A/N: Prequel to "The Noah Series." Will archive how Alex and Olivia met, fell in love, and had three children. It will be long and angsty, but less angsty and rocky than my "Between the Scenes" series. And as usual, I promise happy endings.


ALEX CABOT: MEET OLIVIA BENSON

August 2000

Alex Cabot didn't have much of a social life. She didn't have time. She had a high-pressure job and political ambitions. She had been with the Manhattan DA's office just over three years and was one of the up and coming ADAs. It was no secret that her eye was on the District Attorney's chair in the future.

But tonight she was going to forget all of that. It had been a rough week, and she wanted nothing more than to go out somewhere, have a drink, and hopefully let loose and have a good time.

Soon after work, she found herself at a bar where she had never been, Chauncey's. She ordered a gin and tonic and had resigned to drinking her cares away. The picked up her first drink and nearly downed it in one gulp before promptly ordering another.

"Long day?" the brunette a few seats away asked. She was nursing a beer and had been there since before Alex came in.

"Something like that," Alex said. "Long week, actually."

She watched as the brunette sized her up. Alex looked around and realized she didn't exactly belong here. It looked like a cop bar if she had to guess. She was dressed in the suit she wore to court, and everyone else in there was dressed in more casual gear. Black pants. Jeans. Work shirts. Some suits, but cheap ones. Yes, this was definitely a blue collar bar.

"I'm Alex," she said to the brunette. Not that she asked, but Alex had a mission tonight. She was going to do something that wasn't work. She was going to make a friend and not spend the evening in her apartment reading law books.

"Olivia."

"It's nice to meet you, Olivia," Alex said. She got up and move closer, leaving one seat between them at the bar.

"So, no offense, but this doesn't seem like your typical bar," Olivia said. "I mean, I don't think I've ever seen you here."

"Very observant," Alex said. "I've never been here. I actually rarely get out. I just needed to get away tonight."

"I understand," Olivia said. She'd had a long week herself. She'd been with SVU as a detective for two years but it still hadn't made the cases any easier. She'd learned to cope with it in her own way, but this week just needed to blow off some steam.

Over the course of a couple more drinks, they learned that Alex was an ADA with the DA's office and that Olivia was with the NYPD. Neither were specific about their assignments. It didn't seem relevant, and neither was interested in sharing too much personal information.

"So what is a Harvard educated attorney doing working for the DA's office? I'm sure you could make a lot more money defending creeps," Olivia said.

"I could," Alex said. "I did for a while, but I hated every minute of it. It's not the reason I went to law school. I wanted to seek justice. I figured the best way to do that was to be a prosecutor."

"What about you?" Alex asked after a silence. "What made you want to become a cop?"

"I guess I figured someone needed to speak for the victims," Olivia said. Olivia didn't give her statement any explanation, she just left it out there, and Alex didn't ask. She knew there had to be a story with it, but it was far too soon for whatever it was.

They talked more during the night. Alex discovered Olivia's mother was an English Professor and had passed on the love of English literature to her daughter. Olivia didn't say much else about her, however. Olivia discovered Alex's family was well-off and fairly influential, but Alex seemed uninterested in it. She clearly wanted to make her own way in the world.

Olivia grew up in the city. Alex grew up in Long Island. Olivia went to public school and then Siena College. Alex went private schools and then Harvard. They were from a different world, but somehow on the same path of pursuing justice. Both were intellectual and compassionate, even if neither would admit the latter. Both were career-driven and didn't see that ending for the foreseeable future.

Yet, both were drawn to the other.

"Can I walk you home?" Olivia offered. "You've had quite a bit to drink tonight, and I want to make sure you get home safe."

"What about you? Alex asked.

"I'll get a cab back, and besides, I have my gun," Olivia said.

Alex agreed. She wasn't sure why. She was attracted to Olivia but had no reason to think the brunette was interested in women. Alex was, however. She wasn't exactly open about it, but those closest to her knew. Alex wasn't interested in chasing a straight woman, or really anyone for that matter, but didn't want her night to end just yet, so she accepted Olivia's offer to walk her home.

"This is me," Alex said when they got in front of her her apartment building.

Olivia looked up at the tall apartment building. "Nice place."

"Yeah, it's definitely above my pay scale, but that's a story for another time," Alex said.

"I'd like to hear it," Olivia said. "I mean, if you want to hang out again. I had a nice time tonight."

"Me, too," Alex said, smiling. "Here's my number. Why don't you call me and we can hang out again, or get dinner." She wrote her number down on a business card and handed it to Olivia.

"Thanks," Olivia said. "I um, guess, I'll go."

"Yeah, it was um, nice to meet you, Olivia," Alex said.

Alex entered the building and took the elevator up to her floor. Her mind had a million thoughts about the night she'd had. She liked Olivia. She found her interesting and attractive, but more than anything, she thought she'd make a good friend, even if she turned out to be straight.

Of course, Olivia was a cop, so that wasn't ideal for an ADA. However, Olivia didn't work in her precinct or unit, so even if they became friends, or even more, it shouldn't matter. She decided if Olivia called her, she'd spend time with her and get to know her. At the very least, it couldn't hurt to make a new friend, especially one that wasn't a lawyer.