Chapter Twenty-Nine: Home

Alex

When I hear the door slamming I'm surprised. I figured you didn't answer your phone because of work, and I didn't expect to see you here right now. I'm nowhere near unpacked but hauling stuff up from the car has me exhausted and I'm relaxing in the bedroom with my almost finished book when I realize you've come home early for some reason. Hoping it's because you've managed to talk Don into giving you the day off I move quickly to greet you with a smile and a kiss. My excitement is stopped short when I see the tears that fall from your eyes.

"Olivia, my god, what's wrong?"

You reach me and throw your arms around me, shaking. "She's trying to get me fired. Jesus, Alex I could lose my job."

"What? What are you talking about? Who's trying to get you fired? What the hell happened?" A panic rises in my throat, my fear breaking through even before I know what's going on. "Honey, what happened?"

You sigh, trying to still your tears as I sit with you on the couch facing the window. You take a deep breath, grabbing at my wrist as I reach to wipe your tears. "It's the case I was telling you about. The one where the girl's getting molested by her stepfather. The oldest girl is seventeen, and gay. She's afraid to tell her mom, and doesn't want to rat on the stepfather because she feels like the molestation was part of the reason she is the way she is. She can't separate the two in her head and she's not ready to come out to her mom, who's in complete denial about the bastard to begin with."

"How does this lead up to your job getting threatened?"

"Elliot and I went over yesterday to talk to the mother and the daughter. The mom, Lane, stormed out of the room after telling us we could ask Alyssa whatever we wanted because she was 'just a little liar anyway.' We talked to Alyssa who told us about her lifestyle, and how afraid she was. She started crying and I put a hand on her shoulder, told her I understood. Now Lane is charging me with sexual harassment on behalf of her daughter, saying that I grabbed her arm, made inappropriate comments."

You dissolve into tears again, and your fear is palpable.

"That's ridiculous. Elliot was in the room?"

You nod. "You were never alone with the girl?"

A shake.

"Absolutely absurd. Baby, calm down ok-- I can fight this. Easily."

"God Alex… he didn't even ask if it was true."

"Who didn't?" I thought you said Elliot was there.

"Don. He told me I was lucky I wasn't suspended and sent me on ass duty until further notice. Elliot's not allowed near the kids or the mother, in addition to the sexual harassment she's filed a restraining order against us."

I ask you for more details, wanting to know as much as I can about the case, the suspect and the family of victims before I take charge. I call Don and tell him you're off for the rest of the day, my tone indicating that it's not up for argument, then tell him I'll be in his office before he goes home to discuss the harassment suit and restraining order. I tuck you into bed with an order to sleep, and head out to the courthouse to track down Casey. I'm not due to start working for another few days, but I need a jump-start-- and her help to get going on this one. I refuse to let you get fired for doing your job.

Olivia

I fall asleep to the sound of your voice on the phone in the other room. You're clearly angry and I'm too exhausted to tell you not to bother. You've forced me rather unceremoniously into the bed with an order to sleep and then gone out to make phone calls. I should get up, go back to work but I'm exhausted and scared and not feeling up to facing an entire squad room of people who know more than they need to. In my sleep I feel you kissing my forehead, telling me to ignore the phone and that you'll be back in a few hours, with some answers.

I sleep fitfully for an hour, then give up and risk a lecture as I dress and collect my badge and gun. I wash my face carefully, and reapply some makeup- hoping it will cover the teary bags under my eyes. Running away from work means that Lane Sandit wins, and I'm not willing to conceded defeat no matter how humiliated I feel. Knowing that you're back and fighting for me helps, and I leave you a note in case I don't run into you at work, then hail a cab back to the station.

I shoot Elliot a warning look, staving off conversation and look towards Don's closed office door to see you pacing in front of his desk. He looks angry, but not as angry as you-- I can read you like a book- and I know it's not going to be a good idea if I'm here when you get out of the office. I'm not leaving though. I shove my things in my locker and sit at the computer, going through old files making sure everything's in order. Elliot heads out to re-canvas the neighborhood and as he passes I grab his arm,

"Thanks for defending me in there." I nod towards Don's office.

"You're my partner. I know you didn't do anything wrong and so should he. You should have seen his face when Alex walked in and slammed the door behind her. She'll fix it, don't worry. Any suggestions before I head out to do this?"

"None. I'm dry on this one. All we've got is those girls. Unless Munch and Fin can crack them we're screwed."

"That's what I was afraid of. Look, I'll call if I find anything. Just-- stay under the radar all right?"

I nod and turn back to the office, watching you fight for me. At one point you turn and gesture to the squad room and I flush as your eyes meet mine. Even across the room and through the window I can see the angry flash in your crystal irises. If Don doesn't kill me, you probably will. I move quickly back to my files and work on clearing a month's worth of backlog off my desk. When you finally emerge from Don's office he calls to me, closing the door behind me as you walk towards my desk, waiting.

There's a silence, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say so I keep quiet. Don sits at his desk with a heavy sigh.

"Cabot talked to Novak, and Liz Donnelly. Between the three of them, and with a sworn affidavit from your partner they're confident they can get the harassment suit dropped. The restraining order stays. You and Elliot are officially off the case as soon as he finishes the neighborhood canvas."

I start to protest, wanting to finish what I've started but I'm cut off.

"Don't argue with me Olivia. I realize you have a unique perspective on this but right now you can do more harm than good. I'm sorry. The powers that be want you on desk duty for a week as it is, even though the harassment is clearly trumped up and desperate.

"I'm sorry, Olivia. I should have asked what happened before I flew off the handle. I didn't expect this to be an issue. Part of what makes you a good detective is your ability to relate, but when it comes to things like this…"

"Like what Captain? Like my personal life? My love life? Are you telling me to keep my personal preferences under wraps? When have I ever let my personal choices get in the way of my job? That girl was miserable, desperate. I knew what she was going through and I told her so. If she assumed that meant I was gay then that's her assumption. All I said was that I understood. Do you really think I'm going to come out to a witness whose mother is already on my ass for harassing her family? She needed to feel like somebody got it. I didn't want another Sophie on my hands Captain, I've had enough of those already."

Don's eyebrows raise in an unasked question and I shake my head, not wanting to refresh his memory. "Look, I'm off the case, fine. Ass-duty, fine. But I'm not going to hide who I am because it might get in the way. I'll live my life the way I have been. And it won't affect my work Don. It never has, and it never will. Cops get accused of harassment all the time, especially in our unit you know that. Gay, straight or twisted, these are people who need someone to blame. Sometimes we're the easy targets. My being gay has nothing to do with it. I'm hoping you can still see that."

He nods, apparently satisfied with my explanations, then raises his eyes to the window. "I think Alex wants a word with you. She wasn't too happy to see you back at work."

"Yeah I figured. What about you?"

"Make it quick, you have files to finish." It's the closest I'll get to approval for now, and I make a hasty retreat from the office, only to get pulled into the interrogation room by you. If I didn't know better, I'd swear there was steam coming from your ears.

Alex

"I thought I told you to stay at home."

"Look-- 'mom'-- If I stayed home I might as well have let her win. You might be able to fight this in court but this is where I fight. If I don't come in and do my job they win. You know that. I need to be here."

You're calming down, listening to me. I watch the anger leave your face, feel your tension draining. You reach out and take my hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I talked to Casey and Liz. The harassment suit should be dropped by the end of the day. I read through it and if I hadn't been so angry it would have been funny. She's clearly grasping at straws. The good news is that after listening to Don talk about the case I think it means she's cracking. She's losing her rational defenses for her husband. The squad may be closer than they look. Tell Munch and Fin to play up the oldest daughter. I suspect mom already knows she's gay. Don't let them out her, but hint at it-- get the mom to admit what she knows and use it to crack her on the stepdad. It'll take a little finessing, but they should be able to get her cooperation."

Olivia

I nod, glad that you're back at work, even if you're not back to work. You smile, the last traces of your anger falling away as you pull me into a warm embrace. I forget for a minute that we're in the gray room, that anyone who wants to can flip a switch and watch us here, hear our conversation. It's the first minute I've had to actually soak in your presence.

"Welcome home baby."

You lean back from me, pulling your head from my shoulder to look me in the eye.

"Hi."

"Hi. How was the drive?"

"Don't ask. Shouldn't you get back to work now that we have this all sorted out?"

"In a minute."

I push against you, walking you back until your back is up against the door, then tilt my head up and close the distance between us, claiming your mouth roughly, searching your lips and teeth and tongue with mine, basking in the warmth of your nearness. Our kiss is short, but satisfying and I'm overwhelmed with the gratitude of having you back where you belong.

We leave the interrogation room together, and you kiss me chastely on the cheek before turning to head back home as I settle contentedly at my desk… suddenly not really minding that I have a few days in the squad room free of the busy streets and grisly crime scenes. It means not having to come in early, and getting out on time. It means my first few days with you back will be free of some of the harsher aspects of my job, leaving me calmer, gentler, at ease and able to just enjoy having you back.

Alex

I spend the rest of the day unpacking the boxes I've brought up from the car, and resisting the temptation to check on my office. You've left me a note, probably hoping to avoid me at the station, but in it you've forbidden me to open the door, saying you want to be there when I see it for the first time. I leave some work related boxes outside the closed door, and move into the bedroom, unpacking clothes and shoes… pulling out the few things I've brought with me in the car before I call up the moving company to find out when the van with the rest of my things will arrive. I need the armoire and small desk for the bedroom, and I'm already wishing I'd packed my computer in the car instead of letting it go in the van with the rest of my furniture. I take a break to finish my book, and then move into the kitchen, setting to the task of reorganizing your dishware to make room for mine. You may be the chef, but I know how to stock a kitchen for eating. Our styles mesh well, if tinted with a bit of an eclectic flair, and I'm reaching to readjust the top shelf when I feel your fingers on the back of my knee. I didn't hear you come home, and I nearly lose my balance at your touch, feeling a fire build without my consciousness as you reach up the other hand to steady me, slipping it under the hem of the knee-length flowing skirt I put on after my shower.

I lean my head against the cabinet in front of me as your fingers trace their way back down my thigh, resting once again behind my knee, tickling my skin with their warmth. A flush spreads through my body and I turn carefully on the small stepladder, looking down at your smiling face, desire flashing gold inside your eyes. I lean to rest my hands on your shoulders as you gently pull me from the step and into your arms, your mouth finding mine quickly, with more elegance than we had time for in the squad room.

Your arms are strong around me, firm. I hold your face gently in my hands, guiding our kisses deeper, our noses brushing together as we play our silly tongue games, licking and nipping and suckling at each others lips and cheeks and chins and necks. I throw back my head as you lick an exquisite line down my neck and into the hollow of my collarbone,

"God I missed you."

You mumble in agreement, your lips buzzing against my skin sending shivers down my spine. I pull you back to my lips, wanting to taste you again, wanting to let the feeling of your incredible lips against mine wash over me even as I feel myself growing wet at your kiss.

You push back against me, until my hands rest against the counter behind me, until the tile-topped surface pushes against my back as you unbutton my sweater, kissing down again, making a curving path down my neck and shoulders as you reach behind me to unhook my lace-trimmed bra. I reach around behind you, pulling your head to my body as you tease the straps partway down my arms, then I let you go and cross my arms in front of me, grasping the straps and slowly pulling them the rest of the way, exposing myself to you, watching the hunger grow in your eyes. I drop my bra on the floor, then hop onto the counter and spread my legs so you can lean against me, still standing in front of me as you gently take one breast in the palm of you hand.

Your thumb floats tenderly over my nipple, and I feel my body come to life at your touch, feel myself hardening and flowing at the sight of your brown skin next to my cream. You look up at me through your lashes as your mouth finds my breast, your tongue licking and suckling at my attentive nipple, as your other hand attends to my other breast, and I feel dizzy with this moment, full of the touch of you. Your hand moves down, finding the zipper of my skirt and drawing it slowly downward. I use my hands to lift off the counter ever so slightly and you turn your attention lower, using both hands to pull off the flimsy fabric, letting it fall to the floor as your eyes take in my naked skin, stepping back as an appreciative flush creeps over your cheeks when you see I've not bothered with any underwear. I quickly forget my chill as you place your hands at my legs, pressed together again after losing my skirt. You gently pull my legs apart, insinuating yourself between my thighs, between my knees as my calves dangle over the edge of the counter. I pull at your shirt, dragging it up and over your head, and you tip your head to meet my lips as your hands fumble with your belt, and as you step free of your jeans you leave my mouth and kiss another exquisite line, moving swiftly down my body.

Olivia

The sight of you perched naked on the counter before me is delicious, a better meal than any I could prepare, and I waste little time placing myself between your legs, kissing my way down your skin until my eyes are level with your soft blond peachfuzz. I gently play a hand through your hair, letting my fingers come close to your swollen lips, letting it brush dangerously close to your aching clit, your heat tangible, rising from your body to greet my nose and mouth even before I touch you. I breathe in the heady scent of your sex, feeling a similar warmth blossoming below me at the nearness to core. I place gentle kisses in your downy hair, and take my hands from where they've rested on your thigh, using two fingers to part your skin, to pull you open as my mouth moves closer, as my tongue takes its first taste of you, of the scent and flavor of my favorite delicacy.

Your hand nestles in my hair, pulling me closer… pulling me further inside you as my tongue soaks in the familiarity, laps hungrily at the wetness that flows from you. Above me, I hear you moan, and below I feel my own wetness spreading, kicked into gear by the sounds of your pleasure as I suckle you, wanting to take all of you in my mouth, to taste you everywhere in me. I play circles around your clit, my tongue moving steadily in you, licking a path to the edge of your control, your moans an indication of your satisfaction. My other hand follows my tongue, entering you slowly as I shift my mouth to begin teasing at the swollen button of flesh above your opening.

I'm lost in the scent of you, in the taste of your skin and your arousal on my tongue and I barely hear you screaming my name above me as your body convulses around my fingers, new wetness finding its way outside as I flick one last time at your clit with my tongue, before moving back to gather this new liquid, not wanting to waste a drop, to miss one delicate swallow of you.

You slide off the counter, your body nearly limp… your walls still clutching at the finger I'm moving ever so gently inside of you, keeping you at the height of your arousal. You lean into my body, resting your head on my shoulder. Your breath is ragged but your sighs are satisfied, and I feel you shudder again as my finger finds that fleshy secret place inside you, and we collapse together on the soft rug from our old apartment. I shift my arm, pulling my hand away from you only to feel you take my wrist and guide me back even as your own hand makes its way between us to test my own wetness.

"This time… I want you to come with me."

You kiss me deeply, devouring my tongue still wet with the taste of you and it doesn't take long for your fingers to find their way inside me, and with your free hand you hold my face gently but firmly, forcing me to look in your eyes as your fingers take an impossible tempo below us. My own attention wavers, but you don't seem to mind when my hand comes up to reach around your body, pulling you closer. Instead you take it as a sign, moving your hand more forcefully, your thumb attacking my clit until I feel as though I'll die without proper release, and I nearly do as you pull away from my mouth and move slowly down my body until your lips kiss forcefully at the v of my legs, and as I feel your tongue parting me I break, speechless but moaning as my orgasm leaves me bucking beneath you, your tongue and fingers relentless inside me, around me. You moan into me as I explode and the sensation pushes me further until I'm lost in the feeling of you between my legs, in the feeling of you inside me… finally home for good.