AN: First in the 'Secret' series. Includes backstory for Alex, and Alex and Olivia's interactions throughout Season 2. There will be several more chapters from Alex's POV and I might do something similar for Olivia, I haven't decided yet. The next chapter will include Alex's assignment to SVU and her and Olivia's first meeting.
AN 2: Some slight edits on August 2, 2017.
Disclaimer: I do not own Law & Order: SVU or any of the characters associated with it.
Chapter One
Alexandra Cabot was born into two long lines of lawyers, the Cabots and the Harrimans. She was named after her father, grandfather, and three other Cabot ancestors. She was an only child and the only Cabot grandchild, so it fell to her to be the 6th Alex Cabot.
The five previous Alex Cabots had been distinguished lawyers, judges, and District Attorneys, and the Harrimans were no less prestigious. Alex's grandfathers had both been District Attorneys, one in Boston and one in New York. Her father and her Uncle Bill were judges. Alex knew from the time she was six years old that she iwa going to be a lawyer. By the time that she was twelve, she had decided that she was going to be District Attorney and eventually Governor.
Alex went to Harvard as an undergrad and then again for law school. After law school, she joined the Manhattan DA's office. She thrived there and iwa soon promoted. After only a few years, she was assigned as the sole ADA for the Manhattan Special Victims Unit.
Alex had always been very driven, which didn't leave much time for friends or romance. She had never had any really close friends, though she got along well with her classmates. She didn't have her first boyfriend until she was 18, and that didn't last very long. Soon after, in her freshman year of college, she realized that she was gay, when she developed a serious crush on her roommate.
She had a bit of an identity crisis about it. She had always been the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and she was worried that being gay would change that.
When she finally got the courage to tell her parents, she was relieved that they accepted it. They were very supportive, but did remind her to be careful, if she wanted a political career. It was doubtful that she would be elected to any office if anyone found out that she was gay. They told her that they would be happy to meet any of her girlfriends, but that she should keep the fact that she was dating girls a secret from anyone outside of the family whom she did not trust completely.
Alex had a few discreet girlfriends in college, but when she started law school she stopped dating altogether. It just wasn't worth the risk, especially since she hadn't found anyone that she was really serious about.
She immersed herself in her studies and then her work, going to occasional dinners with male law school friends to keep up appearances. This continued throughout her first years working at the DA's office.