Author's Note: This story was written for the 2016 SVU Summer ShipSwap as a gift for ApexOnHigh and flipflop_diva. It is loosely set around the end of Season 3, making it May, 2002.
Springtime had come late to New York this year. But the long winter chill had finally broken and a cold, rainy April had transitioned into a warm and gloriously sunny early May. Today was the first Sunday of the month and all over the city, people were getting outside to embrace the welcome weather. Central Park in particular was full of excited Manhattanites walking around, playing sports, or simply sunbathing at this first opportunity to welcome in the change of seasons.
Alex Cabot and Olivia Benson were two such excited citizens of the city. Olivia had called Alex that Sunday morning, not too early but not so late that her friend might be gone for the day.
"I need to get outside and enjoy the weather," Olivia had said on the phone. "Want to join me?" She enjoyed the ADA's company whenever they got together.
"Sure," Alex had readily agreed. "How about brunch, then Central Park? I keep meaning to see the cherry trees in bloom but it's been too dreary out until now, and I haven't had the time."
So they met around eleven, grabbing brunch at a cafe on the Upper West Side not far from either woman's apartment. Showing up early as they did, they even managed to get a sidewalk table to really appreciate the sunny weather. Olivia appreciated having the chance to spend a day with Alex outside of work, without the pressures of their jobs looming over them. She didn't have many female friends these days, what with work taking up so much of her time—and the squad at the 16th being all men now that Monique had transferred out.
But there was something particularly about Alex that captured her attention, too. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but when Alex smiled or looked at her a certain way, it made Olivia feel good inside, somehow special and more comfortable. It wasn't so different from the way being outside in this beautiful spring weather made her feel...almost as if Alex were her own personal ray of sunshine.
After they finished eating it felt necessary to get up and walk, to head to the nearest entrance to Central Park. "I need the exercise after a heavy breakfast like that!" Olivia groaned to her companion.
"Are you kidding?" Alex scoffed. "With all the running around you do on the job every day?"
"Yeah, and too many doughnuts and too much greasy take-out food for lunch. It's still a struggle to stay in shape." The guys at the precinct weren't usually the type to choose Saladworks when they'd put in a group delivery order.
"At least you don't have to spend half your day sitting around in court or writing briefs." Alex tilted her head back and breathed in the spring sweetness. "That's why it feels fabulous to get outside on a day like today, get some fresh air."
They strolled slowly along the meandering paths in the park, under shade trees and in the dappling sunshine. They watched and laughed at the excited children racing about, chasing pigeons and squirrels while their mothers yelled at them to be careful and stay close. "It's nice to see kids so happy and carefree," Olivia said with a small sigh.
"I guess you don't get the chance to see that too often at SVU. Do you want to have children someday, Olivia?" Alex asked.
"Someday," she replied, feeling somewhat wistful about the topic. "Although I don't know when or how. It's not like I get much past a first date with most guys these days before they get weirded out by my job—or weirdly turned on by it. Seems like finding decent father material is my first challenge to overcome."
"It's not as if that's the only way to become a parent these days."
"Oh, I know. And the more I think about it, the more I think I'd like to adopt," Olivia said. "I see so many kids who need homes, better homes...so many foster system horror stories come through our doors and some days I want to take them all home with me. But I don't know if I could be a good mother on my own with all the hours I have to put in at work."
"I'm sure you'd find a way."
"What about you?"
Alex shrugged. "I'm definitely planning on adopting if and when it's right. Look, there's Cherry Hill," Alex said, pointing further ahead of them. "Want to go sit there for a while to take in the view?"
"Sure."
Cherry Hill was indeed in full bloom, its trees a glorious burst of pale pink and white. Many others were already here, camped out on blankets to sunbathe or enjoy a picnic, or sitting peacefully and taking in the scenery. An artist had an easel set up to capture a view of the lake, and it was all so wonderfully peaceful, so perfectly New York in the springtime as to almost feel a cliché.
"Let's grab a spot up here, where there's some shade," Alex said. "I want to enjoy the sun but I don't want to burn to a crisp."
"Sounds good to me. Oh, this feels good," Olivia sighed as she took a seat on the grass. She hadn't thought to bring a blanket but she was wearing an old pair of cut-off jeans that could take the wear and tear. Alex, too, was dressed down in capri pants and a casual linen blouse, and she didn't seem to mind getting down onto the lawn at all, grass stains be damned. She stretched out and lay back, closing her eyes and looking utterly blissful to be taking in the spring air.
"Mm, this feels fabulous," Alex said. And Olivia felt that warm feeling stirring inside her again as she found her eyes lingering on Alex's reclined form, looking so peaceful and, well, beautiful like that.
Olivia looked away and brushed her hair back, feeling uncomfortable about the way she'd been staring. She decided to lay down herself for a while, to relax and soak up the air and atmosphere. "Glad I didn't have that second mimosa or I think I'd be feeling right asleep now," she said with a laugh.
"Oh, me too. But I might take a quick nap anyway. After all, you're here to protect me."
Alex's words made Olivia smile. But then her thoughts were caught by the sound of a very familiar male voice calling out from somewhere not far away. It was a voice she heard nearly every day at work, distinctive in tone and sharpness particularly to her detective-trained ears. Propping herself up on her elbows, she glanced in the direction from which the voice seemed to be coming. She then almost dismissed what she saw as nothing but a figment of an overactive, over-stressed imagination. That didn't look at all like...
Oh, wait. It was. She practically didn't recognize John Munch as, for once, he wasn't dressed in solid black from head to toe. But on double-take there was no mistaking that it was in fact him there in the park, today in knee-length khaki shorts, a large straw hat and hiking sandals.
At least his t-shirt was black. That gave Olivia some sense of grounding in the real world.
But even more surprising than seeing John like that was the sight of his partner Fin following not far behind. Fin was similarly dressed in casual attire and carrying a small cooler. The two men stood at the base of the hill for a moment, under the shade of one of the blooming cherry trees, looking around but not similarly noticing Olivia and Alex at their higher vantage point. After some conversation, Fin shrugged and put down the cooler. John had a canvas bag with him and from it he pulled out a picnic blanket to spread on the ground before them.
"Alex," Olivia said to the resting woman.
"Hmm?"
"You'll never believe this."
"What's that?" Alex replied sleepily.
"Look down and to your right, and tell me if you see what I see."
Alex propped herself up and followed Olivia's gaze. "Is that...wait...John and Fin?"
"So I'm not going crazy."
"The two of them, setting up for a picnic on a Sunday in the park."
"That does appear to be the case." Both men had settled onto the ground now as John was taking items out of the cooler, arranging them while Fin took a drink from a bottle of water.
"I'll be damned. Never would have figured those two to be the type to hang out off hours."
"Not like us, right?" Olivia quipped. But if she thought she couldn't be more surprised, she nearly gasped at what she saw next. After Fin put down his water bottle, John leaned over the blanket to place a kiss on his partner's lips.
Ooops, maybe not quite like us.
"Are they...?" Alex started, sounding equally surprised.
"Then I'm not imagining that, either." And it wasn't merely a silly or playful kiss, some kind of joke. Fin had reached around John's neck, fingers spread and caressing with tender familiarity as the kiss went on for a longer time. "Oh God, I should stop staring," Olivia said, flushing and looking away.
"I know. But it's kind of hot."
"Alex!"
The ADA laughed. "Well, it is. Two attractive men, making out...just because I'm not into men personally doesn't mean I can't appreciate from a distance."
Alex's words caught Olivia off-guard. Not about enjoying what they were seeing, but the other part. "Oh," Olivia said awkwardly.
"You didn't know? I thought...I didn't mean to keep it a secret from you."
"I didn't...know I mean," Olivia stumbled. "But it's not a problem, or anything." So much suddenly made sense, like how she never heard Alex talk about there being any men in her life.
I guess as much as I have to read people for my job, I can't read the people closest to me, she thought. Like John and Fin—she'd certainly had no idea anything like this was going on between them. But she understood why they'd feel they'd have to keep it so quiet on the job, and she certainly didn't want to make any waves or cause them trouble now.
"I'm glad," Alex said, pulling Olivia out of her thoughts. The blonde lay back down onto the grass and closed her eyes, a light smile on her lips that again stirred something inside the other woman...a sudden desire to lean over her and kiss her gently.
Olivia felt a flush of heat within her just imagining doing so, as swiftly a lot of things fell into place in her mind. Not only about Alex, but about the feelings she'd been experiencing in the woman's presence all of these months leading up to today.
She wasn't quite ready to act upon them yet; she needed time to think and process. To understand herself better, perhaps. She'd be happy in this moment to be in Alex's presence and enjoy her companionship...but soon, she thought, very soon she'd want to explore and know more.
"I told you this would be a perfect way to spend the afternoon, didn't I?"
"Yeah, I guess I gotta give you this one," Fin admitted. They had finished their picnic lunch and were relaxing beneath one of the blooming cherry trees. John had a book out that he'd been meaning to start reading for a while but never seemed to find the time. Fin had brought a book of his own, but right now he seemed content to lay down and close his eyes against the sunshine, his head resting on John's lap.
All in all, it had been a wonderful day. No emergency calls to come in to work, no one they had to be careful about being too close, too open around in case it could affect their positions at work. Their relationship had only made the change from friends and partners to lovers in the cold of this past winter, and with the springtime here it too had begun to emerge in full bloom.
John paused in his reading to take a look around, soak in the atmosphere of the park around them. He always enjoyed watching people, and this city always gave him a lot to watch. Couples of all different ages were out for the day—and all different orientations, too, he observed, which was another thing he liked about this city. Like up the hill, a short distance away, he saw two women getting up to take a walk, one with long blonde hair, the other a short dark bob. As they turned to look at each other with smiles, the dark haired woman took the other's hand in her own. And John did a quick double-take as he realized he knew both women. Then he smiled to himself.
Guess Fin and I aren't the only ones keeping secrets at the 16th.
He wondered idly if the women had spotted the two of them as well, but then shrugged it off and went back to his book. Each of them deserved to find some kind of happiness after all they saw every day at SVU. He was glad if Olivia and Alex had found that in each other.