A/N: So sorry for the delay. It's been a very busy week and when I had time to sit down and write my inspiration would disappear on me. Thank you so much for the reviews of the last chapter, despite my typos. I also forgot to give credit. At the end of Alex's 'vows' the last line was a quote from Christopher Robin from Winnie the Pooh. I know it may sound cheesy but I saw it listed somewhere and it just stuck with me. The next chapter will probably jump ahead a bit seeing as they are about to enter the academy/Harvard but it won't be to big of a jump. Let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 21

Sun, sand and the ocean stretched out in front of her. It was only their second day in Hawaii and Olivia was already falling in love. She had lived her entire life in New York and had never imagined living anywhere else, but now sitting on the beach in a tropical paradise she was having second thoughts. She began wondering if she could convince Alex to just forget about law school and the academy and they would simply live the rest of their lives in a little house on the beach. She was pulled from her thoughts when she saw a familiar blonde head pop out of the water. A smile spread across her face as she watched Alex slowly walk from the water and up the beach to where she was sitting.

Olivia allowed her eyes to slowly wander from Alex's face down her body, loving the sight of her in a deep blue bikini. She smiled and shook her head as she took in one of her favorite things about Alex, her insanely long legs. She looked over as Alex collapsed into the chair beside her "You are so hot."

Alex flashed her a bright smile and turned on her best southern accent "Well my, my Ms. Benson, I do believe you are trying to get into my pants."

Olivia started laughing "You love it and you know it."

Alex leaned over and placed a quick kiss to Olivia's lips "You look amazing, I love that color on you."

Olivia had bought a new deep purple bikini for their trip and she had refused to let Alex see it until the first time she wore it. Needless to say the look on Alex's face was exactly the look she had hoped for. "I thought you might like it." She reached out and took Alex's hand in her own before settling back into their chairs and staring out at the view in front of them.

Alex dug her toes deeper into the sand as she thought about their trip so far. Their first day on the island it had rained all day, leaving them cooped up inside the hotel. After the exhausting weekend they'd had both welcomed being able to stay in bed and sleep, of course sleeping wasn't the only thing they did. She began laughing as she thought about their race to make their flight.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I was thinking about Sunday morning, and how we barely made our flight."

"Well if someone would've just gone to sleep that morning like I wanted to we wouldn't have overslept."

"I don't remember hearing any complaints coming from you." Alex shot back with a pointed look.

Olivia blushed slightly as she closed her eyes and thought back on that morning.

Olivia groaned as she began to wake up, there was no doubt in her mind she had overworked several muscles the night before. She smiled when she saw Alex lying next to her. Olivia rolled over to look at the alarm clock, she gasped when she saw the time. "Alex, wake up!"

"Hmm?" Alex asked sleepily as she rolled over and tried to pull Olivia back to her. "Five more minutes Liv."

"It's almost noon!" Olivia said as she jumped from the bed and grabbed her clothes from their bag. She looked back to see the blonde slowly beginning to wake up. She walked over and pulled the sheet back, normally she would take a moment to look at the blonde but not today. "Alex!" she reached down and shook her lover "Move your ass Alex we're gonna miss our flight!"

Alex bolted from the bed "Why did you let us oversleep?" she asked as she ran into the bathroom and climbed in the shower with Olivia.

Olivia whirled around as she washed her hair "Me? Are you serious? I wanted to go to sleep this morning but you wanted to do something else."

Alex gave Olivia a quick peck on the lips "You loved every minute of it and you know it."

After showering they grabbed their things, checked out and caught a cab back to Alex's parent's house. They rushed through the door barely saying hello to John and Laura. Both were thankful they had packed the day before. Alex called out for her mother to call a cab for them. They ran downstairs and finally stopped to take a breath as they waited for the cab.

"You're pushing it aren't you?" John asked as he looked at his watch.

"We overslept." Alex said as she searched through her purse, not finding what she was looking for she began searching Olivia's.

"Overslept huh?" Laura smirked.

"We stayed up late." Olivia said with a faint blush.

"I bet you did." Laura teased.

"Give them a break Laura." John said as he tried to shake the images from his head.

Laura pat her husband on the arm "Oh come on, it was essentially their wedding night. I seem to remember we stayed up pretty late on our wedding night as well."

"Gross Mom!" Alex shouted as she looked up from her scavenger hunt through Olivia's purse. She looked to Olivia with a panicked expression "Where's the plane tickets?"

Olivia reached down and pulled them from the side of her bag "They're right here sweetheart, calm down." she could see Alex was nearing a meltdown. If there was one thing the blonde didn't like it was being late or being rushed. Olivia lightly ran her hands up and down Alex's arms "Hey, it's going to be okay. We're not going to miss our flight." She smiled as she could see Alex begin to relax.

John and Laura looked to one another and smiled as they watched the young couple. Both would readily admit that Olivia was good for Alex, she had such a calming effect on her. They loved their daughter dearly but she had always liked to be in control, she could also turn a bit dramatic at times. One thing they had noticed after she and Olivia became friends was Olivia's ability to calm her. Now it seemed all it took was a simple look or touch from the brunette and Alex calmed down almost immediately.

Laura leaned closer to her husband as she watched both girls continue to get lost in their own little world "I don't think we could've chosen a more perfect person for her if we tried."

"It's because there isn't a more perfect person for her than Olivia."

There was a quick round of hugs and goodbyes when the cab pulled up. Olivia told him they were headed to JFK before settling back in next to Alex.

Alex leaned forward "We're in a bit of a hurry, so there's an extra twenty in it for you if you can get us there as quickly as possible."

The man smiled in the review mirror "Buckle up."

Both breathed a sigh of relief as they boarded the plane, they had made it to the airport and through security with half an hour to spare. Alex took Olivia's hand in hers and placed a kiss just above her ring "I love you."

"I love you too."

Alex laid her head back "Pretty soon it's going to be just you, me and the beach. It's going to be the best week of our lives."

"I can't wait." Olivia replied as she settled in to her seat.

"Come on, I want to get in the water." Olivia said as she stood and held her hand out.

Alex took Olivia's hand and squealed as she was pulled to her feet. She pressed a quick kiss to Olivia's lips "Race ya." She took off running toward the water and thought for sure she had won when she felt Olivia grab her from behind as they both fell into the water.

They spent the afternoon swimming and laying on the beach. That evening after dinner they stopped in a club for a little dancing. They weren't big partiers but they liked dancing, sometimes in their old apartment they would spend the evening dancing in their living room.

Alex made her way back through the bar towards their table with their drinks. As she neared the table she saw a guy talking to Olivia. She didn't like the way he was leaning in close to the brunette, but when she saw the annoyed look on Olivia's face she instantly became jealous. As she sat their drinks on the table she felt the need to let him know Olivia was hers. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to Olivia's lips "Here you go baby."

"Baby, huh?" he asked as he stood a little straighter.

"That's right" Alex said as she placed her left hand next to Olivia's, showing off their matching rings.

"See, I wasn't lying when I told you I was with someone." Olivia said as she smiled and leaned into Alex.

"So you're really a couple?"

"Since we were sixteen." Alex said proudly.

He dropped his head before leaning across the table "Well since you're together I guess there's no need in me asking you out, is there?" Olivia shook her head no. "Then how about I ask you both out? I'm staying in a nice little beach house, it's very private." He smiled as he looked between the two "I think we could have a lot of fun. Even if you're opposed to being with me I'm more than happy to watch."

"I don't even think so." Alex smirked as she leaned in closer "Trust me, you couldn't handle it anyway."

The guy shook his head as he turned and walked away.

Alex was turning to look at Olivia but was taken by surprise when she felt Olivia's lips against her own. She moaned as Olivia tugged on her bottom lip as she pulled away. "What was that for?"

"For being so cute when you're jealous." Olivia laughed.

Alex chuckled as they both finished off their drinks. "I'm not that jealous, however I want everyone out there to know that you are mine." She stood and pulled Olivia up with her "Dance with me?"

"Always."

The longer they stayed on the dance floor the closer they got. Alex slid her hands low on Olivia's hips holding them close together. She had to push the thought from her mind that they wouldn't be able to enjoy moments like this for much longer. Every so often she thought about how pretty soon they wouldn't be together every day but she had decided that this was their time and she refused to think about what was coming.

Olivia began running her hands up and down Alex's sides as they danced to the music. The top Alex was wearing was open in the back with just a small strap tying it behind her neck. She would occasionally allow her fingers to slip further and further under the material, allowing her thumbs to graze the side of her breasts. She began grinding her hips against Alex's, and grinning as she could hear Alex moan in response.

Alex gasped as Olivia began placing light kisses along her neck "Wha…what are you doing?" she asked as she began grinding against Olivia's hips as well, looking for any friction she could.

"I also want to make sure everyone here knows you're mine." Olivia made sure their bodies were pressed close enough together so no one could see what she was doing. She slide her hands under the material that made up the front of Alex's shirt and cupped her breasts.

Alex squeaked as Olivia lightly brushed her thumbs over her nipples "Let's go, now."

They stumbled down the hall of their hotel toward their room. Neither were drunk, they had only had one drink, but they did have a slight buzz. Of course the fact they were unable to keep their hands off one another was adding to their inability to walk.

Olivia pushed Alex up against their door and began kissing her "I can't wait to get you inside."

"Then I suggest you hurry up and open the door because I'm ready to take you right here in the hall." She replied as she slipped her hand in Olivia's back pocket and pulled the room key out.

Olivia took the key from Alex and slid her arms around her waist to unlock the door. She began having trouble though when Alex unbuttoned her jeans and began sliding the zipper down. Olivia moaned and dropped her head onto Alex's shoulder "God, Alex. Please let me open the door."

Alex grinned as she continued to lightly tease Olivia by allowing her fingers to dip behind her panties "Hurry."

Both were so caught up in what Alex was doing that they didn't realize Olivia had unlocked the door. They fell into the room landing in a heap in the floor, laughter filling the room as they realized what happened. Olivia reached out and kicked the door shut. "Well, we're finally in the room."

Alex stood and pulled Olivia up with her. They began stripping as they made their way to the bed, a trail of clothing left in their wake. Alex pushed Olivia down onto the bed then straddled her "You better hang on, because I'm about to rock you're world."

Olivia began laughing but was quickly silenced as Alex pressed their lips together.

The next day they held hands as they sat on the side of the boat watching the scenery. They had decided that in order to save money they would each pick out one 'big' outing while they were on vacation. Olivia had wanted to swim with the dolphins, so they were now on a boat with several others headed out to where they would go swimming with the dolphins.

Olivia was a little nervous when the dolphins began swimming toward them, but as soon as they circled around her and Alex all the nervousness went away.

"That was freakin amazing!" she shouted as they surfaced.

Alex smiled at Olivia's enthusiasm. She had decided when they were young that she would do anything to make Olivia happy, to make her smile. Now that Olivia was finally happy Alex knew she would do anything within her power to keep seeing a smile like that. "It was amazing."

They stayed in the water for a little while longer, holding onto the dolphins as they were pulled along as they swam. When it was time to head back to the beach Olivia couldn't stop talking the entire boat ride. This was an experience she would never forget. "Thank you for doing this with me." she said as she placed a kiss to Alex's cheek.

"If it means getting to see you smile like you did, I'd do it a thousand times over."

That evening they went on a group hike to the top of an inactive volcano to watch the sunset. When they returned to their hotel both were so exhausted they were asleep before their heads hit the pillow.

The next day was Alex's choice of activity. She had always wanted to try surfing and figured Hawaii was the perfect place to learn. Olivia took the lesson but failed to catch on, she spent more time in the water than she did on her surfboard. Alex on the other hand caught on quickly and spent the rest of the day on a surfboard, with Olivia sitting on the beach watching her.

"That is so much fun!" Alex exclaimed as she dropped her surfboard and collapsed in a chair next to Olivia.

"It looks like fun, although I much more enjoy sitting here watching you."

Alex reached out and took Olivia's drink, taking a quick sip "I'm gonna go back out for a bit before we go back in."

The next few days seemed to pass more quickly than the last. They spent some time shopping but most of their time was spent lying on the beach. Both could feel a sense of dread at their vacation ending, knowing that once it did they would be spending the next four years apart.

"I love it here." Olivia sighed as she slid closer to Alex on the double lounger they were sharing.

"Me too. We'll have to come back again." Alex said as she laid her head on the brunette's shoulder.

"Too bad we can't live here forever." She smiled "You know find a nice little house and just spend the rest of our lives on the beach."

Alex pulled back to look Olivia in the eye "That sounds great but what about your dream of going to the academy?"

"If you really wanted to stay here I'd give it up."

"You'd give up the academy?" Alex asked a little surprised.

"For you I would." Olivia replied seriously.

Alex began to tear up at the sincerity in Olivia's voice. "And I would gladly give up Harvard if it meant your happiness."

Olivia stared into Alex's eyes, wondering what she ever did to deserve someone so wonderful. "I know you would but I don't think either one of us is ready to give up on our dreams just yet." She leaned in for a kiss. "Maybe that little house near the beach will still be here when we retire."

Alex laughed as she wrapped her arm around Olivia's waist "I'm sure it will."

The morning they were to fly home they woke just before the sun came up and made love twice. They were now laying as close as possible facing one another; their legs tangled together, Alex lightly running her fingers along Olivia's back while Olivia lightly trailed her fingers along Alex's arm. Alex's lips finding Olivia's in the still somewhat dark room.

Alex's lips were warm and soft, even though she'd been kissing the blonde for years she made a point to commit this moment to memory. "I'm going to miss this." She whispered into the kiss.

Alex struggled to hold the tears back "Me too." She pressed their foreheads together. "I'm not sure I'm ready for this. I don't know that I can get up every day and face the world without seeing you first."

Olivia sighed "It's not going to be easy for me either." She had to swallow the tears back, she didn't want their last day to end with tears. "Look at it this way though, we'll at least get to see each other on the weekends and once I graduate I plan on coming up to see you on my days off."

"I know, but it's not going to be the same as seeing you every day."

They both grew quiet for a moment trying to hold back their tears. Their only comfort coming from the feeling of their bodies pressed together.

After a little time laying together Olivia finally pulled back "The suns up. What do you say we order room service and have breakfast on the balcony one last time?"

After breakfast they showered and packed their bags. They called their parents to let them know they were leaving and what time their flight left, both promising to call them back when they land in LA for their layover.

As they sat waiting to board their flight Olivia looked over and smiled "This has been one of the best, if not the best, weeks of my life."

"Mine too." Alex grinned "I also found out that I really like wine."

Olivia chuckled as she remembered the night she bought a bottle of wine for them to share in their room "You didn't seem to like it to well the next morning."

"Yeah well if someone would've stopped me from drinking most of the bottle myself that wouldn't have happened."

They tried to keep smiles on their faces but it became difficult when the announcement for their flight came over the speakers. As the plane took off they stared out the window, making sure to get one last look at the tropical paradise.

"I guess this means we have to return to the real world." Alex said as she finally allowed a few tears to escape.

Olivia wiped her own eyes before gently drying Alex's tears "Yeah it does, but look at it this way, it just means we're one step closer to being able to be together again. I mean the sooner I start the academy and you start law school the sooner it will be over and we can be together again." she could see the sadness in the blonde's eyes and knew it was visible in her own. She took Alex's hand and placed it over her heart then placed her hand over Alex's "Even though we're going to be apart physically we're still together. I'm always here," she said as she lightly pressed her hand to Alex's chest "And you're always in here. So no matter where we go we'll always be together."

Alex crashed their lips together not caring who was watching "I love you Olivia Benson, I love you so much."

"And I love you Alex Cabot. I'll love you forever and a day."

They leaned into one another as they settled in for their flight. Both knew the next four years were going to be rough but at the same time they knew that once it was over they would be together again, and they would be together for the rest of their lives.