Grace sat down nervously on the couch as Casey made tea. She hated that she had just dropped in like this, but there was no other way to do it. She knew Casey hated surprises, but this one she had to face. They hadn't seen each other in four years. Casey was ignoring her calls and letters. It had to stop.

"You're my sister," Grace said. She smiled and took a cup of tea from Casey. "I know why you've been avoiding me and I hate that it's still bothering you –"

"I laid there and watched him pour a pot of boiling water on your chest. Of course it's still bothering me."

Grace set her cup down and held Casey's hand. "You didn't just lie there and watch, honey. I know what you had just gone through. I was there. I saw it. You couldn't have done anything."

"I could have tried," Casey whispered. She reached up and gently traced the scars on Grace's neck. "I could have at least tried."

"No," Grace said firmly. She reached over and pulled Casey into a hug. She wasn't prepared to feel how tense the woman was. She gently rubbed Casey's back and hugged her tighter. "I love you, Casey. There's no blame here. After what you had just been through...you could not have stopped it."

Casey wanted to pull away, but Grace's arms were wrapped around her so tightly she wasn't sure she had the energy to try. "I was always able to keep you from getting hurt before. I just...I can't help but feel like I failed you that night."

"Cassandra Lynn Novak, you listen to me. You did not fail me that night. You did no such thing. That night...it was a hell of a lot worse than the previous ones. You saved my life, Casey. There are...there are no words for what you've done for me."

"Is that why you came over here? To tell me that?"

Grace decided to ignore the accusatory tones in Casey's voice. Now wasn't the time to argue. Now was the time to convince Casey just how incredible she really was. "That's one reason. I'll say it as often as I have to for you to believe me. You didn't burn me, Casey. He did. And there is no way you could have stopped him."

Casey sat up and sighed. She was fighting the tears in her eyes and she was determined not to cry in front of Grace. "I'm your big sister. I'm supposed to protect you. You were eight years old –"

"And you were thirteen! That's way too young to do what you did for me. You did protect me." She wiped away a tear and smiled. "Thanksgiving's in two months. You know Brian and I alternate holidays between mom and dad and his parents. This Thanksgiving we will be with mom and dad, and we would really like it if you came. These last few years you've only done holidays with them if I wasn't there, and frankly, it's a bit annoying that you're avoiding me."

"I'm not avoiding you, Grace. It's just hard."

"I know. You started working in New York and just kind of forgot about your family in Chicago."

"I didn't forget about you guys!"

"Well that's kind of how it feels. You flew over for my wedding and then left almost immediately after it ended."

"I had to be in court."

"Bullshit. Getting away meant you didn't have to deal with what happened. If you didn't have to talk to us, if you didn't have to see my scars, you could run away back to New York and pretend like none of it ever happened."

Casey wiped away the one tear she allowed to fall and tried to smile. "I like it here. And...yeah, it's easier because here, besides Olivia, nobody knows. Nobody knows who I was. They only know who I am now. I can just be me and not have to worry about anything else."

"I know. I wear turtlenecks pretty frequently. Brian and I go on vacation and it's like we're in a completely different world where the past can so easily be forgotten. We can pretend to be someone else. We don't have to worry about the nightmares or the flashbacks or anything. Because when we're not dealing with it, when we're not talking about it, it's like it never happened." She shrugged and met Casey's eyes. "I never violated your trust, Case. I never went into any intimate details. I just needed to tell him why I am the way I am. I only told him a little, and he is just...he's so unbelievably good to me. But as nice as it is to get away and pretend like everything's fine, it's even better to be surrounded by family who knows you and all your secrets, and still loves you anyway."

"I've missed you so much, Grace," Casey whispered. Grace knew exactly what she was feeling. She wanted to hate her for it, but she couldn't. She was grateful she had someone who understood. "I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry."

"It's okay. Just promise me something."

"What?"

"Stop avoiding us. We're family, Casey. We love you more than you know and we want you to be with us. And I really want you to meet my daughter."

"You have a daughter?"

"I do. She just turned three and she's absolutely beautiful."

"What's her name?"

Grace smiled and pulled out a picture from her wallet. "Cassidy. Cassie for short."

The strong resemblance to her own name was not lost on Casey. She smiled at the adorable pig-tailed brunette staring up at her. "She's gorgeous, Grace."

"Brian and I discussed names for weeks. He wanted to make sure we picked a name I liked." She shook her head and grinned. "I can't stop saying just how amazing he is to me, Case. He touches my scars...kisses them. Then he looks me in the eyes and tells me I'm beautiful."

Casey's bad mood was quickly changing into a good one. She was glad Grace had just shown up like this. It was exactly the wake-up call she needed. "You are beautiful. And I'm so happy for you. You deserve it."

"I'm happy now. I've got the most amazing family a girl could ask for. And I've got a beautiful daughter who was named after the one person who has done more for me than anyone else in this world ever could: my big sister."

"You...you named her after me?"

Grace sighed. "Brian knows enough to be able to put together enough pieces to understand a bit of what happened. He was the one who suggested the name, and as soon as he said it, I knew it was perfect."

"So," Casey said with a sigh. "Thanksgiving?"

Elliot climbed into bed that night and pulled Olivia on top of him. He smiled and caressed her face. "You are so beautiful. Do you know that?"

"So you keep telling me."

"Because it's the truth." He kissed her warmly and shook his head. "You are absolutely beautiful and I will tell you every single second of every single day if I have to. I know you love to hear it and I know I love to say it. I love you so much."

She leaned forward and kissed his chest. It always amazed her that the two of them had ended up together. She remembered the first time she had told him about who her father was – where she had come from. The look on his face hadn't been one of horror like she had expected. He had placed his hand on hers and told her she was still the same Olivia he knew and loved. He had never treated her any differently. That meant more to her than she could ever tell him. "I love you, too."

He moved his hands slowly down her body, exploring every inch of her body. He gently traced the small scar above her left hip, a reminder of her mother's anger. Her strength amazed him, and he was honored that she chose him. "I guess we fit pretty well together, don't we?"

"I'd say we fit together perfectly."

"It was a pretty big thing for her to drive me home the other night, wasn't it?" Alex asked. Olivia had stopped by Alex's to have lunch with her. Ever since she had been back, she had needed to spend as much time as she could with her friends, and Olivia eagerly jumped at every opportunity she could.

Olivia took a bite of her sandwich and nodded. "Like I said, she's loyal to those she cares about. She'll be the best friend you could ever ask for." She paused for a minute, gathering her thoughts. "It took Casey almost six months before she would even go out for a drink with me. And even then it was hard for her. She took another six months after that before she ever called me to hang out. She only just told me about her past four months ago."

"Wow. She's not one to trust easily?"

"Not at all. She's damn good at hiding her emotions, too. All professional all the time. She always politely declined all of my invitations. I kept persisting, and she finally caved and agreed to go to coffee once. After that it got easier. I never even suspected anything was wrong until we were sitting on my couch and she told me everything."

Alex smiled. "So she takes six months just to go out for drinks with you and only three weeks to offer to drive me home?"

"You're a pretty special person, Alex. I know you like her, and she seems to really like you, too. I honestly think you might just be the perfect person for her."

"Do you really? What makes you say that?"

Olivia sighed. She didn't want to betray Casey. If anything, she wanted to help her. And if she could get these two women together, it would mean a lot to everyone involved. "A lot of things. You have this amazing ability to make people safe around you. I know how I felt when I was talking to you about my mom and...everything she did." She offered a small smile and shrugged. "It's the main reason you were such a great ADA. Our victims really trusted you."

"Wow," Alex whispered, forcing herself to swallow her food before she was finished chewing. "Way to lay on the flattery. I'll have to stop by more often if this is how our lunches are going to be."

Olivia laughed. "I'm serious, Alex. You're a special person."

"As are you, Liv. As are you."

"How was she in the car ride home?"

Alex hesitated. "A bit nervous, I think. She didn't really say much. Insisted that it was more than okay that she was driving me home, not to worry about it, and all that. I tried to make small talk for a few minutes, but she didn't seem to be too into it."

"Yeah, that's kind of how I figured it would go. I can't tell you how surprised I was when she offered you a ride home."

"So if I want to take her out on an actual date, rather than just a dinner between friends, what do you think I should do? How should I handle it?"

"Honestly?"

Alex nodded. "Honestly."

"Let her ask you out."

"You think that'll work?"

"Considering she's already been out for drinks with you, dinner with you, and offered you a ride home, I'd say there's a very good chance that it'll happen. Just give it time. I can tell she really likes you."

"I hope so, because I really, really like her."

Casey sat in her living room, staring at the phone and hoping someone would call her. A specific someone, in particular, but at this point she would welcome any call. Grace's visit had left her shaken up. She had called out sick today because she wasn't sure she was emotionally strong enough to handle her cases.

Grace had been right: she was running. She hadn't even realized she was doing it. Being here in New York, it was so easy to just take as many cases as she could and focus solely on them. She had thought she was okay. She had a few friends and even hung out with them on a semi regular basis. Dating was no longer for her, and she had thought she was okay with that.

Alex, she thought. The blonde's face suddenly popped into her mind. It was a beautiful face. Attached to a beautiful body. She wasn't going to be able to fight the feelings she had for Alex much longer. At this point, she wasn't sure she wanted to anymore. This whole not dating thing was starting to get very lonely. Safe, yes, but also lonely.

She rolled her eyes as she picked up the phone. She was actually going to do it this time. She was sure of it. As she scrolled through the numbers in the phone's memory, she tried to keep calm. Finally, she found Alex's number and pressed send, praying that she could leave a message rather than actually talk to the woman.

"Hello, you've reached Alexandra Cabot. I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name, number, and a message, I'll call you back."

"Hey, Alex. It's uh, it's Casey," she said nervously, speaking so quickly she wasn't sure Alex was going to be able to understand a word she was saying. ""I was just wondering if you wanted to grab a drink or dinner or something. Let me know when you get a chance. Thanks." She hung up and tried to get her breathing under control. It had been a long time since she had asked anyone out, and she prayed she hadn't just made a fool of herself.