It was Friday evening, and everyone was slowly filtering out of the
precinct. Elliot was first to go; he had promised the twins a movie night.
Fin followed shortly after, in a hurry to meet his date. Munch decided to
go home to mull over his newest conspiracy theory, and finally Captain
Cragen was leaving on his way to meet up with some old buddies. Olivia
Benson was still at her desk half-heartedly finishing up reports and
paperwork before the weekend. Cragen hated seeing her consistently the last
to leave and first to arrive; he new she had ample personal interest
invested in her job, but he worried about her burning out.
"Hey Benson, shouldn't you be gone by now? It's been a tough week, and besides, shouldn't you be out on a date or something?"
Benson looked up from her work with a half smirk, "Sure Captain, as soon as you find me a guy who won't run screaming when he finds out what I do for a living, how I came to be living."
He noted the sigh that followed Benson's sarcasm, as well as the hand that ran through her short hair and stopped as she propped her head up. He felt bad for her. "Well, I do know several old croonies who would love to be seen your presence. If you could stand to be seen with us that is."
Olivia appreciated the Captain's offer. She knew he worried about her, but she wasn't quite in the mood to listen in to reminiscing with nothing to contribute. She was actually pretty tired. He was right, it had been a tough week, long week, and really she just wanted to go have a few drinks with idle chatter to unwind and then to go to bed. But she knew the latter would be the only thing to happen, since it proves hard to chitchat by yourself. "Thanks Cap., but I think I am just gonna finish up this report then go unwind and get some sleep. I'm pretty beat. Have fun with the guys though, tell them next time to give me warning so I can look nice for them." She smiled, in spite of herself, at the image of herself dressed up and on a date with the Captain and his old buddies.
Captain Cragen had a feeling she was not be entirely truthful with him; after all, he'd been in the business long enough and knew his officers well enough to know when one was less than honest. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to be the only girl in a group full of old guys, wasn't she the only girl all the time? He thought he would throw out one more suggestion on his way out. "That, I will do . . . you know, Olivia, I just had to make a last minute call over to the DA's office, and ADA Novak answered the phone. She sounds pretty jaded from this week; maybe you could talk to her? Anyway, I need to go. See ya Monday morning kid."
"First thing." Benson leaned over and finished the last of her report. She was seriously contemplating starting another one, but the Captain's suggestion was nagging at her. She was bored with reports, and didn't want to go home to an empty apartment yet. But part of her didn't want to be the first in her squad to display that much friendliness towards the new ADA; Casey Novak hadn't had the best reception by the precinct. She just stared into space for a while and thumbed her pen while she contemplated whether or not to call the ADA. She finally decided everyone was being extremely immature, after all it was not Casey Novak's fault Alex had been shipped out, and she had been shipped in. Nor was it Novak's fault she wasn't a little Alex Cabot duplicate. Olivia actually felt embarrassed by the way the squad had been treating the new ADA. So, Benson decided to at least see if ADA Novak would be interested in grabbing a few drinks, try to get to know her a little better. What could it hurt? It would either prove the squad's decision right or make them all look like immature idiots. She picked up the phone and dialed the ADA's number, wondering if she would even still be there.
"Casey Novak." The new ADA was slightly perturbed to be getting a call so late on a Friday evening. Not that she had any plans, other than her couch and some wine, but she didn't quite feel like doing any more work. She was exhausted from her week, irritated by the way everyone was treating her, and just wanted to get out of the office. She was almost wishing she hadn't answered the phone.
"Hi Counselor, it's Detective Benson. Are you busy?" Olivia wanted to make sure she didn't have any pressing plans first.
"Detective, of course, how could I confuse you with our Detective Munch? And, I guess the answer to your question depends on what you need me to do." Novak sighed. Detective Benson had definitely not been her biggest fan. She could only imagine what last minute favor was about to be asked of her. Not that any of them really deserved any favors, but Casey looked at it as helping the victims, not the Detectives. She sat back down, ready to explain her tardiness to her couch.
Benson was a little surprised at the ADA's curtness, but realized she deserved it. "Um, actually, I was just going to see if you wanted to grab a few drinks somewhere. I know we haven't gotten off to the best start, but Alex and I used to grab a few drinks every once in a while, gossip about the guys, and I was wondering if you'd be interested?"
Casey was genuinely surprised at Benson's invitation. She had known everyone was still upset over Alexandra Cabot's death, and unhappy with her. She had tried not to take their reactions personally, but it had been hard. She wasn't as thick-skinned as she portrayed. She was relieved at least someone finally was willing to talk to her for reasons other than work. "That, Detective Benson, sounds like something I can do."
"Great. I can meet you at your office in about five minutes, and we can decide from there." Benson started tidying her desk as she was getting off the phone.
"See you then Detective."
***
Casey Novak's door was closed when Olivia Benson arrived at the office, so she lightly knocked on the door and waited. The reply came almost instantaneously, "Come in." Olivia opened the door and leaned on the doorframe; Casey was just finishing up some work herself with her head bent down over her papers.
"Hey Counselor, you ready to get outta here?"
Casey had known it would be Detective Benson; she looked up and smiled, "Just let me clean this mess up." She hurriedly began shuffling papers away. "So what did you have in mind Detective?"
Olivia walked into the office and sat and the edge of the desk. "Grab a few drinks somewhere? Maybe some dinner? Um, make amends for the horrible welcome my fellow squad members and I gave you?"
The exaggerated embarrassed wince on Detective Benson's face was not lost on ADA Novak. She shoved the last of her files in their folder and stood up, in one smooth swift motion. "Ok Detective, you're on. So, where are we going? And, do you mind if I change first, a girl can only wear heels for so long in a day."
"Sure, do you have a car or should I drive?" Olivia Benson held the door open for Casey Novak and motioned her through with one arm.
"What manners Detective, your mother must be proud. And, unless you want to ride on my handlebars, you probably want to drive." Casey laughed as she brushed by the Detective. She caught Benson's tip lipped smile through the corner of her eye, but decided not to press it. Besides she had all night, and wasn't it the thrill of a challenge that led her down this path in life?
"All right then, my car's out front. You lead the way from there."
*** Casey directed Detective Benson the several blocks to her apartment, but other than that the two sat in silence. It wasn't really an awkward silence, more just listening to the radio and being glad to be headed somewhere not alone. After a few minutes, they pulled up in front of Casey's apartment. Olivia parked the car, but was unsure of whether or not to get out. As if reading her mind, Casey spoke up, "Why don't you come in while I change. You can run over our food options for me, I'm starving!"
As they rode the elevator to the ADA's floor, Olivia couldn't help but think the apartment was much less swanky than she had imagined. She guessed the squad had just gotten used to Alex Cabot and her priceless elegance. Not that ADA Novak was any worse than Cabot, just different. Olivia again felt a wave of remorse for the unwelcome party that had greeted Casey. "You know, nobody liked Alex when she started. We all thought she was a presumptuous, trust fund, old money sell-out. One of her first days on the job she even used a family connection to get a warrant. It took a while for us to see past that in her, and well, I guess we just all got really used to her. Nobody wanted to see her go out like she did." Olivia leaned back against the corner of the elevator and stared at herself in the ceiling mirrors.
Casey appreciated what Olivia was trying to do. She was flattered at the apology actually; in the least, it explained a lot. "Thank you Detective . . . And, I assure you, I certainly earned my spot here and will never be able to use family ties to help the squad out. Ah, though I am sure they must be nice every once in a while." Casey smiled as the doors opened to her floor. She led Detective Benson a few doors down and let her inside her apartment.
Olivia wasn't even sure what to expect in Casey's apartment and certainly never would have guessed it. The apartment was filled with very classical furniture and not overly cluttered, with just a few well-placed knick- knacks scattered about. "Wow Novak, this is really nice stuff."
"Thanks Detective, I've spent a while building it up, I wish I had more so it didn't look so Spartan. Feel free to wander around while I go change. And start telling me our food options." Novak disappeared into another room, leaving Olivia alone in the living room.
"You always this bossy Novak?" Olivia kidded as she took a closer look at some of the accessories in the room. "Well, what kind of food do you like? There's pretty much anything to choose from: Italian, Mexican, Greek, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Homestyle, you name it." She sat on the couch and waiting for Novak to come back.
Casey was slipping into some gray pants and a tight gray shirt, trying to decide what her stomach was telling her to eat. She felt slightly adolescent again, almost embarrassed by her excitement to be asked to dinner by Detective Benson, mentally thinking about what to wear in the car ride over, and now hopping with excitement that she was in her apartment. "It got me where I am today." Casey grabbed a pair of shoes and sat next to Olivia on the couch. "And as for what to eat, you have any suggestions?"
Benson felt a little . . . uneasy . . . when Casey sat down; she wasn't even sure what the feeling was. Casey was so close they were almost touching, and Benson noted that she had a striking profile. When Casey bent down to put on her shoes, her shirt and pants separated oh so slightly in the back. Olivia was drawn to stare at the strip of flesh, and in the brief view she had, thought she saw something, a scar maybe. But, it could have been a shadow. As the ADA sat back up, Olivia quickly averted her gaze. She knew well enough that everyone has secrets from the past that they might not want drudged up. "Um, I'm always up for Italian. Goes the best with wine." Benson smiled at Casey.
"Ah, and this my dear Detective is where the night could be made or broken. White or red?" Casey had noticed Olivia looking at her while she was putting on her shoes. She settled back into the couch and turned to face Olivia with a mock serious expression on her face and one cocked eybrow.
Olivia grinned at Casey's goofiness. For such a serious ADA, she was surprisingly funny outside work. Olivia was feeling better about her decision. "Oh, I'm a red girl through and through."
Casey grinned, "Good answer. Well look, should we head out and get some Italian, or if you just want to stay in and unwind, I have plenty of red wine. We could order out?" Now that Casey had Olivia in her apartment, for some reason she didn't want her to leave. She wanted to pick her brain all night, a task easier done in private than a public venue.
Olivia thought about it for a second. She could see Casey watching her while she contemplated. On one hand, she was tired and staying in did seem nice. But, on the other hand, she was tired and didn't want to have to work at keeping her guard up all night. She looked over at Casey, who also seemed exhausted and figured Novak really didn't want to go out. "I really am beat, let's stay in. Plus, it will be easier for me to flatter your work enough to make up for your rude welcoming."
"Fabulous, it's been a while, a loooooong while, since I have had such an opportunity to be flattered all night. A girl needs that every once in a while." Casey winked at Olivia as she stood up from the couch. "I am gonna go grab some wine and a phone book; the stereo is right over there if you want to put some music on. Or the tv remote is right on the coffee table."
Benson's stomach did a little flip when Casey winked at her. She shook it off as just nerves; it had been a while since she had had to make new friends with a female. She tended to hang out with the guys more. Sometimes women made her . . . nervous? No, but she couldn't say what it was exactly. She went over and picked out some lively jazz to put on.
Casey walked back in with wine and a phone book as Olivia was looking through the rest of her cds. She just watched for a second, as the Detective seemed deep in thought and wasn't noticing her. Casey sensed something was going on inside the Detective, but didn't know what and didn't want to overstep any boundaries. She sighed quietly and walked over to Olivia. She nudged her lightly on the back, "Here's your wine madam. Good music choice. Now, let the flattering begin." Casey flashed another smile.
"Hey Benson, shouldn't you be gone by now? It's been a tough week, and besides, shouldn't you be out on a date or something?"
Benson looked up from her work with a half smirk, "Sure Captain, as soon as you find me a guy who won't run screaming when he finds out what I do for a living, how I came to be living."
He noted the sigh that followed Benson's sarcasm, as well as the hand that ran through her short hair and stopped as she propped her head up. He felt bad for her. "Well, I do know several old croonies who would love to be seen your presence. If you could stand to be seen with us that is."
Olivia appreciated the Captain's offer. She knew he worried about her, but she wasn't quite in the mood to listen in to reminiscing with nothing to contribute. She was actually pretty tired. He was right, it had been a tough week, long week, and really she just wanted to go have a few drinks with idle chatter to unwind and then to go to bed. But she knew the latter would be the only thing to happen, since it proves hard to chitchat by yourself. "Thanks Cap., but I think I am just gonna finish up this report then go unwind and get some sleep. I'm pretty beat. Have fun with the guys though, tell them next time to give me warning so I can look nice for them." She smiled, in spite of herself, at the image of herself dressed up and on a date with the Captain and his old buddies.
Captain Cragen had a feeling she was not be entirely truthful with him; after all, he'd been in the business long enough and knew his officers well enough to know when one was less than honest. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to be the only girl in a group full of old guys, wasn't she the only girl all the time? He thought he would throw out one more suggestion on his way out. "That, I will do . . . you know, Olivia, I just had to make a last minute call over to the DA's office, and ADA Novak answered the phone. She sounds pretty jaded from this week; maybe you could talk to her? Anyway, I need to go. See ya Monday morning kid."
"First thing." Benson leaned over and finished the last of her report. She was seriously contemplating starting another one, but the Captain's suggestion was nagging at her. She was bored with reports, and didn't want to go home to an empty apartment yet. But part of her didn't want to be the first in her squad to display that much friendliness towards the new ADA; Casey Novak hadn't had the best reception by the precinct. She just stared into space for a while and thumbed her pen while she contemplated whether or not to call the ADA. She finally decided everyone was being extremely immature, after all it was not Casey Novak's fault Alex had been shipped out, and she had been shipped in. Nor was it Novak's fault she wasn't a little Alex Cabot duplicate. Olivia actually felt embarrassed by the way the squad had been treating the new ADA. So, Benson decided to at least see if ADA Novak would be interested in grabbing a few drinks, try to get to know her a little better. What could it hurt? It would either prove the squad's decision right or make them all look like immature idiots. She picked up the phone and dialed the ADA's number, wondering if she would even still be there.
"Casey Novak." The new ADA was slightly perturbed to be getting a call so late on a Friday evening. Not that she had any plans, other than her couch and some wine, but she didn't quite feel like doing any more work. She was exhausted from her week, irritated by the way everyone was treating her, and just wanted to get out of the office. She was almost wishing she hadn't answered the phone.
"Hi Counselor, it's Detective Benson. Are you busy?" Olivia wanted to make sure she didn't have any pressing plans first.
"Detective, of course, how could I confuse you with our Detective Munch? And, I guess the answer to your question depends on what you need me to do." Novak sighed. Detective Benson had definitely not been her biggest fan. She could only imagine what last minute favor was about to be asked of her. Not that any of them really deserved any favors, but Casey looked at it as helping the victims, not the Detectives. She sat back down, ready to explain her tardiness to her couch.
Benson was a little surprised at the ADA's curtness, but realized she deserved it. "Um, actually, I was just going to see if you wanted to grab a few drinks somewhere. I know we haven't gotten off to the best start, but Alex and I used to grab a few drinks every once in a while, gossip about the guys, and I was wondering if you'd be interested?"
Casey was genuinely surprised at Benson's invitation. She had known everyone was still upset over Alexandra Cabot's death, and unhappy with her. She had tried not to take their reactions personally, but it had been hard. She wasn't as thick-skinned as she portrayed. She was relieved at least someone finally was willing to talk to her for reasons other than work. "That, Detective Benson, sounds like something I can do."
"Great. I can meet you at your office in about five minutes, and we can decide from there." Benson started tidying her desk as she was getting off the phone.
"See you then Detective."
***
Casey Novak's door was closed when Olivia Benson arrived at the office, so she lightly knocked on the door and waited. The reply came almost instantaneously, "Come in." Olivia opened the door and leaned on the doorframe; Casey was just finishing up some work herself with her head bent down over her papers.
"Hey Counselor, you ready to get outta here?"
Casey had known it would be Detective Benson; she looked up and smiled, "Just let me clean this mess up." She hurriedly began shuffling papers away. "So what did you have in mind Detective?"
Olivia walked into the office and sat and the edge of the desk. "Grab a few drinks somewhere? Maybe some dinner? Um, make amends for the horrible welcome my fellow squad members and I gave you?"
The exaggerated embarrassed wince on Detective Benson's face was not lost on ADA Novak. She shoved the last of her files in their folder and stood up, in one smooth swift motion. "Ok Detective, you're on. So, where are we going? And, do you mind if I change first, a girl can only wear heels for so long in a day."
"Sure, do you have a car or should I drive?" Olivia Benson held the door open for Casey Novak and motioned her through with one arm.
"What manners Detective, your mother must be proud. And, unless you want to ride on my handlebars, you probably want to drive." Casey laughed as she brushed by the Detective. She caught Benson's tip lipped smile through the corner of her eye, but decided not to press it. Besides she had all night, and wasn't it the thrill of a challenge that led her down this path in life?
"All right then, my car's out front. You lead the way from there."
*** Casey directed Detective Benson the several blocks to her apartment, but other than that the two sat in silence. It wasn't really an awkward silence, more just listening to the radio and being glad to be headed somewhere not alone. After a few minutes, they pulled up in front of Casey's apartment. Olivia parked the car, but was unsure of whether or not to get out. As if reading her mind, Casey spoke up, "Why don't you come in while I change. You can run over our food options for me, I'm starving!"
As they rode the elevator to the ADA's floor, Olivia couldn't help but think the apartment was much less swanky than she had imagined. She guessed the squad had just gotten used to Alex Cabot and her priceless elegance. Not that ADA Novak was any worse than Cabot, just different. Olivia again felt a wave of remorse for the unwelcome party that had greeted Casey. "You know, nobody liked Alex when she started. We all thought she was a presumptuous, trust fund, old money sell-out. One of her first days on the job she even used a family connection to get a warrant. It took a while for us to see past that in her, and well, I guess we just all got really used to her. Nobody wanted to see her go out like she did." Olivia leaned back against the corner of the elevator and stared at herself in the ceiling mirrors.
Casey appreciated what Olivia was trying to do. She was flattered at the apology actually; in the least, it explained a lot. "Thank you Detective . . . And, I assure you, I certainly earned my spot here and will never be able to use family ties to help the squad out. Ah, though I am sure they must be nice every once in a while." Casey smiled as the doors opened to her floor. She led Detective Benson a few doors down and let her inside her apartment.
Olivia wasn't even sure what to expect in Casey's apartment and certainly never would have guessed it. The apartment was filled with very classical furniture and not overly cluttered, with just a few well-placed knick- knacks scattered about. "Wow Novak, this is really nice stuff."
"Thanks Detective, I've spent a while building it up, I wish I had more so it didn't look so Spartan. Feel free to wander around while I go change. And start telling me our food options." Novak disappeared into another room, leaving Olivia alone in the living room.
"You always this bossy Novak?" Olivia kidded as she took a closer look at some of the accessories in the room. "Well, what kind of food do you like? There's pretty much anything to choose from: Italian, Mexican, Greek, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Homestyle, you name it." She sat on the couch and waiting for Novak to come back.
Casey was slipping into some gray pants and a tight gray shirt, trying to decide what her stomach was telling her to eat. She felt slightly adolescent again, almost embarrassed by her excitement to be asked to dinner by Detective Benson, mentally thinking about what to wear in the car ride over, and now hopping with excitement that she was in her apartment. "It got me where I am today." Casey grabbed a pair of shoes and sat next to Olivia on the couch. "And as for what to eat, you have any suggestions?"
Benson felt a little . . . uneasy . . . when Casey sat down; she wasn't even sure what the feeling was. Casey was so close they were almost touching, and Benson noted that she had a striking profile. When Casey bent down to put on her shoes, her shirt and pants separated oh so slightly in the back. Olivia was drawn to stare at the strip of flesh, and in the brief view she had, thought she saw something, a scar maybe. But, it could have been a shadow. As the ADA sat back up, Olivia quickly averted her gaze. She knew well enough that everyone has secrets from the past that they might not want drudged up. "Um, I'm always up for Italian. Goes the best with wine." Benson smiled at Casey.
"Ah, and this my dear Detective is where the night could be made or broken. White or red?" Casey had noticed Olivia looking at her while she was putting on her shoes. She settled back into the couch and turned to face Olivia with a mock serious expression on her face and one cocked eybrow.
Olivia grinned at Casey's goofiness. For such a serious ADA, she was surprisingly funny outside work. Olivia was feeling better about her decision. "Oh, I'm a red girl through and through."
Casey grinned, "Good answer. Well look, should we head out and get some Italian, or if you just want to stay in and unwind, I have plenty of red wine. We could order out?" Now that Casey had Olivia in her apartment, for some reason she didn't want her to leave. She wanted to pick her brain all night, a task easier done in private than a public venue.
Olivia thought about it for a second. She could see Casey watching her while she contemplated. On one hand, she was tired and staying in did seem nice. But, on the other hand, she was tired and didn't want to have to work at keeping her guard up all night. She looked over at Casey, who also seemed exhausted and figured Novak really didn't want to go out. "I really am beat, let's stay in. Plus, it will be easier for me to flatter your work enough to make up for your rude welcoming."
"Fabulous, it's been a while, a loooooong while, since I have had such an opportunity to be flattered all night. A girl needs that every once in a while." Casey winked at Olivia as she stood up from the couch. "I am gonna go grab some wine and a phone book; the stereo is right over there if you want to put some music on. Or the tv remote is right on the coffee table."
Benson's stomach did a little flip when Casey winked at her. She shook it off as just nerves; it had been a while since she had had to make new friends with a female. She tended to hang out with the guys more. Sometimes women made her . . . nervous? No, but she couldn't say what it was exactly. She went over and picked out some lively jazz to put on.
Casey walked back in with wine and a phone book as Olivia was looking through the rest of her cds. She just watched for a second, as the Detective seemed deep in thought and wasn't noticing her. Casey sensed something was going on inside the Detective, but didn't know what and didn't want to overstep any boundaries. She sighed quietly and walked over to Olivia. She nudged her lightly on the back, "Here's your wine madam. Good music choice. Now, let the flattering begin." Casey flashed another smile.