Someone on Tumblr asked me who I picture Adrienne as, and if you're wondering - a redheaded Alexandra Daddario.

Thanks for reading, as always 3


Once Alex finished loading the wash cycle on her bedsheets, she grabbed a fresh set from the linen closet beside the wash closet and headed back into her bedroom. While putting new sheets on the bed she heard the telltale sound of her front door opening again. She walked toward the door to her bedroom and peeked over the loft.

"Sorry Alex, I forgot my phone," Adrienne's voice called from downstairs, "Is it up there?"

"Check in the couch," Alexandra called back, walking back into her bedroom and finishing changing her bed sheets. The blonde wasn't exactly upset about having to change her sheets early, this particular set was her favorite of the ones she had in rotation. With a light jade green duvet cover, there weren't many options for sheets. This particular set was a worn out dark grey colored eucalyptus set from Buffy. They were like butter. Once she was done, she threw her duvet back over the bed, arranged her plethora of pillows against the headboard, and started looking for Adrienne's phone.

"Not down here," Adrienne called, her voice getting closer. A moment later, she was back in Alex's room, "Have you seen it?"

"Not yet," Alex answered, dropping to her knees to check under the bed.

"You on your knees is quite a sight," Adrienne teased, walking to the opposite side of the bed to check where she'd picked up her pants earlier.

"Shut up," Alex groaned, leaning underneath the king-sized bed. She spotted the phone underneath the head of the bed beside the nightstand. The blonde leaned in, reached underneath the bed, and grabbed it, "Got it."

Adrienne walked back over to Alex and helped her up, taking the phone from her hand in the process, "Thank you… my hero."

"Damn, you make the bed fast," Adrienne opined, scanning Alex's bedroom. Alexandra's bedroom was exactly what one would expect it to be. Her furniture was simple, modern, and white like much of the rest of the house. The pieces were finished with touches of beachy colored wood, that matched the jade-colored duvet well. Alexandra had decorated the room modestly, the walls covered mostly with black and white line drawings. She had a few pictures on her main dresser, and a large, plush, white area rug underneath her bed. There were candles scattered throughout the room, and a large white comfortable looking chair near the window with a dedicated bookshelf. It was very Alex.

"You need to keep your opinions to yourself," Alex groaned, swatting the redhead's shoulder. It had only been about seven minutes since Marla had called, and Noah and the sitter wouldn't be able to get up to her apartment without security calling first, but the blonde still needed to take a quick shower.

"Someone's nervous," Adrienne answered, putting her arm around Alex's shoulders, "Chill out… it's not like she really has any reason to be in your bedroom… Besides, she's gay, isn't she? She knows we all screw each other... She dated Abby, remember?"

"I prefer to forget that little fact as often as possible," Alexandra replied, returning Adrienne's hug, "I need to go rinse off, and you need to get out of here."

"We work together Alex, and we're best friends, it's not that weird that I'd be here," Adrienne told her, letting go of the blonde's shoulders. Alex shrugged, Adrienne was right – it wouldn't be that strange, but still, she didn't want Olivia's mind jumping to conclusions – no matter how correct those conclusions might've ended up being.

Alex pulled her crewneck over her head and tossed it into her hamper before walking toward the bathroom, "I know… just, I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Adrienne didn't respond for a moment, watching as Alexandra started to pull the sweatpants she'd thrown on down her legs. Alex looked back at the redhead and laughed. She really did enjoy how attracted to her Adrienne was. Alexandra knew she was an attractive woman, she wasn't dumb – but the way Adrienne looked at her never failed to make her feel extra sexy. It was almost as good as how Olivia made her feel.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Alex teased, throwing her sweatpants at the dumbfounded woman, "Toss those in the hamper on your way out, please?"

"Your body should be illegal," Adrienne finally reacted, taking one final look at the blonde's ass before turning and tossing the pants into Alex's hamper for her. The blonde had an incredible ass for having such a small frame. It had to be the endless amounts of running and yoga she did. It looked even better with the scratch marks Adrienne had left across it earlier. She licked her lips at the sight.

"Don't do anything stupid tonight, okay?" Adrienne called as she walked out of the room, "I'm trying to be able to drop your name for perks someday, Senator."

"Get out of here," Alex laughed, shutting the bathroom door on Adrienne. She rolled her eyes once she heard Adrienne head down the stairs, and immediately walked over to her shower. She opened the glass door, turned on the water, and got in. There was no time to wait for the water to get hot.

In record time, literally, within two minutes, Alex was out of the shower and drying her hair with a towel in her bedroom. Once she was satisfied, she made quick work of dressing herself in a pair of black skinny jeans, and a black and white horizontal striped long sleeve shirt. It wasn't until she was standing in her bathroom drying her hair two minutes later that she heard the ringing of her intercom system. She turned off the blow-dryer, unplugged it, and put it back in its place under her sink. While her hair was still damp, she was clean, the bedroom was clean, and she'd only have to deal with Noah and his sitter for now. Alex opted to tie her hair up in a loose, messy bun, and crossed the threshold into her bedroom.

She stopped in front of the small white intercom box on her bedroom wall and pressed the large silver button, "Hi Daniel," she said softly into the receiver.

"Good Afternoon Miss. Cabot, I have a Miss. Lucy Huston here to see you," the security guard's voice responded through the intercom.

"Does she have an adorable little boy with her?" Alex asked, unsure of what Noah's babysitter's name was. She glanced at the clock and smiled, proud of herself for showering and getting dressed in six minutes flat.

"Yep, Noah seems very excited to see you," he replied, "Should I send them up?"

"Yes, send them up, please… Oh, and Daniel, Olivia Benson will be coming by soon too, please let her up," Alex told him.

"We haven't taken her off the list since you put her on last week. Did you want me to put an end date?" Daniel asked.

"No, just leave it how it is," Alex answered after thinking for a moment. She wasn't sure how long Olivia and Noah would be staying with her this time, it was clear they needed a place with more security and that would take a bit of time to find, especially with Olivia having limited resources. Even with the money from the joint account that Bradley had given her, it wouldn't be enough for Olivia to buy anything safe enough out east or in the City. Besides, Alexandra really did enjoy having Olivia and Noah staying with her – she really didn't want to take Olivia off her security access list.

"As you wish, have a good day Miss. Cabot" Daniel responded, ending the call between them.

Alexandra walked out of her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She slowly descended the stairs and walked over toward the livingroom, picking up the remote and turning on the TV. It wasn't like she had any toys for Noah to play with, or even something as simple as an Xbox for him to play video games on. No, Alexandra's apartment wasn't exactly prepared for a kid to be staying there. The TV would have to do. A few minutes later, there was a knock at her door.

She smiled and moved toward the entryway, opening the door a few seconds later.

"Alex!" Noah yelped from beside the woman Alex deduced was his babysitter. His little arms quickly wrapped around Alexandra's legs, squeezing her tightly. Alexandra almost fell back from the force but caught herself and wrapped an arm around Noah in return. If she was being honest, she'd missed the little guy, even though she'd seen him two days prior. While kids had never really been something Alexandra thought of, Noah had somehow clawed his way into her heart just like his mother had.

"Hi little man," Alexandra said with a smile, "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Noah pulled away and grabbed Lucy's hand, "This isn't my friend Alex, this is my babysitter Lucy!"

Alexandra smiled at the exchange, and reached her hand out for Lucy to shake, "Alexandra Cabot, it's nice to meet you, please, come in."

Lucy shook her hand and returned the grin, "Lucy Huston." Alexandra stepped aside and motioned for Lucy and Noah to come inside. Noah immediately ripped his puffy green coat off and tossed it to Lucy as he headed inside the apartment.

"I'm sorry I don't have much for him," Lucy told Alex as she handed the blonde the little boy's backpack and coat, "I got him from school and when we tried to go back to the house, I could see the news vans already lined up. Olivia asked me to bring him to the City so we could figure it out so we went to walk the park to wait for her, but she called me panicking – and… anyway, I just grabbed everything I had in my car of his for you… there's a pair of underwear and sweatpants – but really he's just got the jeans and shirt he's wearing."

Alex smiled, "It's okay. This is all… a lot. We'll make do with what we have… thank you for bringing him over here. I'm sure this was the last thing you were expecting when you took this job."

"I've been with the Holter's for a while… since Noah was a baby," Lucy explained, "I learned to expect the unexpected a long time ago." The two women were standing between the living room and kitchen, watching as Noah dug shuffled his feet at Lucy's side. Despite being rather comfortable at Alex's apartment, he looked a little out of sorts from his usual self.

Alexandra laughed, and put Noah's backpack on one of the counter stools, "Can I get you anything to drink? Eat? Can I call you a cab home?"

"You're sweet," Lucy responded, "I'd love to fill my water bottle, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, there's a filter on the fridge," Alex told her, pointing toward the refrigerator behind Lucy.

"Noah, would you like to go watch some TV while I talk to Lucy for a minute?" Alexandra asked, leaning down to talk to the young boy to gain his attention. She felt bad for the kid, he'd been shuffled around quite a bit over the last week. It had to be strange for him, being so far off from his usual routine. Alex didn't know much about kids, but she knew damn well she'd thrived off of having a set routine as a child.

"It's okay," Noah said with a frown, "I already know." He shrugged his shoulders and grabbed onto Lucy's jacket, tugging her closer to him. He buried his head into Lucy's hip, trying to hide himself in her puffy black jacket.

Alexandra and Lucy were both taken back by Noah's statement, exchanging confused looks. Sure, Noah was a smart kid, but there is really only so much his little mind can understand – and the complications of his parent's divorce likely wasn't something he could fully comprehend. Lucy took the lead now and spoke first, pulling Noah away from her jacket to look at him, "Noah, sweetheart? What do you already know? Do you want to talk about it?"

"That mommy is a lesbanim and my dad is going to put her in jail," Noah answered, looking down at his feet and trying to hide himself back into Lucy's side again. Alexandra could tell by the look on Lucy's face that she hadn't actually expected Noah to answer her, no less drop something like that.

Okay, Alex thought to herself, my turn. She shot Lucy a reassuring smile., and slowly dropped down onto her knees so that she was eye level with Noah. She lifted her hand up and ruffled her hand through Noah's hair. "Hey kid, thank you for sharing that with us. Where did you hear that?"

"At school. Christopher said mommy is a lesbanim and that I can't play with him anymore. He said mommy is a liar and that dad is going to make her go to jail," Noah told her sadly. Suddenly Noah pulled himself away from Lucy and closed the distance between himself and Alexandra. Tears started to pool in his piercing blue eyes and his little arms reached up to wrap around her neck, "I don't want mommy to go to jail! She isn't lying!"

Alex wrapped both of her arms around the little boy, holding him tightly into her chest. When Noah's little body started to gently shake and his nose started to sniffle, Alexandra's heart broke. Noah was crying. Despite all the moving, running from Bradley, being away from his home and friends, the fear she knew he held deep inside him, Alexandra had yet to see Noah be anything but fine. She had expected him to breakdown eventually, all kids do in her experience, but she hadn't been expecting it to happen when Olivia wasn't around. She continued softly running her fingers through the little boy's hair and smiled, "I know Noah. Your mommy isn't going to go to jail. And do you want to know why I know that?"

Noah nodded against her chest, but didn't pull away, instead pulling Alexandra tighter to him. She looked up at Lucy, who looked just as lost about what to do as she did. Lucy gave Alexandra a nod of encouragement and mouthed you're doing great to her, emboldening her to continue.

"I know that because I'm your mom's lawyer… and I'll let you know a little secret about lawyers… we never make promises… but for you? I can promise you, Noah, your mom isn't going to jail," Alexandra told him softly. She brought her free hand up to Noah's back and rested it gently in the middle of his shoulders. She patted him softly and slowly pulled back from his grasp when she felt his breathing start to even out.

"What's a lesbanim?" Noah asked finally, pulling himself out of Alex's arms completely and looking between her and Lucy. His cheeks were stained lightly with tears, but his demeanor had changed again. "Is that a bad thing? Christopher said his daddy told him that lesbanim's are gross."

"You wanna take this one?" Alex asked, looking up at Lucy as she stood up from the floor. This line of questioning was significantly beyond Alexandra's knowledge of children. Sure, Alexandra had been around kids plenty – after all, her older brother had given her both a niece and a nephew and there were always tons of kids at Cabot family events, but none of them had ever really come to her about anything serious. Most of the children in her family were Noah's age or younger and had thankfully been lucky enough not to experience many major life-changing events in their short time on earth. The deepest thing she'd ever been asked was by her niece Riley, and even that had been simple to explain. Riley had asked her when she was going to have a baby because she didn't want to be the youngest little Cabot anymore. Even then, Jake had rescued Alex, telling his daughter that she wouldn't be the youngest anymore soon. He reminded the little four-year-old that their cousin Caroline was about to have a baby, and that the new baby would get to be the youngest now. Riley had accepted that answer easily and ran off to play with the other kids. That had been after the families Fourth of July weekend bash out east, and Alexandra had barely seen them off of Facetime since.

"Oh no, please, you're doing so well," Lucy joked sympathetically, holding her hands up in front of her in a stop motion and taking a step back. Alexandra groaned, but nodded. At least this would be good practice for when she was back with the whole family for Christmas next week.

"It's pronounced lesbian," Alex started with a smile, looking down at Noah, "And it means that you're a woman who likes other women."

"Like how I'm friends with other boys?" Noah inquired curiously. He scrunched up his nose, clearly trying to think and make it make sense in his mind.

"No sweetheart," Alexandra told him gently, "a lesbian is a woman who likes other women in a romantic way… Like how a mommy and daddy love each other." She had no idea how to explain this to Noah, no less if she should be explaining this to him at all. Typically, it would be easiest to just explain to a child that some women love other women the same way their parents love each other, but Noah hadn't ever seen his parents love each other – at least not as far as Alexandra knew. She hoped Noah would understand anyway – he was smart enough to know how parents were supposed to act, he'd seen plenty of depictions of happy families on television, or even at school, at the very least.

"Like they want to kiss and get married?" Noah asked again, the confusion on his face evident as his tiny brain tried to understand. Luckily, Noah did seem to understand how parents were supposed to feel about one another.

"Yes, just like that," Alex answered with a nod and a smile, "Maybe when your mom gets here, we can talk more about that, okay?" The blonde decided that delving any deeper into this topic would likely be inappropriate for her to handle on her own. Olivia should be a part of this conversation.

"Are you a lesbianim?" Noah asked, trying hard to pronounce the word correctly. Clearly the little boy wasn't done asking questions – even if Alexandra waned desperately to be done answering them.

Alexandra gulped and looked down at Noah with wide eyes. She'd never been asked that by a child before, or anyone really. Alexandra had been one of the lucky ones. She grew up with an open, loving, and highly accepting family. When Alex was caught for the first time kissing a girl from her track team in the sixth grade, Alex's mother had only laughed and told her to keep the door to her bedroom open from now on. The blonde grew up dating girls, was openly gay throughout her school years, and had only really ever needed to discuss it when turning down a date request from a man. Not even the littlest of the Cabot's had asked her anything about her sexuality. Even when she'd brought Natalie home with her during the years they'd dated, none of the Cabot children had ever even looked twice at the two of them being intimate. Sure, most of the Cabot children were toddlers at the time, but even as they grew up – they all seemed to just know Alexandra preferred women.

Lucy laughed awkwardly, and stepped in to save Alex who had still not wiped the shock off of her face, "Noah, that's a very personal question…"

"It's okay, Lucy," Alex told her after a second. She lifted her hand in surrender. Noah was just curious about this new topic. What would it hurt to normalize it a bit more for him? Besides, they were talking about her own sexuality, not Olivia's. It was her information to share.

"Yes, Noah," Alexandra told him with a smile, "I am a lesbian."

"You want to marry a girl too?" Noah asked her with wide eyes. His little brain was clearly working a mile a minute again. This time, however, Noah was wearing a bright smile. He didn't seem to care at all.

"Someday," Alex said with a smile and a sigh.

"Are you a lesbanim too?" Noah asked Lucy, causing Alexandra to laugh.

"No," Lucy responded with a laugh, "Not everyone is a lesbian kiddo."

"But mommy is?" Noah asked, looking back at Alexandra as if she had all the answers.

"Why don't we talk to her about it when she gets here?" Alexandra asked him, opting to try to lead him over to the couch for a distraction. Olivia's sexuality was for her to explain to Noah, not anyone else.

"Okay… maybe if mommy wants to marry a girl too you can –" Noah started to say as he climbed up onto the couch.

"Noah!" Lucy said, stopping him before he could finish, sensing exactly what he was about to say, "Let's stop prying into Alex's private life okay?" Alexandra's face had turned a deep shade of red at the suggestion of what Noah was about to say. The blonde agreed with Noah, but she'd never say that. Even if he was right, even if both women were desperate to figure out whatever the hell the connection between them was. Alexandra, deep down, desperately hoped that their exploration of the pull would lead to something real. If Alexandra was being honest with herself, she was already feeling something deeply real.

"Sorry," Noah said looking down at the floor, hanging his head and letting himself be led over toward the livingroom couch.

"It's okay little man, I just think this is a conversation for your mom," Alex told him with a laugh. She picked up the remote and switched the TV to Nickelodeon. "How about you watch some TV while I say goodbye to Lucy?"

"You okay over here for a second?" Lucy asked Noah at the same time as he slowly became entranced by the cartoon currently playing on the flatscreen. When Noah didn't respond, Alexandra led Lucy back over to the kitchen and sat down at the counter.

"He's been in a weird mood today – wouldn't even eat lunch," Lucy told Alexandra as she finally walked over to the refrigerator to refill her plastic water bottle, "He's clearly got a lot on his mind… he hasn't been talking much, but he's been saying a lot more than he normally does."

"I can't imagine how hard all of this is for him to process," Alexandra offered, looking over at the little boy who was now enraptured by the television. Her heart broke for him, but there was only so much she could do. She wasn't a therapist, she barely knew the kid, and even though she wanted to, it wasn't her place to try and get him to talk without Olivia around.

"We've had a couple of rough moments," Lucy agreed, "But I think he's coping as best as he can."

"He's a strong kid," Alex replied, "Did you want to wait around for Olivia? I can handle him if you have somewhere to be."

"I'm usually with him until 6:15/6:30 on Mondays," Lucy told her, "Liv usually isn't home from the City until 6… But I wouldn't mind being able to catch an earlier train back to the Island. I live in Seaford with my boyfriend."

"I can call you a car back to Penn," Alex told her with a nod. Alexandra had expected the young woman to live in the City, but it made sense that she'd opted for a cheaper location out east. Truthfully, Alexandra didn't know anything about Lucy. She figured, from her appearance, that she was younger than Alexandra. Maybe she was still in school out on the Island, perhaps she was a student at Post. "I'm fine alone with him… She should be out of class about now, and it's only twenty minutes to get here from the university."

"I appreciate that, but walking over to the Q would probably be faster," Lucy responded, re-sealing her water bottle and walking over toward Alex, "I know Noah will be fine here… He's pretty smitten with you."

"Oh stop, he's just a sweet little boy," Alex said with a laugh, brushing her off. Noah did seem to be unusually attached to her for having only met her a week prior, but Alexandra wasn't complaining. She'd found herself quite smitten with the little guy too.

"No, really. He talked about you the whole walk over here. The second I told him I was taking him to your house he like flipped a switch – he's not usually so excited about new people," Lucy told her. She smiled and looked over toward Noah, "He kept saying he couldn't wait to get home… I thought he was talking about the Cold Spring Harbor house at first, but when he mentioned something about being able to see Central Park from the window, I now realize he was talking about here."

"So I've been told, apparently," Alex said with a smile, trying not to react to the idea of Noah thinking about her apartment as home. He was young, it made sense to him, he didn't understand the implication of calling this place home. She shrugged, searching for the right words, "I'm glad he feels safe here."

"Has he opened up at all? I know those little gears are turning in his head… For a little kid, he's nailed the pensive look," Lucy informed her, "I've tried to probe him, but – he just shuts down."

"A little," Alex told her with a smile. She knew she shouldn't feel proud that Noah had opened up to her in a way he hadn't with Lucy, but she was. She felt important, needed, "Noah and I talked the other night… He mostly made blanket statements… But I think he's seen a lot, probably more than any of us realize. He knows a lot. I'm hoping that our friend at CPS can get him talking – she's great with kids. The best honestly… one of the only social workers we trust at all."

"Olivia said the interview is scheduled for Wednesday?" Lucy asked, nodding her understanding at what Alexandra was saying. Lucy had truly tried to get through to Noah, but he never seemed comfortable enough to talk to her. The young woman had decided that Noah associated her with Bradley too much to be open with her. She'd mostly dealt with Olivia while being employed by the Holter's, but she was still paid weekly by Bradley – or she had been, Olivia took that role over now that she'd left Bradley. Lucy hadn't hesitated when Olivia asked her to work solely for her moving forward.

"I'm not sure," Alex admitted, "Olivia and I will have to discuss it later." That wasn't true. Alexandra had known that Olivia's CPS interview was scheduled for Wednesday morning, and that Noah's would be right afterwards. Attorney-client privilege didn't allow her to divulge information to Lucy, even if she clearly already knew. It was Olivia's privilege to break, not her own.

"Thank you for helping Olivia with all of this," Lucy whispered, "I – I feel so guilty that I didn't know… I should've known – I wish I'd known… I wish I could have helped them," Lucy's head fell, as she wiped away a few tears that had started to fall, "I'm sorry… I just wanted to thank you for getting them out of there."

"It's my pleasure… and my job," Alex said with a smile, "We don't typically have to go to extreme measures for clients, but sometimes the job means heading into the office at 6 AM to babysit a client's kid for them, picking up a client in the middle of nowhere from a bad situation, or even having to let them stay in your guest room because they're being hounded by the press and an abusive fuck of a husband." Alex shrugged off her own anger. It was true. Family law was different than most other areas of law. It took a certain kind of person to deal with intimate issues like the one's family attorneys faced. Family lawyers had to be kind, forgiving, understanding – they have a certain level of grit to them. It was personal – the kind of law not every lawyer could handle.

"He is a fuck," Lucy agreed, finding no better word to describe him, "For the record. Even before I knew he was abusive – he's always rubbed me the wrong way."

"Thankfully, I've never had to meet him," Alex answered. If she had it her way, she never would. While he had an attorney in the family law case, Alexandra wasn't permitted to speak to him. Even after the case ended, Alexandra prayed she'd never have to speak to him. But, deep down, she knew that any relationship with Olivia and Noah would eventually force her to have to speak to him someday. "Well, for the record then, Olivia strikes me as the type who is very good at hiding her true feelings… don't blame yourself for not knowing – just help her now like the rest of us."

"Anything you need, I'm here. I'll testify, look for whatever evidence you think could help. Just name it, I'm your girl," Lucy answered seriously. It was clear, the young woman would do anything to help Olivia and Noah out of this mess.

Alexandra smiled at the commitment, glad to see that Olivia had more than just Fin and Donnelly working in her corner. With Fin being in charge of her investigation, he wasn't able to spend much time with Olivia – and with Donnelly being a judge, she had to keep her personal feelings for Olivia out of the situation. The last thing anyone needed was anyone claiming that Donnelly had influenced Barth, or that Fin was planting evidence to help Olivia's case.

After a moment, Lucy spoke again, "I should get going."

"Of course, thank you Lucy, it was good to meet you," Alexandra replied, pulling herself from her thoughts and getting up from the stool to shake Lucy's hand again. After a quick shake, Alex moved toward the livingroom and stood in front of the television to get Noah's attention quickly.

"Noah, come say goodbye to Lucy," Alex said with a grin as Noah's frustration at his show being interrupted washed across his small features, "And we can start making something to eat – something tells me you're probably hungry. Do you want to help me cook?"

"Okay!" Noah said excitedly, hopping up off the couch and practically skipping over to Lucy. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed, "Bye Lucy!"

"Bye little dude," Lucy answered, returning the hug, "Be good for Alex, and I'll see you on Wednesday!"

"Okay," Noah said moving over to Alex and grabbing her hand, "C'mon, let's go make something to eat."

Lucy shrugged at his actions, "I swear, he wouldn't even touch his food before!" Alexandra laughed and allowed herself to be pulled back toward the kitchen. Lucy thanked Alex again, grabbed her water bottle off of the counter, and exited the apartment.

"What can we make?" Noah asked, tugging the refrigerator open and looking inside. Alexandra moved up behind him and ruffled his hair, glancing at the contents. She had a modest amount of food, despite the fact that she only cooked minor meals and the occasional experimental dinner. Alexandra enjoyed cooking but it wasn't really worth it to cook for one. She typically only cooked if she was having friends over or whipping up a quick breakfast after the gym.

"Hmm, how do you feel about breakfast for dinner?" Alexandra asked with a grin, an idea striking her. Breakfast was her area of expertise after all, and if she wanted to impress a picky little boy like Noah, she'd have to whip out her secret weapon.

"Yum, breakfast is my favorite," Noah cheered happily, "What can we make?" He turned in front of Alexandra, looking up at her with those curious blue eyes again.

"How does French toast sound?" Alexandra asked, reaching around Noah and grabbing the carton of eggs off the middle shelf of the fridge. She reached down and collected the oat milk off the door and turned to place the items onto the counter.

"Yum! With fruit?" Noah asked, reaching for the carton of raspberries on the top shelf of the fridge. He was just a few inches too short to reach the little plastic carton, even on his tippy-toes.

Alex turned to help him, smiling stupidly at the sight of the little guy trying to reach the top shelf. She giggled softly and handed him the carton to put on the counter, "Sounds yummy. What about bananas?"

"Mom would want banana," Noah told her smiling, "I like raspberries better."

"I think I'll have banana too," Alex told him, "How about you wash your hands, and then hop up in the chair over here and you can help me? Do you know how to crack an egg?"

"Yeah! No shells in the bowl," Noah told her walking over to the kitchen sink. Alex helped him turn on the water and turned around to grab a bowl for Noah. While the curly haired child finished washing his hands and climbing into his spot at the counter, Alex placed three eggs in front of him beside the bowl.

"Can you crack the eggs into this bowl?" Alex asked, pouring a bit of oat milk into the bowl beforehand.

"What's that?" Noah asked pointing at the carton of milk.

"Oat milk, is that okay?" Alex asked him, walking back to the fridge to put the carton away. Alexandra typically stayed as far away from dairy as she could. It wasn't that she was allergic or anything – no, Alex was addicted to all things dairy. She couldn't keep a carton of ice cream or a block of cheese in her apartment for longer than a few days before she'd eaten the whole thing. Rather than give herself the temptation, Alex switched to dairy alternatives and refused to keep any of her favorite dairy treats in the apartment.

"I haven't had it, but that's okay," Noah shrugged, starting on his task of cracking the eggs. Alex started dropping various spices into the mixture – cinnamon, nutmeg, a little brown sugar, and handed Noah a whisk so he could mix it all up.

"This is my favorite part," Noah told her, grabbing the whisk and starting to mix.

"Oh yeah, do you like to make a mess?" Alex teased him, walking to the pantry to grab out the loaf of bread they'd be using.

"Only sometimes," Noah admitted, "But I promise I won't." He giggled and resumed his task while Alex cut the bread and chopped up a banana. Once she was done, she started a pan of water and sugar on simmer on the stove and dropped the raspberries into it. Alex was just about to start the flat pan to grill the French toast on when there was a knock at the front door.

"Looks like your mom's home," Alexandra said, turning bright red at the realization of what she'd just said. Home? Come on Alex, she chastised herself. Noah didn't seem to notice the slip, or, if he did, he simply thought it was a fact.

"Mom!" Noah yelped, jumping down from the chair and running toward the door, stopping just before he could open it at Alex's firm direction. Alex scooted in front of him and opened the door, just in case it wasn't Olivia.

Alexandra's smile grew wide when Olivia appeared in her view once the door was opened, still dressed in the same suit from this morning. The brunette looked so good in a suit. "Olivia, hey, come in," she said, clearing her throat and stepping aside to let her client inside. Noah jumped into her arms, giving her a tight squeeze and a kiss.

"Mommy, Alex and me are making us all an early dinner," Noah told her excitedly, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the kitchen. He was clearly excited to show his mother what he and Alexandra had been creating in the kitchen. Little did Alex know, Noah rarely got the chance to help cook – Lucy typically fed him before she got home on late nights, and when Olivia was home for dinner time, she'd be too tired to cook and would order something or make Noah a quick meal.

"Oh yeah?" Olivia asked, following her son back into the kitchen. She smiled at the small mess scattered across the counters and wiped a bit of cinnamon sugar off of Noah's cheek.

"Noah and I are making French toast, I hear you like banana," Alexandra said with a grin, following them back into the kitchen. She checked on the raspberry sauce and started on a brown sugar mixture in another pan for the bananas. Once the sugar melted, she tossed in the banana to let it simmer.

"I'm sorry to have to put you out like this again," Olivia told her with a laugh, "It's getting pointless to even keep trying to find us somewhere to live." Noah walked back over to Alex and resumed trying to help her coat the slices of bread with egg.

"Don't apologize, it's ridiculous that we even have to find you somewhere safe," Alex told her, helping Noah properly coat the bread and dropping them onto the hot pan.

Noah continued coating the slices of bread for Alex while the blonde checked on the two fruit mixtures again. The two were almost done plating two pieces of French toast each, with fruit on top, before anyone realized that Olivia hadn't spoken again. Alex and Noah were lost in their own little world, the blonde instructing the little boy on proper coating technique, showing him how to plate the toast slices neatly on the plates, helping him drip the different fruit sauces on top of the toasts, and praising him as she went. Olivia had taken a seat at the counter and was watching them intently, clearly refusing to interrupt their moment. Had Alex turned around to look, she would have noticed the dopey smile spread across Olivia's features as she dreamily watched the blonde work perfectly alongside her son.

Once all three plates were ready, Alex handed one to Noah and carried the other two over to the counter. Noah continued forward, climbing up into one of the stools after putting his plate on the counter – completely missing the fact that Alexandra stopped in her tracks and almost dropped both plates upon looking at Olivia.

The brunette was staring at Alexandra like she was about to leap over the counter and pounce on her. Alexandra froze at the sight of Olivia's tongue swiping across her bottom lip slowly, nearly losing her balance. It took everything in her to catch herself, placing both plates on the counter before gripping the edge of the counter.

"I thought we talked about that look, Olivia," Alexandra whimpered, handing Noah a fork. While Alexandra's resolve had already been incredibly low since this morning, whatever was left was surely gone now. Olivia had her right where she wanted her.

"I want to drop everything and settle Alex. Once the settlement papers are signed, we're done right?" Olivia asked, her eyes remaining locked on the blondes, "I want to end this."

"Olivia," Alex sighed.

"No – I can't do it… freaking look at you Alexandra," Olivia breathed out heavily, gesturing between Alexandra and Noah, "I want this. I want my life back… I want to build a new life for me, for Noah."

"Can we talk about it later? After dinner? Maybe once Noah goes to sleep?" Alexandra asked softly looking down at the little boy. He was intently playing with his food, cutting up pieces with his fork and plopping them into his mouth while he whispered to himself about the taste. Alexandra smiled at the sight; Noah talked to himself too, just like her. Her heart fluttered harshly at the thought.

"We've got plenty to talk about while this little guy is still awake." The blonde was deflecting. She understood exactly how Olivia felt – now that she thought about it. Alex had been so wrapped up in the moment with Noah she hadn't stopped for even a second to think about how that had all looked to Olivia. It reminded her of the look Olivia had given her the morning she'd found them asleep on the couch together.

"Oh yeah?" Olivia asked, grabbing her plate and a fork, taking Alexandra's hint to change the subject, "What's going on little man?" Olivia asked her son, ruffling his hair. Alex rounded the counter finally and sat down to eat on the opposite side of Noah.

"Christopher said you're a lesbanim," Noah said, shrugging his shoulders, "A lesbianim," he tried again, making an attempt at saying it correctly again.

"Lesbian," Alex corrected softly, taking a bite of her dinner. Olivia smiled at Alexandra's correction. Ever the lawyer. Her mind wandered off to a place in the future, Alex teaching Noah about things Olivia never would've thought to educate him on herself.

"Lesbian," Noah finally said, correctly, happily eating his food like none of it mattered at all. Olivia shook herself free of the thoughts and looked over at Alex with a inquisitive expression.

"We talked about what it means to be a lesbian," Alex explained softly, apologizing silently with her eyes for crossing any boundaries. "Lucy tried to help, but, ya know, a curious child."

"Alex is a lesbian, mom," Noah said matter-of-factly, looking up at the blonde, "She wants to marry a girl." The little boy giggled for a second but resumed eating his breakfast. He didn't seem phased by the information at all.

"She is," Olivia confirmed, "How does that make you feel?" She probed softly, eyeing Alexandra carefully.

"I don't care," Noah shrugged, "I like Alex no matter who she wants to marry." Alexandra smiled at the sentiment, at least the little boy hadn't been tainted by his asshole homophobic father yet.

"Do you want to marry a girl too Mom?" Noah asked, looking over at Olivia with a curious expression on his little face.

"Well, first I want to maybe date her, kiss her, fall in love, you know, all the fun stuff before we go and get married," Olivia responded calmly, her eyes still locked on Alexandra's. Alexandra visibly shuddered at the statement, knowing full well Olivia was talking about her. Olivia smirked and continued to eat her dinner, "Is that okay with you?" Alexandra wasn't sure if she was asking Noah, or herself. Alex couldn't stop herself from nodding her head. Olivia didn't miss the nod, her smile growing wider.

"Maybe you could fall in love with Alex," Noah said nonchalantly, like it was the most normal thing in the world to say, interrupting the moment between Alex and his mother.

Alexandra nearly choked on the banana she had just popped into her mouth, and Olivia started laughing softly at them both. Despite her ability to laugh over the situation, Olivia had no idea what to say to him.

"This is the best French toast I've ever had," Noah said suddenly, changing the subject for himself. The innocence of a child never failed to make Olivia laugh. She chuckled again at the display, Alex still sitting there trying to regain her composure, Noah just continuing to eat like he hadn't said anything outlandish.

Olivia glanced over at Alex and smiled sheepishly at her before nodding her agreement with Noah, "This is really good Alex, who knew you could cook too?"

"My abilities are decent, but I'm no Iron Chef," Alex responded finally with a smile, "But I am particularly skilled at breakfast so I may have cheated."

"Compliments to the littlest chef as well," Olivia said with a smile, leaning over and kissing the top of Noah's head.

"Thanks Mom, Alex is a good teacher," Noah said, finishing his plate off, "Are we staying here again tonight?"

"Yes kiddo," Olivia said with a sigh, looking over at the clock. It was barely 5 o'clock, and Noah would likely be wired for the next few hours. This time, Olivia wasn't prepared. She had no books, no iPad, no iPod, no toys, or even clothes for her son. She herself was still in her suit from court and had nothing to change into.

"Yay! I didn't like the other house," Noah admitted, "This feels like home."

Both women looked up at each other at Noah's words, their eyes locking in silent understanding. This did feel like home – for all of them. Tonight was going to be a long and difficult night.


After dinner had been a flurry of action – both women trying to remain occupied and keep their minds from wandering off to a point of no return. Alexandra immediately moved to start cleaning up the kitchen while Olivia took Noah into the livingroom to entertain him. Once the blonde re-joined them, they'd played go fish with the deck of cards left over from the last firm party, watched a movie called Soul that had made Alexandra tear up more than once, and it was finally getting late. After, Alexandra made a quick retreat upstairs to set Noah and Olivia up in the guest room again. She placed an old white t-shirt of hers for Noah to sleep in, and the pair of sweatpants Lucy had stuffed in the backpack from the Noah reserve in her vehicle on the bed. The least she could do was get a comfortable change of clothing for the little boy who was currently getting ready for bed with the help of his mother in the guest bathroom. For Olivia, Alex had retrieved her favorite off-white crewneck with Harvard written across it in bold red lettering and a pair of black sweatpants. Alexandra had first gotten the sweatshirt when she was sixteen and her father had taken she and Jake to visit the school on Jake's college tour. Jake had been a double Harvard grad, having attended for both undergrad and law school. Alex's father had hoped his only daughter would follow in the family footsteps and head to Harvard behind her brother and purchased her the sweatshirt in anticipation. Alexandra had already set her heart on staying in the City for undergrad, but the pride spread across her father's face had given Alexandra an attachment to the sweatshirt that she didn't expect. Admittedly, it had taken Alexandra a moment to choose the outfit for Olivia, debating if having her wear something so special was the right move or not. If this was going to be the only time the brunette was wearing Alex's clothes, the attorney wanted to make it count. The idea of Olivia in her most beloved sweatshirt made the decision a no brainer.

Once she heard the shower turn on in the guest room, Alexandra exited the room to give mother and son some privacy. She headed across the loft and into her bedroom to change and get ready for bed. Marla had emailed the firm and let everyone know they'd be keeping the office closed again tomorrow and that everyone should work from home until Wednesday, so Alexandra wasn't too concerned about getting herself set up for the next day like she typically did. Abby had sent a firm wide email thanking everyone for their support and assuring everyone she was doing just fine. A few emails shot back and forth amongst the firm, everyone jumping in to tease the southerner, but Alex had neglected to join in now that she had the knowledge of how Adrienne felt about their colleague. Alex didn't need to add salt to the wound that was Abby's overt promiscuity.

"Alexandra?" Olivia called from just outside Alex's bedroom door, drawing the blonde from her thoughts and out of her walk-in closet. Olivia was standing in the doorway, still wearing her suit, only the jacket was no longer on her shoulders, her shirt was untucked from her pants, and she'd opened the first few buttons on the collared shirt. Alexandra had to remind herself to breathe at the sight, Olivia looked even better in a disheveled suit.

"Hey, I thought you were taking a shower," Alex told her with a small smile teasing at the corner of her mout, "I left you both some clothes on the bed… I did the best I could for Noah. He'll be swimming in my shirt, but at least it's something."

"Thank you, but I doubt it… you're quite tiny," Olivia told her with a laugh. In reality, Alexandra's size small white t-shirt from her sorority days would likely fit the little boy just fine, "He's in the shower now."

"Did you want to use my shower to get ready for bed? I showered right before you got here, so I'm just changing into something a little more comfortable and can be out of here in a second," Alex said with a smile, gesturing toward her day clothes. Alexandra was still dressed in a pair of impossibly tight black jeans and her striped shirt.

"As much as I love those pants on you," Olivia started with a smile, her eyes appreciating the slight curve of Alex's hips and the way her jeans hugged her muscled thighs.

Alexandra blushed almost immediately, "Oh stop it… Do you want to shower or not?"

"You took a shower in the middle of the day?" Olivia asked, shifting the conversation back to the blonde. "I would've expected you to be working like a bee after losing most of the day to traffic," Olivia teased with a laugh.

Alex smiled awkwardly, "I felt dirty… And I'll have you know; I took the day off."

Olivia scoffed at that, "You took the day off?" Olivia couldn't believe her ears. Sure, she'd only known the blonde for a week, but even while she'd been staying at the attorney's apartment, she'd seen Alexandra working her ass off into the wee hours of the morning. As far as Olivia knew, Alexandra didn't take breaks.

"Contrary to popular belief," Alex called to Olivia while she walked back into her closet. The blonde pulled a sweatshirt out of one of the tall white cubbies lining the front of her closet wall and finished her statement when she emerged, an old grey sorority sweatshirt in her hand, "I do enjoy a break every once in a while."

Olivia grinned and walked further into the blonde's bedroom, plopping down with a huff onto Alex's bed, "I'm impressed – I worked, and you slacked off… Never thought I'd see the day… What did you end up doing today? Anything fun?" Olivia clearly just wanted to hear some good news for a change, but Alexandra had nothing to report. Sure, Alex had been having a fun afternoon – but Olivia didn't need to know that; nor did Alexandra think she would want to know.

"Nothing spectacular," Alex responded walking over to her dresser and retrieving a pair of white lounge shorts from her top drawer. Deflecting was a good option here. Olivia didn't move from her spot on the bed even as Alex moved to start taking off her shirt to change. She glanced back over to the brunette and laughed when she noticed her watching her intently, eyes locked on the sweatshirt in the blonde's hands, "What is it with you and trying to watch me change?"

Olivia smiled, "I didn't know you were in a sorority."

"Alpha Epsilon Phi," Alexandra responded with a smile, holding up her old sweatshirt. The blonde had never been one for organized social groups – but joining a sorority was expected of her. Alexandra's mother, grandmother, aunts, and cousins had all been members of Greek life. Alexandra, to appease her mother, had rushed and taken a bid from the girls during her freshman year. She hadn't remained very active with them over the years, but still attended the select event with her family who had all been sisters of the very same sorority.

"You don't strike me as the type to let a bunch of women tell her what to do," Olivia opined with a smile, "I also didn't know they let lesbians into sororities." Olivia chuckled at the thought.

"They were surprisingly fine with it," Alexandra responded, "Half the girls in those houses are secretly bisexual anyway," she added with a laugh, remembering back to her days as a sorority girl at NYU. She didn't participate more than the bare minimum required of her, but she'd certainly had herself a good time with the closeted sisters during her time there.

"No more information, please," Olivia said with a laugh, "Are you going to change?" She wiggled her eye brows, leaning back on the bed with her forearms to watch the blonde.

"Are you going to sit here and watch?" Alex asked with a smirk. She was walking them right back into hot water, but Alex could care less at the moment.

"I figure eventually you'll just do it," Olivia whispered back, not taking her eyes off of the blonde. Something told her that this time, Alexandra wasn't going to kick her out or hide – she was going to do it.

Olivia's inclination was right and when Alex smirked, turned around and lifted her shirt over her head, her back to Olivia, the brunette let out a contended sigh. When the blonde reached around to unhook her bra, Olivia groaned, "No fair, no one said you could turn away."

Alex laughed and dropped her sweatpants down onto her dresser. Alex shrugged her bra straps off of her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor, hearing Olivia's breathing deepen. She unfolded her sweatshirt and raised her arms into it, lifting and pulling it down over her head. She heard Olivia groan again, and turned around to face her, "You asked for it."

"You know that was pretty unethical of you, Counselor; have we stopped caring all of a sudden?" Olivia whispered, watching Alex grab her shorts off the dresser. Her mind was racing a mile a minute, still lost in thought over the sight of Alexandra's toned back, "Or, is this payback for earlier?" Olivia didn't care either way, she was happy about any situation that allowed her a closer look at the beautiful woman she knew damn well she couldn't have.

"Payback would be a risky game to play, Professor," Alex answered with a snicker, crossing the room again and entering her walk-in closet, shutting the door behind her. She made quick work of changing into her shorts and exited the closet with her pants and underwear in her hand. She slowly walked back over toward the brunette, dirty clothing still in hand. Olivia was still sitting on the bed, her eyes closed, breathing deeply. When Alex reached her, Olivia's eyes opened and dropped to the clothing in Alexandra's hand – her eyes landing on the pair of tiny black Calvin Klein's Alex had just changed out of. Olivia groaned at the sight, her eyes drifting back to the blonde. Alex felt Olivia's eyes rake up and down her body, paying special attention to her now bare impossibly long legs. The blonde smiled, reveling in the feeling of the object of her desire blatantly checking her out.

"Like what you see?" Alexandra asked, turning away from Olivia and tossing her clothes into the hamper near the bathroom door.

"Your legs go on for days," Olivia whimpered, her eyes now glued to the blonde's muscular backside.

"Being 5'10 will do that for you," Alex teased, walking back toward Olivia, standing directly in front of the lounging woman.

"I want to settle," Olivia told Alex, repeating her statement from earlier and throwing her hands up in the air, "I – I won't recant, but we can end the family court crap. I'll – I'll only respond to the criminal court by subpoena. I'll stop cooperating… I want this over with."

"Are you sure?" Alex asked her, looking down at the brunette's troubled face, "Are you sure you're not saying that because you think we can –"

"I'm sure, Alexandra," Olivia told her quickly, cutting her off. This has nothing to do with her burning desire to ravage Alexandra, and everything to do with her own mental health and Noah's safety, "I don't want to drag this out. I don't want to spend all this time running from the press, dealing with unhinged extremists, carting Noah around… I just want to move on. Noah deserves to have a normal life – not spend his time being courted around with professionals, police, and courtrooms."

"Even if we settle the property aspects, the family court isn't going to allow us to sign any agreement where Bradley sees Noah – at least not right now," Alexandra explained, "We'd still be fighting that part for a while… I'd have to stay on."

"What if he agreed to no time with Noah for now?" Olivia asked hopefully, sitting up on the bed and unintentionally placing her directly in front of Alex who was now standing virtually between the brunette's legs, "What if he just agrees? Why does he suddenly want to settle anyway?"

"I assume he recognizes that developing two complete records of his abuse is detrimental to his career and his positions… It's two sets of ammo against him… This whole tactic of his was stupid from the get-go," Alexandra answered. Trevor's inexperience in the family court was showing. He'd clearly been relying too hard on Bradley's Constitutional right to his child. It was beneficial to Alexandra that she'd wanted to go into politics since she was a little girl, she knew exactly how she would've acted in Bradley's position. Alexandra would've given Olivia exactly what she'd asked for from the start – and even if she'd called Olivia's bluff, she never would've let anything get on the record this quickly and especially not before the criminal trial. "I suppose Trevor suggested they get their position on the record once, and then give in and wait out the criminal trial," Alexandra concluded, "I assume he wants to end the double whammy."

"So, if he agreed to everything, and no Noah for now, it could be over?" Olivia asked, looking up at the blonde.

"The State is going to prosecute him, Olivia," Alexandra replied, moving out of the way and sitting down beside Olivia on the bed, keeping a few feet of distance between them, "But we could possibly be done in family court."

"And you wouldn't need to be my lawyer anymore?" Olivia asked, turning her body and looking over at Alex, purposefully scooting closer to her. Alex could feel that stupid burning sensation growing in her chest again and immediately gripped her left wrist to calm herself.

"No, I could withdraw at that point, and if Bradley ever tried to come back for time with Noah – I could be your lawyer – if we'd started a relationship before that," Alexandra told her softly, "It could still be risky and considered unethical, but I think we'd be fine."

Olivia looked down at Alex's hands, recognizing the nervous habit again. She reached over and placed her hand softly on top of Alex's hands, pulling the fingers loose from her wrist and wrapping her hand around the blonde's right hand. Alexandra was surprised by the gesture, not having realized she'd even done it again. The blonde had never come out and told the brunette that she used the squeezing mechanism to ground herself, but Olivia had clearly figured it out on her own. The way Olivia paid attention to her had unintended consequences on Alexandra's already overheated brain.

"If we settle, could you pass the case to someone else? Do you have to draw up the paperwork?" Olivia asked, scooting closer again, keeping her hand locked with Alex's. She chose not to comment on the habit, instead hoping that her reassuring action would calm the blonde on its own.

"Technically, no; we use the same standard format for most agreements and anyone at the firm would be capable of adding in the appropriate language needed for your case," Alex answered, her breath hitching in her throat as Olivia advanced on her. She didn't pull away, and her body visibly relaxed as Olivia's thumb started rubbing softly along the back of Alex's right hand.

"Alexandra… Make it happen – please. I want this over with… I want my life back. Watching you with Noah today – I… I thought I could control myself, but I can't do this anymore," Olivia told her, dropping her hand from Alex's and reaching down to touch Alex's bare thigh.

"Olivia," Alex warned, closing her eyes at the sensations coasting through her body at the gentle touches, "It hasn't happened yet. I – I need to seal the deal first; withdraw – We can't..."

"You can honestly tell me that our car ride earlier didn't break your tenacity?" Olivia asked, her eyes drifting down to her hand resting on Alexandra's thigh as Alex's eyes fluttered open and closed again. She wanted more than anything to run her fingers softly along the blonde's exposed skin, but she knew that once she started, she wouldn't be able to stop. Besides, not only was her son was still awake in the next room, but Alexandra's career depended on their ability to control themselves.

"Today has been incredibly difficult," Alexandra admitted, opening her eyes and finally looking down at Olivia's hand on her leg, "Why do you think I took the rest of the day off of work?"

"I could barely grade any papers when I got to my office," Olivia told her with a knowing smile, "At least you weren't at work."

"Ah, the perks of Abigail getting a death threat," Alexandra teased, dropping her hand instinctively onto her lap and on top of Olivia's. She couldn't help herself. She wanted nothing more than to pull the brunette into her arms and love on her all night.

"And what perks are those?" Olivia teased, raising her eyebrows at the blonde suggestively.

Alex laughed, "Wouldn't you like to know?" Alexandra wasn't about to divulge the very real problem Olivia had caused in her groin during their car ride after court – no less how she'd started it before they were even out of the courthouse.

Olivia smiled back and nodded, "Actually, I would… but while we're on the topic – I'm pretty sure I've already heard what you like to do when you're frustrated."

The blonde paused for a moment, thinking back to what Olivia could possibly be talking about. When she didn't understand, Olivia smiled, "Wednesday night?"

Alexandra turned a deep shade of red as realization dawned on her. She'd had a very heated dream about the brunette, went upstairs and touched herself Wednesday night. Alex gasped and scooted away from the brunette as far as she could, "Oh my god."

"No, I think it was more along the lines of fuckkk," Olivia mimicked, teasing the attorney further. Olivia wasn't the least bit embarrassed and that disarmed the blonde incredibly. The smirk dancing across her lips let Alexandra know that Olivia was clearly wishing she'd gotten to watch.

"God you must think I'm some kind of fiend," Alexandra yelped, clearly embarrassed and concerned about the brunette's perception of her. Alexandra didn't care that Olivia was clearly interested, or even turned on by the thought, she was too embarrassed that the brunette had heard her during an intimate moment – one she'd caused no less.

Olivia smirked at Alexandra again and curled herself up onto the bed, laughing, placing herself nearly into the blonde's arms, "Nah, maybe if you did it again today – but otherwise, I'll give you the free pass."

Alexandra turned redder and buried her face into her arms, curling her legs up into her body. Olivia immediately started laughing at the reaction, recognizing that the blonde had indeed done it again today, or so she thought.

"I'm exceptionally skilled at embarrassing myself in front of you, aren't I?" Alex asked again after a minute. First the strap on, now this, fuck my life, Alex groaned to herself internally.

"Damn Alex, you skipped work for that?" Olivia teased again with a laugh, refusing to allow herself to fall into the blonde's embarrassment, "That's … damn Alex… you are –"

"Shouldn't you be getting in the shower or something?" Alex quipped back, feigning annoyance and cutting the brunette off before she could finish her thought.

"Someone's awfully testy," Olivia opined with a smirk. She decided to let the woman have her moment and stop teasing her, crawling herself up and off the bed, "But yes, I'll take you up on the shower offer… Can you actually handle the settlement thing? I want this to be over as soon as possible, for Noah's sake."

"Yes, I'll email Trevor tomorrow morning before we go collect your belongings… which I suppose we'll need to put in storage for you now?" Alexandra asked, finally letting go of herself and climbing off the bed to grab Olivia a towel.

"I appreciate you coming with me," Olivia told her as she walked toward the bathroom attached to Alex's bedroom. A moment later, Alex entered the bathroom behind Olivia and handed her the clean towel. She moved toward the sink and quickly inspected her face before turning back to Olivia.

"I'll bring the clothes I laid out for you in here," Alex told her, leaning over to grab her discarded towel from earlier off the floor.

Olivia leaned back and watched as Alex leaned over, her shorts riding up slightly on the backs of her thighs. Sure, she couldn't have the blonde right now, but nothing was stopping her from ogling her body at any chance she could get. With Alex leaned over, the short shorts riding up, she had a perfect view of the lower half of the blonde's ass. She groaned softly at the sight until her breath hitched in the back of her throat when she noticed four identical red streaks staining the expanse of the blonde's lower right ass cheek. She tilted her head slightly for a better view, immediately recognizing what the marks on the attorney's ass were. Scrapes – scrapes from fingernails. Fingernails that didn't belong to her. Olivia couldn't tell if the marks were new or old, but they were faint, red, and ever present. Before she could open her mouth to question Alexandra about them, the blonde was gone from the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Olivia growled angrily to herself, turned on the shower, and climbed in. She'd have to ask Alex about it later, if she didn't let her mind wander too far into doomsday scenarios while she showered.


Alexandra had tucked Noah into bed before heading down the stairs to watch some television before bed, but judging by the length of time Olivia took to come downstairs once the shower turned off, Alex surmised that Olivia had waited upstairs with him until he fell asleep. When Olivia finally came down the staircase wearing Alexandra's Harvard sweatshirt, the blonde just about lost her shit. She had prepared herself for the sight of the woman in her beloved sweatshirt but hadn't exactly prepared herself for just how good she'd look in it. Olivia's hair was still wet, but she looked so cozy in the oversized sweatshirt and slightly too small sweatpants.

Alexandra was lying in Olivia's typical corner of the couch, a fluffy white blanket wrapped tightly around her body. The lights were off, but Alexandra had turned on the electric fireplace and the TV, allowing some light to float through the large room. Old re-runs of New Girl flashed across the screen while she waited for the brunette to come downstairs – Jess was having a particularly rough night while working at a haunted house. It was nearing 9 o'clock, and Alexandra couldn't really remember the last time she'd been able to have an early night like this without feeling guilty.

Olivia rounded the corner of the couch and dropped down onto it beside Alex without saying a word. The flirty demeanor Olivia had possessed before her shower was gone, replaced with a cold and distant look that Alexandra couldn't quite place.

"Noah asleep?" Alex asked, facing her attention to Olivia, trying to draw her out of the shell she was clearly in.

"Yeah," the brunette replied simply, taking in a long breath. She shifted on the couch, forcing herself to face the blonde. Alex didn't speak for a moment, deciding that Olivia looked like she was about to say something, but she didn't.

"He doing okay?" Alex asked, trying again to engage the brunette in conversation. She didn't like this quiet side of Olivia, it made her uneasy. Especially since the brunette had been nothing but open and decidedly descript with her.

"Yeah, he's fine," Olivia responded, another long breath escaping her lips. She once again looked like she wanted to say something but refrained. Alexandra decided she'd have to ask directly to get it out of her.

"Is something wrong?" Alex asked, her voice shaking slightly like she was afraid to hear the answer.

The brunette curled her body up onto the couch and faced her body toward Alexandra. She ran a hand through her hair from the very front of her forehead back through her hair to the ends of it, "I want to ask a question I don't want to know the answer to… but I also don't want to ask the question – and I think I already know the answer to it."

Alex sat up, wrapping the blanket around herself tighter, "Okay?" She was nervous now, not knowing what Olivia was about to ask her. She would never lie to the brunette, Olivia had been through enough trauma with people that were supposed to protect her, but the way Olivia was talking made her nervous.

"Noah told me he saw Adrienne today," Olivia said finally, "I thought that was weird… So I asked him when, and he told me he saw her waiting for a cab out front when he was getting here with Lucy."

Alexandra didn't respond. She wasn't going to insult Olivia's intelligence, or their obvious feelings for one another by lying or trying to come up with some sort of lame excuse or diversion. As a lawyer, she knew when to fold on a losing hand.

"You can ask me," Alex told her softly, now knowing exactly what Olivia wanted to know, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know… I told you that. You can also not ask me, or wait until you're ready to know."

"I don't know if I want to know," Olivia told her honestly, looking up at Alexandra with eyes filled with the kind of sadness that could easily break anyone's heart, "I have no right to be mad – or to even know honestly."

"That might be true," Alexandra agreed, "But I also promised you I'd be honest." She shrugged her shoulders. Olivia didn't have a right to be mad, but at the same time, she would understand if she were to get upset. There was clearly something between them, and Alexandra running around having sex with someone else probably wouldn't feel too good for the brunette.

"You've slept with Adrienne," Olivia said simply, catching Alexandra's eyes again, trying to soften her own gaze at the same time but finding it difficult to do so.

"I wouldn't say slept with; we've never slept anywhere together. I have been intimate with her, yes," Alexandra corrected awkwardly after taking in a deep breath. She'd promised honesty, not the ability to talk about it openly like an adult. Olivia already knew this, though, so Alexandra hadn't felt horrible re-confirming it.

"Today." Olivia stated after a long pause. She looked down at her hands, clasping them on her lap, breaking her eye contact with Alex.

"What about today?" Alex asked, already knowing exactly what Olivia was asking, but not wanting to respond if she wasn't ready for it.

Olivia looked up again, opening, and then closing her mouth twice. Alexandra couldn't tell how the brunette was feeling. Part of her knew that deep down Olivia did want to know if she and Adrienne were still actively having sex – but she also knew that Olivia already knew but didn't seem to actually want it confirmed. The look on the brunette's face told her that no matter what, she was going to be upset.

"Did you have sex with her today?" Olivia finally asked. Okay, maybe she does want it confirmed, Alex said to herself.

"I – I did," Alex said shakily after taking another long moment to respond. She wanted to reach out to Olivia, wrap the woman in her arms and assure her that it meant nothing, that it was just a form of release, that it kept her from giving in to their connection, that Adrienne was a means to an end – someone she trusted, and considered nothing but a friend she loved and could escape with. That it was typical behavior for close lesbians to just give in and do it – she'd slept with many of her friends over the years. But she didn't. She remained seated in the corner of the couch with the blanket still wrapped around her.

Olivia didn't speak, but slid her body back a few inches, putting more space between herself and the blonde. Alexandra couldn't read the brunette's expression – she seemed neutral, almost stoic as she moved away but refrained from making any overt indication of disgust.

"Liv," Alex tried softly after a few moments of watching Olivia take deep breaths with her eyes closed.

"Do you have feelings for her?" Olivia asked, opening her eyes and staring coldly at the blonde. Alex had expected that question but was still shocked when Olivia asked. Surely the brunette knew that the blonde's mind was completely pre-occupied by all things Olivia – not Adrienne.

"God no," Alex breathed out with a laugh. She calmed herself and slowly repeated herself, "No. Never. She's my best friend and I love her, but no way – not like that… Never, I promise you."

"Does she have feelings for you?" Olivia inquired, her face remaining unphased. She was glad to hear that Alexandra had no romantic feelings for the redhead, while it didn't change her anger, she at least felt better knowing that the blonde wasn't actively trying to date someone else. Again, not that she had the right to be angry, Alexandra wasn't hers. She was single, incredibly beautiful, intelligent, successful, and had the kind of heart you'd never expect out of a rigid attorney like Alex. Of course, Alexandra was a catch, of course other women would want her. Olivia had just hoped Alex would want to wait for her, like she wanted to wait for Alex.

"I – I'm not really sure how to answer that," Alexandra replied honestly once the confusion on Olivia's face died down, "It's complicated?"

"Explain it, please," Olivia asked, her voice cracking finally. At first, Olivia had only wanted to know if the blonde was still sleeping with her friend, but now, she wanted details. She wanted some reason to let go of the anger building in her chest.

"She has feelings for me – but because she knows it's a nonstarter, she's over it? We're both kinda using each other," Alex admitted, dropping her head at her own words. It sounded bad when she spoke about it, but when she and Adrienne were in the moment, it made sense. Alexandra shook herself free of her thoughts, resigning to not feel badly about her actions. It didn't have to make sense to anyone but them. It worked for them, and nothing had changed.

"Using each other?" Olivia asked after another short silence. The brunette clearly didn't understand.

"I – I don't know how to explain it; it all sounds so stupid now that I think about it," Alex admitted, hiding herself deeper into the blanket she was wrapped up in.

When Olivia didn't respond, Alex tried to continue, "I was using her to avoid crossing the line with you… And surprisingly, it's been working."

"And she knew that?" Olivia asked, a flash of confusion finally crossing her face. An emotion Alexandra could understand. Of course Olivia was confused, what woman in their right mind would let someone they had feelings for use them for sex?

"She did… does. We talked about it," Alexandra explained, "She – Adrienne is one of my best friends, Liv. I trust her, and she trusts me. It made the most sense to be honest with her about everything and take control of that aspect of my life without hurting myself or anyone else in the process… I felt like I was going crazy – and she helped screw my head back on right." When Olivia grimaced Alex corrected herself, "Sorry – poor choice of words. She helped me get my shit together."

"I wish I wasn't so pissed at you right now," Olivia groaned, dropping her head into her knees that she had pulled up into her body, "I can't unsee it… Her lips, her hands on your body… I'm – I'm like a jealous teenager." Olivia laughed at herself, closing her eyes again – a conjured up image of Adrienne shoving Alex up against a wall floating across her brain as she did so, "This freakin' sucks."

"I don't blame you for being upset," Alexandra offered softly, trying to reassure the woman that she understood how she was feeling. Truthfully, if the tables were turned, Alex would probably be picturing the same thing.

"I have no right to be upset," Olivia countered angrily, still clearly trying to blame herself for the situation they were currently in.

Alexandra sighed, none of this was Olivia's fault – and she shouldn't be feeling badly for being upset about it. Alex wasn't Olivia's, but having the knowledge that some other woman was getting to reap the benefits of their attraction was certainly a reason to be perturbed.

"But it's okay that you are upset; I understand… She got to experience what I was wanting to do to you – I get it… I'd be upset too," Alex offered slightly hypocritically. She wasn't sure if an apology was an appropriate response. There was really nothing for her to be sorry for. She was a grown adult, a single grown adult, who could do whatever and whomever she wanted. Besides that, Alexandra wasn't sure she was sorry. Having sex with Adrienne prevented her from losing her mind, throwing her career away, and screwing the forbidden woman in front of her. Why should she be sorry for trying to protect them both? Did it really matter how she did it? Most of all, Alex was certain that the last thing Olivia would want to hear is an apology.

Olivia's face flashed with a myriad of emotion, none of which Alexandra could truly point out. Little did Alexandra know, with that little piece of information, now all Olivia could think about was what Alex had done to the other woman while thinking about her. Olivia's anger was slowly shifting toward the twinge of jealousy she'd managed to suppress until now. She wanted Alexandra doing those things to her and only her. But the thought of the blonde wanting her so badly that she'd fuck her best friend had Olivia feeling extremely conflicted angry, hurt, but also frustratingly aroused.

"Did you fuck her on the couch?" Olivia asked, looking up, her voice suddenly laced with something Alexandra couldn't quite place. Is she turned on? Alex asked herself, watching Olivia's face intently as she spoke again, "Right here where we're now sitting?"

"No," Alexandra answered honestly. Sure, they'd started their tryst earlier on the couch – well, technically the kitchen counter, but they'd remained clothed and Alex had only made Adrienne cum up against her desk once before she drug her upstairs and shed their clothes. The sound of Olivia's voice almost frightened Alexandra, until she looked up and noticed the look in the brunette's eyes. Her features had softened, a hint of something fiery now evident in the twinkle in her eye. Olivia was turned on. What the fuck? Alex asked herself but decided not to question it – she preferred Olivia like this over angry with her.

"Where?" Olivia asked pointedly, moving her body closer to the blonde. Alexandra could almost feel the heat radiating off the brunette, causing her to shudder again as her thighs clenched tightly together trying to quell the rush of feelings racing through her.

"Olivia," Alex warned. She wasn't sure Olivia wanted to know these details. It was clear that the brunette was feeling hurt, angry, jealous, a whole slew of negative emotions, and taking that out, rightfully so, on Alex. But did she actually want to know the where?

"You said if I wanted to know you'd tell me," Olivia responded harshly, "Where did you fuck her Alexandra?" Her voice was cold, her gaze hard, staring into Alex like she wanted to eat her alive. Alexandra gulped at the sight; she'd never seen Olivia like this before. All the blonde could think about was about unbelievably sexy she looked right now. Alexandra didn't answer. Her mouth had gone dry, all the moisture in her body heading south at the sight of Olivia's darkened eyes shooting daggers into her.

"Where," Olivia said sternly again, moving even closer to Alexandra, "did you," she was now sitting just a few millimeters from Alex, "make her cum?"

Alexandra gulped hard at Olivia's boldness, the crassness of her question, scanning her face for any hint of her question being a joke. It clearly wasn't, and the way Olivia was speaking was having a certainly unintended effect on the blonde. Olivia was so close to her now that she could feel the brunette's breath against her skin. Alex's eyes closed at the feeling, her head turning down in submission, deciding she had no choice but to answer the inquiring woman.

"On my desk," Alex whimpered out, "And... and upstairs… in my – my bed." Why the fuck am I telling her this? Alexandra asked herself in her head. The way Alexandra was reacting wasn't foreign to her. Olivia was clearly jumping into a role, exercising whatever power she had over Alexandra without shame. Olivia was deliberately taking the upper hand, pulling the power balance back to herself and Alexandra was happy to fall into line behind her. Fuck, Alex growled at herself, completely unable to pull herself out from beneath Olivia's grasp, why am I so weak for her?

"Did she touch you?" Olivia asked her, watching as the blonde's typically sparkling blue eyes shifted to a piercing shade of cobalt. Olivia smirked now, knowing she had Alex at her mercy. She rose her body up onto her knees, kneeling in front of Alexandra and looking down on her, sliding her left hand up under the blonde's chin and forcing her gently to look up at her, "Did she touch you Alexandra?"

"Y-y-yes," Alex choked, her body shivering at the tender touch. Alexandra had lost all control over herself now. She was certain there was nothing Olivia could ask right now that she would ignore. All Alex could think was fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck over and over again as she starred up into the brunette's ever darkening eyes. She watched intently as Olivia's chest rose and fell, heaving nearly as hard as her own was at this point.

"Did you cum?" Olivia asked, sliding her hand up the side of the blonde's face and lacing into her hair. Even Olivia couldn't figure out what the hell she was doing. With each answer, her jealousy was slowly shifting into desire – picturing Alex lying naked on her bed below her, completely at her mercy. She couldn't stop herself – she needed to know.

"Yes," Alex answered honestly, and probably a bit too quickly. What am I doing? Alex yelled at herself. Alexandra was in a trance, completely lost under Olivia's spell. She couldn't stop herself if she tried, and she knew it. Her heart was racing out of her chest, her body was barely processing how to breathe, and the throbbing between her legs told her there was absolutely no way she was walking away from this situation without violating at least ten more ethical boundaries.

"How did she fuck you Alex?" Olivia asked. The brunette knew somewhere deep down that she should stop, that she was crossing a line, breaking her promise to Alexandra, but on a larger, higher level, Olivia could care less. She was so angry that the blonde had slept with the redhead to avoid sleeping with her that her brain was clouded with jealousy and anger that had quickly transformed into lust as she watched the blonde fall prey to her. It was a dangerous combination, and neither of them were even trying to put out that flame.

"Olivia," Alex warned again, trying to hold onto some sense of reality. Her right hand had long since gripped her left wrist, but even her childhood failsafe was failing to help ground her out of Olivia's grasp.

"Did she fuck you with her fingers?" Olivia asked, tugging lightly on Alex's hair with the hand she'd laced into the blonde locks. Her other hand dropped to Alex's right hand and pulled her left wrist free. She gripped her right hand in her own and squeezed, hard.

Alexandra moaned at the touch – or was it at the question, Alexandra couldn't decide. Olivia groaned at the sound coming from Alex's lips and dropped Alex's right hand. She reached for her left hand, pulled it upwards and placed an open-mouthed kiss on the blonde's slightly bruised wrist. Alexandra shook at the feeling, unable to stop the moan that fell from her lips again, "Fuck."

"Did she slide her fingers inside of you Alexandra?" Olivia asked again, tugging harshly on the blonde's hair again, forcing her to look at her as she toyed with the fingers of Alex's left hand. Alexandra almost fell over at the feeling, her knees going weak, barely able to hold her body up any longer. Her legs were trembling at the feeling of her arousal pooling in her shorts. She hadn't put any underwear on and was absolutely certain that if Olivia were to move the blanket off of her, the brunette would know exactly how turned on she really was.

Alexandra could now barely speak, no less form a coherent thought. Olivia's fingers were tugging at her own, sliding up and down the length of them, lacing them through her own fingers. Her mind was racing with images of Olivia gripping her hair from behind and hate fucking her against the couch cushions. They'd probably already crossed about fifty ethical boundaries, what the hell were a few more? "Yes," Alexandra answered finally, letting herself lean into the pull of Olivia's right hand. Little did Olivia know, until now, that the blonde was an absolute sucker for a good hair pull.

Olivia smirked again, watching as the blonde's eyes fluttered closed. She let go of the blonde locks, dropped her hand, and chuckled lightly when Alexandra whimpered at the complete loss of contact. She now knew, without a doubt, that she had the attorney at her mercy.

"And you think of me while she fucks you?" Olivia husked, bringing her face closer to the blonde's, moving her head to the side to bring her lips just millimeters from Alexandra's ear, "Did you think of me while you came?"

"Yes… only you," Alex answered honestly, her body shivering at the brush of Olivia's breath against the shell of her ear. Her body instinctively leaned into the touch, relishing in the attention Olivia was giving her, even if it was for the wrong reasons. When Olivia's lips finally brushed ever so slightly against the shell of the blonde's ear, Alexandra's thighs clamped shut tighter, trying to relieve the building pressure in her groin. The blonde was certain that if Olivia pushed even a little harder, she would cum without her even having touched her. Fuck fuck fuck fuck, Alex repeated to herself again, I'm so fucked. Olivia smirked again at the display, proud of her handiwork. If Alex was going to use some other woman to take out her frustrations on, Olivia was going to give her something to be frustrated about. It didn't matter that Alexandra would then probably go running to Adrienne for a release – No, Olivia was confident that she was going to make sure that Alex no longer wanted anyone but the brunette in her bed.

"You're wet right now, aren't you?" Olivia asked, deciding to change the subject away from Adrienne's clearly half-assed attempt at satiating the blonde. Alex was a shuddering mess of arousal before her – clearly the redheaded distraction wasn't enough for the blonde anyway, and Olivia appreciated that thought immensely. At this point, she knew Alex would probably tell her just about anything. It wasn't that she even needed Alexandra to confirm her arousal, she knew, she could see it, better yet, she was close enough to smell it. And god was it a scent she could get used to. Olivia's determination broke for a second as she groaned at the actual image of Alexandra submissively resting before her in a puddle of her own making.

"Yes," Alex answered without hesitation. Alexandra hadn't said much more than a simple yes in the last few minutes and she was thankful for not having to form complete sentences. She wouldn't have been able to if she'd tried.

"Do you want me to touch you Alexandra?" Olivia uttered softly with a smirk. The brunette raised her right hand again and let her fingertips brush across the blonde's lips agonizingly slowly, "Do you want me to kiss you, Alexandra?" Alexandra's breath hitched. That was exactly what she wanted.

"Yes… Fuck," Alexandra breathed out finally, "Olivia."

"Settle this case Alexandra," Olivia warned, pulling away from the blonde entirely with the last bit of strength she had. She'd teased the blonde to her satisfaction, and if she continued any further, she knew she wouldn't have been able to stop herself from throwing her attorney backwards onto the couch and fucking her until she begged her to stop.

Alex immediately slumped down into the couch. Her legs giving out entirely, she curled herself into the blanket once again, growling loudly. Fuck, Alex snarled to herself, that was fucking close. She took a moment to regain her breathing, trying to steady herself after Olivia's little display but it was next to impossible. She was still completely under the brunette's control.

Olivia sat smirking at the opposite end of the couch, knowing full well that what she had just done was borderline evil. But, Alexandra deserved it – now, they were even.

"Deep breaths," Olivia reprimanded with a laugh, "Wouldn't want you to pass out on me."

Alexandra didn't speak, still rapidly trying to calm the pace of her heart. She was struggling to regain her composure, not entirely sure she even wanted to.

"We're even now… but Alexandra – don't you dare fuck her again," Olivia warned, her tone turning serious. She shot Alexandra a look that told her she was serious – dead serious. It wasn't that Olivia even had a right to tell Alexandra who she could and could not fuck – but something told her Alexandra wanted her to tell her no. It was clear to her that Alexandra enjoyed being controlled a little bit – she had essentially told her that last week anyway.

Alexandra immediately started nodding her head in understanding. She didn't even think twice. In fact, her arousal grew at the demand, her thighs unable to squeeze any tighter than they already were. Alexandra was exceptionally skilled at taking orders, but she had no avenue for relief now, her body slumping further down into the couch with a whimper. Fuck, this was going to be hard.

"Good… now, go upstairs before I lose the last bit of self-control I have," Olivia demanded, pointing toward the staircase.

"I –" Alex tried to speak, but she couldn't find the words. She sat up further in the couch, trying to regain her composure as she took in the brunette's demanding frame. Her eyes landed on her sweatshirt hanging off of the brunette's body and she moaned again at the sight. She had absolutely no ability to speak. She was way too far gone.

"Alexandra," Olivia demanded, raising her voice slightly, "Go upstairs, take off those shorts, and touch yourself," Olivia told her, pointing toward the stairs again, "Close your eyes, pretend your hands are mine, and touch yourself."

Alexandra gulped, hard, again. Surely this had to be a violation of the ethical rules. There was no way that she wouldn't get in trouble for going upstairs and touching herself to the thought of her client at said client's direction. But Alexandra couldn't stop herself from standing up from the couch on shaky legs, preparing to listen to Olivia's direction.

She moved away from the couch and started walking around it toward the staircase when she heard Olivia groan loudly from behind her. Alex froze and whipped her head around to look back at the brunette. Olivia hadn't moved, but her eyes were glued to Alexandra's bare legs. The blonde shifted uncomfortably, knowing exactly what had caught her client's attention. Just as Alex had suspected, Olivia had gotten her so wet with her little display that Alex's thighs were glistening in the light from the TV.

When Alexandra didn't move, Olivia spoke again, "Go. Now."

Alex gulped at the stern direction, turned, and headed up the stairs without another word, fully prepared to comply with the brunette's demand. Something had told her it wasn't a request anyway.


Note: Told y'all things were about to get heated around here. Let me know what you think!

Also, someone asked about why this is Alex's coping mechanism, and someone else asked about how Olivia could trust them to just be friends now... well, the answer is kinda simple. They're lesbians in 2021/2022. Lesbian friend circles are all a bunch of horny asses screwing each other, honestly... but regardless, Olivia is an adult and can understand a friends with benefits situation. Plus, she has no reason not to trust Alex, she's been honest the entire time. Using sex as a coping mechanism can be healthy, but it can also not be. For now, it's working for Alex - and she's got nothing to worry about yet.