Disclaimer: Dick owns just about all of them.

Oooooooh, I really hate cars now. Four people in a five-passenger Mazda driving from Philadelphia to Florida…not so good. I think my legs cramped more times than I can count. Actually, spending a total of 30 hours in a car over the last week has given me ample time to think about my next chapter. Now I'm sitting at my computer, staring at a mostly blank page, trying to figure out how to write it out. I'm planning on making this one much happier than previous ones. Here it goes…

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Allen led Jess slowly out of the courtroom after she had calmed down a bit. Her body was still shaking slightly, needing to get the emotions out, but her eyes had expelled all the tears they were going to for the moment. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and never come out again. Hearing what Alex's parents, her grandparents, had said, had nearly crushed her. It made her sick to know that they shared the same blood. She even debated confronting them, but she knew it was useless. She'd been given up for adoption for a reason; Alex had been told she was killed for a reason. Those people wanted nothing to do with her, and she wanted nothing to do with them.

She heard someone calling her name as soon as she and Allen were out in the hallway. She rubbed her eyes and looked up, seeing Olivia running frantically towards them. "Jess! You've got to come quick! She's in the bathroom!"

Jess took one terrified look at Allen, then bolted in Olivia's direction and followed her to the bathroom. Something about the look in Olivia's eyes scared the shit out of her. When they finally got to the bathroom, Olivia stopped and turned to her. "This was bad, Jess. This was really bad."

"I know," she nodded. "Is she…"

Olivia took a deep breath. "She wasn't prepared for her job to be called into question, and she sure as hell wasn't prepared for that to be the reason they wanted her to testify in the first place, but I think she's going to be okay. Her parents really upset her though." She paused and looked down at the floor. "She, um, she won't talk to me right now. She's asking for you. I tried to talk to her but…"

Jess saw the worry in Olivia's eyes, but she also thought she saw fear. It was in that moment that Jess realized how scared Olivia was of losing Alex. She smiled as she pulled the woman into a tight hug. "I'll go talk to her," she said softly. She went to pull out of the hug, but found Olivia wasn't ready to let go just yet. She gently rubbed her back. "You're not going to lose her. She loves you," she said as Olivia finally let go. With that, she stepped around Olivia and walked into the bathroom.

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"Casey?" Steve asked hesitantly as he opened the bedroom door. She had gone in there to grab her things for a shower nearly half an hour ago, and hadn't returned. He looked in and saw her sitting on the bed, her elbows resting on her knees and her face in her hands. Her shoulders were heaving with her sobs. He walked over and put his arm around her. "Honey, talk to me. What happened?"

She looked up and swallowed as she rested her head on his shoulder. She was glad he was so good to her. "We figured out Simpkins' real motive for calling Alex to the sand." She took a deep breath and sat up straight, looking him in the eyes. "He asked his questions in a way he knew would hurt her. Once I was done asking my questions, Alex was allowed to step down. Before she could do that Jennings went nuts and confessed to hurting her and the other girls. He screamed that she was a whore and that she wanted it. Simpkins didn't even try to stop him either. Her parents were sitting on Jennings' side and they said some really horrible things to her and basically disowned her. Before Olivia could get her out of the courtroom, Simpkins called her job into question. That's why he wanted her up there in the first place. It was really, really bad in there, Steve."

"Oh, God," he said softly. He knew it was going to be a rough trial, but he hadn't expected anything like this. He could feel the anger rising up in him, and he cringed when he thought about how horrible it must have been for everyone in that courtroom.

She took another deep breath and nodded. "Petrovsky just called me. She met with Simpkins immediately after everything happened. He's going to lose his job and probably spend a good bit of time in jail. She's going to sentence Jennings to death, but we still have to appear in court one more time to finalize everything, though this time he'll have a different lawyer." She shook her head, trying to make sense of this entire situation. She felt his hand gently caressing her back and smiled. "At least those girls won't have to testify. Simpkins will be tried with contempt of court and hindering prosecution, but Petrovsky's hands are tied right now. Nothing like this has ever really happened so she's not sure what to do with him."

He nodded and tried to absorb everything she had just told him. He could see the guilt that she was feeling over all of this, and it killed him. He wrapped his other arm around he and held her tight. "I love you," he told her. "I love you so, so much, and I am so incredibly proud of you for today." He felt her try to shrug him off after that last comment, but he refused to let go of her. "What happened was not your fault, Casey. It wasn't. You held your own in there and Alex was ready for everything you asked her because you prepared her. You did your job the best that anybody could have done. Nobody could have seen it coming, honey. Nobody."

She still couldn't make herself believe that. Even though she knew there was no way she could have been prepared for what had happened, she still couldn't help feeling guilty. "I knew he was going to pull something. I should have tried to stop him sooner. I knew something was wrong when he was asking his questions. I knew something wasn't right and –"

"Shh," he said as he pulled her up to stand. He walked her into the bathroom and they undressed and climbed into the shower. "You couldn't have done anything, sweetie. It's okay. You did a damned good job, I'm sure." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. He gently rubbed her shoulders as she rested her head against his chest. "I love you, Case. This wasn't your fault."

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"Captain what the hell happened in that courtroom?" Fin asked as soon as they were all back at the station. Everyone had left a hell of a lot sooner than anticipated, and he had seen Olivia practically carrying Alex to the bathroom. They'd heard the shouting coming from inside, but had been unable to decipher anything that was said. Jess and Casey hadn't come out with everybody else either. Something huge had definitely happened, and he wanted answers.

Cragen swallowed hard and looked up at Fin, Munch, and Elliot. They were all worried and concerned, hell, so was he. He had just gotten off the phone with the judge and had been told every detail of the events. "Jennings' lawyer pulled one hell of a fast one on us. Looks like he only wanted Cabot on the stand so he could torture her until she broke, then call her job into question."

"Holy shit," Elliot said. He looked around at all the stunned faces in the room. No way any of them saw this one coming. "What happens now? Is Alex okay?"

"Simpkins will lose his job, and hopefully go to jail for pulling this little stunt. Jennings confessed so he's getting a needle in his arm. As for Cabot, I don't know. I've tried her cell as well as Benson's but they're not answering."

Munch, who had been leaning against his desk this whole time, finally stood up straight and looked around the room. "Are we sure we can even nail Simpkins? Nothing like this has really ever happened before has it? I mean, I know lawyers are scumbags, but how often does one call a witness to the stand only to make her lose her job?"

Cragen shook his head. "I don't know. All we can do is pray that Petrovsky can get him locked up for contempt of court and hope that he goes away for a long time. At least he can't practice law anymore. That's what he deserves."

"He deserves a swift kick in the ass," Fin said.

"I'll do it," Munch added. "I've got nothing planned for Saturday afternoon.

"Easy guys," Cragen said, even though he knew they were joking.

Elliot's face was serious as he looked his boss in the eyes. "What do we do now?"

"We keep working on our cases. The ones relating to Jennings will now be considered closed cases. We move on. Simpkins isn't our problem right now. He doesn't fall into our jurisdiction anyway."

"Seems like we're just turning our backs."

"We don't have a choice, Elliot. All we can do now is move on with our other cases. I know it sucks, believe me, but there's nothing else we can do."

They all hated to admit it, but he was right. Simpkins was in the court's hands now, as was Jennings. Both cases were out of their hands. Still, they felt terrible that they couldn't do more to help. Alex wasn't just another victim. She was their friend. The four of them looked at each other, and though no words were spoken, a silent agreement was made. Alex mattered more than anything else in this entire situation – she came first. They would always be there to support her and give her everything she needed to get through this, no matter what the cost.

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Jess slowly pushed open the bathroom door and went inside. She heard Alex's sobs coming from the last stall and made her way towards her. Seeing a person you love and care deeply about sitting in a bathroom stall and dry heaving into a toilet is perhaps one of the worst visions a person can experience. Jess closed her eyes and fought the tears as she slowly kneeled down behind Alex and gently put a hand on her back. "Hey," she said softly.

Tears poured from Alex's eyes as she pulled her face out of the toilet and looked at Jess. She hadn't actually thrown up – she hadn't eaten anything in nearly two days – but she still felt nauseous. It was actually worse that she didn't have anything to expel from her body. It kept the nausea coming back. She tried to wipe away her tears but Jess stopped her and wrapped her arms around her. She collapsed against her niece and sobbed harder. The questions Simpkins had asked her were bad, yes, but she had been prepared for them. She had been prepared for Casey's questions, too. Hell, she had even expected Jennings to say or do something outrageous. It was Simpkins' response to Jennings' outburst, and his calling her job into question that bothered her. That plus the words her parents said to her as they were leaving. If she hadn't been so distraught, she probably would have smiled a little when Olivia had told them to go to hell.

"Can I get you anything?" Jess asked, rubbing Alex's back. She hated this more than anything. She wished there was something she could have done to prevent what had just happened, but she knew nobody saw it coming. Nobody could have prepared Alex for that. She wiped away one of her own tears as she held Alex, waiting for her to speak.

"My life back. I've lost everything." Alex said softly.

"What?" Jess asked gently as she pulled Alex's head up to meet her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Alex laughed angrily and pulled away. "My job, my money, my family…hell, probably Olivia after she finds out I'm not inheriting twenty million dollars when my parents die. I've lost everything, Jess!"

Jess pulled her back into a hug and refused to let go even when Alex struggled against it. "No, Alex. You haven't lost everything. We don't know that you've lost your job. As for your inheritance, it doesn't matter." She felt Alex scoff at that last part, so she repeated herself. "It doesn't matter, Alex. Olivia loves you, not your money. She isn't going to care that you've lost the inheritance, I promise." She rubbed Alex's back and smiled. "And you haven't lost your entire family. We're family, too, remember?"

Alex smiled slightly and nodded. "I know, and I thank God everyday because you walked into my life." She sat up and took a deep breath as she met Jess' eyes. "You've helped me get through so much. You've helped me get my life back together. Hell, Olivia and I are back together because of you." She sighed and forced a smile. "Thank you."

Jess smiled and shook her head modestly. "Yeah well, you've done a lot for me, too. You accepted me very quickly, despite the circumstances. You didn't hate me after I told you what I did to Casey. You helped convince me that I deserve Allen. You came over yesterday to cheer me up, even though you knew today was going to be hell." She wrapped an arm around Alex. "Don't sell yourself short, Alex. You've done a lot yourself."

They stood and walked towards the door. Before Jess could open it, Alex grabbed her arm. "How do I face her?" she asked worriedly. "I wouldn't even talk to her when she was in here with me. How do I face her now?"

"You face her the same way you always do. She's worried about you, that's why she sent me in here. She's terrified of losing you, Alex. She's not going to leave you now, I promise."

Alex nodded and opened the door, allowing Jess to follow behind her. She looked up and saw Olivia standing fifteen feet away, tears pouring down her face as Allen gently rubbed her back. It broke her heart to see Olivia like that. She hated to see Olivia crying for her, though in a way it made her feel a little better. It proved that Olivia was feeling her pain. She walked over behind Olivia and placed a hand on her back. Olivia slowly turned around and wrapped her arms around Alex. They stood there like that for several minutes, sobbing in each other's arms.

"I was so scared you were going to walk out on me," Alex confessed.

"Never," Olivia said sternly through her tears. "I could never walk out on you. I love you too much."

"Even without the money?"

Olivia pulled out of the hug and forced Alex to look her in the eyes. "It was never about the money, Alex. Never. I have always loved you. Your money was never a factor in that."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she said as she cupped Alex's face in her hands. "I fell in love with you even before I found out how much you were worth. Money isn't an issue, Alex. You are the most beautiful and amazing woman I know, and I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

Olivia wrapped her arm around her and smiled. "Come on. Let's get out of here. What do you say we go out to dinner tonight? My treat."

Alex smiled. "I'd like that."

Jess and Allen walked slowly over to the hugging women and smiled. "I think we'll let you two go," Jess told them. "You did great today, Alex. You did really great. Have an awesome dinner tonight."

"Thanks Jess," Alex answered with what was probably the first real smile she'd expressed since the day before. "I'll call you later. We'll grab lunch or something next week."

"Sounds good."

As they parted their separate ways, all four of them tried to understand and accept the events of the day. They all made a mental note to call Casey to make sure she was okay. They had all seen the look in her eyes as she left the courtroom, and they were worried. Still, Alex was proud of herself for the first time since she could remember, and she could tell her friends were proud of her as well. She felt finally felt loved and respected, and it was the most amazing feeling in the world.

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"Are you seriously planning on taking me to Le Cirque for dinner?" Alex asked as she pulled a long black dress from the closet. "It costs like, seventy dollars a person, Liv! You don't have to take me someplace this nice."

Olivia smiled and put on a pair of long silver earrings. "Of course I don't have to take you there, but I want to. It's a nice restaurant and you deserve to go there. Just think of it that way. You've had one hell of a day, and you deserve to be pampered tonight."

"You want to pamper me?"

"Of course I do," she said smiling. She slipped off her shirt and pulled on a silk red sweater. "Who wouldn't want to pamper you?"

"Well, I'll have to issue two conditions on that request."

"Oh? And what might those be?"

Alex pulled on her dress and smiled as she walked over to Olivia. She turned around so her back was to her. "First, zip me up." After Olivia laughed and zipped up her dress, Alex turned to face her once again. "Second, you let me pamper you next time."

"Deal."

Alex smiled and shook her head. "Damn you look hot in red. You need to wear it more often."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah," she laughed and pulled Olivia into a passionate kiss.

While she was slightly surprised by the sudden kiss, Olivia eagerly wrapped her arms around Alex and kissed her back. It was the best kiss she'd ever had, and she never wanted it to end. She was falling in love with Alex more and more as each second passed. Finally, she was forced to pull out of the kiss. "You're going to ruin my lipstick, you know that don't you?"

"That's why I always wait until it's time to leave to put mine on. You never know what'll happen while we're getting ready." She winked and made her way to the bathroom to apply her own makeup.

As Alex was getting ready in the bathroom, Olivia finished getting dressed. She pulled on her favorite black skirt and checked the full – length mirror to make sure she had it on straight. She frowned at her appearance. The wrinkles in her face seemed more apparent than ever before. She was really starting to look her age now. Maybe if she put on more foundation she could hide it.

"I think you look gorgeous."

Olivia turned to see Alex standing in the doorway, smiling at her. She tried to fake a smile and walked away from the mirror. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Liv. I know you. I saw you frowning in the mirror. I know what you were thinking." She walked over to Olivia and grabbed her hand. "I don't ever want you to think that way again. If you can look at me and tell me I'm beautiful, you'd damned well better be able to look at yourself and see the same beauty I see."

"I've got age lines, Alex. My face is practically covered with age lines."

"And I've got knife wounds and cigarette burns. Get over it." She hadn't meant to sound angry, but it had accidentally come out that way. She had just wanted Olivia to know she thought she was beautiful, and that everyone has something about themselves that they don't like.

For a second, she was terrified that she'd horribly offended Alex. She looked away apologetically. "Alex, I –"

"Stop," Alex said sternly and met her eyes. "Don't apologize. It's okay. I know we all have ugly days and I didn't mean to make you feel bad for feeling that way. I just want you to know that I think you're absolutely gorgeous, age lines and all."

"I didn't mean…"

She nodded. "I know."

"I think you're pretty gorgeous yourself."

Alex smiled. "I'm learning to think so, too."

"It's the truth."

She took a deep breath and nodded slightly. "Right now, in this dress, I actually believe you. I've never been able to look at myself and see anything beautiful, but now I almost can. I have you to thank for that."

"Yeah well, I've never seen anything other than beauty in you."

"I know. Thank you so much, Liv. Thanks for sticking this out with me. You could have left at any time and I would have understood. Thanks for staying."

Olivia leaned in and lightly kissed her. "Leaving you was never an option. I can't imagine my life without you. You make me the happiest woman in the world."

"Likewise." Alex said and returned a light kiss. She looked down at her watch and almost screamed. "We're going to be late! Our reservation's in thirty minutes!"

"All this flirting really makes time go fast. It feels like it was just seven a minute ago. Come on. We'd better go."

As they made their way out the door and to the car, both women smiled. "Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for taking me out tonight. I think I really needed it."

"I know you did. That's why I planned it."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. It's my job to make my girlfriend happy."

She smiled and shook her head. "Drive, Liv, or we're going to be really late."

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"You know," Allen said as he and Jess sat down for dinner that night. "I've been thinking."

"Uh oh. Should I be worried?"

"I don't think so. I've been thinking about us getting married," he said softly. He grinned when he saw the excited smile on her face. "I was thinking we should probably start planning for the wedding. I want it to be perfect for you."

"Allen, any wedding where I'm marrying you, is perfect."

He blushed. "Yeah well, I was thinking more along the lines of actually making some plans. Now I know you hate all things lavish and expensive, so I tried to think of something you might like." He paused for dramatic effect and took great pleasure in staring at her expectant face. "How would you like to get married in Central Park?"

"What?" she asked in disbelief. She knew he'd once expressed a desire to get married in a church. She'd always planned on doing just that, even if it wasn't exactly what she wanted. "I thought you wanted to get married in a church."

He nodded. "I did, at first. But now that I've been thinking about it, Central Park sounds much nicer. I know we wouldn't have a whole lot of guests, so I was thinking we could reserve a small spot for the wedding, maybe near the water. Then we could rent out a place at the Sheraton for the reception."

"The Sheraton's kind of expensive. Are you sure you –"

"It's fine. We'll have a DJ, some appetizers, and an open bar. It'll be wonderful."

She smiled excitedly. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. Just don't get carried away. You know how much I hate spending money on useless and unimportant things."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "You, my dear, are neither unimportant nor useless. You are beautiful and wonderful and amazing, and you deserve the most perfect wedding in the world."

"When do you want to have it?"

"I don't know. Maybe mid or late May. I don't want it to be too hot."

She nodded in agreement. "We should start planning now then."

"Or we could just hire a wedding planner."

"Nope. Too expensive. I just want a podium for the priest, chairs for the guests, and a flower arbor to walk through before I walk down whatever aisle we make. Then we can say our vows and it'll all be very merry. The reception will be nice, with good appetizers and good music. Hell, we'll probably end up spending more money on the damn reception than the wedding," she laughed.

"Are you sure that's all you want for the wedding?"

"Absolutely. I'm marrying the most wonderful man in the world. Why the hell would I want a whole bunch of unimportant crap everywhere I look?"

He leaned in and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you, too."