Disclaimer: SVU, its characters, etc… They are not mine… if they were, no offense to any hardcore Casey fans, but there would have been no Novak- I'm a Cabot fan through and through… Anyway, no infringement intended, no money made… I just do this for fun…
Summary: Olivia is sick, and who else would be taking care of our favorite detective? This is OA all the way…
A/N: Rated M for what's headed your way a little later on… Thoughts… told from Olivia's POV. Enjoy, and please review…
The Cure for What Ails You
-iheartSVUandNCIS
For the past four and a half hours, I have been staring at file after file, trying unsuccessfully to tackle the mountain of paperwork that has accumulated on my desk. Words are starting to blur, and I'm sure that I have been stuck on the same paragraph for the past ten minutes.
"You're out sick for a few days and the guys toss all the good stuff your way, huh?" A voice pulls me away from my files and back to reality.
I look up and offer a weak smile as a greeting to the blue-eyed blonde before me.
"Hey, Alex. Cragen's in his office." I say, assuming that she is here on business.
She raises an eyebrow and cocks her head to the side, studying me in a way that has always made me feel a little anxious.
Her expression is one of concern as she takes a few steps closer to me, a small smile beginning to form on her lips.
"What if I'm here to see you?" She asks, reaching into her briefcase and pulling out a red Gatorade. "You know, just to check on you…"
Her expression has all of a sudden changed from one of concern to one of nervousness, a look that she wears well but never often.
"Thanks, Alex." I say, a little unsure of what this gesture means, but grateful nonetheless.
I reach out for the Gatorade and, for a split second, my fingertips brush against her fingertips, sending a jolt of electricity throughout my entire body.
To my left, Fin and Munch are discussing a case, when, from behind me, Elliott mentions that I should probably head home, his comment about me looking green around the gills going in one ear and out the other as I study Alex, who is smiling shyly at me.
I love it when she smiles like that…
I nod an acknowledgement to his comment in Elliott's direction, all too ready to get away from my paper Mount Everest and slip into the warm oblivion that cough medicine and my bed have to offer.
I attempt to stand, and in my weakened condition, I stagger and struggle to remain upright.
Alex's briefcase hits the floor and she rushes over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist to steady me. Her fingertips come in contact with the smooth skin of my abdomen as she pulls me into her, supporting more of my weight as I try to remain standing.
"I've got you.." She says, and this time, I hear rather than see her concern.
I close my eyes, and for a moment, the room stops spinning, and all I can think about is how good it feels to be this close to her…
I hear words and phrases that make no sense before I am scooped up into strong arms that carry me through what feels like an eternity of twists and turns down hallway after hallway…
And then, finally, there is more conversation, followed by traffic sounds and the low roar of an engine.
A small hand is on my shoulder, shaking me gently, and when my eyes open, I am greeted by bright sunlight that is shining through the windshield of an unfamiliar vehicle.
"Think you can make it upstairs?" Alex asks, reaching in and unbuckling my seatbelt.
I nod and slowly make my way out of what must be her car.
Once I'm on my feet, I find myself battling against gravity and trying my best not to give into the sudden urge to fall face first onto the concrete waiting below.
"Lean on me, okay?" She says, and once again, she is pressed up against me, one arm round my waist, as we make our way to her apartment.
"Why are we here?" I ask, looking around her apartment once she has fumbled around with her keys and finally managed to unlock the door and get us both inside.
And why is it so hot in here?
"It's closer." She says, leading me in the general direction of what I assume will end up being her bedroom.
I peel off my jacket and my button up shirt, glad that my tank top is thin, light, and much cooler than my previous state of layered dress.
"It's hot as hell in here, Alex…" I say, my jacket and shirt hitting the floor as I begin to unbutton and unzip my jeans.
Bed in sight, I shove my jeans down and step out of them, allowing myself to then fall into luxurious pillows and onto a cool cotton comforter.
"I'm going to get you some Gatorade… and something for that fever. I'll be back in a minute…" She says, and all I can do is moan a response.
I feel like shit.
Two piles of it…
When she returns, I roll over onto my side so that I can take a few sips of my Gatorade. She offers me two Tylenol, and after I wash them down, I hand the Gatorade back to her.
"Thanks." I say, repositioning myself a little, making room for her to sit down on the side of the bed next to me.
Instead of sitting on the bed, she puts my Gatorade on her bedside table and heads into what I assume is her bathroom. I hear her rustle around for a few minutes, then there's the sound of water running.
What is she doing?
And is she aware of how much noise she is making?
My thoughts grind to a halt when she walks out, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail.
Business suit replaced by short running shorts and an old gray t-shirt, she is a far cry from the Alexandra Cabot I am used to seeing, and maybe it's the cold medicine, or maybe it's just me…
She's drop-dead gorgeous…
She smiles at me and I feel my temperature rise just a little.
Tylenol be damned…
If she's going to walk around like that, my temperature is going to stay up…
"What?" She asks, eyebrow raised in true Cabot fashion.
You have great legs…
"You look… different." I say, and the interrogator in me knows immediately that the line I just shot her is as obvious as it is lame.
If possible, her eyebrow rises a little higher.
Oh, shit…
"Different?" She asks, her curiosity peaked, the lawyer in her unable to just leave it at that, to accept the statement as is, without picking it to pieces and analyzing it.
Okay, so I was going to say you look good… amazing… hot… sexy as hell…
"I'm used to seeing you in business suits." I say, shamelessly looking her over, too taken aback by her beauty to try and stop myself from staring at her.
There's that smile again…
"I'm not the only one who looks… different." She says, her eyes slowly roving over my body before she makes eye contact with me.
Should I warn her?
"Oh, yeah… I should probably warn you… I've been told that I'm clingy when I'm sick… and I can be a bit hard to please…" I say, figuring that she at least deserves a heads up if she's going to be within a five block radius of me for the next few hours.
Her laughter fills the air and nearly stops my heart.
I'm not used to seeing her like this, and I am definitely not used to the sound of her laughing…
"You can't be that bad… and besides… I don't mind clingy. I'm here to take care of you. Whatever you need, I'm at your service." She says, and all I can do is watch her legs as she walks over to me and places the back of her hand to my forehead. "You're hot…" She adds, a hint of a frown now visible.
You're not so bad yourself…
"I've had a fever for the past few days. The Tylenol should take care of it." I say, and the rest of whatever I was going to say is silenced by the fact that she now has her hand on my shoulder.
Her hand travels down my arm and covers my hand.
"When your fever's gone, just crawl under the covers. Your Gatorade's right here next to you, and you can turn the TV on if you want… If you need anything else, just let me know, okay?" She tells me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
Disappointment must be written all over my face because she frowns and moves closer to me.
"What is it?" She asks, and before my brain has a chance to process what my mouth is about to say, words are coming out of my mouth.
"I want you to stay with me." I say, and for the life of me, I have no idea how I could have ever allowed those words to slip past my lips.
Because they are true…
You want her here with you…
I watch for signs of discomfort or hesitancy, but to my surprise, she just smiles, gets up, and walks around to the other side of the bed.
"This is part of that whole clingy thing, isn't it?" She asks, climbing onto the bed and settling down next to me.
I must be on some kind of honesty kick, because the first thing that comes to my mind is the first thing that comes out of my mouth.
"This is part of that whole me wanting you in bed with me thing…" I say, immediately making a mental note to never mix sleep deprivation, cough medicine, and antihistamines again.
Olivia, shut the hell up…
"And how long has this been going on?" She asks, and once again her eyebrow is raised and she is on a mission.
Since the moment I laid eyes on you…
"It's only going on because I'm sick… I just don't want to be by myself… that's all." I tell her, trying my best to sound convincing.
No such luck.
"So Elliott… or Fin… or Munch… you'd ask one of them to crawl into bed and keep you company?" She asks, and the small smile that is making its presence known is not lost on me.
No way in hell that's gonna happen…
"You're the only one I've extended the invitation to… I'm not a big fan of cop-on-cop action… no need for a second pair of handcuffs." I say, my eyelids starting to flutter, almost too heavy for me to continue fighting against the bout of sleep I feel coming my way.
She laughs again, sliding a little closer to me, trying to get comfortable without coming into contact with me just yet because she still isn't sure just how far we're going to go with this, and for that matter, neither am I..
Against my better judgment, I ignore the warnings being sent by my head and I go with what my heart is telling me.
I move closer to her and reach out, pulling her as close to me as possible.
"I told you I was clingy." I tell her, looking into the bluest and most sincere eyes I have ever seen.
Her hand slowly travels from my hip, up under my tank top, and stops on my side, just beneath my bra.
I shudder, which makes her laugh, and, not to be outdone, I silence her laughter by cupping her face in my hands, and slowly… very slowly… I move closer to her.
I gently press my lips to hers, not once, or twice… but three times.
"I lied." I confess, sleepy and willing to spill my soul if that's what it takes to keep her where she is at this moment.
She pulls away from me slightly, confusion etched into her beautiful features.
"What about?" She asks, her fingertips gliding back down from my side to my hip.
"I lied… about how long I've wanted you in bed with me…" I say, not wanting to elaborate, leaving her to draw her own conclusions as I snuggle up close to her.
I have wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you…
Once she has finally gotten situated, our legs are tangled together, my head is tucked under her chin, and her arms are wrapped around me.
I close my eyes, lost in the sound of her heart beating, and it doesn't take long for me to give into the pull of sleep.