Okay, all your reading has finally paid off. Here is what you've all been waiting for...The return of ALEX!
I know I always thank everyone for reviewing, but I wanna do it again. Thank-you guys and gals so much for sticking up with me and this story, which doesn't even include Alex for the first 25 chapters. But all your loyal reviews have paid off, because now she's back.
Lets see if we can get the review count up to 200.
A/N: I don't own the song 'Breathless,' now do I claim to. It is by The Corrs. And the words in the ( ) are for whoever I have singing back-up at the time.
Thanks guys, much love...SVU Chicky
Melody's Karaoke Club
Not that they had expected any better, but out of the thirty or so people that had already tried their luck at the karaoke machine, not one got a round of applause. In fact, Olivia and Abbie sat with their hands over their ears half of the time. Since Serena and Mackenzie were singing, they got to go back to the dressing rooms where they could practice and they didn't have to hear a thing. "Lucky bastards." Olivia muttered under her breath.
Finally the music stopped and the contestant walked off the stage. "Oh thank God." Abbie said. Then the owner of the club appeared on stage again.
"Okay, thank-you, thank-you." She waited for the noise to die down. "Okay, we're going to take a little break from all this 'singing' so we can set up for some of the next singers. Coming up after the break, we have our couples competition followed by the family competition. And after the judges tally up their votes, we will have the final competition between the winners of each of the five rounds and see who wins over all."
Once she was off the stage, Abbie turned to Olivia. "Liv, why don't you sing with Mackenzie?"
Olivia choked on her beer. "Because I can't sing a not to save my life."
"And these people can?"
She had a point, but Olivia shook her head. "No, Mackenzie really wants to win this, and I would only hold her back. I guess she inherited the competitive Cabot nature. And besides, Serena has a really good voice. I think they have a shot at winning."
"Well, with the people who have been singing so far, I don't see how they can loose. But why did they enter in in the family competition? They're not related."
"The family competition was the only one that would allow them to sing together, and neither was willing to sing alone. And is anyone asks, Serena is Mackenzie's 'aunt.'"
-Half an Hour Later-
Unlike the previous two competitions, most of the couples actually sounded pretty good. As more couples stepped on stage, Olivia's faith in Mackenzie and Serena dwindled. She knew Serena was good, but she hadn't heard her sing in her real voice, only her fake real voice, if that made any sense. But she had never heard Mackenzie sing. She hoped she was good. But with thirteen years of singing lessons, she didn't know how she couldn't be.
"Okay, next up we have Serena Southerlyn and her niece Mackenzie singing 'Breathless' by The Corrs."
Abbie and Olivia weren't the only ones cheering as Serena and Mackenzie appeared on stage and got ready. Mackenzie appeared to be a bit nervous, but Serena whispered something to her and that put a big smile on her face. She stepped up to the main microphone and handed Serena the other.
"Um, I'd like to dedicate this song to my mom and the special person in her life. Without the two of you, I wouldn't be here." The music started and the lights dimmed over the whole room, except for the stage. Mackenzie's voice came out strong over the microphone, with Serena singing back-up.
"Go on go on
Leave me breathless
Come on….
Hey... yeah...
The daylight's fading slowly
The time with you is standing still
I'm waiting for you only
The slightest touch and I feel weak
I cannot lie, from you I cannot hide
And I'm losing the will to try
Can't hide it (can't hide it), can't fight it (can't fight it)
So go on, go on, come on, leave me breathless
Tempt me, tease me, until I can't deny
This loving feeling (loving feeling)
Make me long for your kiss
Go on (go on), go on (go on)
Yeah...
Come on
Yeah...
And if there's no tomorrow
And all we have is here and now
I'm happy just to have you
You're all the love I need somehow
It's like a dream
Although I'm not asleep
And I never want to wake up
Don't lose it (don't lose it), don't leave it (don't leave it)
So go on, go on, come on, leave me breathless
Tempt me, tease me, until I can't deny
This loving feeling (loving feeling)
Make me long for your kiss
Go on (go on), go on (go on)
Yeah...
Come on"
They paused and danced around for a few moments during the guitar solo. Then the stage lights went off. At first, people thought the power had gone off, but the karaoke machine was still working, so they went with it. Olivia on the other hand, knew something was up.
The lights finally came back up and there was a third person on the stage. Mackenzie and Serena were now both further back and the new person was in the front. This person had her back to the stage, but Olivia immediately knew who she was. It may have been almost two years, but there was no mistaking the way that woman moved. She turned around and picked up the song where Mackenzie left off.
"And I can't lie
From you I cannot hide
And I've lost my will to try
Can't hide it (can't hide it), can't fight it, (can't fight it)
So go on, (go on) go on, (go on), come on, leave me breathless
Tempt me, tease me, until I can't deny
This loving feeling (loving feeling) Make me long for your kiss
Go on, (go on) go on, (go on) come on, leave... me breathless
Go on, (go on) go on, (go on) come on, leave... me breathless
Go on, (go on) go on, (go on) come on, leave... me breathless
Go on... go on!"
The music ended and all three received a standing ovation. Everyone in the club was standing and screaming at the top of their lungs, all except for one shell-shocked detective. She was just staring at the stage. She had waited so long for this, and now that it actually happened, she didn't know what to do. She felt like it was all a dream.
The new lead singer made her way off the stage, leaving the rest of her group behind. The crowd parted as she made her way to the middle of the club, he eyes never leaving her detective's. The closer this woman got to her table, the more Olivia realized that this wasn't a dream. The woman stopped at the next table over, as if waiting for permission to come closer.
Olivia stood up and held her arms out to the woman. Her arms were not empty long. As soon as the two were together, Mackenzie, Serena, Abbie and the whole room roared with applause and cheers. A bunch of 'You go girls.' and 'Awe's could be heard above the sounds of hands clapping and people cheering.
"Alex." Olivia cried. It felt so good to be addressing her one true love after so long apart. "What are you doing here?"
"I couldn't take it anymore." The younger woman cried back. "I had to see you. The few days we're going to have together because of the trial just aren't enough."
That was the last word spoken between the two for the next five minutes. They stayed in each other's arms until all the cheering and clapping died down and everyone took their seats again. They reluctantly let go of each other, but stared deeply into the others eyes. Just as if they were trying to see into their partner's soul.
Mackenzie couldn't take it any more. "Will you just kiss her already!" Neither knew to whom she was addressing, but it didn't matter. With more helpful encouragement from the crowd, Olivia pulled Alex in for the best earth-shattering kiss either of them had ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Alex's lips were softer than Olivia remembered and Olivia's a little tougher. But that did nothing to stop Alex, in fact, that only pushed her further to the edge of that cliff she was getting closer and closer to going over.
Once it was impossible to ignore the roaring of the crowd, the two pulled apart, much to the dismay of all the now quite happy men in the club. Not wanting to end what they had just started, the two quickly slipped out of the club.