AN: Here. Finally. Is your epilogue. In 4 pieces - [the entire epilogue is written, I just need to edit the pieces and decide to stop mucking with them- so I'm going to post them asap to hasten this or I will edit them forever].

AN1: This whole fic (after ch1 "the stand alone") was inspired by a song lyric: 'Got taken by love, I wasn't that quick' - which I heard as "It wasn't that quick" - Et voila.

AN3: For those of you paying attention to these notes… Would you like the next fic to be: A:(and I can't believe I'm writing it) Fake dating, or B: the Sabrina (the old movie- servant's kid falls for heir of uber rich family) AU first?

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Epiloge 1

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Casey was starting to drag by the time they reached the building's foyer. The day was catching up to her and reminding her how long it had been, how much had changed since she woke up that morning. Her head was leaning heavy on Alex's shoulder by the time they were waiting for the elevator.

They made it to the dry cleaner before it closed and picked up dinner along the way, but Casey's face still felt tight and sore. Alex could read it in the stiffness creeping across the set of her shoulders.

"You get to take another pain killer once you eat, if you need one."

Casey turned her tired and longing eyes on Alex in the elevator. "Do you want to stay over? I… it would be nice to-," she said. Hearing the needy tone she quickly added, "If you'd like to, I know it's a busy day tomorrow."

Alex kissed her, a soft and delicate press to her lips. "I'll stay."

"I know it got late… we can make plans for tomorrow."

"That would be nice too, we could try for dinner, but I'd still like to stay."

Casey smiled at the elevator floor and squeezed Alex's hand. "Okay," she said.

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They ended up in the shower together. Alex insisted on helping Casey wash out her hair while avoiding getting the stitches wet (despite having a waterproof bandage to wear for such an occasion).

Afterward, Casey offered up the entirety of her wardrobe to Alex for something to sleep in, and out of all of the possibilities, Alex grabbed the same old race t-shirt that she'd worn a few times previously. It inexplicably made Casey's heart beat faster.

Getting ready for bed already felt distinctly different.

Alex seemed to be taking it with such normalcy and calm. She brushed her teeth and then slipped into the right side of the bed, as if she'd claimed it long ago.

Casey was slower to finish getting ready, overly aware of how very domestic it felt. As she brushed her teeth, Casey watched Alex look through a few final messages on her phone and then set it and her glasses on the nightstand. Finally, Casey finished and climbed onto the bed ignoring her side and instead, crawling over to straddle Alex. She braced her hands on either side of her long blond hair and kissed her softly, tasting of mint toothpaste.

Alex meant to say something, or at least make a sound that signaled for them to stop or slow down, but Casey was just so warm under the shirt where Alex's traitorous hands already splayed.

When the kiss wound down, she collected Casey's hands and held them at her side. She kissed her again, lightly, until Casey went a little limp and eased down fully against her.

"I really don't want to stop," Alex said in between kisses. "But we should sleep at some point. You've got to be tired, and I have to work in the morning."

"I do too."

"You don't have to come in tomorrow," Alex said, trying to keep her voice steady as Casey's fingers had begun wandering her stomach, tracing patterns lower and lower.

"We're not having this discussion again, it is only my face, it hurts a little, but it's fine." She kissed along Alex's jaw and neck, and her fingers slipped even lower until Alex moaned.

"You have to be exhausted," Alex said, but her hips canted into the touch anyway. She barely got out, "Behave," in a strangled plea. She grabbed Casey's hand and held it still for a moment.

"I behaved earlier, in the shower."

"You did not!"

Alex's pitch made her laugh.

"No, I didn't," she grinned. "It was nice though, wasn't it."

"It was more than nice, and you know it," Alex said. "And you should be tired from that, too."

"Are you too tired?" Casey rolled a little further to one side, but grinned as her hands started wandering again, looking more than a little love drunk and Alex couldn't help but smile.

"That's what I thought," Casey said. "There's no such thing as too tired for this."

Alex placed kisses along Casey's collarbones despite her reluctance to start things again.

"There is so," Alex said, and smirked, but still gave in and moved up to kiss her deeply. It was slower, and careful, and languid, but still seductive. Her fingers twisted into Casey's hair and pulled her close. She let go once Casey straddled her again, and instead dragged her fingertips firmly along the muscles up and down Casey's thighs, luxuriating in the strength there.

"Well, I haven't hit too tired yet," Casey whispered, because she otherwise would have squeaked. "You tell me when you do."

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The stitches were uncomfortable. That was to be expected. She had thought there'd be little chance of sleeping soundly through the night on the very tender skin. She really couldn't sleep well on her other side, she kept turning over and regretting it every time.

"Don't," Alex would mutter, and put a hand on her back trying to keep her still. "You'll lay on your stitches."

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She ended up on her back. Not exactly a natural sleeping position for her, but Alex ended up half-curled onto her, using her as a pillow and ensuring she stayed off the bad side of her face. It worked though, and she was able to remain still until morning.

She stretched lazily and languidly, her bedroom window showing faint signs of the morning and soft colors of the lightening sky. Alex's warm, slender body had been plastered against her for hours breathing softly in her sleep, head resting gently against Casey, arm haphazardly thrown across her waist. Alex's face was smooth and her body, without tension, was almost serene. And Casey let herself soak it all up, in a happy if sleepy haze.

Casey didn't want to wake her up. She wanted to stay like this, in this brief respite from the world.

She had imagined, when she let her heart dream of reconciliation, that such a night would end in kiss after kiss - devolving into the familiar physicality that would leave them both shaking with need. But the parts of it that really took her breath away, were the tight embraces, the flat out cuddling - when Alex seemingly unaware, would trace unknown patterns on her skin, needing to keep a touch between them.

Even in her sleep Alex would occasionally twitch and her arms would flex keeping her in an embrace, her hands would momentarily grip her again before relaxing.

And before they fell asleep, Alex nestled her head against Casey's shoulder, and said it again, "I love you."

Casey must have still looked a bit like she thought it was too good to be true, because Alex sat up and reached over her to get at the nightstand. She pulled on the lamp and hovered there for a moment, balancing over Casey and appropriating a notepad she had left there from working herself to sleep the night before.

She finally tore off the top sheet and placed it onto the center of Casey's chest.

C,

I love you,

-A

Alex kissed her with a slow, thorough sweetness. "There. I wrote it down for you, in case your heart is a visual learner."

"I'm…" she smiled so much over the evening her cheeks might have been vaguely aching from the straining. "I'm just happy."

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She melted again, thinking of the note tucked carefully away in her nightstand drawer and smiled stupidly, glad Alex wasn't awake yet.

She stretched a bit more to try and wake fully and turned to look over at her alarm, knowing that the snooze time period was almost up, and reached to preemptively turn it off. The groan against her skin made her laugh.

She pulled away enough to turn to her side and prop herself on an elbow, watching Alex fully without placing any pressure on the side of her face.

"I'm sorry, but it's time to get up."

"No," was the only reply.

"I'm sorry if I kept you from getting enough sleep," she brushed the hair out of Alex's face.

She got a grumbled, "No you're not."

"Good morning anyway," Casey laughed and ran her fingers along Alex's back, applying gentle pressure and light scratching, trying to soothe and stimulate at the same time. "Alex," she sing-songed, trying to keep her from falling asleep once more.

"Mmm," was a slightly more agreeable response.

"I know it's early," she said. "But even if you have an extra suit at the office, you'll still want to get there early enough."

Alex groaned again and snuggled closer. It nearly made her give up and call them both in sick.

"I know," Casey sighed. She planted a kiss atop her head. "You don't know how much I wish we didn't have to get up."

Alex lifted her head up enough to look over at the time and sighed. "I guess I should get going," she said, her voice rough with sleep.

"If you showered here, and I called you a cab, you'll have enough time for coffee."

"Okay," she agreed. "But you should go back to sleep. You really don't have to come in today."

"You, of all people, know my caseload."

She looked up and tilted Casey's chin to get a better look at the side of her face to inspect the bruising under the bandage. "You really don't have to…"

"We're not having this discussion again-"

"But if you do, remember to use the ointment and-"

"And a new bandage," she said. "I know, I was there too," Casey smirked. "Come on," she said, sitting up fully. "You get in the shower, and I'll make the coffee."

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It was very hard to leave.

Casey sent Alex on her way with a strong cup of coffee in one of her reusable stay-hot tumblers and a long, long goodbye kiss.

Alex smiled at her, and left her with one final kiss dusted across her cheekbones and a promise of dinner.

Casey stared at the door after Alex left, feeling like she won the damn lottery.