She could smell blood long before she saw it. At 3.35 in the morning, it had a tendency to make her feel queasy, a fact that surprised her given the number of times she'd been called out to such a scene at this unfortunate time of day. Feeling envious of all those sleeping, ignorant of the sad sight about to present itself, Olivia Benson squared her shoulders, inhaled deeply, and attempted to clear the fog clouding her mind. Coffee had helped a little, but being woken after an hour of sleep was, she was sure, a form of torture. Dragging herself out of the car, she resolutely stepped forwards, her heels clipping and echoing off the walls of the alley she had entered. It was October, and her breath fogged slightly as she drew her scarf around her, glad for some fresh air to keep her senses sharp. Ahead, the solid figure of Elliot Stabler turned as he picked up on the sound of her approach; the look on his face saying more than words could ever convey. Olivia felt her stomach lurch and a glance at the eviscerated body at his feet confirmed that they were, in fact, looking at another victim of their serial rapist and murderer. Nine months and now, seven bodies. Seven dead little girls.
"Same MO as the others."
Elliot didn't need to say it – his eyes had already told her – but Olivia could tell that he was trying to maintain a professional facade. This was starting to hit close to home, for both of them but especially for Elliot. She knew that as soon as they had spoken to the ME, he'd go home and check that all of his children were safe. Even if it meant he'd get no sleep himself and probably be more irritable than normal at work the next day, Olivia would let it pass. She nodded.
"Do we have a name?"
"Not yet." Elliot turned, striding away and Olivia knew that he'd seen enough.
She knelt down, lifting the sheet and mentally cataloguing the injuries she could see, guessing at what Warner would soon be telling her. Drugged, raped, strangled, and missing the ring finger. For some reason, their perp also enjoyed cutting his victims open afterwards. Even Huang wasn't sure why this would be – since the killing seemed to have been planned and carried out methodically, such a violent act was unusual. Perhaps he'd gotten angry. This young girl had died a violent death, much worse than the others; a sign that perhaps they'd be called to another body sooner rather than later. Escalation was inevitable and they'd been anticipating it for a while.
She sighed, feeling painfully awake but, at the same time, so very tired. As she made to stand up, her scarf slipped; she cursed as it landed on the corpse, knowing that Warner wouldn't be best pleased. The red wool had draped itself across the blue-tinged skin of the girl's chest, as if it could keep her warm. A pang of sadness, and Olivia replaced the sheet. Suddenly, she didn't really care if she was cold. It was suitable punishment for not being able to catch the sick fuck responsible.
Warner appeared, having been arranging the body's removal; she glanced at Olivia as she noticed the flash of red. However, upon seeing the expression on the detective's face, she decided not to ask how the scarf had got there.
"Would you like it back?"
Olivia just shrugged. Warner was sure she could see pain in those expressive eyes, a sight she wasn't unused to; but she wished the brunette wouldn't take these cases so personally.
"I'll give you a call when I know more."
As she walked past, she gave Olivia a quick squeeze on the shoulder, knowing that discussing it would make the detective uncomfortable. Hell, she was also starting to feel the strain of this particular case. Benson looked at her gratefully; a ghost of a smile gracing her features, before turning and heading towards the sedan Elliot was leaning against. Sunrise was still a long way off, but the city was starting to come to life. She watched a van dumping papers outside the convenience store across the street. A 24 hour convenience store...
"Be right back."
She crossed the road, not bothering to check for traffic, and found the owner propped up behind the till, half-heartedly watching CNN. She briefly checked out the shop from where she stood, before clearing her throat. That got his attention.
"Busy night?" she asked, flashing her badge. He straightened, looking at her suspiciously.
"Did you come from across the street? I already told them what I saw."
"Which was?"
"Nothing. Well, a car stopped over there. Maybe...an hour ago. But not for long."
At least we know that she wasn't murdered there, Olivia thought. This guy was getting ballsy. Why dump the body where there could be potential witnesses? He'd been getting away with murder – literally – for a while now; perhaps he was bored and needed more of a thrill.
"Any customers around that time?" she asked, ever hopeful.
"Ah, some homeless guy. Always comes in. He's probably asleep 'round the corner."
He was gesturing to the side of the building. Olivia thanked him, stepping out into the bitter air; it was going to be a cold winter. Chances were that her potential witness would have been keeping warm with something alcoholic, just like the tramp who'd been unlucky enough to find the body – and nearly vomit on it – and her suspicions were confirmed when she could hear him snoring. It was that sound which enabled her to locate him, huddled under a pile of newspapers and old clothes. Given the deep sleep he seemed to be enjoying, it was unlikely that he'd have noticed anything; it took her the best part of five minutes to wake him up and actually make sure that was the case.
Finally returning to the car, she decided that sleep was not going to come any time soon. This was going to be one hell of a week.
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Across town, Alex Cabot was thinking the exact same thing. Her workload had pretty much doubled in the space of 48 hours, and as she motivated herself with the thought of lots of strong coffee, she attempted to find her keys. Running late was something she didn't do, but she'd been caught off guard this morning; those extra 'five minutes' had turned into twenty, and she had bolted out of bed as soon as she'd realised the time. Not that you'd know it's morning...it's so dark outside. She disliked winter mornings, though the urgency of her departure meant that at least the cold outside the haven of her bed hadn't been offputting. Quickly brushing her teeth, she decided she could risk a stop for coffee on the way to work.
She realised the error of her logic once she saw the queue inside.
Ah, bingo.
Alex spotted the familiar cropped hair of Detective Olivia Benson towards the front of the line, and edged her way forwards. Lightly tapping the brunette on the shoulder, she adjusted her suit jacket and smiled as the older woman turned.
"Morning, Liv."
Benson smiled. She couldn't help it, the sight of the ADA was a very welcome one after the morning she'd had.
"Morning, counsellor. In need of a quick caffeine fix, I take it?" she asked, taking a look back at the queue. Alex had the decency to look slightly embarassed.
"Running slightly late," she said, making a mental note of how tired Olivia looked. "Rough morning?"
"You could say that," Olivia said, her voice quiet. Alex touched her arm, making the brunette look into her eyes.
"You look exhausted."
Olivia shrugged. "Could be that way for a while; we have another one." She didn't need to expand: Alex knew only too well to what she was referring. She gave Olivia a sympathetic glance, knowing that the good detective wouldn't rest until some form of progress was made. She didn't know all the details, but had seen crime scene photos and potential suspects tacked to the board in SVU headquarters; she also knew that Benson and Stabler had given everything to this case, and she worried for them both. Especially the woman beside her.
"I'm getting this, it looks like you need it more than me."
Olivia thought about contesting the issue, but realised she was far too tired to argue. Instead, she thanked the blonde, retrieving her coffee and holding open the door for her as they left the building.
"Very chivalrous detective, thank you."
Olivia knew that Alex was trying to cheer her up, and for that she was grateful. If she was honest with herself, just having the blonde near was enough to make her smile.
"Look, I know you're going to be tied up with this case for a bit, but think you can spare an hour or so this evening? If I know you, you won't even give yourself time to eat. And I can cook a mean lasagna."
The brunette blinked at her in surprise. Sure, they got on well, and would go for lunch – as friends – every so often, but she'd never been to Alex's apartment before. The nature of their work meant that such instances were few and far between, since they were rarely free at the same time. Though she'd often thought about how much she'd like that to change, she had accepted a while ago that Alex probably didn't want to make the same effort.
"That sounds great, you sure you're going to have time?"
"Of course." Alex was lying only slightly. She could spare time if it got Olivia to eat. Though she'd never asked, she was pretty certain the brunette didn't have anyone else to look after her; not that she'd want to know if she did. Alex didn't deal with jealousy well. It had taken her a while to realise that the burning sensation in her gut was the result of such an emotion; and it had taken her even longer to accept the fact that she was possessive over another woman. Now, she didn't question it; merely acknowledged the turbulence and tried to silence it.
"Alright then. Be in touch later?"
"I look forward to it," Alex smiled. "Thank you for getting me coffee so fast, I think dinner is the least I can offer in return."
Turning away, Alex let her smile grow. She knew it was a bad idea to let certain thoughts get the better of her, but she couldn't help it sometimes; besides, the thought having Olivia Benson all to herself for an hour or two made the day bearable.
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As she entered the pen, she nodded to the other detectives already gathered there. Munch looked as spotless as ever, his grey hair neatly combed and cracking a joke with Fin, his partner. Tutola was leaning back in his chair, laughing at something Munch had said, as Olivia entered the room. He tipped his head in the direction of the Cragen's door.
"Cap' wants a word, Liv."
"Already? Where's El?"
"On the phone to Kathy."
Fin's smile dropped at the mention of her partner. Their dislike of each other was mutual, Olivia was sure, but both were thankfully professional enough to not involve her. On occasion she'd had to step in but thankfully these incidents were becoming less common. Munch was looking at her sympathetically, whether because she looked like hell or because she was about to get her ass handed to her, she wasn't sure.
She shed her jacket and keys, throwing the empty coffee cup into the bin on her way past. Knocking twice on Cragen's door, she opened it without waiting for an answer. Donald Cragen was behind his desk, flipping through a folder containing crime scene photos from that morning. He looked as tired as she felt, and she tried to keep her eyes away from the pictures of gore covering the desk. She'd seen enough for one day.
"Take a seat, Olivia."
"I'm okay standing," she said, wanting to be able to get back to work and apprehensive about what he was going to say.
"Please, Liv." He rarely called her that. Sighing, she did so.
"You and Elliot need a break. I've asked John and Tutuola to do some of the groundwork on this one."
Olivia started to interrupt, but Cragen was having none of it.
"You look like hell, I need you on form for this one. Vic's name is Melissa Woodson-"
"Shit." The name rang bells immediately. John Woodson: a defense attorney, he had numerous ties within the police department; he probably knew Alex. She realised why Cragen looked so harried.
Reluctantly, she nodded. Exhaled heavily, and realised just how much the extra help would be appreciated. Olivia could swear she'd aged within the last 24 hours, and the tiredness hit her like a brick wall.
"For the next few hours, I just want you to catch up on some paperwork. Tie up any loose ends on our open cases. Things may be taking a back seat for a while."
Although Olivia had never had a father figure when she was growing up, the way her Captain was looking at her in that moment was just like a worried dad. She appreciated his concern, though she'd never admit it aloud.
"Sure."
She nodded once, and then left the room. As she walked back to her desk, she realised how lucky she was to work with the people she did. They knew her, understood how she worked, often without her expressing how she was feeling. She made a mental note to count her blessings more often, the smell of fresh coffee edging its way onto her list as she accepted a cup from her partner. He looked less stressed than he had done earlier that morning, the result of talking to his wife, no doubt. Olivia's sudden optimism dropped a little as she remembered that she had no such person in her life. Sure, the guys were great, but she was missing something fundamental. Then again, Alex was cooking her dinner later, and though Olivia was sure there was nothing more to it, she could pretend for a while that she was wanted by the gorgeous blonde.
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The blonde in question was nervous. It wasn't a feeling she was used to, being accustomed to speaking in front of juries and judges, debating in front of a critical audience. She was good at thinking on her feet, as the high school debate trophy still sitting on her mother's mantelpiece would attest to. And yet, as she prepared the ingredients for dinner, she could sense a slight tremor in her hands. The blonde had just endured a rather luke-warm shower in an effort to cool her blood; she still couldn't believe what there mere thought of Olivia Benson provoked. Mentally shaking herself, she took a gulp of red wine, feeling her nerves numb a bit at the peppery taste. She'd opened one of her favourite bottles, though she wasn't even sure Olivia liked red wine. If not, all the more for me...at this rate there won't be any left for her.
At that thought, the doorbell rang. Almost jumping out of her skin, a drop of wine escaping and splashing onto her hand, Alex cursed. Then,
"Coming!"
She was still sucking on her index finger when she opened the door, and for that she was glad. Olivia was looking stunning, her blue shirt tucked into a pair of very flattering slacks, which in turn emphasised the strong thighs and oh my God, that ass. Alex briefly wondered if she was drunk, before realising the woman in front of her was looking at her oddly.
"Oh, sorry. Spilled some wine...want some?"
"Sure, sounds great." Olivia smiled, and Alex had to turn before she stared any longer.
"You look a hell of a lot better than you did this morning, Detective, I hope you don't mind me saying." Alex glanced briefly over her shoulder at the woman in question as she made her way to the kitchen. It was her favourite room in the apartment, and she often found herself cooking to relieve the stress of any given work day. Her attache case was lying open on the breakfast bar, a pile of documents neatly stacked next to it. Olivia let out a low whistle at the sight of it, unwilling to bring up John Woodson since Alex was no doubt feeling the pressure as much as the SVU squad.
"You sure you have time to do all of this?" she asked, gesturing towards the work in question.
Alex shrugged. "It'll get done somehow. Don't worry about it," she said, feeling the pink tinge finally fade and she risked a grin at the brunette. "You're my top priority tonight," she added, nudging Olivia towards the large leather sofa in the open plan living room. "Sit," she said, her tone leaving no room for discussion.
"Don't you need any help?"
"Nope. Five minutes and I can stick it in the oven for a while. Wine, yes? This stuff's pretty good."
Never in a million years would Alex let the brunette know just how much that bottle had set her back. She had a feeling it'd cover the majority of Olivia's monthly paycheck.
"I trust your taste. I'd love some." Olivia smiled, feeling thoroughly looked after and looking forward to what the blonde had prepared for her. Alex returned a few minutes later to find the detective reclining, eyes closed, her hands folded across her chest. The attorney allowed herself a minute of guilt-free ogling, before placing the glass down on the coffee table – walnut, her grandmother's – and gently shook the other woman awake.
"Liv," she said, finding the sight in front of her cute to say the least. Olivia mumbled, cracking open one eye, before remembering just where she was.
"Shit, sorry Alex," she said, blinking her eyes in an effort to wake up. "Those were the first five minutes I've had to myself all day. I'm going to blame your couch for being to comfy," she laughed, sitting upright and reaching for the glass Alex had left her. The blonde's hand came to rest on her forearm, and it felt like it was burning through her sleeve.
"If you want to crash for a bit, you can use my bed. You obviously need a rest."
Olivia suddenly felt very awake. Though there was nothing she'd rather do more than see Alex Cabot's bed, using it alone seemed a tad disappointing.
"I'm okay. What kind of guest would I be if I fell asleep on you?" she laughed, her hand working its way to Alex's, laying atop it for the briefest of seconds. Alex's eyes flicked away, and she laughed lightly as she stood up.
"Talking of guests, I do believe this is the first time you've actually been to my apartment...want the tour?"
It took them about twenty minutes just to see every room; Olivia had never seen such a large apartment. Hers could probably have fit into Alex's twice, with room to spare. Her detective's eyes took in every small detail – the framed picture beside Alex's bed, the toothpaste she used, the impressive collection of jazz vinyls – and they all combined to give her a better picture of the woman beside her. Alex let very litte of her personal life slip into work conversation, and Olivia felt like she was being invited to get to know the other woman better. She closed the distance between them as they returned to the living room, sitting close to the slim blonde when they sat down again.
"I must say, you've got the most beautiful apartment I've ever seen," Olivia said, finishing off her glass. Where the hell did that go...Alex was already on her second, a light flush gracing her cheeks and making her seem even more beautiful. Olivia realised that she was actually slightly nervous, a fact that in itself made her even more anxious. Then again, Alex was drinking wine like it was water – was it possible that she wasn't the only one experiencing butterflies? Why on earth would Alex be nervous? Olivia realised that the woman in question was now openly looking at her, a slight smile tugging at her lips. They sat like that for a minute, before the blonde suddenly stood.
"Dinner," she blurted, walking quickly towards the kitchen.
What just happened?
Alex braced herself against the counter, trying to will her heart to stop pounding so damn much. She took several deep breaths before grabbing hold of the oven gloves, the automatic nature of her movements giving her time to collect her thoughts.
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They ate dinner slowly, as if planning their next respective moves. Olivia asked about her record collection and Alex relaxed, since music was a topic she could talk about for hours.
"You play jazz piano? That's amazing," Olivia said, looking suitably impressed.
Alex blushed, uncharacteristically shy for a second. "I'll have to show you some day. I'm not that good but I enjoy it a lot."
"If you play with the kind of commitment you give your job, you'll be pretty damn good," Olivia said, putting together her knife and fork. "You can cook, play piano, you're a successful lawyer...is there anything you can't do?" Olivia teased, collecting the plates. "No, I'm getting these."
Alex sat down again. "If you keep complimenting me like that, my head might just explode."
They talked for a while longer, neither wanting the evening to end but both aware that, as usual, work awaited. Alex tried to forget about the pile of documents behind her – and John Woodson's all-too-apparent absence from the office that day. Olivia would be heading home soon. Alex's good mood dipped. Suddenly feeling like she could do with some company, she decided upon a course of action. Besides, if Olivia's seeming reluctance to make tracks was any indication, her offer wouldn't be shot down.
"Hey Liv...how about you stay here? I just have a bit of paperwork to do, but you're more than welcome to sleep here tonight. Means you can have an extra half hour of sleep." Alex knew it wasn't an unreasonable idea, but she still felt like she was being rather forward. Olivia looked at her for a minute, and Alex wasn't sure what she read in her eyes.
"Sure, if you don't mind that is," Olivia said, not quite believing that she'd agreed. She had a toothbrush at the station, as well as a change of clothes in her locker. Alex's proposal made sense, but for some reason it felt like they were both skirting around some unknown issue. With a start, Olivia wondered what the attorney was implying.
"You can take the bed, you need a good night's sleep," Alex said, and Olivia's heart fell just slightly. Well, what did you think she was implying? To share her bed with you? Get real, Benson.
"I'll be through once this is done."
Olivia had to struggle to keep the smile from her face.
"Sure. But I can keep you company for a bit longer, if you'd like."
"Great. Thanks, Liv." Alex was busying herself arranging papers, trying to avoid Olivia's gaze as she flushed at the thought of sharing her bed with the gorgeous detective. She handed a stack to the brunette, settling herself into a corner of the couch, with the instruction to put the papers in date order. They worked in comfortable silence for a while. Every so often, Alex could feel a gaze in her direction, and eventually she stopped reading to look up. Busted. Olivia was watching her intensely, but didn't look away when Alex caught and met her eyes.
"What?" she said, laughing self-consciously.
"You look so different when you're working. I only ever see you in a courtroom." Olivia's tone was light, curious.
"Oh? And what do I look like?" Alex asked, pushing her glasses to the end of her nose and looking disdainfully at the detective. It had the desired effect, making Olivia laugh. The blonde waited patiently for her answer.
"Beautiful." Did I just say that aloud? Olivia swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry, but refused to look away. She could always just pass it off as a friendly compliment. Yeah, right.
Alex took off her glasses, throwing them carelessly onto the papers in front of her. Hitching up her skirt, she semi-crawled along the sofa to where Olivia was sitting, papers in hand. Removing the offending items from said hand, and pausing only briefly to place them on the coffee table, Alex dipped her head to the left and found Olivia's mouth with her own. She was vaguely aware of how awkward her positioning was; more importantly, she could feel Olivia Benson's lips open, inviting her in, and everything else was forgotten. Her stomach gave a little flutter when she heard the other woman moan, and she reluctantly pulled away before things moved too fast.
"Fuck," she exhaled, feeling the firm stomach beneath her move with Olivia's laughter.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth, Alex?"
Alex straightened up, then stood, reaching for Olivia's hand.
"I shouldn't have done that. I still have work to do and now all I can think about is how good it is to kiss you."
Olivia blushed, and ducked her head. "The feeling's mutual." She reached for Alex's hand, kissing the fingertips, then stood to envelope the slim blonde in a close hug.
"I can't believe that just happened," she said, inhaling the scent of Alex and committing it to memory. She ran her hands down Alex's back, grinning as she felt the attorney shudder slightly.
"Olivia..." she groaned, placing kisses along the brunette's smooth neck.
"Oops...sorry," the brunette smirked, looking anything but apologetic.
"I need to finish this damned paperwork and you need to get some sleep. Can we talk tomorrow? I have court in the morning but we could maybe get some lunch?" Alex looked uncertain.
"Sounds like a plan, counselor. Though lunch could be any time between 12:00 and 5:00."
"I can wait." Alex smiled, genuinely happy. "Sleep well."
Olivia took the hint, and with one last brief kiss, resigned herself to the fact that life was going to intrude as it always did. At least it has something to intrude upon, she mused, wondering how on earth she was going to sleep tonight – especially since Alex would be joining her later. However, as soon as her head hit the pillow, exhaustion took hold and she was out like a light.
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Of course, respective work schedules proved as frustrating as usual and they didn't manage to cross paths until 7:00 that evening. Plenty of time for Olivia to remember how she'd woken up with Alexandra Cabot wrapped around her, blissfully unaware of the conscious world. Olivia had allowed herself five minutes to observe the beautiful woman, bringing the stored image to her mind at any given opportunity. Unfortunately, the case had competed for domination of her thoughts that day, and the sight of the ADA entering SVU headquarters was a slight shock. Why wouldn't she be here? Probably something case related.
"Evening, Detective Benson."
If it wasn't for the tone of Alex's voice, Olivia would have thought she was in trouble. Given the glint in those blue eyes, the statement instead sent a frisson of excitement through her.
"Hey, Alex." Playing it cool. She was suddenly aware of her appearance – not that it seemed to matter given the way Alex had been looking at her. "How are things your end?" she asked, referring to the chaos that was no doubt plauging Alex's office.
The blonde sighed, placing her briefcase on top of Olivia's desk. "Rough. How are things here?" she asked, glancing around the room, noting a distinct lack of SVU detectives.
"They're all out chasing leads. I just got back," Olivia said, crossing her legs as she worked a kink out of her neck.
"Anything promising?"
"Hard to tell at the moment. We've all gone solo to try and speed things up, puts a bit of pressure on everything."
"I'll say," Alex commented. "Is Cragen in? I need a quick word."
"Sure, he's in his office." Olivia shrugged one shoulder in that general direction, before wincing as tense muscles protested. Alex's eyebrow raised of its own accord.
"I can take care of that later, if you like?"
"Only if you let me buy you dinner. I can't cook to save myself so just think of it as my version of home cooking."
Alex laughed, and stuck out her hand.
"Deal."
As they shook on it, Elliot Stabler returned to the squad room, looking haggard.
"Hey Alex."
"Hi, Elliot. If you'll excuse me, I have to borrow your Captain for a minute."
With that, the attorney strode off, all business, and Olivia had to make a conscious effort not to watch as Alex walked away. Instead, she took in her partner's appearance.
"How'd you get on?"
"Lousy," he grumbled, shirking off his suit jacket and tugging at his tie. His shirt was crumpled, sleeves already rolled up. "We could really do with a break on this. Sooner or later we'll have another one, but not before we get our asses chewed out over this." He gestured towards a picture of their latest victim.
Olivia could see that picture when she closed her eyes. Could remember the school uniform she was wearing, the way her hair had been styled, the mole on her right cheek. Munch was over at the school now, no doubt working his way through the questioning of teachers, staff, friends. Fin was probably on his way to their vic's swim club right now. Olivia just hoped that at least one avenue would turn up something useful; her day had been filled with medical reports and another visit to Warner's office, while Elliot had been to visit the victim's family. No wonder he looks like crap.
Olivia's musings were broken by the clip of Alex's designer heels as she left Cragen's office.
"Ready to go, Detective?"
Sparing a glance at her partner, who shooed her with a wave of his arm, she grabbed her jacket and they strode out of the office together. Something told her this would be an enjoyable evening, and for the first time in a long while, Olivia left her worries at the door.
