Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Thank you to all those who read/reviewed the last chapter and thank you to choeyfan88 for bringing my rapid aging of Olivia to my attention! When I get chance, I will find that and edit it!

I was aiming to get this online tomorrow but since sleep is yet to call me, I figured, what the heck, I might as well celebrate Wednesday by posting it now instead (partly fuelled and encouraged by the fact I'm watching an old episode of SVU, S2 ep16 which has plenty of Alex Cabot badass-ness in it and partly fuelled by Fearless74's review. I'd hate you to have to suffer those withdrawal symptoms any longer than necessary!) Hope you all enjoy (and there aren't too many typos etc that I've missed - I may not be sleeping yet but I am running on fumes alone!) Onwards...


Tuesday March 10th 2009

14.56

Manhattan SVU Squad Room

"That's the last of them that the computer's linked so far," Fin advised as another dot appeared on the large display screen. "There's a lot more than we thought to begin with if these are all related attacks."

"How come this didn't flag up originally?" Olivia asked somewhat sceptically, fearing the computer's search engine had not been as discriminatory as they themselves would have been when comparing cases for similarities.

"The criteria we used for the search was pretty specific; the type of wire, the branding of the victims, the areas the victims were found, plus the partial licence plate that was spotted at three of the known linked cases. The case details had to match at least three of the parameters for it to be included in the results so there's a high probability of related hits. Do they fit the pattern we found earlier?" Fin questioned, stepping back from the screen to better see the overall layout of the locations of the results from the search they had performed.

"There's definitely a correlation with a high number of them. If you look, there's only a couple here and four or five here which deviate from what we'd expect if your theory is accurate," Liv stated, tracing her finger over the lines of red dots. "What kind of sick mind comes up with something like this?" She pondered, sickened by the thought of someone targeting women who happened to stray through a particular zone just so the perpetrator could continue his depraved tattoo of the city. The investigations Fin had been conducting had led them to a further seven assaults which could be linked to the rapes they were liking Markson for. Those additional attacks, when plotted on a map appeared to form the letters 'A' and 'T'. The knowledge that whoever was responsible could have struck more times than originally assumed led Fin to cross reference against the database containing all reported crimes, narrowing the parameters down by a range of dates as well as the known facts from their current case. More than thirty similar assaults had been returned as possible matches, which when added to the most recent assaults spelt 'U', 'C', 'A', 'N', 'T', 'C'. It had taken them a few moments to work out the pattern but had drawn the conclusion that the rapist was taunting them with the message, 'you can't catch me'.

"Well at least it gives us a target area to be on the lookout for him," Fin intoned, drawing attention to a region on the map where they could surmise he would be stalking his next victims.

"Can we match Markson's customers against these areas? See if there's anyone around there who has had work done by the firm he works for within the last month or two? I think we need to reconsider that he selects the next target after he's assaulted his previous victim. What if he has already staked out the area and picked who he is going to go after next by the time he makes his move? He might scope out a place, fix on one, maybe two women he sees there regularly, and then narrow it down, stalking his next victim after the thrill of the previous one fades," Liv hypothesized, trying to put herself in the mindset of the latest abuser to cross their paths.

"It's worth investigating. Ok so, what do we have around here?" Fin pulled up a directory of businesses and populated premises within the area of interest. "A clinic, office buildings, a gym, apartments, a day care facility, a hair salon, the New Yorker Hotel and a couple of restaurants. Could be a whole lot of women at any one of those places, how's he choose the women he goes after?"

"Every time we think we're getting somewhere, it's like he's deliberately setting us up to fail. He has no specific type of woman, they have nothing in common that we've managed to pin down; various ages, ethnicities, hair colour, eye colour, body type, marital status and sexual orientation. What was it you said before about them being too random to be truly random? I wonder if the same goes for his victims. Do we have details on the victims in all these other possible linked cases?" Fin nodded. "Let's map them out too, we might begin to see a pattern that wasn't apparent before."


Tuesday March 10th 2009

16.19

Manhattan SVU Squad Room

"Let me get this right; you want me to sanction an operation which will take up huge amounts of man hours with absolutely no guarantee of preventing another attack? Run by me again the theory behind this request," Captain Cragen ordered, letting his exasperation show at the prospect of having to justify authorising so much overtime with a low prospect of successfully apprehending their suspect.

"It doesn't have to be a huge operation to begin with, just Liv, myself and a few other officers to scope out those few blocks, get a feel for where someone like Markson might lie in wait for a potential victim, see if we can spot anyone who matches the loose profile we've managed to put together with Huang based on the vague pattern we distinguished when looking at the fuller picture of attacks. We have every reason to believe that his next victim with be Caucasian, mid to late 30's, no children, probably no significant other of either gender waiting at home for her. It needs to be low key so nothing tips him off that we're watching if he is in the area. Last thing we need is him disappearing into the sewers like the rat he is and making it even more difficult for us to stop him," Fin supplied, imploring their captain to see the worth of mounting the stake.

"And you really think Detective Benson is the best person to perform this surveillance with you, give her recent history with Markson? Do you not think there's a high risk he might recognise her after her stellar efforts to rile him when he came in for questioning?" Cragen pointed out reasonably.

"So send Munch with Fin, Captain. I'm quite prepared to stay out of sight and work on the victims angle of the investigation if it means we can prevent anyone else having to go through what these women have. I'd like to re-interview each of the victims in the attacks we now believe to be linked, see if any of them can't give us something more concrete to work with," Olivia replied, making it clear she was not about to let her ego override what was in the best interests of the investigation.

"I think that is a better place to begin. We know his time frame. We can be confident he won't attack again for at least ten days. Use that time to talk to all these women, any witnesses from these assaults, make nice with the original investigating detectives and encourage a spirit of co-operation. Let's see if we can't trip Markson up somehow or find something concrete which will help us to prevent another attack." As Captain Cragen dismissed his detectives, the sound of familiar heels could be heard clicking along the corridor towards the squad room. Olivia's heart rate increased slightly at the thought of seeing Alex for the first time since that morning, hoping any tension between them would not be too blatantly obvious. All thoughts of their personal issues evaporated as the enigmatic blonde rounded the corner. Though she was trying valiantly to hide it, the detective in Olivia immediately picked up on the attorney's distress.

"Counsellor, how'd it go in court? They throw him back where he belongs?" Munch asked as he too spied the usually formidable woman.

"Unfortunately not, no. The judge overturned the verdict and nullified the conviction. The evidence we had presented at trial apparently wasn't deemed sufficient to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Deckman was the one responsible for molesting Timothy. I'm sorry. I wanted to let you all know in person and thank you for all the work each of you put in to try and give Timothy and his family justice," Alex informed the gathered group sombrely.

"So what now? We can still get him, can't we?" Fin asked heatedly, scowling in disbelief at the naivety of some judges.

"We can, double jeopardy doesn't apply since the verdict was vacated, although I'd like to have something more to convict Deckman on so we can avoid this happening again. For everyone's sakes, if we're to take the case to trial again, we need to be sure that it's the last time we have to do it." Alex turned to leave, having delivered the message she intended to. She had made it out into the corridor before she heard her name being called.

"Alex! Wait!" Liv shouted at the attorney's retreating back as she hurried to catch up with her. "Do you have a minute so we can talk?" the brunette asked when she finally reached the younger woman.

Alex made a show of checking her watch, stalling for time before answering. "I really should be getting back, I've still a lot to get done today before I can leave."

"Please, Alex, just a couple of minutes?" The dedicated detective's expression turned plaintive, appealing to her friend's sympathy.

"Can we make it brief? I'd rather like to get home this side of midnight." Alex rested one arm across her body, palm curling around the sleeve-covered bicep of her opposite arm in a protective, almost defensive stance.

"Let's find somewhere a little more private to do this, shall we?" As Liv spoke, she could see the protestations forming in Alex's mind, her expression clouding with a tiny trace of panic which would have been imperceptible had the detective not been looking directly into wide blue eyes. "I just don't think it's something either of us want anyone overhearing." With a brief, reluctant nod of affirmation, Alex trailed after the brunette, eyes downcast, following Liv's route by watching her feet.

"Whatever you're going to say, I know. Say whatever you need to get off your chest, I deserve it. There's nothing you can say that will make me feel any worse about what happened than I already do," Alex announced with resigned tone.

"What do you think it is that I'm going to say?" Olivia questioned, her tone indicating genuine interest in the response.

"That I took advantage of you. That I betrayed your trust. That I proved myself a liar. And it's true. It's all true. I can't defend my actions. All I can do is apologise, give you assurances that it won't happen again and let you know that I won't blame you if you want to file a report against me," Alex explained, refusing to look at her friend as she spoke, fiddling with a loose thread at one corner of her attaché case.

"Why on earth would I file a report against you?" Liv asked incredulously, knowing full well what Alex would say thanks to her earlier conversation with Abbie, but not being willing to let the attorney know that.

"I practically raped you, Olivia. I deserve to be punished for that," Alex spat bitterly, clearly still placing the blame entirely at her own door despite the Texan's attempts to convince her of the joint culpability shared between herself and the brunette for what had transpired.

"That's not how I remember it," Liv protested. "I instigated it by touching you inappropriately when I should have been focused on being your friend and nothing more. I was fully capable of saying no at any point but I didn't, not once, not even when… when the pain began. If anyone needs to apologise, it's me, for putting you in that position in the first place. You were vulnerable. You were the one being taken advantage of because I needed to feel…something and I'm not really sure I can explain it any better than that right now because I don't fully understand it myself. But I needed to feel loved and attractive and as though I had something good to focus on and I used you in a way I never should have done. So I'm sorry, Alex, so very sorry and I hope that you won't keep beating yourself up over something that wasn't just down to you. We both should have realised what we were doing and that neither of us were in any position to be taking that kind of step. Either one of us should have had the balls to stop at any point before it got as far as it did but Al, you did stop as soon as you realised that what you were doing was causing me pain. That's not the same as the people you convict. What happened between us, whilst it was misguided and definitely ill-timed, was born out of a place of love and affection for one another. Rape, any kind of sexual assault, is about power and control and domination. Those people enjoy inflicting pain and terror on their victims. You didn't and you never would. I trust you, completely and implicitly, in that respect, you have to know that." Liv took a step towards the skittish younger woman, distressed when Alex maintained the distance by scooting backwards towards the door.

"You might trust me, Liv, but I can't say the same. I don't trust me, I can't. I won't let myself become complacent again, I won't risk doing that to you again," the young blonde murmured sadly, vowing to herself that she would restrict physical contact to an absolute minimum to avoid temptation.

"It will get easier…this…us…but I will respect you wanting space if it makes it easier for you to deal with this limbo we're stuck in right now. I won't knowingly put you in a position you're uncomfortable with and I want you to tell me if I ever unwittingly do that as well. I actually need to ask you something, and please don't think that this is because of what happened this morning, I've had the appointment set up since yesterday. There's an apartment that's available to lease. If it's suitable, I could move in as soon as I wanted to. I've got a viewing arranged for tomorrow evening after work… and I'd really like it if you'd come with me to see it. Elliot and I talked today…really talked, no yelling, no name calling, just an open, honest heart to heart and he made some valid points. Since losing Sami, I've never had to be alone, I've never had to cope with the silence of her not being there, the realities of my life as it is now because I've had you – and don't get me wrong, I am and always will be more thankful for that than I can ever express. But for me to move on, for me to convince myself and you and everyone else that I've mourned Sam's death, I've adapted to life without her and am ready to move on to whatever the future holds, I need to deal with that. I have to know that I can be on my own without falling apart and not knowing if I can make it through to morning. I want to do this, for me…for us. I want…no, I need to show myself that I'm strong enough to survive Sam's loss and that I know what I want from the future. Right now, my head and my heart are at war. I'm being told different things by different people, constantly, and whilst no one's at fault for that, everyone's trying to be helpful and supportive and I appreciate it, it's not making the truth any clearer in my own mind. I don't know what I think, what I feel, and what's a result of everything I've heard. So, for the sake of my sanity and my future…hopefully, our future, I think that finding a place of my own, learning who I am again and discovering for certain what I really do want is not only a wise move but a crucial one. I'm sure I will have setbacks. I'm sure there will be days when all I want to do is lie in bed with the covers over my head and hide from the world but as hard as it is, I think I need to prove to myself I can get through those days too without relying on anyone else. I don't want you by my side as a crutch, Alex. I want you beside me as a partner, an equal, independent partner who can be confident in my feelings for you being one hundred percent genuine. I think if we're both entirely honest, neither of us can say that with any sincerity right now." Olivia paused, offering her closest friend a sad smile before she reiterated her request. "So, will you come view this place with me? I really would like your input…since I'm hoping that you'll be spending a fair bit of time there yourself, either as my friend or, in time, as my lover."

"Of course," Alex replied thickly, knowing that what Olivia was proposing was the only way to proceed in reality but that knowledge doing little to quieten the pangs of regret in her heart at the thought of the gorgeous brunette no longer sharing her own apartment as though it was their joint home. Clearing her throat, she tried to formulate a more eloquent response. "You're right and all that matters is that you fully process and recover from Samia's death. What time do you need me to be available tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't say it's all that matters but it is important, for us both, that I do this. The viewing is scheduled for seven. I've asked Abbie to join us as well, I know I can count on her being brutally honest with me if the apartment doesn't meet her exacting standards," Liv advised with a wry grin as she remembered Abbie's colourful expressions of distaste regarding a previous apartment Olivia had been residing in when the two of them hooked up.

"And you think I'd let you rot in some rat-infested hole?" Alex questioned, an expression of genuine horror adorning her attractive features at the suggestion.

"No, that's not what I meant at all. I just…well I didn't want to assume you'd come and there's no harm in having more eyes looking the place over. Please, don't turn it into me undermining your opinion because that won't happen. If you don't like it and I'm undecided about it, Abbie's opinion won't matter, I won't take it – so long as your reasoning is sound. I know that Abbie won't look for things wrong with the place in order to delay my departure from your apartment – I can't honestly say that I won't because even though rationally I know I need to do this, it doesn't mean that I'm happy about leaving you. And I'll risk you shooting me down and calling me on my self-inflated ego but I suspect that you too might do that too, subconsciously at least, for the same reason." Olivia waited for the explosion of protest from the fierce prosecutor but surprisingly none came.

With a sigh of weary resignation, Alex admitted, "you're probably right. No matter how much my brain tells me you're doing the right thing, my heart doesn't want to believe it. Even though I've known this day was coming, to hear you actually making arrangements to secure a new apartment to move to…it's hard." Both women took a moment to absorb everything in companionable silence before Alex announced, "I'd better get back to the office and fill Jack in on the result. I'm actually surprised he's not phoned me yet, I've no doubt the grapevine has informed him of the outcome by now."

"Good luck with that…and I'll see you back at the apartment later?" Liv's inflection turned the statement into a question.

"It might be late when I get away. I'll try to be quiet when I come in so I don't wake you if you're asleep." Alex hefted her attaché into her opposite hand, idly flexing the fingers which had been wrapped around the handle previously to work out the slight residual stiffness from the tightness with which she had been clinging onto the case.

"Give me a call if you're going to be there beyond dinnertime, ok? I'll return the favour for you and bring something over." Seeing that Alex was about to object, Liv jumped in and gave her no chance. "No arguments, you need to eat something. Either you eat at home, with me or I bring you takeout and stay with you while you eat it so I can satisfy myself you're sufficiently fed."

"Ok, fine. I'll call you," Alex ground out with the air of someone lacking the energy to continue the fight. She trudged to the door before straightening her spine and squaring her shoulders, the ADA Cabot mask once again slipping into place as she prepared to venture out into a more public arena.


Tuesday March 10th 2009

16.48

Jack McCoy's Office, 1 Hogan Place

"What the hell happened in there, Alex? Where was that tack sharp mind of yours when you should have been defending that conviction?" the DA fumed as his subordinate squirmed in the chair before his desk.

"I did everything I could, Jack. Judge Perriman made his sentiments quite plain from the moment we began the appeal arguments when he overruled my objection to the defence's claims that Detective Munch was too personally involved with the victim and had used his influence to exert undue pressure on Timothy to make false allegations. It was a cockamamie trick. There's never been any suggestion of John Munch being anything other than professional at any point during the investigation or the trial, he's had no more contact with the family or the victim than was strictly necessary, I'm sure – not unless I've completely overlooked something that's not in any of the reports. I'll speak to him, of course, and get his side of the story but I cannot see any realistic basis for that argument," Alex protested, not willing to be held entirely responsible for the failure that had occurred.

"Clearly there was enough merit for Judge Perriman to see fit to side with the defence. Fix it, Alex. Find a way to build a stronger, water-tight case and take it to retrial. Anders Deckman is a manipulative paedophile who has preyed on a vulnerable boy who trusted him. He needs to be locked away for the good of all young boys he comes into contact with." Jack fixed Alex with an unwavering stare. "I need you to keep your head in the game. If you can't do that, if you're not capable of detaching yourself from the fact that Samia Camanetti was your friend's lover for the duration of the investigation into her death, you need to tell me so I can get you taken off that case. I won't have your other work suffering because of that, no matter what Abigail Carmichael has to say on the matter. Give me some assurance that this isn't the beginning of a worrying trend for you."

"What do you want me to say, Jack? I did everything I feasibly could on this case, the same as I do on every case I'm handed. You weren't in that court room today, you didn't see the way Judge Perriman smirked as he let Deckman walk. There was nothing - nothing – that I could have done to change the outcome of that appeal. It's one result, one verdict overturned. I can't promise it won't happen again but I can assure you that I'm not deliberately neglecting my duties. I have never and will never compromise my commitment to my job, not for Olivia, not for Abbie and not for you. Now if you don't mind, I'll be getting back to work to see how I can fix this mess," Alex retorted haughtily, rising from her seat and making her way to the door.

"See that you do, Alex. I expect this to be a priority for you to get this case back in the court room and get Deckman back to Rikers before the ink is dry on his release papers," Jack ordered by way of a parting shot.


Tuesday March 10th 2009

23.17

Manhattan SVU Squad Room

"How long has she been up there?" Olivia asked as she breezed back into the bullpen having responded to the Captain's concerned call about their ADA. Her own calls to the younger woman's cell phone and office had gone ignored and she had been on the verge of reporting her missing when Cragen had phoned to ask for her assistance in persuading the dedicated attorney to take a break.

"She hasn't moved in over four hours, not once. We've offered her drinks, invited her to join us for something to eat but nothing, she just won't let it go." The decision by the appeal judge to release Deckman had hit all of them hard but Alex appeared to be taking it personally, an occurrence Olivia hadn't witnessed in a long time and had wished never to see again.

"Cap'n's tried cajoling her, Munch's tried bombarding her with conspiracy theories, we even had Huang try coaxing her into taking a break," Fin explained glancing up to the lounge area just outside the crib where Alex sat hunched over the low coffee table, scouring page after page of information; witness statements, DD5's, forensic reports, the coroner's report, crosschecking and doubling back to find what they had missed, what she had missed in the trial prep which had led to the overturning of the verdict on appeal. Occasionally, she called down to the detectives, asking for clarification on certain points but beyond that, all attempts at interaction were met with stoic silence or stinging barbs of acerbic dismissals.

"Amateurs," Liv muttered darkly, shaking her head slightly before striding to the stairs and climbing them swiftly. Without another word, she slipped into the low seat Alex was perched on the edge of, settling her body behind the intensely focused blonde, one leg either side of Alex's own thighs. Gentle hands reached out and began a tender massage of tight shoulder and neck muscles, feeling them tighten further at the initial contact.

"Liv," came the warning growl, Alex instinctively knowing who her latest companion was without needing to look over her shoulder for clarification. If the subtle scent of sandalwood and black pepper hadn't been enough of a clue, the firm yet affectionate touch confirmed it.

"Ssshhh, just let me…" Olivia trailed off, never ceasing her rhythmic ministrations, the miniscule unconscious relaxing of the tension beneath her hands spurring her onwards. After a few moments of heavy silence, Liv spoke again on a breathy whisper, "do you remember Sam Cavanaugh?"

"Of course I remember him. How could you even ask me that? Do you really think me so shallow that I'd simply put him out of my mind and move on after what I did to him? What I caused him to become? If you do, then you don't know me at all. I can't forget him, I never will and I cannot allow that to happen again, not because of me, because I failed in my duty to protect another young man from his abuser," Alex snapped, leaning further forward in a quest to avoid Liv's hands, which were threatening to destroy her resolve and focus to find that elusive explanation as to what went wrong.

The brunette detective followed her quarry, keeping her hands busily kneading knots in the taut limbs of her closest friend. "Alex, this is not all on you. We all bear equal responsibility for not building a strong enough case to convince the judge to uphold Deckman's conviction." Liv paused for a brief moment, hands still pressing, probing tight muscles. "I assume you remember how close Sam's case came to breaking you. How hard it hit you, how defeated and deflated you were when you believed you personally had failed him. What it nearly cost you, personally and professionally. Think of that Alex, think of it and rationalise what you're doing to yourself right now. Can you not see you're letting yourself go to that place again? That place where the lines between right and wrong, what is acceptable and what should never be done become blurred beyond a dangerous point. Don't do it to yourself, sweetheart. Please. Don't do it to us, don't make us have to watch you going through that again." Alex's new, almost prone position, actually aided Liv's cause, allowing her to exert a little more pressure, to garner a little more purchase on the expanse of musculature which was in dire need of loosening up. The detective methodically worked her hands down either side of Alex's spine, stopping here and there when she found a particularly knotty area. She felt the attorney stiffen and flinch as her fingers probed a solid mass of tension at the very base of her back, moving to protect the sore spot instinctively. With one firm hand in the centre of her upper back, Liv held her in place, directing her to let her ease up the muscles and thereby lessen her pain.

Alex hissed in a breath between clenched teeth, fighting against her will in order to remain where she was during Olivia's assault on the tender knots. "Ow, Liv…"

"This is what you get from sitting slouched over such a low table for so long without moving, on a chair which offers little to no support for your back. It's better if I loosen you up now or else you might not be able to move much at all by tomorrow morning," Liv murmured softly, still probing and pressing and kneading away the tension. Alex's protestations continued through moans and whimpers but became decidedly less vehement as the muscles began to soften under Olivia's massage. By the time the detective was satisfied her work was done, Alex was far more pliant and malleable, allowing her friend to guide her into an upright seated position before Liv wrapped both arms around her from behind, cradling her close to her firm yet unmistakably womanly body. Olivia continued to lean backwards until her own back was resting against the upright support of the chair, Alex almost lying on top of her.

"I need to keep going. I have to find what we missed, what I missed," Alex whimpered, half-heartedly squirming in the comforting embrace, feeling the prick of tears and refusing to allow herself to give in to her despair and fatigue.

"Sshhh honey, you need to rest too. Come back to it in the morning with fresh eyes. If there's anything there to find, you'll find it but not if you're too exhausted to see what's right in front of you." Olivia kept her voice low, her tone soft and warm, the tone she reserved for the most damaged victims they dealt with, the ones who were reluctant to let anyone close to them. The detective tightened her arms a little more around her friend, cradling her closer to her own body and laying her cheek against soft blonde hair. Turning her head slightly, she pressed a gentle kiss to the troubled attorney's crown, feeling the woman in her arms begin to tremble almost imperceptibly under the tender onslaught. "Let it go for tonight, sweetheart," Olivia encouraged.

"No!" Alex cried, angry at her inability to prevent the tear from trickling down her ruddy cheek. She stepped up her efforts to free herself from Olivia's grasp, knowing that it would be her undoing if she remained in the warm embrace any much longer. She twisted around, semi-facing her captor and thrusting her face towards the older woman's own. "Get your hands off me, Detective Benson. NOW!" she growled forcefully, her expression one of devastated determination.

Despite the use of her professional title, indicating she was on dangerous ground, Liv still held firm. She cupped Alex's damp cheek in one gentle palm, guiding the fractious blonde's head into the crook of her neck, her other arm still wrapped tightly around Alex's slender waist. "No," Liv whispered, stroking the backs of her fingertips lightly across the cheek beneath her chin.

"Liv…" Alex whimpered plaintively, sinking into the warm cocoon provided by Liv's arms and neck, feeling the older woman's tenderness surrounding her like a shield to her pain.

"It's ok, I've got you, Alex," Liv assured on a whisper.

"I've got to keep going. Jack wants this back in court as soon as possible which means I need to find something to convince a judge to grant us a fresh warrant for Deckman's arrest. I still have piles of notes to go through with Abbie on Sam's case. I need to keep on top of the Markson rapes as well so you don't have to waste time bringing me up to speed whenever you do get a breakthrough on that. I have to keep going or there just won't be enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do. I can't let him think I'm not handling all this or he'll pull me off the case," Alex growled, hauling herself out of Olivia's embrace and turning her attention back to the assorted papers scattered about the table.

"Which case? Sam's? Jack actually threatened you with that because of one ridiculous decision by an errant judge who, it's widely believed, should have hung up his gavel years ago?" Liv questioned, temper flaring at the lack of support the attorney appeared to be receiving from the DA. "He should be bending over backwards to get you an assistant if he's that worried about your workload. Having one of his ADA's involved in a capital murder trial? I'd have thought that would be right up his street. Great publicity for his office and his promotion of bright, young ADA's."

"Perhaps if it had been his decision in the first place to include Alex in the trial team, that would be true, but I snowballed him and gave him very little room to deny my request. If I know anything about Jack McCoy, it's that he hates being backed into a corner. I should have realised he'd pull something like this, the first opportunity he got," Abbie's Texan drawl offered from the top of the stairs. Two startled sets of eyes swivelled around to fix on her.

"Abbie, what are you doing here?" Alex asked, heart pounding as she irrationally feared appearing weak and incompetent in front of her peer. Liv's expression mirrored the blonde's question, clearly confused by her appearance.

"The guys phoned me and sent up the bat signal after leaving Olivia a voicemail, in case she didn't pick it up for a while," Abbie explained with a shrug.

"They shouldn't have done that. I'm fine and you should be sleeping." Alex punctuated her statement with a glare over the balcony at the sheepish faces still huddled together below.

"Yes I should be sleeping," Abbie acknowledged, also shooting a withering glance at the assembled detectives behind her, "but I'm not, I'm here to try and drum sense in this stubborn woman I've heard is ignoring the advice of her friends and colleagues. And you're evidently not fine, as illustrated by the fact that it is fast approaching midnight and you're still working at a table that would cripple the back of the smallest person. I have neither the energy nor the patience for a long debate so pack up your papers and let's go."

Olivia had to stifle a snigger as she reclined in the seat she was sharing with the attorney, listening to the Texan issuing orders in her alluring husk, made more pronounced by her fatigue. Even from behind, she could see the tension beginning to set back into Alex' muscles as she geared up to protest. Pre-empting any response before it could degenerate into a battle of wills between the two prosecutors, Liv leant forward, returning her hands to their previous position at the blonde's shoulders.

"I promise no one will stand in your way if you want to come back to work early tomorrow if you leave with Abbie and I now and get some sleep," the detective bargained. She had considered including a caveat about eating something as well but thought that it was a little late in the day and would only delay the younger woman from getting much needed rest.

"You don't fight fair, either of you," Alex complained through a barely stifled yawn.

"I'm hearing too much talk and not seeing enough movement. Don't make us physically remove you because I'm pretty sure Liv could do that solo but see, I have the cheap man's Chippendales back here who owe me for waking me up just as I was getting nicely off to sleep and I know between them, they can definitely drag you out of here," Abbie grumbled, good-naturedly volunteering Munch, Fin and Elliot for the physical labour if Alex didn't get a move on.

"Dirty tricks, Carmichael. Just plain dirty," Alex growled as she grudgingly began gathering together her paperwork together, slipping some into her attaché and others into the sleeves she had pulled them out of many hours earlier. With a sideways glance towards the stairs, Alex murmured, "I'm sorry they woke you up and dragged you down here, Abbie."

"Yeah well, it's partly my fault you're so overworked right now so I'd say we're pretty even. Keep stalling though and I might reconsider, so let's hustle already," Abbie encouraged with a wave of one long-fingered hand.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Alex insisted as she piled the folders she had been browsing together into a neat stack. Liv slipped out from behind her and whisked the tower off the coffee table and down the stairs before the blonde had chance to rise from the seat. With no further excuse to delay her departure, Alex shuffled daintily towards the short staircase, taking her time as the blood rushed out of her head. Her lack of movement, combined with not having eaten since breakfast – and then only the bran muffin Abbie had provided – made her lightheaded. The tall brunette noticed the slight swaying and slid one arm around her friend's waist, assisting her down the steps and out of the bullpen with Olivia trailing in their wake.

"My car's downstairs," the detective announced, reaching to take Alex's attaché from the younger woman's grasp.

"Excellent. Let's get you home, Miss Cabot," Abbie concurred, with a slight squeeze of the slender waist she held onto before letting go, satisfied that the brief unsteadiness had faded sufficiently for Alex to be capable of walking out under her own steam and wanting to afford her that dignity.