I own nothing.

A/N: Ok, here it is. More JC, because I can't stop myself. Not much drama in this first chapter, just an opportunity for us all to be like, "Aw, they love each other! Yay!" But just wait. Lol.

Casey stepped into the shower, not bothering to let the water get warm first. Taking cold showers was one of her odd quirks; it reminded her of being caught in the rain. She used hot water only at the last moment before she got out, just to get warm. Cold water pounding down on her was much better at releasing tension.

She stood under the spray, not moving, for a full five minutes before finally shampooing her hair. As she was rinsing it, she heard the front door unlock and the unmistakable sounds of John's arrival.

Casey often heard that people grew bored with their partners after life became predictable. She did not agree with that. She loved that she could recognize every sound…the jingle of his keys as he set them on the table by the door, the dull thud of his briefcase as he leaned it against the wall, the seven footfalls on the wood floor before he reached the carpet and the noises ceased.

She sighed, finally able to relax after her trying day. She was thankful that she could tell John about it over dinner. She turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, stepping out into the hallway between the bathroom and her bedroom. "Hey!" she called.

"Hi! Do you want to go out to dinner?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Just let me get dressed." She went into her room and opened her closet, pulling out a green dress with black lace around the hem. Before she could put it on, however, she felt John's arm's snake around her waist and his lips attach themselves to her neck.

"You're freezing," he murmured against her skin, making her shiver.

"Yep," she said back, involuntarily letting out a soft moan as he kissed her throat. "If you don't stop, we're never going to get out of here."

"You have a rather high opinion of your sexual longevity if you think we'd be stuck here forever once we started."

"I'm hungry," she said, smirking. She pulled herself out of John's grasp and dropped her towel, slowly pulling on her dress while keeping her eyes fixed on his.

"Cruel, cruel woman. Harlot, actually."

Pretending to ignore him, Casey ran a brush through her hair several times and applied only the smallest amount of makeup, lining her eyes and brushing on some mascara. "I'm ready," she said as she put on some lip gloss and grabbed her coat.

John smiled. "Amazing." He made to go to the door, but Casey stopped him by spinning him around and pressing her lips to his.

When she moved away almost a minute later, she said softly, "Hi."

By the look in John's eyes, she knew that he had figured out that she was upset about something that had happened that day. She was not very forthcoming about her emotions, but he knew by that point in their relationship that whenever Casey was particularly aggressive, there was something on her mind. He did not ask what the problem was, but Casey knew he would once they were at the restaurant.

They took a taxi to Dominico's, an Italian place a few miles away. As soon as they were seated and had ordered waters and their food, Casey felt John's eyes on her and she lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"So do you want to tell me what's going on?"

She nodded. "The case that I have tomorrow…guess who the opposing counsel is?"

John looked completely nonplussed. "Who?"

"Neal Gilmore."

John's eyes widened. "Isn't he the one who is always asking you out?"

"Yeah."

"I hate him."

Casey smiled, spinning the diamond ring on her finger around once. "I know."

"So is it just the prospect of seeing him tomorrow, or did he do something?"

She shrugged, taking a sip of her water. "He told me to wear a short skirt so he'll have something to do when I'm doing the questioning. I told him to screw himself and he said he'd rather screw me." She regarded John for a moment, taking in his reddening face and the way his hands were both clenching into fists. "Want to go caveman on him and take a club to his head?"

John scoffed. "You have no idea. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it just pisses me off that he has to make me dread this case even more. I mean, it's bad enough that he's defending a guy who tortured, raped, and killed his wife, but then he has this inability to back off when I tell him to." She laughed. "Remember Judge Taft and how he told me that I had to be properly dressed in his courtroom? In a skirt? I can't help thinking of that."

"I'm about to go all feminist on you," John said. "It's ridiculous that men can disrespect a prosecutor like that, just because you're female."

Casey smiled. "Aw, John, want to make posters with me and picket the courthouse? We can sing Melissa Ethridge songs and cry."

"You bet." He took her hand and smiled at the ring. "Tell Gilmore that your fiancé has a gun."

"Good idea." Their food arrived and they split John's lasagna and Casey's chicken marsala. "Well," Casey continued a few minutes later, "the next time he makes any comment that I don't like, I hope I'm holding my briefcase so I can turn around and accidentally nail him somewhere above the knees and below the waist."

"His voice would be high for weeks, what with that softball swing you've got."

"That's the plan." She rested her chin on her hand, surveying him in the flickering candlelight. "I'm glad you got tonight off. No cases?"

"We wrapped one up today. Good timing too; Elliot and Liv were talking about going out tonight."

"Not dating my ass."

John smirked slightly. "Even Cragen thinks they are. However, as long as it's not 'official'…there's nothing he can really do about it. They've been joined at the hip for years. It's not much different now. At least not in the office. I won't attest to what they do on their own time."

"Good call."

They finished eating and returned to Casey's apartment where they got into bed. Casey got settled on her side and John slung his arm across her waist, his stomach pressed against her back. "I'm going to head out pretty early tomorrow," she said, "so I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Alright." He kissed her neck. "Good luck in court."

"Thanks." She turned slightly so she could kiss him. "Be careful," she said, as she did every day before he left for work.

"I will be. I love you."

"Love you too."