Realizing that it was probably going to take a while before their food arrived, Alex tried to lessen the boredom that was sure to ensue. "So, while we're waiting for our wonderful Italian cuisine to arrive, tell me what it is that you do to pay your tuition and other bills and such."

Jess laughed. "That was a fancy way of asking me what I do for a living."

"Again, lawyer. It's my job."

"Right," Jess said, smiling and rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I have a degree in Graphic Design with an emphasis in Desktop Publishing. I basically make wedding invitations and other announcements. I do a lot of brochures for upcoming company meetings and events and stuff like that."

Alex was amazed. That was pretty impressive, especially since she was so young. "Where do you work?"

"My bedroom."

"What? Jess, do you…is it – do you do it by yourself?"

Jess blushed. "I do it with Allen. He's amazing. He does all the legal and technical stuff. I put the brochures together. Matthews and Handley Designs. That was his idea. I wanted his name first but, well, he said since I was the creative one, my name had to go first." She paused, and looked away. "He's the one that convinced me to do it. I never really thought I was good enough."

Alex smiled. "Jess, of course you're good enough. I saw how you cleaned my apartment and organized everything. You're really creative. I'd love to see some of your work – if it's okay with you, of course."

"Yeah, sure." She smiled slightly. She wasn't sure if she was excited or scared. Her parents thought she was throwing her life away with this career choice. They didn't care that she as pulling in enough money to pay for her entire tuition without aid as well as an apartment in New York City. They just weren't interested. Why was Alex? Why did Alex care so much about her? She wanted to ask her, but now wasn't the time. She forced a smile. "So, tell me about your job. What made you want to become a lawyer?" as soon as she finished the question, she wanted to take it back. She remembered Alex's scars. Something horrible had happened; and she no doubt wanted to make sure she could put people like that away.

Alex noticed Jess' sudden regret at having asked that question, but it didn't bother her. By now she figured Jess had seen her scars, and had probably come to at least a few accurate conclusions. She swallowed. "I was tired of seeing people get away with heinous crimes. I just wanted to help people send their assailants to jail."

They never caught him, Jess thought. She smiled, completely in shock at the strength and bravery this woman had. "You are an incredible person, Alexandra Cabot."

"No I'm not."

Jess grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. "Yea, Alex, you are."

She smiled, fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Well I think you're pretty incredible yourself Jessica Matthews."

"I know this is going to sound incredibly cheesy but I don't care." Jess took a deep breath. "I am so glad I found you. I was so confused for so long. I…you…I want to be a part of your life. I want you to be a part of my life. I hope…"

Alex squeezed her hand. She felt the same way, but she was still scared. She hadn't told Jess about her relationship with Olivia. The fact that Jess was as caring and willing to wait until she was ready to talk was beyond her comprehension. Still, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that she was all too good to be true. She forced a smile anyway. "I'm really glad you found me, too."

Jess noticed the nerves in Alex's voice, but she didn't get the chance to say anything. The waitress arrived with their food and Jess realized why she'd given Alex such a strange look. She, too, had ordered the fettuccini alfredo. She smiled. The two of them were so alike it was scary.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Olivia and Elliot walked into the hospital room with Casey following close behind. The woman, who's real name was Cynthia Zeller, was lying in bed, smiling, waiting for them.

"Well detectives," she said softly. "I was wondering when you were going to drop by. And look, you even brought your little lawyer friend with you."

"Cynthia Zeller," Olivia said, walking over to her and handcuffing her to the bed, "You are under arrest for the murders of twenty-three men. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say –"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she interrupted. "Anything I say can and will be used against me in a court of law. I know that I have the right to an attorney and if I can't get one, one will be appointed to me. I know my rights, detectives." She smiled, then looked over at Elliot and narrowed her eyes. "You ever cheat on your wife, detective?"

Elliot stiffened and looked her straight in the eyes. "No."

"Ever been tempted?"

"No. I love my wife."

"Good. That's good. You should keep it that way. I'd hate to think about what would happen if you were to cheat on her with the wrong woman."

Before Elliot could respond, Olivia jumped in, praying she could avoid a huge fight. "I've been told you don't want legal representation. Any particular reason you feel that way?"

Cynthia looked at Olivia and smiled. "I want the jury to hear my side of the story. My real side, not what some dumb lawyer wants them to hear."

"If I get my way, which I will, you won't even make it to the grand jury." Casey said angrily. "The judge'll indict you before you can even try."

"We'll see Ms. Novak," Cynthia said. "I won't be going to jail. Once the judge hears about this poor woman who found out her husband cheated on her dozens of times and gave her several STDs, she'll let me go."

Casey grabbed her briefcase and started to leave. "And once the judge finds out that you killed twenty-three men by cutting off their testicles, she'll lock you up for the rest of your life." She walked out, with Elliot and Olivia following behind.

Elliot moved slowly, nervously. "Casey," he said once they were in the hall. "Do you think the judge –"

"Elliot," Casey interrupted gently. She could tell the conversation had left him on edge. "The judge isn't going to let her go. I'll get her. This is a slam dunk case."

"But what her husband did…"

"Was wrong, yes, but that doesn't give her the right to go Lorena Bobbit twenty-three times. She was methodical, calculated. This wasn't the work of some psychopath who hand no idea what she was doing. Zeller was thinking clearly when she did this. I'll get her Elliot."

Elliot was clearly upset. He obviously didn't see them winning this case nearly as easily as Casey did. He was sure Cynthia was going to figure out how to cop an insanity plea or something. He could feel the tension and anxiety rising in him.

"Go home, Elliot," Olivia said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Go spend some time with Kathy and the kids. Casey and I can handle this until morning."

"But-"

"She's right," Casey added. "Elliot you look like shit and I'm sure you feel even worse. Go home. Take a shower. Relax. Spend time with your family. I know you don't get to do that often. Come back refreshed tomorrow."

"But-"

"Dammit, Elliot, no buts!" Olivia yelled. "Get out of here and go home. Casey and I can handle this. We're big girls!"

They were right. He hated to admit it, but it was true. Plus, he really needed to spend time with his family. If he left now, he could still eat dinner with them, which was something he hadn't done in nearly two months. He sighed. "Okay, I'll go, but if anything happens-"

"ELLIOT!" They yelled in unison.

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving." He turned around and walked away. He hated leaving in the middle of a case, especially this case, but he had to. It was getting to him. Besides, he knew that Olivia and Casey were more than capable of handling it for one night. He just hoped that Casey was right about nailing Cynthia so easily.

"He has got to be the most stubborn man I know!" Casey said once Elliot was gone.

Olivia laughed. "He's almost as stubborn as Alex, which isn't easy to do."

Casey raised her eyebrows and smiled mischievously. "Speaking of Alex…are you two…you know…"

Olivia's eyes widened. "What? How did you-"

Casey's grin widened. "When you disappeared to make that phone call, Elliot told me you were calling her."

"I'm gonna kill him."

"Relax Liv, that's all her told me. I figured out on my own that Max left her. I knew he wasn't good enough for her. Besides, I saw how happy you two were when you were together."

Olivia arched her eyebrows. "You saw it?"

"Oh yeah," Casey said laughing. "You two were so obviously in love, even if she never really admitted it. There was just something about the two of you…I could sense it. You both had this spark in your eyes. It was amazing. After you two broke up, you both lost that spark. I didn't see it in he when she was with Max, but I saw it in you tonight."

"What?"

"When you entered the building, you were glowing." She hesitated. She remembered how quiet and secretive Elliot had been. "Liv, is everything okay with Alex? Elliot seemed…upset."

Casey's voice was full of concern and Olivia hated keeping secrets from her. She knew Casey cared a lot about Alex, but right now she wasn't going to betray Alex's trust. She looked up and met Casey's eyes. "She's going through some stuff right now. I'm not really at liberty to say. Just…I guess just be extra nice to her for a while. Make sure she knows you're there if she needs you."

"Liv?"

"Casey, I can't tell you any more. Not right now. Just be there for her, okay?"

Casey put her arm around her as they walked out into the parking lot. "Liv, she's like my sister. I will always be there for her."

"Good, because right now, she's going to need all the support we can offer."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex and Jess were just about to start looking for their waitress to ask for their bill when she arrived. "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting," she said anxiously. "We're short-staffed this week and lately we've been getting slammed."

"Not a problem," Alex said as she picked it up. The waitress left, promising to return shortly. Alex started to take her wallet out of her purse when she froze. He was close. She could smell him. She couldn't move.

Jess noticed that Alex had suddenly frozen, fear in her eyes. "Alex?"

"No…no, no, no, no, no," Alex said quietly as she began rocking back and forth.

Jess knew she had to get Alex out of there. She reached into her purse and pulled out her own wallet. She put thirty dollars on the table, hoping it was enough to cover the bill and a tip. She grabbed her purse, then grabbed Alex's. When she turned around to face the exit, she saw that their way was blocked by a large party trying to put several tables together and get situated. She had to get Alex away from all these people.

"B-b-bathroom," Alex said shakily, still frozen with fear.

Jess spun back around and helped Alex stand. She had to half-carry her the entire way to the bathroom.

"Go away, go away, go away, go away," Alex said, still rocking back and forth.

As soon as they walked in, Alex threw herself into the first stall and started vomiting up her lunch. Jess stepped in behind her and pulled her hair back out of her face. "It's okay Alex," She told her, rubbing her back gently. "You're not back there. You're safe, I promise. I'm right here."

Tears of pain and guilt poured from her eyes as she realized what was happening. Everything she felt when it was happing had come back. She knew she was still in the restaurant, but all the pain, all the humiliation, it all came flooding back to her and she couldn't deal with it. It was too painful. It had happened so quickly. One second she was fine and enjoying lunch and the next, well the next she was puking in the toilet.

"You okay?" Jess asked when Alex pulled her face out of the toilet. She grabbed a handful of toilet paper and was about to wipe Alex's face when Alex took it from her.

"Don't," she said angrily. "You shouldn't have to touch something this disgusting." She wiped her face and flushed the toilet.

Jess wasn't sure if Alex was talking about her vomit-covered face or herself, but she didn't ask. She put her arm under Alex's. "Come on," she said softly. "Let's get you out of here."

Alex let Jess help her up and they walked outside. The fresh air felt good on her face. She sighed sadly, embarrassed. "How much like shit do I look?" She asked Jess as they made their way to the subway. "And be honest."

"You look fine," Jess told her truthfully. "You can't even tell what just happened, I promise." She paused for a moment. "Do you need to go home?"

Alex wasn't sure. The sudden flood of emotions had left her exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but she still wanted to go to the park with Jess. She just wasn't sure if Jess still wanted to. She swallowed nervously and shook her head. "I think I still want to go to the park."

"You sure? We can always take a raincheck."

"I'm sure."

"Okay, the park it is."

"Hey, Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"You got any gum or mints? I have a feeling my breath smells about as bad as my mouth tastes."

Jess laughed as she dug through her purse and pulled out a piece of Juicy Fruit. "We'll have to make a quick stop though," she said.

"Why?"

"That was my last piece."

Alex laughed. "There's a convenience store up here on the corner."

"That'll work."

"Jess?"

"Yeah?"

Alex tried to smile. "Thanks."

Jess laced her arm in Alex's, hoping to show the woman that she wasn't going anywhere. "Come on. Let's go to the park."