She could hear her mothers getting ready for work and wanted to catch them before they left. She'd even set her alarm so she could get up in time. Crawling out from under her blankets, Allie went over to her closet to get the gift shop bag she'd been hiding in there. She'd asked her grandmamma to take her to the card and gift shop where she'd gotten everyone's Christmas presents, because there was something she needed to get for her mama. It hadn't take much of her allowance, maybe four comic books worth but it was worth it. With bag in hand Allie ran out into the living room just in time to see her mama getting her briefcase and her mommy her leather jacket.
"Wait!" She called out as bare feet slapped against the hardwood floor.
"What are you doing up so early?" Olivia asked with a smile as the girl came towards them. "You only have a few more days before you have to get up early again for school."
"I know." Allie replied as she came to a stop. "But I wanted to give Mama something for the doctor's appointment this afternoon."
A blonde brow raised in curiosity as Alex reached for the bag her daughter was offering her. Opening the bag and peering inside sent Alex into a fit of laughter. Reaching in she pulled out one of those collectable bean stuffed animals; in this case a tie-dyed rooster.
"It's a good luck chicken." Allie exclaimed with a bright smile and even brighter blue eyes. "So that this time one of the eggs with hatch into a baby."
It was the sweetest thing Alex had ever gotten, but she still couldn't help but laugh. Crouching down as best she could in her skirt the blonde wrapped her arms around Allie and hugged her tight. "Thank you baby girl." She said then kissed her daughter's forehead.
Olivia was leaning against the wall from laughing so hard. Only her daughter would come up with a lucky chicken. "It's a lucky chicken huh?"
Allie nodded her head. "Yeap, I took it to Hebrew school and had Rabbi bless it for good luck and then I took it to Nana Dette's brother, Father Brendan, and he blessed it too."
"Sounds lucky to me." Alex said before giving Allie another kiss.
"Make sure to take it with you, ok?" Allie replied.
Alex nodded. "I promise, he'll be right there with me and Mommy."
Allie smiled brightly then gave each of her mothers a hug and kiss goodbye before settling on the couch to watch cartoons.
Never in his life had he ever expected to walk into Alex Cabot's office to find framed pictures drawn in crayon and water paints, but he'd gotten use to that. But now; now there was a toy on the ice queen's desk. "What the hell is that?"
Alex looked up from the file she was reading. She glanced at Jim and then down at the tie-dye rooster, and then returned her icy gaze back to Jim. "It's a lucky blessed chicken." She could tell he was going to ask what the hell that meant so she cut him off. "Is there something you needed?"
"The old Alex Cabot who didn't have toys on her desk and refrigerator art on her walls?" The man replied, ignoring the dirty look he was getting. Then he handed her a folded blue legal notice. "The deference wants a seven-thirty hearing on the Drake case."
"Let them," Alex replied, still glaring at the man. She was getting more then a little tired of his digs over her personal life. He just couldn't handle that the pre-SVU Alex, the young politically ambitious Alex, had only dated him for the visual effect. At the time she'd been new to the D.A's office, and was uncomfortable revealing her orientation. That Alex was well aware of the hindrance being a lesbian was to her up and coming political career as well. Working SVU causes a person to grow up, to step out of their comfort zones and forcibly look at reality. When the rumors started that Serena had been fired because she was a lesbian, Alex had taken a stand with Arthur telling him the truth and informing him that there were several more of them amongst his ranks, but he'd told her his choice had nothing to do with that. And then of course, there was Olivia. For Olivia, she'd even admit to going to a Barry Manilow concert. "But make sure it's done by someone from our pool of shrinks."
"If she's found incompetent…"
"She won't be." Alex replied as she glared at him. "I've watched her in interviews, she'll never pull it off."
"Did you even hear a word McCoy said?" Jim asked her.
Alex continued to glare. "This isn't Jack McCoy's bureau, it's mine. If you're going to continue having issues with the way I run it, I'd be more then glad to authorize a transfer to somewhere more cut and dry, somewhere more by the book and safe, white collar maybe?" She'd have to apologize to Casey for that one later.
Jim narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to reply but then came the knock at Alex's office door.
"Am I interrupting?" Olivia asked as she stuck her head in.
"Not at all," Alex said as she smiled at Olivia while at the same time still glaring at Jim. "We were just finished unless Jim would like me to start that paperwork?"
Jim, for his part, mumbled something about finding the right shrink and then left.
"Um, what was that about?" Olivia asked as she came into the office and shut the door.
"Jim being Jim." Alex replied with a sigh. "I was this close," She barely separated her thumb and forefinger, "to asking him if he wanted Allie to try his case and then offer him second chair."
That made Olivia laugh and the mental image was just too cute. "You ready to go?"
Alex nodded as she got to her feet and started getting ready to leave for the rest of the day. After she put files and pads into her briefcase she picked up Allie's chicken and stuffed it in Olivia's jacket pocket. At the odd look she got she simply smiled, "I don't want to forget it."
As she undressed and slipped on the paper gown Alex kept going over facts, stats, and rates in her head. She wanted to keep this in perspective, she didn't want to get her hopes up to much, not like last time. She kept telling herself that some couples did this for years before it finally becomes successful, and for some it just doesn't work at all. It wasn't as if this was their only option, but she really wanted this to happen. Stepping out of the tiny changing area she smiled at Olivia as she got up on the table and sighed.
Olivia leaned down and kissed Alex softly as she took her hand. "You ok, baby?"
All she could do was nod and close her eyes. She was nervous and scared and her heart didn't know if it wanted to race or pause between beats.
"Alright Alex," The doctor greeted as she came into the room. "We ready to try this again?"
"Yes," Alex replied. "More then ready."
The doctor prepared what she needed while Olivia helped Alex into position on table, but just before the doctor began Alex's head shot up. "Wait! Liv, the chicken, get Allie's chicken."
Olivia nodded while the doctor looked oddly at the two. The brunette walked over to where she'd put her jacket, fished out the beanie toy and then brought it back over to Alex.
Taking Allie's lucky chicken from her wife Alex placed it on her stomach and then laid back against the exam table again. "Ok, now I'm ready." At the odd, yet amused look she got from her wife she added, "For the next week and half everywhere I go the chicken goes."