Note: I'm so sorry this took so long! You can all blame my new bff/twin Jessi. She introduced me to the theory of Taylor Swift/Karlie Kloss having dated and I am now lost down that rabbit hole and I cannot believe I didn't see it before! But yes, blame Jessi, not me.

Also, this is a little filler to get us moving along :), but I hope you still like it!


The first thing Alexandra noticed about the home located at 7 Kennedy Lane was that the outside did the inside – and backyard – absolutely no justice. When she had first seen the home approximately a week ago, she'd instantly loved the light grey colonial build. The home was on a large plot of land, nearly an acre, and set back relatively far from the street offering it an added touch of privacy. Once inside, Alexandra couldn't believe that Olivia preferred the Gramercy Park home over this. Not that the Gramercy Park condo wasn't nice, but the nine-foot ceilings were enough to make Alex swoon, and once she saw the huge six burner gas range stove – she was seriously starting to question Olivia's sanity. Sure, Alex hated all the dark wood and cabinetry in majority of the rooms, hated the staircase, and would have already severely updated the inside, but the house was incredible. The backyard was enormous yet unfinished, and Alex couldn't help but think they had missed a golden opportunity to give Noah quite the playground – or even a pool.

Olivia had gone upstairs to the master bedroom and was slowly packing up her things. She'd shown Alexandra and Trevor to Noah's room beforehand and the two were once again packing up things for the little boy. While they had no idea what to pack, they'd mostly resigned to putting everything that looked even remotely useful into boxes for the little boy. If Bradley got to see Noah again, they'd be able to bring things back for Noah at that time. Trevor hadn't protested. Rather than waiting until she got back to the City from Long Island later that night, Alexandra decided that now was as good of a time as any to attempt to negotiate with Trevor.

"So, you wanted to talk about settlements," Alexandra commented to Trevor while she helped him fold clothes from Noah's closet into duffle bags.

Trevor, to Alexandra's surprise had also dressed casually for the occasion, looking far more human in khaki pants, a green Patagonia sweater, boots, and glasses, "Have you given any thought to our offer?"

"We have," Alexandra answered, tucking the little grey and white striped sweater she'd just finished folding into the duffle bag on Noah's bed.

"And?" Trevor, who was taking clothes off the hangers and tossing them onto the bed for Alexandra to fold, asked.

"Look – the original offer is no longer a possibility and we both know it," the blonde told him, "If we tried to give Barth any agreement where Bradley got parenting time right now, she'd reject it; it's a waste of time."

"Holter is prepared to give up parenting time during his probation," Trevor told her as if he anticipated the statement. Even though Trevor didn't practice often in family court, he wasn't stupid. Continuing, he tossed her another shirt, "And we will file a Motion with the Court to re-instate parenting time when he completes it."

Alex paused for a moment; she hadn't been expecting that. Typically, well, at least in the domestic violence cases Alexandra had taken on, that would've been a fair offer; but this was anything but a typical case. Holter was facing serious felonies that could very well land him in jail for longer than the family court would even have jurisdiction over Noah. At Noah's age, there was no way the Court was going to force Olivia to take the little boy to a place like Riker's Island. Not that Holter would go there, he'd likely be sent out of state with the number of enemies he was bound to have in the New York State prison system. Alex contemplated agreeing to it, knowing that their agreement wouldn't trump the Court's final orders nor the criminal convictions, but if Swift failed to get a conviction the provision would likely be honored. Not knowing the ADA well, Alex wasn't willing to chance it.

"No," Alex responded, "Parenting time is indefinitely suspended pending the outcome of the criminal trial. At that time, we mediate – if we can't agree, Holter files a Motion."

"Olivia recants," Trevor offered, knowing full well Alex was about to turn him down. Perhaps they weren't interested in negotiating at all.

"Absolutely not," Alexandra replied quickly, "She will not recant."

"No deal," Trevor responded simply, walking back over to Noah's closet to remove a few more items of clothing. It was clear to Alex that Bradley was willing to fight if there was even the remote chance that he could win – he wouldn't give in to Olivia's demands without there being something in it for him.

"She won't recant, but she will agree to essentially… stop cooperating," Alexandra clarified carefully.

"Go on," Trevor stated, raising a curious eyebrow at the blonde.

"If the State continues to prosecute after Olivia withdraws her cooperation, she'll agree to only testify if subpoenaed and will discontinue assisting the NYPD in their investigation. As for CPS, that's on Holter," Alexandra told him, finishing folding the articles of clothing Trevor had placed on the bed for her.

"I'll talk to him," Trevor answered after considering the proposal for a moment.

"Protection order remains in place."

"Until the divorce is final, sure," Trevor responded with a disinterested grin, "It's unnecessary afterwards, Mayor Holter wants nothing to do with Ms. Benson."

Alexandra laughed at the audacity of Trevor's statement, as if that even mattered. Olivia was afraid of Bradley. He'd done atrocious things to her. The protection order was necessary for her peace of mind, if nothing more.

"Trevor, whether you truly think this was some kind of kinky relationship gone wrong or you actually believe Olivia and are just representing Holter for the clout, I don't care… Regardless, we've both seen the damage, the videos, the evidence – Bradley caused a great deal of bodily harm to Olivia – the protection order gives her some level of comfort because we both know Bradley wouldn't dare violate it while trying to remain in public office," Alexandra countered aggressively, adjusting her stance so that her shoulders were pressed back and she was standing tall. Despite being over 5'11 in her boots, Alexandra was still significantly shorter than Trevor and was forced to use her stone-cold facial expression to make up for what she lacked in height.

"We'll enter into a confidential stay away contract," Trevor offered, as if he was already prepared.

"There are no criminal penalties attached to that," Alex countered. She hated that Trevor was playing this game with her; she'd much rather he just come out and make the offer.

"We'll agree to contractual penalties," Trevor responded, "$10,000 per violation."

"I assume you'd want this to include an NDA," Alex responded.

"Yes, $10,000 penalty for violation," Trevor replied.

Alexandra paused for a moment. It wasn't a horrible idea, but they'd need to be careful with the language. If the NDA covered Olivia speaking about anything that had happened to her, she could have severe civil penalties for testifying against Bradley in criminal court.

"For speaking on the stay away only," Alexandra corrected quickly.

"Of course," Trevor smirked.

"Olivia retains sole decision-making."

"We'll revisit it after the criminal proceedings conclude?" Trevor asked.

"Fine," Alexandra responded, that was a given anyway. Bradley could simply file a Motion if they disagreed down the line.

"I'll talk to my client and get back to you tonight," Trevor told her, tossing the remaining clothes from the closet onto the bed for Alex. He moved closer and started helping her fold and pack.

"As for the rest?" Alex asked.

Trevor paused for a moment, reached into his back pocket and withdrew his phone. He scanned the device for a few moments while Alex finished folding the last few articles of clothing from the closet into the duffle. Finally, once Alex had zipped the bag up, he spoke, "So there are assets that Olivia was unaware of, but if she's willing to settle this low, we're going to have no problem settling."

"Like what?" Alex asked, walking toward Noah's dresser to start pulling the remainder of his clothes into the other duffle Olivia had given them.

"She really doesn't want either house?" Trevor asked, looking up from his phone and moving toward the dresser to help.

"No, but, this place is paid off, but we understand there's HELOC on the Gramercy condo of $1.25mil and Olivia will need to be removed from that," Alex scoffed at his ignorance to her question.

"It's actually been paid down to $1,000,000," Trevor responded, "The real estate equity totals about $4.6 million."

"She doesn't want it," Alex reminded him, not caring about the total value of the homes. Olivia wanted neither property; she'd said as much multiple times over the last week.

"Okay, Bradley wants to sell this place," Trevor told Alexandra, "Would she agree to list the home?"

"Yes," Alex answered, she's fine with that. She finally opened the top drawer of Noah's dresser to grab the last of his clothes.

"Will she want any of the sale proceeds?" Trevor asked.

"Are you offering?" Alexandra asked, peering through the contents of Noah's top drawer. It looked more like random objects and personal effects than clothes.

"If Olivia will agree to a basic, but complete, listing of assets with approximate values… without formal discovery, Bradley would like to offer her $750,000," Trevor responded.

"We're okay with no formal discovery," Alexandra responded. It was better that way for Olivia. She wouldn't have to provide Bradley with any information regarding her new bank account or any real estate she might purchase which would likely help her to feel safe.

"Bradley keeps his investment account, and Olivia keeps her pension," Trevor said, knowing Alexandra had already offered this exact split.

"Olivia retains control over Noah's 529," Alex agreed.

"Bradley keeps his Audi, Olivia gets the Grand Cherokee," Trevor continued, "But, he also has a 2021 Panorama he'd like to keep."

"Debt?" Alex asked.

"Paid off," Trevor responded.

"Not a problem," Alex responded, wondering where Bradley had stored the Porsche in the first place if Olivia knew nothing about it.

"There's a storage unit and a monthly parking spot in the City Bradley would like to retain," Trevor said, knowing the question was likely to come next.

"Of course," Alex said with a laugh. Bradley would have a secret storage unit, "Let me guess, there's an apartment, too?"

"We'd like to include these things in the NDA," Trevor responded.

Alexandra laughed again. Bradley really was a piece of work – doing what he did to Olivia citing infidelity when the bastard was clearly doing the exact same thing. There was really no other reason to have an apartment when you owned two houses on opposite sides of the Island.

"I'm sure that will be fine," Alex responded, digging through the drawer to make sure she didn't miss anything Noah might want to have. While searching she came across a stack of drawings. The one on top was a rather messy drawing of a little boy and a woman – Alex surmised it was a drawing of himself and Olivia. She smiled to herself and flipped to the next picture. Alex's smile instantly fell at the realization of what the little boy had drawn on the next page. It was another messy stick drawing, but very vividly depicted a woman crying in one room and a little boy standing alone outside the door. She quickly placed the first drawing back on top of the other and placed the stack on the dresser. It wasn't her place to look at these, she'd have to bring them to Olivia – and provide them to Melinda as soon as possible.

Trevor walked up behind Alexandra and looked down at the stack, "What's that?"

"Drawings," Alex responded simply, watching as he picked them up and flipped to the second, third, fourth, fifth page. Alexandra purposefully averted her eyes, refusing to violate the little boy's privacy like that, "Trevor – put them down," Alex warned.

"I need to speak with my client, has the State seen these?" Trevor asked, putting them back down on the dresser.

"You just watched me take them out of the drawer… You're the only one who has seen them at this point," Alex stated harshly, "You had no right."

"I need to speak with my client," Trevor repeated, "I imagine you'll be submitting these to the State?"

"That's not my choice," Alex responded, "I'll talk with Olivia first, just like you should have spoken to your client first. You know I'd have a duty to have disclosed them if we did anything with them."

"I –" Trevor stated, "I'm sorry – I didn't realize."

"You did by the second drawing," Alexandra responded, "Your client's a piece of shit Trevor… He's going to need a lot of help to get out of this."

"Just let me talk to him," Trevor said simply. Alexandra gulped, hoping Trevor would be able to get in touch with Bradley quickly. She needed a deal by Friday or Marla would have to take over fully. At least the existence of these drawings would bolster Olivia's point, not Bradley's, making it less likely he would keep trying to fight in family court – or so Alex hoped.

"You have until Thursday," Alex responded, taking control of the situation.

"Fine," Trevor responded, "As for the spousal support – did she want the $200,000 in addition to the $200,000 he put in the joint account for her?"

Alex paused for a moment, it seemed like Trevor was willing to give Olivia more than that at this point, "Yes."

"Fine," Trevor responded.

"So, $1.15 million total?" Alex asked, quickly doing the math in her head.

"Bradley is prepared to offer a total of $2,500,000," Trevor started, "If Olivia resigns from the Foundation."

"I'll talk to her about it," Alex responded.

"After all debts are paid off, Bradley will walk away with about $5,200,000 in assets to Olivia's $2,500,000," Trevor responded.

"I'll draft up an MOU," Alex responded, "I'll have it to you by tomorrow afternoon." She had little doubt that Olivia would turn down the offer – even though she had to give up the Foundation.

"Sounds good, I'll have an answer to you regarding Noah by morning," Trevor answered, speeding up their timeline a bit. It seemed as though Trevor was trying to get this case kicked. It certainly made Alexandra feel better about his likelihood of reporting her. Trevor didn't seem any different than usual today, and he seemed to be offering well over what Olivia requested just to get a deal made. Bradley must have gotten nervous after the last hearing. Things really hadn't gone well for the Mayor. Alex had even started to hear rumors that he was going to be forced out of office.

"As for the rest of the Court's order?" Alexandra asked.

"We're taking care of it; I'll have the paperwork over to you by tomorrow afternoon," Trevor told her.

"Good," Alex responded, "I look forward to it."

"How's Abby doing?" Trevor asked once they'd finished dealing with the last of Noah's clothing.

"You know Abby," Alex answered, "She's doing better than ever." Alexandra had no desire to discuss her best friend with her opposing counsel, but deep down she knew his concern was genuine.

"I'm glad," Trevor told her, "She's a good one."

They spent the next half an hour packing up toys they'd found scattered around the room and anything else that looked like something Noah might need on a daily basis. By the time they were done there were two duffle bags and 5 taped up boxes sitting in the middle of the room. Unsure of what else Olivia might need help with, they headed out of Noah's room in search of the master bedroom. A minute later they found Olivia down the hall sitting on the large king-sized bed in the middle of a large bedroom.

She wasn't moving, and there were piles of clothes scattered on the bed around her making her look almost small on the huge bed. Her eyes were open, and she was staring at the dresser in front of her. From her position, Alexandra couldn't tell what she was looking at, but could tell she was lost in thought. Alex looked over at Trevor and shrugged her shoulders, putting her hand on his shoulder and gesturing him to stay put for a moment. The blonde stepped forward toward the bedroom door and cleared her throat, "Olivia?"

The brunette's head snapped to attention quickly, looking over at Alex and the little bit of Trevor she could see from behind Alexandra. She unconsciously wiped at her eyes, despite the fact that it hadn't looked like she was crying at all, "Hey… sorry. I'm okay." She looked toward the ground, forcing a fake smile.

"Need a minute?" Trevor asked, taking a hint.

"Just give us a sec," Alex responded with a slow nod of her head, walking closer to the bedroom, "Are you okay for me to come in?" she asked Olivia before she dared to cross the threshold into the bedroom.

"Yeah," Olivia breathed out, "I'm okay… really, it's just… overwhelming."

Alexandra looked behind her and caught the tail end of Trevor descending the stairs to give them a moment of privacy. Once she was sure Trevor was out of earshot, she approached the bed and moved to stand in front of Olivia making sure to keep at least a foot of distance between them.

"Are you okay, Liv?" Alex asked, drawing the brunette's attention up to her.

"This is just all a lot," Olivia responded, running a frustrated hand through her hair. The brunette hadn't been back to their home in a week and was clearly overwhelmed, "I – It's a lot," she repeated softly.

"It is," Alex confirmed, trying her best to validate the woman in front of her. She had honestly been surprised when Olivia hadn't really reacted at all while emptying the condo in the City. It only stood to reason that she'd break down eventually.

"I hate this place… Things were the worst here," Olivia told Alex, as if she were reading her mind, "We had closer neighbors in Gramercy, so Brad tended to let more slide there… It wasn't – it wasn't as bad… I think that's partly why I prefer to be in the City – everyone's so close… it feels almost safer?"

"I've always felt safe in the City," Alex acquiesced, "No matter how bad people seem to think it is." She smiled softly at Olivia and reached out her hand, placing it on her shoulder, "You'll never have to come back here again."

"I love the City… I can't wait to move back – I probably can't afford anything there – maybe Brooklyn… I don't know – I just… I really – I can't believe I'm finally free," Olivia told Alex softly, catching her eyes and holding their gaze as best as she could.

"It took an incredible amount of strength to get yourself out of this Olivia," Alex told her, "I'll tell you the same thing I tell every single one of my clients… This is the beginning of the rest of your life."

"It's just surreal," Olivia commented softly, diverting her eyes to stare off into space again as Alex dropped her hand, "But, it's bizarre… this place has so many mixed memories… I raised Noah here… Bradley finally broke me here… Is it strange that I'm sad to say goodbye to it?" Her voice cracked as she mentioned Bradley's atrocities.

"Not at all," Alex told her, "It's normal. This is a very emotional time." It's usually just a matter of time for clients to come to the realization their lives were about to change, Olivia was clearly having her moment now.

"I'm so ready to be done," Olivia told her with a smile, finally standing up off the bed and resuming packing up the rest of her clothes.

"Well good," Alex responded, "Because I think Trevor and I have a deal – we're just waiting on him to verify with Bradley… It's better than we even asked for. We can discuss it later."

"That's… that's great Alex," Olivia said happily, "I want to put this all behind me." Hope was a strange feeling these days for the brunette, but it seemed like things were slowly starting to get better.

"Well, the criminal trial will continue… at least I anticipate that it will," Alex reminded Olivia gently, "But yeah, we can get the divorce wrapped up pretty quickly it looks like."

"Thank you, Alex… Really, thank you," Olivia answered softly, finally turning her attention back to packing, "Care to help?" The brunette winked, suddenly snapping out of her distant state.

"Of course not," Alex smiled, starting to pick up the clothes off the bed and fold them to help Olivia with the packing of her personal effects.

Around five minutes later Trevor rejoined them. He stood off to the side and mostly supervised after Olivia indicated that she and Alex had the packing of her belongings under control. It didn't take much time for them to finish in the bedroom. The three spent a few minutes walking through the house as Olivia collected a few random items here and there that she would need for herself and Noah such as her laptop, chargers, books, and things that had belonged to her mother.

By the time 5 o'clock rolled around, the three were standing in the kitchen after having helped the security team, that had been standing guard out front, load up their suburban again. Once again, Olivia had placed a few of the boxes and travel bags into her own car for use now.

"Is that it?" Trevor asked, putting his coat on.

"Yes," Olivia answered, "That's all. Thank you for making sure this could happen today."

"Not a problem," Trevor responded, "Alex, I'll be in touch tomorrow about what we discussed."

"Of course," the blonde replied, putting her own coat on and grabbing Olivia's for her. Trevor exited the home and started down the driveway toward his car.

She turned to face Olivia while they were still standing in the doorway, but after she had ensured Trevor was well outside of earshot, "Should we go get Noah and head back to the City?" At 5 o'clock, traffic was going to be an absolute nightmare, but it was better to get going now than wait even longer.

"Amanda called while we were loading the car," Olivia told her, "They're out to eat right now. They expected us to take a little longer… so you're stuck alone with me for a little bit."

"Oh," Alex responded, gulping at the thought of them being alone, again. They didn't exactly have the best track record when left alone, but at least it was only for a few hours. Besides, they'd likely be in public for the majority of it – Cold Spring Harbor was a bit far from home.

"Relax," Olivia answered, "I promise to behave."

"Your promises are empty, Ms. Benson," Alex responded in jest, walking out of the house. Olivia followed behind her and locked the door.

"Goodbye, asshole," she said as she walked past the Ring camera, knowing full well Bradley would be able to see it once he looked at the app – if he hadn't already. She was mostly confident that he was already watching.

Olivia wanted to protest as she followed behind Alex toward her matte black Grand Cherokee that was parked in the driveway, but she knew damn well that Alexandra had every right to feel that way – she'd already broken that promise to Alexandra, even if the blonde was only joking with her.

"I'm sorry," Olivia sighed as she climbed into the driver's side of the SUV and buckled herself in, "That's a fair way for you to feel."

"Wow Liv, not even gonna put up a fight?" Alex teased as she buckled herself into the passenger's seat. The blonde clearly wasn't upset by any of it anymore. Olivia paused for a moment to admire the blonde's ability to move on so quickly.

"I mean it Alex," Olivia said softly as she started her car, slowly started to back up, and pulled out of her driveway, "I'm sorry for breaking that promise."

"I need you to stop apologizing," Alex responded with a sigh, "I was an equal and willing participant in that… Sure, you took the first step, but I followed you. I wanted that just as badly as you did." What's fair is fair – they both were to blame for their current predicament.

"Okay," Olivia agreed, her smile growing wider. She had, of course, known that Alexandra was a willing participant in what had happened the night before, but it felt good to be reminded that it was something Alex had wanted just as badly as she did, "But, I promise I won't do it again."

"Little too late to matter," Alex mumbled with a chuckle as she grabbed for Olivia's phone cord, "I promise not to put on anything sappy."

"You don't exactly have the greatest track record," Olivia responded, echoing Alex's earlier accusation, as she headed toward Jericho Turnpike to bring them to Syosset where Amanda was currently feeding her son.

"Shut up," Alex groaned. She plugged her phone in and put on Rüfüs – can't really go wrong with gentle beats and good lyrics, "Do you want to grab something to eat? Neither of us really ate that pizza."

"Truly a shame," Olivia responded with a grin, "But yes… let's get something to eat. What are you feeling?"

"Don't judge me, but I'd kill for some diner food," Alex responded.

"Diner it is," Olivia said as she changed course and headed for the diner in Syosset.


Alexandra Cabot's love affair with diner food hadn't really begun until college; however, she hadn't been back to a diner since she'd graduated. The tacky silver finishing on everything, plush, oddly colored pleather booths, and mismatched décor didn't exactly make for a restaurant that her parents would frequent so it wasn't until her friends started dragging her out to Long Island during her time at NYU that Alex learned she secretly loved it. She and her friends would sometimes take the train from the City to drink at the bars in Rockville Center since it was easier to get by with fake ID's on the Island. After, they'd end up at the diner munching on chicken fingers and cheese fries. For nostalgia's sake, Alexandra had ordered just that. Sure, she'd never been to this particular diner, but it felt comforting – especially being there with Olivia.

Olivia had been blabbing on for at least a few minutes at this point, but Alexandra had stopped listening some time ago. The brunette had taken a bite of her sandwich, a bit of whatever sauce she'd spread on it getting caught on the side of her lip. Alex had watched intently as Olivia darted her tongue delicately to the side of her lip and quickly pulled it into her mouth. From that moment, Alexandra had been lost in thought, taking in every inch of the woman in front of her. God she is beautiful, Alexandra commented appreciatively to herself. Her chestnut chair was parted neatly down the middle, as always, falling just to her shoulders in soft whisps that framed her face beautifully. That jaw, Alex groaned, wondering what it would feel like, taste like, to slide her tongue down it's rigid slope. Olivia's lips were moving, but Alex had no idea what she was saying, her mind having drifted off – curious what those lips would feel like against her own. She subconsciously reached for her wrist, gliding her fingertips against the top of it as she recalled the feeling of Olivia placing an open-mouthed kiss against it the night before. She shivered slightly at the thought, a jolt of electricity shooting straight to her core.

"Alex?" Olivia asked, drawing the blonde from her thoughts.

"Huh?" Alex asked, shaking herself free of the ogling of Olivia she'd gotten herself lost in.

"Were you even listening to me?" Olivia asked with a grin, "Or were you too busy checking me out?"

Alex laughed, opting not to fight Olivia on it. She picked up a piece of chicken that she'd ordered and shoved it into her mouth. It was obvious, after all, "Prosecute me."

"You were the one who asked the question," Olivia countered with a smirk, "You could at least wipe the drool up long enough to hear the answer."

At that, Alexandra almost choked on the chicken she'd started to swallow. She coughed twice, and cleared her throat, picking up her water glass, "I was not drooling." She cleared her throat and took a long gulp.

"Not in the traditional sense," Olivia still hadn't wiped the shit-eating grin off her face, "No, you drool with your eyes, Miss. Cabot."

Alexandra rolled her eyes in response, knowing full well Olivia was right, "Who let you in on my little secret?"

"You," Olivia laughed, "Your eyes get all hazy and dreamy – it's a dead giveaway."

Alex rolled her eyes again and sat up straight, her voice turning serious, "Whatever. Not like you weren't aware that I'm incredibly attracted to you." Despite enjoying the occasional playful banter, this was a losing hand, and Alex knew if she fought back, Olivia would keep egging her on, resulting in their eventual demise back toward ethical violations.

It was Olivia's turn to almost choke, not expecting Alexandra to simply admit that little fact so quickly.

"Oh, don't act so surprised," Alex laughed.

"You're something else," Olivia remarked, taking another sip of her drink to clear her throat, "Now… did you hear anything I said?"

"No," Alex admitted with a blush, "Please repeat yourself, if you don't mind… I don't even remember what we were talking about."

"You asked how we ended up in Cold Spring Harbor," Olivia reminded her, "And I was explaining that we had bought the house right before Noah was born… Bradley had wanted somewhere we could take him to get out of the City – plus, the school districts out on Long Island are incredible. It would've been a really beautiful place for Noah to grow up."

"The schools are quite good," Alexandra agreed, "And this area is beautiful – it reminds me a little of where I grew up… the only difference is the amount of people here, and it's certainly a bit more… suburbs."

"Alexandra," Olivia laughed, "You're comparing Syosset to Amagansett?"

"Okay, fine, they're not much alike – but it's got the same feel to it. I always liked the North Shore," Alexandra responded. Amagansett and Syosset weren't very similar in the traditional sense. But, it still reminded Alex of home. The properties were bigger, the houses much larger and more spread out – there were more trees. It had made sense to Alex, and that's all that mattered.

"Did you like growing up out east?" Olivia asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"I did," Alex told her, nodding her head, "For the most part… I mean… I lived in an extremely small town – not many kids around growing up, and about as diverse the RNC. I mean I'm sure you know Amagansett, it's a tiny beach town… but it was beautiful, and I had an incredible childhood."

"I can't imagine you went to public school?" Olivia asked.

"I actually didn't go to school too far from here," Alexandra answered, "I went to Knox – all of us Cabot's did."

"I've heard of it," Olivia answered, "I can't imagine it was easy being gay there – it's so small." She picked up her sandwich again and started taking small bites.

"Actually," Alex answered, "It wasn't all that bad. Sure, there were some kids who were assholes, but I had a pretty easy time. I've known I was a lesbian since I was very young."

"How young were you?" Olivia asked, her mouth full. She swallowed, and repeated herself.

"Well, I kissed a girl for the first time when I was five," Alex answered with a laugh.

"Damn, you started young," Olivia laughed, "Let's hear the story."

Alex rolled her eyes in response, "It's not very interesting… She was my mother's best friend's daughter. The family used to come over every Thursday night to have dinner. One night Kelly and I were playing house and we decided that since we were married we were supposed to kiss." The blonde shrugged as she took another bite of her chicken fingers. It wasn't exactly an interesting story, and in fact, as she got older she'd learned most of her gay friends had figured it out in similar ways.

"Did she decide that, or were you already persuading people to your side at five?" Olivia asked with a smirk.

"It was a mutual decision. We kissed all the time after that," Alex laughed, "I'm still surprised my mother never found out."

"Is Kelly also a lesbian now?"

"Oh no, definitely not. I haven't really spoken to her since we were kids, but she's got the East Hampton dream now… rich socialite husband, 2.5 kids, white picket fence," Alex answered with a wave of her hand.

"Not your style?" Olivia asked as she finished the last bite of her meal.

"I'd rather marry for love," Alex answered simply, her eyes intentionally holding Olivia's in a heated gaze.

"When did your parents find out you were gay?" Olivia asked, changing the subject and purposefully looking down to avoid Alex's glare.

"My mom thinks she knew first," Alexandra answered, smiling at the memory, "Even now – years later, she thinks she was the first to know… when you meet her, don't take that from her."

Olivia grinned broadly at the implication, it wasn't an if; Alex had said when, "Scouts honor." She lifted her hand and held three fingers together while folding her pinky and thumb together.

"Girl scout, huh?" Alex asked with a smile, "I can picture that."

"All the way up through high school," Olivia answered.

"You nerd," Alex laughed.

"Oh yeah? And what respectable extracurriculars were you involved in Counselor? Debate team? Model UN?" Olivia quipped, leaning forward to glare at Alexandra in jest.

"Don't mock Model UN," Alex said, leaning in further and matching Olivia's gaze, "We won a lot of awards and competitions because of me."

"Oh, I am so not surprised," Olivia laughed.

"I also ran cross-country, and was on the crew team," Alex added, "It made up for the nerdy club."

"That explains why you run so often," Olivia grinned, sitting back in the booth again.

"It's always been my thing," Alex agreed.

"Now, back to this coming out story – your mother wasn't the first to know?" Olivia asked, bringing them back to their original conversation. Alex's introduction had certainly sparked her interest.

"Jake knew first," Alex told Olivia, sitting back herself, "Then my dad… then Wes… then my mom."

"She found out last?" Olivia laughed.

"I think even my grandparents knew before she did," Alex said with a shrug of her shoulders, "My mom can be oblivious to things right in front of her sometimes – and yet she's also incredibly nosey."

"No one was upset when you came out?" Olivia asked, reaching over and stealing a fry off of Alex's plate.

"No, no one cared," Alex said with a smile, pushing her plate closer to Olivia so she could reach better, "Kelly and I stopped being friends the summer after fourth grade. We were ten or so and she got her first boyfriend. I cried about it to Jake and told him I liked girls… he actually said something like cool, now I won't have to beat any of my friends up when we're older."

"Girls can be assholes too," Olivia laughed.

"Oh, trust me, I know… But, Jake would never hit a girl – He avenged me in different ways," Alex told her with a smile, remembering how Jake had gotten back at her only high school girlfriend during Alexandra's sophomore year. Jake had always been a stellar student, second in his class actually, but the moment Alex had come to him crying over her broken heart, he'd kicked it up a notch until he knocked Alex's ex-girlfriend from her number one spot right before graduation. The girl had been livid.

"Sounds like a good brother," Olivia commented softly. It wasn't that she was jealous of Alexandra's clearly happy childhood, but it certainly reminded her just how different her own had been. She stole a chicken finger from Alex, and pushed the plate back over toward the blonde.

"Wes found out next. Have you ever had to bribe an eight-year-old to keep their mouth shut? I had to clean his room for a month," Alex told her.

"I can't imagine it's much different than bribing a six-year-old," Olivia smiled, "And your parents?"

"I told my dad when I was eleven," Alex started, "It was the summer before sixth grade, and I was about to leave for Knox with Jake for my first year of boarding school… My dad and I have always been close… and I don't know – something came over me and I just couldn't leave for school without telling him. So, I did."

"I know he's fine with it now, but was he always?" Olivia asked.

"Yes," Alex answered, "When I told him he said he knew there was a reason why I watched Miss. Congeniality every day after school."

"Sandra Bullock, huh?" Olivia asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"Hey, she's hot okay," Alex responded, "I like 'em shorter and darker."

"Never would've guessed," Olivia smirked, "So how did mom find out?"

"She walked in on me kissing my friend from school during the summer after sixth grade," Alex responded, "She didn't care either… From then on, I was just… Alex who happened to like girls. No one really ever questioned it. The first time I brought a girl home for the holidays, my family was kinda just like, 'oh,' and moved on."

"That's really incredible," Olivia answered, "You're lucky."

"Did your mom not take it well?" Alexandra asked.

"It wasn't that she didn't take it well," Olivia said softly, "It was more that she wanted me to ignore it, to work things out with Bradley… she thought it was best for me."

"I assume that added to why you went back to him," Alex asked, finishing the last chicken finger on her plate.

"Partly that, some parts of me wanted Noah to have a chance at a real, in-tact family… Part of me was scared of what would happen to anyone else I dated – especially after what he did to Abby just because she made me happy," Olivia explained.

"He got her fired," Alex confirmed, "He's an ass."

"Abby was a threat to his perfect image that he wanted to portray," Olivia answered, "He could explain away why Noah and I were at the Gramercy condo more often than Cold Spring Harbor – he couldn't explain away the girlfriend on my arm."

"Abby didn't deserve that," Alex sighed, looking down at her food.

"I know," Olivia responded, "I tried to end it before things got bad – but she refused to back down until it was too late."

"Did you love her?" Alex asked, the words spilling out like vomit before she could stop herself.

Olivia paused, looking toward Alex until the blonde looked up at her, "I did. Very much."

Alex wasn't sure how she felt about that. Abigail was one of her absolute best friends, and the woman Alexandra was currently pining over had dated, correction, loved Abby.

"I can only imagine you remember what it felt like the first time you dated a woman, truly loved a woman," Olivia offered gently, "It was a whirlwind – but it was never made to last."

"I understand," Alex said finally, attempting to hide the bitterness in her tone, "Abby is an incredible person – you're lucky she was your first."

"Did you and Abby ever?" Olivia asked, trailing off without saying it. Not that she needed to, Alexandra knew exactly what she'd meant.

"Absolutely not," Alex responded quickly, "It's always been a really good friendship between the two of us… Abby is like family to me."

"You had a bad first experience then?" Olivia asked, "Judging by how you said that?"

"In what sense?" Alex asked. She hadn't intended for Olivia to notice the disdain in her voice regarding her own first love, but Olivia never failed to pick up on even slight hints from the blonde. Natalie was the last person she wanted to talk to Olivia about.

"Your first love?" Olivia clarified.

"The first puppy love, or my first real love?" Alex asked. There was a difference. She'd thought she loved her high school girlfriend, Samantha, but it had been nothing more than puppy love. After that, Alex had opted for casual flings and one-night stands to satiate herself. There was no room for love on her quest to the top – that was, until Natalie.

"Real," Olivia decided.

"It was a disaster," Alex groaned, shrugging as she started remembering the roller-coaster ride of a relationship she'd had with Natalie.

"Go on," Olivia encouraged, picking fries off of Alex's plate as she waited for the story.

"Like I said," Alex started, "I don't really do relationships… At first, I couldn't really be bothered – school was more important to me… but I did eventually find myself in a serious relationship in law school."

"Damn, it took you that long? What about the high school girlfriend?"

"We dated for a year and a half," Alex told her, "She was in Jake's class… yes I loved her, but it wasn't the kind of love you write home about and people write novels over."

"So, law school?"

"I met her just before summer as my first year was ending… I'd gone to watch the clinic presentations during lunch hour. I was hoping to secure a position in the International Human Rights Clinic but the moment I heard her talk – I was hooked. She was talking about the Immigration and Refugee Rights Clinic and suddenly I was putting in an application for that instead. I worked for the clinic that whole summer… And god I had such a crush on her. She asked me to join her and a few other students on an exchange program to Oxford during winter break of 2L… and one thing led to another and we slept together on that trip… we were together until just after I started at Goldstein & Park."

"Oh, a little European romance, how cliché," Olivia teased.

"Oh, it's way more cliché than that," Alex answered, "Did I mention she was my professor?"

"Alex!" Olivia laughed, "Are you serious? You have a thing for forbidden relationships, huh?"

"Clearly… She was like eleven or twelve years older than me," Alex answered, "I was completely captivated. She was this loud, no nonsense, badass, brash attorney from Boston… Sometimes I couldn't decide if I wanted to be her or do her."

"Alex!" Olivia gasped again.

"It was a very toxic, controlling, way out of hand relationship," Alex added, "My family hated her… my friends hated her… It was a lot of… intense emotions… She was particularly skilled at roping me in... even when I was truly done."

"What happened?" Olivia asked, unsure if she even wanted to know the whole story. All she knew was that Natalie was clearly insane for letting Alexandra go.

"I stopped being shiny and new," Alex shrugged, "I was never what she wanted… I was always just a toy to play around with… Sometimes she wanted it to be real for her, I think – and I could argue that she did try – but I was never enough to tame her, or keep her interested… Which was fine, I knew deep down that she wasn't the one for me… I just was so lost in her trance that I wanted to believe she was… But really, in the end it was adventure, and she gave me something I needed at the time."

"That's horrible Alex," Olivia answered, "I can't imagine anyone thinking that way about you… You're the whole damn package."

Alex laughed, "Eh – her loss… I've been over it for a while."

"You haven't dated anyone since then? Hasn't it been like five years?" Olivia inquired, wondering how someone as beautiful and captivating as Alexandra Cabot had managed to stay single for that long.

Alexandra froze for a minute. No, she hadn't been in any serious relationships over the last five years. There had been a few flings here and there, but nothing that Alexandra ever felt inclined to continue beyond that. Other than Natalie, who had annoyingly been in and out over the last five years. Was that information Olivia needed to know? Not really, especially now that it was over. But, remembering back to how Olivia had reacted when she'd withheld information about Adrienne, Alexandra decided not to hold back. Besides, the last thing they needed to do was start lying to one another now.

"No, not really… Nothing longer than a couple of months… and even that was slim… but, I – I don't want to lie to you," Alex said softly, "There has been nothing serious – but Natalie… my ex-girlfriend, she – she's popped in and out over the years."

"Is she still popping in and out?" Olivia asked, cocking an eyebrow. Alexandra still had an ex coming after her?

"No. It wasn't often, just a couple times – and never for anything serious… But, the last time… it was rough," Alex responded, "She moved to the City – and convinced me to tried again, for a month or two it was good, really good and then… she left one night and never came back."

"Was that the last time you saw her?"

"No," Alex answered flatly, "I called her after – made her talk to me; I kept letting her in my bed for a while after that because I clearly enjoy torturing myself… I ended things officially a few weeks later, asked her not to contact me again. But, I'll admit – I saw her on Thanksgiving in a moment of weakness."

"Do you still love her?" Olivia asked softly. She really didn't enjoy the idea of Alex having seen her ex that recently.

"No, absolutely not. It was for… other reasons," Alex responded honestly, "I don't think I've had any real feelings for her since law school… we tried to make it work when I moved back to the City after graduation – but, everything was just so wrong with us at that point that I just… stopped?"

"Then why continue?" Olivia asked.

"It was easy," Alex answered with another shrug.

"Easy with someone who treated you poorly?" Olivia asked.

"That's what I needed at the time," Alex answered quietly, not wanting to get into detail, "I don't expect you to understand, but she put me in my place when I needed it."

"I do understand… I went back to a horrible man because it was easy."

"For different reasons, of that I am positive," Alex countered with a smile.

"Ah, so it was just sex," Olivia surmised, putting the pieces together.

"That was part of it," Alex said, "I don't know how to explain it."

"You don't have to," Olivia told her, "As long as it's over – I'm not worried."

"It's over," Alex told her, "Never again."

"So, why on Thanksgiving?"

"We'd just closed a really hard case," Alex told her, dropping her head in shame, "I – God are you sure you want to hear all of this?"

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's alright," Olivia told her with a reassuring smile, "But, otherwise, yes. I want to know everything about you."

"I needed what she could give," Alex answered, trying to say it without actually saying it.

"You wanted her to treat you like shit?" Olivia asked, her eyebrow raising in confusion.

"I needed to feel something… and I deserved it," Alex said solemnly, nodding her head in response to Olivia's question.

"Deserved it?" Olivia asked.

"My client… she – she didn't want to get a divorce," Alex explained, "She wanted things to work themselves out… The whole process was really rough for her… The parties' son – he hadn't even turned one yet – my client found him dead in his crib."

"What?!" Olivia exclaimed a little too loudly.

"SIDS," Alex said softly, "It was no one's fault… but my client lost it after that… she was a wreck… and wound up cheating on her husband… and she got pregnant."

"Wow, that's a lot to deal with in a short amount of time," Olivia commented.

"They tried to raise the new baby together," Alex told her, "And it was okay for a while… but her husband just couldn't stand it anymore and filed for divorce."

"Did they have any other kids?" Olivia asked.

"Two," Alex answered, "One was about 5, and the other was about 3."

"What happened?" Olivia asked.

"We couldn't get ahold of her one day," Alex answered, "I – I was supposed to be checking up on her, keeping her calm, we had her in every service imaginable… but it wasn't enough… I was – I was supposed to meet her for coffee one morning before Court – and I had to cancel… When we called her to re-schedule it… there was no answer… We did a wellness check… and the police found her dead in her apartment."

"Oh Alex," Olivia said softly, reaching her hand across the table to comfort the blonde.

"She killed herself," Alex told her softly, resting her hand beside Olivia's on the table, "And I – I've blamed myself for it ever since…"

"What happened to the kids?" Olivia asked.

"Dad has the two older kids," Alex explained, "We're still fighting over custody of the baby… She's temporarily with the baby's dad's parents."

"Where's her dad?"

"He killed himself," Alex said, "Accidental drug overdose."

"And her husband isn't fighting for the kid? He raised her!"

"He is," Alex explained, "He's a good man."

"Alex," Olivia started, "You have to know that none of that was your fault."

"Deep down, I know that," Alex explained, "But I can't help but still feel responsible sometimes… she was counting on me, and I let her down."

"And Natalie making you feel like shit helped you realize that?"

"I was numb," Alex responded shortly. She really didn't want to discuss it.

"And hurting was better?"

"Sometimes," Alex shrugged, "It made me feel something again."

"This all happened less than a month ago?" Olivia asked.

"Well, yes and no. Going to Natalie – yes… It took me a few months to stoop that low, and I tried other avenues first," Alex answered, "I know that isn't exactly a healthy way to cope, but it worked – trust me, I'm working on it."

"And you're sure there's no feelings there?" Olivia asked skeptically.

"I promise," Alex responded, "It was just sex."

"I find it hard to believe you couldn't find that elsewhere," Olivia responded, her tone even, careful not to sound judgmental or accusatory.

"Not the kind I needed," Alex responded with a shrug, trying to spare Olivia the details.

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked, clearly not wanting to let it go without a concrete answer.

"Liv," Alex warned.

"You don't have to explain, but I can handle it," Olivia said trying to assure the blonde as best as she could. Sure, she'd freaked out and gotten jealous over Adrienne – but if Alex said this was in the past, she was going to believe her, "I'll need to know how to deal with your bad days eventually, don't you think?"

Alex let out a small laugh, and quickly stopped herself. She'd never really thought about how that would work, with Olivia's past and all. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable, how was she supposed to explain what Natalie provided without making Olivia feel like she'd have to do the same thing someday?

"Oh," Olivia said suddenly, realization dawning on her. She sat back in the booth and inhaled a deep breath, "You wanted… you wanted it to hurt?"

Alex shrugged again, burying her face into her hands, "Ugh."

"It's okay, Alex," Olivia said softly, "You don't need to be embarrassed."

"Please don't think I'm ever expecting that out of you," Alex said finally, after remaining silent for a few long, awkward moments.

"Who said I wouldn't be okay with that?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"You – you are?" Alex asked, raising her head abruptly, a look of confusion on her face.

"I – I mean it depends what we're talking about here," Olivia corrected, "Are we talking a few steps above the other night, or are we talking sex dungeon?"

Alex laughed a genuine belly laugh, "Olivia… do I really look like the sex dungeon type?"

"Hey, you've been a ball of surprises since I met you," Olivia retorted with a grin.

"Last night was… great… but yes, we're talking a few steps past that," Alex confirmed, "No dungeons, but yes, occasionally I like to be knocked around a bit."

"Good," Olivia said, smiling again, "I can definitely get behind that… last night was… incredibly sexy."

Alex rolled her eyes, "You were incredibly sexy."

Olivia paused, clearly lost in thought for a moment, a dreamy grin spread across her face, "God the sounds you make."

"Olivia," Alex warned, "Don't."

"I'll never get the image of you letting go like that out of my head," Olivia remarked, raking her eyes up and down every part of Alex's body that she could see from across the table.

"Oh, now look who can't say it," Alex joked.

"I was trying to be respectful," Olivia responded, "But since you don't seem to mind… I'll correct myself…" Olivia lowered her voice to a barely audible, husky whisper, "I will never get the image of you fucking yourself until you orgasmed over and over again out of my mind… I wanted to pounce on you so bad – replace your fingers with my mouth."

Alexandra was frozen at the statement, unable to speak after hearing those words come from Olivia's mouth. That incessant pulling in her chest returning tenfold as every nerve ending in her groin immediately sparked to life. It took everything in Alex not to launch herself across the table and pull Olivia's lips against hers.

"Something I said?" Olivia asked with a knowing smile.

"You're going to be the death of me Olivia Benson," Alex told her, "But if you don't stop… I don't think I can make it through this night."

"So, if I keep going, I'll get to watch you touch yourself again?" Olivia joked with a smirk.

"If you keep going, this whole diner's about to get an eye full," Alex responded.

"So how long until you're off the case again?" Olivia asked.

"If I can get Trevor's agreement tonight," Alex started, "I can withdraw right after."

"Good girl," Olivia husked, using the same voice she'd used on Alexandra last night, a sly smile teasing at the corners of her lips.

Alexandra went rigid and gulped, her eyes growing wide at Olivia's statement. Fuck, she thought to herself, there's no fucking way I'm getting out of this alive.

"I'm not even sorry," Olivia commented, finishing the last bite of her sandwich, "The look on your face right now was so worth it."

Alex gripped the collar of her sweatshirt and pulled it away from her chest back and forth for a few minutes, fanning herself with the material, "Is it hot in here, or is it just you?"

"You're a little flushed," Olivia answered, "God what I wouldn't give to watch that blush creep up your chest."

"Olivia," Alex warned again, closing her eyes, "I – I have very little self-control right now."

The brunette chuckled. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, her phone rang. Olivia smirked at Alex, saved by the phone, again. She pulled the phone out of her jacket pocket that was sitting on the booth beside her. It was Amanda. She answered the phone quickly, "Hey… all done with dinner?... Sure, yeah, we're just finishing up at the diner… We'll meet you over there… Okay, thanks again Amanda… Bye."

"They all set?" Alex asked, grateful for the change in topic.

"Just finishing up," Olivia confirmed, "We can grab the check and go meet them over at the frozen yogurt shop down the road."

"Sure, I'll flag down the waitress," Alex said, turning her attention to the diner to scan the premises for their waitress.


Much to Alexandra's delight, Olivia refrained from egging her on for the remainder of the night. After collecting Noah from Amanda, they headed back to Alexandra's apartment where Olivia promptly started unpacking some of Noah's things into Alex's spare bedroom. Despite knowing it wasn't a permanent placement for them, Alex had assured Olivia that making Noah as comfortable as possible was paramount. While Olivia took care of settling Noah in, Alexandra drafted an email to Trevor with a Memorandum of Understanding detailing out the talking points they'd discussed at Olivia's Cold Spring Harbor home. And, by Wednesday morning Alexandra and Trevor had a signed Memorandum. The had also subsequently agreed to vacate the hearing on Thursday due to their agreement.

Before passing the agreement memo on to Marla, Alexandra re-visited her personal memo regarding the rules of professional conduct. She quickly pulled up her personal e-mail account, pulled out the important pieces of her memo, placed them in an e-mail to Marla's personal e-mail, informed her boss that she would be withdrawing from the case effective immediately, and that an immediate firewall would need to be put up around Alexandra for the remainder of Olivia's case to avoid any issues. Alex explained vaguely that she specifically requests that Marla not read into the request, and refrain from asking any unnecessary questions. Alex assured Marla that she had it all under control, but that her professional ethics would not permit her to continue on the case. Alexandra cited that she'd be withdrawing due to an overwhelming case load, and that Rafael has agreed to take over the representation with Ted and Marla. Thankfully, Marla did not respond. Alex filed a withdrawal and substitution of counsel that same day, and officially wiped her hands of Olivia's case.

By the time Tuesday rolled around, they still hadn't heard anything from the Court. Olivia and Alex had been all but tiptoeing around one another, trying to avoid falling into another situation that could potentially jeopardize Alexandra's career. Alexandra had thrown herself back into her work, working long hours all week to get ahead so that she'd be able to spend an easy week at home with her family. Marla, Ted, and Rafael had completed the drafting of the Separation Agreement, Parenting Plan, and other required documents and filed all of those Monday morning, along with an order for child support in the amount of $1,500 per month, and the Parties' Confidentiality Agreement. While Alexandra knew that the approval on the official documents would likely take months, she felt hopeful that due to the Agreement, the withdrawal would come through quickly.

"Hey… there you are… How was work?" Olivia asked as Alex walked through the door to Noah's bedroom on Tuesday evening. Olivia and Noah were wrapped up in Alexandra's guest bedroom reading a book together.

"Not bad," Alex said, "Just a long day." She leaned up against the door frame and smiled, "How was your day off?" Both Olivia and Noah were out of school until January, winter break having started for them both on Friday.

"We went to the museum," Noah told Alex sleepily from his place in his mother's arms, "Mommy couldn't work the magnets and I had to show her how."

"Oh, yeah? Smart kid, huh?" Alex asked with a smile, "What did the magnets do?"

"They can move stuff!" Noah said happily, "We can go, and I can show you! I wish you could have come today." He crawled himself out of Olivia's arms and started crawling across the bed to get closer to Alexandra. He leapt off the bed and threw himself into Alex's arms, "I missed you."

Alex's heart almost exploded on the spot as she wrapped her arms around the little boy, "I'd like that… I missed you too kiddo." Olivia's smile alone could've knocked the attorney off her feet, had she looked up to see it.

"Did you know it's almost Christmas?" Noah asked as he pulled himself out of Alex's arms, "Do you think Santa will still be able to find me?"

Olivia's smile fell, "Oh Noah, don't you worry. Santa knows where all the good kids live."

"But how does he know this is my home now?" Noah complained, crawling back onto the bed and flinging himself at Olivia as if it was the worst thing to ever happen to him.

Both Alex and Olivia smiled at Noah calling Alexandra's apartment home. He'd ramped that up over the last week, consistently referring to the apartment as his cool new house. Unbeknownst to Alexandra, Olivia had caught Noah on Facetime with his best friend Jesse, telling her that he loved his new house and that he was happy to see his mom happy with his Alex. Olivia had almost cried, hearing Noah refer to Alexandra as his.

"He knows, Noah, I promise," Alex told him with a smile, "But… speaking of which…"

"Yeah?" Olivia asked. She'd been dreading the conversation all week, knowing that Noah would probably be devastated if Alexandra didn't spend the holidays with him. Noah had become attached – of that Olivia was sure. Alex was close with her family, of course she'd be going home.

"I'm heading out to Amagansett tomorrow morning," Alex started softly, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. This isn't a big deal Alex, she reminded herself, it's just an offer – she doesn't have to accept it.

"Noah and I can fend for ourselves," Olivia said evenly, "Can't we Noah?" She looked down at the little boy with as bright of a smile as she could manage, knowing full well she'd have to deal with the aftermath of his sadness. Olivia understood, of course, it would be absurd to think Alexandra would miss out on her family for the holidays just to spend it with them, and it would be even more absurd for Alexandra to take them with her.

"Actually," Alex cut in before Noah could even respond, the pout already evident on his face, "I was wondering… if maybe you wanted to come? It's just the family… and while that's no small crew – it'll be private, and safe for you and Noah… you don't have to come, but I just wanted to throw that out there."

"Mommy, can we go too?!" Noah yelped, jumping onto his mother, looking up at Alexandra with huge hopeful eyes, "Can we?!"

"You're sure?" Olivia asked Alex, ignoring her son, but wrapping her arms around him, "That's not too much?"

"I hate the thought of you two being alone on Christmas," Alex offered with a smile, "And there will be plenty of kids for Noah to play with… I thought maybe it'd be better than being here… we didn't even decorate."

"It's not too soon?" Olivia asked, trying to hint at Alexandra that it wasn't exactly conventional for her to be meeting Alexandra's whole family this fast. They weren't even a couple.

"I think we've already been a little unconventional, don't you?" Alex asked, as if she were reading Olivia's mind.

"Okay," Olivia said with a smile. She looked down at Noah and ran a hand through his curls, "Do you want to spend Christmas with Alex, little man?"

"Yes!" Noah cheered happily, "And I can play with other kids?"

"Yes," Alex said with a smile, trying to hide her happiness at Olivia and Noah agreeing to come with her, "My brother has two kids around your age, and my cousins have another six kids amongst all of them. You'll have tons of kids to play with."

"Mom!" Noah said excitedly, "Please, can we go?"

"If you promise to behave, we can go," Olivia told him, ruffling his hair.

"I'll be the best boy!" Noah said, "Will Santa find me at Alex's moms house?"

"I bet he'll not only find you, but make an appearance to come say hello," Alex told him with a grin. It was a Cabot family tradition; every Christmas Eve Donna and Alexander would hire a "Santa" to come and entertain the children and pass out gifts while the adults exchanged their presents.

"Santa will come say hello to me?" Noah asked excitedly, turning to his mom, "Mom this is going to be the best Christmas ever!"


Note: Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a little review! Also, feel free to yell at Jessi instead of me if the next one takes too long to get out too.