Time
Disclaimer: Not mine :) Just borrowing them.
A/N: Thanks so much for the great feedback, you guys rock my socks :) And yes, SuperGirl, the pause was because Alex was hesitant to tell Liv she loves her. ;-)
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As soon as she walked into the squad room, Olivia knew something was wrong. The entire squad stopped talking once she pushed the doors open. She couldn't miss the sympathetic looks she was getting from the detectives who were trying, not-so-subtly, to pretend they were working. Olivia walked over to her desk and sat down in her chair, trying to ignore the uncharacteristically silent room. She glanced up from the file she was attempting to read when she noticed Elliot staring at her.
"Knock it off, what the hell is going on Elliot?" Olivia's temper getting the best of her.
"Nothing." He looked pointedly towards Cragen's office.
She turned in her seat; the door was closed and the shades drawn. Olivia turned back towards Elliot questioningly. He looked back down, suddenly engrossed in the file on his desk. Olivia rolled her eyes and flipped through the file again. When she heard Cragen's door open, she turned in her seat. Olivia watched as Cragen shook hands with the captain from homicide. Her eyebrows furrowed, trying to make sense of the situation. Cragen walked to the middle of the room as the other captain let himself out.
"Homicide has handed the case over to us since it is in our jurisdiction." Cragen looked pointedly at Elliot and Olivia. "I want you two on this case. Obviously you are going to need help from Fin and Munch to sort all of it out."
"Sort what out?" Olivia asked, wanting to know what was going on.
Apparently Elliot gave Cragen a look. "Elliot, stop trying to protect her."
Olivia turned toward Elliot who was now blushing. "Could I be let in on this little secret?"
"It's no secret Olivia. We have an eight-year-old boy who was killed by his mother in a drunken rage after years of sexual abuse by his father. Homicide arrested the mother who claimed that she witnessed the abuse which resulted in her murdering her son. Whether that is true or not, I have no idea but we need to find out." Cragen started back towards his office. "Fin, Munch, see what you can find on the father. Benson, Stabler, go to the house, look for evidence of abuse."
Olivia kept her eyes on Cragen until he shut his office door before turning back to Elliot. She had no idea what to say to him at this point so she stood and grabbed the keys before marching out of the building. Munch gave Elliot a tight, sympathetic smile as he slowly trudged after his retreating partner.
"What the hell is your problem?" Olivia whirled on him as he stepped outside.
"Liv, come on." Elliot looked around, hoping no one would witness her outburst.
"No, I want to know what your problem is. Maybe we just can't work together anymore. Thank you for doubting my abilities to remain objective about this case and my abilities as a detective. Not something I really expected from you Detective Stabler." Olivia stalked over to the car and slammed the door as she got in.
Elliot rubbed his eyes as he climbed into the passenger side.
----
"Hey pretty." Alex, seeing the caller ID, answered on the first ring.
Their relationship had only gotten better since Elliot's barbeque. More often than not, Alex spent the night at Olivia's place. She even had a few suits stashed in Olivia's closet and her clothes often found themselves tangled with Olivia's in the drawers.
"Hey." Olivia sighed into her cell.
"What's wrong?" Alex laid down the file she had been working on, giving Olivia her full attention.
"Can you come down to the station? I have a couple of questions about a case we are working." Olivia brushed her hand over her hair.
"Sure. I'll be there in a few minutes." Alex hung up the phone.
Alex hurried to the station, briefcase in hand. Her heels clicked furiously along the cement as she glided along the sidewalk. Once she pushed open the squad doors, she scanned the room, looking for any sign of Olivia. Her eyes flicked over toward Olivia's desk and saw her partner sitting there, lost in thought. Alex walked over to his desk, placing her briefcase on top of Olivia's papers.
"Hey El, where's Liv?" Alex asked quietly.
"Oh, hey." Elliot looked up as Alex loomed over him. "The crib I think."
His eyes pointed skyward and over toward the stairs. Alex nodded before making her way up the stairs, hoping Olivia would be waiting. She pushed the door open and stepped into the dark room. Once her eyes adjusted, she could see Olivia sitting on a cot, her head in her hands. Alex made her way over to the cot, sitting lightly beside Olivia, trying not to disturb her. Olivia immediately pulled Alex into her lap, burying her face into Alex's neck. Alex, startled at first, gradually relaxed in Olivia's arms, wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck. As Olivia gripped her hips, pulling her in tighter, Alex was glad she had opted to wear dress pants to work instead of a skirt. She was straddling Olivia's lap, letting herself be held tightly by the detective. They sat that way for a good part of twenty minutes before Olivia loosened her grip on Alex. Alex kissed her neck before pulling back to look her in the eyes.
"Case getting to you?" Alex asked softly, kissing the top of Olivia's head.
Elliot had called Alex earlier that day when they had first heard about the case. He was worried about how Olivia was going to handle it. Alex had been worried for a moment before deciding that if Olivia couldn't handle it, she would let Alex know.
Olivia simply nodded. "Maybe Elliot was right, maybe I can't handle it."
Alex gripped Olivia's face, making her look into her eyes. "That's not true. You can handle this. You've handled cases like this before. Just because this is getting to you doesn't mean you can't handle it. It just means that you have a heart and you care."
You tell me, you're the lucky one, but I see things differently
"I love you." Olivia simply replied.
Alex looked into Olivia's eyes, shocked.
"I know this isn't the most romantic way to tell you. But I love you. And if you aren't ready, you don't have to tell me back, it's okay. I just needed to tell you." Olivia stammered.
"No, it doesn't have to be romantic." Alex shook her head. "I love you too."
Olivia grinned widely, kissing Alex fully on the mouth. They stayed that way until the need for air became a problem for Alex and she pulled away.
"That's the second time that I told you I loved you and was rewarded with a kiss." Alex smirked.
"Oh?" Olivia questioned, confused.
"The first night you took me home after I got drunk in the bar." She grinned at Olivia.
"You remember that?" Olivia blushed.
"Not at first, but then it all came back to me. Thanks for not taking advantage of my inebriated state." Alex said seriously, wrapping her fingers in the short hair at the nape of Olivia's neck.
"Never." Olivia leaned forward and sighed as their lips came together again.
----
"No jury in the state of New York will believe that your client committed a crime of passion." Alex gave Trevor Langan her "get real" look.
Alex and Trevor were both standing beside a wooden table which was locked in what resembled a jail cell. Trevor's client was sitting at the table, her head bobbing restlessly on the table top. Her now greasy hair was splayed over the table top, making an odd sun-like design. Trevor's hands were resting combatively on the table which caused his shoulders to hunch a bit. Alex knew from his posture, or lack thereof, that he really wasn't sure how his client would fair in court. Her arms were folded across her chest and one eyebrow rose in anticipation of his response.
"They have before." Trevor rose to his full height, thinking he was onto something.
"No, not when the deceased is an eight-year-old boy." Alex reached into her briefcase and pulled out a stack of photos.
The woman jumped as Alex threw the photos onto the table towards Trevor. They slid across the surface far enough to reveal part of nearly every picture. Alex watched as the woman stared for a minute and then turned her head away.
"And not when I have such compelling evidence in addition to these horrendous photos." Alex challenged, coming closer to the table.
"What do you want?" Trevor looked at his client and the photos on the table.
"Guilty plea. 25 to life with no chance of parole. And I will take the death penalty off the table." Alex leaned in.
Trevor's mouth gaped, resembling a fish. "Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" She stared into his eyes.
"That's what she'll get if we lose in court for crying out loud. That's not a deal." Trevor shook his head and backed up, away from the table.
"No, what she'll get is the needle. Which I am perfectly happy with." Alex shrugged and went to collect the photos from the table.
Trevor looked at his client again. "Fine, we'll take it."
Alex shoved the photos into her bag and gave him a smug look. "Wise choice Langan."
----
"25 to life with no chance of parole." Alex beamed as she glided into the squad room.
Olivia looked up when she heard Alex. The grin on Alex's face was infectious. Olivia felt herself grinning back at Alex as she stood from her desk.
"That's a pretty sweet deal. How'd you manage that?" Elliot was sitting in his chair, smiling at her.
"You doubt my abilities?" Alex removed her glasses, twirling them between her fingers.
He looked from Alex to Olivia who was sending him death vibes. "Nope, not one bit. Good job."
Olivia watched as Elliot turned back around, she was still annoyed with him for earlier. "Great job Al."
Olivia reached out her hand and let their fingers brush before slowly letting her hand drop back to her side. She looked into Alex's eyes for a minute longer before walking over to her desk. Alex followed behind her, casually slipping her glasses back on. Olivia grabbed a pen and scrawled "dinner at my place?" on the first available piece of paper. Alex glanced down at the desk, nonchalantly, and then nodded.
"We know you two are making dinner plans, you don't have to hide it." Elliot mused, not looking up from his paperwork.
Alex blushed fiercely. "Well that would be highly unprofessional of us, now wouldn't it?"
Olivia rolled her eyes at Elliot then turned to Alex, staring into her eyes. Alex cleared her throat and grabbed her briefcase, giving Olivia one last fleeting look before walking out of the door. A smile played on her face as she thought about earlier in the crib. She rounded the corner and stepped outside, squinting up at the bright sun.
"Alexandra?" The deep voice of a man called.
Alex turned at the sound of her full name coming from the lips of a man. What she saw was what she least expected. Alex gasped, her hand flew to her open mouth and she stared, her mind turning the face over. When he stepped closer she promptly closed her mouth; her eyes still wide and fingers still lingering on her lips.