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Chapter 27

Purchase

It was true what Alex had said about the bar-it was relaxing. She and Olivia were sitting across from one another at an outside table, sipping on their respective drinks. A waiter came by and took their orders, Alex requesting a club sandwich while Olivia ordered some chicken tacos.

"This is really nice Alex. I couldn't tell you the last time that I was this close to the ocean. I can't thank you enough for bringing me here. It really is very relaxing. I think it's exactly what I needed…" she paused and drank some of her rum and coke before continuing. Grabbing Alex's hand she said, "Thank you for taking care of me, Al. I love you so much."

Alex smiled at the detective, rubbing the back of her hand with her own. She loved Olivia and knew that for sure, but now she couldn't help but be preoccupied about the ring box that she saw in Olivia's bag. Would it be the highlight of her life to marry Olivia Benson? Absolutely. But, at the same time, it was just so unexpected. The more she thought about it, though, the more comfortable she became with the idea. She sat back and looked at Olivia, her girlfriend, hopefully her soon-to-be fiancé. She was dazzling: her olive skin soaked in the sunlight as she drank her cocktail and looked out over the ocean. Alex knew she was lucky, but never thought she would be lucky enough to call Olivia hers.

3 days earlier

Olivia had just left Bloomingdale's and called Robert, one of her mom's old friends who owned a car service. She met him a few minutes later with the white box, instructing him to give it to Alex. She told him a few more things, paid him generously despite his efforts to give her back some money, and was on her way. She quickly stopped by a few places that she knew Alex would be at, dropping off small gifts along the way. When she was done she settled into her usual coffee spot, thinking of Alex.

Olivia knew she had been denying the way she felt for too long. In a weird way, she was almost thankful that Carlson shot her. If he hadn't, she probably wouldn't have had the courage to admit to Alex that she loved her. She sat back in the chair, twirling a pen that was left on the table around her finger. She thought of nothing but Alex: her beauty, her grace, her relentlessness. She knew she would never want anything else—she had loved Alex Cabot for the better part of the past few years and now that she knew it, she was ready to admit it to herself.

The detective had developed a habit in the past year or so: whenever she was unsure of something, or needed reassurance, she would speak out loud to herself. She knew that sometimes people probably thought she was crazy, but it had a calming effect. Slowly, and without pause she said aloud to herself, "I love Alex Cabot…I know she's the best thing in my life, and probably the most wonderful person I will ever meet. She's beautiful, smart, and she cares about me. I know that." She was whispering this to herself as she unconsciously got up from the chair, grabbed her coffee and walked directly across the street.

She stopped in front of the store and stared up at the signage. It was probably one of the most exclusive jewelry stores in the city, and usually you had to make an appointment to even go in there, but Olivia was feeling lucky today, and coincidentally she was wearing her NYPD blues, so hopefully they would cut her some slack. With a trembling hand she pushed open the door and was greeted by a man in a suit.

"Hello officer, is there something you need from us?"

"Oh. No. Thank you. I was actually here to shop. I know that usually I would call and make an appoint—"

"No problem at all detective Benson." Olivia saw his eyes dart to her nameplate, but was surprised that he read it, and quickly corrected him.

"Just call me Olivia, please."

"Ok. Olivia…I'm Todd." He flashed her a smile as he shook her hand. He was a sales guy, Olivia would give him that. "So, what were you looking for today?"

"An engagement ring. Something classic." His eyes widened, as did his smile.

"No problem. I'd love to help you with that. Just follow me over here—our engagement rings are in this case." He pulled up a chair for Olivia on the other side of the glass counter, allowing her to peer down inside. "So, you say classic? What do you mean by that? Are we thinking Art Deco, more like vintage, or just simple?"

"Hm. That's a good question." Olivia laughed as she continued. "No one has really ever asked me to define her style before. She is just timeless, honestly. I think classic is the best word for it. I can't be any more specific, but when I see it, I'll know." She sighed as she took in the sight before her: there were about 40 rings in the case below and she was overwhelmed trying to see all of them at once. "I know what she probably wouldn't like, though, if that helps."

"Yeah, that'll help…" he could tell that Olivia was feeling overwhelmed so he reached out for her shoulder and gripped it lightly. "Hey, it's ok. You love her, right? And she loves you?" Olivia nodded and smiled sympathetically, silently thanking him for his reassurance. "Let's start with the easy stuff." He arranged the rings in the cases by moving their groupings as he began speaking with Olivia. "I'm assuming you want a diamond—is that correct?"

This question was easy. "Yes, definitely a diamond. Nothing but diamonds. I only want the best. And, I know I want a big center stone. Nothing crazy, but larger than average, but nothing that will call attention to her."

"Seems like you've thought about this enough to not be this nervous." Todd smiled at her and moved about half the rings to one side of the case. "These all either have gemstones or don't have a large center diamond. Let's start by getting rid of those…Now, have you thought about what metal you want? Platinum? White Gold? Yellow Gold?"

"Definitely not yellow gold. What's the difference between white gold and platinum? I'm sorry—I'm just not a big jewelry person, but I want this to be perfect. I guess I should have done some research."

"It's no problem, Olivia, that's why I'm here. Basically white gold has all of the same properties as gold, except it's plated to appear of more of a silverish color. Platinum, however, is pure and doesn't need to be changed. It's also pretty durable, so it usually requires less maintenance." He took two rings out of the glass display case and showed them to Olivia. "This one is white gold," he said as he let her feel it out in her hand. "And this one is platinum."

"I think I like the platinum better. It seems more…Alex." She smiled as she inspected the band of the ring, fantasizing about how it would look on her girlfriend's finger.

"Sounds good. That'll eliminate a few more…Um, detective, er- Olivia. Sorry. I should ask you…did you have a price range in mind?" Olivia could tell he was a little uncomfortable asking this question, but she was appreciative of him asking.

"No. Nothing is too much for Alex." It was true. Olivia was finally in the green with the restaurant and was making some good money after all of her years on the force. She didn't have any bills besides her rent and things that were necessary for her apartment. She had a black American Express card that she carried, along with a wad of cash, in case she ever needed anything that she didn't plan for. She knew that she would be dropping a pretty dime on this ring, and it wasn't a problem.

"Alright—that makes my job so much easier." Todd let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention back towards Olivia. He took out a graph of diamond cuts and styles, presenting it to the detective. "Ok, Olivia. We've established that it needs to be something classic, a large diamond, and platinum band…have you thought about the cut of the center diamond at all? Or if you want any diamonds around it?"

"Well, to be honest, again, there are some styles that I know she probably wouldn't like." Olivia looked over the graph and pointed to a few styles. "Like that one, the round cut, I think it's too boring for her. The same with the pointy square, although the name fits." They both laughed as she read about the 'princess' cut.

"Ok. So, those two are out. I have to tell you, though, that those are the two most popular styles for engagement rings, so don't be discouraged if it seems like there's not much to choose from. We can always make you one, too." Olivia nodded in understanding when the diamond caught her eye.

"Whoa. Wait a second. Todd, I think I may have found it." Her eyes darted underneath the chart to a large diamond sitting atop a jewelry pin. "What do I have to do to put that on a ring? That's it. That's Alex."

"That's beautiful." He reached into the jewelry case and picked up the diamond, which was resting inside protective packaging. He placed it on a velvet cloth, using small diamond tweezers to display it to Olivia. "Wow. You were serious about this whole 'go big or go home' policy."

He laughed a little as Olivia replied, "Wait…why? How big is it? Is that unusual? Is it too big?"

"Well, detective, this is a 3.45 carat diamond. Most center stones are maybe 1.5-2. But, don't let it deter you if that's what you think she'll like. This is an emerald cut, which, if I could use any word to describe it, it'd be 'classic.' You were absolutely right when you picked this—I'm almost embarrassed to say I didn't recommend it to you before." He grabbed another chart, displaying diamond clarity and pointed to the very top. "This particular diamond is the clearest and most perfect quality you can get, so you're in good hands there."

"Well, I think that's it. That's the diamond I want for her. How do I get it in a ring?"

"Easy. Let's pick a mounting. Now, have you thought about whether you want side stones, or stones on the band or anything like that?"

"I think I want a really thin band. She would probably like that. But, I want small diamonds all around the band. Can you do that?"

"Absolutely. It will be beautiful…" he paused for a second, not knowing how to approach the next topic. "Um, Olivia, I know you said there wasn't any price that was too much but I just want you to be prepared for how much this will be…"

Olivia nodded, understanding what he was about to say. "How about we pick out everything and then you can just lay it on me." She smiled as Todd took everything out. He laid the large emerald cut diamond on the velvet cloth atop the counter. He also reached under the case and pulled out a very small 2 millimeter round diamond.

"Ok Olivia. Here's the large center diamond that you liked. I pulled this small diamond out for a reference. I think this is the smallest size of accent diamonds we have. We will put these all around the band—does that seem like a good size?" Olivia nodded and smiled as she felt love well up in her heart. "So, now comes the mounting—you know you want platinum, so you can choose from these 6." Quickly, Olivia chose and Todd placed the large diamond in the middle, puttying it so it would stay. He displayed it to Olivia, urging her to take it.

She held the ring in her hand and noticed her hand beginning to shake. She felt tears gather behind her eyes as she handed it back to Todd, simply nodding her head. "Now that is the look of someone in love." She smiled as Todd spoke to her respectfully.

"So, we've got it all together, now let's talk business. Do you know what size ring she wears?"

"Yeah, she's a 6."

"Ok. That'll affect how many diamonds we put around the band." He crunched some numbers and then looked up at Olivia. "Did you want to engrave anything? We can put a date, a phrase, anything you want."

"You know, let's hold off on that. Can I do that later?"

"Absolutely...Now, do you want insurance? As much as you're spending, I would highly recommend it."

"Yeah, I want the insurance. But, only if it covers everything. It does, right?"

"Yes. That will cost a little more but I recommend it. It will cover everything, even if the large diamond falls out—which it won't." He saw Olivia's fearful look as he mentioned the center stone falling out, and wanted to reassure her that it would be highly unlikely to actually happen.

"Ok. Yeah. I want the insurance too…so, that should be it, right?" She relaxed into the chair as she spoke a little louder than normal through a sigh. "Alright, Todd. Lay it on me!"

He pointed to each item as he started the tally. "Well, we will start with the whopper. The diamond is the best quality, flawless, and is 3.45 carats. It's gonna run you about $46,000." Olivia tried her best not to react, but she had to admit that it was a hefty price, but nothing was too much for Alex. She swallowed hard before speaking.

"Ok. What about the other pieces?"

"Ok. She's a 6 so there will be a small sizing fee, as well as a building fee. Those will total $1200. The stones…looks like for a 6 you'll need about 12 or 13. Those'll run you about $1800. So, all in all, with the insurance…" he delicately entered all of the numbers on his calculator and gave her a total. "Looks like it'll be about $53,500." He avoided eye contact with Olivia for a few seconds, and when he looked at her, he saw a smile.

"Ok. I can do that. Can I just write you a check?" At this question, Todd's tongue almost fell out of his mouth.

"Uh, yeah. Wow. We usually just have people set up a payment plan."

"That's not necessary. I've been saving up for this for a while." This was a lie. Olivia hadn't been specifically saving up for an engagement ring for Alex, but she did have an account where she saved most of her money for emergencies, and she admitted to herself that it was ok for her to spend about half of that on Alex's ring. There was no amount of money she wouldn't spend to make Alex happy. "When can it be ready?"

"Let me check." Todd got up from his chair and walked toward the back of the store. Olivia wrote out the second biggest check of her life and scrawled her barely readable signature at the bottom. She was thankful that it wasn't as big as the check she had to write for the restaurant, but at the same time, she knew it was a huge decision. But, she was ready. She knew she loved Alex, and was caught in a trance when Todd reappeared.

"I can have it done in two hours. Everything we need is here and the shop is empty. You're the first on the list." Olivia was shocked at this response, but she was excited. She handed the check over to Todd and smiled while looking at her watch.

"See you then!"

She spent the two longest hours of her life pacing around the city. Every time she checked her watch it only seemed to slow down the time. Finally, the two hours passed as she made her way back to the jewelers. Her stomach was filled with butterflies as she pushed open the door and spotted Todd.

"Olivia! I just saw it, and wow. He is finishing up right now, but I think it's probably the most beautiful ring I've ever seen—definitely classic." Just hearing him talk about it made Olivia's heart flutter. A minute later she heard a faint tapping on the glass partition between the shop and the front of the store. Todd retrieved the ring and placed it in a small velvet box before handing it to Olivia.

"Take a look. Tell me what you think."

Olivia opened the box and nearly dropped it. He was right—it was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Not only did she see the beauty in it, but she saw Alex reflected in it, and immediately gasped as tears filled her eyes and fell down her cheek. She half-laughed, half-cried when she closed the box and smiled at Todd. She managed to choke out two words: "thank you."

"It's no problem, Olivia. Alex is one lucky woman—that ring is definitely one of a kind. Here's all your paperwork. Don't lose these, they're your proof of insurance and the appraisal…Well, I guess the only thing to say now is good luck!"

"Thanks so much." Olivia turned and exited the store, placing the ring and paperwork inside her interior jacket pocket. She had to get back to her apartment to change her clothes for their date tonight, but she knew that this was probably the best purchase that she had ever made.

Present

Olivia finished the second beer that the waiter brought her and looked over to Alex, thinking about the ring she had bought a few days ago. She knew she couldn't propose today, or maybe even this week, but she knew she would. She wanted to give Alex everything she had ever imagined, hopefully starting with the ring. But, she knew that other, more practical matters had to come first, so she began a somewhat blunt conversation.

"So, you like my new apartment? I know you were kind of forced to stay there and I'm sorry for that…" It was an odd way to start a conversation and it was a pretty random question, Alex had to admit, but she liked where it was going.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah I do. And I wasn't forced to stay there, Liv. I wanted to help you… But why do you ask?"

"Oh. I was just wondering. I just moved there, and I didn't know if I actually liked it or not, but I think it's growing on me. You like your place? You just moved in, right?"

"Well, a few months ago, yes." She remembered that it was still somewhat of a sore subject for her to remind Olivia that she had been in New York 3 months before she saw her. Quickly she began speaking again. "But, what are you getting at? I mean, you can't really be concerned about what I think of your apartment."

"Alex, I just really wanted to know…" Olivia paused and grabbed Alex's hand, "if you…liked the grey color I picked out for my bedroom." She cracked up as her head fell into her chest. She looked up and immediately saw the disappointment through Alex's forced smile. Olivia hated to see Alex upset and felt extremely guilty. She got up from her side of the table and moved over to sit next to Alex.

"Babe, I'm so sorry. I thought that would be kind of funny. But, of course, you know I use humor when I'm a little uncomfortable with something." She took Alex's hand into her own and looked into the attorney's cool, blue eyes. "The truth is, I heard you talking the other day about how much you liked my apartment and I had just gotten used to you being there." She mumbled a bit and her speech sped up. "I just think maybe that I would love for you to be with me, you know, for you know—" Alex stopped Olivia with a light squeeze of her hand. She turned to face her lover, swiping a stray hair from her brow, understanding what she was trying to say.

"You know, for a detective, you sure have a hard time getting to the point, baby." They both smiled as Olivia sighed, wiping her sweaty palms against her jeans. "Wow, detective, I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous. Is it really that hard to ask me to move in with you?"

Olivia smiled and answered. "I guess not. You just asked yourself…for me….?" Alex smiled and placed a soft kiss on Olivia's lips, cupping her cheek. When they broke the kiss, Olivia began speaking. "Alex, I honestly just love you so much. I never, in a million years, thought that I would find this in you again. I hardened myself so much when you went away and when you came back I was so mixed up in how I felt about you that I denied my primal instinct—I love you, Alex. And, now I know that I always have." She smiled at Alex before continuing. "It was just so nice to have you in my apartment. It was great to wake up to you every morning, and kiss you goodnight every night. I love just watching you walk around in my apartment, doing ordinary things. I want to be able to come home to you, and for you to come home to me. You, Alex, are the only person that I want, and I know that now. I love you, Alexandra—will you move in with me when we get back to New York?"

Alex flung her arms around Olivia's neck and pulled her in close for a hug. "Of course, baby. Nothing would make me happier. I was actually starting to worry that you wouldn't need me around anymore once your shoulder healed and wouldn't want me to stay at your apartment anymore."

"That's crazy. I want you around whenever you can be, Al. I love you so much."

"I love you too Liv." They continued eating and watching the waves wash up on the shore when a thought struck Olivia.

"Wait, what about your apartment?"

"Well, I only signed a 6 month lease. So really, I'll just keep it for the next 2 months or so and I'll be rid of it." She liked the idea of moving in with Olivia and wasn't worried about her apartment in the slightest. "BUT, I know you've got a big closet, and I'll need help moving my clothes. I'm not really worried about anything else."

"Of course you're not worried about anything else." Olivia laughed as she thought about Alex's collection of clothes—it was really the only thing the attorney splurged on. "God forbid we forget one piece of clothing!"

Alex flagged down the waiter and took the check, laying a fifty-dollar bill out on the table to pay. She slyly turned as she got up from the chair and downed the rest of her wine. "Let's go home, enough of this moving talk. I can think of something we can do that doesn't require any clothing."

Olivia smiled and followed Alex to the car, watching as the attorney swayed her ass a little more than usual, knowing what awaited both of them when they got back to the house.