A/N: So, I went ahead and changed the rating of this to M. Not all chapters will be M of course, but we're gonna get there eventually ;-)

Also, I think you'll like this one. A lot. And wow, the feedback on this so far is great. Thanks again. I wrote a lot today, it's late and I'm tired. I could have waited, but I wanted to get it out, since work comes tomorrow. I gave this a couple of spell checks and once over, but if there is anything egregious. I'm sorry. Feel free to let me know.

THE DATE

After what seemed like the longest week in the history of long weeks – and after the longest work day in the history of long work days – it was finally Friday night.

Lucy was at Olivia's apartment, having agreed to keep Noah for the evening. She also asked Olivia if she minded if she just stayed over, so she didn't have to go home late, and made some excuse about her roommate having company.

Olivia of course agreed, but what she didn't know was that Lucy didn't need to spend the night. She was just happy Olivia had a date with whoever had put the smile on her face for the past week – something she hadn't seen since well before Olivia and Tucker had broken up. Lucy just didn't want Olivia to feel the need to rush home from her date, or even stay gone all night if she was so inclined.

"Ok, the restaurant information is here. You know his medical stuff. He's been going to bed pretty good this week," Olivia was listing off all the things she could think of to tell Lucy, as if Lucy didn't already know. It was apparent she was nervous. "I'll probably be home right after dinner, so if you change your mind about staying, or want to go out, you can. I hate to take up your Friday night."

"Olivia, it's fine," Lucy said. "I'll probably study once Noah is in bed. Please, go out and enjoy yourself with whoever is making you this nervous."

Olivia froze. She hadn't realized she was acting so nervous. "Oh, do I look nervous?"

"You seem happy and like this person is pretty special," Lucy said. "Look, you're fine. You look beautiful and that dress is amazing. Trust me, your date is going to be drooling."

Olivia let out a breath and relaxed her shoulders. "Thank you, Lucy," Olivia said. "For everything."

"You're welcome and it's not a problem," Lucy said. "Now go."

"Ok. Call if you need anything," Olivia said.

"I highly doubt I'll need anything…except for you to go," Lucy said.

Olivia shook her head and laughed and Lucy nearly pushed her out the front door.

Olivia had insisted on picking Alex up, like a proper date. When she arrived at Alex's building, the doorman greeted her. "Ms. Benson?" the doorman, John, asked. Olivia nodded, unsure how he knew who she was. "Ms. Cabot is expecting you."

"Thank you," she said. She started in, but stopped. "Can I ask a question?"

"How did you know who I was?" Olivia asked.

"Well, she told me there would be a beautiful brunette coming," he said. "And someone as beautiful as you must be here to see the beautiful Ms. Cabot."

Olivia blushed. "You're kind," she said, then looked at her empty hands. "Can I ask you another question?"

"She prefers wildflowers to roses and there is a shop right across the street," he said, not even waiting on her question.

"How did you…"

"I've been doing my job a long time, Ms. Benson," he said. "I can tell when someone is smitten. But next time, think about the flowers before you get here."

Olivia put her head down, smiling and slightly embarrassed. "Thank you…" she looked for his name tag.

"John," he said.

"It's nice to meet you," she said. "I'm Olivia."

"It's my pleasure," he said. "Anyone that can put the smile on Ms. Cabot's face that she's had this week must be pretty special."

"I hope so," Olivia said. "I'll be right back." She nodded to him and quickly made her way across the street to the flower shop. It didn't take her long to find the perfect bouquet of wildflowers and make her way back to Alex's building.

John simply nodded, indicating for her to go on through. "Lovely choice, Olivia."

Olivia and headed to the elevator.

#

Upstairs Alex was pacing around the living room, although she didn't realize that's what she was doing. She picked at a piece of dark chocolate, then scolded herself for spoiling her dinner. It was 6:50. Olivia was 5 minutes late.

It wasn't that the 5 minutes was a big deal, but Olivia was never later. Of course, something could have come up with Noah that made her late. Alex realized her history of knowing whether Olivia was on time or not was pre-Noah. She looked at her watch. As each second ticked by, she began to wonder if Olivia was getting cold feet. She grabbed her phone to see if Olivia had sent her a message. No messages.

Alex took a deep breath then grabbed another piece of chocolate – bigger this time – and shoved it in her mouth. About the time she swallowed, there was a knock at the door.

Her heart skipped a few beats.

Another breath and Alex made her way to the door. She didn't even look before opening it – she was too excited.

As soon as the door swung open, both women stood speechless. Their moment was there.

"Hi," Alex squeaked, then smiled.

"Hi," Olivia said.

Their greeting was simple, but it worked as neither of them had any other words to say.

"Oh, these are for you," Olivia awkwardly said, handing the flowers to Alex.

"Liv, they're beautiful," Alex said. "The colorful ones are my favorite, actually."

Olivia smiled. She'd tell Alex someday about the tip she got from John, but for now, she was going to take the credit.

Alex stood there holding the flowers, not moving to put them in water. Olivia was unsure what was happening next. "Liv, you look beautiful. I mean…wow, that dress." The dress did look good on Olivia and she knew it. Short. Red. No shoulder on one side. Diamond designs running diagonal from her shoulder to bottom.

Olivia smirked. "Well, Ms. Cabot, you are quite stunning yourself." Olivia let her eyes wander as she admired the royal blue dress on Alex, trimmed with a cream color. The dress was longer than Olivia's, but the slit on the side of the dress…well, it left little to Olivia's imagination.

"Let me put these in some water and we'll go," Alex said.

#

Dinner went smoothly. Olivia only checked her phone once to see if Lucy had called or texted, but half-way expected either a Noah emergency or SVU emergency. So far, nothing. Things going this smoothly made Olivia nervous, though.

"Could I interest you in a walk in the park?" Alex asked as they exited the restaurant. "I ate too much, but wow, it was so good."

Olivia nodded yes to the walk. "That was hands down the best braised lamb I've ever had," she said.

"I think it was the chocolate soufflé that did me in," Alex said.

As they headed in the direction of the park, Olivia reached out and took Alex's hand, interlocking their fingers.

"Is this ok?" she whispered. They still hadn't talked about how public they were going to be at this phase.

"It's very ok," Alex said, moving in closer to Olivia as they walked.

Both women had big smiles on their face. The very thought of them being about to do this years ago, never even crossed their mind. Even if they would have pursued a relationship, it would have likely had to stay somewhat private then.

They strolled hand in hand through a well-lit portion of Central Park, stopping occasionally to admire the city. It was dark outside, and a few clouds rolling in, but the building and the lights was one of Alex's favorite things. Olivia began to wonder what time it was supposed to start raining. She had checked the weather earlier in the day, but was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to start until after midnight. They still had some time, and Lucy had been pretty insistent about her staying out.

The two women saw a park bench and Olivia nodded to it. "You know, it's funny how most people come into the park and have all of these happy memories with family or friends. Their kids playing. A romantic moment."

"This bench. It's where you found that homeless woman who was sexually assaulted," Alex said. She remembered that case. She tugged Olivia's hand so they would keep walking, someplace away from the bad memory.

"I've tried the past few years to look for those happy moments; to not see everything through the darkness we see in SVU every day," Olivia said. "And you know, it's started to work. I can go places with Noah and start to form new memories in bad places."

"I guess the bad can be found anywhere if you know where to look," Alex said. "I still can't walk by the pub where I was shot."

"Me either," Olivia said.

Finally, Alex stopped walking and took Olivia's other hand, the brunette facing her. "Olivia, I know this is date one, but I hope you and I can…work on making happy memories, together."

Olivia looked into Alex's blue eyes. They shone even brighter against her dress and the wave of emotion took over the detective. A feeling she wasn't sure she had ever felt, not this soon. She moved her hand to Alex's cheek.

"I'm going to kiss you," Olivia said. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to announce it, but Alex thought it was adorable and nodded. Olivia immediately pushed their lips together, letting her hand slide to the back of Alex's neck and not wasting anytime to let it grow deeper as soon as she felt Alex kissing her back.

Both women pulled back for a breath, only for a second before Alex began kissing Olivia again Within seconds, they heard thunder and large drops of rain began to fall.

"I guess the rain started early," Olivia said.

"We should probably get a cab," Alex said, still holding tight to Olivia.

"We should," Olivia said.

Alex turned to walk back toward the street, but Olivia pulled her hand back and spun her back around to face her. She put her hand around her back and kissed Alex again, not caring about the raining pouring down on their head.

When they finished, Alex cocked her head to the side and smirked. "Wow. Now there's a memory for you."

#

It was a short cab ride back to Alex's apartment. Olivia got out with Alex, but told the cab driver to wait. She intended to go home as much as she may not have wanted to.

She walked Alex to the door, standing under the awning so they were out of the rain.

"I had a great night, Alex," Olivia said. "And I hope you still want to do this again."

"Do you want to come upstairs?" Alex asked.

"I…um…"

"You told me Lucy was staying the night, so you don't have a curfew," Alex teased. "Come on, at least let me get you out of those wet clothes." She smirked at Olivia.

Olivia blushed at the words and laughed. "You are SUCH a tease," she said.

Alex leaned forward and put her lips right next to Olivia's ear, whispering. "Who said I was teasing?"

Olivia felt her breath catch and her eyes widened as she looked into Alex's eyes. The blonde wasn't kidding. "I'll be right back."

She turned, ran over to the cab driver, gave him some money for the ride and tip, then gave him more money just for waiting. She didn't even look to see how much before running back to Alex's door and following her inside.

#

When they were inside Alex's apartment, the door had barely shut before Olivia was backing Alex up against the wall next to it, lips and body pressed hard against Alex, who tangled her hand in Olivia's hair, letting it be known she enjoyed every second of it.

"Are you ok?" Olivia whispered in Alex's ear as her tongue found its way to the blonde's neck.

"God, yes, Liv," Alex said. "Don't you dare think of stopping."

It was all the encouragement Olivia needed. She began peppering kisses down to Alex's collarbone while her left hand founded that insanely high slit in Alex's dress. Alex gasped as Olivia's hand touched her bare thigh, caressing the outside of it.

Olivia's own thigh pressed hard between Alex's legs; her own nipples grew hard against Alex's body.

"Liv, I need you to take me to bed now," Alex said. "Our clothes aren't the only thing wet anymore."

Olivia felt a rush between her legs and her knees go a little weak at Alex's words. She turned and took Alex's hand as she led the brunette to the bedroom. Once inside, things became less hurried, but no less desperate.

"Turn around," Alex said, motioning to Olivia, who did as she asked.

Alex put her hand on the top of the zipper, slowly pulling it down to reveal Olivia's tan and toned back. Her eyes wandered all the way down to Olivia's ass, but resisting the urge to touch it…yet.

Once Olivia was unzipped, she turned around and remained still as Alex slid her dress off, watching it crumple to the floor. Olivia stepped out. She then turned Alex around and mimicked the same behavior. Slowly unzipping the blonde, but not before grabbing Alex's hips and pressing her nearly naked body against her. She saw the blonde's skin go flush at the contact.

Within moments, both dresses were crumpled on the floor, and neither of them seemed the least bit interested in taking the time to hang them up. When they were both naked, aside from bras and panties, Alex pulled Olivia into an embrace, kissing her gently and caressing her.

"Liv, are you sure you want to do this? That you're ready?" Alex asked sincerely. She didn't want Olivia to feel pressured or rushed.

Olivia smiled. "Come here. Lay down with me," she said, leading the blond over to the bed. She laid down next to Alex, facing her.

"Alex, do I know if we're ready for this? I don't," Olivia said. "I haven't slept with anyone on a first date in well…forever. And, if this really was a first date, I would say we're not ready, that we're moving too fast. That I wasn't sure.

"But, you're not just anyone. You're not a first date, even if technically it is. I trust you completely, with my body, with my emotions, and I trust you'll be gentle with my heart. I know you, and you know me. We're two consenting adults fully aware of the consequences…and the benefits. So, are we ready? Maybe, maybe not. But what I do know is that I'm sure I want this more than anything right now. And that's not my hormones talking. I've wanted this forever, Alex."

Tears began to fill Alex's eyes as Olivia was talking. "You're not supposed to make me cry before we make love for the first time," Alex said.

"Well, then maybe we should stop talking about this and whether it's too soon or we're ready and just do what feels right," Olivia said. "I promise, no matter what happens, I'll never regret giving us a chance."

Alex smiled. "Me either."

Olivia rolled on top of Alex, leaning down to kiss her again. She couldn't believe this was happening, that a naked Alex Cabot was beneath her, her hands running down her back.

There was no more talking that night – at least no conversation.

Alex's hands made their way to Olivia's breasts, tracing her thumb along the brunette's nipples as she felt Olivia's tongue on her neck. When she felt Olivia's mouth move to the nape of her neck, she subconsciously squeezed Olivia's breast and ass at the same time.

When Olivia slid down her body, her tongue tracing the tip of Alex's very perky breasts, goosebumps broke out over Alex's body. She felt the temperature in the room go up quickly. Alex wrapped her legs around Olivia's thigh, intensifying the grinding as the warmth between her legs grew.

Alex was ready to feel Olivia. Not her leg or her body. She wanted to feel Olivia inside her, between her. Alex reached down and pulled Olivia up toward her, taking Olivia's hand and guiding it between her legs.

As Olivia began to rub around, feeling Alex's wetness, Alex reached down and did the same to Olivia, causing the detective to gasp.

After a few moments, and an intense eye lock, Olivia slid her finger inside Alex, who she immediately felt clench around her and let out a moan. Easing her way, she watched as Alex tilted her head back and dug her fingers into Olivia's back. The intensity of Alex grabbing her only made Olivia more determined as she moved deeper.

As Olivia picked up the pace, Alex felt waves of pleasure fill her body, slowly losing control. She reached up and pulled Olivia in for a deep kiss, probing the brunette's mouth and sucking on Olivia's tongue. As Olivia thrusted harder, Alex found herself burying her head in Olivia's shoulder, biting down.

Olivia didn't mind. In fact, she smiled when she saw Alex's apologetic face. Then she repositioned herself so her thumb could reach Alex's clit. Fingers curled up inside Alex, she began to stroke the blonde's clit with her thumb, pushing Alex closer.

"Oh, yes, Liv," Alex panted. "Just like that."

Olivia flexed her fingers, and gave Alex two hard thrust before, putting all of her attention on Alex's clit. As Alex begged her not to stop, Olivia only circled it faster in short then long strokes.

Finally, she felt an intense clench around her fingers in waves, then Alex's legs began to shake and the blonde yelled Olivia's name as she came undone. Alex was holding on to Olivia for dear life as her body jolted uncontrollably for what seemed like forever to Olivia. It was only a handful of seconds, but it was now one of the best moments of Olivia's life.

Seeing Alex so out of control of her body and her words, did things to Olivia she couldn't explain. The complete vulnerability of it made Olivia fall even harder for Alex. The tough, strong, lawyer had turned into putty…at Olivia's touch. She couldn't imagine any bigger turn on.

#

It turned out, Alex had the ability to turn Olivia into putty as well, and she did a few times that night. It was nearly daylight when they fell asleep, sweaty bodies against each other, like they had slept like that a million times.

As was habit, Olivia woke at 6 a.m. She had texted Lucy at some point during the night to say she would be home in the morning since it was storming. Lucy didn't mind, of course. When Olivia read it the next morning, she rolled her eyes at her own self for such a terrible excuse. After all, she was a grown woman, almost 50. She didn't need an excuse to spend the night with someone. Not that she would tell Lucy what she was doing, but the excuse wasn't needed. She suspected Lucy was smart enough to know, too, even if she'd never say a word.

"Are you so disenchanted with the naked woman next to you already that you need to be on your phone?" a sleepy Alex teased when she saw Olivia scrolling through her phone.

Olivia put her phone down and rolled over to face Alex. She moved forward and gave her a long kiss. "Not a chance," she said.

"Did neither of our phones really not ring or ding all night?" Alex asked. She sat up and reached for her phone on the other side of the bed.

"No," Olivia said. "Not a single email, text message, phone call. I'm starting to wonder if you put one of those cell phone blockers in your apartment."

"I didn't, but now that you mention it, if we're going to have more nights like last night – and I so hope we do – I should look into investing in that," Alex said, laughing.

"Oh, we're definitely doing that again," Olivia said. "But, unfortunately, not right now. Noah is usually awake by 7 on the weekends and I'd prefer to be there when he wakes up. Fewer questions."

"From a 3-and-a-half-year-old? Did he learn interrogation techniques from his mother?" Alex teased.

"Very funny," Olivia said. "He's just…uh…not used to me being there when he wakes up unless I'm working. And well, I'm clearly not working."

"Oh, I think you worked very hard last night," Alex said. "In fact, so hard, I feel like I should offer you breakfast. But I know you don't have time."

"Unfortunately, I don't," Olivia said.

"Would…um, would it be ok if I brought breakfast over in a little while?" Alex said. "I know you want to be careful with Noah, but…"

"That would be great, Alex," Olivia said. "I mean, he hasn't seen us together like…well, this, so I think as long as we're careful and it's not daily, it should be ok."

Alex kissed Olivia. "Good," she said. "I have to be honest, I kinda missed Noah this week."

"Oh, and I thought you wanted to come and see me," Olivia said, faking hurt.

"Well, you are the reason I want to come over," Alex said. "Noah is just an added benefit."

Olivia got up, stark naked, and started looking around on the floor for her dress.

"I think they ended up in that corner, but to be honest, I have no idea where your panties and bra went," Alex said, smirking. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"There should be a t-shirt and sweats in that bottom drawer you can wear home," Alex said. "My doorman doesn't need to see you in last night's dress. I'll hang it up later with mine and bring it to you."

"Oh, John, yes, he was a very nice man," Olivia said, while she opened the drawer and looked around for her undies.

"You talked to him?" Alex asked.

"I did," Olivia said. "In fact, I have to confess. The flowers were his suggestion. I would have bought roses."

"Ugh, I hate roses," Alex said. "And I had a hunch about the wildflowers."

"That's…new…the roses?" Olivia said. "I mean I remember seeing roses on your desk before, at least before witness protection. I remember being pretty jealous."

"Ok, those were probably from my dad," Alex said. "Anytime he'd send mom roses, he'd send them to me."

"I see," Olivia said. She thought maybe since Alex's mom had passed, it was a bad memory for her.

"But that's not why I hate them," Alex said. "That's…a story for another day. Also, your panties are tangled up in my toes."

Olivia laughed and made her way to the foot of the bed, snatching her panties before Alex could pull them further into bed. She slipped them on and quickly dressed in a t-shirt and the sweats Alex offered.

She moved to the top of the bed and leaned over Alex, giving her a goodbye kiss.

"By the way, if you find my bra, bring it with breakfast," Olivia smirked before leaving.

A/N: Ok, I've been kind with my lack of angst, complications, aside from moving slow in the first few chapters. But, you have to know some bumps will have to eventually come, as with all relationships. But, just remember, more mature & older Liv and Alex. So, nothing too crazy, I promise.

As always, your reviews are appreciated. Love it, hate it, have ideas? Let me know with a comment or on twitter -rileyclocks!