Disclaimer: I'd like to think that if I owned the series, I'd know a little more about the character's canon lives.
A/N: Okay, I admit it. I've only seen, like, fifteen episodes of this show. Unfortunately, none of them involved much background information on Alex, John, or Casey, so I made up my own. I know it's naughty, but I couldn't help myself. For this story, let's pretend Casey and Alex both work for the DA's office and have for some time. Casey works on something innocuous, like corporate law. For future reference, if anyone would like to tell me exactly how Casey ended up working SVU cases, that would be wonderful. Also, does anyone know the District Attorney's name? Is that Alex's immediate boss? I haven't the slightest idea.
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John's apartment
Brooklyn
John
Alex flops down on the couch, curling up next to the armrest and closing her eyes.
"How are you feeling?" I ask, resting a gentle hand on her knee.
"Sore," she replies, cradling her injured arm against her chest. "Tired and sore and stupid."
I shake my head, sitting down next to her. "You're not stupid, Alex. You're the smartest woman I've ever met."
"Then I feel bad for the rest of the women you know," she mutters as she glances over at me, her tone thick with self-recrimination.
"Alex." I sigh, rubbing her knee. "What is it that you think you did that was so stupid? We already talked about the decision not to report what happened yesterday, so it has to be something else."
She tries to smile, but her eyes give away her frustration. "I dated the guy for three months, John. Even if he never took a swing at me, he still treated me like crap, and I stuck around and put up with it. You know I spend every day working on cases dealing exclusively in special victims, many of whom are victims of domestic abuse. What the hell was wrong with me that I missed all the warning signs and stayed with him long enough for it to escalate into something like this?"
"Why do you think you stayed?" I ask her, careful not to reveal my own curiosity. That's something I've been wondering about ever since I found out he wasn't toeing the line with her.
"I guess I didn't want to admit I'd made a bad decision," she confesses, rubbing her forehead with her good hand. "And I was sick of being alone. I hadn't seriously dated anyone since I started working for the DA's office. I knew that if I broke it off with Todd, I'd go right back to being lonely all the time." She sighs. "I guess even though I was miserable, it was a change from being lonely."
"That's not dumb, Alex, it's completely understandable." She gives me a sharp look and I shrug. "My third wife was a complete bitch, but if I didn't come home at night, at least she wondered where I was."
"Exactly," she exclaims, throwing up her uninjured hand in exasperation. "Why can't I find a guy who's willing to date me and doesn't have a fatal character flaw?"
I laugh, trying to cover for the way my heart lurches when she asks that question. "Maybe you're not looking in the right place."
Alex gives me a considering look. "Maybe you're right." She sighs then, her gaze dropping to the floor. "For example, trying to take advantage of my friends, who are only trying to help me, probably isn't the best way to go about it. I really am sorry about that kiss last night, John. I'm pleading not guilty by reason of mental defect. Can you forgive me?"
I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. She wants me to forgive her for something I did.
"There's nothing to forgive, Alex."
"Yeah, there is," she insists, giving me a pleading look. "I really want to clear the air between us, John. I don't want to ruin our friendship just because I have some stupid grade-school crush on you."
With that one sentence, our conversation is suddenly pushing the bounds of reality.
"You what?"
She blushes, which is about the cutest thing I've ever seen. "It's stupid, really. But you're, you know, a great guy. You actually have a sense of humor, which is more than I can say for any guy I've ever dated, and you're – well, you're you. And I'm babbling like an idiot. Anyway, I'm sorry."
I can't help the wide smile that takes over my face. "You have a crush on me?"
She shrugs, her blush deepening.
"Maybe."
"So what would you say," I ask carefully, unable to believe my luck, "if I wanted to know if you'd like to go out sometime?"
Alex winces. "You don't have to indulge me, John."
"Indulge you? Alex, I was the one who kissed you last night, not the other way around, remember?"
"You didn't do it because you were...interested...in me. Things got carried away and you had to sleep on the couch to keep from hurting my feelings, which was sweet but wholly unnecessary."
I can feel my jaw drop in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I've had a thing for you since day one. I went into your office to get a warrant for Radial Velocity and I walked out head over heels for you. I have been fighting the urge to push you up against a wall - or a desk or a table or whatever else happens to be handy, actually - and have my wicked way with you for over a year and a half. I slept on the couch last night because I figured the last thing you needed at that point was me trying to take advantage of you."
"Really?" she asks, the hope in her voice so blatant it's almost painful. "But why?"
"Why?" I repeat, still not sure this is really happening. "Because you're beautiful, Alex. And you're smart, and you're funny, and you're a decent, kind person but you still kick some serious ass in the courtroom. I look at you and I see everything I've ever wanted in a woman."
She's silent for a long moment. "Then kiss me," she says finally. "Kiss me and prove it."
So I do.
A/N: Okay, I admit it. I've only seen, like, fifteen episodes of this show. Unfortunately, none of them involved much background information on Alex, John, or Casey, so I made up my own. I know it's naughty, but I couldn't help myself. For this story, let's pretend Casey and Alex both work for the DA's office and have for some time. Casey works on something innocuous, like corporate law. For future reference, if anyone would like to tell me exactly how Casey ended up working SVU cases, that would be wonderful. Also, does anyone know the District Attorney's name? Is that Alex's immediate boss? I haven't the slightest idea.
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John's apartment
Brooklyn
John
Alex flops down on the couch, curling up next to the armrest and closing her eyes.
"How are you feeling?" I ask, resting a gentle hand on her knee.
"Sore," she replies, cradling her injured arm against her chest. "Tired and sore and stupid."
I shake my head, sitting down next to her. "You're not stupid, Alex. You're the smartest woman I've ever met."
"Then I feel bad for the rest of the women you know," she mutters as she glances over at me, her tone thick with self-recrimination.
"Alex." I sigh, rubbing her knee. "What is it that you think you did that was so stupid? We already talked about the decision not to report what happened yesterday, so it has to be something else."
She tries to smile, but her eyes give away her frustration. "I dated the guy for three months, John. Even if he never took a swing at me, he still treated me like crap, and I stuck around and put up with it. You know I spend every day working on cases dealing exclusively in special victims, many of whom are victims of domestic abuse. What the hell was wrong with me that I missed all the warning signs and stayed with him long enough for it to escalate into something like this?"
"Why do you think you stayed?" I ask her, careful not to reveal my own curiosity. That's something I've been wondering about ever since I found out he wasn't toeing the line with her.
"I guess I didn't want to admit I'd made a bad decision," she confesses, rubbing her forehead with her good hand. "And I was sick of being alone. I hadn't seriously dated anyone since I started working for the DA's office. I knew that if I broke it off with Todd, I'd go right back to being lonely all the time." She sighs. "I guess even though I was miserable, it was a change from being lonely."
"That's not dumb, Alex, it's completely understandable." She gives me a sharp look and I shrug. "My third wife was a complete bitch, but if I didn't come home at night, at least she wondered where I was."
"Exactly," she exclaims, throwing up her uninjured hand in exasperation. "Why can't I find a guy who's willing to date me and doesn't have a fatal character flaw?"
I laugh, trying to cover for the way my heart lurches when she asks that question. "Maybe you're not looking in the right place."
Alex gives me a considering look. "Maybe you're right." She sighs then, her gaze dropping to the floor. "For example, trying to take advantage of my friends, who are only trying to help me, probably isn't the best way to go about it. I really am sorry about that kiss last night, John. I'm pleading not guilty by reason of mental defect. Can you forgive me?"
I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. She wants me to forgive her for something I did.
"There's nothing to forgive, Alex."
"Yeah, there is," she insists, giving me a pleading look. "I really want to clear the air between us, John. I don't want to ruin our friendship just because I have some stupid grade-school crush on you."
With that one sentence, our conversation is suddenly pushing the bounds of reality.
"You what?"
She blushes, which is about the cutest thing I've ever seen. "It's stupid, really. But you're, you know, a great guy. You actually have a sense of humor, which is more than I can say for any guy I've ever dated, and you're – well, you're you. And I'm babbling like an idiot. Anyway, I'm sorry."
I can't help the wide smile that takes over my face. "You have a crush on me?"
She shrugs, her blush deepening.
"Maybe."
"So what would you say," I ask carefully, unable to believe my luck, "if I wanted to know if you'd like to go out sometime?"
Alex winces. "You don't have to indulge me, John."
"Indulge you? Alex, I was the one who kissed you last night, not the other way around, remember?"
"You didn't do it because you were...interested...in me. Things got carried away and you had to sleep on the couch to keep from hurting my feelings, which was sweet but wholly unnecessary."
I can feel my jaw drop in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I've had a thing for you since day one. I went into your office to get a warrant for Radial Velocity and I walked out head over heels for you. I have been fighting the urge to push you up against a wall - or a desk or a table or whatever else happens to be handy, actually - and have my wicked way with you for over a year and a half. I slept on the couch last night because I figured the last thing you needed at that point was me trying to take advantage of you."
"Really?" she asks, the hope in her voice so blatant it's almost painful. "But why?"
"Why?" I repeat, still not sure this is really happening. "Because you're beautiful, Alex. And you're smart, and you're funny, and you're a decent, kind person but you still kick some serious ass in the courtroom. I look at you and I see everything I've ever wanted in a woman."
She's silent for a long moment. "Then kiss me," she says finally. "Kiss me and prove it."
So I do.