrated, he threw down his pen and stood up.

            “This is ridiculous. I’m never going to get out from under all this. How the department
ever manages to provide adequate service and protection to the many citizens of our bustling city
while simultaneously being bogged down by the bureaucracy and red tape required to run it is
beyond me.” He poured himself a cup of coffee while continuing his tirade.

.

            “I mean, really. Is it absolutely necessary to fill out these forms in triplicate? And does
everything really need to be signed, stamped, and filed so methodically? Couldn’t they just hire
someone to do this drudgery, and let us crime fighters stick to our jobs of fighting crime?”

            “Hey, I hear you, Batman, but if we don’t do our jobs by the book, then the bad guys get
to walk. And I don’t know about you,” Elliot reasoned, “but I see enough of that already. So
until they change the rules, the paperwork gets done.”

            “Don’t mind him,” Fin interceded. “He goes off like this about every couple of weeks.
Right on schedule; just like Old Faithful. Have to let out all that hot air. Funny, though, how it
always seems to happen after he lets his work pile up. But by then it’s somebody else’s fault he
can’t get it all done.”

            Munch looked at his watch and swore as Sam approached his desk. He had been looking
forward to having dinner with her. He wanted to catch up on any new developments there might
be between her and Fin, if there were any at all. Twice now they had made plans without
consulting him or inviting him to come along, and he was starting to feel a little neglected. He
was still working on balancing his wish to see them happy together with his desire to not lose his
standing in either of their lives. For tonight, though, he had been planning on reclaiming his role
as chief confidant. But now he wouldn’t be able to go. Capt. Cragen had made it clear that he
expected John’s desk to be bare by morning.

            “I’m sorSam,Sam,” Munch began as soon as she reached him, “but it doesn’t look like I’ll
be able to make dinner tonight.” He motioned toward his desk. “I still have a ton of crap to do,
and Cragen will have my ass if it’s still here come 8:00 A.M. Can I have a raincheck?”

            “You do realize that thi the the second time already this week that you’ve cancelled on
me? You don’t happen to have a date with your Tori, do you?”

            “Nooo. I have an unbreakable date with these files. Sorry, Kiddo. I’ll make it up to you.
Promise.”

            “But I have package deals for dinner and a show. It’s ‘The Frogs’ at the Lincoln Center.”

            “How the heck did you get tickets to that?” Fin wondered out loud. “They’ve been sold
out for weeks.”

            “I have my ways.”

            “I bet. I also bet a couple of Benjamins helped grease the wheels, too.”

            “Don’t start.”

            “Now kids,” Munch said looking from one to the other, “play nice.”

            “I don’t mean to sound like82178217;m rushing you off, “ Elliot said joining the group, “but I
thought you were heading back to Baltimore.”

            “Yes, but, to my utter delight,” Munch answered for her, “she’s decided to stay for a
while and partake of the many pleasures of our fair city.”

   &#        “’Fair city’?” Sam questioned. “Didn’t you used to refer to New York as the cesspool of
the nation? ‘Crawling with vermin and the rejects of civilized society’ is how I think you put it.”

            Everyone in the room turned to look at Munch who was suddenly very busy shuffling
papers. He chanced a peek over at Sam.

            “Weren’t you leaving? Don’t want to miss your show, you know.”

            Sam made a face at him, then, looking around the room, settled on Fin. “How about it,
Detective? You want to come? It’s dinner at Monaco’s then the show. It would be a waste not
to use the tickets.”

            Fin thought for a second. “I don’t have to wear a tux, do I?”

            Sam shrugged. “Not if you don’t want to.”

            Fin slid his feet off his desk. “Alright. I’m not one to turn down a free meal.”

            “Who said it was free? I fully expect you to pay me back for the dinner and the show.”

            Fin stopped short and stared at her. “That’s cold.”

            “Well, I wouldn’t want to corrupt you with my easy money. You’re the one with the
speech about making your own way. I get what you’re saying. I’m down,” she added with
exaggeration.

            Fin managed to keep a straight face, then turned to Munch. “See? That’s why white
people shouldn’t use slang.”

            Sam’s jaw dropped. “You did not just say that.”

            “It should come with a warning,” he continued, ignoring her. “Do Not Try This at Home.
Pleaseve tve to Professionals.” Munch couldn’t help but laugh.

            “Yeah, sure.” She walked toward the door with Fin following close behind. “And yet you
chose Han Solo as your favorite over Lando Calrissian. What self-respecting Black man wouldn’t
claim Billy Dee?”

            “Yeah, but he was boring . . . ”

            Munch chuckled as they continued down the hall. Elliot stood with his arms folded across
his chest and watched them go. He then made himself comfortable at Fin’s now vacant desk.

            “You don’t have a problem with that?” he asked Munch.

            “A problem with what?”

            “That.” He jutted his chin in the direction Fin and Sam had gone. “Them.”

            “They were only kidding around, Elliot. They weren’t serious.” Olivia perched on the
edge of Munch’s desk.

            “That’s exactly it. I’m not so sure I’d want my twenty-something year old niece ‘kidding
around’ with my forty-something year old partner.”

            Munch sat back in his chair, intere in in what Elliot had to say. “Why not? What’s the
harm in that?”

            “Oh, come on. You were here. Tell me you don’t think there’s something happening
between them. For the last few minutes, I don’t think they even remembered we were in the
room.”

 㺼&60;         “I think you’re reading more into it than there is. Besides, even if there was something
there- and I really don’t think there is since I’d be, at the very least, the third person to know- so
what? They’re both consenting adults.”

            “Yeah, but . . . ” Elliot looked skeptical. “What do you think, Liv? How would you feel
about it?”

            Olivia thought about it and tried to give an honest answer. “I think I might be a little riedried if she was just getting out into the world, but that isn’t the case here. And I know Fin, so
. . . ” She shrugged. “Let’s just say they do hook up. Then what, John?”

            “Then I’m happy for them. I’ve had the misfortune to see a lot of misery in this world. If
two people can find a little happiness in it together, then I say they should take it.”

            “It would be one serious May-December romance, though. She’s, what, half his age? It’s
bound to be an issue at some point.”

         &#  “It could get pretty messy, too, if you’re stuck in the middle of a breakup,” Olivia added.

            John had to laugh. “They’re not even together and you’re already breaking them up?” He
laughed again. “Poor kids never had a chance.” Then after a moment, “I’m content to let the
chips fall where they may, so to speak. Que sera, sera. Besides, imagine all the fun I could have
torturing him with it.”

            Elliot and Olivia smiled at the thought. “Munch, you’re a true romantic.”

            You have no idea.