Alex felt Olivia's arms gradually relax around her and realized that the detective had fallen asleep. She slowly squirmed her way out of Olivia's arms and slipped her shoes back on. There was no way she could sleep and when she couldn't sleep she couldn't sit still. The blonde closed her eyes and sighed as she rested her hand on the doorknob. After glancing back at Olivia, Alex walked out the door and called a cab when she got to the first floor.
As exhausted she was, Alex thought as she was huddled close to the door of the hotel waiting for the cab, there was no way she could sleep so she decided to work. All the paperwork was done so she decided to indulge and torture herself at the same time.
The cab driver paused a minute after she told him what she wanted to do. Then he took off in the direction of her old neighborhood.
"You look familiar," the cabbie's voice was as smooth as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other. From the back Alex could see he was balding with gray hair neatly trimmed just above his neck.
"Hmm," Alex replied leaning back against the worn out leather. She placed her elbow on the door against the window and ran a hand through her hair. She didn't know what she was thinking going back to the place of her childhood agony. Alex let out a bitter smile when she almost heard Huang's voice in her head quietly saying the word "Closure."
But closure wasn't what she thought this was about. It was mostly curiosity. She wanted to know what happened to her childhood house. Who was living in it. Who was living where her best friend in second grade's house. When they were little, her friend Brett swore up and down he was going to live in his house forever. Although she doubted it, she wanted to see.
"I'm sure I've seen you before," the man persisted, "Do you know Pete Richardson?"
Alex shook her head, "No."
"What about Kyle Grayson?" he kept asking, "You look like one of my buddy's kids."
Humoring the man who kept looking at her in the rearview mirror, Alex shrugged, "Doesn't ring a bell."
The cab driver snapped, "You're Kevin Pierce's daughter. I used to come to your house to watch football with your old man. His office was right next to mine. Before the plant went under."
At the name Alex's stomach sank. She didn't say a word while she tried to quell her speeding heart. She knew coming back was a terrible idea. Kevin Pierce. That was him. The bastard that ran her, her mother and sister out of town.
She knew it was only a matter of time before she ran into someone who knew her father. He was a well liked man by people who didn't live with him. It seemed when she was little Alex couldn't go anywhere with her father without seeing someone he knew.
Alex managed to keep her cool and shake her head, "I'm not from around here."
"Well you look like this smart little girl I used to know," he continued pulling to a stop in front of the middle school down the street from the crime scene and her old house.
Alex quickly got out and paid the driver, "Thanks for the ride."
"Are you sure you'll be okay out here?" the driver asked accepting the money.
The blonde nodded, "Yeah. I'll be fine."
She watched the cab drive away before looking over at the middle school in front of her. It seemed smaller now that she was older. The building looked exactly the same as it did twenty years ago. She took a deep breath as the sun started peeking over the horizon.
She turned around and saw the crime scene lit up with flood lights a few houses down the street. Her legs started moving and she wasn't sure how long it took, but before she knew it she was standing in front of Brett's house or what used to be Brett's house. It had been painted a few shades darker than Alex remembered and new children's toys littered the front yard, but it was still the cute little house she'd go play at from second grade until she, her mother, and Cameron moved to New York City.
A wave of nostalgia washed over her. The house had always been comforting and Brett's parents had been like her aunt and uncle. They were the nicest people Alex could remember. She sighed, wondering what happened to them.
She started to walk toward her old house as she sun crept higher in the sky. Olivia would be waking up any minute and she was expecting the call. She slightly smiled as she imagine Olivia chastising her for walking around at the crack of dawn while a serial killer was on the prowl. That fact Alex completely forgot about until standing at her old school and seeing the police flood lights.
"Alex?" a voice stopped her cold. No one around here should know her name. Unless there was a detective or police officer taking a walk around the neighborhood, taking a break from the horrifying crime scene.
She slowly turned around and saw a man in a white shirt and blue striped boxers. The bathrobe he wore was open and hanging limply off of his muscular frame. Alex was so relieved it wasn't her father that she didn't realize who was talking to her.
"Alex?" he smiled, his unshaven face friendly and sharp.
It took her a moment, it struck the ADA like a ton of bricks. "Brett?"
"What are you doing here?" he walked over to her and gave her a bear hug.
"I'm working," Alex replied, "I just thought I'd come back to see the old neighborhood." She smirked, "You weren't kidding when you said you were going to live here forever huh?"
"Apparently not," he chuckled, "What do you do that gets you up so early?"
"I actually haven't gone to sleep yet," Alex replied, "I'm an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan."
"No shit?" he asked with a smile, "I'm a Lieutenant with Buffalo PD."
"I believe it," Alex grinned, "You always made me the bad guy when we were little."
"I thought I saw you on the news last night," Brett picked up the paper that he had come outside for, "My wife told me I was crazy. You were at the Quinn crime scene, right?"
The blonde nodded, "Yeah. Me and two of my detectives."
Brett tied his bath robe at the waist and put his hands on his hips, "Do you want some coffee? All the DAs I know live off of coffee?"
"Glad to know it's universal," Alex smiled. She looked at the face of her phone and nodded, "That'd be great, but can we sit on the porch?"
"Of course," he nodded knowingly. "I'll be right back out."
A few minutes later, Alex and Brett were sitting side by side, catching up on what had happened in twenty years.
"You're the second person to recognize me today," Alex looked at the brightening sky.
"It's your eyes," Brett sipped his coffee, "They're unforgettable."
The blonde slightly blushed, "Thanks." She glanced down the street and didn't see anyone coming in or out of her old house. "Do you know who lives in my old house?"
He nodded, "A really nice couple with a six years old they adopted a few years ago."
"Good," Alex nodded. A little disappointed. She didn't know why, but knowing her where her father was would be a good first step in avoiding him like the plague.
"I remember that night," Brett paused, "When they took you to the hospital. I saw them put you in the ambulance and I wanted to ride my bike after you, but my mom wouldn't let me. The last time I saw you was when I visited you in the hospital."
Alex swallowed hard, "I remember. You were the only reason I was sad to leave. Your parents were the only ones that hadn't told their children to stay away from me."
He looped his arm around Alex's shoulders, "You were a great kid just as you're a great adult. It was their loss."
A smile crossed Alex's face, apparently Brett still had the ability to make her feel better and she told him so.
"It's just payback for helping me pass fifth grade math," he chuckled.
The Manhattan ADA looked down the street and saw a few people shuffling out of their houses to start their day. She looked at her empty coffee mug and stood, "I should go. My detectives are going to start wondering where I went and I'm sure you need to get to work."
He stood with her, "You should call me sometime or email."
Alex agreed and put his phone number in her phone before hugging him and walking off. She walked toward the crime scene, hoping that a detective she had met was still there and was feeling generous enough to take her back to the hotel. She had gotten what she came back for.
She came back for the memories and talking with Brett brought all the good ones back quicker and en masse.
"Cabot," Winfield called the second he saw her. He was halfway into his car, "I'm glad you're here. Quinn had holed himself up in a house with a family of five. He has a gun."
And just like that Alex's good mood evaporated.