Disclaimer: All Law And Order: Special Victims Unit characters and namesakes are the property of Dick Wolf / NBC.

Author's Note / Warning: This story contains an original character that plays the love interest of Casey Novak. The story deals with the relationship between Casey and my original character, and it is told from both of their perspectives. I had a very specific storyline in mind that I felt could not be realized by pairing Casey with an existing SVU character, thus the creation of Det. Seth Bauer. This is not intended to be a Mary Sue story, and I can only hope that from the writing and characterization, this proves to be true.

Chapter 4: Making Things Right
September 2nd, 12:11 PM

A.D.A. Casey Novak strode down the hall to the Special Victims Unit at a fever pace. Several people gave her a curious glance as she flew by, stepping back out of the way so as not to get run over. She had a determined look on her face as she bore down on the squad room, her briefcase in one hand and a tri-folded piece of paper with a light blue backing in the other.

I hope you know what you're doing, kiddo, she thought to herself. If this doesn't pan out, you'll be back working for Mary Clark again.

Casey burst into the SVU squad room, drawing in a deep breath and scanning the room with her focused eyes as she moved. She stopped a few paces from Benson's desk, where Olivia stood talking on the telephone. Casey pursed her lips and shifted her weight to her hips. After a moment, Olivia hung up the phone and cast her attention towards Casey.

"Hey Casey, what's up?"

"Have you seen Stabler or Bauer?" Casey asked in a business-like tone.

Olivia gave Casey an inquiring look. "Uh, no. Haven't seen either of them since around eleven." Olivia placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. "What's that for?" she asked, motioning towards Casey's right hand with her eyes.

"Warrant to search Denby's apartment." Casey handed the piece of paper to Olivia with a sharp flick of her wrist.

"Wait a minute," Olivia said, taking the warrant and unfolding it. "I thought you couldn't get a warrant for Denby's place based on the evidence we had. Did Elliot and Seth come up with something new after revisiting the crime scenes today?"

"No, nothing new off the crime scenes, although they did come to see me this morning. Elliot managed to make me feel like a total jerk for not being able to get the warrant before now, and then, of course, like the jerk I really am, I took the whole thing out on Seth...who, in spite of what I'd said to him, was then kind enough to remind me of why it is I took this job to begin with."

Olivia's look became even more perplexed. "Okay..." she said, the response sounding almost like a question. "It sounds like you and Elliot aren't getting along." Something in her tone suggested to Casey that Olivia was well aware of Stabler's ill-tempered disposition as of late. "I'll tell you what though, he and Seth are gonna be really happy you got the warrant. I take it you called in a few favors on this one?"

"Heh...more than a few. Let's just say by the time I get done explaining this to my bosses, I may be getting a few days of unpaid 'vacation' time."

"It was that much of a stretch, huh?"

"I wish it hadn't of been, but there's so little to go on in this case right now. The truth is, I feel horrible for yelling at Seth, and I don't think I would've been able to sleep tonight if I hadn't at least tried to rectify the situation."

"Jeez, Casey," Olivia said smiling. "I don't know if I could ever like a guy that much."

Casey gave Olivia a sharp look. "Well, it helps the case either way. When you give them the warrant just do me a favor and make sure they understand the limitations."

"Sure thing."

"I'm already going to be in enough hot water over this, and it's certainly not going to help me any to have new evidence thrown out on top of it."

Casey's stern glare became more relaxed. Olivia thought she looked sad and tired, and much too old for her age. "Hey, cheer up," Olivia said, patting Casey's forearm. "I'm sure whatever you said to Seth isn't a big deal and he'll get over it."

"I hope so," Casey responded in an unhappy tone.

Olivia squinted her eyes, slightly cocking her head to one side. "You really like him, don't you?" she asked in a low voice.

Casey had been gazing thoughtfully over Olivia's shoulder. "Yeah," she said, looking Olivia in the eyes again. "Yeah, I guess I really do." Casey gave Olivia a small, depressed smile. "Too bad I probably won't get the chance to find out if he was actually interested in me."

"Oh, don't say that," Olivia consoled.

"You've dated coworkers before, right? How do you avoid the dangers of working together and having a relationship outside of the job?"

"Well, it's not easy. As you can see, I've yet to figure it out. Most of the time, you can't stop talking about the job because it's such a huge part of the time you share with that person. I've found that after awhile, it kind of makes the relationship implode."

Casey nodded her head in agreement, taking another deep breath.

"But if it's meant to be," Olivia continued, "then it's meant to be. The most you can do is give things a chance and see where they go."

"So do you think it's better dating someone you don't work with?"

"No...not necessarily. Look, I think if two people are meant to be together, then there isn't any sort of obstacle they can't overcome, job or otherwise. I think the real trick is knowing you've found the right person and not giving up on them."

Casey nibbled at her bottom lip and sighed, seeming to brighten up a little at the thought. "Yeah, maybe you're right." She gave Olivia a sincere look. "Thanks."

Olivia closed her eyes and smiled. "Any time."

Casey turned and walked back into the hallway, leaving the SVU squad room behind her. With any luck, she'd make good time back to the office and be able to finish most of her paperwork before it got dark. It seemed like the day would never end, and Casey just wanted to leave the events of the morning behind her. She was sad and weary from the experience, and there was no telling what the rest of the afternoon might bring.