A/N: I apologize for this taking so long to get out there. Life kind of took some crazy turns since school let out. Fear not though I have not forgotten about this fic. I just didn't want it to be blah, when the rest of the series seems to be fairly decent. I hope you enjoy, thanks for being patient with me. I seem to be comma happy lately, so I apologize also for their randomness. I tried to catch as many as I could. (Really I do know the rules, I swear.) P
Classes, Cases, and Chambers
4.
(5 months later)
An early autumn thunderstorm flashed across the New York City Skyline. Alexandra Cabot watched, out the windows of her Manhattan apartment, as yet another flash of lightening brightened up the night sky. She had been awakened about an hour ago when the storm first started. As another rumble of thunder shook her surroundings Alex pulled the throw blanket tighter around her.
Ever since she was a child she had been afraid of the big storms. She would crawl into her parents' bed as a toddler and her father would hold her close as the storms raged. As she got older she would cling to her teddy or what ever was available. Her father would still come in and check on her. The memory of her father's compassion was a bittersweet memory, he had passed away not long after she had assumed her position as ADA for SVU, the first time. Even when she was away he would call and check on her if the storms were raging, even if they weren't where ever she was. She always missed her father most during these storms.
/at the precinct around the same time/
Detectives Stabler and Benson had been called onto a case early that evening and were finishing up some paperwork as the storm started.
Olivia had been eating dinner with Alex when the call came in. They had been discussing their plans for the weekend, which included moving into a new apartment. They had finally decided to take the leap and move in together. Now that Olivia was back on track emotionally they both decided that it would be a good time to take their relationship a step further. Alex had stood by Olivia through out her whole ordeal of getting the medications right and Olivia's ultimate decision to stay on with SVU. A decision that both Cragen and Elliot where very happy about.
Olivia had told Alex that she would be by in the morning to help start the move, she still had some stuff at her apartment to do. Now with the case those things might have to be put on hold. This irritated Olivia they had been trying to get their schedules clear for a month to accomplish the big move. Non the less this was where she needed to be at the present time.
As Olivia finished typing up her report another rumble of thunder shook the skies. She looked out into the night as the rain pelted down against the windows of the precinct. She sighed as she hit print.
As a child she loved the thunderstorms, sitting on her bed next to the window she would watch the fury in the sky. It was like the heavens where letting out their frustrations. She always wished she could let out her frustrations as well as the storms. The lightening she always found beautiful, lighting up the city in a whole new way. To this day she would go and watch the storms rage across the city. Standing in her apartment windows it was just like when she was a kid watching the storms from her bed.
She threw the report into the new file and plopped it on her desk. She could finish the rest on Monday; it was a simple case as far as reported rapes were concerned.
She slipped her arms through the sleeves of her jacket and bid Elliot goodbye. She was just going to head home to finish packing, but something was pulling at her gut. As she eased into the drivers seat of her car and thunder rolled across the sky it dawned on her. Alex! Alex once told her, on one of their long nights spent talking till sunrise, that she absolutely hated thunderstorms.
Putting the car into gear she slowly made her way to the ADA's apartment. The storm seemed to get worse with no sign of letting up as she made her way across town. Pulling into a parking spot as close to the building as she could at this time of night, she braced herself for the dash to the doors. She flung the door open and dashed toward the front doors of the building, slamming her door closed in the process.
She skidded to a stop under the overhang and hit the remote lock button for her car. She located the key to the building and let herself in. On the ride up to Alex's floor she took off her jacket and shook it. Taking her fingers she shook her hair free of excess water. Even though she hurried she was still fairly wet.
At Alex's door she again fished out her key and let herself in. Not wanting to disturb Alex if she actually was able to sleep through the storm. She shed her soggy shoes and went in search of dry clothes and her Lover.
/Inside Alex's Apartment/
Still sitting on the couch, Alex hugged her knees, as the storm seemed to intensify with no sign of stopping anytime soon.
She was so wrapped up in trying to keep herself calm she never heard the door open and close again.
Suddenly strong arms encircled her from behind. She tensed up for a moment until she recognized the familiar fragrance and touch of Olivia. She nestled into the warm embrace as Olivia got comfortable on the couch, pulling Alex down to cuddle.
"Hi." Olivia whispered.
"I thought you weren't coming till the morning." Alex said in a small voice.
"I couldn't leave you here with the storm, I came over as soon as I was finished with the report."
"How did you know about the storms?"
"You told me once, I remembered as I was getting ready to leave." Olivia kissed the top of Alex's head as she continued to hold the frightened woman.
"Thank you for remembering." Alex snuggled closer.
"Your welcome." Olivia soothingly stroked Alex's arms.
The storm continued to rage outside, as the two women continued to cuddle on the couch.
Alex would start to drift off but every blast of thunder would jar her awake.
"Shhh, Honey, go to sleep I won't let anything happen to you. You're safe in my arms. I promise." Olivia whispered.
Tears started flowing down Alex's face as Olivia whispered to her. She sniffled, prompting Olivia to adjust so she could look into Alex's eyes. Seeing the tears, Olivia brushed them away with her soft touch.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Olivia said worried.
"I…I miss my Dad." Alex stammered out.
"Shh. It'll be okay. I've got you." Olivia soothed.
Alex told the stories of how her father would protect her during the storms and how she missed him greatest even now during the big storms.
When she was finished Olivia hugged her close for a long time as she started to calm.
"Let's go to bed." Olivia suggested and helped Alex and her off the couch.
They both sleepily made their way into the bedroom and crawled into the already messed up sheets. Olivia let Alex nestle into her, wrapping her arms around her in a protective, loving manner. Olivia made sure Alex was asleep before letting herself drift off to sleep.
/The next morning/
Alex woke before her alarm was set to go off. She looked at the clock and saw that it was flashing 12:00. They must have lost power during the storm. She didn't want to move she felt so at peace. She was still nestled into Olivia's embrace. The detective was still sleeping. She loved to watch her Lover sleep, when she was free of all the stresses of life and the demons that still haunted her.
It was amazing how much Olivia had changed in the last few months. She was so much happier, happier then Alex remembered her being even before the whole Valez thing. Alex continued to muse on how happy they had become together and their impending move. This would prove to be a busy weekend. Elliot was coming over later to help with the hauling. The actual apartment was only across the street from Alex's current apartment building. It was larger and more appropriate for the two of them. She thought about what it would be like to grow old with Olivia, retire with Olivia, love Olivia forever. It made her happier then she could have ever imagined.
A soft kiss on the side of her head brought Alex back to reality. She smiled at Olivia, who smiled back and stretched.
"You looked like you were thinking serious thoughts councilor."
"Just thinking about us. About how much I love you."
"I love you too." Olivia said as she drew Alex in for a long sensual kiss.
As they drew apart Alex looked deep into Olivia's eyes and saw the passion that made her love the detective even more.
"If we get too wrapped up in bed here we are never going to get anything done this weekend."
"I know, and Elliot is going to be here at Noon with the kids to help us move." Olivia said as she drew Alex in for another kiss.
After a few minutes Olivia got up and headed to the shower, beckoning Alex to join her.
/around noon/
Knocking on the door drew Olivia and Alex out of their states of busyness. They had both been packing boxes for about an hour now, pushing them toward the door as they finished. The rooms had been all packed up with exception of the things that were needed that morning and now they too were packed away.
Olivia dusted her hands off on her jeans and opened the door. Elliot stood there with Maureen, Kathleen and Dickie.
"Hi Elliot. Kids." Olivia said as she stepped aside, letting them enter the living room.
"Hi Liv. You two all ready to go?"
"Yup, we just have to grab the stuff from the kitchen and we will be all set. By the way where is Lizzie?"
"She's got a cold, she said to say hi."
Alex came into the room just then from the bedroom where she was just finishing up with those boxes.
"Hi guys are you ready to help," She addressed Elliot's children.
"Sure are," replied Dickie.
While everyone grabbed a box, Olivia took a small item and ran across to the street to open up the new apartment and be there for when the first round of boxes came in.
/Later/
5 hours later and a slightly dented doorframe, from the couch, they had all of Alex's stuff safely put away. This still however left Olivia's stuff from her apartment across town. Seeing it was already dinnertime they decided to call it quits for the day and head out for pizza.
As the pizza was put on the table Olivia's cell phone started ringing.
"Benson…. Hi Cap…. Yeah… I suppose so…. How long do you think…. I see…. I'll be there…. Yeah he is here…. You really think so… we got his kids here too… alright yes sir… okay… I will." Alex, Elliot and the kids watched Olivia as she spoke into the phone, listening to her side of the conversation.
"What was that all about?" Alex questioned her as she served pizza to everyone from the steaming pan.
"We just got a case, the uniforms said that the victim's mother requested me."
"Really? What happened?"
"Well I'm not exactly sure, but it does require SVU that I do know."
Turning to Elliot she continued, "Cap said he wanted both of us on the case."
"What about the kids?" Elliot asked concerned.
"Well I could take them home after we finish pizza, we all shouldn't have dinner held off," Alex offered.
"Okay that sounds okay. How do you feel about that?" Elliot questioned his kids looking them each in the eye as he spoke.
Maureen, Kathleen and Dickie shared a quick silent sibling conversation and then nodded in unison.
"That's okay with us Dad." Kathleen voiced for the group.
"Okay well we better get going." Olivia and Elliot stood up and rushed out of the Pizza joint and off in the direction of the call in Elliot's car.
/a few hours later/
After dropping the Stabler kids off in queens, and talking with Kathy for about an hour Alex made her way back to the new apartment.
She glanced around the entryway just taking in the fact that this was hers and Olivia's. She decided to set up the office for a little while. After finally deciding where the desk would face and her plant would go she proceeded to the shower to wash away the grim of moving.
Now nice and refreshed she retreated to the living room.
Her dark gray couch called to her. She popped a DVD in the player and flopped down on the couch. As the movie got about a quarter of the way through she slid to a vertical position drawing the rusty red throw over the top of her. Her breathing changed as she drifted off to sleep.
This is how Olivia found her about two hours later. The TV was showing the DVD menu, and Alex was sound asleep. Olivia slipped out of her jacket, shoes, and crept into the bathroom, turning on the light only after she had quietly shut the door. She shed the rest of her clothes and stepped into a nice hot spray of water. She could never go to sleep after a case without taking a shower, it some how helped to cleanse some of the grime away from the job. As she began to relax she could tell that Alex had showered that evening, she had even left the top off of her body wash.
After donning a pair of sweats and a tank Olivia returned to the livingroom, locating the remote she shut off the TV and DVD player. She then carefully slid in behind Alex on the couch, spooning her. Alex sensing her presence pressed into her. Olivia let herself be lulled to sleep by the rhythmic breathing of her partner.
/the next morning/
Olivia woke with a start as her butt made contact with the hardwood floor. She ran her fingers through her hair as she sat up and took in her surroundings. Old familiar couch… new apartment. Alex? She stood in search of Alex. As she wound her way into the kitchen she found a note taped to the fridge: O- ran out for some coffee and muffins be back soon. – A.
Okay, Olivia thought. She was about to return to the couch when the door opened and in walked a sight to be seen. Alex, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, drenched, holding 2 cups of coffee and a wet, white bakery bag.
"What on earth happened?" Olivia asked trying to suppress a laugh unsuccessfully.
"It started raining just as I got a block from the apartment." Alex growled as she set the goodies down on the counter.
"Oh, I didn't notice it had started." Olivia replied as she sneaked a glance out the window. Sure enough it was pouring. "Hmm yeah I see it is raining."
"I look awful, I can't believe it." Alex said as she rung her hair out over the sink.
Olivia slid her hands around her waist and turned her around, placing a kiss on her nose.
"You look fine Alex, at least you weren't dressed for court. I could just see Petrovsky now."
They both laughed at the thought of that. They both dressed and enjoyed their small breakfast.
A/N: Well I leave you here. The series has ended. I have enjoyed writing it. Perhaps in the future you will see another series of Broken Olivia (as I have come to call it). Peace to you all and thank you for reading and reviewing.
Lishbug