Title: Taking Chances
Summary: What do you say to taking chances?
Spoilers: None.
Pairing: Casey/Olivia
Disclaimer: Casey Novak and Olivia Benson belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I swiped them when he wasn't looking but I'll put them back before he finds out!
Author's Note: See, this is what happens when I listen to Celine Dion over and over. "Taking Chances" gave me the inspiration for this. Enjoy!

What do you say to jumping off the edge,

Never knowing if there's solid ground below,

A hand to hold, or hell to pay?

--

Casey Novak could have sworn that the minute and hour hands on her wall clock hadn't moved an inch in what seemed to her like the last three hours. She'd had one hell of a day and the only thing Casey wanted to do was go home, change into her pajamas, and settle on the couch with a bottle of beer and a pint of Ben and Jerry's. She could practically hear the carton of Phish Food calling her name all the way from the back of her freezer.

But even though she wanted nothing more than to go home, she didn't want to be alone. She was stressed and exhausted and sure to be horrible company, but she really didn't want to spend the evening by herself. She had no idea whose company she wanted, but maybe it didn't matter whose company it was. Maybe all that mattered was that she was with someone. Anyone.

As she stared at the clock, watching the second hand work its way around the dial, Casey found herself idly wondering if Olivia Benson was doing anything tonight. That thought finally grabbed her attention. Her breath caught in her throat as she frowned slightly. What the hell difference did it make what Olivia was doing? Slumping back in her chair, Casey shook her head as if trying to shake the thought from it.

That had been happening a lot lately and it needed to stop. In the rare occasions that Casey had a few free moments to let her mind wander, her thoughts went to Olivia first. She'd wonder how the detective's day was going or what she'd say if she could hear some of the more stupid excuses offered during arraignments. Or what flavor of Ben and Jerry's she would choose if she needed some frozen comfort.

And then sometimes she'd catch herself thinking about dropping by the precinct on her way home, just to say hi. She tried to rationalize to herself that she would be going to check in on all her colleagues, but on some subconscious level she knew that it was really Olivia that she wanted to see. What the hell it all meant, she had no idea.

Well, no, she thought. She knew what thoughts like that meant, but she was trying not to think about it because that was impossible. It just was. Even if she could admit to herself that she was beginning to develop those kinds of feelings for Olivia--which, by the way, she was ninety percent sure that she wasn't--there was no guarantee that there was any wall in hell that Olivia felt the same way.

And Casey had no intention of saying anything about these new thoughts. Things had been weird enough between them when Casey first started as the ADA for Special Victims. She didn't want things to be weird again.

But, Casey thought, maybe this isn't that. Maybe she was just lonely and wanted to spend the evening venting to Olivia simply because Olivia was a great person to vent to. Olivia listened. She somehow instinctively knew when a rant was just a rant and when a rant required a response. And she always knew just what to say, whether it was a calmer perspective or just a joke to release the tension. Tonight Casey needed the detective's calm. She needed the release.

Perhaps it was that simple and the fact that her thoughts had immediately turned to Olivia didn't mean anything. She always did have a tendency to overthink things.

Casey reached out to grab her phone but she paused with her hand on the receiver. What if Olivia was busy? Or what if Olivia wasn't busy but didn't want to hang out anywhere? What it she'd had as bad a day as Casey and she just wanted to go home? Oh what the hell, Novak? Casey grumbled silently. Just pick up the phone and call her already.

Before she had the chance to change her mind or otherwise talk herself out of it, Casey snatched the receiver from its cradle and dialed Olivia's cell number.

--

Time was going slowly before, but it was positively crawling now. To Casey's immense relief, Olivia was in fact not doing anything tonight and thought that a beer and some ice cream sounded wonderful. Now two pints of ice cream sat in Casey's freezer, the carton of Peanut Butter Cup for the detective joining Casey's own carton of Phish Food.

Casey had originally asked Olivia if she wanted to go out for a drink, but Olivia must have been able to hear the exhaustion in Casey's voice. It was Olivia who had suggested going to one of their apartments, saying that it would be more relaxing that way. Since Casey was the one calling she offered up her own apartment, and Olivia had readily agreed.

Cue Casey's pounding heart.

Once she got home, she hurriedly straightened up a little bit. The ADA was not used to having company. Olivia had been over a few times before but never just to hang out. One time Casey had needed a ride somewhere and a couple of other times Olivia had dropped off files.

She blew a wayward lock of hair off her forehead and rested her hands on her hips, surveying her work. The carpet could have used a vacuuming but otherwise the place looked rather neat and clean for such short notice. And not a moment too soon, Casey thought when she heard a sharp rapping on her door.

It was impossible for her to hold back her relieved smile as she pulled open the door to greet the detective. Olivia smiled back and discreetly looked Casey up and down. "I expected you to be in your pajamas already," she teased as she stepped over the threshold into Casey's apartment.

Casey glanced down at her attire and frowned. She had changed out of her suit but she had thrown on jeans and a T-shirt instead of the pajama bottoms and tank top she would have changed into were she spending the evening alone. In no way was she ready for Olivia to see her in her pajamas. "You're not in your pajamas, so I figured I shouldn't be, either."

Olivia smiled as Casey shut the door behind the two of them. "I wouldn't have minded."

But I would have. Casey simply shrugged and gestured for Olivia to follow her into the kitchen. "I bought some hot fudge when I was at the store getting your ice cream," Casey said, eager for a subject change. "I have a can of whipped cream, too. Figure we can make our own sundaes."

She pulled a bottle of beer from the refrigerator and handed it to Olivia before taking one for herself. "Do you want the ice cream now or should be wait a little bit?"

"We can wait a little bit," Olivia said. She wandered out of the kitchen and back into the living room, where she plopped down on the sofa. Casey followed and sat down herself, quietly sighing in relief as the soft cushions enveloped her aching and tired muscles. "You really did have a shitty day, didn't you?" Olivia asked, her tone sympathetic.

Casey groaned. "Is it that obvious?"

"What happened?" Olivia asked with a small smile.

"Oh my God, you don't even want to know."

"If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't be here."

Casey felt the heat rushing up her cheeks and she knew in an instant that she was blushing. Goddamn it. "Why are you here?"

"Honestly?" Olivia met Casey's gaze and gave her a soft smile. "Because you've been on my mind since one o'clock this afternoon."

For an instant Casey couldn't breathe. Why was she on Olivia's mind? How she managed to control herself enough to simply raise an eyebrow at the detective, she'd never know. "I was on your mind?"

"When I stopped by the courthouse this afternoon, you just looked so … lost. You don't usually have that look in your eyes."

Olivia was worried about her. That was why she had agreed to come over tonight. She was worried. Casey wasn't quite sure how to interpret that. "It was one of those days when I just should have stayed in bed," she said as she averted Olivia's gaze.

"Stop being cryptic and just spill already, Novak."

Casey snickered, already feeling some of her tension release. She began relating the events of the day, starting first with the coffee disaster. She had been in a hurry to get to her office because she could hear her phone ringing and collided in the hallway with an intern named Kevin, who was on his way to deliver the copied files she'd requested. "My coffee cup was smashed in the collision and there was coffee everywhere. All over me, all over the floor, all over the files, and of course all over Kevin. It was like a Starbucks had exploded in the hallway."

Olivia choked back a snicker and Casey shot her a weary look. "I was lucky enough to have a change of clothes in my office," she continued. "Poor Kevin smelled like vanilla hazelnut all day."

Olivia could no longer hold in her laughter. "That poor kid."

"That's not even the worst of it! On top of all that, I had to have him re-copy the files because I couldn't read any of them through the coffee stains!"

"What a lovely way to start the day."

"I know, right? I had a meeting in chambers with Judge Bradley in the morning but I had to change first because I was not about to go into chambers with a stained suit and smelling like vanilla hazelnut. So of course I ran late and in order to explain why I was late, I had to explain that I had spilled coffee all over myself."

The detective gave a sympathetic pout as she gently patted Casey's knee in a gesture of comfort. Butterflies immediately began fluttering in Casey's stomach. Oh God, what Olivia's touch did to her. Could Olivia tell? Casey wasn't sure which was the better option: that she could or that she couldn't.

Casey had to swallow hard and clear her throat before she could continue. "And then came trial. I had Lucy Raymore on the stand and Langan just went after her. I objected and got him to back off, but Lucy was inconsolable. I got her back on track on redirect and luckily we recessed for the day after that, but I promised that kid that I wouldn't let that happen if she testified for me. I promised her."

"Is that where I came into the picture?" Olivia asked with a frown.

"Yeah," Casey answered, cringing as she remembered the brusque greeting she gave the detective before chasing after Lucy. "I'm sorry if I was distracted and rude. She was upset and I was upset that she was upset. It wasn't a fun time."

"It's okay. I kind of figured you had stuff going on. You don't usually completely ignore the offer of a hot dog."

Casey blinked in surprise. "You offered me a hot dog?" The detective nodded in response. "Damn. I could have gotten free food? I completely missed that whole thing!"

"Aww, poor baby," Olivia teased.

The ADA playfully stuck her tongue out at the detective. "Anyway, I caught up with Lucy and she told me that she wasn't upset with me and that she knew it wasn't my fault. Then I went back to my office, where I spent the next thirty minutes trying to pick the lock on my desk drawer because it somehow got locked with the key inside it. And then I had my paperwork to do, which we both know I adore."

Olivia snickered at Casey's sarcasm. "Absolutely."

"Then the day was finally almost over. I was in the middle of typing up a couple reports when my computer shut off and refused to turn back on. IT thinks the power supply unit crapped out and they're going to work on it over the weekend for me, but I lost everything I did this afternoon. I am so damn glad that it's a Friday." She tiredly ran her hand over her face and let out a heavy sigh.

"You poor thing," Olivia said as she tugged on a lock of Casey's hair. "No wonder you were counting the minutes until the end of the day."

The detective's fingers brushed Casey's cheek as she pulled her hand back. Again Casey couldn't breathe. Her eyes shot to Olivia as she willed the butterflies to calm and tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound completely stupid.

Olivia wrinkled her nose in confusion after a long beat of silence. "What is it?"

It seemed to Casey like an eternity before she could force words out of her mouth. "I-I think it's time for ice cream now."

She quickly stood and sped to the kitchen, cursing herself the entire way. What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she being so … awkward? She needed to calm down because now Olivia could tell there was something going on. If Olivia ever learned the truth, things between them would get weird and Casey desperately wanted things to remain normal.

The woman in her living room was just Olivia. Just someone she worked with every day. Nothing was out of the ordinary, so why the hell couldn't Casey act like it?

Casey felt a hand slide onto her shoulder and she started, whirling around with a soft gasp to face the detective. "Why are you so jittery tonight?" Olivia asked with a slightly confused but hopefully calming smile.

Crap, Casey thought. Now what? She scrambled, trying to come up with a reasonable answer, but she simply couldn't. Her mind was spinning at the simple thought of Olivia coming up behind her like that. Unable to speak, she shook her head and busied herself with digging the cartons of ice cream out of the freezer.

Unfortunately Olivia refused to let the subject drop. She reached out and grabbed the ADA's arm to get her attention. "Casey, what's the matter?"

Casey could only assume that her eyes were as wide as the proverbial deer in headlights. "Nothing."

"Uh huh, if you say so." Olivia let go of Casey's arm while giving her a look that plainly said she was dropping the subject although she was still completely unconvinced.

All Casey had wanted was Olivia to back off the subject, but now that she had, Casey found herself wishing she'd forced the issue. As a matter of fact she wanted nothing more right now than to push the detective against the refrigerator and pull her into a passionate kiss.

Casey blinked. Okay, so maybe she had developed those kinds of feelings for Olivia. She wasn't sure when and she wasn't sure how but it didn't matter. She needed to get over it. She just had to. Getting involved with someone at work was a huge no-no. It would make things awkward and lines would be blurred and it was all very messy. She took a deep breath and set her shoulders. I'm getting over it … now.

Of course, it didn't really work like that. Her eyes met Olivia's and she felt herself swirling, spinning. She was falling and she was falling hard. Damn it.

This was not going to go away. It was just going to get worse and worse and the tension and the urges would build inside of Casey until it was completely unbearable. Until Casey would be unable to even be in the same room as Olivia without her thoughts turning to getting her to the nearest flat surface.

Again Casey looked away and began scooping the ice cream out of the cartons and into cereal bowls. Olivia frowned, confused, and sidled up to Casey. "You're putting hot fudge on yours?" she asked as she peered over the ADA's shoulder at the flavor of ice cream Casey had chosen for herself. "It doesn't have enough stuff in it already?"

The detective's breath was hot on Casey's cheek and Casey felt her knees buckle. She couldn't stand it anymore. She was about to make things really, really awkward between the two of them but she didn't care. It was a horrible idea, a completely awful idea, but she needed to take the chance for her own peace of mind.

Before she had the time to think better of it, she turned around and backed Olivia up until she was standing flush with the refrigerator. Casey took Olivia's face in her hands and leaned down for a deep, long kiss. At first the detective seemed startled but she soon relaxed into it and even welcomed it, pressing her lips back against Casey's.

It was Casey who broke the kiss first. She stood back, out of breath and awaiting the fallout, and searched Olivia's eyes. For a long moment, Olivia stood silent, panting slightly and trying to formulate her thoughts.

After what seemed to Casey to be hours but was in reality only about twenty seconds, a coy smile curled onto Olivia's lips. "Well," she said breathlessly, which made Casey grin, "what the hell took you so long?"