Disclaimer: If anybody is thick enough to actually imagine that I own these characters, then they must have something seriously wrong with them.

WARNING: Implied same-sex relationship. Get over it, prudes.

Sometimes coming home was the worst part of Olivia's day. It was agonizing to walk into the small apartment that she shared solely with her television, and the vacuous walls depressed her to no end. Dropping her keys on the wooden kitchen counter with a clatter, her thick leather jacket slid into a puddle around her feet and her purse thumped onto the floor softly. Then she shut her big brown eyes and leaned heavily against the wall, forehead pressed on the cool white surface as the air from the open window sunk through the back of her shirt to make her shiver. Peeking open an eye, she reached over and flipped on the answering machine, which was blinking red.

"You have one missed call, Friday the 17th, 5:33 PM."

There was a pause, and she breathed deeply, waiting to hear what she assumed would be Elliot, calling to tell her that there was yet another stack of papers that he needed her to cover for.

"Liv? It's Alex. I hope I'm not disturbing anything, but I thought I'd give you a call to see what you were up to. I- we haven't spoken in a while, and I'm really…I guess I just miss the sound of your voice, actually. I miss you, Olivia. Please call me back. This is Alex, by the way. I don't remember if I've already said that, but, you know…I just thought I'd make sure."

Silence filled the room so abruptly, and Olivia forgot to breathe. Instead of crickets she heard the distant blare of traffic, and a dog barked insistently somewhere in the night streets. Suddenly it was unbearably cold, and Alex's words rang in her head: I miss you, Olivia. The sound of your voice…I miss you…I miss you…

"Messages complete."

Slowly she began to move around, going through her habits: Coffee leftover from the morning time found its way into the microwave, a box of original wheat thins were emptied clumsily onto a bent paper plate, and Olivia washed out a dirty cup sitting on the edge of the sink. However, one thing upset this casual routine; fat teardrops rolled down Olivia's cheeks, and more than once she ran her fingers through her boy-cut auburn hair in anxiety. Life and work were already complex enough, and the notion that she could own the simple pleasure of speaking to Alex was painful. She didn't deserve the gentle smiles and sweet blue eyes, and had known this even when she'd returned the glances and grins. Alex was special, the greatest form of love that Olivia had ever known, and all she wanted was to wrap herself up in the blond woman's protective embrace.

But that couldn't happen.

Loving Alex hurt like fire. Trying to deserve her was equivalent to breaking boulders; hoping to keep her was more painful than the original burn of acceptance. The intimidating blond woman had no idea what Olivia went through for her, and each time Alex caught her glance across the office, Olivia wanted to drown in her electric blue gaze. But they worked together. They worked together, and it was too complicated. Hearing her voice on the message machine, however, was causing Olivia's resolve to collapse like tinder underneath the howl of the big bad wolf.

I miss you. I miss you. I miss you.

God, she missed Alex. The coffee beeped, but she ignored it. Grabbing her keys off the table, she snatched up her purse, pulled on her jacket, and fished out her umbrella from the stand on the way out. As she rode the elevator down to ground floor, she held her cell-phone to her ear and listened to the ringing. Around her the sound of metal grinding against metal mixed with the automatic ring. She felt desperation strike her on the fourth tremor, but then, just as she stepped out into the light drizzle, Alex's voice swam through her body like melted honey.

"Hello?"

"Hey Alex."

Into the dark night Olivia strode, faster than before and with a definite purpose. Behind her rain began to spot the pavement, but she took no notice of it. A small smile lit up her normally haggard features, and as she promised, "I'll see you soon", Olivia felt the strangest surge of adrenaline and thought that maybe, just maybe, coming home wouldn't be so bad after all.