Hey guys, I'm sorry there's been so much time between chapters, it's been a very hectic month. This one's kinda short, but I hope you like it. Also, you should read my other story I'm working on, too : ) Reviews are always loved!
"What's something? A suspect?" Olivia saw Alex sit up straight, listening.
"Ready for a voice line-up. Can you get Alex down here?"
"We'll be there soon."
"They have someone in custody?" Alex asked.
"Yeah." Olivia sat down on the bed beside her and took Alex's hand in her own. "You ready to pick out his voice?"
Alex took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah."
Olivia leaned in to kiss her cheek, and threaded her fingers through the hair by Alex's face to tuck it behind her ear. Alex turned and took Olivia's chin in her hand and kissed her deeply, then stood up and proceeded to pick out an outfit, as if it were any other day. But Olivia knew she was nervous.
Olivia held Alex's hand through the tense ride to the police station. She could feel Alex's anxiety coursing through her skin, and hoped that she could send her some calm energy through her fingers.
When they arrived, Olivia called Elliot. "Alright we're here, set it up."
In the elevator, Olivia saw Alex close her eyes and take a deep breath. Touching her shoulder gently, she told her, "You can do this."
Alex opened her eyes. "I know."
Olivia smiled. She was confident that if they did have him, Alex would know.
As they walked into the squadroom, Elliot greeted them. "Hey guys. It's this one, Al." He led Alex into a room behind a one-way mirror, one she had been in countless times before.
Olivia walked across the squadroom to sit at her desk for the first time in days. It had been less than a week, but it felt like longer. Normally, any time she spent away from work was an eternity. Her job was her life. But now she had something else to enrich it.
She unlocked a drawer and pulled out two photographs. She smiled to herself, thinking I guess I don't have to hide these anymore. The first was a newspaper clipping, a black and white image of she and Alex walking down the courthouse steps after the completion of a high-profile murder trial in which Alex's spectacular performance was likely the biggest factor contributing to the guilty verdict. The caption read Det. Olivia Benson (left) and ADA Alexandra Cabot, star investigator and prosecutor of the Smith murder.
The second was a standard 4x6 photo that Elliot took of them at his family's labor day cookout, just weeks before Alex was shot. They were laughing, and Olivia had her arm around the beautiful woman beside her. The chill of fall hadn't hit yet, and Alex was wearing a simple blue v-neck t-shirt that brought out the brilliance in her eyes. From that day on, Olivia thought of it as one of the happiest times of her life. Sometimes when she was working late, or when it was just she and Elliot in the room, she would pull out the pictures and lightly run her fingers across them, aching for Alex. This time she left them out on her desk, tucking them underneath the stapler and making a mental note to get frames for them. She looked forward to taking more.
She heard a door open and looked up to see a defense attorney they had gone up against before, whose name she didn't remember, come out of the door her friends had walked into. A moment later, Alex and Elliot followed. Olivia listened as they walked towards her.
"So. Who is he?" Alex asked.
"Jack Wilson." Elliot answered.
"I know that name…"
"Yeah. You put him away for the brutal rape of his ex-girlfriend. He did 7 of his 12-15, got out on parole a couple weeks ago."
"And came straight after me."
"So it seems."
They had arrived at Olivia's desk. She stood up to talk to them. "Nailed it, as usual, I presume, counselor?"
"I wouldn't forget that voice." Olivia nodded.
Alex noticed the new addition to her desk, and put her hand beside the photos, looking at them. "It's nice to see those pictures in the light of day," Elliot said with a smile. Alex looked at him quizzically. "They're usually locked in the bottom of her desk." She looked at Olivia, her mood turning from serious to playful.
"Is that so, detective?"
Olivia nodded. "I take them out to look at them, secretly, sometimes. I figure they can stay out for good, now." She stood next to Alex as she got a better look at the pictures.
"This one's familiar," Alex said, pointing at the newspaper cutout. "I saved it, too."
"Really?" Olivia looked at her companion in surprise.
"Mmhmm," Alex replied, with a smile in her voice. She picked up the printed photo. "I don't recognize this one, though."
Elliot, who had sat down at his desk, looked over. "I got that developed after you were gone…it's from Labor Day."
Still staring at the photo, Alex replied, "I remember." They waited silently as Alex continued to take in the picture, the memory. "It's a lovely photo. Perhaps we can make a copy of it? I'd love to have it on my desk as well." She smiled at Olivia.
The thought of her desk must have put her mind in work mode, because next she said, in a more lawyerly tone, "Elliot, while I'm here, do you have anything else on Daniel Piercey for me?"
"Sorry, counselor, our focus has been elsewhere this week." He gave a small smile.
"Right. Well, I should have enough to nail the bastard, anyway. Shall we go to lunch?" She took Olivia's hand, but was still looking at Elliot. "You deserve a break, detective."
The three of them began walking to an old favorite restaurant a couple blocks away, the two women still hand in hand. "So how is it exactly that a violent sexual predator got out five years early?" Alex asked in frustration.
Olivia sighed. Elliot offered, "You know the system as well as I do, Alex. It's fucked up. Gotta make room for more."
"Yes, they let out violent criminals to make room for non-violent criminals who become violent criminals while they're there. Meanwhile the ones they release go on to hurt more people." She sighed loudly. "Maybe my case will open people's eyes a bit."
Olivia held the door open for her two favorite people. As they walked in and sat down, Alex sighed happily, "This place hasn't changed a bit."
Tucking her hair behind her ears, Olivia slid close to Alex in the booth. She knew she really hadn't been apart from her for the past five days, but Olivia couldn't get enough of Alex—her warmth, her touch, her hand against hers.
As they got their food, Olivia commented, "So, I think I'm gonna cut my hair."
Elliot raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"
Alex put her hand on Olivia's leg under the table. "Yesssss."
