They walked hand in hand until they arrived at the restaurant, where Amanda stepped in front and opened the door for her date. Alex smiled shyly and walked in, the detective following behind her. As they were being seated Alex noted that it was a nice place, but not so fancy that she felt out of place in their work outfits.

"Nice place," she commented, spreading her napkin on her lap.

"Yeah, I thought so, and even nicer with a beautiful woman in front of me.

Alex huffed in amusement.

"Whaat?" Amanda grinned.

Alex looked her in the eye and opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment the waiter arrived. Amanda winked.

"What can I get you to drink, miss? He asked, nodding to Alex.

"I'll take a Singha, thank you."

"For me, too, thanks."

The waiter nodded at Amanda and walked away.

Amanda looked at Alex with an eyebrow slightly raised. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a beer person, Cabot."

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me, just yet, Detective Rollins." She returned the wink. "Corona is actually what I usually get, but I figure since we're at a Thai restaurant—Thai beer."

They continued to chat and flirt, stopping only to order and eat.

As they began eating, Alex finally asked, "So where are you from, Amanda?"

"Atlanta."
Alex smiled subconsciously at learning a new fact about this new woman she wanted to get to know. "Ah, that explains the drawl."

"Yeah, it comes out some times more than others. I'm not really trying to keep it, but I'm not trying to get rid of it either."

"I like it."

Amanda smiled. Alex thought to herself that she wanted to make this woman smile some more, it was so beautiful. She didn't think what came to her mind next would do that, but she felt she needed to talk about it.

"I talked to Olivia briefly on Monday."

"Oh? How did that go?" She asked like a friend.

Alex repeated the conversation to Amanda.

"That's really harsh." Amanda winced. "Do you think she's telling the truth? About being over you?"

"I don't know." Alex sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised. We haven't been able to be together for 8 years, some of that my own doing. She probably gave up on me."

Amanda nodded in understanding. "Well, I basically just met her, I'm sorry I can't give you more insight into whether you're right."

Alex felt like she should say more, but she didn't know what. She didn't really know how she felt about all of this: being on a date with the new detective after telling her about her Olivia issues. She didn't want to say the wrong thing to push Amanda away, to ruin her chances with her. Who knows what was going on with Olivia; Amanda was right here, right now, making her happy, and she didn't want to fuck that up.

After they had finished their meal and were walking out the door, Amanda asked, "How do you feel about some ice cream?"

Alex laughed a little. "You have room after all that food and beer?"

"Always room for ice cream."

"I'm sorry detective, I'll have to take a rain-check. I'm stuffed."

"Alright," Amanda replied brightly in her thick Georgia accent, which made Alex smile.

"How about we get a movie, instead? Chill out with some Netflix?" Alex slightly cringed at her choice of words. She didn't mean "Netflix and Chill"…hopefully that didn't scare Amanda away.

"That sounds great."

Xx

They walked in Alex's door together, as they did the week before. After they decided on a movie, Alex got up and headed towards her room. "I'm gonna put on some comfier clothes, do you want to borrow anything?"

"Nah, I'm okay. I'll just get settled here."

Alex walked out of her bedroom a couple minutes later in sweatpants and a t-shirt, to find Amanda sitting on her couch having taken off her work shirt, leaving her in a gray tank top. Alex appreciated the view, but it was Amanda who commented on Alex's appearance. "You really look good in everything, don't you Cabot?"

Alex blushed. She turned off the light and plopped down on the couch next to her, putting her feet up on the coffee table. Amanda relaxed also and put her arm around Alex.

"Is this okay?"

Alex nodded happily. "Mmhmm." She pulled the blanket over them.

Alex thought this was wonderful, relaxing against a woman again. She couldn't help but remember movie times with Olivia, which were quite similar to this-the detective's strong body spread out with Alex snuggled up against her. She was so conflicted. She missed Olivia so much. If she could go back in time, to before she was shot, and return to their life which had finally become explicitly more than friendship, she would in a heartbeat. But since that wasn't possible, what did she want? She felt Amanda's heart pump calmly next to her. It was nice.

As the credits rolled, Amanda took Alex's chin in her hand and pulled her in to give her a soft kiss, unlike the fiery ones of the week before. Alex couldn't help letting out a soft "Mm."

Letting go, Amanda said, "I like you a lot, Alex. But I can't be with you knowing that I'm just a stand-in for the person you really want to be with."

She stood up to leave. Alex lifted herself up a bit and slid a foot underneath her. She turned to look at Amanda. "Amanda, I…" She didn't know what to say, it was a fair statement.

"Just think about it, okay? I had a great night."

"Me too."

Amanda smiled. "I'll see ya." She let herself out.

Xx

Like one week ago, Alex had a lot on her mind as she got into bed. But tonight her mood wasn't as frantic, more contemplative. Her night with Amanda had been amazing. She had so much fun just talking. She was so comfortable with her. Flirting with her was so natural. And she might be one of the sweetest people on the planet, asking if she could hold her hand, and put her arm around her, and telling her she looked good in sweats.

She was so happy cuddled up against her. And yet her mind went back to being with Olivia. She wondered, if Olivia called her this minute and told her she wanted to be with her, what would she do? But that wouldn't happen.

Could she like Amanda for Amanda, not wanting her to be Olivia? I do like Amanda for Amanda, she thought. It was just a matter of if she liked Olivia more. Was that fair? Hell, she hadn't really been with Olivia for 8 years. People change a lot in 8 years, right? Maybe Olivia wasn't even the person she fell in love with, anymore. The old Olivia wouldn't have called her "a member of the team."

As she fell asleep she found herself wishing that Amanda was there with her, that it was her hand she was holding instead of the pillow.

After a Saturday spent by herself, and a beautifully long sleep-in Sunday morning, Alex smiled at the cloudless sky outside her kitchen window. She went and grabbed her phone.

"Hey Amanda. It looks like a beautiful day for ice cream."

Amanda let out a short laugh. "You're right, it does."

"Shall I pick you up?"

Amanda agreed and gave Alex her home address.

"Alright, awesome, give me an hour and I'll be there." Alex found herself smiling into the phone. "I can't wait to see you," she added.

She put on some coffee before heading back to her bedroom to figure out what to wear for their second date.

She pulled up the weather on her computer to confirm what she saw outside. It was a beautiful spring day. After looking through her wardrobe at the different possibilities, she decided on a favorite pair of jeans that she knew hugged her slight figure just right, and a three-quarter sleeve blue v-neck that she knew brought out her bright eyes. She smiled slightly as she turned to check herself out from all angles in the mirror. She wasn't cocky about her looks, but she could admit when she looked good. She hoped Amanda thought so, too.

Alex thanked the powers that be for her good hair day. She put on some light make up and checked her silver watch. Wanting to be on time to pick up her date, she poured her coffee into a travel mug and hurried down to her car.

Alex pulled up in front of Amanda's apartment building and got out her phone to let her know she had arrived.

"You here?" came a low twang into her ear.

"Yep!"

"Comin'"

Alex watched as the door to the building opened and her blonde companion strolled out, one hand in the pocket of her jeans and the other pulling on her red collared shirt, which she wore over a white tank top, straightening it.

She opened the car door and stepped in, looking over at Alex. "Well hey gorgeous."

Alex felt herself blush. She looked at the steering wheel and tucked her hair behind her ears before asking, "So, do you have an ice cream place in mind?"

Amanda stared at her in mock disbelief. "You're telling me that you invited me out for a date and you don't even know where we're going?"

Alex laughed lightly. "Well, you seemed to be quite the ice cream lover with your 'always room for ice cream' comment, detective, I figured you knew the best places."

"You're the one from New York here! You're lucky I know a good one, Cabot."

Alex whacked her arm playfully and drove off when Amanda finally told her where to go.

The two women walked up to the ice cream counter to order. Alex spoke first. "I'll have a cake cone, with one scoop of pistachio and one of hazelnut, please."

"Ooh, a pistachio girl," Amanda commented as Alex received her cone. "Cake cone with one vanilla, one chocolate, for me, thanks."

Amanda reached to get her wallet, but Alex put her hand on her arm to stop her. "I invited you out, remember?" Alex paid for their treats and they walked outside to sit at one of the tables in the sun.

"You're so boring, Rollins," Alex complained while tilting her head slightly to take a bite, nodding to Amanda's vanilla and chocolate decision.

"Don't misjudge me, Cabot. I love my vanilla, but I enjoy mixing it up with the non-vanilla as well." She winked, and licked around her ice cream.

Alex felt her whole body tingle, as she knew that statement referred to more than just ice cream. She found herself staring at Amanda's tongue traversing her ice cream, smoothing it, and had to pull her eyes away.

She distracted herself by asking the detective about the status of their case load. They proceeded to talk for nearly an hour about work, which was easy to do for two women who were passionate about their jobs. Amanda was telling Alex to "Make sure that bastard gets locked up for the rest of his life, Al," when Alex suddenly remembered that she had work to do for that case that really needed to be done by the next day.

Alex reluctantly drove Amanda back to her apartment. "I'm so sorry Amanda, I wish I could hang out longer."

They were stopped in front of her building. She took Alex's hand. "Me too, Al, but go home and do what you do to nail that prick." Amanda turned in her seat and put her hand on Alex's thigh, sending shivers through her body that were intensified when Amanda leaned forward to give her a light kiss. "We'll meet up again soon?"

Alex smiled, enjoying the lingering sensation on her lips. "Definitely. Have a good night."

Xx

After a very long Monday, Alex was ready to collapse on the couch and forget about how she willingly read about and dealt with scum and their inhuman crimes on a daily basis. She changed into sweatpants and a big soft hoody, and had just laid down when her phone beeped from the kitchen. She groaned. After taking a second to curse, she reluctantly pushed herself up from the couch and walked to the kitchen to get her phone. When she saw its screen, her grumpy face immediately lit up. Text message from Amanda Rollins.

Hey cutie. Wanna get lunch tom?