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Release	By : KaticaLocke Category: G through L > Law & Order Views: 3499 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Law & Order, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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"I'm sorry, can you explain it to me?" Alex and Fin both groaned aloud, Munch rolled his eyes and Elliot slammed his fist down on the desk, making Novak jump. "I'm sorry," she snapped, "but I don't understand. Which one am I supposed to choose?"

"It doesn't matter," Munch said again, "just pick one." Huffily, she snatched up the black rock with the white star on it. "Now, was that so hard?" he said with an exaggerated sigh. She made as if she were going to throw it at him. He just turned to Olivia. "Your turn." Her eyes swept over the remaining implements: the goblet and the stick. Bishop had already taken the dull black and silver dagger. Alex watched from the side, a little peeved that she was going to be stuck with whatever Olivia didn't pick, but Munch was running the show; she'd do as he said. Olivia hesitated over the twisty stick-thing, then took the battered silver cup.

"Gee, just what I always wanted," Alex said, picking up the stick. The wood was pale and smooth, some kind of willow or ash, maybe. His eyes hooded, Munch smiled patiently.

"Sometimes, the best match is not one we choose, but one that refuses all others until only we are left." She blinked at him.

"You read that on a fortune cookie or somethin'?" Fin asked, bringing a slight scowl to Munch's thin face.

"Did you have to say that?" he said, peering over his glasses at his partner.

"'Scuse me, Confucius," Fin said with a good-natured sneer. "I didn't mean to spoil the mood, but us guys are about bored to tears over here. When do we get somethin' to play with?"

"I think I got a live power line around here somewhere," Munch said, spreading another handful of assorted leaves on the desk.

"That's enough you two," Cragen said from his office doorway. "You're wasting time." He cast a meaningful glance toward the clock. It was almost three in the morning. Alex groaned and rubbed her face.

"Sorry, Captain," Munch said, but behind his smoky glasses, his eyes were unrepentant. As Cragen returned to his office, Munch turned to Fin. "Since you're so eager to help out, why don't you pick first this time?"

"Pick what?" Fin asked, standing up and frowning at the dried foliage on the desk. "You know, when most people kill a house plant, they throw it out and buy a new one."

"Ha, ha, ha, you're killing me here," Munch said, deadpan. "Just pick one, will you?" Fin made a face as he looked the plants over, then grabbed one, muttering something about grass clippings and Martha Stewart. "Elliot, if you would." Elliot picked up a dark green stem with oval leaves and withered yellow flowers. Munch raised his eyebrows. "Interesting," he said, making everyone in the room peer curiously at the plant.

"Oh, no you don't," Elliot said, now holding his plant at arm's length. "You don't just go 'Hmmm, interesting' and expect that to be it. What's interesting?"

"Relax, Elliot, that yellow evening primrose is not going to bite you," he said, fighting a smirk. "It's just that every one of these plants has a meaning, an energy, a magick power, if you will. That one happens to be hunting, which makes sense, considering your line of work. I figured you pick a different one, is all; I guess it's a good thing the choice is yours." Still frowning, Elliot sat down, delicately laying the primrose on the desk before him. "Liv?" He gestured toward the desk. Olivia bit her lip.

"What does this one mean?" she asked, pointing at the holly branch. Munch shook his head.

"That's not the way it works," he said. "If you want to know, I'll tell you after you've chosen." He sighed and clasped his hands behind his back. "In a real coven, everyone knows what these plants do, and they choose accordingly. We don't have time for even a crash course in herbology, so we're just going to wing it. Trust me, in this business, luck is far more powerful than planning." Olivia shook her head and selected a plant with a thick, heavy stalk, hairy-looking leaves and white flowers tipped with pink. �That�s masterwort; funny name, but it is drawn to and promotes courage. Quite fitting, if you ask me. Dr. Huang?�

�My great-grandmother knew a bit of ancient Chinese medicine,� he said, eyeing the desk. �She could stop a nose bleed with one kind of leaf, cure a headache with another.� He shrugged. �Who would have thought.� He took a green-gold cedar branch, running it across his fingers almost reverently.

�Big surprise,� Munch said quietly. �Cedar�s power is healing.� The room was silent for a moment. �Okay, Alex, you're next."

"Gee, I thought I was going to be last again," she said, stepping forward. The damn butterflies were back. Now why would picking a hunk of dead vegetation off a desk make her nervous? Because it revealed something about her, maybe something she didn�t want revealed. The last three had been dead on; hunting, courage, healing - �What does Fin�s plant mean?� Munch hadn�t said, she realized suddenly. Maybe it wouldn�t help, but she had to know.

�That�s a sweet pea,� Munch said with a smirk. �It means friendship.�

�That explains why I don�t feel the need to kick your bony ass into the street for letting me pick somethin� called a sweet pea. Why didn�t you just hand me a T-shirt that says John�s Bitch to go with it?�

�Good idea,� Munch said. �I�ll get one too that says Fin�s Witch." He glanced in the Captain�s direction. Cragen was still in his office, on the phone, but was watching his detectives with a scowl on his face. �Anyway, it�s still your turn, Alex.�

�Oh, to hell with it,� she muttered under her breath, grabbing the holly branch. Holly leaves are nasty enough when green and soft, but once dry, they become downright vicious. One of the needle sharp points stabbed into Alex's hand. "Son of a bitch!" she cursed, dropping the branch on the floor. "I guess that was the wrong choice," she said, sticking her bleeding finger in her mouth.

"On the contrary," their resident warlock said. He sounded almost in awe. "Holly has a strong protective spirit, which awakened at your touch. You could make a pretty good witch, with training."

"Thanks," Alex said, carefully retrieving her plant from the floor. She winced as her rib gave a twinge of pain, "but I've had enough schooling for one lifetime." She regarded the holly for a moment. "So, it's power is protection, huh?" That wasn't so bad. They were supposed to 'Serve and protect', after all.

"A minor quality," Munch corrected, stepping around the end of the desk and beckoning to her, "shared by many plants: dogwood, honeysuckle, rosemary, oak, marigold, juniper ... the list is as long as my arm.� She stopped in front of him, one eyebrow raised as he reached for her. �May I?� he asked. After a moment�s hesitation she nodded and he slipped one hand inside her jacket, finding her hip and then sliding up under her shirt. She almost hit him with the business end of her holly branch, but then he pressed against her side and she hissed in pain. Nodding to himself, he closed his eyes and began to mumble again, his brow furrowed in concentration. Alex held her breath as she realized what he was doing. After a moment he removed his hand from her shirt and smiled. �Was that good for you?� he asked.

�Sorry, but I didn�t feel anything,� Alex replied, taking a slow deep breath, then another, not so tentatively. She leaned sideways, but there wasn�t so much as a twinge. �Thanks.�

�Don�t mention it,� he said with a wave of his hand. �I needed the practice.� Before she could inquire as to what that meant, he went on like nothing had happened. �Holly's distinctive power is balance, and you either have it, or need it." She gave a small snort and a lopsided smile.

"I think I am it," she said, taking a seat beside Edward. Balance. It described her relationship with Bobby better than any word she'd used so far. She balanced him. She was the light in his darkness, the ying to his yang.

"Detective Bishop, would you care to go next?" Alex looked up with interest as the willowy detective approached the desk. She scanned the choices, then took a bundle of wide-bladed grass bound with a bread-tie. "That's sweetgrass," Munch said, his eyes following Bishop back across the room to where she'd been sitting. "It's used to call spirits."

"You don't say," Bishop replied, sounding like she couldn't be less interested. Munch regarded her a moment longer, then turned to Deakins.

"Captain Deakins?" Alex watched her boss try to reign in his exuberant grin as he stood, like a boy in a candy shop, trying to decide. He finally picked up a stiff green reed with broad, grass-like leaves and a knobby, pale orange root.

"This -" He brought the root up to his nose and smelled it. "- this is ginger, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's right. Ginger embodies power itself." Deakins nodded absently and sat down, his eyes closing as he smelled it again. Munch glanced over a Novak. "Well, Casey, do you think you can handle this? I know it's a little tricky - "

"Go to hell," she snapped, stalking over and snatching up a small bouquet of ragged blue wildflowers. Several pale, paper-thin petals fluttered to the ground.

"Easy there," Munch cautioned. "Wild chicory is rather delicate, but it has the power to overcome obstacles.�

�Does that include scumbag defense attorneys?� Fin asked. Novak shot him a cold, venomous look. �Just a joke, girl, lighten up. We�re supposed to be friends, remember?� he said, holding his piece of sweet pea up between them. Just about everyone chuckled, that kind of tense laugh you get from tired, on-edge people who just need a little relief.

�Detective Sledge, it�s your turn.� Edward stood up like he�d been poked with a pin and walked stiffly over to the desk. The pickings were getting rather slim; all that remained was the faded iris, some kind of evergreen branch with red berries, and two kinds of white flowers. One had clusters of small blossoms and thin, dark green oval leaves, and the other had star-like flowers on thin stalks.

�I�ve never understood why people like flowers so much,� he said, taking the tree branch. �So, uh, what does this mean?� Munch glanced from the branch to him and back again.

�That�s you,� he said. Edward frowned, as did Alex and about half of the others. �Y-E-W,� Munch clarified. �Irish yew, I believe. They grow in just about every graveyard in Ireland. The poisonous berries kept farmer from grazing their livestock on consecrated ground.� Alex raised her eyebrows. It seemed Bobby wasn�t the only one who collected useless trivia like baseball cards. �It�s power is ... communication.�

�That�s not right.� Everyone turned to look at Bishop, seated primly in her chair. �After all, Edward, you aren�t exactly known for your conversation skills.�

�Like I said with Alex,� Munch said, glancing at her over the edge of his glasses, �you either have it, or need it.� She shrugged and looked away. Edward didn�t say anything, but sat rigidly beside Alex once again. �Okay, Detective Logan?�

�What, my turn already?� He looked down at his choices. �Looks like closing time on Valentine�s Day at my local florist. You�d think the guy would know by now to save me something.� He picked up the cluster of little flowers, an apprehensive look on his face as he waited for Munch's verdict.

"That's white alyssum. It helps moderate anger."

"Let me guess; that's the one you wanted to give me," Elliot said, toying with his primrose as he reclined in his chair.

"Are you saying I have an anger problem?" Logan asked, a frown on his face. Munch gave him a blank look.

"Remind us again why you were sent to Staten Island?" He turned to Elliot. "And you're about one perp slam away from joining Mr. Congeniality here." Elliot scowled.

"That would have to be a Congressman slam," Logan said after a moment, completely killing the tension that had been building.

"I think I like this guy," Elliot said with an abrasive laugh.

"Great, maybe after this is all over, the two of you can get together and violate a suspect's civil rights. Mr. Carver, I believe you're next." With an air of perfect solemnity, ADA Carver approached the desk, selected the faded purple iris, and returned to his seat. "The iris is associated with wisdom," Munch said, mostly for the group's benefit. Carver still looked out of it, like he was expecting to wake up safe and sound in his own bed any minute now. "Okay, that just leaves me and the edelweiss." He picked up the last bunch of flowers. "Now, I'm going to need some time - "

"Hang on," Alex said, "what does the edelweiss do?" Several others looked at him expectantly.

"Bulletproofing," he said shortly. "Now, I - "

"Wait, you tellin' me I didn't have to get shot last November?" Fin asked. "What else have you been keeping from us, Glenda?" Munch leaned forward onto the desk, his shoulders tight.

"You tell me how it would have looked had I come in one day and handed you all flowers." He fixed his partner with a heavy stare. "Do you think I haven't thought about that? Do you think a single day has passed that I haven't asked the Powers That Be to keep you all safe? I've tried, okay. You know those keychains I gave you three, four years ago for your birthdays? I begged my coven to work a protection charm on each one. I did my best. Two hundred years ago, people like me were tied up and set on fire; in some countries they still are. It's not a great confidence booster."

"But John," Fin said, sounding shocked, "surely you knew that none of us'd ever hurt you?"

"Not at first," Munch confessed. "You can't just walk up to someone and ask what their position on witchcraft is. It didn't take long, though, and then I knew, but I just got so used to hiding it ..." The room was silent for a moment, a dull, leaden silence heavy with unspoken thoughts. Finally, Munch said, "It's done now, so - let's get on with this. I need some time to work out proper positioning in the circle - Who stands next to whom."

"Is that important?" Novak asked, glancing at the guys on either side of her; Carver and Dr. Huang.

"Only if we want Detective Goren to come out of this in one piece."
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