Trouble

This is in response to the fanfiction Secret Santa. I was asked to write for…saavik55!

Pairing: A/O, established BDSM relationship

Rating: M

Timeframe: takes place right after the AO argument in Spiraling Down, but before Stanton's verdict and subsequent suicide.

Olivia hesitated as she put the key in the lock of the front door of the apartment she shared with Alex. The conversation from the courthouse was at the forefront on her mind as she debated whether or not to even try to enter the apartment.

"Well, that was ugly," Alex hissed angrily.

"Ellis was just doing his job. Stanton is not mentally competent; I tried to warn you," Olivia tried to explain.

"Warn me? You walked me right into it!" Alex snapped back. "You wanted a sting operation. You wanted to prosecute all the johns for rape."

"The guilty ones. Stanton didn't…" she countered.

"You don't get to cherry pick. What are we supposed to do? Prosecute some of the johns and not Stanton? What kind of message does that send?" Alex said, cutting Olivia off. Olivia put her hands in her back pockets. "That the D.A.'s office gives sports stars a free pass? You want justice for her, you want compassion for him. You can't have it both ways, Olivia. The world doesn't work that way." Alex entered the opened elevator, but she was so infuriated with the brunette in front of her that she had to throw one last dig at her. "And I don't even want to know how Ellis showed up in your squad room." Her ice blue eyes ripped right through Olivia, as she simply stood in the hall, unable to think of a response that didn't sound completely absurd.

And now she was in front of the door to the apartment they shared. Alex had been right. Justice had to be blind. And yet, Olivia was overwhelmed by the notion that he was mentally incapable of knowing what he was doing. So what was the solution? Prosecute or not? It was the jury's call, not hers. Although, if she had just listened to Alex in the first place, none of this would have ever happened.

Olivia took a deep breath and rotated the key counter-clockwise. The lock gave way and she pushed the door open, not entirely sure what she was expecting to find. All she knew was that she was shaking the same way she had as a child whenever she knew she was in trouble. Alex was seated on the couch, facing away from the door with a file and a pen.

"What are you doing here, Olivia?" she asked, without looking up.

"I want to talk," Olivia answered, closing the door behind her. "About what happened in court today. Obviously, you're still mad." Olivia fiddled with her coat more than usual as she placed it in its spot in the hall closet.

"You made me look like a heartless bitch in there," Alex replied icily.

"I'm sorry," Olivia whispered.

"What did I tell you when all of this started?" Alex asked.

"That a sting operation wasn't worth it," Olivia repeated. She closed her brown eyes. She was in big trouble, and she knew it.

"So, let me recap this for you. You wanted to do a sting operation; I told you it was a bad idea. You gave me your little puppy dog face, and I gave it. So you had your fun, and now you're mad because I'm trying to put a rapist in jail. In fact, you went so far as to hire his defense attorney, didn't you?" Alex snapped the file shut and stood up to face her girlfriend. Olivia chewed on her lower lip.

"Didn't you?" Alex repeated as she walked over to where Olivia was standing. Olivia nodded.

"Excuse me? I didn't hear that," Alex said, turning her head slightly toward Olivia's.

"Yes, Ma'am," Olivia whispered.

"I think someone needs to be punished for her bad behavior, don't you?" Alex said, tilting Olivia's head up to look into her eyes.

"Yes, Ma'am," Olivia repeated.

"Go into the bedroom, take your clothes off, and wait for me," Alex ordered. Olivia started towards the bedroom.

"Olivia," Alex said, when the brunette had almost reached the bedroom door. Olivia stopped dead in her tracks. "Your belt," Alex requested, holding out her hand. Olivia closed her eyes and clenched her fists.

Not the belt, she thought. Somehow, it was always more humiliated when she was punishing with something she had just been wearing. And yet, it also heightened her arousal at the same time. She opened her eyes and her fingers flew to the buckle.

Alex had observed her beloved pet's reaction to her latest command. As Olivia laid the belt in her hands, she suppressed the urge to smirk. She had reached Olivia on exactly the level she wanted. Of course, she would still have to play the role of being angry. Once Olivia disappeared through the bedroom door, Alex brought the leather strap to her nose and inhaled deeply. It was still warm from Olivia's body heat, and Olivia's scent mixed with the leather creating an intoxicating aroma. Alex gauged her time carefully. She wanted to give Olivia enough time to follow her orders, plus a few more minutes for her to stew. Olivia's punishments always head a far greater effect when she had the chance to imagine what she was in for before it actually began. Of course, Alex always paid careful attention for even the slightest utterance of their safe word. In truth, Olivia's punishment would be more to assuage Olivia's own guilt rather than to appease Alex.

After roughly fifteen minutes, Alex opened the door to the bedroom. Olivia was kneeling next to the foot of the bed, wearing nothing but the cream-colored leather collar around her neck. Her clothes were folded neatly and sitting on top of the dresser. Alex paused to stroke Olivia's hair.

"Why do you make me do this to you, pet? You know I hate to punish you," Alex asked. Olivia remained silent, though she was enjoying the feeling of Alex's hands on her hair.

"Answer me," Alex commanded, turning the brunette's face up toward her own.

"I…don't know, Ma'am," Olivia replied.

"That's not good enough, Olivia. Try again," Alex responded.

"I'm just tired of seeing underaged girls prosecuted for prostitution, when their johns are guilty of stat rape. The girls are the victims. They're the children. I just thought it was time the real criminals were punished," Olivia said. Alex nodded.

"And that's what I love about you, honey. You have such a loving heart, but you have to know when to stop. You're the cop; I'm the lawyer. You get the bad guys, and let me figure out who to charge and with what. Do you understand?" Alex said.

"Yes, Ma'am," Olivia answered.

"Are you ready for your punishment?" Alex asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Olivia answered once again. Alex sat on the edge of the bed.

"Then get that ass of yours over my knee," Alex ordered. Olivia crawled over to where Alex sat and draped her body over the blonde's lap. Alex palmed Olivia's well-toned ass before peppering it with a series of quick, light smacks. Olivia tried to hold back, but she couldn't suppress a soft moan that slipped past her lips. Alex's hand lazily trailed towards the juncture between Olivia's legs, where she discovered a small pool of moisture forming.

"Hush, pet. You're not supposed to be enjoying this," Alex said, punctuating her sentence with a harder slap. Olivia bit her lips and swallowed the screech that threatened to escape. When Olivia's ass was glowing red and well-sensitized, Alex continued.

"Get up, and bend over the foot of the bed," Alex ordered, and Olivia immediately complied. Alex picked up Olivia's belt, which she had laid on the bed next to her, folded it in half, and cracked it so that the sound reverberated off the walls of the room. Olivia jumped slightly.

"Now, I think ten lashes is an appropriate punishment. I expect you to be on your best behavior. You will count them out loud," she ordered. She drew back and landed a calculated blow, catching Olivia on the top of the thighs.

"One…" Olivia said. Alex let the next three fly in rapid succession, laying a cross-hatch pattern on Olivia's backside.

"Two…three…four…uhhh…" Olivia counted. Alex paused briefly to run her fingers down Olivia's spine and was rewarded with a shudder from the brunette. She pulled back and laid down another series of three quick blows.

"Five…six…seven…" Olivia continued to count.

"Do you have anything you want to say?" Alex asked.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I'm so sorry," Olivia apologized. *smack *

"Eight…you were right, Alex," Olivia continued. *smack *

"Nine…I promised not to question you again," Olivia said. *smack *

"Ten," Olivia finished. Alex threw the belt to the other side of the room. She knelt on the floor and pulled the naked brunette into her arms. Alex noticed the tear stains on her lover's face and realized she hadn't noticed them fall. She cradled the brunette, stroking her hair as the tears continued.

"Can you fix it?" Olivia asked.

"Shhh…Olivia. I'll do everything I can," Alex promised. And she would, because there was nothing she could refuse Olivia. Ever.

Merry Christmas, saavik! I hope it wasn't too cheesy for you.