Ch. 2

Thirty minutes later, Olivia walked into the small diner. She immediately spotted Alex sitting in the booth all the way in the back.

"Good morning, Al! I'm surprised you're up this early."

Alex laughed sarcastically at the comment. "You know, I don't sleep in all day like everyone seems to think. Where did you get that idea, anyway?"

Olivia smiled at the young blonde. Alex had her hair pulled back, showing off her long neck. The only makeup she had on was a bit of mascara, and her blue eyes were as bright as ever. She's beautiful.

As they ate their breakfast, they continued to chat about the previous week. Olivia told Alex about the case they just wrapped, Alex told office stories. After about an hour, they paid their bills and stood to leave.

"How about a walk through the park?"

Alex, who absolutely loved Central Park in the winter, agreed without hesitation. As they walked, Alex stopped periodically to take in the scenery. "When I was in Wisconsin, I dreamed of coming back and walking through the park. You never know how beautiful it is until you don't see it every day". Alex looked off into the distance, obviously lost in her thoughts. Alex didn't talk about her time in Witness Protection very often. Olivia knew it was still hard for her. Hell, it's still hard for me.

Olivia noticed the tears forming in Alex's blue eyes, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Al" was all she could think to say.

"Don't be sorry. I'm here now. And there's no one else I'd rather be here with", Alex said with a sweet smile. She reached down and grabbed the brunette's gloved hand, and gave it a slight squeeze.

They strolled through the park, hand in hand, striking up small conversations about the weather, the upcoming holidays, the other people in the park.

They came across a skating rink, and Alex tugged Olivia towards it.

"Al, I'm not very graceful! I'm going to fall out there!"

Alex handed Olivia a pair of rental skates, and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll have your back."

They skated slowly at first. Olivia had a tight grip on the blonde's arm, and Alex definitely didn't mind. She loved having Olivia leaning on her, trusting her not to let them fall. Gaining speed, Olivia let go of Alex's arm. She skated a few feet, and then went tumbling to the ground. "Liv! Are you okay?" Alex skated up to her best friend and held out her hand. Olivia was laughing so hard, and Alex laughed along with her. As Alex helped her up, Olivia locked eyes with the beautiful blonde and noticed her warm and genuine smile. God, her smile could light up the world.

As the day wore on, they found themselves cuddled on Alex's couch with hot chocolate and marshmallows. There was a movie playing in the background, but neither seemed to notice. Alex set her cup of steaming liquid on the coffee table, and laid her body against Olivia. The brunette wrapped her arm around Alex's shoulder. I could stay like this forever, Olivia thought.

Olivia glanced down at Alex, only to realize she was asleep. She laid her head back against the couch, and soon joined Alex in her afternoon nap.

Alex inhaled deeply and recognized the scent of vanilla from the body she was up against. She opened her eyes and saw Olivia, still asleep. Her brown hair was sprawled about in a mess, and her mouth was turned up in a slight smile. She must have felt the blue eyes staring at her, because moments later, she woke up.

"Hey there. How long have you been awake?" she asked.

"Not too long. I am getting hungry, though."

Olivia suddenly realized that she was starving, too.

Reluctantly, she got up off of the couch and grabbed a take-out menu. "Chinese good with you?"

Alex laughed. "You know it's my favorite."

They ate their food and reflected on the day. They laughed over and over again at Olivia's attempt at ice-skating.

It feels so good to laugh like this. Olivia didn't know what she would do without her best friend. Her job was tough, but having Alex in her life made it much more bearable. I wonder what it's like to come home to someone like this.

Olivia was torn from her daydream by the familiar voice. "Liv?"

"Yeah, Al?"

"Thanks for everything."

"Of course" was all Olivia could think to respond as she grabbed Alex's hand and intertwined their fingers. If only Alex knew how much I loved her.