A/N: Ok, so don't hate me, but I felt like we needed some Alex background before we get to the Alex and Casey reunion. Anyway here it is, next chapter is in progress and with any luck will be up late tonight!

One year and five months earlier…

Alex Cabot opened her eyes and took in her surroundings before closing them again. She was in a hospital bed in the hospital. Where is Casey? What happened? Suddenly, the memories come rushing back to her.

"Hello," Casey answers coughing into the phone.

"Hey Case," Alex says, "Are you feeling any better baby?"

"Not really. Are you on your way home yet?"

"Yeah baby, I am. You want me to pick you up some soup?" Alex asks.

"Yes please," Casey starts but a coughing fit interrupts her. Finally she continues, "Yes, and could you get some tissues and cough syrup please."

"No problem, I am almost to the store and I will be home in a bit. You just get some rest ok?"

"Ok baby, be safe I love you."

"I love you too Casey." Alex says hanging up.

She pulled into a parking spot near the store and gets out and heads that way. As she nears the store she sees a car slowing and the window rolling down but before she can process what's happening the gun fires two rounds into her chest. She hits the pavement trying to breathe trying to scream trying to do anything and then everything went black…

Okay, Alex thinks I was shot. I am alive, and I am in the hospital. She then opens her eyes again, no Casey, but there is a man in uniform. He must be here because the threat on my life was obviously serious, okay.

"Ah, Ms. Cabot, I see you have finally woken up. I will get Jack." The uniformed man says.

Jack Hammond walks into the room, "Alex, how are you?"

"Well, I was shot twice and woke up in the hospital, so you tell me." Alex responds in her icy lawyer tone. She is quickly becoming uneasy by the fact that there are more uniforms in the room and not Casey, or her mom.

"Okay, well you were shot Alex and you flat lined on the way to the hospital and in the OR a couple of times, but the doctors were able to save your life. You have been in a drug induced coma for the last couple of weeks to allow your body to heal and they now allowed you to wake up." Jack replies.

"Where are Casey and my mom? Are they okay?" Alex questions becoming increasingly nervous with the passing seconds. The death threat was directed at her, but what if they got to Casey and her mom as well.

Jack takes a deep breath, "Alex, they are okay, but you are not. You are technically dead as of three weeks ago. The only way to keep you safe was to put you into Witness Protection."

Alex pales hearing Jack's words, "W-what are you saying?"

"I am saying you are no longer Alex Cabot. Alex Cabot is dead."

"Does anyone know?"

"No," Jack sighs, "No one can know."

Alex shakes her head, "No, that's unacceptable. I have to tell my girlfriend Casey and my mom at least."

"Alex, they have already buried you, they think you are dead. You are not Alexandra Cabot anymore, you are now someone different."

Alex suddenly feels like she can't breathe, like the room is closing in on her. Casey thinks she's dead, her mother thinks she's dead. She can't breathe.

"Alex breathe," Jack orders, "Ah geez, get the doctor!"

Alex sucks in a mouthful of air before letting out a loud crying sob, "Why didn't you just let me die! Why!"

A doctor and a nurse rush in and orders are given to administer a sedative. Soon Alex is starting to settle, but before she falls asleep she whispers, "I want to go home."

One year and two months earlier…

It's two in the morning and Alex is awake. She doesn't sleep anymore, she misses Casey to much. All she wants to do is go home, but the Feds keep telling her it's not a possibility while Valez is still alive and while her hit man is still at large. How do they expect to fix these things? What hope is she supposed to have?

The Feds expect her to be Emily from Tulsa, and live in Wisconsin. They expect her to work at her job in insurance. Yet Alex Cabot would rather be 6 feet under literally than continue this charade. "I want to go home," she whispers into the empty room.

All she wants is to go home to her life. She wants to open the door to her and Casey's apartment and walk down the hall to the living room and catch Casey dancing like a loon to some pop music song of the week that she is into and laugh at her. It makes her remember her the first time she caught Casey like that…

Alex walked to down the hall to her apartment, wait their apartment. She loves being able to call it their home now. Casey is clearly the best thing that has ever happened to her.

Opening the door to the apartment she is instantly hit with music blasting down the hallway. "Casey?" Alex calls out but doesn't receive an answer. Figuring the redhead can't hear her she makes her way down the hall to the living room. Walking into the open living room she sees the redhead dancing around the sight instantly plasters a smile on Alex's face. 'How the hell did I wind up so lucky,' she thought to herself. She walks over and the redhead spots her.

"Hey baby!" Casey exclaims seeing Alex, "come dance with me!"

Alex shakes her head no and states, "I think I am going to go get a glass of wine and watch you babe."

"Absolutely not Counselor. Heels off and on the dance floor now!" Casey orders.

Alex quirks an eyebrow at the suddenly dominate redhead as she removes her heels as directed, watching Casey change the song via remote to a song titled the 'You and Me Song' by The Wannadies. Casey smiles sweetly and it makes Alex's heart flutter a little. Walking over and taking Alex's hand she says, "I heard this song on the radio while driving to the courthouse today and I thought of you. So I want to dance with you to it."

"Okay," Alex responds giving Casey a chaste kiss as they began dancing. The song started out slow and sweet and they sway in each other's arms to it perfectly. "I really like this song Casey," Alex said as Casey grinned at her.

Suddenly the tempo exploded and Casey spun Alex around the room as she shrieked in surprise! As the song slowed and sped up the two swayed and spun laughing and kissing. It was the perfect way to come home in the evenings.

This quickly became a nightly routine for the happy couple. Alex would always fake a refusal to wanting to dance and then cave to Casey's pleas. They'd dance till they were out of breath and fall onto the couch sharing sweet kisses until they finally got up and made dinner together or retired straight to the bedroom for an evening of love making. It was the happiest time in Alex's life. That was her life, that's what she wants to return too, to Casey.

The couples family and friends thought it was way too soon to move into together after only dating for four months, but both Casey and Alex knew it was right and could care less. They knew they wanted to be together and that's all that mattered. As Alex started to fall asleep in the chair all she could think about was all of the other things she wished she and Casey had been able to share.

Eight months prior…

Alex sighs opening the door to her house. "What's going on Jack?" she questions the federal agent.

"Don't act so happy to see me Emily. Do you have company?" Jack asked.

"No, never."

"Ok, well I brought you a present." Jack says passing over the wrapped gift.

Alex stares at the outstretched hand holding the gift and reluctantly takes the present. "Why are you giving me something?" Alex asks.

"Geez, just open it already."

"Okay," Alex says opening the gift. She freezes once she sees what it is; it's a picture of Casey. One of her favorites that she kept framed on her bedside table in their bedroom. She had taken it one of the first times she took Casey horseback riding. Casey insisted on wearing a cowboy hat and her hair in braided pig tails, and Alex had just made a joke about her looking like Annie Oakley or a character from the old TV show Gunsmoke. Casey had started laughing about the silly comparison and Alex thought she looked breathtaking and snapped the shot. She looked so beautiful.

Taking a deep breath and trying not to cry Alex asked, "How did you get this?"

Jack smiled, "I have my ways. Anyway, I thought you could use a pick me up. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you."

Six months prior…

Alex was becoming more and more depressed as the days progressed. The Harvard Law graduate was getting reprimanded at work continuously for missing deadlines and being short with clients. Never in a day had Alex Cabot been seen as a slacker or anything less than a hard worker, but Emily from Tulsa was one write up from being fired.

She thought about killing herself, at least it would make the real Alex Cabot's fate real but Casey's Catholic beliefs had rubbed off on her too much. Plus, there was always a small chance she might be able to return home someday. Then again would there be anything to return to?

Trying to think of something happier to boost her spirits, Alex thought about the first time she's met Casey. Casey was walking out of Judge Petrovsky's office and headed towards the elevator when the blonde ran around the corner in desperate need of a warrant and knocked her straight off her feet. They both collided to the ground Alex on top of Casey.

Casey smirked and said, "Normally I require dinner and a drink before getting into such positions."

Alex blushed and quickly got to her feet stumbling over an apology and helping Casey up.

"Don't worry about it. I don't think we've been properly introduced, I'm Casey Novak," Casey states reaching out a hand.

"Alexandra Cabot," Alex replies shaking her hand, "listen, I really have to get this warrant but I would love to take you out for coffee to make up for tackling you to the floor and all."

Casey smiles sweetly, "I would like that, come by my office any time."

It only took Alex to 3pm that afternoon to knock on her door. She couldn't shake the redhead from her thoughts and coffee turned to dinner which developed into morning coffees, daily lunches, dinners and nightly sleepovers. So before they knew it they were an item. Their best friends were happy for them and so were their families, but they kept it out of work which allowed them to have their privacy while enjoying their new found love. It really was a wonderful time in her life hopefully she would be able to rejoin that life someday.

Three months prior…

The storm rolled across the Wisconsin night sky while Alex lay in bed crying. It was nothing new she cried nightly. She knew the love of her life was a plane ride away and she couldn't be with her. She wondered if Casey was still grieving or if she'd already started moving on with her life. Mostly, she wondered if when cleaning out Alex's closet if Casey had found the ring and if she loved it as much as Alex had hoped she would.

Alex was broken. She suffered from PTSD to some degree from the shooting. Despite wanting to die on a daily basis, she was still afraid whoever tried to kill her might come for her and be successful this go around. If it were a normal situation she'd go to therapy, but since she wouldn't be able to tell the truth it would be quite pointless in her case. She needed some sort of hope in life, something positive to grasp onto but nothing ever seemed to come her way. She was beginning to feel like all of her prayers went unanswered.

The phone rang shaking Alex from her thoughts. Alex answered it with a gruff, "Hello."

"Emily, its Jack."

"What do you want Jack?"

"I wanted to inform you that Harper was passed away today."

Alex took a deep breath Harper was the code name for Valez, which meant she might be able to go home soon. Finally, she found her words, "Really? What does that mean?"

"Nothing yet, one more to go kiddo. Take care."

The line went dead. Alex finally had a prayer answered. Maybe the prayers that Casey had taught Alex were paying off.