Author's Note: To amykaye: Yes, that book was indeed Time Windows! I read it for the first timea good ten oreleven yearsago and it remains my favorite book to this day. :)

Olivia walked back into Casey's living room, carrying two juice glasses half-filled with vodka. It was Olivia's first glass, but Casey's third. Olivia still wasn't entirely comfortable with allowing her to drink so much--they had only been back at Casey's for about an hour--but she figured as long as she was watching over her carefully, the ADA would be all right. At least, if nothing else, the alcohol had relaxed her a bit.

As she approached the sofa, Casey turned around and smiled. "There you are." She reached her hand out and gratefully accepted the glass. "I was wondering what was taking you so long. And I see you've decided to join me, unless you brought me two glasses at once. Because I could handle that, you know."

"I don't doubt it," Olivia smiled. "But sorry, Case, this one's mine." She settled back down on the sofa, squeezing in between the arm of the couch and Casey. She wrapped her arm around the younger woman's shoulders and couldn't help but smile when Casey leaned into the embrace, slouching down and resting her head on Olivia's shoulder.

In the time that Olivia had been in the kitchen, Casey had switched the channel on the television from the movie they had been watching to a syndicated sitcom. "What happened to the movie?" Olivia asked, frowning.

"I got bored with it," Casey shrugged. She took another large gulp of the vodka, making a face as she swallowed.

"You're one of those drunks with a limited attention span, aren't you?" Olivia asked, trying not to let Casey know that she was somewhat amused.

"But I'm not drunk!" Casey looked up, frowning at Olivia. "Not yet."

"Uh huh," Olivia said in a teasing tone.

There was a minute or two of silence before Casey exclaimed, "It's all so unfair!" She sat up abruptly, causing Olivia to almost spill her drink. "How am I supposed to have faith in a system that won't place a child with someone who wants her?"

"Casey, listen," Olivia said softly, "I know how much you wanted her, but Jennifer's right and not just about the fact that your schedule is nuts. What happens if Maddie can't sleep or gets bored and starts poking through your files? You really want an eight-year-old seeing the crime scene photos? You want to have to explain that to her?"

"But what happens when I have my own children?" Casey argued. "I'm going to face the same problems then."

"Yeah, but there's a slight difference between exposing your own children to it and exposing emotionally troubled children placed in your care by ACS to it. ACS has to watch out for that little girl and they have to take every little thing into consideration."

"This sucks." Casey slouched back against the sofa, taking a large sip of alcohol.

"I'm not denying that." Olivia held her arm out, inviting Casey back into her embrace. Casey complied and leaned against the detective. "In time, it'll hurt less."

"I know." Casey sighed. "And deep down, I know that you guys are right. I know that my expectations were too high and I don't understand why I'm so attached to her. I … I don't even know. I can't think anymore."

Olivia smirked and started twirling a lock of Casey's hair around her finger. "You're attached to her because she's a child in need and you care. She's attached to you because with the possible exception of the hospital staff, you're the first adult in her life to care for her unconditionally."

"Mmm, you think?"

"Yes, I do." She looked down just as Casey's eyelids fluttered closed. Shrugging her shoulder a little, she roused the ADA. "Hey, you're not passing out on me, are you, Novak? Because that's pretty damn pathetic if you are."

Casey sat up and guzzled the rest of the vodka in her glass, then snatched Olivia's glass from her hand and downed what was left in that one as well. "I'll have you know that I can drink you under the table anytime, anywhere."

"You're three and a half drinks ahead of me, Counselor," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "That's a bit of an unfair advantage. Or an unfair disadvantage, depending on how you look at it."

"So catch up with me!" Casey hiccupped, then covered her mouth, embarrassed. "I drank that too fast."

Olivia snorted back a chuckle. "I think I'll sit this contest out. Do you want another one? Because I have to go get some anyway since you drank mine."

"Yes, please," Casey replied, smiling shyly. She held out her glass and Olivia plucked it out of her hand, shaking her head. Casey was definitely the limited-attention-span kind of drunk. She was also a flirtatious drunk, which was amusing Olivia to no end.

The detective headed towards the kitchen, humming to herself. She set the glasses down on the counter and grabbed the bottle. As Olivia was pouring the vodka into the glasses, Casey came into the kitchen, stumbling slightly. "You're taking too long!"

"I've been gone a minute!" Olivia exclaimed. "Not even!"

"But I missed you," Casey said, her voice verging on singsong.

Olivia looked Casey over, raising an eyebrow at the ADA. "I repeat, I've been gone a minute." Casey gave Olivia a sly grin and reached under her arm to grab a glass. Olivia took it back from her and frowned. "Maybe you've had enough for right now."

"Oh, come on, Liv," Casey whined. She gave the detective a coy pout. "Please? Just this one?"

Olivia sighed and, after a moment of further consideration, relented and handed the glass back to Casey. "But that's the last one for a while."

"You're cutting me off?"

"I am, in fact, cutting you off." Olivia placed her hand on the small of Casey's back and started leading her back to the living room. "It's already started hitting you more than you think it has and with the drink and a half you just guzzled not even five minutes ago…"

"You couldn't sound any more like my driver's ed instructor if you tried," Casey grumbled. "I swear, if you say, 'It's like a sunburn; when you feel it, it's already too late', I'm going to smack you."

Olivia snickered and though she hadn't planned on saying something so cliché, she debated saying it anyway, just to get Casey going. Ultimately, she decided against it, opting instead for tightening her grip around the ADA's waist and giving her a small sideways hug. "There's no need for physical violence. I'll shut up."

"I don't want you to shut up," Casey said as she slowly settled herself on the sofa.

"You don't?"

"Nope." The ADA grinned as she pulled Olivia down next to her, then leaned back against the older woman, laying her head against Olivia's shoulder. "I want you to keep talking to me, just not about the alcohol."

"Okay," Olivia answered, slightly confused. Casey's train of thought was jumping around too quickly for her to follow. Just as she would finally figure out what Casey wanted to hear, the ADA would have already changed conversation topics. "Well, what do you want me to talk about?"

"I don't know," Casey replied with a small shrug. She sipped her drink and turned her attention to the television. "Anything. Nothing. I don't know."

"Hmm," Olivia said thoughtfully. "What was your favorite movie when you were a kid?"

"Back to the Future," Casey answered through a yawn. "Loved it. My dad took me to see it and we quoted it back and forth for weeks. It annoyed my mother terribly."

Olivia chuckled. "Why did it annoy your mother?"

"Because we'd do it at the dinner table and she'd tell us to stick to real conversation. I think she felt left out because she was sick the day we went to the movies, so she didn't understand any of the quotes," Casey said, smiling fondly at the memory. She snatched the remote control and started flipping channels on the television. After going through the channels twice, she turned it back to the movie she and Olivia had been watching originally. She was quiet for a moment or two, then she spoke up softly. "Liv? You really think I would have been a good mother to her?"

"Yes, I really do." Olivia reached down and started playing with a lock of Casey's hair. "I think you would have been great to her and I know you would have loved her. But you know what?"

"What?"

"Sometimes part of loving someone is realizing that you've done all you can do for them. I know you think you failed her in some way, but you didn't. She has a chance at a happy, fulfilling life now because you cared enough to follow up on what most people would consider a throwaway statement."

Casey smiled slightly and closed her eyes. "I did, didn't I?"

"Yes," Olivia smiled. "Are you feeling a little better at least?"

The ADA nodded, seeming to relax and then tensed, once again sitting up abruptly. "Oh, shit."

"What?"

"I told Maddie I'd call her. There's one more broken promise."

"So call her," Olivia replied, not quite understanding what the problem was.

"Yeah, right! I can't call her like this. You can't tell me I sound normal."

"No one said you have to talk to her for an hour, Casey. Just call her, say hi, let her babble for a few minutes, and then tell her you have to go."

Casey smiled, downed the final bit of alcohol in her glass, then handed the empty glass to Olivia. She gave the detective a sly grin. "Can you get the phone for me? Trying to walk right now is probably not a good idea."

Olivia rolled her eyes, trying not to let Casey know that she was amused. She stood with feigned annoyance. "Yeah, I guess so. Remind me never to drink with you again."

"Oh, come on. You know you love it."

The detective flashed Casey a wide grin. "Of course I do."

-----

With a small sigh, Olivia glanced over at Casey, who was curled up in the opposite corner of the sofa, sound asleep and snoring softly. She had passed out while watching television about an hour prior, after a successful phone call to Maddie and a little more conversation. The movie they had been watching had finally finished and the detective, bored, snatched the remote control and had just started flipping channels when her cell phone rang. Frowning, she reached over, grabbed her phone from where she had left it on Casey's endtable, and peered at the caller ID. It was Elliot. Smirking, she flipped it open. "You calling to check up on me?"

"No," Elliot said, chuckling. "I was calling to see how the meeting with ACS went."

"Just as I thought it would."

"Oh, really?" he asked, obvious regret in his tone. "How's Casey?"

Olivia glanced over at the sleeping ADA and sighed. "She's had some vodka so she's feeling no pain now but she's going to have one hell of a headache when I wake her up to put her to bed."

"She took it pretty hard, huh?"

"Yeah, but she understands the reasoning. She'll be all right."

"Well, I'll let you go. Tell her we're all thinking of her."

"I will. See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Olivia flipped her phone closed and set it back on the endtable. With a small sigh, she stood and crouched down in front of the sofa, brushing a stray lock of Casey's hair behind her ear in an effort to gently rouse her. "Casey, wake up."

"Mm-mm." Casey clumsily pushed at Olivia's hand.

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable in bed?"

"Yeah."

"I'll help you into your room. Come on, hon."

"Can't move. And I have a headache."

The detective smirked and shook Casey's shoulder. "It's all right. I'll get you some aspirin, too."

Wrinkling her nose, she pushed herself up on her elbows and forced an eye open. "Why are you making me get up?"

"You can stay there if you want, but lying on the couch is only going to make your headache worse."

Casey considered that, then frowned. "I hate when you're right." She sat up and stared bleary-eyed at Olivia for a moment, then she leaned forward and planted a kiss on Olivia's lips.

Olivia was surprised, but her surprise was almost instantly forgotten as she was drawn into the kiss, her fingers working their way through Casey's hair. She broke the kiss first, looking into the ADA's eyes. "Wow. What was that for?"

"A thank you." Casey smiled and started to stand. Olivia stood next to her, allowing her to lean on her for support. "I never would have made it through this past week and a half without you."

"Sure you would have," Olivia smiled as she slowly walked Casey into her bedroom. "It's just easier with someone who cares for you."

The detective helped Casey into bed, pulling the covers around her shoulder and tucking her in tightly. "Sleep tight, honey."

"Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay tonight?"

"Casey, I can't. I don't have any clean pajamas, and--"

Casey sat up and grinned through her headache. "Who says you're going to need any?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow, unsure if Casey knew what she was saying. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

The detective smiled widely. "Then I guess I'm staying tonight."