Disclaimer: I don't own Law and Order: SVU. If I did, it would be on more
than once a day.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! The next few chapters will go up soon, I promise.
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Three weeks later
Manhattan SVU
John
I do my best not to notice that Alex has just walked in, reminding myself that I'm supposed to be filling out paperwork, not eyeing our ADA. It's a losing battle. The night we ran into each other downtown was the catalyst that turned my benign admiration for her into a full-fledged crush. Now I can't even be in the same room as her without any number of improper thoughts running through my head, most of which would get me arrested for sexual harassment in the workplace and all of which would get me fired.
She heads for Cragen's office, glancing in my direction as she walks through the bullpen. Caught staring, I give her a small smile. She winks in return and knocks on Cragen's door, disappearing inside a moment later. I slump down in my chair, all thoughts of paperwork fleeing in the wake of our mini-encounter.
"What are you, taking a nap or something?"
Ah, there's nothing like being interrupted by your smartass partner while you're trying to reflect on the love of your life.
"What do you want, Fin?" I ask, annoyed.
"We've got a lead on our suspect for the Ketzler case."
Groaning, I grab my coat and follow him toward the parking garage. This means I won't see Alex again, probably for the rest of the day. I swear the world conspires against me.
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That night
John's Apartment
Brooklyn
John
I trudge up the stairs to my apartment, cursing Fin, the unit, and our suspect, all of whom worked in concert to keep me at work past 10pm. It's a school night, for crying out loud. I'm completely exhausted, I have to be in at seven tomorrow morning, and true to my prediction I didn't catch so much as a glimpse of Alex after Fin and I left to chase our lead. Life's not fair.
Fumbling to keep hold of my briefcase and hat as I search my coat pockets for the key to my apartment, I almost don't see the slender figure curled up on my front step. When I do see it, it's a moment before I realize who it is.
"Alex?"
Briefcase, hat, and keys forgotten, I drop to my knees next to her. I look her over quickly. She doesn't seem to be bleeding anywhere. From what I can tell, she's fast asleep.
"Alex," I repeat, shaking her shoulder gently. "Alex, can you hear me? Wake up, sweetheart."
Her only response is an unintelligible murmur as she shifts in her sleep. I realize that whatever her reason for taking a nap at my front door might be, it can't be the most comfortable place for one. Producing my keys from the inner pocket of my coat, I unlock the door and scoop Alex up in my arms. She barely weighs anything, which scares me. I thought she'd been looking a little haggard over the past few days. She's been losing weight she can't afford to lose.
"First I'm gonna find out what's going on with you, and then I'm gonna feed you," I tell her unconscious form as I carry her into my apartment. I contemplate setting her down on the couch, but I know firsthand how uncomfortable it is to sleep there. It's probably on a par with the front stoop, actually.
Instead I continue into my bedroom, thankful that I bothered to make my bed this morning. I lay her down on top of the comforter, realizing that one of the perks of her weighing so little is my ability to remove her heavy overcoat while she's lying down without too much trouble. I grab a spare blanket and tuck it securely around her. Once that's done I remove her shoes as well, taking both shoes and coat back into the living room. After they're put away, I go out to the hallway and retrieve my stuff, which I left there in my rush to get Alex inside.
I put my briefcase down inside the door, hanging up my coat and hat and deadbolting the door behind me. I'm still not sure why Alex is here. In case there's someone after her, we're better safe than sorry.
I go into the bedroom again, seeing that some of the tension has eased out of Alex's expression. She's still fast asleep, already tangled up in the blanket I wrapped around her. I watch her for a few minutes, wishing I had the right to lie down and snuggle under the blanket with her. Unfortunately, that right belongs exclusively to Todd McKenna, the officious jerk she's dating. I settle for stroking her arm instead, resisting the urge to lean in and kiss her fluttering eyelashes.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," I call softly. "Rise and shine."
She pouts prettily, her eyes still half-closed. "Don't wanna," she murmurs, shoving her face into my pillow. "I'm still asleep."
I duck my head to hide my grin at her childlike response. "Alex, babe, wake up."
She opens her eyes and blinks at me, abruptly realizing where she is. "John?" she asks, sitting up quickly and pulling the blanket tighter around her. "What time is it?"
"A little after ten," I reply, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "When did you get here?"
"Um, around eight, I think," she says, sounding apologetic. "I hoped you'd be home, but when you weren't I decided to wait for you. I must have fallen asleep. I wasn't sure where to go. I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have come –"
"You're always welcome here, Alex," I tell her, resting a hand on her knee. "Even when you're not in trouble, although I'm sensing that in this instance, that's not the case. Speaking of trouble, would you like to tell me what kind of trouble you're in? You know, so I can cover for you when the cops show up. Oh, wait, I am the cops. Never mind."
Alex chuckles halfheartedly at the joke, but her smile fades quickly. She looks up at me with wide, frightened eyes. "John, I'm sorry I intruded on your privacy. I really don't want to talk about this. I know that sucks and I shouldn't expect you to help me without telling you why, but I just needed to feel safe for a while. Is that – is that okay?"
It takes me a moment to get over the mushy feeling Alex's words give me. When the lump in my throat dissolves, I reach out and clasp her hand tightly. "Of course it is. You're safe, Alex, I promise. I'd never let anyone hurt you. I wish you'd tell me what's wrong, but you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You know if you need help all you have to do is ask."
The fear is fading from her expression, replaced by a small but genuine smile. "Yeah, I know," she whispers, sounding a little choked-up herself. "Thanks, John."
I squeeze her hand, deciding we need a change of topic before we get sappy. "C'mon. I missed dinner and there's a pizza delivery boy I'm trying to put through college on my tips alone."
She laughs, sliding off the bed and following me obediently toward the kitchen. "Should we start negotiations over toppings?"
"Let me guess: mushrooms and black olives."
She looks astonished. "How'd you know?"
I wink at her. "That's what you got when we went out last month." The phrase 'went out' leaves my mouth before I consider the implications, but Alex doesn't seem to notice. She's still shaking her head at my memory for seemingly insignificant details. I don't bother to tell her that if it had been anyone else, I never would have bothered to commit their preference to memory.
"I can't believe you remembered that," she tells me, taking a seat at the kitchen table as I reach for the portable phone. I punch in the number for Leonardo's without looking it up; I know it by heart, and there's something else I'd much rather be looking at tonight. Alex's hair is tousled and she's wearing a plain green t-shirt and a pair of loose jeans, but she still looks incredible.
"Details are my job," I remind her with a crooked smile. I give our order to Leonardo himself, who gives me his usual 'for-you-Mister-Detective- it's-on-the-house' spiel, and we hang up. Alex gives me an odd look.
"Don't you need to give them your address?"
"Nah," I reply, sitting down across from her. "Leonardo and I are old friends. I stopped an armed robbery in the restaurant right after I moved here. He won't take my money and I won't take pro bono pizza, so Mike profits."
Her smile widens, but she still looks bemused. "Mike?"
"The delivery boy. I told you, I'm putting him through college."
She gives a surprised laugh, drawing a grin from me in response. She really is beautiful when she laughs.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! The next few chapters will go up soon, I promise.
-------------------------------
Three weeks later
Manhattan SVU
John
I do my best not to notice that Alex has just walked in, reminding myself that I'm supposed to be filling out paperwork, not eyeing our ADA. It's a losing battle. The night we ran into each other downtown was the catalyst that turned my benign admiration for her into a full-fledged crush. Now I can't even be in the same room as her without any number of improper thoughts running through my head, most of which would get me arrested for sexual harassment in the workplace and all of which would get me fired.
She heads for Cragen's office, glancing in my direction as she walks through the bullpen. Caught staring, I give her a small smile. She winks in return and knocks on Cragen's door, disappearing inside a moment later. I slump down in my chair, all thoughts of paperwork fleeing in the wake of our mini-encounter.
"What are you, taking a nap or something?"
Ah, there's nothing like being interrupted by your smartass partner while you're trying to reflect on the love of your life.
"What do you want, Fin?" I ask, annoyed.
"We've got a lead on our suspect for the Ketzler case."
Groaning, I grab my coat and follow him toward the parking garage. This means I won't see Alex again, probably for the rest of the day. I swear the world conspires against me.
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That night
John's Apartment
Brooklyn
John
I trudge up the stairs to my apartment, cursing Fin, the unit, and our suspect, all of whom worked in concert to keep me at work past 10pm. It's a school night, for crying out loud. I'm completely exhausted, I have to be in at seven tomorrow morning, and true to my prediction I didn't catch so much as a glimpse of Alex after Fin and I left to chase our lead. Life's not fair.
Fumbling to keep hold of my briefcase and hat as I search my coat pockets for the key to my apartment, I almost don't see the slender figure curled up on my front step. When I do see it, it's a moment before I realize who it is.
"Alex?"
Briefcase, hat, and keys forgotten, I drop to my knees next to her. I look her over quickly. She doesn't seem to be bleeding anywhere. From what I can tell, she's fast asleep.
"Alex," I repeat, shaking her shoulder gently. "Alex, can you hear me? Wake up, sweetheart."
Her only response is an unintelligible murmur as she shifts in her sleep. I realize that whatever her reason for taking a nap at my front door might be, it can't be the most comfortable place for one. Producing my keys from the inner pocket of my coat, I unlock the door and scoop Alex up in my arms. She barely weighs anything, which scares me. I thought she'd been looking a little haggard over the past few days. She's been losing weight she can't afford to lose.
"First I'm gonna find out what's going on with you, and then I'm gonna feed you," I tell her unconscious form as I carry her into my apartment. I contemplate setting her down on the couch, but I know firsthand how uncomfortable it is to sleep there. It's probably on a par with the front stoop, actually.
Instead I continue into my bedroom, thankful that I bothered to make my bed this morning. I lay her down on top of the comforter, realizing that one of the perks of her weighing so little is my ability to remove her heavy overcoat while she's lying down without too much trouble. I grab a spare blanket and tuck it securely around her. Once that's done I remove her shoes as well, taking both shoes and coat back into the living room. After they're put away, I go out to the hallway and retrieve my stuff, which I left there in my rush to get Alex inside.
I put my briefcase down inside the door, hanging up my coat and hat and deadbolting the door behind me. I'm still not sure why Alex is here. In case there's someone after her, we're better safe than sorry.
I go into the bedroom again, seeing that some of the tension has eased out of Alex's expression. She's still fast asleep, already tangled up in the blanket I wrapped around her. I watch her for a few minutes, wishing I had the right to lie down and snuggle under the blanket with her. Unfortunately, that right belongs exclusively to Todd McKenna, the officious jerk she's dating. I settle for stroking her arm instead, resisting the urge to lean in and kiss her fluttering eyelashes.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," I call softly. "Rise and shine."
She pouts prettily, her eyes still half-closed. "Don't wanna," she murmurs, shoving her face into my pillow. "I'm still asleep."
I duck my head to hide my grin at her childlike response. "Alex, babe, wake up."
She opens her eyes and blinks at me, abruptly realizing where she is. "John?" she asks, sitting up quickly and pulling the blanket tighter around her. "What time is it?"
"A little after ten," I reply, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "When did you get here?"
"Um, around eight, I think," she says, sounding apologetic. "I hoped you'd be home, but when you weren't I decided to wait for you. I must have fallen asleep. I wasn't sure where to go. I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have come –"
"You're always welcome here, Alex," I tell her, resting a hand on her knee. "Even when you're not in trouble, although I'm sensing that in this instance, that's not the case. Speaking of trouble, would you like to tell me what kind of trouble you're in? You know, so I can cover for you when the cops show up. Oh, wait, I am the cops. Never mind."
Alex chuckles halfheartedly at the joke, but her smile fades quickly. She looks up at me with wide, frightened eyes. "John, I'm sorry I intruded on your privacy. I really don't want to talk about this. I know that sucks and I shouldn't expect you to help me without telling you why, but I just needed to feel safe for a while. Is that – is that okay?"
It takes me a moment to get over the mushy feeling Alex's words give me. When the lump in my throat dissolves, I reach out and clasp her hand tightly. "Of course it is. You're safe, Alex, I promise. I'd never let anyone hurt you. I wish you'd tell me what's wrong, but you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You know if you need help all you have to do is ask."
The fear is fading from her expression, replaced by a small but genuine smile. "Yeah, I know," she whispers, sounding a little choked-up herself. "Thanks, John."
I squeeze her hand, deciding we need a change of topic before we get sappy. "C'mon. I missed dinner and there's a pizza delivery boy I'm trying to put through college on my tips alone."
She laughs, sliding off the bed and following me obediently toward the kitchen. "Should we start negotiations over toppings?"
"Let me guess: mushrooms and black olives."
She looks astonished. "How'd you know?"
I wink at her. "That's what you got when we went out last month." The phrase 'went out' leaves my mouth before I consider the implications, but Alex doesn't seem to notice. She's still shaking her head at my memory for seemingly insignificant details. I don't bother to tell her that if it had been anyone else, I never would have bothered to commit their preference to memory.
"I can't believe you remembered that," she tells me, taking a seat at the kitchen table as I reach for the portable phone. I punch in the number for Leonardo's without looking it up; I know it by heart, and there's something else I'd much rather be looking at tonight. Alex's hair is tousled and she's wearing a plain green t-shirt and a pair of loose jeans, but she still looks incredible.
"Details are my job," I remind her with a crooked smile. I give our order to Leonardo himself, who gives me his usual 'for-you-Mister-Detective- it's-on-the-house' spiel, and we hang up. Alex gives me an odd look.
"Don't you need to give them your address?"
"Nah," I reply, sitting down across from her. "Leonardo and I are old friends. I stopped an armed robbery in the restaurant right after I moved here. He won't take my money and I won't take pro bono pizza, so Mike profits."
Her smile widens, but she still looks bemused. "Mike?"
"The delivery boy. I told you, I'm putting him through college."
She gives a surprised laugh, drawing a grin from me in response. She really is beautiful when she laughs.