Title: Doppelganger

Author: Python

Fandom: Law & Order/Le Divorce

Pairing: Briscoe/McCoy

Email: flairswench@hotmail.com

Archive: My website: http://www.geocities.com/bikertaker2000/Python.html

Summary: Jack runs into his doppelganger

Disclaimer: These guys don't belong to me. I'm not making any money off them.

Any feedback is appreciated

Note: Le Divorce is a good movie. I recommend it. Sam Waterston's part as Chester Walker is fairly small, but he does a good job. It just amused me to think about Jack McCoy meeting Chester Walker.

Doppelganger
by Python

Jack McCoy looked at his watch anxiously as he waited for his lover at the airport. Lennie had been gone for two weeks visiting his daughter and new grandson and Jack hated to admit how much he missed him. Jack would have gone with Lennie if he could've gotten the time off but Branch needed him on a big case.

Jack walked over to the monitors and saw that Lennie's plane had landed. He rubbed his hands together and paced around the waiting area. Fifteen minutes later, he saw Lennie and couldn't help the big grin that came over his face.

Lennie Briscoe walked up to Jack and grinned. He touched Jack's arm. He'd only been gone a couple weeks but it felt like longer. "Hey."

Jack and Lennie weren't really ones for public displays of affection.

They were out of the closet, but both were American males and not very demonstrative. But, at the moment, Jack didn't care who would see them. Besides, who would pay attention to them in a crowded airport? He pulled Lennie into a hug. "Hey."

Lennie leaned into the hug. "I missed you, too, Jack," he whispered.

Jack reluctantly pulled away and cleared his throat. "How are Julia and the baby?"

Lennie and Jack began walking to the baggage claim area. "They're fine," Lennie answered proudly.

"Did they decide on a name?"

"Yup. The kid's name is Gabriel Jacob Masters."

Jack chuckled. "Good Catholic names."

Lennie's eyebrow rose. "Yeah, but Julia was raised Jewish." He shrugged.

"Oh well. I guess that it doesn't really matter. The kid will be loved no matter what his name is."

Jack steered Lennie by the elbow. "You're just an old softie, you know that?"

Lennie felt his cheeks flush. "Tell anyone else that and I'll kill you. I can get away with it, too."

Jack laughed. "I'll be sure to keep it just between us."

*

Margeeve and Chester Walker said their goodbyes to their son, Roger. The three of them had just returned from Paris after the birth of their grandson, Luc, and the sale of their LeTour painting. Roger was heading straight home to California, while Margeeve and Chester decided to stay in
New York for a few days. They would have a little holiday to celebrate, just the two of them.

Margeeve waited with their luggage, while Chester went to find a restroom. She looked at her watch. He'd been gone fifteen minutes. She folded her arms across her chest. "Geez, Chester, how long does it take to use the john?" she muttered.

Margeeve searched the throng of people for any sign of her husband. She didn't see him and tapped her foot impatiently against the tile floor. She looked up and scanned the crowd again.
"Come on, Chester."

Finally, Margeeve saw Chester. He stood by one of the baggage carousels. He was talking to another man. "Who is that?"

Chester didn't seem to be in any great hurry to get back to her. He was one of those people that, no matter where you took him, he ran into someone he knew. Margeeve shook her head and went to go get him, pulling their luggage cart behind her.

Margeeve made her way through the other people and came up behind the two. "Chester," she said, trying not to sound too stern. He didn't turn.

"Chester."

Chester turned and stared at her in confusion. "Can I help you?"

Margeeve ran a hand through her hair and didn't take the time to notice that Chester was wearing different clothes. "We were going to go to our hotel, unless you don't want to anymore."

Chester still looked confused and exchanged glances with the other man. "I think you have me confused with someone else."

Margeeve was in no mood for stupid games. "I'm really not in the mood for this."

"I don't know who you think I am, but..."

"You're Chester Walker, my husband who, if he doesn't get a move on, is really going to be in the dog house."

*

Jack gaped at this crazy woman. He had never seen her before and had no idea who she was. He was certainly not married to her.

The woman sighed and gave a small smile to Jack and then to Lennie. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be short. It's just been a long flight and I would like to get to the hotel."

"Ma'am," Lennie said politely but authoritatively. "This isn't your husband." He and Jack had been together six years. If Jack was anyone's husband, he was his.

The woman snorted. "Of course he is."

"No. His name is McCoy."

"Oh, quit clowning." She tugged on Jack's sleeve. "Please, Chester."

Jack pulled out his wallet and opened it to show her his ID. "I'm not your husband. See, my name is Jack McCoy."

The woman studied the ID and then Jack's face. She stared at him in disbelief. "The resemblance in uncanny."

"Margeeve," a voice called.

The woman turned. "Chester." Her voice was filled with relief.

Jack stared at the man who looked to be almost his exact twin. It was like looking at himself in a mirror. He glanced at Lennie, who rested a steadying hand on his lower back.

Chester put his arm around Margeeve's shoulder. Apparently, he hadn't noticed Jack yet. "Sorry, it took me so long. There was a line and...What?"

Margeeve pointed to Jack. "Look."

Chester looked at Jack and did a double-take. His lips moved but nothing came out for several seconds. Finally a startled sound escaped his lips. "Wow."

Jack swallowed. "Yeah, me too."

"We're almost twins."

Chester's hair had a few more strands of gray than his but Jack had to agree. "Yeah, I can see why your wife mistook me for you."

*

Margeeve looked from her Chester to Jack and back again. Their hair was cut different and Jack had a little more gray hair but, other than that, they looked the same. It was eerie.

Chester gave Margeeve a little reassuring squeeze. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said amiably to Jack. "I'm Chester Walker and this is my wife, Margeeve."

Jack nodded. "Jack McCoy." He gestured to his companion. "And this is Lennie Briscoe."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Same here."

The four eyed each other. Neither Margeeve nor Chester was quite sure how to proceed. It seemed that neither did Jack or Lennie.

Margeeve couldn't stand the awkward silence anymore. Here she was, standing in an airport with her husband, staring at a man that looked just like Chester. Just when she thought she'd seen everything, something new popped up. She chuckled. "Well, they say that everyone has a doppelganger, but I never believed it until now."

"Me neither," Lennie agreed.

Jack jammed his hands into his pockets. "I was born in Chicago. You?"

"Travis Air Force Base in California. My parents met while my father was in the service. My family and I still live in California," Chester answered.

He knew that he wasn't adopted and his parents would have never given a child away, especially his twin.

"So, there's no way that we're related," Jack stated with certainty.

"I guess not."

Margeeve was tired and she felt awkward. "Chester, I think we should be going."

Chester smiled warmly at his wife. He definitely understood her need to get out of there. "Okay." He turned his smile on Jack and Lennie. "It was nice to have met you."

Jack returned the gesture. "You, too."

*

Jack and Lennie watched the other two disappear into the crowd. Jack could hardly believe what he'd seen: a complete stranger that looked exactly like him. It was strange but Chester seemed nice enough and odds were that they'd never see each other again. But what were the odds that they'd ever run into each other in the first place?

Lennie whistled softly. His Jack had a twin. He wondered if he had one somewhere out there. "Now, that's something I never expected to see."

Jack nudged Lennie. "You're not more shocked than me."

Lennie rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. A woman comes up to you and claims that she's your wife. What am I supposed to think?" he teased.

Jack smirked and leaned in close. His voice was a low rumble that only Lennie could hear. "You're supposed to know that you're the only one I let in my bed."

Lennie's eyebrow rose. "You know what that tone of voice can do to me."

Jack's eyes twinkled. "Yeah, I do know."

"I think we should go home now."

Jack grinned. "I think that's a good idea." He wanted to show Lennie just how much he'd missed him.

Lennie grinned back. "Come on."

*

Margeeve sat in the back seat of the cab, waiting, while Chester and the cab driver loaded their baggage in the trunk. She leaned back and covered her eyes with her arm. The jet lag was catching up to her and she'd be glad to get to a hotel room with a bed.

Chester helped the driver with a particularly heavy bag. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jack and Lennie coming out of the airport.

They crossed in front of his cab to go into the parking lot. He couldn't get over how similar he and Jack looked.

Chester grabbed another bag and put it in the trunk. His eyes darted to Jack's retreating form in the parking lot again. He thought that Jack and Lennie walked awfully close together. Then, Jack's arm hooked around Lennie's.

The driver closed the trunk and followed Chester's gaze to see Jack lean in to speak in Lennie's ear. Lennie's hand rested in the small of Jack's back. He looked at Chester with a small smile. "Haven't you ever seen a gay couple before?"

Chester focused on the driver. "What?"

The driver gestured to Jack and Lennie, who were getting into a car. "They're gay."

"Really?"

"I think so. If you'll get in, Sir, I'll take you to you're hotel."

"Okay." Chester slid into the back seat next to Margeeve. He put an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

Margeeve rested her hand over her husband's heart. "I wonder what he's like."

"Who?"

"Your doppelganger."

Chester shrugged. There was one major difference that he could think of.

The driver sounded like he knew what he was talking about and being gay was a plausible explanation for the way Jack and Lennie were acting. The way Jack and Lennie touched each other indicated that they knew each other extremely well. Not that he really cared about Jack and Lennie's social lives. It was none of his business.

Margeeve shut her eyes, comfortable in Chester's arms. "I'm sure he's not as wonderful as you."

Chester chuckled quietly and kissed the top of Margeeve's head. "I'm not opposed to you trying to butter me up."

Margeeve's only response was to laugh.

The End