The Makings
Casey Novak is finding out that when you run from the past, it eventually catches up. And boy does it ever make up for lost time… C/E
Casey is busy trying to get over the consequences of her sexual assault, though her past resurfacing with a vengeance doesn't help matters. Neither does an increasingly distant Elliot Stabler. Alex Cabot is desperate to see her protégé through this rough time, she however has her own demons to battle. And it certainly doesn't help when she is called upon to prosecute someone close to Casey…
Be prepared for much angst, drama, twists and turns, and probably surprise guests! The timeline will be subject lost style flashbacks into character backstory, but hopefully it will be easy to follow!
Warnings: Um, none really…. I work it chapter by chapter
Disclaimer: I don't own Law and Order, but I do own a lot of sonic the hedgehog merchandise.
A/N: This story is set straight after my other story "Like Father", might be best to read that one before this one if you haven't, though I'll try to make it follow able anyhow
Chapter one: Failed Seduction
The following takes place a year and 9 months after ADA Alexandra Cabot was appointed the Assistant District Attorney for the Special Victims Unit
Alex Cabot couldn't hold her liquor. That was a fact. Twirling the stem on her Bordeaux glass, now nearly drained of the blood red Merlot it once contained, Alex solidified this theory in her mind, and it gave her a warm sense of comfort. Or maybe that was the alcohol again.
It was nearing ten in the evening, and after a long awaited guilty verdict in court earlier that Friday (sentencing was yet to take place, but Alex was certain it would be 25 - life), following a protracted, arduous investigation, she and the rest of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit were enjoying a well earned post work beverage at a local bar they tended to frequent, it was the least they deserved after all the hard work and sleepless nights they put into the case, but now, for reasons Alex herself could not quite explain, she felt her gaze inexplicably drawn to the smoky brown eyes of one Olivia Benson. The Detective was regaling the assembled squad with a humorous anecdote of some variety, but against the hum of conversation and clinking glasses and the general bustling ambiance of a nightspot gearing up for the weekend, Alex couldn't follow the thread of her story. That and she was far too distracted watching the older woman from her vantage point across the table and at an angle, Olivia couldn't see her focused line of sight unless she turned directly to the attorney. Which, the second Alex thought about it, she promptly did.
Shit.
Had she caught Alex staring?
Alex quickly cast her gaze down to the table, and damn it, she'd even thrown in a coy smile as she'd bashfully averted her gaze.
She snatched her thick framed D&G glasses off, laying them on the table and pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping she could explain away the gawking by feigning alcohol induced visual impairment.
Maybe that's what it was. She'd met the detectives after they'd had dinner (she'd had work to finish off after the trial), so she was drinking on an empty stomach. She was feeling light-headed.
But lately, Alex had been feeling that way an awful lot around Olivia.
Which didn't make one iota of sense.
Sure, Olivia was a card carrying, outspoken and proud lesbian, but Alex herself was a proven, practising, boyfriend possessing heterosexual. Sure, he was dull as hell, an accountant by trade, but he was a he. Alex Cabot was attracted to, and dated men.
Which meant what whatever strange, extremely distracting thoughts she might have been having about Benson were just…glitches. Curiosity maybe.
Alex slid her glasses back on. It was time to take positive action.
"Alright guys, I'm gonna call it a night," She smiled, making sure to avoid locking eyes with the only other female member of the squad.
Suddenly, she felt a hand catch her wrist, pulling her back down into her seat,
"Come on Alex, you're the guest of honour here, you can't go yet!" Olivia said, flashing a beaming white smile. Her eyes had an odd sparkle, and it wasn't the drink, Olivia was designated driver for the night and as such had been on cokes and lemonades. Did the Detective hold her eyes just a second too long?
"I'd love to stay, I've just got…stuff to do." Alex decided. Stuff that didn't include salacious, entirely inappropriate thoughts about members of the police squad she worked for. Especially not female members of the police squad she worked for.
"I'll drive you home," Olivia smiled, snatching her tan leather jacket off the back of her chair and shrugging it on.
"Oh, no Liv, don't worry, you stay here, have fun," Alex said, waving clumsily and nearly smacking herself in the process. Everyone at the table let out a collective group chuckle.
"Now I'm definitely driving you," Olivia said, shaking her head at the lawyers comic clumsiness.
*****
This was embarrassing. Alexandra Cabot did not do drunk.
Around the office, Alex liked to think she exuded an aura of dignity, professionalism, class even. And it wasn't just a persona, it was the way Alex had been raised. She wasn't quite as anal as word around the office would have one believe, but it simply did not do that she was presently stood in a hallway, outside her own apartment, inebriated, blinking heavily at her key fob, trying to figure out which one of the miscellaneous little metal bastards fit the damn door.
Olivia had decided to walk her to the door, and now Alex was beginning to regret accepting her chivalrous offer. Said Detective was presently stood beside her, making no effort to help Alex successfully enter her residence, or to hide her amusement.
"I need my glasses," Alex said, making excuses, "I think they're in my bag somewhere."
"I think they're on your face Counsellor," Olivia said, playfully tapping the frames with her index finger.
"Oh, right," Alex said, feeling the warmth of a blush spread up her neck and across her cheeks, and she wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment at her faux pas, or Olivia's proximity. Grinning her wonderful smile, she gently took the keys from Alex, pushing the correct one into the lock in one try.
"Thanks," Alex said, stilted. Still too embarrassed to say more. It seemed on the short ride from the bar to her apartment, the wine had taken a deeper affect on her. She swiftly gone from comfortably tipsy to genuinely drunk.
That was the only explanation for the words that leapt from her mouth next.
"You wanna come in?" Alex asked, swallowing hard as she realized what she had just said, and who she had said it to.
"Alex," Olivia said, pulling a fake shocked expression, "what would Norman say?" The Detective clearly thought she was being humorous, turning Alex's benign, innocent invitation into a scandalous suggestion. There was no way Olivia could know that it was in fact the latter.
Screw it, Alex thought to herself. This wasn't an opportunity that would repeat itself, and hell, if Olivia turned her down, she could pass it off as a drunken mistake. Or maybe a big drunken mistake.
"I'm serious," Alex said, leaning in a little closer, removing any ambiguity invoked by her statement by placing a hand on Olivia's shoulder. Realization dawned on the Detectives face, and she nodded.
"Alex, you one of the most gorgeous women I have ever met in my life, and I'd have to be an idiot to turn down that invitation…" Olivia said, pausing as she considered her next words.
"I hear a but coming," Alex said.
Olivia nodded, "but you are, drunk, straight, and attached."
Alex raised a hand "Hey, I'm tipsy, not drunk, who says I'm straight, and you've met Norman. There are Birch Trees with more gripping personalities."
Olivia gave a slightly sad smile, placing a hand on Alex's cheek. Her skin burnt on contact, there was no way it was just her mind playing tricks, "Alex, trust me sweetie, you're going to be very embarrassed tomorrow morning. Goodnight."
And with that she left hurriedly down the hallway, leaving Alex wondering why she was feeling less embarrassed than disappointed.
The following takes place the week after the trial of Olivia Benson closed
It was Sunday, the day before Casey was due back in the office for the first time since the whole rape debacle, and she was basically shitting herself.
McCoy had told her she could take as much time off as she wanted (before he had been promoted, leaving his post open for Alex), and Alex had extended the same offer. But it had been months, and Casey wasn't an individual who enjoyed long periods of inactivity, though the lie-ins had been heaven. Especially when she was accompanied by a certain blue-eyed Detective.
Which unfortunately, was not the case this evening. Casey sat next to Elliot on his plush canvas sofa, watching as he tapped away diligently at his laptop, working on some case or another. He barely registered her presence. He was there in body, but his mind was most definitely at the Special Victims Unit squad-room.
This called for decisive action.
Casey got up from the sofa, entering Elliot's room, opening the closet and rummaging through what little clothes she kept at his place (most of her wardrobe now resided at Alex's). When nothing too racy came to hand, Casey decided to go with what she was already wearing. Under her clothes.
She stripped off her tee-shirt and jeans, giving a passing glance to the mirror as she re-entered the living room. Though it had been months since the rape, and her injuries were now fully healed, Casey still couldn't bring herself to stand in front of a mirror anything less than fully dressed. It wasn't as though she regularly paraded about nude admiring her reflection prior to the incident, that would be odd, but Casey realized that she now vehemently avoided it.
She perched on the sofa next to Elliot, a sudden shyness rushing up on her as she started to reconsider her bold state of undress. Immediately though, she had his attention. Doing a double take, he quickly set the computer down on the coffee table, eyes roving unabashedly up and down her semi-dressed form.
"You ready for bed?" He asked innocently, placing one hand on her knee. Casey couldn't help but smile. He was adorably easy at times.
"What gave you that idea?" Casey asked. Now he was fully engaged, she could toy with him a little. He deserved it for ignoring her all evening, especially when he was fully aware that tomorrow was her first day back with the DA's office, and she had made scant effort to hide her apprehensions. He grinned widely, leaning over, but just before his lips met hers, a peppy chiming sounded. Elliot groaned.
"That's my cell," He explained, reaching into his pocket. Before he could produce said communications device, Casey said,
"You wanna get that?" He removed the cell from his jeans pocket and looked at the screen. Casey swiped the phone from his hands, affected her most seductive gaze and climbed onto his lap, straddling him.
"Let me rephrase that, are you sure you wanna get that?" She asked, voice taking on an unmistakably seductive quality. She was pleased to see Elliot unconsciously lick his lips.
"It's Kathy," Elliot said, voice heavy with disappointment. Casey sighed, pressing the phone back into his hands and quickly dismounting him.
"Hold that thought," Elliot said as he hit redial, obviously eager not to let the opportunity slide, but it was no good. Already, Casey was slumped on the sofa next to him, suddenly self-conscious again, arms folded across her bare midriff. She listened absently as Elliot nodded, making the occasional 'uh-huh' as he listened to his ex-wife.
"I have to go," He huffed, unsurprisingly. That was usually what a call from Kathy resulted in.
"What did she want?" Casey asked, impressed with how free of spite she'd managed to make the sentence sound.
"Its about the kids, I'm sorry, I've gotta go, I'll see you in the morning," He said, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. Casey got up from the sofa.
"I think I'm gonna head over to Alex's, I've got work in the morning," Casey said casually, but secretly hoping to remind him of what tomorrow was for her, and jar his conscience. She definitely didn't want to come between Elliot and his kids, however, she needed him right now. Casey wanted to ask exactly what was so urgent that he couldn't be with his girlfriend when she needed him.
Kathy wanted him there. Casey needed him. It didn't have fuck all to do with jealousy, but of course, if she said anything to make him stay, that was what it would come off as.
"Hey Casey, don't worry about it," Elliot said, pulling her into a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, wishing she could fall asleep right there. "I'll drive you to Alex's on the way." He added.
"Thanks," Casey said, forcing a smile. She'd half thought he'd reconsidered, but no such luck. She returned to the bedroom, dressing to an appropriate level and followed Elliot out to his car. She couldn't begrudge him for putting his family over her, but still she did.
And it made her feel like a fucking terrible person.
The next morning
"You ready kiddo?" Alex asked. Casey Novak stood in her hallway, shoulders back, arms folded across her chest, staring down her own reflection in the floor length mirror stationed there. It was strange seeing Casey back in her lawyer garb again, she'd gotten used to her in casual jeans and tee-shirts or vests if the weather permitted. The business wear aged the younger lawyer, and seemed to come with a free unrelenting serious expression and humour vanquisher. The attorney had one eyebrow raised, perhaps road testing it to ensure it was still functional before she needed to rely on it in court. Casey had slowly begun dying her hair back to a rich strawberry blonde colour instead of the near platinum shades it had been heading previously, which Alex had thought a good choice. It suited her skin tone better.
"As I'm ever gonna be," Casey sighed, hefting her briefcase listlessly, as though it was both comprised of and filled entirely with lead.
"Casey, before we go, there's something I should tell you," Alex said, attempting not to sound melodramatic. Casey looked quizzical and Alex swallowed hard, regretting not telling Casey about this earlier as her better judgement had told her to. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Casey interrupted,
"Alex, if it's about work, I don't know if it's such a good idea to talk about it outside of the office." She shrugged, "I mean, we're still sharing an apartment at the minute, and I was kind of hoping we could keep work and our personal lives separate."
"All right," Alex nodded. It could keep until they arrived at the office. She wasn't exactly bursting to share her announcement at any rate.
*****
Being the Boss at the DA's office, Alex could afford herself some liberties. Such as taking the scenic route into the office to afford her more time to ensure that her sort of protégé was amply prepared for the day that led ahead. And to press for further details about last night.
"So where did Elliot get to?" Alex asked. Last night, Casey had shown up at her door at a little past 10pm, shuffling from foot to foot, as close to bashful as the younger attorney ever got, asking if she could stay. Elliot had called Alex earlier in the evening, telling her he'd be looking after Casey tonight. It was a strange arrangement they had going. It was as though they were parents after a fairly amicable divorce and Casey was their now time-share offspring.
"He had to see his kids," Casey in an instant. Her quick reply smacked of defensiveness.
"Hey, I wasn't saying anything," Alex added quickly.
*****
"So how's Alex keeping these days?" Casey shot back, deliberately touching a nerve with the newly appointed DA. It was only fair, if Alex wanted to poke her sensitive spots she was fully entitled to poke back. With a stick if need be.
"Haven't seen her," Alex replied, eye focusing on the road ahead and voice taking on an icy timbre. In truth, Casey hadn't shot back to hurt her, it was a defence mechanism, which had had it's desired affect. If Alex wanted to get personal, they'd both get personal. And god knows Cabot was allergic to that. She shut up the rest of the ride into the office, leaving Casey to mull over her thoughts to the steady refrain of the growling engine.