A/N – It's been a while since I updated, but I got kinda stuck after chapter 7. So I wrote that Smell and Memory one shot and that seemed to get me back in the swing of things. It also helped that I went camping and skiing for spring break so I had plenty of time to think about how I wanted this to go. Hope you enjoy. And I should remind you again that this is still rated M. I still don't claim to own any of these characters. I wish, but they're Dick Wolf's.

p.s. – I also got tired of writing Olivia's and Alex's points of view, so this one has them both all lumped together. Haha! Hope you don't mind.

Part 8 – Playing Hooky

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?
(Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars)

It was September, still warm, still felt like summertime, and Olivia was restless. She was restless for action, wanting to get out and do something for once instead of being stuck inside. She was sick of being cooped up inside while the weather was so nice.

As she walked towards Cathedral High School, she took a deep breath. Lovely. Garbage and fuel exhaust. The smell of grease from nearby restaurants invaded her nostrils. God, I gotta get out of here. I need fresh air. An idea struck her. All she had to do was convince Alex to go along with her.

It wasn't hot like in June and July. It was just starting to cool off and the sun wasn't so blistering hot that a person couldn't stand it. It was the perfect day to get away.

So she was antsy, nervous that Alex wouldn't agree to her plan and as soon as she met up with Alex in the entryway to the school, she couldn't hide her excitement.

'Hey, love.' said Alex quietly, walking up to Olivia and briefly squeezing her hand. She looked around, not wanting anyone to see the small, but intimate gesture.

Olivia took it in stride, used to it by now. She had convinced herself at this point that letting anyone know about their relationship would probably be detrimental to the both of them.

Alex looked into Olivia's eyes and saw the vast mix of emotions playing across her features. Chief among them was excitement.
'What's up,' asked Alex questioningly, wondering where that mischievous gleam in Olivia's eye was coming from.

Olivia leaned into her, not wanting anyone to hear.

'I have an idea,' she said conspiratorially.

'Oh yeah?' said Alex, raising an eyebrow.

'Yeah.' said Olivia. ' Let's ditch school today. Let's go to the beach!'

Alex didn't know what to say. She was a good student and was always worried about getting her homework done on time and making sure everything was prepared, mainly so her teachers wouldn't be disappointed in her. She was working on studying for her ACTs and SATs as well so she didn't have much free time. This was something she had never thought about doing. Actually skipping school on purpose? And to top it off, she had just recently been in trouble by her mother for being sort-of caught with Olivia.

The glint in Olivia's eye didn't diminish.

'C'mon Alex. You're at school every single day. You never miss a class. You never even want to leave class. Not even to visit the bathroom.' At this last remark Olivia waggled her eyebrows and Alex rolled her eyes.

'I can't do that, Olivia. I can't just skip school.'

'Why not?'

'I'll miss something important. And what if my mother finds out? She'll kill me.'

At this mention of Alex's mother, Olivia couldn't help but sigh and roll her eyes. Once again, Alex was kept in her secure little box, unable to escape, not knowing how really, and the key to the padlock keeping her in was held by none others than Mrs. Virginia Cabot. Virginia had just recently threatened to have Alex removed from Cathedral and transferred to another school.

Thankfully for Alex, and certainly for Olivia too, her father was adamant that she stay at Cathedral. It would be too hard to relocate and start over right before her senior year. He was graceful in diffusing the situation and explaining to Virginia that they were just friends. He explained that Olivia was a good influence on her, she had good grades, didn't do drugs or drink, and was polite and respectful to her elders. She gave in, albeit reluctantly, and decided to allow Alex to remain where she was. But Alex often felt trapped, that if she put one toe out of line, she would be shipped away from Olivia and never hear from her again.

And often, when an animal is caged and cornered, it begins to lash out. She was beginning to feel a bit more rebellious and yearned to be free. All urges aside, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

'Let's go to Rockaway Beach,' Olivia said excitedly.
'Rockaway? But that's all the way past Brooklyn! That's too far, Olivia.'

'It's in Queens. But it is not that far. Some people have to travel more than three or four hours to reach a beach, even more if they live in the Midwest. It's only about an hour and a half for us.'

'I don't know, Liv.' Olivia knew that when Alex used her whole name instead of her nickname that she was pretty serious. But now that Alex had deferred to the nickname, she was getting through to her.

'Come on, it's my favorite beach near the city, and If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right.'

She was slowly chipping away at Alex's wall.

'Let's just go. It'll be ok, and we'll have so much fun!'

'But I don't have a bathing suit or anything. We don't even have towels.'

Before Alex could stop her, Olivia pulled her further into the school and down the hall to the bathroom. Once inside, and once she had given a quick check under the stalls for feet, Olivia pressed Alex up against the wall and kissed her. Their mouths melded together perfectly.

Breathless after the kiss, Alex opened her eyes.
The look on her face told Olivia she'd do anything Olivia wanted.

Olivia lifted up Alex's shirt before she could protest and checked what she was wearing underneath.

'Alex you have a black sports bra on, that's perfect for the beach. And...'
Olivia pulled on Alex's jeans, peeking down the front.
'Matching panties. It's like Fate knew we wanted to skip school for the beach today. '

Alex rolled her eyes. 'I'm sure you're wearing dark boy shorts and a sports bra as well..?'

Olivia grinned. 'You know me too well, babe.'

She planted another quick kiss on Alex's lips and left the bathroom.

Alex constantly found herself wanting to do whatever Olivia wanted. She couldn't help herself. Olivia's ideas weren't always well thought out or planned. But they always had fun. Ugh. So she set her shoulders and took off after Olivia into the hall.

She caught up to Olivia as she was jumping down the front steps, taking them two at a time.

The morning bell rang behind them as they walked past the hoarde of students heading into the building.

'Alright fine,' said Alex as she walked next to Olivia. 'I've never been to Rockaway. It's really your favorite beach?'

Olivia looked sideways at her, flashed her a cocky grin, happy that she had convinced Alex to come along with her, once again. The competitor in her was always present.

'Yes it is. My mom used to take me in the summer when I was younger. I have good memories there. I want to share that with you, make some more memories.'

Alex smiled and grabbed Olivia's hand, surprising her. She thought Alex would drop her hand after a brief squeeze, but she held on.

'That's sweet, Liv. Thank you.'

Olivia couldn't stop the happy feelings from bubbling up within her at the step they just took in their relationship. Sure, they could be two good friends holding hands as women sometimes do. But to her it was a step in the right direction for Alex, who was normally so terrified that anyone would find out. They walked together for a couple of blocks until Olivia led them to the subway station. They swiped their cards and got on the E train and rode it to 42nd street where they switched to the A. The A train would take them all the way down into lower Manhattan, across to Brooklyn and over to Rockaway Beach.

The ride on the A train was long, almost an hour. So they sat close to one another and talked. At times, there would be a lull in their conversation but they sat together in contented silence, happy to be alone and even more happy to not be in school.

There weren't many people on the train with them, as normal people were at work or school. So Alex turned on the seat and propped her legs up in Olivia's lap as she leaned against the window. She closed her eyes and sighed, content and pleased with the contact. It was nice, she was discovering, to touch this girl she loved in public.

Love. It was true by now that she was head over heels for Olivia. How could she not be? She opened her eyes again and stared at Olivia. She was funny and beautiful, in her dark exotic way, athletic and adventurous, always up for making whatever they were doing into a game.
She was kind and had a tender heart, and even with all that softness, she was tough and thick-skinned. She had to be. Affection swelled up inside of Alex.

Olivia could feel Alex's eyes on her. She had been looking out the window at the passing scenery, which wasn't much to look at after all. When she turned her head to meet Alex's gaze, the adoration that she saw in them took her by surprise.

Olivia patted Alex's legs affectionately, then she reached over to run the back of her fingertips across Alex's jawline.

'What are you thinking about?'

Alex didn't hesitate. 'That I love you. So much.'

Olivia's eyes widened. This was the first time Alex had said those three words to her.

They had been together almost a year now, and she had finally said it. Granted, Olivia had never outright said it either, but she had certainly mentioned it in passing a few times.

'Alex. Wow.' Olivia found herself at a loss for words, she wanted to tell her how much this meant, how long she'd been waiting to hear those words. She wanted to say so many things, but she was almost speechless. So she settled for the next thing that popped into her head.

'I love you too.'

Alex closed her hand around Olivia's and brought it to her lips. She kissed the hand softly and tried to convey everything she was feeling with that gesture.

When the train finally stopped at the station, Alex swung her legs off of Olivia and they made their way out of the subway station. Outside, Olivia took a deep breath of the salty sea air and smiled.

That's more like it, she thought.

She led Alex across the street over to a souvenir shop still open from the busy summer season.

Olivia picked out a beach blanket, a small bottle of sunscreen, and grabbed them a couple of cold waters from the cooler. She reached around in her backpack for her wallet, and Alex put a hand on her arm.

'Let me,' Alex said.

'No, no, this was my idea, so it's my treat.'

'Olivia,' Alex's eyes flashed.

'All right, tell you what, you can buy us lunch. How bout that?'

Alex hesitated and then nodded, taking compromises where she could get them with this stubborn girl.

Olivia spread out the huge beach towel on the sand while Alex set her backpack down and looked around.

Apart from some seagulls fighting each other over some scraps of trash, There was literally no one else on the beach for at least a mile. She could see some tiny people far in the distance, but other than that….

Alex turned away from Olivia, pretending to be shy, while she took off her shirt. Olivia smirked as she watched Alex.

Even though it was funny to her that Alex pretended to care whether Olivia saw her undress or not, Olivia couldn't help but admire the tightening of Alex's lower back muscles as she pulled the shirt over her head. The ripple of her upper back and shoulder muscles weren't terrible to look at either.

As Alex shot a coy look over her shoulder in Olivia's direction, Olivia couldn't help herself.

She rushed Alex, football player style, and threw her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Struggling under the weight of the squirming blonde, Olivia managed to bring them both to the water's edge.

'Liv, no! NO! It'll be cold!' Alex squealed like a 5-year-old.

Olivia laughed and prepared to chuck her into the crashing waves.

'Please! My pants! Let me take my pants off!'

Olivia relented. Fine, she thought.

She set Alex back on the ground and crossed her arms as she watched the flustered girl unbutton her blue jeans and shimmy out of them. She glared at Olivia as she did this, mad that she was being forced to undress in front of her now. She thought about making a dash back for the safety of the beach, but knew Olivia would just tackle her and get her all sandy.

As soon as Alex got out of her jeans, Olivia whipped her shirt off and stepped out of her own jeans.
In a fluid motion, and before Alex could stop her or do anything about it, Olivia had grabbed her and dragged her into the breakers.

Alex squealed again, indignant at the cold, and Olivia let her go and dove under the oncoming wave. To keep from being smacked in the face by the wave, Alex ducked under it, submerging her head in the cool water.

She had to admit, it was nice, and the hands that snaked around her waist from behind were even more nice.

They played around in the water until their skin turned prune-like and thin.

… …

They collapsed on the beach towel, still dripping from the ocean. The drenched brunette pulled Alex to her, grabbing her hands and interlacing their fingers, forcing the blonde to put her whole weight on Olivia. It was an incredible feeling, having a person you are so attracted to and have so much affection for pressed flush up against you. Alex placed her and Olivia's hands above them on the blanket, and she leaned down and closed the distance between their mouths.

The salty taste of Olivia's mouth, combined with their almost nude, wet bodies pressed together on the beach made Alex's head spin. She had to draw back to catch her breath.

'Liv, you're incredible, do you know that?'

Olivia smiled and shook her head, craning her neck up for another taste of Alex's addictive lips and tongue.

'No? Well, let me show you,' Alex murmured.
She left Olivia's seeking lips and let her own travel to the brunette's neck, to that weak spot near her pulse point. Olivia turned her head, giving the blonde access, and Alex took and took. She lavished kisses on Olivia's neck, running her tongue around the spot, driving her wild, she knew.

'Oh god, Alex,' Olivia moaned.

But she wanted more. She wanted to take Olivia right here on this beach. To ravish her completely. Alex let her hand trail down Olivia's body as she moved her weight to the side.

Her hand explored the crests and valleys of Olivia's torso, took in the defined landscape of her abdominal muscles, and made its way down to tease entrance under the still damp black boy shorts.

Her mouth took possession of Olivia's, claiming it as her own, exploring it with her tongue, dominating the brunette for a short while.

Olivia couldn't stop herself. She was quickly spiraling out of control. She thrust her hips up to meet Alex's thigh, wanting, no, needing something more than the teasing touch she was receiving.

She was responding with such enthusiasm, such gusto, that she realized she was hurtling quickly towards her release. She had to get Alex to touch her, somehow, to prolong her experience instead of crashing over the edge with hardly any coaxing.

Craning her neck, she whispered hoarsely in Alex's ear.
'Touch me. Please.'

Alex smirked as she looked down into Olivia's desire-filled face. She had the girl exactly where she wanted her.

'You mean like this?' Alex questioned as she pushed her hand further inside Olivia's shorts, spreading her fingers but not actually making contact with the places that Olivia needed her the most.

'Alex, fuck. Please, don't tease.'

Alex took pity on the writhing brunette. She gave Olivia what she wanted and soon Olivia was raking her nails along Alex's back, needing something to hold on to, unable to stop herself.

Alex expected Olivia to come quickly, but what she didn't expect was her own body's response to what she was doing to Olivia.

Giving Olivia that sort of pleasure did quite a number on her, and when Olivia's thigh raised up and provided pressure for her to grind against, she was amazed at how close she really was.

She wanted to hold back and watch Olivia tumble over the edge, but her hips would not agree with her mind. She came suddenly, hard against Olivia's leg, groaning her pleasure into the brunette's ear. She vaguely registered Olivia's inner muscles tightening convulsively around her hand. She swore she could almost see stars, despite the bright sunlight of midday.

They lay panting together on the beach towel, recovering from their exertions.

After a while, Alex looked over at Olivia, who was turning a bit pink in the sun.
She gazed down at her own pale, exposed skin and cringed. They should have put on the sunscreen earlier.

'Liv, babe, would you put some sunscreen on me please? I'll do you after you do me...' Alex said with a wry smile.

Olivia sat up, and glared at Alex with false exasperation.
'God, woman, what do I look like, your sex slave? I can only handle so much!'

Alex giggled and tossed the sunscreen at Olivia, who caught it with one hand and moved behind Alex. She took her time applying it to Alex's shoulders and back, using her fingertips and palms to massage it in deeply. She reveled in touching the girl, feeling every part of her and enjoying the sounds of pleasure Alex emitted as she worked.

Once Alex had returned the favor, they basked together in the sun, like house cats. Alex was curled up next to Olivia, head resting on her shoulder.

And Olivia was inexplicably happy.
She wished it was possible to freeze this moment in time.
She turned and kissed the top of Alex's head, and she whispered softly to the lightly dozing blonde.

'Can't we just stay like this forever and ever? Can't you just lie here in my arms, always? '

Alex's eyes fluttered open, the baby blue irises sparkled in the sunlight. She smiled and turned her head up, lifting her mouth to Olivia's. They shared a light kiss, sweet and soft.

'I wish we could, liv. I love being here with you.'

Hearing Alex say this got Olivia thinking. Thinking about her future, Alex's future, their future together. It was hard, she knew, to try and plan so far ahead when they were only seniors in high school, but one thing she did know for certain. She wanted Alex in her life. They were best friends, lovers, and Alex was everything to her.

She turned her head slightly towards the blonde.

'Alex, what are we going to do when we graduate?'

Olivia's voice held concern and a small bit of anxiety at what Alex's answer would be. She knew Alex was set on going to college, a really good college. She had to if she wanted to be a lawyer someday.

Alex sighed. Her parents, her mother in particular, were asking more and more about the colleges she would be applying to, and they wanted to know if she had filled out scholarship applications.

But she just wanted to be a high school kid for a bit longer before she worried about all that. It was stressful, she wanted to be at the top of her class, she was about to take her SATs and ACTs and those scores were important for her future.

So she sat up next to Olivia, and stared off into the ocean. It was beautiful out there, dark blue-grey ocean met light blue sky, fluffy clouds in the distance. Seagulls and the occasional pelican flew overhead.

'I don't know, Liv. I've been trying not to think about it too much.'

'Trying not to think about it? Alex, we're going to graduate in a few months, and this is your future. Our future.'

Alex turned her head to look over at Olivia, and although her eyes had some doubt in them, she smiled. 'Our future,' she said. 'I like that. Liv, we should go together somewhere.'

'What do you mean, somewhere? The movies, the mall?' Olivia was confused at the change of subject.

'No,' Alex reached up and caressed her face, pushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear. 'I mean we should go to the same college together. Where should we go?'

'You really mean that?' Olivia's face lit up with the thought of being a part of Alex's plan.

'Yes I mean it. Picture it, we wouldn't have to sneak around. We could be away from my mother, and we could even be roommates!'

Olivia laughed. 'that would be incredible. But it seems too good to be true. What if I don't get into the same schools as you?'

Olivia had long known that Alex had her sights set on the more prestigious schools, and that her own grades and test scores wouldn't be good enough for those schools.

'We'll find someplace that works for both of us, Liv. We should play ball together somewhere.'

'Yeah, I've thought about that a little. I'd love to keep playing basketball, and we would be great together on the same team. And maybe your mother will warm up to the idea of us living together.' Olivia thought suddenly of Alex's mother welcoming her with open arms as if she were her own child. She burst out laughing.

'Yeah right,' said Alex sarcastically, with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

They talked a bit more about the benefits of being so close to one's significant other during college until they started to doze off again in the warm sunlight.

... ...

And they lay together for a while longer until Alex's stomach let out a loud growl. Olivia looked down at the offending organ and back up at Alex with a raised eyebrow.

'Hungry?' she asked, holding in a laugh.

Alex smiled sheepishly. 'Yeah,' she said, getting up slowly and pulling on her shirt and pants.

'I'm going to get us a couple sandwiches. You stay here.'

Olivia interlaced her fingers and put both hands behind her head. She closed her eyes.

'Alright. I'll be right here, waiting patiently.'

Alex shook her head and took off down the beach towards the street to find food.

She returned with two turkey and guacamole sandwiches and another bottle of water. Handing one to Olivia, she sat down and they enjoyed their meal in amiable silence.

After a while they swam a bit more, playing in the waves and enjoying the beautiful day and empty beach.

When Olivia looked down at her watch, she sighed and looked back up at Alex, who was currently floating on her back, trying to splash water at Olivia with her feet.

'It's time to go, Alex.'

Alex's face immediately fell into a pout.

'No. I'm not ready to go yet.'

What a darling child she must have been. Not stubborn at all. 'Yes, we've got to go. C'mon, I think I saw a shower up there.'

'Liv, noooo. Don't make me go back,' Alex whined, pulling on Olivia's arm.

'You're a mess, you know that?' Olivia said, smiling at Alex. She pulled the blonde up into her arms and planted kisses on her cheeks, mouth, and neck.

'Maybe I am. But you still love me, regardless.'

'You're right about that. C'mon.'

Alex allowed herself to be dragged out of the water and onto the beach where they gathered up their things, threw their trash away and trudged through the sand towards the small shower head next to the beach access and boardwalk.

The subway ride home was uneventful, but they both found themselves wishing they had more time, that the day was longer.

Not only was Alex wishing that time didn't go by so fast when they were together, she was dreading going home. She was worried that her mother would be notified by the school and that she was about to be in big trouble. Not only would she be yelled at for skipping school, but she would have to explain who she was with and where she was all day.

... ...

She walked in the door, hair still wet and messy from the hasty shower at the beach, and she expected to find her mother waiting for her, ready to bite her head off for skipping class.

What she didn't expect was to see her father. He was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. He looked up at her when she opened the door, and his eyes shone with relief as he took in the sight of her.

But Alex didn't miss the anger and disappointment that flashed across his face either.

Of course he was disappointed, she had skipped school and her parents had no idea where she was.

She set her backpack on the floor and walked over to the table. He laid his newspaper down as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

'Alexandra, I got a call from your school today.' His face looked haggard and older than usual. Maybe it was the stress of his job. Or maybe it was her mother, constantly wearing him down.

'Daddy, before you say anything else, I'm sorry. I know I should have let you know where I was.. . But...'

She looked down at her hands guiltily.

'I know, I know. It would've defeated the purpose of playing hooky. I was young once too.'
His blue eyes twinkled mischievously. He reminded her of a certain other mischievous person who's eyes sparkled that way.

If her father wasn't too upset about her being away from school, perhaps her mother would be understanding and forgiving as well.

Ha. Who was she kidding? Her mother was going to be pissed. She was in for it.

'What about Mother? Is she mad?'

He shook his head and scratched his ear with one hand. 'You owe me one, Alexandra. I didn't tell her.'

Alex looked bewildered and surprised. 'But how..?'

'The school normally only calls one parent, both if the first doesn't answer. So luckily they called me first and I answered. If it's okay with you, I say we don't tell your mother about this. We don't want to have to move you to another school, do we?'

Alex nodded her head vigorously. She stood up, practically skipped around the table and kissed him on top of his thinning blonde and grey haired head.
'Oh, good thinking. Thanks, daddy.'

'You're welcome, dear.' He sniffed at her as she pulled away.

'You smell like faintly fish-like. Where were you anyway?'

'The beach,' Alex replied simply.

'Ah,' he said, 'With Olivia?'

'Yep.' And with that, she grabbed her bag and went to her room, intent on taking a shower and washing away that fishy smell.

Her father smiled at her retreating form, thinking that love looked good on his daughter.