Several days had passed since the detective and the assistant district attorney crossed paths. If Olivia was entirely honest with herself, she hadn't done much to bridge the separation. Her mind hadn't slowed for a second since last week at the pub. What was Alex doing there, seemingly alone and seemingly aware that the detective would be there as well? It wasn't a usual haunt; it wasn't even on the map of occasional visits.
The following Thursday afternoon, the precinct was eerily quiet. No new leads, no new cases, not even a phone call had requested an officer's presence. Snow had begun to fall several hours ago across the city and was piling up quickly which was becoming the source of blame for the boredom that settled in the office. Staff had begun to trickle out, not feeling the need to stick around for a quiet afternoon that would cause travel difficulties after dark.
So when the familiar sound of clicking resonated down the hall, Olivia felt her heart tighten in her chest as her breath shallowed. She didn't nearly have enough time to prepare herself and will the flush from her cheeks before Alex was pushing open the double doors and strutting into the SVU offices.
"Nothing for me today?" Alex asks of no one in particular.
"Not even a petty theft," Munch pipes in as he crosses the room for the hundredth time, pacing in the silence of the afternoon.
"Any follow-ups on the Gibbs case?" Alex probes.
"Not a thing. From anywhere," Fin replies as he leans back in his chair, forcing the metal to creak harshly. "It's like the world's gone dead, probably froze to death out there."
"Then I guess we're at a standstill. Keep me updated and try to put the pressure on any leads," Alex replies as she turns to leave, letting the old doors swing closed behind her. And it's at that, Olivia realizes, that Alex never even glanced in her direction.