A/N: Thank you all for reading and reviewing! In this chapter, I wanted to explore some of Olivia's vulnerability. Please let me know what you think!

Chapter 18

Pure

Olivia unlocked the door at the top of the stairs and pushed it open, holding it for Alex to walk through. She led the blonde down a set of stairs and into a small dining area, and Alex could smell a wondrous aroma coming from the kitchen. She was transfixed on Olivia, so surprised and touched that she went through all of this trouble.

"Max!" Olivia smiled and hugged a tall man with black hair as they came around the side of the kitchen, peering through the glass window to see what was for dinner.

"Olivia! Hi!" He instantly approached the two women, wearing a smile that could warm any heart.

"Max, this is Alex Cabot. Alex, this is Max—we went to the academy together back in the day."

Alex smiled as she shook his hand with a questioning eye. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. You went to the academy with Liv and…now you own a restaurant?"

Olivia and Max smiled back at Alex when he began to speak. "Long story, Ms. Cabot, and definitely not one for tonight." He winked at Olivia and began speaking. "Liv you remember Lorenzo? He's in the kitchen for you, so whatever you want, he will make. He's already prepared the main course and a salad, and if you want anything else, just let him know. I'm gonna leave and you two—just enjoy tonight." He gave Olivia a tight hug and smiled at Alex as he began to leave, disappearing up the steps.

"Just remember to lock up, Liv!"

Alex turned to Olivia and gave her an authoritative look, telling her to remember to lock the doors when they left, acting like the boss.

"Yes, counselor." Alex could get used to that.

Olivia led Alex to a small candlelit table for two in the back corner of the restaurant. They sat down and admired one another until Lorenzo approached their table.

"Detective! So nice to see you." Olivia and Lorenzo shook hands as he sat down a pitcher of water and two large mouth wine glasses. Olivia beamed as she introduced him to Alex.

"Lorenzo, it's wonderful to see you too. Thanks for doing this for us tonight. This is my girlfriend, Alex." She signaled to the blonde, and a heat burned inside Alex, feeling so warm and loved to be called Olivia's girlfriend.

"Oh, it's no problem. Nice to meet you, Ms. Cabot. Now, here's the wine you requested, detective." He uncorked the bottle and poured a tasting sample into Olivia's glass. The detective gingerly picked up the long-stemmed glass and tilted it towards Alex, raising her eyebrows and signaling for her to try it. The blonde looked at Olivia seductively and took the glass from her hand. Alex swirled the wine in the glass, smelled the robust aroma, and lifted the glass to her lips. Olivia watched as the liquid slipped through the attorney's lips and down her throat. It was intoxicating, to say the least.

Alex placed the glass back down on the table, in front of Olivia, and she smiled at both of them. "That's great. Good choice, baby." She placed her hand on Olivia's and smiled towards Lorenzo. "So, Lorenzo, what's for dinner? I can only imagine how good it will be after this wine—she really does know how to pick 'em."

He smiled and quickly went into waiter mode. "Well, for tonight, you two will start with a traditional bruschetta, topped with diced tomatoes, olive oil, roasted garlic and a balsamic glaze. Next will be a small field greens salad featuring strawberries, feta cheese, and a pomegranate vinaigrette. Then will come the main course, Chicken Marsala served over a bed of angel hair pasta and topped with a light Marsala cream sauce. And then, of course, dessert is up to you."

Alex looked at Olivia and smiled. "That sounds amazing. Thank you Lorenzo for doing all of this."

He replied quickly, as he finished pouring the wine and gestured to Olivia. "Anything for detective Benson! You two just ignore me and try to enjoy your night. If you need anything, please let me know." He retreated back to the kitchen and began making part of their dinner.

Olivia looked around the restaurant and sighed, "Man, I haven't been here in a long time. The place looks good."

"Well, I'm glad you brought me here. This is absolutely wonderful. The whole day has just been more than I could have ever imagined and I want to thank you for that Olivia. You really are a true romantic under that rough exterior."

Olivia smiled half-heartedly and leaned forward to connect with the blonde. "Alex, I just want you to feel loved. I know I shouldn't have run out this morning, and…" she paused as Lorenzo came to the table, delivering their first course. "I've learned that my first instinct is always to remove myself when I feel threatened, and I'm sorry I did that to you today. I don't want to be without you, Alex. I just didn't know how to explain what I thought you needed to hear...so I did something instead."

"It's ok. I shouldn't have been so selfish. Here you are, injured, loving, vulnerable, putting it all out there, and now I decide I'm going to have some issue with you loving me. It's all I've ever wanted, really, and it's just silly that I was feeling like that."

"It's not silly, Alex, if that's how you feel. I left the apartment today and I knew I had to do something to make you feel like you were the only woman in the world, and furthermore, the only one worthy of my love. Al, there's so much I would do for you—you don't even know. But, I don't want you to ever not feel worthy of something, because you deserve every single good thing that will ever happen to you."

Alex linked fingers with Olivia across the table and looked deeply into the detective's eyes as music began to play in the restaurant. "Thank you baby. You made me feel like I was the only one that mattered today. And, I know now that I'll never get tired of hearing you say 'I love you' to me. Because, I love you Olivia, and today I realized what it felt like to have someone love me back, just as much as I love them."

Olivia knew she had executed her plan flawlessly. She looked the attorney over; from her golden, flowing hair to her expertly manicured toes peeking out from the black wedges, Olivia knew that in her eyes, Alex Cabot was the most perfect woman to ever grace the earth.

"But, I do have one question I'd like to ask…" Olivia grew nervous as Alex began to ask this question with a seductive smirk on her face. "How did you know what size I wore…in everything?"

A small smile crept across Olivia's face, working its way from the left side to the right, before it became a full-blown grin. "Well, counselor, first, you seem to forget that I am a detective after all." She motioned toward her shield, which she always carried, laying on top of her large zippered wallet. Alex smiled and conceded with a slight nod of her head.

"Ok. Go on, then detective and tell me how you actually knew all of my sizes. You're a great detective, but it seems that some of these skills are not…interdisciplinary." Alex smiled and raised her eyebrows at Olivia, who knew she was throwing around big words to intrigue the detective.

"Well, there's a perfectly logical explanation to all of this, and that is…that I remembered your sizes on a lot. For example, I know you can't wear my shoes because my feet are a little bigger than yours. I remember when we were working on the Simmons case, one of your heels broke before arraignment and I offered you a pair of mine that I kept in the precinct, but you said you wore an 8, and mine were a 9 and a half…so there's the shoes." Alex relaxed back into the chair, crossing her legs and sipping her wine, eager to hear more of the detective's explanation.

"As for the dress, I just asked you the other day if you were still a size 2, to which you said you were, so that was easy. I know your ring size, so that was easy."

"Wait!" Alex interrupted. "How do you know my ring size?" Quickly the same thoughts Alex delighted in during her car ride returned.

Olivia began to open her mouth and explain when their salads came out. She paused and smirked over the plate to Alex, waiting for Lorenzo to leave the table so she could continue speaking.

"The John Doe case—the unidentified guy we found in the warehouse on 155th—don't you remember?"

Alex remembered the specific case, but had no idea how the detective would decipher her ring size from the evidence.

"I mean, I remember the case…"

"Ha ha. You don't remember." Olivia took a breath and smiled at Alex before sipping some wine and continuing. "We had reached a dead end in the case. Melinda called us all to the M.E's office to examine a theory. You remember?" Alex nodded, but still didn't know the particulars that she knew Olivia was recalling. "We had been looking at a pattern in his neck and had recovered a unique ring from one of his exes.""

Alex jumped in. "Oooh yeah! I know, I know. Warner wanted me to put it on and see if it would match the indentations on his neck."

"Exactly. It was a six and a half, and you were the only one of us that could get it on over the rubber gloves. So, I just figured you were probably a six." Olivia sat back in the chair, obviously satisfied with herself.

"Ok detective…I'll hand it to you—I'm impressed. But…there's still the matter of the other…garments in the box." Alex's voice was drenched with secrecy, as she pushed Olivia to answer. She brushed her hair off of her shoulders and rested her hand on her neck in a seductive fashion.

"Well, that was simple. I know you wear a small, so that part was easy. And, the top, I saw the size on your bra when you took it off and put it on top of the laundry basket the other day." She gave this answer very matter-of-factly and smiled into her wine glass as she tipped it to her lips.

"You really are something else, detective. I guess I never noticed how much you pay attention."

"That's my job, counselor…" Lorenzo returned to the table with their main course, and he refilled their glasses as he stood.

"Everything look ok?"

"Looks great, Lorenzo. Thanks!" Olivia smiled and politely dismissed him from the table as she raised her glass towards Alex. "I'd like to make a toast…"

Alex raised her glass and readied herself for whatever it was that the detective was thinking about saying.

"Here's to always letting you know how much I love you, no matter the cost. To always kissing you every morning, and hopefully always being able to make you feel like you're the only woman in the world that matters to me. I love you, Alex."

Their glasses clinked as they maintained eye contact through the clear wine glasses. "I love you too, Liv."

During dinner the conversation turned from Alex's adventurous day to the restaurant, the attorney ever curious to know how Olivia discovered it.

"So, how did you find this place? I love it."

"Well that's sort of a long story, but the short version of it is that my mom always loved this place."

Alex always admired how Olivia spoke about her mother. She knew that her rape had troubled the woman, and she also knew that she was probably ashamed of Olivia, as most rape victims are. Alex knew that Serena Benson was physically abusive to Olivia, but from how the detective spoke about her, you would have never known that she was anything but the best mother in the world. That was one of Olivia's talents: she could see the good in people, even after they had been beaten down by the world.

"She would bring me here when I was young, and I always knew this was a safe place because she never drank here. Some of my fondest memories from when I was young happened here with her." Olivia smiled sadly and peered over at a framed picture that Alex immediately recognized—it was the same one that Olivia had framed in her apartment, of her and her mother smiling for the camera at this very restaurant.

"Oh, Liv. That picture is beautiful. It's nice when places remember people like that—it makes you feel like family."

"Yeah, well I guess that's what you get when you own the place." Olivia chuckled half-heartedly as she laughed into her wine glass, swallowing the rest of the contents and refilling it.

Alex's mouth stood agape as she looked over the table to Olivia, who was still admiring the picture hanging on the brick wall. "What?"

"Funny story actually." Olivia put her fork down on her plate and looked towards Alex. "When Max quit the force—also a long story—, he went to culinary school and met Lorenzo. During that same time, the owners of this place were getting older and they were looking for someone to take it over so they could retire to Florida. Max was all about it, but didn't have the initial capital to put in, so we sat on it for a few months, trying to find some investors, but people weren't very keen on backing an old restaurant with two brand new chefs just out of culinary school, especially right after September 11th and the fear of an economic depression." Olivia's voice faded out as she looked over the restaurant before she began absentmindedly swirling her wine in her glass.

"You know, I brought my mother here two days before she died. Of course, it looked different than it does now, and the old owners were still here…" Olivia's voice fell as she twiddled her thumbs in her hands and looked around the restaurant. Alex was enthralled by the story, looking lovingly at the beautiful detective across from her, understanding the extreme vulnerability on display.

"She got on her soapbox and told me that it was one of her favorite places in the world. She would come here in college and study, prepare lesson plans when she was a professor, and would bring me here when I was just a kid in pigtails. She spoke so lovingly about this place that I knew I had to do something to save it…" Olivia looked around the restaurant before she bowed her head down and played with the hem on the napkin in her lap.

"Unfortunately, or fortunately, I haven't figured that part out yet—she died just a few days later. So, it was obvious to me that this is her legacy. This place is what she wanted me to remember from her life, I know it. And, this place is somewhere that I always remember us being together, and being happy."

"Sometimes I think that she came here when she didn't want to drink—when she wanted to get better, because she knew she wouldn't ruin this place with drunken memories." Olivia realized she was talking herself a little further down memory lane than she wanted to go, and she quickly returned to the original topic.

"But, anyways, when she died, she left me some money, and I used some of it to buy the owners out—they were happy. They moved to Florida, and I called Max. I told him the situation, and I've been a silent partner ever since."

"Wow. Liv, that's…I never…" she sighed and smiled as she shook her head. "You're amazing." Alex was surprised she was stuttering, but wasn't sure what she had wanted to say. "So, you paid someone to rehab and opened it back up?"

Olivia's eyes widened and she began to laugh. "Oh no! WE rehabbed. Floor to ceiling. I learned a lot about home repairs…Elliot helped!"

The mere thought of Olivia Benson wearing overalls, handling tools, and sweating amidst the rundown interior of this building made Alex's core wet. She was lost in her fantasy for a few minutes—imagining Olivia and Elliot lifting, pulling and pushing various building materials, seeing Olivia hammering nails, and stacking cement blocks. She dreamed of Olivia atop a ladder, wiping sweat from her brow as she painted the tops of the walls…"

Olivia was sitting across from the attorney, her eyes narrowed, clearly trying to figure out why Alex's eyes had glazed over, yet still stared straight ahead, eyeing the detective from head to toe.

"You ok?" Olivia spoke with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah…" Alex cleared her throat and tried to rid it of all desire. "I'm good." She wanted to continue the conversation, feeling that she was delving deep into the emotions of her normally locked-up girlfriend.

"So, you, Max, and Elliot rehabbed the place? It looks great. I'm sure he was happy to finally have a place of his own."

"Yeah. He's a great guy. So, I guess that's it. And we've been partners ever since."

"These are some nice perks!" Alex smiled as she nodded towards the wine and lifted it to her lips.

"Well, watch out counselor. If you're not careful, you might get a dish on the menu named after you!"

"HA! Does Elliot have one?" Alex asked because she knew that besides her, Elliot was the closest thing Olivia had to family. If they named dishes after people, he would surely have one.

"Of course he does." She pointed to a blackboard in the front of the restaurant that highlighted the weekly specials. She read playfully, with a fake Italian accent, "Elliot's Chicken Parmigiana. He loves that shit."

Olivia began to laugh as she pushed the last bite of her dinner onto her fork. She lifted it to her mouth but stopped when she saw Alex looking at her inquiringly. "What?"

"I'm just surprised. Here I am, thinking I knew close to everything about you, and it seems I've only skimmed the surface…why didn't anyone else know about this when you bought it?"

"Well, we didn't even really know if it was going to be successful, and I was only a silent partner after all, so I only told Elliot. Then, a few years after we actually started making a profit, I told Munch, Fin and Casey. Fin has a salmon dish named after him. Ha. Get it? Fin...Fish?"

"Very funny, detective." The blonde reached out and touched Olivia's hand as she began to speak. "I love you so much Olivia. I know I've missed a lot, being gone, and I just want to make that time up to you. I know that sounds silly, but I don't want to miss any of your…our…life together anymore."

Olivia smiled as she replied. "I know what you mean."

Lorenzo appeared out of the kitchen and took their empty plates. "What about dessert, Ms. Cabot? We have a wonderful red velvet cake that I hear you're quite fond of. We also have chocolate mousse, cheesecake, and I can make pretty much anything else you'd want if something else sounds better than those options."

Alex grinned at Olivia and knew that she had told Lorenzo about her fondness for red velvet cake. "You know, I actually have a red velvet cupcake waiting for me that I haven't eaten yet, so let's go with the chocolate mousse."

"Captain's Chocolate Mousse it is!" He turned on his heels and started towards the kitchen at a determined pace.

"Cragen?!" Alex laughed as she asked Olivia.

"Oh yeah. Have you ever seen that man around anything chocolate? It's over before it even starts…" They both laughed and Olivia began speaking through chuckles. "When we decided to put it on the menu, Max and Lorenzo told me to have some people try it to make sure it was good enough—so I took some into the station and gave it to him. Of course, he loved it, and I couldn't not name it after him after he was the first person to try it…plus, 'Captain's Chocolate Mousse' sounds better than 'Don's Chocolate Mousse.'"

Alex agreed and looked toward the detective. She couldn't help but love this romantic side of Olivia. And, just as she was opening her mouth to speak, Olivia asked her a question she couldn't say no to.

"You wanna dance? It might take a little while to make that." The brown eyes bore into Alex's very soul, searching for approval, asking for love, and effectively owning the attorney's heart.

"Absolutely."

As Olivia led Alex by the hand to the hardwood dance floor, the attorney couldn't help but feel a swell in her heart—she knew she truly loved Olivia. She stopped atop the floor and allowed Olivia to wrap her in her strong arms, Olivia's injured arm resting just above Alex's behind, and her other hand clasped in Alex's. The attorney placed her hand in Olivia's and wrapped her other hand around the detective's neck. They began to sway to the old, Italian instrumental music and Alex rested her head on Olivia's good shoulder, inhaling the scent of the detective.

"You smell…different—good different. I like it."

"Yeah. I bought something today while I was out—I thought you'd like it."

"Well you're right." Alex leaned closer to Olivia's neck and inhaled the fresh scent. It was prominent, yet subtle; rugged, yet romantic; and feminine yet masculine. Alex could best describe it as a crisp and fresh, with a spicy undertone. The more Alex inhaled, the sexier the fragrance got, and she choked back a moan as Olivia held the small of her back, cradling her cheek against Alex's cheek. The detective noticed, and began speaking with a smile.

"You ok?" She leaned her head down as Alex's eyes traced her mouth. She lifted her head from Olivia's shoulder and gazed into the detective's golden brown eyes.

"Never been better…It feels so good to be in your arms." They swayed to the music and Alex took her hands from their original dancing positions to place them around the detective's neck. Olivia's hands moved to Alex's hips and grasped gently.

"You going Jr. High on me, counselor?"

They both laughed as Alex began speaking. "No, I just wanted to be able to kiss you like this."

And with that, Alex gently pulled Olivia toward her, pressing her lips on the detective's, supporting her head and running her fingers through her hair. The kiss grew passionate as Olivia moved her hand around Alex's back, pressing her slender body against her own. Alex's tongue licked Olivia's bottom lip, asking for permission to enter her mouth, which was granted by the eager detective. Quickly, both women felt the pull towards the other, as they pushed their bodies together closer, and felt the other's hands hot on their bodies.

Alex's hand reached behind Olivia's neck, pulling the detective with each thrust of her tongue, while her other hand held Olivia's back, feeling her bra underneath her shirt. Olivia reciprocated just as hungrily: teasing Alex as she pulled away from the attorney, open mouths lingering in the air. The brunette's hand's rested on the small of Alex's back, pressing the blonde's pelvis into her own. They danced this tango for some time—Alex passionately pleading to kiss the detective, and Olivia allowing it, then pulling away, making eye contact and smiling with Alex, before the blonde gently pulled her neck towards her and resumed her assault on the detective's mouth.

Alex pulled away and moaned into Olivia's ear, pleading. "Let's go." She was focused on Olivia's lips as she spoke, not making eye contact with the brunette, but immediately licking her lips after she had spoken.

Olivia smiled as her core moistened. She could feel the heat building in her body, and she would have loved to grant that request, but she wanted this night to go as planned, and, although that was part of the plan, leaving before dessert certainly was not.

"As much as I'd like to do that…wow, you make it hard to say no to you." She looked at the attorney, who was eyeing her lips, her eyes, and was holding her tightly to her own body.

"BUT, it looks like we have dessert waiting for us." Olivia nodded towards the small table, smiling at the attorney who looked a little disappointed.

"Yes. Dessert. Of course." Olivia leaned in and kissed Alex's cheek, near her ear, where she whispered in a seductive tone.

"Don't worry—we'll get back to this later."

Alex's eyes widened with arousal as Olivia turned and walked towards the table. "Common babe. I'll feed you some dessert."

They returned to the table to find one bowl of chocolate mousse. After looking at the dish, Alex knew she should have known that Olivia had some part in the restaurant—the bowl was a tall, modern design, crafted from stainless steel.

Alex sat down and smiled, as Olivia sat next to her. It had been nice sitting across from her during dinner, but Alex thought she would like this arrangement a little more. Olivia reached over and took a spoon, scooped a small amount of mousse onto it, and lifted it delicately to the attorney's mouth, cupping a hand underneath to catch any wayward contents.

Alex couldn't help but smile as she opened her mouth. Olivia was being extremely sincere, and Alex felt immensely spoiled. Olivia's eyes widened as Alex's tongue made contact with the bottom of the freezing spoon. She closed her lips around the mousse as Olivia withdrew the spoon, smiling at the deliciousness on her taste buds.

"Wow. That is…so good." She smiled and swallowed her dessert, taking the spoon from Olivia. "Your turn detective." She took a portion from the bowl and spooned it onto the utensil. In the same manner, she held the spoon out for Olivia, who opened her mouth as she looked into Alex's eyes. Olivia felt Alex's hand move slightly to the left, and smear some mousse on her lip.

"Oh, so we're doing this?" The detective laughed, as she left the mousse on her lip. All Alex could do was smile, but the grin quickly slid off of her lips as she leaned in towards the detective. Just a millimeter away from the detective, Alex delicately reached out and touched Olivia's face, tilting her chin upwards towards the attorney. She slowly but deliberately licked the mousse off of Olivia's top lip, encasing it in a light kiss.

"Yep. We're doing this."

Quickly, it became a game of who-can-miss-the-other's-mouth the most. It was almost a challenge to find a more seductive way to feed the other, and Olivia was winning, often leaving Alex just gazing back at her. The game finally ended when the mousse ran out. Olivia reached her finger into the bowl, tracing it around the rim, gathering the last bit on her pointer finger and offering it to Alex. The blonde opened her mouth and took the detective's fingertip into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it. The detective was shocked, but extremely aroused.

"Looks like everything is good, yes?" Lorenzo startled them, as both women were lost in each other.

"Uh yeah…Yes…Lorenzo, thank you so much again. This was great." Olivia smiled up at him, but still gazed at Alex, keeping eye contact with the blonde.

"It's no problem, detective. I'm gonna get out of here—everything is cleaned up except this bowl so if you could just put it in the sink as you go, that'd be great. And, I'll leave out the back, so if you could lock back upstairs that would help me out."

"Of course, Lorenzo. I'll see you soon." Olivia said goodbye as she watched him walk out through the kitchen and exit the door in the back of the building.

"All alone?" Alex asked this question as she caressed Olivia's leg with one hand, innocently twirling a piece of her hair in the other.

"Seems that way." Olivia smiled as she looked into Alex's eyes. Of course she wanted to sleep with Alex, but more importantly, she wanted Alex to know she was loved, and furthermore, was worthy of the detective's love.

"Did you enjoy tonight…I mean, today…in general?" Olivia stuttered, as she watched Alex lick her lips.

Quickly, Alex's demeanor changed. Her eyes softened and her lips fell into a wonderfully pleased smile. "Liv, it was wonderful. I've never felt like anyone cared about me as much as I did today."

"Good. Alex, I just want you to know that I love you. And I don't ever want you to feel like you're unworthy of my love, because you always will be."

Alex smiled and tucked a piece of Olivia's hair behind her ear with a sigh. "Well, detective, are you ready to go back?"

"I suppose so…it might be nice to get in bed with you after a long day." Both Alex and Olivia smiled at one another, knowing exactly what that meant. Olivia was hoping that Alex would let the advance happen, but she knew she'd have to wait to get home.

They climbed the steps in the back of the restaurant, Olivia leading the way. Alex couldn't help but watch the detective's tight backside ascend the stairs effortlessly, her muscular legs propelling her tight ass higher and higher. She offered her hand to the attorney, who took it and ascended behind her. At the top of the stairs, Olivia turned quickly and wrapped Alex in her arms, kissing her softly but deeply.

"I love you Alexandra."

"I love you too baby."

They smiled and walked outside as Olivia reached for her keys. She locked the door at the top of the stairs and checked to make sure it was secured. They descended the stairs and reached the bottom as Alex raised her voice toward Olivia.

"Hey!" The blonde had turned back towards the restaurant and pointed to the large, modern lettering above the building. Her mouth was open in a smile, but she was obviously shocked. Olivia stopped and put her hands in her pants pocket, smiling and realizing what Alex had seen.

"What can I say? I told you it was her favorite place."

Alex approached the detective and placed her hands on each side of Olivia's face. "God, you are so wonderful. So forgiving…so loving. Why did I ever doubt you?" Without waiting for an answer, she placed a soft kiss on Olivia's lips. As they parted, they went to their respective sides of Olivia's muscle car, put on their seatbelts, and Olivia started the car.

As Olivia pulled away, she glanced back toward the restaurant, and knew that introducing Alex to 'Serena's' was a good idea.