GASP! I finally updated! I'm so sorry that it took so long! And that this isn't the best that it probably could be. Uni is keeping me crazy busy. I'll do my best to update as often as possible. I promise that I am not abandoning you!

I hope you enjoy!

-Jordyn

"What about this one?" Leighton asked, pointing to a picture of them in oversized hockey jerseys.

"That," she said, running her fingers over the worn picture, "Is from the night that your mother kissed me in public for the first time. That's also the night that we officially came out as a couple." She smiled at the memory. Alex had been terrified, but Casey knew that they could get through it together.

"Will you tell us about it?" Wyatt asked. He had heard the story second hand from his Aunt Olivia, but he wanted to hear his mother tell it. She nodded, and tried to contain her smile at the memory.

"Your mother and I had been dating for almost a year..."

X X X

Casey looked over at her girlfriend who was completely engrossed in the game going on in front of her. Although she was admittedly a self professed sports nut, Casey never could understand the point of hockey. Watching grown men beat each other up for a rubber disk? No thank you. But Alex loved the game, and Casey was willing to suffer through three periods of nonsense if it meant getting to see that smile on Alex Cabot's face.

Something happened on the ice, and Alex, along with most of the crowd, were on their feet cheering. She wished that other people got to see this side of Alex. The side she called her Alex. Where she wasn't all buttoned up and strictly by the book; and where she wore old jeans and an oversized jersey to yell at refs. She wished the world could see beyond the 'Ice Queen.' But she was thankful at least, that Alex let her see it.

Alex turned to Casey, as if noticing for the first time that she was standing alone. She gave her a mischievous smile, and pulled her to her feet in one quick motion. As hard as Casey tried to look upset at being moved, she was enjoying the look of pure joy on Alex's face to try too hard.

Before she realized what was happening, Alex turned to Casey and closed the gap between them with half a step, bringing their lips together in a soft kiss. Alex wasn't one for showing PDA, at least not before her stunt in front of the squad. But they were usually especially careful because she wasn't out at work; however, she wasn't going to question this nice surprise.

The catcalls from the men around them, and then the thunderous applause from the crowd as the couple appeared on the lovers camera finally drove them apart. They separated, but only far enough that their foreheads rested together.

"What was that for?" Casey asked, pushing a stray blonde hair out of Alex's eyes.

"Because I love you," She said, as if the answer should be obvious. Alex closed the gap between them once more, unaware that they were still on the big screen.

"I love you too," Casey whispered.

A tap on Casey's shoulder broke the moment, and she turned to give whoever it was a verbal lashing when her eyes were directed to the big screen, and a picture of her and Alex, engaged in a passionate kiss and the words lovers of the match printed underneath.

"Shit," she hissed, turning to Alex who's face had gone as white as the ice. She realized what it meant as well as Casey did. The entire nation had just been made aware of the Cabot/Novak romance, and things were going to get ugly, because not only was Alex just outed, it was made known that she was dating a coworker.

Sure Case wanted people to know about them, she didn't care who knew that she was in love with the most beautiful woman in the world, but things worked differently for Alex. When she had been with Olivia, they had played things under the radar, mostly because they worked together, and because neither of them wanted their personal life broadcasted for everyone to see. But Casey was different, she didn't mind the talk and the stares from people. She was comfortable with her life, and was proud to have Alex in it. But Alex had a career, political goals to consider, and a female lover that was out and proud wasn't conducive to those goals.

But Alex was determined to have her cake and eat it too. She was convinced that if they were careful, no one would have to know. After they had told the squad, she thought that things were going to be different, and that Alex was finally coming around to the idea of being together in the public eye all the time, but she had been wrong. Casey wasn't going to be her dirty little secret, and she made that abundantly clear when they had talked about letting people in on their relationship. Actually talk is the wrong word. A few weeks back, they had a knock down, drag out about the subject that had resulted in Casey sleeping at her own apartment for almost the first time since they had started seeing each other.

But this, she looked back up at the screen, was NOT how she had wanted to tell people. People that should not have been a factor in their lives were suddenly going to become center stage.

She shot a look back at Alex, who's excitement for a few minutes before had been replaced with sheer panic. She wasn't ready for this, and she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Casey could see her inner turmoil in her eyes, and she reached out a hand to take Alex's. Usually, Alex would shy away, or hold her hand like you would that of a friend. But she surprised both of them by using Casey's hand to pull them together, and buried her head in Casey's chest, finding safety there.

She was content to stay there, protected in her lovers arms, until a voice from behind them forced her to look up.

"Filthy dykes!" A voiced yelled from a few rows back. "You're sick, I hope you both burn in hell! Homosexuality is a sin, and you'll pay for what you've done!" The voice was originating from a woman in her early 50's who was there with her grandson. Alex moved to respond, when Casey beat her to it. Never letting go of her grip on Alex, she turned to the woman who was still shooting daggers at them.

"Excuse me ma'am, but if you have a problem with my girlfriend and I, I would appreciate it if you'd say it to my face. Unless you're afraid that you'll catch the gay, in which case I recommend staying at least fifty feet back." This earned a chuckle from the surrounding crowd members, while it only proved to anger the woman more. She took a step into the isle, making her way closer to Casey and Alex. She hadn't expected the woman to approach them, but Casey was more than ready for a fight.

"You two are sick! You're a crime against nature, and I don't want to have to see your disgusting sinning. This is a family friendly place, with traditional family values. What kind of example are you setting with your, acts." The woman rambled, and Casey held up her free hand to stop her.

"Excuse me, but the only one sick here is you. My girlfriend and I are here to enjoy ourselves just like you are, doing things that heterosexual couples are allowed to do, so I think that you are presenting us with a double standard. As well as pushing your own traditional family values on me. Why do men and women get to kiss their significant others, but I can't kiss my girlfriend whom I love more than the world? Why do I have to be ashamed of who I love? Why do you get to define what makes a family, when we make a perfectly normal, happy family. As for what children will think? I hope that they think that it's okay for them to love whomever they want. I'm not trying to push an agenda, I was just trying to enjoy a peaceful night out with my girlfriend. So if you'd kindly leave us alone, I'd like to go back to watching the game. Unless you have any more insults you'd like to throw our way? Come on, you must have a creative one or two." The woman stood silent, unable to come up with a reply. She hadn't expected Casey to have a reply. Instead, she turned on her heels without another word. Alex, who had remained silent throughout the confrontation, finally spoke.

"Wow," she said with a smile. "She's going to need some aloe for that burn!"

"You don't argue with me when it comes to people I care about. She was just the beginning Alex, but I'm going to try and protect you as much as I can, because I love you, more than I could ever imagined." Alex tried to blink back we tears as she snuggled back into Casey's side.

"You know," a voice came from beside them, "We aren't all like her," he said, pointing in the direction the woman stormed off. "I just wanted you to know that. I think you two make a beautiful couple. And," he turned so that he was looking Alex directly in the eye, "She's a keeper, make sure you don't let her go. Or someone will snatch her up forever." it as Casey's turn to be overwhelmed with emotion.

"Thank you," she whispered, tightening her grip on Alex. He nodded in understand and went back to his seat, leaving the couple emotionally exhausted and completely lost with what was going in within the game.

X X X

"Your mother never did forgive me for that one."

"But you were just standing up for yourself! Mom knew that you don't always think before you speak!" Wyatt said, clearly upset about the fact that Alex had given Casey a hard time.

"We were able to laugh about it later. So don't hold it against her. I was always more in your face than your mother. We balanced each other out. She was there to be the voice of reason when I got too heated, and I was there to voice the things your mother only thought about saying."

"So what happened?" Leighton asked, more than a little curious as to how things had played out.

"Well..."

X X X

A shrill ringing from her pocket forced Alex to pull away from the warmth of Casey's arms. She pulled out her phone to see a number she hasn't expected to see again. She shot Casey an apologetic smile before answering.

"Hello, Olivia," Alex said, trying to keep her voice neutral. They had come to an agreement since she found out about them as a couple, but it didn't mean that things weren't tense sometimes.

"What the hell were you thinking, Alex?" Even over the noise of the crowd, Casey could hear Olivia lecturing her.

"I was thinking that I was out on a date with my girlfriend! I didn't know that it was any of the NYPD's business what I did in my free time!" Alex snapped. She wasn't in the mood for Olivia's life advice tonight, especially not after everything else.

"We'll it is now, because Elliot just texted me. He asked me to tell you two that you're hot together, and you look really good on his HDTV. Which means, I'll expect your phone to start ringing off the hook any second now."

"Wait, if Elliot just texted you, how did you even know about all of this?"

"Because I'm at the game." She said, her tone matter of fact, and Alex's jaw dropped. Olivia was never a fan of hockey, so she could only assume that she was here with a date. "Wipe that surprised look off your face Alex. Hannah's brother had tickets that he couldn't use, and she asked me if I'd like to come."

"I wasn't going to ask," Alex defended, even though they both knew she was.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that this isn't just your business anymore Alex. Good luck." With that the line went dead, and Alex's heart was in her throat. Olivia was right; this wasn't her personal life anymore. It was going to become so much more than that.

"What did Olivia want?" Casey asked, pushing a piece of hair out of Alex's face.

"To let me know that Elliot saw us on TV, which means that more than likely, so did half of New York…" She sounded so small that Casey couldn't resist the urge to pull her into her arms.

"It'll be okay. I promise." Alex just nodded sadly into her chest. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"Please," Was all she said before burying her head back into Casey's shoulder. At least there she knew that she was safe, and the world couldn't touch her.

X X X

They had barely made it three feet into the apartment before Alex's phone rang again. She didn't have to look at the caller ID to know who it was, and what it was about. She briefly considered not answering it, but she knew that things would turn out worse in the end if she didn't.

"Cabot," She said, her tone decisive and strong. She needed Jack to know that she was confident in her actions, and no matter what he said, he wasn't going to shake her.

"Alexandra Cabot, I trust you know what I'm calling about?" He asked. Casey could tell by the way Alex's face fell that things were going to get much worse.

"I do," She said, her tone short. She wasn't going to let him bait her.

"Then may I ask what you were thinking, doing that out in public with, her?" The way that he said her, without using Casey's name snapped something in side of her. It was one thing for Jack to come after her personal life, but it was another for him to insult the love of her life.

"Listen to me McCoy," She snapped, "I was out on a date, on my own time, minding my own business. I love Casey, and that is all that matters in this. I did not ask to be put on the screen, nor did I ask to have my personal life attacked by you. I know that this might not stand up to the image that you had of me, but it's something that you need to either deal with, or fire me. But know that this isn't going away, Casey isn't going away. " She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down enough to not say anything else that she might regret.

"Well then," He said, obviously annoyed by Alex's outburst. "I would like to see you first thing Monday morning."

"If you're going to fire me, just do it now McCoy. Show that you're capable of some compassion."

"Goodnight Ms. Cabot." He ended the call before Alex had a chance to say anything else. She knew that things were going to be bad, she just wasn't sure how bad.

She felt Casey's arms wrap around her waist, and she instantly sank back into her. Despite the fact that McCoy may fire her, especially after she spoke to him, she knew that she made the right choice standing up for her and Casey. She had spent years hiding who she was, and she was tired of it. Being with Casey was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she was going to spend the rest of her life making sure that she knew that.

"I love you," She said, turning in her arms to face Casey. "So much. I don't want you to forget that."

"I love you too," Casey said, sweeping Alex up into her arms. She was content to stay there forever; just existing with the woman she loved.

X X X

"Did mom get fired?" Wyatt asked, still engrossed in the story.

"McCoy tried. He said that her morals did not align with those that the DA office upheld. But your mother being who she was, threatened to sue him, and make his life a living hell. Needless to say, she got to keep her job." Casey said with a smile. "And, a few months later, I was even able to come back to work there as well! So something that she said really shook him up."

"Life with you two was never boring, was it?" Leighton asked, loving how exciting their lives had been.

"It might have looked like it to some, but never to us. Any time that your mother and I got to spend together was exciting to me. I wouldn't trade a second of it. Even the year that we spent apart while she was in the Congo." Casey smiled at the thought of all the great times that she and Alex had together, and she hoped that one day, her kids could find the same kind of love that they had.