A/N: All right, sorry if this is a bit rushed, I like to write fast, before ideas go out of my head! Thanks to all the people reading and reviews, you are still made of awesome!
Elliot sat on the couch for a few minutes after Alex had left before entering the guest bedroom. He made sure to do so noisily, the last thing Casey needed was to be surprised by a dark figure suddenly looming over her bed. Casey was still awake, with the light on, fully dressed but curled up on the bed. Cautiously, he climbed onto the bed next to her, and curled his body around hers in a spoon position. He felt her lean back against him.
"Hey baby," He said softly, pecking her on the cheek.
"I'm sorry Elliot, I shouldn't have tried to…"
He cut her off, "Casey listen to me, you have nothing to be sorry about, nothing." He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer still, nuzzling against her neck.
"That tickles!" She protested, even as she tilted her head, giving him better access. He tenderly kissed the sore looking bite marks, working his way down to the big one on her exposed collarbone. She slowly freed herself, rolling over to face him.
"Elliot. I think I love you," She sighed. He opened his mouth to reply. But she covered it, "but I'm a little drunk right now, so don't quote me on it."
"All right." Elliot said, pulling her closer giving her a quick kiss.
"All right." Casey repeated, giving him a slightly more lingering kiss.
"If we're gonna do this, we're gonna go slow. If you get scared, or anything hurts, tell me to stop." Elliot said, stroking her cheek.
"I trust you." Casey whispered.
************
She rolled onto her back and watched as Elliot leaned over her cautiously. She wondered how someone could be so close without exerting any weight on her whatsoever. He delicately began to remove her suit jacket, which she was still wearing from being in court earlier in the day, kissing her with painstaking softness. She saw his thick brows furrow at the bruising on her wrists and arms. Casey distracted him with a long kiss as she quickly finished unbuttoning his shirt. He cast it off onto the floor and relieved Casey of her skirt, and himself of his jeans then, climbing back on top of her, he took hold of the hem of her vest and started to pull it up. Nervously, Casey grabbed his hands,
"Hey El, can I leave that on?" She begged. The vest hid the bulk of her injuries, including the ones she made herself which, unlike the ones on her arms, couldn't be passed off as scratches from Olivia. She wasn't ready for him to see that yet. Elliot immediately released her vest.
"Of course,"
Elliot was gentle and tentative, and Casey was surprised to find that his hands, which she had previously compared unfavourably to paws, could be so tender. It seemed like hours before he was cautiously pushing her legs apart.
"Are you sure you're ready?" Elliot asked, his breath heavy, but his eyes troubled. Casey was scared, but she needed to do this. Like Alex had said, rape was about power. And Casey wasn't going to let Olivia have any sort of power over her.
"Yes." She said.
Elliot entered her slowly, but she still couldn't suppress the whimper that escaped her lips as he did. Olivia had been rough, and her abused body protested, sending sharp waves of pain out from her centre.
"Casey?" Elliot looked alarmed, "am I hurting you?"
"No," She lied, bracing herself as he continued, it got easier after a while and soon she was lost in the moment.
************
Elliot fell asleep quickly, a heavy arm draped protectively over her stomach. Once he started to snore, Casey carefully extracted herself from the bed, putting on his massive shirt over her vest before stealing out to the balcony through the living room. She shivered a little, and wished she had thought to go home to grab some of her own stuff, including her favourite bathrobe, which sheltered against even the chilliest breeze.
Casey had always seen rape as being like a stone cast into still waters, the ripples from it affecting many people besides the assailant and victim. The strange thing for Casey was being that stone, and everyone around her was suffering the ripple effect.
Alex was having to confront her past.
Elliot was having to deal with being scared to death of hurting her, but being desperate to help her all the same.
The other Alex was having to put up with not knowing what the hell was going on, but still trying to support her girlfriend.
And Casey was there in the centre, sinking to the bottom of the pond.
Just as she had lit her cigarette, she heard the sliding door of the balcony open and she was joined by Eames.
"Casey, you bad girl," She admonished, pointing at Casey's cigarette, "enjoying a post-coital smoke?"
Casey nodded, "yeah, actually."
Eames slapped her gently on the back, "All right Novak, way to get back on the horse!" Casey frowned at her complete lack of tact. Eames looked a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, there's a reason I work in a department where all my vics are dead. And I didn't mean Elliot is a horse. It was more of an analogy, with sex being the…"
"Stop digging Detective." Casey said, almost laughing.
"Good idea. Sorry. Hey, think I could bum a cigarette?"
"I didn't know you smoked." Casey said, offering Eames the packet.
"I don't anymore, Alex hates it," Eames explained, taking one from the box and lighting it, letting out a breath with a satisfied sigh. "But one won't hurt. And I won't tell if you don't."
"Deal." Casey replied.