When she woke, she wasn't surprised to be alone. She had heard Alex leave the apartment in the early morning, probably to catch a taxi to the airport. She wanted to stop her but she knew she and Noah would be better off without her. So she started her day just like any other and got Noah ready for the day. She figured she'd swing by the office with him briefly to check in on their progress on locating Denise and her pimp.
An hour later, she wandered into the precinct with Noah waddling next to her. "You look like he—you need some more sleep," Fin quickly corrected at the sight of Noah. "Hey little man. How are you doin'?" Noah giggled as he waved at Fin and ran over to him for a high five.
"Rough night," she responded as she shrugged.
"I heard that Alex Cabot was back in town," Fin filled in, hoping to prompt Olivia to explain. He had always been an excellent detective and was well aware of the feelings that the women shared for one another.
"She's gone now. Back to D.C. but don't worry, the fearless Alex Cabot will be coming back to Manhattan," Olivia dryly stated.
"Oh yeah? Why the…why would she be doin' that? She was about ready to run for DA in D.C. DA Minetta already started electioneering for Cabot."
"What are you talking about?" Olivia questioned as she looked at her old friend in confusion. "She said she was coming back to Manhattan because the DA here was going to be retiring in a few years."
"DA Vance? No way. He's got at least six more years in his term if he doesn't decide to go for a re-election," Carisi chirped in, surprising both of them. "What? I just had a meeting with him last week. You know I'm into all that law stuff."
"But Alex said…"
Fin raised an eyebrow in response. "As long as I've known Cabot she was never really one to admit her feelings. She always put up that cold exterior to keep people out, ya know?"
"Then why would she tell me that?"
Fin smirked. "Don't tell me your detecting skills have gone soft Lieutenant. She was never one to do things the easy way and neither are you."
2 weeks later: LaGuardia Airport
Alex exited the airplane, carry-on slung over her shoulder. She was exhausted, having just closed out most of her cases and handed off what little remained. She knew she was taking a step down her political ladder by returning to Manhattan but she knew she had to.
Part of her wondered if it was a mistake. Both returning and lying to Olivia. She didn't know why she couldn't just say the truth; that she was homesick for New York and missed Olivia. No, instead she had weave a complicated web of lies. And she was stupid enough to reject the DA office's prearranged car to pick her up from the airport. She knew Olivia wasn't coming for her. Why would she?
She didn't even bother looking as she pulled her bag tighter around her shoulder and headed toward luggage pickup. Suddenly she felt a tug against her shoulder, pulling her back.
"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to come with me." She froze at the sound of a familiar husky voice. Slowly, she turned around, not quite believing her eyes. But there stood Olivia Benson, one hand on Alex's shoulder strap and a smile on her face.
"Olivia…"
"You couldn't have just told me the truth, could you? No, you had to make up some complex lie about your political ambitions. Because Alex Cabot just couldn't admit that she was in love with a lowly detective of SVU," Olivia explained as she waited for the blonde's reaction.
Instead of Alex yelling at her, she was surprised with the blonde lunging forward and throwing her arms around her. For good measure, Alex even pressed her lips firmly against Olivia's. Alex Cabot was a lot of things but she wasn't scared. No, she didn't care what anyone around her said about the fact that she was kissing another woman in the middle of a crowded airport.
When Alex pulled back, she merely smiled. "How'd you know?"
"The D.C. DA already started campaigning for you, Alex. I called him up and said he had a hell of a fight trying to convince you to stay in D.C. He said you were adamant about returning to someone in Manhattan that you were in love with. Something about not wanting to pretend to be someone you're not anymore. And according to one of my detectives, New York's DA is nowhere near retiring."
"And what makes you think that you're the one that I'm in love with?" Alex questioned.
"Because you didn't run when I told you that I have been madly in love with you for the past fifteen years," Olivia replied back simply. "Now come on, I'm taking you back to my place where I'm going to properly introduce you to Noah. We'll go to the park and tire him out so that when he goes to bed we can pick up where we left off and I can properly make love to you."
Alex couldn't help but smile as she grabbed her bags off of luggage pickup and followed Olivia toward the airport exit. "Wait," she called out as she grabbed onto Olivia's arm. She quickly kissed the brunette soundly on the lips. "I am in love with you, if that wasn't already clear."
