Author's Note: Slight spoiler for Ghost. Any and all feedback is appreciated more than you know. Enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olivia woke up to the smell of..."Coffee?" She mumbled as the smell pervaded her senses and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Yes. I made you coffee. I figured you'd need to be getting up soon, so I poked around the kitchen. Hope you don't mind." Alex stood next to her with two mugs of hot coffee smiling.

"Gee. Someone made me coffee and brought it to me in bed. Wouldn't I need my head examined if I did mind?" Olivia yawned and pulled herself in to a sitting position. "Did you sleep ok?"

"Yes, I did, considering I used the Olivia Benson body pillow." Alex grinned as a slight flush rose on Olivia's cheeks.

"Thanks." Olivia took the mug Alex handed her. She sipped it carefully. "Mmm, good." She noted the time. "I've got plenty of time. Thanks again."

"The least I could do, considering I fell asleep in the middle of a speech you were giving." Alex hopped up on the bed next to Olivia. "Care to revisit it?"

"Mmmhmm." Olivia nodded and pursed her lips. "Yeah, basically, I just don't think we should act in haste. You're vulnerable right now." Olivia inhaled the fragrant steam rising from the hot mug. "I don't want anyone to have any regrets." She took a small sip and felt the warm liquid slide down to her stomach.

Alex listened and nodded. "And...I'm still a suspect." She arched her eyebrows and sipped her coffee. "Right?"

Olivia scratched her eyebrow. "Well, technically, yeah. Which is why I have to find this Tanya and like yesterday." Olivia saw the disappointment flash in the intense blue eyes. "Hey, but that's not it. You were drunk...and we...we've...we'd have to discuss a lot of stuff before we jump even to the kissing portion of the program."

"I know. I know." Alex dropped her head in defeat.

"Alex, look, two days ago you thought someone else might be the one. And were it not for certain unfortunate circumstances, you and she would still be together." Olivia winced at what she had just said and bit the inside of her bottom lip. "I'm so sorry, but I can't take advantage of that."

Alex looked around the room as though the correct response might be written on the walls or ceiling or the throw rug. Then she met Olivia's gaze. Her brown eyes were the color of Alex's coffee and just as strong. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, but filled with emotion. "Marty could only ever have been the one I settled for. The one was a mistake I made long ago. I don't intend to make that same mistake again."

Both women just stared at each other, matching their breathing patterns which were steady and deep. "I see." Olivia finally said.

"A wise woman once told me, 'It's hard pretending to be something you're not.' So, when I left here the second time, I stopped pretending." Alex stared in to the reflection in her coffee cup. "I couldn't be Alex Cabot, but I didn't have to be Little Miss Perfect any more, either."

"So, you got in touch with your badder half?" Olivia smirked. She remembered telling Alex those words all those years ago when she returned to testify against Connor. "That wasn't exactly what I was talking about."

"I didn't do anything dangerous, Liv. I just...let myself be myself. It was pretty freeing." Alex smiled a secret smile. "And every time I did something freeing, I thought of you."

Olivia tilted her head. She wasn't sure exactly what Alex meant or what she did to free herself. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. "Well, I'm glad I said something useful. I should start getting ready."

"Yes, and I should get out of your way." Alex stood up and reached for Olivia's empty mug.

"Yeah, about that..." Olivia cleared her throat. "If you don't want to stay at that hotel, you could stay here for a few days. Your place will be a wreck once CSU finishes and until you can get someone to come and clean up, it'll be days. And you shouldn't be alone right now, either."

Alex's expression went from shocked to surprised to warmly flattered by Olivia's generosity and caring. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"Well, let's see...you can be in charge of coffee and take out. That's the extent of the chores here, split 50/50. What do you say?" Olivia stood and walked over to Alex. "I'd worry about you too much if you stay anywhere else."

Alex reached out and gently cupped Olivia's cheek. "Do you ever stop serving and protecting the citizens of New York?"

Olivia smiled at Alex and flushed at the compliment and the gentle contact. "Nope. Especially not the blonde-haired, blue-eyed civil servants. Come on?"

Alex shook her head slightly and removed her hand from Olivia's face. "I guess. But maybe I could cook instead of order take out?"

"Cook? Sure, uh, I think I've got pots and pans someplace and the last I knew the stove worked." Olivia's smile widened. "So you'll stay, then?"

"Yes, I'll stay."

"Great." Olivia gave a small fist pump. "Make yourself at home. I really do need to catch a shower before work though."

-----------------------------------

Olivia stood outside Club Onyx. She had asked Elliot to wait in the car. She had gotten the bartender's name from Munch and Fin and decided her best shot at finding Tanya would be to approach alone. Since Dani had told the other detectives about the fight, she must have had a birdseye/ear seat. Maybe there was more information she could share about their mystery woman.

Olivia knocked on the door and waited. A few minutes later, a young, tall, thin androgynous looking woman with short dark hair and dark eyes appeared with a white apron slung over the shoulder of her white t-shirt. Olivia held up her badge and mouthed "NYPD".

The young woman stuff the apron in the back pocket of her worn jeans, unlocked the door, opened it and stood in it blocking Olivia from entering. "How can I help you, doll?"

'Doll?' Olivia blinked and checked her temper at being called doll by a girl who could be her daughter. "I'm Detective Benson. My colleagues were here yesterday. They spoke with a Dani about Marty Talbot. I have a couple follow-up questions. May I come in?"

The young woman ran her hand through her closely cropped thick black hair. "Yeah, come on in. I'm Dani." Dani held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Dani." Olivia took the small but strong hand in her own and was shocked when Dani pulled her hand to her lips and kissed the back of it.

"The pleasure is all mine, Detective Benson." She winked and something dangerous yet captivating flashed in the deep black pools of her eyes. "How can I help?"

Olivia withdrew her hand quickly. "Uh, you mentioned overhearing a fight Marty had with her girlfriend. Do you know what it was about?" She pulled her pad and pen out and followed Dani to the bar.

"You want something to drink? Maybe a sparkling water or something?" Dani smiled a charming smile and moved behind the bar.

"Water would be nice, thanks." Olivia smiled back. There was a certain charm about the boyish young woman. She sat down on a bar stool and watched Dani work.

"Marty and that fine piece of tail of hers had it out over another woman." Dani skillfully filled a tall glass with ice, a slice of lime and a splash of cranberry juice. She flipped the button for soda water on the hose and filled the glass the rest of the way. "Trust me, sweetheart, this is what you'd rather drink than plain old water." She speared a cocktail cherry with a sword, dropped it in and pushed it towards Olivia.

"Thanks. Which other woman?" Olivia stirred the drink with the cherry and took a sip. It was actually really refreshing.

"That would be Tanya. You can't trust women, detective. They're sneaky. Marty's blonde piece was right to be pissed. If the two of them had a sofa underneath them instead of a dance floor, it wouldn't have been called dancing any more. You know what I mean, doll?" Dani wiped down the bar and dried some glasses while she spoke. "How'd I do with your drink?"

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "You were right, Dani. Better than plain water. So, they danced, the dance ended...then what?"

"Well, I was working, detective, so I wasn't transcripting the fight. Best I could say was that Marty thought three was company and blondie thought three was a crowd. Me, I'm a one-woman guy myself." Dani was leaning against the bar and coming awfully close to invading Olivia's personal space.

Olivia stood and backed up. "I see. What else can you tell me about Tanya?"

"Well, first you've got to sit back down. You make me nervous when you stand." Dani gestured to the bar stool and smiled a cocky smile.

"Ok. I'll sit if you back up. You make me nervous when you get in my face." Olivia was losing patience.

"Fair enough." Dani waited for Olivia to sit back down and she took a step back to lean against the counter. "What do I know about Tanya? She's fairly new here, blonde hair, dyed that way, hazel eyes, eh, 5'4" or so...not skinny but certainly not overweight. She's in to rich, older dykes. Her drink's vodka Collins. She's also a lousy tipper." Dani leered at Olivia from her position against the counter behind the bar. Her eyes were clearly not focusing on Liv's face, but points further south. "What else you want to know, doll?"

"Her last name and what the hell, a player like you must have gotten her phone number, right?" Olivia winked and grinned.

"You drive a hard bargain...but for those eyes and that body..." Dani smiled a lecherous smile, shook her head and licked her lips.

Olivia shifted and willed herself to remain calm. She didn't come this far with this little creep to leave without the golden nugget. "Flattery will get everywhere. But I doubt you have to use it often, Dani." She flirted back.

"You're smooth, detective. Her last name is Barker and her cell number is 555-4793. But she never answers it." Dani rubbed her palms together. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"No, thank you. You've been a big help. Thanks for the drink." Olivia scribbled the last of the information on her pad and finished her drink in one gulp.

"Any time. If you swing by later, I'll make you a real drink." Dani winked. "Can you let yourself out? I've got to take a delivery out back any minute."

"Sure. Thanks." Olivia put away her pad and ducked out quickly.

"How'd it go, Liv?" Elliot asked when she got in the car.

"Pay day, my friend. And you missed 20 minutes of me getting hit on by the twenty-two year old bartender." Liv buckled up for the ride back.

"Cash money, Liv. You know I'd pay cash money." Elliot grinned as he threw the car in to gear.

--------------------------------------

"There it is, Liv. Mickey's Cafe. Do I have to stay in the car this time, or can I come in, Mom?" Elliot snarked parking the car.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and come on. We're losing time on the 'no-press' deadline and we need a suspect."

"Tanya Barker?" Elliot approached the petite blonde with the below average dye job.

"Yeah, I'm Tanya, what's it to you?" The waitress attached an order to the turntable and gave it a spin. "Order in, Nico!"

"We're Detectives Benson and Stabler. We need you to come on down to the station with us and answer a few questions." Olivia flashed her badge.

"I'm working here. What the hell is this about?" Tanya folded her arms stubbornly.

"I'm sure your boss will understand. It's about you and Marty Talbot. Trust me, sweetheart, you don't want to answer our questions in public." Olivia spoke quietly to the young blonde and gestured to the door.

"We can do this the easy or hard way, Tanya. You decide." Elliot pulled his suit coat aside to reveal his handcuffs.

"Ok, ok. You win." Tanya took off her apron and tossed it on the counter. "You're on your own, Nico. Gotta go with the cops."

---------------------------------------------

Olivia walked out of the interview room and looked at her captain and Dr. Huang. "This is getting silly, George. Give us something."

The psychiatrist crossed his arms. "Something's not adding up."

"Ya think?" Olivia spat.

"I don't think this is the perp...or she's an amazing actor. The sexual identity crisis that should be present...isn't. She was waitressing at a diner, traditionally a female role." The doctor thought for a moment. "Try this, Liv. Our perp identifies as a male. Pressing her buttons should be easy enough. Call her Miss or Ma'am...use as many feminine terms as you can think of...and have Elliot treat her like a lady...hold doors, pull out chairs...stand when she stands, etc."

Olivia took a deep breath. "Ok, but this is seriously going no place. This tart was just that. A tease for Marty and nothing more."

"Just try it. If she's acting or playing a part, we should see it fade...especially from you, Liv. She's going to need you to treat her like a man. She sees women as weak, flawed." The doctor turned back to the two-way glass and tapped the side of his face.

"Got it." Olivia ran her fingers through her chestnut locks and stretched her neck before going back in to the interrogation.

-----------------------------------------