I deeply apologize in advance for any heart attacks the first sentence of this chapter may cause. Know that you can't sue me for damages; they're just words. You're the one who filled in the visuals.

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Chapter Four: Casey

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Casey woke up alone on the couch, completely naked except for one stubborn, strappy high heel which would have taken too much thought to get off last night. Olivia had thrown a blanket over her when she'd gotten up, but Casey barely remembered it.

Slowly, sounds and smells filtered into her consciousness. The radio in the kitchen was on, and Olivia was singing Hit Me With Your Best Shot along with Pat Benetar, something that made Casey smile, as she could almost see Liv dancing around on the linoleum in her bare feet, and the subsequent blush when Casey caught her at it. The smell of coffee was what eventually got Casey up off the sofa, and she yanked the heel off and wrapped the blanket around herself toga-style. Kicking her dress out of her path, she headed for the kitchen.

"G'morning," she mumbled, her throat dry, as she pulled a mug off the draining board and proceeded to pour herself a cup of coffee.

Olivia, who was wide-awake and fully dressed, grinned cheerfully at her and handed her a piece of toast, which Casey bit into gratefully, ignoring Liv because she was too much of a morning person for Casey's liking. Or so she told her. "It's about time you woke up. It's almost noon." She grinned wider as Casey glared at her. "I thought the coffee might do it."

"It was the sound of your feet against the floor, actually," Casey retorted peevishly, but Liv was unflappable, and only grinned. Casey coughed as the first sip of coffee burned her throat, and Liv wordlessly handed her a napkin, then gently removed the mug from Casey's hand before kissing her soundly, morning breath and all.

"Good morning to you, too," Liv said when they finally broke apart to breathe.

Casey smiled back and reached around Liv to the counter and grabbed her coffee again. Liv chuckled and returned to her breakfast. Casey sank onto one of the kitchen chairs and said mildly, "Oh, Gina's coming over."

Liv shot her a look. "When?"

"Now." The doorbell rang, and Liv shook her head, muttering something about twins as she went to answer it. Casey grinned and blew on the surface of her coffee as she heard Liv greet Gina with considerably more surprise in her tone than normal.

Then she braced herself as the loud personality known affectionately at college as 'Hurricane Gina' swept into the room. "Hiya, Casey!" she half-said, half-shouted. "How's life?"

"Early," Casey said flatly, rubbing the ear that Gina had shouted into. "Why are you so cheerful?"

"Oh, you know..." Gina said, zooming in on the coffee pot. "I've had a lot of coffee. Mind if I...?" Olivia waved her hand, since Gina was already taking her first sip. "Plus, I had a great time last night."

"Ah, so the smug look on your face would be satisfaction, then," Olivia laughed.

Gina nodded grandly, then grinned mischeviously. "Girl does things with her fingers you'd never think possible."

Casey coughed. "Gina, that's-"

"Too much information," Gina chorused with her. "I know, you have no desire to hear about my sex life. Just thought you'd like to know who- and what- put me in this charming mood."

"About this Kelly..." Casey began, and Gina refilled her coffee cup.

"What about her?"

"Well... where'd you meet her?"

To her surprise, Gina blushed. "I, ah, met her at that rape-group thing George sent me to." That explained the blush. Gina hadn't wanted to go there, and talking about the rape made her uncomfortable.

Olivia cocked her head. "She was raped?"

Gina shook her head. "She was speaking. One of the girls there got pregnant by her rapist, and Kelly was there to talk about how children of violent acts aren't generally violent themselves." Off Olivia's look, she explained. "Back in '76, Kelly's mom was raped. Kelly is, as she calls it, the 'end result.'" Casey did some quick math: that made Kelly twenty-six or twenty-seven.

"Did they ever catch the guy?" Olivia asked sharply. Casey knew that Liv automatically identified with other children of rape, being one herself.

Gina shrugged. "In '95, for some other rapes. It was too late to prosecute in Kelly's mom's case, since she had died the year before, but they nailed him for the '95 rapes. He's in Rikers. Kelly's seen him."

"What's his name?" Liv asked.

"Devon... Devon Jocelyn," Gina said slowly, dredging up the name from her memory.

There was a loud crash that made Gina and Casey jump as Liv's coffee cup fell to the ground and shattered.

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Bum-bum-BUM. The plot thickens like really good stew.