A/N: Thank you to everyone who has stayed with this story. I got into a bit of a lull there and wasn't exactly excited about finishing-I almost gave it up to be honest. But, I was reassured by everyone who faithfully reads and comments. I know how pissed I would be if an author just quit writing a story I loved-been there, done that.

In the next few chapters, there will be a few surprises and, unfortunately, their return to New York City will follow, hopefully to get some sort of semblance of normality back into their lives. But, before that, we see the women taking their time on vacation, creating memories with each other as Olivia recovers. Thanks again for everything-you all really inspire me.

Chapter 26

Heal

Alex relaxed into an Adirondack chair in the back yard, stretching her bare feet out in the grass and crossing them at her ankles. She was only feet away from Olivia and David, her new physical therapist. He was a nice guy, and reminded Alex of Elliot—she thought Olivia would like that, because she knew, despite how great everything had been, that Olivia missed her partner. She listened as David spoke to Olivia.

"Ok detective…" he took her right arm in his, stretching it out laterally, the back of her hand resting against his chest. He pulled on her palm until she winced a bit and then he let go, patting her on the back. "That's good! Your range of motion is actually pretty great, considering."

"Thanks. And, please, just call me Olivia." She liked David, and he actually reminded her a bit of Elliot, so she didn't mind that he had to touch her arms and shoulder, delicately yet firmly stretching her muscles out.

"Ok, Olivia." He smiled and resumed his questioning from before. "So, I'm gonna ask you a few questions and I want you to rate whatever I ask you on a scale from 1-10, 1 being the worst or lowest and 10 being the best—good?"

Olivia nodded as he began to speak. "In the past few days that you've been off your meds, how is your pain?"

"Well, I never took the meds once I left the hospital, so it's been about a 2 when I'm just sitting around and probably a 6 when I'm actually doing something."

David smiled and took Olivia's hand into his, pulling her palm and fingers towards him. "Mark was right—you are kind of a badass." They both smiled as David pulled a bit on her hand. "Does this hurt?"

Olivia scrunched up her face a bit but shook her head. "Not really, just a weird sensation."

"That makes sense—this isn't a natural motion, so it's normal for it to feel a little weird, but it's good that it doesn't hurt. Ok…next question. Again, on the scale of 1-10 how are you feeling about your exercises? Are they getting easier, harder? How's the pain when you do them?"

Olivia breathed through the uncomfortable sensation as David let go of her hand as she began speaking. "The exercises are good. I will admit to not doing them since we've been here—which is probably not in my best interest. But, I would say that they were getting easier and the pain was probably about a 4 when I was actively doing them."

"Ok. That's good. I won't tell Mark unless you continue to not do them. Ha!" They both laughed as he pulled out a medicine ball. They both sat down on the lawn across from each other, ready for the next exercise. "Ok Olivia, if you wouldn't mind, just sit down and we're gonna roll this ball back and forth…Now, when you do this, I want you to push from your back, not your arms. It shouldn't hurt, but you should feel some strengthening going on in your upper back and shoulders."

They sat like that for a little while, David pushing the ball easily toward her as Olivia concentrated on pushing it back, usually making it about ¾ of the way. She was trying hard to regain her strength as he began speaking. "Ok, so, how are your natural motions—pushing, pulling—are you having trouble gripping objects with your injured hand?"

At this question, Alex tipped her sunglasses off her nose and shifted her head down to look upon Olivia. The detective knew exactly what Alex was thinking—and she was too. It was just the night before when Alex climbed atop her and Olivia wrapped her hands around Alex's slender hips. No, she didn't have a problem gripping those hips as they rose up and over the detective as she climaxed. She was lost in the thought when she remembered David had asked her a question.

"Um, nope. No problem gripping." Alex smiled towards Olivia and David and he quickly understood the point.

"Ahh, I see." He smiled. "Well, then I guess I can ask if there any other…" he cleared his throat, "physical activities that are troublesome for you?" Both women looked at each other and smiled as Olivia answered.

"Honestly, no. There's not one thing in particular, but there are certain motions that just make me really sore. I even cut my hair so I didn't have to try to put it up in a ponytail." David listened, nodding his head, still rolling the medicine ball on the ground back to Olivia.

"Ok. Well, I want to show you a few new exercises so we can work that out. Sometimes with this injury people have a hard time raising their hand over their head like you would when you put your hair up, or raise your hand when you have a question." Olivia nodded as he helped her up off the lawn. He stood in front of her and began to give her some instruction.

"Alright, I'm going to show you what I want you to do and then you let me know if it hurts too much or if it's too hard to do every day." Olivia listened intently. She would do anything that would help her get closer to normal. He took Olivia's right hand and raised it all the way over her head, straightening out her elbow. "Is that ok?" Olivia nodded as she winced a bit. David then bent her elbow and pushed her palm against her shoulder blade. At this motion, Olivia strained her voice a bit, complete with a long exhale.

"I know. I know, that probably doesn't feel very good." David spoke as he looked at Olivia sympathetically, wincing his own face a bit. "The good news is that you only have to do this twice a day, for 20 seconds each with a break in between." Olivia could live with that—the pain sucked, but she could handle anything for 40 seconds.

David showed her one or two more exercises involving an exercise band. The resistance was a welcome show for Alex, who watched as the detective pulled the bands upwards, exhibiting her strong biceps that Alex hadn't seen flex in a while. She then switched directions and pulled the bands behind her, straightening her elbows and showing her strong triceps, also a sight for Alex.

When they finished, Olivia was a sweaty mess and Alex could barely focus on what David was saying. She watched as Olivia swept her hand over her forehead and through her shorter hair, using the back of her hand to push the beads of sweat away from her brow. Unconsciously, Alex licked her lips as she removed her sunglasses, standing up next to Olivia to make sure to hear David's instructions.

"So, I want you to go ahead and do those 3 exercises—no more. I think the ones you did before are too easy now, and we need to add some resistance. I know that Mark warned you earlier, but this is going to be pretty intense for a little while, so I just want to make sure you are prepared. If you do these exercises once more today and twice tomorrow, you will be strong and ready to go when I come back on Wednesday…I want you to be a little more active also—go explore, do stuff, act like you're not hurt, but again, know that you are. If something hurts, stop doing it. It's pretty simple." He smiled at both of them before continuing. "You're smart, detective. And," he looked at Alex before continuing, "you seem to be in great hands. Just relax, but get yourself back into a normal routine."

She thanked David and they both walked him through the house and to the front door. "Make sure to ice that, Olivia." She said she would and he walked away towards his car. "See you Wednesday!" She waved at him as he pulled away, and unexpectedly felt Alex's hands slink around her hips.

"Let's get some ice on that shoulder baby." She kissed Olivia's neck as she pulled her hand into her own and walked towards the kitchen. Olivia sat on the couch, breathing deeply and trying to relax her muscles. Alex approached her with a bag of ice, placing it delicately over her shoulder. Olivia loved the way that Alex was taking care of her, but was ready to just be herself—ready for the two of them to love one another without anything in the way. She didn't want Alex to have to take care of her.

"Thanks Al." She smiled up at the blonde, rubbing her hip with her hand. She noticed that Alex just looked down on her, not saying a word and not really responding verbally—she thought this was weird given the usual wordsmith that Alex was. "You ok?" She asked as she rubbed her hand up and down Alex's leg. The attorney just nodded. It seemed to Olivia that Alex was avoiding speaking to her for some reason and it was a bit odd to the detective, but she was just trying to follow orders and leave the ice on her shoulder.

Quickly though, she heard Alex move closer to her and she opened her eyes, beckoning the attorney to sit on her lap. She did as Olivia wordlessly asked and straddled her, placing her hands on Olivia's chest.

With one swift movement, Olivia realized why Alex had been so tight-lipped a few minutes ago. She felt Alex's freezing tongue, encased around ice chips, sucking on her neck. The attorney smiled, causing a few pieces to spill out of her mouth, sliding down Olivia's hot neck, resting in the crease of her collarbone.

She shivered at the thought of how Alex spontaneously planned this, and she could feel all of the moisture in her body settle deep in her core. Alex leaned back and looked at her, searching for a glimmer of excitement or approval, and found the detective lost in her body. She loved watching as Olivia examined every part of her—she observed as Olivia's half-lidded eyes traced her cheekbones, neck and chest before cascading down to her legs. She felt Olivia's strong hands kneading her thighs, growing more intense and claiming them as her own.

Soon, she felt Olivia wrap her hands around to the small of her back, putting some pressure on her, lifting her off of herself and laying her down on the couch. She hovered over the blonde and began to place soft, hurried kisses on her cheek, neck and collarbone. Olivia unbuttoned Alex's shirt, spreading it open to reveal her alabaster white skin, smiling when she saw her unrestricted breasts.

In this moment, Olivia decided to use Alex's own medicine against her. She unzipped the small ice bag and took a cube into her mouth, allowing the tip to be exposed outside of her lips. She watched as Alex's eyes dilated in arousal and began to trace the cube down the middle of her chest, placing small drops and streaks of water between her breasts. Alex reached down to touch Olivia and was surprised when she felt the strong hands pull hers together and place them over her head.

"Don't make me get my cuffs." Olivia smiled as she popped the ice cube back in her mouth, working down towards the attorney's hipbones. Alex was so surprised that she said this that she wasn't physically able to do anything else. She lay there, frozen in the stimulation that Olivia was causing her. She closed her eyes as she felt her skin rise in goose bumps, inviting Olivia to touch every inch of her. She moaned as she felt the detective kissing her chest, taking her hardened nipple into her mouth, quickly flicking her tongue over the erect bud. Alex gasped at Olivia teased her body with the ice cube before the detective pulled back off of her.

"Liv?" Alex had barely muttered her question when she felt Olivia's dexterous hand unclasp the button on her shorts and undo the copper zipper.

"You know, Alex…you could really help me with my new therapy exercises." Her voice was raspy, thick with desire. She saw Alex's eyebrow rise but when she opened her mouth to speak, the detective cut her off. "You know, pulling…" she tugged at Alex's khaki shorts and pulled her white cotton underwear down with them. She threw them on the floor next to the couch and resumed her slow attentiveness to the attorney. "And pushing." With that, she skillfully slid two fingers into Alex's dripping folds, eliciting a gasp from the attorney.

Alex's hips rose to meet Olivia's thrusts as her legs fell open, inviting the detective to continue. Olivia set a steady, rhythmic pace, not too fast or slow when she began to hear moans of pleasure from the woman under her. She slowly removed her fingers, prompting a questioning whimper from the blonde. Olivia lowered her head and placed frigid kisses atop Alex's stomach, working her way down to her waiting mound. She licked the front of Alex's entrance, stopping to place a small ice chip in her mouth.

Olivia took the piece of ice between her teeth and touched it to Alex's fiery center. The sounds coming from the attorney aroused Olivia more than she cared to admit—they urged her to keep going. Olivia could feel Alex thrusting toward her, pushing her body into her mouth; she loved every minute of it.

Olivia felt the ice cube disappear in her mouth, encased by the heat radiating from Alex. Slowly, she slid her two fingers back into Alex, flicking her bundle of nerves with her tongue.

"Oh fuck Liv." Alex could feel her inner walls tightening around the detective's skilled fingers as she thrust back on to them once more. "Ahh Olivia!" Alex yelled as she dug her nails into Olivia's free arm, holding herself up off the couch.

Olivia watched as Alex writhed beneath her. She half-expected to see Alex's eyes closed, and was surprised and enamored when she saw the icy blues gazing into her own. She felt love rise in her chest as the emotion consumed her and she collapsed on top of Alex. "I love you, Alexandra."

The use of her full name made Alex smile—the way Olivia said it always made her heart melt. She wrapped her arms around the detective atop her. "I love you too baby."

They lay like that for a little while, Alex stroking her hands through Olivia's hair and gently massaging her back while Olivia tucked her head into the crook of Alex's neck, smelling the clean perfume Alex always wore.

Alex reached over and rubbed an exposed side of Olivia's stomach. "Hey, you want to get some lunch? I know you must be hungry after…" she was going to say physical therapy but then thought that their love making may have been just as exhaustive, "well, everything." Olivia looked up to Alex and smiled.

"You know me so well. Lunch sounds great. What are you thinking?"

"Well, there's a little bar on the beach about 10 miles down. It's a nice, relaxing place. And, I really think you'll like the food. We'll have a few drinks, you can have a beer, and we will just see where the day takes us. Sound good, baby?"

"Sounds great. I'll change and we can go." Olivia stood up and walked toward Alex's discarded clothes, handing them to her. "Oh, and if you don't wear a bra under that shirt, I can't guarantee we will actually make it to the bar." Alex caught the clothes and smiled at Olivia, following her back to the bedroom.

Olivia walked towards the dresser and grabbed a fresh bra, underwear, t-shirt and pair of jeans. She laid them out on one of the white chairs as she peeled her yoga pants off, putting them on the floor. She felt a delicate hand help her with her shirt and bra, leaving her clad in nothing but her blue lace boy-short underwear.

"I'm glad to see you put a bra on, counselor." She smiled as Alex pulled her underwear down, piling it atop the other dirty clothes.

"And I'm glad to see you don't have anything on, detective." Olivia groaned into a smile as Alex slid her hands up the detective's legs and onto her torso, wrapping her in a close hug. "But, I think this can wait for a little while…let's get something to eat, whaddayasay?" She grabbed the clothes that Olivia had piled on the bed and knelt before her. She opened the bright green lace thong for Olivia to step into before standing up and offering to help her with the sports bra. "Your wardrobe kills me." Alex was laughing as she admired Olivia standing in a neon green thong and a black Nike sports bra.

"Oh hush. Not everyone can be Mrs. Chanel matchey-matchey with everything…I'm on vacation, huh? Gimme a break." They both laughed as a little bit of Olivia's New York attitude came out as she pulled on her shirt and wiggled into her jeans.

Olivia slowly turned away from Alex, searching in her tote for some lotion for her arms. Alex moved out from behind her a bit, turning around to check herself in the mirror when she saw it. Olivia didn't know that she saw, but it took Alex's breath away and she had to hold onto the dresser to steady herself.

The detective had squat down to search for her lotion when she shuffled items around in her bag. She saw Olivia grab something in her left hand and wrap it up in her shirt while she continued to search for the lotion. After she found it, she placed the bottle down on the floor and switched the box to her right hand when Alex completely saw what it was. Olivia dug her hand to the bottom of the bag and released the box, covering it with the other items in the bag.

But Alex knew she had seen it. Call it wishful thinking, but the attorney knew what she saw, and it was a ring box. A ring box. A fucking ring box. She couldn't get the thought out of her head. Slowly, the same ideas she had in the back of the town car a while ago permeated her brain. She held her palms on the dresser while she hung her head and tried to regulate her breathing. It was obvious that Olivia didn't want her to see it, so she tried her best to put on an unknowing face as the detective snaked around her.

"You ok?" She looked into the mirror and observed both of them standing, her arm wrapped around Alex's waist. "You look so beautiful, Alex." The attorney swallowed hard and refocused, to the best of her ability, on the beautiful woman standing behind her. Her knees were weak and she relaxed into Olivia's strong arms, trying to pull herself back to reality.

"I'm good," she cleared her throat, "you ready?"

Olivia nodded as they walked towards the front of the house, exiting and getting into the car. Alex focused on the road, although she learned quickly that she was just transfixed on the road to keep other thoughts from invading her mind. Why was she so preoccupied by this? Shouldn't she be happy? Of course she was happy—elated, excited, joyful—anything happy could describe the feeling in her heart, but it was just unexpected. After a few minutes though, Alex reveled in the thought of Olivia proposing to her, of being Mrs. Benson, and being Olivia's wife. She would just have to wait, she thought, until Olivia was ready. But the fact that Olivia had already bought a ring at some point made her hopeful.

Olivia looked towards Alex, having no idea that she had seen the ring box. "You ok babe?" She reached over and stroked Alex's leg, concerned about her girlfriend.

Alex smiled and looked at the detective. She laced her fingers with Olivia's and sighed as she stopped at a red light. Turning toward Olivia she said, "Never been better, love."