Olivia sat in her office, staring blankly at the closed door. Her mind had been preoccupied with her night with Alex. She found it surprising that she couldn't seem to make time to spend with Ed and yet she wanted to call Alex and ask to see her again. What did that say about her relationship with him? Better yet, what did it say about her relationship with Alex?

She gave up and grabbed onto her cell phone, scrolling through her phone numbers until one she hadn't called in a long time popped up. Before she had a chance to press call, there was a knock on her door and she turned her attention to it.

"Good morning Lieutenant Benson," an all too familiar voice husked out and Olivia couldn't help but grin as she locked her phone.

"It certainly is a good one. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Olivia questioned as she studied the blonde in front of her. Alex was dressed casually, a pair of nicely fitting jeans with a large knit red sweater over it and her hair uncurled.

"Well, I was in the neighborhood for a meeting and thought I could swing by. I was also craving a cup of coffee," she added as she held up one of the two coffee cups in her hand.

"Two cups apparently. One of those for me?" Olivia asked with a grin as the blonde walked over and handed the other over.

"Of course, can't leave New York's finest coffee-less."

"One of New York's finest," Olivia corrected playfully.

Alex laughed softly. "Agree to disagree." She walked over toward the brunette, standing behind her desk. "It's a nice little set-up you have here." She reached forward and picked up the framed photo of Olivia, Noah, and Ed.

"Oh, I haven't had a chance to change it," Olivia muttered as she quickly pulled it from Alex's hands.

"I wasn't complaining. It's a cute photo, especially of Noah." And you, she wanted to add but she refrained.

"Yeah, he is a little model there." The lieutenant smiled fondly as she looked at the little boy in the photo. Noah was propped up on Ed's hip, looking down at his mother who was behind Ed, hands on his shoulder, head propped against them.

She set the photo frame face down and popped open the back. She removed the hard backing and plucked out the photo, surprised when there was a second in there as well. She turned it over curiously before smiling wide. "Would you look at that," Olivia muttered, more to herself but her comment caught Alex's attention. "I forgot that I used to have this photo framed."

She held it up to Alex and the blonde couldn't help but smile along with the brunette. It was a photo of both of them sandwiched between Fin, Munch, and Elliot. Alex couldn't even recall when the photo was taken but she would always remember how great it felt to be a part of that family. "Guess I don't even need to find a new photo for the frame." She swapped the photos and closed the frame before propping it up against her desk again.

"It's a good photo," Alex commented as she glanced at it once more. "God we look so young though… Has it really been that long?"

Olivia shrugged as she squinted at the bottom right corner of the photo. "2003, wow. Yeah, I'd say it's been awhile." Alex's flinch didn't go unnoticed by Olivia. "2003 was a bad year, wasn't it?" The question was rhetorical. "I'll have to replace it with something more recent."

While Alex may not have known why the photo was there, Olivia knew exactly why. After Alex's "death" she had mourned far more than anyone else on the squad. The photo had been a reminder of Alex, hidden away in her drawer while she was a detective. It moved to a frame in her apartment shortly after before being switched out for a picture of Ed, Noah, and her after Ed's comment about Elliot still being framed in her apartment. She didn't bother telling him that wasn't why she kept it up.

"Maybe another one of Noah," Alex replied as she glanced at the other photos around the lieutenant's desk.

"Yeah, his pictures certainly fill up my desk."

"I'm sure mine would be too," Alex replied before catching herself. "I mean, if I had a kid."

Olivia nodded in understanding before turning toward the blonde. "Why don't you? If you don't mind me asking."

She shrugged in response as she leaned up against Olivia's desk, facing the bookcase behind the brunette. "It was never really in the plans for me. I was never that great with kids anyway."

"You were great with Noah," Olivia countered as she studied the side profile of the blonde.

"I dated a single dad for a few months actually."

"And how'd that end?"

Alex pursed her lips. "I met his son a few times, a five year old. He told me his little boy was enamored with me. I couldn't see anything long term with him so I broke it off right then and there. I realized I never should have dragged a child along if I had no intention of staying. I've stayed away from single dads ever since."

"That's rough," Olivia muttered as she shook her head. She thought briefly of the way Alex interacted with Noah. It seemed pretty natural, as if she knew just what to do to make a child love her. Would Alex ever do that to Noah? Just up and leave?

"I know what you're thinking," Alex stated as she turned toward the detective. "You're my friend, Olivia, and I have no intention of budging into your and Noah's life and then declaring you my enemy or something." She purposely avoided the term "leaving". Friends came and go anyway. It wasn't as if they were dating and it was either be around each other or avoid each other like the plague.

"I—I wasn't thinking that," Olivia lied as she smiled up at the blonde. She took a sip of her coffee to fill in the silence.

"You're a horrible liar, Olivia Benson."

"The perps that I keep tricking seem to think differently," Olivia mused.

"Yeah, well they don't know you like I do."

"And how do you know me?"

"I'd say pretty intimately." Alex took a sip of her own coffee, surprised that Olivia didn't say anything in response. "Anyway, the real reason I swung by was to ask if you wanted to get dinner tonight. I'd offer to take you out or invite you over to my place but I know you have Noah…"

"Are you trying to invite yourself over to dinner at my place?" Olivia asked, clearly amused.

"If you want free dinner, yes. I can pick up whatever you and Noah would like. Say six-thirty?"

Olivia pursed her lips, pretending to think about it. "Five-thirty and you've got a deal." After registering Alex's surprise she continued, "I try to leave early to spend more time with Noah. He also likes dinner around then. I'm thinking Chinese. Noah loves potstickers and rice. Me, I'm more of a honey walnut prawns and chow mein kind of girl."

Alex couldn't contain her smile. "I remember," she murmured as she pushed off of Olivia desk and headed toward the door. "Five-thirty it is. I'll bring all the food, mind chilling a bottle of wine for us?"

"Well, it won't be the expensive kind you usually enjoy but I'll do my best."

"Perfect, see you then, Liv." Alex smiled once more before exiting the office.