RATING: NC-17 at
times
DISCLAIMER: Law & Order, Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit and their characters are property of NBC and Dick Wolf.
ARCHIVING: Only with the
permission of the author.
A/N:
With the revelations about Elliot’s home live in Season Six, this piece
is now definitely AU. Everything up to Loss is fair game for possible spoilers,
but Loss never happened in my little world.
Life (part 3)
kimly
eclecticfan@kimlys.com
Olivia woke to wet heat bathing her
neck and a gentle scratching across her abdomen. "Mmmm… if you're trying
to convince me to give up my morning run in favor of other activities, move
that hand of yours a little further south." She felt Alex smile into her
neck but the hand repositioned itself over her heart. Guess that's a no.
Olivia's disappointment was short
lived as Alex initiated a languid kiss. Well,
that's not too bad…
They explored familiar territory
thoroughly and slowly before Alex pulled away. She smoothed a lock of hair from
Olivia's forehead. "I was actually hoping to talk to you," she said,
seeming apprehensive.
Olivia wrapped her arms tighter around
the blonde. "Since when do we need to schedule conversation?" Her
tone was light, trying to get her girlfriend to smile. It was much too early
for the serious look Alex was sporting.
Alex continued to play with Olivia's
hair. "Never," she answered but the smile on her lips didn't quite
reach her eyes. She took a deep breath. "While I was speaking with Kathy
last night, something came up and I want to talk to you about it before your
partner blind-sides you with it." She traced random patterns across
Olivia's chest with a finger, connecting the few scattered freckles.
"Hey… what's so serious it's got
you tied in knots?" She ran her hand over the tightness settling across
Alex's shoulders. Running through and quickly discarding several options,
Olivia could only think of one thing that would cause Alex so much stress. Oh, my God! "Sweetheart, have you
changed your mind about having kids?" Olivia surprised herself by not feeling
nearly as panicky as she thought she would.
"What?" Alex stopped her
soft tracing, shocked at her girlfriend's assumption.
Olivia plunged ahead, wanting to
reassure her lover that they could talk about anything. "Hey…" She
continued to massage Alex's back. "You know I've never had any desire to
have them myself, but being a parent to one of yours, well… I was hoping for a
little more time alone with you, and I still don't think with both of us in our
present positions it's really conducive to a stable home life, but we can
figure that…"
Alex stopped her mid-ramble with
another kiss. When she pulled away she was smiling broadly and this time her
eyes matched her lips. "You're wonderful. You know that, Liv?"
"Well, I do have my
moments…" She wants to have a kid… I
can do this…
"That you do." She kissed
Olivia again just because she could. "Thank you for wanting to make me
happy, but I haven't changed my mind. I have no desire to make us moms,
yet." Alex added that last thought on a whim. Although she had no
immediate longing to become a parent, she knew herself well enough to realize
her attitude might change in three or four years.
Thank
god, I am not ready for parenthood. Relieved beyond measure, Olivia
dragged her down snuggly against her chest, slipping her hands underneath
Alex's top, mapping the contours of her back. Another kiss stole both their
breaths. Olivia rolled them over, pushed up Alex's night shirt and trailed a
steady stream of kisses and nips down her sternum and ribs in a direct path to
warmer places.
Before Olivia could completely inch
Alex's pants down with her chin, the blonde wound one hand into her hair and
tipped up her chin with the other. Alex shook her head and Olivia crawled back
up her body. "Olivia…" she started, wanting to actually get to her
actual topic, but was sidetracked. "Oooooo…" She indulged herself in
the sensuous feeling of her earlobe being nibbled and licked.
As Olivia's lips and tongue stimulated
her ear and neck, she snuck her hand under the waistband of Alex's pants and
into her panties. Just shy of her final destination, Alex stopped her southerly
motion with a tight grip to her wrist.
"Please, Liv, not today."
Olivia moved her hand to rest on
Alex's abdomen. "We'll talk after, I promise," she whined. She went
back to sucking on Alex's neck, her hand moving up to massage a breast.
Alex removed the hand from her chest
and gently pushed Olivia away. "It's not just about the talking. You know
I have my period…"
"And you know I don't care,"
Olivia interrupted, moving her hand lower.
Alex stopped Olivia again. "I
know you don't. And most times I don't either, I just don't feel like dealing
with the mess this morning. And really want to ask you something while I have
your undivided attention."
Olivia rolled completely off Alex and
propped herself on her side, one hand playing with the blonde hair and the
other tugging her lover's body tight against her own. She managed to look
contrite, sexy and frustrated all at the same time. "I just can't seem to
get enough of you lately." She kissed Alex's shoulder before snuggling
into her neck. "Please don't be pissed with me for wanting to love
you."
Alex picked up Olivia's hand and
kissed the palm before holding it over her heart. "Never." God, I hope you still feel like this is five
or ten years. "Have you ever made love in a foreign country?"
"Umm, no…" Huh? She lifted herself up to look into
Alex's face.
"Would you want to?" Alex
looked so hopeful, Olivia would have agreed even if she didn't find the idea utterly
endearing.
"Let me get this straight… just
you and me?"
Alex nodded.
"Some old city to explore…"
Another nod.
"And we'd get to make love
without a call from Elliot or Cragen at the most inopportune moments?"
"Guaranteed." Alex smiled
and leaned in for another slow kiss.
Olivia pulled away first. "We'd
get to make love in a different city every day?"
Alex laughed. "One tract
mind…" She tapped Olivia on the nose. "I actually thought we'd fly
into
"Alex, I'll go anywhere with you,
even if we don't get to christen every bed we stay in."
"Can we go next fall? During the
harvest?"
"Whenever you want." Olivia
kissed the woman beneath her before looking over at their alarm clock.
"Have just enough time for a leisurely shower. Care to join me?" She
raised her eyebrows in a hopeful look. "No mess in the shower," she
prodded, climbing out of bed.
"Works for me," Alex said,
following her stripping lover. "You've got me wound too damn tight to go
to work like this."
-----------------------------------------
Olivia was looking over the stripped
remains of Peter Young’s car when Elliot arrived beside her.
"What’ve we got?" he asked,
taking a slow stroll around the vehicle.
"Not sure yet. Siper went to pull
her report off the printer, but she was smiling like a madman, so we might get
lucky." Spotting the tech returning, she yelled out, "We need good
news, Judy. Tell me this perp was an armature."
"He wasn’t careful, that’s for
sure. Her hair and several mixed fluid samples were found in the back
seat." Siper put the report on a workbench and picked up a baggy with the
hair samples and several capped swabs, showing them to the detectives.
"With the condition of the car,
are you going to be able to prove evidence of the vic came before the strip
job?" Elliot asked, peering into the back seat.
Siper bumped Elliot out of the way to
open the back door. "I think so. The hairs were stuck in the nap of the
fabric, like her head was rubbing back and forth on the seat. Planted hairs
just lie across the nap."
"What about the fluid
sample?" Olivia questioned, sorting through the photographs of the
original hair positions.
"Part of the sample matches the
girl. We were able to isolate one other DNA signature. Male." Sticking the
printed report into an envelop, Siper handed the pouch to Olivia. "It’s a
good sample. You get me something to match it to and we’ll have something.
You’ll also want to make note of this." She passed a small clear baggy to
Elliot.
"A credit card receipt,"
Elliot read.
"To the Philadelphia Zoo,"
Siper confirmed.
"Amateur is too nice for this
idiot.
"Yup, he's shot himself in the
foot, that's for sure," Elliot concurred. "Now, we just have to find
him."
----------------------------------
"Stabler!" The Captain
called out seeing his detective shrugging into his coat. "Where are you
two goin' now?"
"
Olivia took the black leather jacket from
her partner, swinging it over her shoulder and pulling it up her arm.
"Four cars will be patrolling the area within the next three minutes.
Let's get outta here."
"Good Luck!" Cragen yelled
to the retreating backs of his detectives.
------------------------------
"Cabot."
"Alex, it's Don."
"What can I do for you,
Captain?" Alex finished the sentence she was writing then gave her full
attention to the phone call, twirling her pen between her fingers.
"Your girl got the bad guy there,
Councilor. Fin and Munch are rounding up the street vendors who gave the
original descriptions for an ID."
Alex smiled at the thought of Olivia
cornering the guy; her arms straining in a choke hold or flexing while slapping
on the cuffs. She shook her head to clear her little daydream. "This the
"Alicia was in that car they
found yesterday. CSU can prove it." Cragen paused, trying to figure out
how to say the rest. "Alex, Olivia got a little banged up making the
arrest. But she's gonna be fine." He added quickly at the end.
The smile left over from the fantasy
quickly left Alex's face and the pen hit the desk as her fingers went to rub her
eyes. Not again… "Where is
she?"
"Elliot's taking her to
Alex took in a deep breath. Okay… "How long until you'll be
ready for the line-up?"
"You've got time. Young's also
been transported to the hospital. We're dead in the water until he's
released."
Alex quickly prioritized what needed
to happen next. "Okay, Don, thanks for the call." Disconnecting
Cragen, Alex released the button and immediately dialed another number. It was answered
on the second ring. "You busy? SVU…" Alex began, then stopped.
"…I could use a hand." She listened to the reply. "I'll have the
file ready for when you get here. Thanks, Serena."
------------------------------------------------
Alex stood outside the curtain, amused
at the argument happening on the other side.
"Liv…"
"They're breasts… you've seen
breasts before… we all have 'em. Just…"
"I… um…" he stuttered, hands
stuffed deep in his pants pockets, looking anywhere but at his partner.
"Fer Christ's sake, Elliot, I'm
not asking you to fondle me, just help me into this damn shirt!" She held
the top to a pair of scrubs in her good hand and shook it at him for emphasis.
"You've seen me topless tons of times after we work out."
"Not totally…" He produced
what was left of her bra from the pile of clothes the nurses cut off her.
Alex figured he'd suffered enough and
pushed aside the curtain to entered the small area. "Elliot?" she
said, placing a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn towards her.
"Why don't you get us some coffee while I help Olivia change."
"Sure! Coffee?" He smiled at
Alex. "Be back in a bit." He kissed her on the cheek, mouthed 'thank
you' and left the area.
"Terrorizing your partner, I
see," Alex quipped, setting her handbag on the lone chair and moving to
the bed.
"I don't see what the big deal
is. Partners are supposed to help each other." Olivia complained. "He
wouldn't have argued with Munch."
Alex stepped into the 'V' of her
girlfriend's legs, threading the fingers of her right hand through the hair at
the base of Olivia's neck, while the other sifted through the hair at her
forehead. "Elliot and John didn't suffer mutual crushes when they first
started working together." She reminded Olivia, looking deeply into the eyes
in front of her before planting a gentle kiss on close lips. "You're
giving me grays, Liv. What happened?" She stepped back as Olivia handed
her the sea-green top.
"A couple of unis spotted Young
in Bryant Park. They were pushing him west towards 6th. Two more cut
off his path south." As she explained, she pulled off the back opening
hospital gown and tossed it on the foot of the bed.
Alex gently threaded the injured arm
into its sleeve before putting the top all the way on. "So where does the
dislocated shoulder come in?"
Olivia picked at the material,
settling it comfortable around herself. "When Young saw us coming towards
him from the north, he knew he was cornered. He broke for the subway." She
climbed back on the edge of the bed, pulling Alex in front of her again.
"I out sprinted Elliot and caught him at the top of the stairs and pushed
him up against the wall."
Alex figured this was where it got
complicated. She snuggled into Olivia's good arm.
"I had 'em by the collar and had
kicked his legs apart, telling him he was under arrest. Elliot and the unis
were just behind me, I think. I could hear footfalls and yelling. I was leaning
into him, bent over to pat down his legs, when he threw himself backward and
sideways. He went over my back but I didn't release his collar…"
"And you both ended up down the
stairs," Alex finished.
"Yeah," Olivia confirmed.
"I felt the damn thing pop about half way down. I'm relegated to a desk
for ten days," she finished, sounding disgusted.
Alex sighed. Before she could respond,
Elliot returned.
"Knock, knock…" He stuck his
head through the curtain, only a little disappointed to see his partner
sporting the scrubs top. "Fat-free half and half and splenda, for
you." He handed a cup to Alex after she stepped away from her girlfriend.
"Chamomile with honey for the invalid." He handed a second cut to Olivia who took the
cup and drank deeply after glaring at her partner.
"Real cream, real sugar for
me."
They all drank in silence for a
minute.
"So, if the good guys looks like
this," Alex gestured towards the bed. "What state is the bad guy
in?"
Elliot settled back against the wall.
"Compound fracture of the left ulna. He's waiting for an OR to open up to
pin it back together. A uni is with him."
"Has he been Mirandized?"
"He never lost consciousness. I
read 'im his rights before the EMTs showed," Elliot explained.
Alex pitched her empty cup into the
small bedside garbage can, crossed back to the chair and rifled through her
purse, grabbing her cell phone. Turning her back to the detectives, she punched
a series of numbers, waiting for an answer – right hand reaching across her
stomach to hold her left elbow.
"Hey, it's me. I need paperwork
on Peter Young." She paused and before she could ask, Elliot handed her a
slip of paper with his address. "Of
Alex ended the call and turned back
towards the detectives to find them both grinning from ear to ear.
"Kickin' ass and takin' names. Is
she always this… forceful?" Elliot teased his partner.
Alex waited with a raised eyebrow for
Olivia's response.
Olivia held out her hand for Alex to
take, pulling her into her side. "Pretty much," she answered looking
into her girlfriend's eyes. "Lucky me."
"Good answer, Detective."
Alex kissed her lightly, then changed her tone but not moving out of the curl
of Olivia's arm. "We've got an hour, maybe two before Serena gets here
with a judge."
"You guys don't need me,"
Elliot announced, a little self depreciatively. "I'm gonna head back to
the house and clean up some paperwork. Liv, see ya tomorrow. Try not to do any
more damage to yourself between now and then."
Olivia gave him a 'who me' grin.
"No guarantees, Elliot, no guarantees," she said, holding Alex tight.
----------------------------
One hour and thirty-seven minutes after
Serena received Alex's call, she was striding down a sterile hospital hallway
in search of an
Turning the corner, Serena stood in
front of a set of open double doors not quite believing her eyes. Olivia sat
against the arm of a couch, a small boy no more than three, tucked into her
side not hampered by the sling. The pair watched the activity on the carpet in
front of them. The amazing thing for Serena was seeing Alex Cabot lying on her
stomach on the floor – in a three hundred dollar Anne Kline pants suit –
amongst four smaller bodies.
The group was intently at work
coloring on a giant imprinted drop cloth. By the looks of things, it was going
to be a piece of modern art; one boy was busy tinting the sun pink. It seemed
to oddly contrast with the blue and purple trees and the green clouds. For her
part, Alex was filling in a portion of
grass a most interesting shade of fuchsia.
Olivia looked up from watching Ramon
fiddle with her watch to see Serena studying the activity on the floor.
"C'mon in, Councilor. I think there might be a crayon with your name on
it." She shifted, trying to alleviate the dull throbbing in her wounded
appendage.
Serena strode into the room,
depositing her coat and briefcase on a kid sized table. A small hand tugged at
the hem of her skirt. "Here." The little girl thrust a crayon at the
Serena smiled down on the tike
accepting the crayon and allowing herself to be led to the mat. "Okay,
what should I color orange?" she asked as she settled herself on the
floor, careful to smooth her skirt over her knees.
"What do you think, Katherine?
How about the birds?" Alex asked the little girl while smiling at Serena.
"Sure! That could be cool!"
"Birds it is then," Serena
commented leaning over the canvass, filling in between the black lines.
After several minutes of silence
except for the scratching of the crayons, Alex figured she at least had to ask
about work. "So, do we get a judge sometime this afternoon?"
"Yeah, Seligman said he'd swing
by on his way home. He's on rotation." Serena shifted to reach another
outline. "He'll ring my cell when he gets to the hospital. I also
contacted the PD who drew Mr. Young. They're probably together now."
Alex rolled to her side and slid to
put her back against the couch by Olivia's leg. "Good, good." She
looked over her shoulder. Olivia was quiet but alert, little Ramon asleep
against her side.
"Liv, why don't you head home.
You could take some more pain medication, maybe grab a hot bath."
"I don't know." She answered
Alex before turning her attention to the kids who stopped coloring and were
watching the adults. "What'dya think, guys? Should I go take a nap?"
A chorus of "No!!" answered
her question.
Olivia looked back at her girlfriend.
"I'd really rather go home with you, whenever you're done," she
stated, wanting Alex's company or the kids; just not wanting to be alone. She
didn't think too hard on the possible reasons why. It wasn't often she felt
clingy or needy but this was one of those times. Alex, she was sure, would
indulge her, and the kids simply enjoyed the attention.
Alex sighed. I guess it's back to work… She watched the kids who went back to
their coloring, annoyed she couldn't continue with them. She and Serena got to
their feet, smoothing the creases from their garments. She looked down at
Olivia. "No wrestling." She gave her partner a significant look and a
grin. "Hopefully this'll be quick."
Serena grabbed her briefcase and the
attorneys went over to a quiet corner on the opposite side of the room. They
settled side by side at a grown up table, Serena pulling out a file and handing
it to Alex who thumbed through it. The verbiage was a little different than
what Alex would have used but it was concise and thorough.
"Nice work, Ser." Alex nodded as she
read the last page. After finishing, she took off her glasses, dangling them
between her fingers by an ear piece. "And thanks for taking care of this
for me. I really appreciate being able to stay with Olivia and not having to
run back to the office."
"Hey, no problem. I wanted to get
involved with SVU, this was the perfect opportunity," Serena answered.
Alex shook her head. "This was
less about bringing you on board and more about…"
Before Alex could finish, Serena
interrupted her, squeezing her arm. "Yeah, I figured, but that's what
friends are for. Besides, gave me the perfect excuse to ditch another
infuriating meeting with McCoy and Branch. I swear, I'm not going to make it
much longer as Jack's assistant."
She
is so cute with kids. Alex brought her attention back to Serena. "What's
going on? I thought you liked being an
It was Serena's turn to sigh. "I
do. I love the law… but, I disagree more and more with how and even why
homicides are prosecuted out of that office. And the two of them tend to treat
me more like a paralegal than a lawyer. It's just so damn frustrating."
"You going to ask for a
transfer?"
Before Serena could answer, her cell
went off. She flipped it open. "Southerlyn." A pause. "Pre-op on
three. We'll meet you there." She closed the phone and slipped it back
into her briefcase, returning the file to its place too. "Seligman's in
the garage. We've gotta go."
Olivia and the kids waved to the pair
as they left the game room. A chorus of 'good lucks' following them down the
hall.
------------------------
"I can't believe you're so calm,"
Serena commented from the dinning room area as she laid out the flatware.
"A brutality charge could kill her career. You know that," she ranted
further.
Alex checked the chicken in the oven
before adding another ladle of stock to
the risotto she was stirring on the stove top. "If the charge had any
merit I'd be concerned. But Elliot and couple of unis saw the brutality."
Alex's tone on the last word conveyed all she thought about the trumped up
charge. "
Serena planted herself on a stool by
the counter, absently picked vegetables out of the salad bowl and crunching
them. "You haven't even told her."
Alex sighed. "Trying to talk to
her tonight would get me nowhere; codeine tends to make her a little
scattered." She pulled the pot of risotto off the burner and began folding
in fresh Spinach to wilt.
Serena still looked skeptical.
"Okay… okay… you're the one sleeping with her. I'd guess you'd know."
"Yes I do. On both
accounts," Alex added with a smirk. "Go see if she's up for dinner
with us, if you would," Alex asked before handing Serena the salad bowl.
"Drop this off on your way."
"Sure thing, boss." Serena
set the bowl on the table before wandering into the living room. Olivia was
asleep on the couch, half turned on her side, the back of the couch supporting
her injured shoulder.
Serena moved Olivia's badge and
sidearm further down the coffee table and took a seat across from her friend.
She was beginning to be able to see a marked difference between Olivia the Cop and Olivia the Human the more she time she spent around the brunette,
the image she was seeing now was different again. Not frail by any means, just
extremely tranquil. Guess those pills
really do put her out. Serena lost tract of how long she sat there watching
the detective sleep. A hand on her shoulder startled her back into the present.
"I thought you were getting her
for dinner," Alex asked, grabbing a throw from the chair and tossing it
over Olivia. She ran the back of her fingers across Olivia's forehead pleased
not to find a fever.
"Sorry, I…" Serena
stuttered, not exactly sure what she was doing or why.
"She gives off a different vibe
like that doesn't she?" Alex knew how most people saw Olivia. Until she
trusted enough to relax her guard, all she portrayed was the tough yet
compassionate cop. Exposing her drugged out on Codeine self was proof Olivia
accepted Serena into a very select circle of friends. "Let's just let her
sleep. She has problems keeping anything down when taking that stuff
anyway."
The pair returned to the table.
"Do I even know her," Serena
asked more to herself than out loud.
Alex answered her anyway. "You
do. She likes you; trusts you," she explained as they began to fix their
plates. "If she didn't, she would have closed herself off in our bedroom.
She can't or wont let herself look weak in front of just anyone."
They began eating, Serena making a few
happy sounds at the wonderful tastes of Alex's meal. "Damn, this is good.
Beats Chang's takeout by a mile." She sampled more of the risotto before
returning to the chicken and their original topic. "But doesn't that get
tiring or confusing for her? For you?"
Alex poured more water into their
goblets. "With what she sees every day, it's a way for her to let go of
the violence when she's off the clock. To keep her mind from constantly
replaying the depravity she sees on duty once she's home."
Serena nodded, moving on to the salad.
"Besides, it's not like she has
multiple personalities. You're just starting to see her at home and relaxed,
drugs notwithstanding." Alex finished off her chicken and wiped her lips
on her cloth napkin before replacing it in her lap. "You've seen her at
work or at a bar, the movies. She changes no more than I do between the
courtroom and here."
"I guess you're right. We all
have that 'professional' tone or demeanor that we like to chuck at the end of
the day." Serena leaned back with a contented sigh. "Thanks for
dinner. Been awhile since I've had a home cooked meal."
Alex shook off the praise.
"Anytime, And it's not like you don’t know how to cook."
"Yeah… true enough, but I hate
cooking for just me. Too much mess for one person." Serena grabbed her
plate and Alex's and headed into the kitchen.
Alex followed her hands full of
silverware and glasses. "No problem. Liv and I will come over next week.
You can cook for all three of us."
-----------------------------
Olivia rolled over to her side
planning to get out of bed. "Son of a bitch," she groaned, forgetting
her dislocated shoulder. The pills had done their job; knocked her silly but
allowed her – she glanced over at the alarm clock – over twelve hours of uninterrupted
sleep. Must have been interrupted at some
point. Don't remember getting off the couch or changing.
She expected the apartment to be
silent, figuring Alex headed out to work at her normal hour. Yet a soft
clinking of dishes could be heard from the other side of the apartment. Guess I warranted a babysitter.
Olivia swung her legs over the side of
the bed and wandered over to the settee and rifled through yesterday's clothes
looking for the sling the hospital insisted on sending her home with. Not
finding it, she clutched her arm across her stomach and headed for the kitchen.
Three steps into the hall she ran into Alex heading back her way laden with a
mug in each hand and the Times under her arm.
"Hey, you're up," Alex
stated the obvious. "I was bringing you coffee." She waved Olivia
back towards the bedroom.
Olivia didn't argue, just turned
around and did as Alex instructed. She slid herself under the comforter,
sitting up against the headboard. "Bloomberg declare a citywide
holiday?"
Alex set one mug on her nightstand and
handed the other across the bed. "Nah, don't have court till this
afternoon. Figured I'd play hooky with you this morning. Gotta problem with
that detective?" She dropped the paper on her pillow and detoured into the
bathroom.
"Nice surprise, actually,"
Olivia admitted, sipping from her mug. "When I saw the time I figured
Cragen was gonna chew my ass for being late. But something tells me you took
care of that for me." She ducked her head allowing Alex to adjust the
sling she grabbed from the vanity.
"Yeah, I did." She climbed
over her girlfriend, lifted her good arm and snuggled into Olivia's side.
"Don said to take the whole day but I told him you'd be in after
lunch." Alex relieved Olivia of her mug and took a swallow before returning
it.
Olivia frowned, looking at the lower
level of her coffee cup.
"Sharing is a virtue." Alex
explained, tangling her fingers with Olivia's immobile ones.
"As long as I'm the one
sharing," Olivia quipped, feigning annoyance. It was impossible to pull off
while rubbing her cheek against Alex's forehead and playing with the hair at
the nape of her neck.
Alex freed her hand and reached up to
cup her girlfriend's face. "You love it…" She kissed Olivia slowly,
thoroughly, intently; completely distracting her from the pilfered coffee, the
disruption to their morning routine, even the throbbing of her shoulder.
Who
needs pills?
--------------------------
Olivia walked through the doors to the
bullpen fully expecting it to be bustling with activity. Aside from a couple of
clerks distributing files, Munch was the lone detective in the area. "Ya
scare everyone away, John?" She shrugged her good arm out of her leather
jacket then slipped it over her immobile shoulder.
"Captain got called to some 'to
do' at One PP. That was after your good partner and mine got assigned a
homicide with quasi-sexual overtones."
"Quasi-sexual? You inventing new
terms now?" She tried to find a comfortable position to complete the
paperwork from the
"Not me, my good woman. Seems one
of the unis couldn't decide if a riding crop was just a riding crop or a fun
new party toy." Munch went back to reviewing the lab reports on the
Olivia shifted again, turning her
chair sideways in relation to her desk, so she wouldn't whack her arm every
time she tried to write. Two hours later she handed off her reports to a
department typist, making sure everything was in order for Alex's eventual
prosecution of Peter Young.
She strolled over to the coffee maker
and set a fresh pot to drip. She leaned a hip against the table. "Wanna
fresh set of eyes on your
"Can't hurt." He handed over
their stack of interview notes and copies of the threats themselves.
"Maybe the case needs a female viewpoint. Would you ask Cabot when you get
home?"
"Keep it up John, and you can
wear the strapless cocktail dress on the next undercover assignment."
Olivia stuck the file under her arm and fixed herself a cup of newly brewed
coffee. "I'm heading up to the couch." Maybe then this damn shoulder will stop throbbing.
Olivia wandered back downstairs after
reading through the file and draining the last of her mug. She removed all the
posts concerning the
Munch came around his desk and joined
Olivia starring at the board. "You have above average penmanship, but what
else does this tell us?"
Olivia tapped the back of marker
against her lip. "Well… it confirms the only thing they have in common is
they're all gay." She paced, holding her arm tight against her body.
"There's gotta be something other than their sexuality tying them
together," she mumbled to herself. "But what?"
The detectives were still staring at
the board when Serena walked in. "Good evening, Detectives. What do you
have here?" She took up Alex's usual spot leaning against Olivia's desk
and joined the pair studying the matrix. "Interesting sample selection.
What are you trying to prove?"
"Sample? Of what? These are the
vics in a harassment case," Olivia answered, sitting forward in her chair.
"Oh, it just looks like a
sampling frame used in jury selection." She got up and pointed at sections
of the list. "Only typical responses or feelings would be matched with
physical or socio-economic indicators."
"They're feeling scared,
Councilor, hence our involvement," Munch commented.
Olivia got up and crossed to the
board. "You're both right… I think. John's right in we, the cops, don't
care how they're feeling but what if someone else did?" She pointed at
Serena and nodded.
Munch went back to his case notes.
"Delivery methods were never consistent: email, letter, scrawled on a
door. Method changed by vic and tone of threats."
"One was a student, right?"
Olivia asked.
"Yeah," Munch confirmed.
"And he reported at least two
other gay students in his dorm block?"
"Lesbian on floor three, another
guy on eight," Munch read from his notes. "Both out to other students
and the faculty."
"So if the perp's got a hard on
for gays, why not target all the gays in the dorm? Why go after a 60 year old
prof., a 30 year old administrative assistant, and a 24 year old TA – living
all over the city. Hell, the admin. comes in from
"So the perp isn't efficient in
his harassment… What does that give us?" Munch asked.
"For a change you aren't thinking
large enough or convoluted enough." Olivia began pacing again, excited at
the possibility of a new line of investigation. "Call the college, see if
they've had this problem in the past…"
"They haven't. We already
asked," Munch interrupted.
"Not just against gays."
Serena picked up Olivia's train of thought. ""Any group: race,
religion, pay scale."
"On it." Munch nodded and
turned back to his desk to place the call.
"Well, Councilor, now that you've
helped us out, what can we do for you?" Olivia asked arm forgotten in the
chase for a suspect.
"I'm playing messenger. Alex got
called into a meeting…"
"And she's gonna be late…"
Olivia finished for her. "Trying to cook with this," She wiggled her
fingers of her casted arm. "…is going to be impossible. So, you wanna join
me in waiting for my delinquent girlfriend? Grab a chair and a pen Councilor,
we're gonna need some information."
----------------------
Olivia was hunched over her desk,
phone stuck to her ear, calmly explaining her desired information – for the
fourth time. The furrow between her eyes and the constant tapping of her foot,
the only signs of her annoyance.
Across from her, Serena made a note on
a legal pad before shifting the folder to her 'done' pile and grabbing another
from her 'to do' stack. The click of heels on linoleum caused her to look at
her watch while tucking some hair behind her ear. Damn, so much for getting there before Alex.
Serena rose from her chair barely
earning a glance from the still arguing Detective. She met Alex just inside the
bullpen doors. "I know, I know. But we came up with a new theory of the
College Stalking case and wanted to get some inquiries in motion before the
weekend."
"She use the 'greater good'
speech to get you to cave?" Alex asked, dropping her briefcase next to
Olivia's desk. She glared at the detective's back until Olivia turned around.
Taking one look at Alex's expression, Olivia interrupted her
counterpart on the other end of the line. "Look, my
"Good assumption, Detective.
Although why I'm surprised is beyond me." Alex brushed the bangs out of
Olivia's eyes. "So, how much pain are you in?" Stubborn as a mule.
"Actually not much. Look, Serena
said we were to meet you either at home or at Ecco's but I'm worthless in the
kitchen, and just sitting and drinking waiting for you…" she trailed off.
"This was much more productive and Serena got to see a little of how we
operate – she had the insight to this new line of questioning we've been
investigating."
"Olivia, take a breath,"
Alex said simply. She could see her Detective wasn't feeling too badly, the
work evidently giving her mind something to focus on other than the dull ache
in her shoulder. Alex gave her head a little shake.
While the pair spent several minute in
a bizarre battle of wills Serena straightened out Elliot's desk; piling the
files back on Olivia's and placing her notes on the top of the stack.
"Well, since you're here, I'm going to head home."
"What? I thought we were doing
dinner?" Olivia shot a confused look at Alex and got to her feet.
"We were, but you guys don't need
me honing in on your Friday night." Serena slipped into her coat.
"Alex, I'll catch up with you next week. Olivia, call Monday if those
files don't arrive. I'll sic Jack on them." She didn't feel like a front
row seat at a private argument.
Alex blocked Serena's path.
"You're not honing in on anything."
She laid a restraining hand on Serena's arm. "We're not fighting
and I'm not all that upset to find you both here waiting."
"Besides," Olivia added
coming up on her side. "We'll just kidnap you. It'd be so much simpler if
you'd just agree to come along willingly."
Serena turned to Alex who had moved to
her other side. "Is this kidnapping thing some kind of fetish? She seems
to do it often."
"Any excuse to use the
cuffs," Olivia quipped, moving them all towards the door. "Do you
have your heart set on Italian?"
Serena shook her head. "I'm
easy."
Alex was about to reply but Serena cut
her off. "Not a word out of you." Alex swallowed her comment behind a
knowing grin.
"I was thinking Dylan's. I'm in
the mood for more red meat than the body can handle," Olivia explained,
helping guide Serena down the hall.
"I could do beef," Alex
agreed. "How about you, Ser?"
"Sure, never let it be said I was
uncooperative. I'd hate to be put in cuffs."
Olivia leaned back and caught Alex
glancing at her. "Ya don't know what you're missing, blondie."
Serena shot Alex an outraged look to
which Alex just innocently shrugged.
-------------------------
"You can't possibly be
serious?" Alex asked incredulously. "They would be committing
multiple felonies in multiple states. The jail time could stretch into the
hundreds of years. Why would anyone take such a risk in the name of
science?"
The trio was ensconced in a quiet
corner of an upscale wine bar; Olivia's concession to the night since she
picked the restaurant they had dined at earlier. Serena had suggested the establishment when no one wanted to call
it a night after their meal. Alex readily agreed, looking forward to sharing a
glass of wine with someone who actually enjoyed talking about its nuances.
Olivia tended to divide wines into two simple types: those she liked and those
she couldn't be paid to drink.
Alex and Serena were indulging in an
imported Riesling, figuring the sweet dessert wine would be a perfect way to
complement the heavy meal. They spent a good twenty minutes dissecting the
distinctions present in their selection as neither woman often made time for
such a simple pleasure.
Olivia listened with half an ear,
content to sip at her tumbler of outrageously priced scotch that Alex had
ordered for her while she had made a pit stop on the way to their table. The
subtle oaky flavor combined with the deep, rich smell of peat and the
translucent amber color were a joy for all her senses. She transferred the
glass to her immobile side in order to twine the fingers of her free hand with
Alex's, giving it a squeeze of thanks.
Olivia shifted position and rejoined
the conversation at Alex's exclamation, not realizing the conversation had
turned to an active case. "Science works just as well as any other
explanation at this point," Olivia stated. "We've seen doctors
experimenting on underage girls in order to further human cloning
research."
"I remember…" Alex still
looked unconvinced.
"I think we may be onto something
here," Serena interjected. "While Olivia was arguing with the Bureau,
I made a couple of calls. Old friends in
"The thing that cinches it for
me, is that no one has ever gotten hurt. Never even threatened by a real
person; only through covert means: letters, emails, phone calls. If someone was
really out at attack gays, someone would have been physically assaulted by
now," Olivia concluded. "But it's just all academic 'til Monday, so
no sense stewing over it. What's on your plate for the weekend, Serena?"
"Hold it. No changing the
subject," Alex interjected, not wanting to let the work discussion die.
"I need to know more about…"
"Honey, you have to let it
go." Olivia kissed Alex's knuckles to take any sting out of the
chastisement. "I am sitting in a very foo foo bar, drinking pricey booze
with two beautiful blondes. No more work."
Serena shifted to her other hip and
recrossed her legs, a smirk turning the corners of her lips. Talk about a reason justifying human
cloning… my very own Olivia Benson…
"Fine. Fine. You're right. No
more work." Alex leaned further into Olivia causing the detective to snake
her arm behind Alex, pulling her in close. "You were going to say about
your weekend, before I got sidetracked into unacceptable discussion
areas…"
Olivia rewarded her with a kiss on the
cheek. "Thank you."
Serena chuckled at her friends'
interaction. "Family dinner on Sunday is the major commitment. And I'll
probably go into the office for a few hours tomorrow to prep for the DiAmica
trial next month. Jack doesn't want junior to walk again on some 'damn civil
liberties crap'. I swear he's channeling Branch these days."
"You sound more excited about
overtime tomorrow than dinner Sunday," Olivia noted. "Everything
okay?"
"Eh," Serena made a
dismissive sound before finishing the last of her wine and depositing the glass
on a side table. "Since I will be arriving stag, yet again, conversation
will consist of why I haven't found a nice young man yet, segueing into yes,
I'm still gay and that isn't going to change, with a spattering of I like being
a prosecutor, no I don't want to work for daddy's accounting firm."
As Serena was filling them in on her
family dynamics, Olivia caught the waiter's eye and signaled for two more wines
to be brought over then resettled her arm around Alex.
"I'm sorry, Ser. I really thought
they'd have come around by now," Alex sympathized. "You came out what?
Fifteen years ago?"
"Eighteen, but who's
counting." She accepted a new glass of wine from the attentive waiter.
"Thank you." Then turning to Olivia, thanked her, too.
"You planning on escorting two
tipsy women home tonight," Alex asked, letting her fingers trace random
patters on the inside of Olivia's knee, trading her empty glass for a full one.
"You becoming a lightweight?
Something tells me it takes more than two to incapacitate Serena." Nodding
at the woman across from them. "Hey, take Munch with you Sunday. Bet you
get at least a six month reprieve from the pestering."
Alex tried to choke back a laugh.
"Oh, God. That vein on the side of your dad's neck would practically
rupture."
"And mom would get that pinched
look as propriety warred with an unlady-like outburst." Serena couldn't
help but smile at the thought. "My siblings would laugh for a week. Might
be worth it."
---------------
"Think Serena would date a
cop?" Olivia asked as Alex deftly slipped the top button of her
girlfriend's jeans loose and tugged the fitted button down shirt from the
waistband.
"Looking to replace me,
Detective?" Alex quipped lightly. She had the sling draped over her arm
and was pealing back the sides of Olivia's shirt.
"You know better."
Alex stepped closer to Olivia,
wrapping her arms around her and releasing the bra clasp. "A ménage à
trois then? Getting daring in your old age." Alex had effectively stripped
Olivia to the waist. She ran her hands lightly over the dislocated shoulder.
"Damn, you're tight. Sit down and I'll get the cream the hospital
provided."
"Well, I do have a thing for
blondes," Olivia answered, tucking one leg under herself as she settled on
the edge of their bed.
"Yes you do." Alex agreed,
arriving back in the bedroom wearing Olivia's discarded shirt. She knelt behind
Olivia and gently applied the analgesic. "And you'd finally get a natural
blonde."
Olivia twisted around. "Nice
shirt." She ran a teasing finger down Alex's sternum. She leaned in and
kissed Alex making a leisurely exploration with her lips. "And I like my
bottled blonde just fine."
Adjusting herself back against the
headboard, Alex encouraged Olivia to settle between her legs.
"And how would you know Serena's
a natural blonde? Hmmm?" before she could respond.