Ahhhhh...finally I've decided to come out of my shell and put up some of my own work. But I can't take the credit for all of it. My good friend Shel decided that it would be a great idea to write a Homicide:Life on the Street /Law & Order crossover fanfic (called "Across the Miles," hence the above title...). Well, it's not really a crossover, but it does use characters from both shows. In any case, she talked to my other good friend Olga and they decided to design the main characters after themselves...as well as one of their other friends. Why yes, that would be me. And "my" character in the story would be paired up with Detective Mike Kellerman from H:LoTS. I never actually watched the show before, so after they told me about their "brilliant idea" , I made it a point to watch. I saw the last 4 or so episodes of season 6, and since then I've been watching the reruns on Lifetime.

But I'm beginning to babble. In any case, Shel said that I could write about Mike and Penny's (that would be "me") first date. I did, and found that I could do a lot with the characters. I asked her if I could continue the story from there, focusing mainly on Penny. She said yes, and along with her and Olga, the story has become something very interesting indeed. It's one big huge event now, each of us writing our own parts, but in a way that they could be combined to form one complete tale. Kinda neat, huh? "My" character - Detective Penelope (Penny) Graham - took on a life of her own, and though she came to represent me in the story, she developed in a bit of a different direction than me (translation - she really isn't me, but in a twisted sense, she and I are the same sides of different coins).

Because I picked up where Shel left off on her first installment, there's a few things you, as the audience, should know. Penny is a native New Yorker. She chose to move to Baltimore, Maryland after her boyfriend, Lance Medil (yes, he's the dark haired M.E. with the beard in L&O), cheated on her. Her two roommates, Mikayla (Mik) and Tara, didn't really mind the move, and liked the idea of a change of scenery. Penny is a Homicide Detective, formerly with the 2-7, and her best friend in the whole world is Mike Logan. After Mike's incident with the congressman, she became Lennie's partner until her decision to move. All that said and done, we begin "The Penny/Mike Chronicles," as I so lovingly refer to them, with Penny working with the H:LoTS crew, thanks to Tara's uncle, John Munch, two months after the big move...

Read, enjoy, and feel free to contact me with your opinions!!!!!

*** I'd like to dedicate this to Olga and Shel (Tara and Mikayla), the first of the many to join Nothville, and two of the most Incorrigible minds I know!!! :) ***

Penny Graham slammed down the phone in disgust. No matter how polite she was, some of these people simply didn't want to cooperate. It seemed like the name "Howser" would be in red forever...it was already a week since she had gone out on that call, and she felt like she was going in circles. She still didn't have any leads.

"Well," she mused at the wall she was facing, "At least that's one thing that never changes - people never see or hear anything in New York either."

She looked at the red brick wall for a few minutes, thinking about the awful green peeling walls of the 2-7. She had to admit one thing - this station was better kept than all of the New York precincts put together. "Now if I could only get some good ole fashioned New York food, this place wouldn't be half bad," she thought to herself.

A familiar deep, silky voice interrupted her. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a lost little girl from New York. Has anyone seen her?"

Only one man in the whole world would dare to call her a 'little girl' in public...and get away with it without a scratch. "Logan?" she asked herself hopefully. He had been on night shift, and though they had seen each other in passing, it was never long enough to get past the "Hi, how are you" stage.

Penny spun around in her chair and looked around. On the other side of the squad room stood Detective Mike Logan in a dark suit. His leather jacket was as worn as ever, and his plaid tie hung proudly around his neck.

"Mikey!" she screeched with delight. Her face brightened so much, that it actually lit up the entire room, which had a tendency to feel a bit cold. As Penny ran across the room into the arms of her old friend, the entire Homicide unit watched curiously, wondering who the tall stranger was that actually got a smile on Detective Graham's face.

"How's my favorite copper-colored coin doing?" Mike asked as Penny slipped her arms under his leather coat and hugged him. He had purposely cut off any and all friends from the 2-7 after the Congressman incident, but was trying to get back in touch with many of them now that he was back on his feet. Among those he missed, Penny was one of the people he missed the most. But, just to see that look on her face, like the sun rising after a terrible storm, it was worth the wait. And it felt good to have his arms around his 'little sister' again.

Penny grinned at Mike's allusion to her nickname before letting go. "You're copper-colored coin is fine. Come on, " she said, taking his hand, "Let's talk." She lead him to her desk, and found him a chair to sit in. He hesitated before sitting, and Penny had to wonder why. "We can go in the coffee room, if you'd like," she suggested.

"No, here is fine. But Bayliss is really tired, and I promised him that I wouldn't be long."

"Ooooooh. So Timmy brought you to me? I'll have to thank him. Well, you can spend a few minutes talking, can't you?" Penny asked.

"Of course," he said, and sat down in the chair she offered. "So, what's new with you?"

"Since I saw you last?" she laughed, "A lot. Tara, Mik, and I live in a house down here. I obviously got a job here, and Tara holds a position as one of the precinct cameramen. Mik hasn't found anything to do yet, but we're working on it."

Mike studied her closely, wondering if he should ask what he wanted to. He decided that he was going to try to ease into the subject, "Any boyfriends?"

It was a typical Mike question, but nevertheless it had an unsettling effect on Pen. Her smile faded a notch as she responded. "No."

Logan realized his blunder, and decided that subtlety just wasn't his thing when it came to subjects such as these. He decided to cut right to the chase. "I heard about you and Lance. I'm sorry."

Penny's face completely darkened, and Mike finally understood why everyone in Homicide seemed surprised at her attitude. She must still be upset over the whole thing. "Yeah, well, better I find out now than after we get married," she said softly.

The term 'married' threw Mike completely off. Most women threw that word around so often that he didn't hold much stock in it. But not his Penny. She'd never said the m-word in conjunction with a man before. She must have really cared for him. "You really liked him, didn't you?"

"Loved him is more like it," Penny thought to herself before responding out loud, "Yeah, I cared for him a great deal."

"So you came out here for a change of pace?" Mike asked. She nodded, and even though she was obviously still hurting, he had to smile. "And what better place than the exciting city of Baltimore? The sights, the sounds, and best of all, me."

A smile crept back on Penny's face as Mike tried to sell Baltimore to her. He sounded like one of those idiot travel agents on TV. Only Mike Logan could cheer her up like that. "Stop," she finally managed to get out after her stomach ached with laughter, "Mikey, come on, stop goofing off."

"I better get going," he said when she finally calmed down. Her face fell, but she was still glowing with that 'attitude' that he had always loved about her. "The Unsinkable Penelope," - one of the many nicknames he had for her.

"Yeah, you look like you could use some sleep," she said. "Call me, Mike. Maybe we can get together and really talk."

"I'd like that," he said, and bent over to kiss her cheek. "As soon as I'm done with night shift, ok?" With those words, he turned to leave the room. "See you later, Graham Cracker."

For whatever reason, that name reminded Penny of something. She quickly picked up her purse and rifled through it. "Logan," she called after him when she found what she was looking for. He turned around, and she threw him a penny.

"What's this from?" he asked across the squad room.

"It's the last penny I picked up in New York...I've been saving it for you."

He smiled, and put it in is pocket, "Bye Pen."

Penny sat back at her desk and watched him swagger out. It never ceased to amaze her how much he looked out for her. Even with the long years of no contact, he still managed to keep an eye on her from afar; how he knew about her and Lance's breakup, she'd never know, but it made her feel better that he was somehow watching out for her. It made her feel safe.

She got some coffee and returned to her desk. With her newly improved attitude, she decided to start making calls again.

On the other side of the room, Mike Kellerman had been a witness to the entire exchange between Penny and Logan. Of course, pretty much everyone was surprised by her reaction to him, so he wasn't the only one, but he was the only one who wondered what their relationship was all about. He marveled at the fact that all she had to do was see him, and her entire attitude changed in an instant. In the two months she had been there, she was polite, but her cheerful demeanor seemed forced. Not that anyone doubted that she was a nice person, but it was obvious to most of them that there was something bothering her.

When Mike began wishing he could make her face light up like that, he came to an interesting discovery: he was jealous of Logan. Already. He had only seen them talk for all of five minutes, and he already felt a twang of jealousy. If he was going to make his move, it better be now, before whatever it was between Logan and Penny went any further. Above and beyond that, he hadn't wanted to ask her out while she was still unhappy. He wanted to wait until she was in a good mood. And by the way she lit up the squad room with that smile, he didn't think there was going to be a better time than now.

He stood up and started to walk over to Penny's desk as soon as she hung up the phone. He hadn't really ever talked to her, but there was something about her that made him want to get to know her. He stopped at her desk, and stood over her until she looked up.

"Kellerman," she said pleasantly with a smile, "What's up?"

Mike felt that it was the first genuine smile he had seen on her face, save when she was talking to Logan, since she joined their Homicide unit. "Well, I was just wondering..." he started, unsure how to finish the sentence. He stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly it was that compelled him to do this, but then he looked straight into her eyes, and remembered the first day they met. Those eyes...they cast a spell on him the moment he saw them. "Would you like to have dinner?"

Penny was surprised at the question. Ever since their 'tongue hockey' episode the first day they met, she tried to avoid Kellerman at all costs. Not because she didn't like him, but because she didn't want him to think she was a slut. She had never before gotten so physical, so fast, with a potential boyfriend, and it embarrassed her to no end.

"If you don't want to..."

Penny came back to the present in a hurry. She realized that she had waited too long to answer, and Mike was interpreting that as a 'no.' She looked at him curiously, wondering if he wanted to get to know her, or her body, more intimately. But she had been watching him the past two months, and what she saw of him - his personality and overall attitude - she liked.

"I'd love to, Mike."

Relief washed over Mike Kellerman with her response. He was beginning to think that she was going to say no..."Great. How about tomorrow night, seven o'clock?"

"Sounds good to me," Penny responded, "Do you remember the address?"

"I still have it."

"Then seven o'clock tomorrow it is," Penny said, her smile widening.

"See you then," Mike said, and returned to his desk.

Penny turned around to watch him walk away. "I'll be counting the hours," she said to herself, before returning to her work.