A/N: Thanks for all of the favorites and reviews! I love checking and seeing all of your comments and thoughts. This chapter was fun for me to write because I like to write Olivia and Alex doing things for each other and helping each other out. I'm excited to write this wedding, and hopefully I will have it up soon. Again, thanks for all of the love!

Chapter 62

Match

It was 8:45 when Olivia heard Elliot's ringtone echoing from the kitchen table, where she haphazardly threw her phone before her marathon session with Alex last night. Instinctively, she flung the covers off herself and hopped out of bed, jogging down the hall and towards the table. In all her groggy sleepiness she banged her hand down on the table to pick up her phone and felt a sharp pain jump through her pinky up to her arm. "God! Fuck!" She inhaled sharply through her teeth and steadied herself, picking up her phone with her uninjured right hand.

She seethed as she answered. "Benson." She held her breath and squinted her eyes to stop the pain.

"Liv, I was calling—are you ok?" He must have heard her breathing through the discomfort.

"I'm fine." She looked up and saw Alex, naked, leaning against the doorframe down the hall. Her arms were crossed and she bashfully looked down when she saw Olivia noticed her, smiling as her hand reached up and touched her lips. "I'm great, actually."

Alex smiled and walked back into the bedroom, pulling on Olivia's t-shirt and a pair of running shorts. She grabbed a sweatshirt, Olivia's yoga pants, and her brace and walked down the hallway, listening to Olivia's side of the conversation.

"Uh, yeah. I mean, if you're around, sure. I'm at my apartment." She smiled at whatever Elliot's response must have been and finished the conversation. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. See you in a few."

She turned to Alex and wrapped the blonde in her arms. "Hi." Alex smiled and kissed Olivia's cheek.

"Hi." They both beamed radiantly, touching their foreheads together for a few moments, their arms wrapped around each other.

Olivia took a breath in, and spoke as she exhaled. "Elliot's on his way over." Alex pulled away for a moment, handing Olivia some clothes. "Why?" She wasn't upset, just surprised. She watched as Olivia jumped into her pants and pulled the sweatshirt over her head.

"You always take care of me, you know?" Olivia opened the cast and kissed Alex, as the attorney placed it around her hand, smiling at her girlfriend. "Thanks, Al." She took a breath and answered her question. "He said he was out and wanted to stop by…not sure what it's about, but he sounded like he had something to tell me, so who knows."

Alex's face questioned her explanation for a moment, but decided to shake it off and wait for Elliot to arrive. She walked over to the couch and sat down as she heard Olivia brewing her a cup of coffee. Moments later, the detective joined her, handing her a cup of hot hazelnut coffee with peppermint creamer. Olivia sat down on the couch, tucking her leg underneath her body, as Alex moved in closer towards her. The blonde smiled at Olivia and folded in under the strong, outstretched arm.

"Mmm." She swallowed. "I think you make my coffee better than I do…Good thing we made up." Alex laughed and a small smile crept across Olivia's face. She held onto her coffee cup with both hands, warming them as she balanced the mug atop her lap. "Of course I'm glad we made up for…other reasons." Olivia placed a kiss on Alex's head, pulling her close.

"Liv, last night was…" Alex sighed, looking into Olivia's eyes.

"I know." They both jumped at a knock on the door, and Olivia leaped up to answer it. Elliot walked in, handing Olivia her paper that was lying on her welcome mat.

"I didn't know you got the paper…?"

"Only on the weekends." Olivia smiled and tossed the paper onto the kitchen table. Elliot made his way into the living room, flopping into the large chair next to the couch Alex was sitting on. Olivia took her seat next to Alex, wrapping her arm around her, nodding towards Elliot while she rolled her eyes. "That's his 'spot.'"

"Not when my kid's here!" He laughed, knowing Dickie was obviously the favorite in the Stabler family. Elliot looked at the two women on the couch: Olivia sat with her legs crossed, her arm around Alex. The blonde leaned into her, her legs bent underneath her, as she held a steaming cup of coffee. They looked happy.

"Want some coffee?" Olivia started to stand up, and Elliot stopped her.

"I'm good. I'm just gonna get some water. Don't get up." He helped himself to her kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. "Liv, is this a new fridge? I was thinking that I hadn't …" He raised his voice a little and started making small talk about Olivia's new apartment, but the detective was lost in Alex.

Olivia leaned in and kissed Alex's lips as Elliot walked back in and took his seat. He watched and smiled at them, waiting for them to notice him. As they separated, Olivia looked at him and used his own motto against him. "Eyes on your own paper, huh?"

All three of them laughed and Elliot took the opportunity to break the ice with what he came here to discuss. "Hey, I'm really happy for you guys. I just have to tell you. I'm glad everything is out in the open now, and that you guys don't have to hide." Alex smiled at him—despite their first impressions of each other, she really did admire him and his love for Olivia. "So Olivia, listen…"

Instinctively, Olivia sat up as Elliot continued. "Casey came in last night and told me what Conrad has up his sleeve." Olivia and Alex's eyes darted towards each other. Alex knew that she probably shouldn't be listening, and it could be deemed a conflict of interest, but she wanted to hear what Elliot had to say. "She asked me what I saw of it and how it went down. So, I told her what I saw, and she seemed satisfied. She's pissed, Liv. Thinks Conrad is just trying to avoid more time."

"Ok…" Olivia knew all of this already, and she was waiting for the real reason Elliot came over.

"Ok, so this morning Casey called me around 6:30 and told me that Conrad was in the hospital ward."

"That's bullshit. What's he trying to—."

"No, Liv. Listen. He jumped his cellmate." Both Alex and Olivia leaned forward on the couch, eager for more information. "As if we didn't hate him enough already, it seems our friend Samuel Conrad is a bona fide racist." Olivia shook her head, surprised that Conrad could be more disgusting than she already thought he was. "Not sure what his cellie said to him, but he snapped and started beating his ass—almost killed him."

"Well," Alex sighed, "that should help us." Elliot nodded and drained the last of his water.

"That's what I thought. That's why I wanted to get over here as soon as I could so I didn't have to say anything to you in front of Cragen." Elliot's eyes glanced over to Alex.

"I'm not going to say anything. Olivia would have found out anyways." Alex sighed and got up from the couch, placing her empty coffee cup in the sink. As she did, Elliot sat up from his chair and whispered to Olivia.

"Liv, listen. I didn't lie to Casey, but I got called out when she was talking to me. So, I could still say that I saw him—."

Olivia cut him off. "No, El. I'll get through it. It's fine. I know what happened, and I know you just want to help, but do what you can with what you remember seeing. I'll take care of the rest." Alex couldn't help but smile when she heard Olivia's response. She didn't hear Elliot's question, but judging by Olivia's reply, Alex admired Olivia's morals. She walked back to the couch and wrapped her arm around Olivia.

Elliot took a breath and smiled towards the two women. "Well, I'm gonna get going. Dickie's got a game at 10, so I'm gonna head that way. You two doing anything fun today?"

"Well, my cousin is getting married in White Plains, so we're gonna stay there tonight," Alex replied.

"Whoa, Liv! Meeting the family, huh? Pretty serious." Olivia hadn't even thought about that—all of the sudden, she was tremendously nervous. She put on a small smile and nodded.

"Well, have fun. And, good luck Liv!" Elliot got up and headed toward the front door. "Oh, listen. Dickie's got two games tomorrow too, and if they win they'll play in the championship game. He wanted to know if you could come watch."

Olivia smiled. "I'll see what time we get back."

"We'll be there." Alex knew how much she loved Dickie, and she didn't want Olivia to miss anything. She stood with Olivia, seeing Elliot out, rubbing the detective's back lovingly.

"I'll tell him. Have fun tonight." He hugged them both and turned to leave, shutting the door behind him gently.

"So at least—." Olivia stopped Alex with a squeeze of her hand.

"I don't want to think about Conrad, Al." Alex turned around and kissed Olivia's lips, pulling the detective close.

"Ok baby," she paused. "Well, I'm gonna get a shower and go out to find us both something to wear. Do you have any particular preference?"

"Whatever you pick, honey. You know what I like." Alex loved when Olivia called her sweet names, and liked the idea that the detective trusted her to pick out her clothes.

"Ok. Well, I saw a maroon dress at Bloomingdales the other day…" she smiled and Olivia could already tell that's what Alex was going to buy. "So, I'm sure I can find you something that matches."

"Matches?" Olivia was a little confused.

"Well, of course baby. That's the style now, you know."

Olivia smiled and patted Alex on the ass as she walked by her. "Well, I'm glad I have you to keep me in the know." Alex smiled and sauntered towards the shower, peeling clothes off of her as she went.

A few moments later, Olivia was looking in her jewelry box for pieces to wear to the wedding and had a thought. She put on a pair of jeans and a bra, throwing back on the hoodie she wore earlier. "Alex," she raised her voice as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom.

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go get a card—did you buy them anything off their registry?"

"Shit! No, I completely forgot." Olivia loved when Alex cussed. "I'll just write them a check. If you could get a card that would be great."

Olivia walked into the bathroom and opened the glass door a bit. She admired Alex's slender body as the water cascaded down her chest, washing away the familiar soap Alex used. Olivia leaned in and kissed her, winking as she shut the door.

"Be careful. I'll be back in a little bit. We've gotta be leaving by about 5:45 or 6:00."

"Ok. I love you Alexandra."

"Love you too."

Olivia left the apartment and locked the door behind her, knowing exactly where she was headed.

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Todd opened the door and recognized Olivia immediately. "Detective!" He quickly looked behind her, making sure the blonde who was with her last time wasn't accompanying her again.

"Todd, hi…she's not with me. Thank you for your discretion last time—I was a little nervous." She smiled as Todd laughed aloud, agreeing that he was nervous too.

"Well, what can I do for you today?"

Olivia looked around in the glass cases. "My girlfriend, Alex, brought some earrings in to be repaired."

"Yes! I think they're done, actually. Want me to check on them?"

"Sure, but I was thinking of buying something to go with them. We have a wedding to go to tonight, and I have some making up to do for the past week or so." Olivia made a stressed face and sighed, and it seemed Todd knew what she was talking about.

"Well, Olivia, it seems like you already know what it's like to be married." They both laughed, and a quick glance to Todd's left hand confirmed Olivia's suspicion that he was probably married. "What are you looking for?"

"Well, those earrings were her mother's—she passed away a few years ago and I know it was hard for her. I was thinking that if they were fixed, I could match a necklace to it and she could wear both tonight."

"Sounds good."

Olivia walked towards the case where most of the necklaces sat, displayed under bright white lights so the diamonds gleamed throughout the store. "They're sapphires, right?" Olivia nodded, knowing that Caroline Cabot wore the sapphires because they were Alex's birthstone. "Ok. Let me check and see if the earrings are ready yet, and then we can look at these necklaces and see what looks best."

Olivia nodded and waited for him to emerge from the back. She looked around in the glass case, noticing a few necklaces with sapphires that would work with the earrings. Moments later, Todd returned with a small box. He opened it and took out one of the oval shaped earrings, displaying it to Olivia.

"So, these are, obviously, oval shaped sapphires and have a diamond border all the way around." Olivia nodded in understanding. "Anything with just sapphires or a mix of diamonds and sapphires will look great.

Olivia took the earring into her hand and browsed the case, quickly finding a necklace that looked like it was made from the exact same pattern. "I thought you might like that one." Todd laughed, seeming to know what Olivia would pick. He unlocked the case and picked up the necklace.

"Well, I don't just want it to be one pendant, you know? That's too simple for Alex." Todd nodded and he placed the necklace atop the glass case. It dripped with diamonds and Olivia examined it as Todd pointed to the necklace.

"So, as you can see, there are five half carat sapphires. They're pear-cut, and faceted, all accented with diamond borders. We call this a symmetrical teardrop necklace. It's beautiful."

Olivia agreed. "Yeah, it is…How much?" They both smiled as Todd entered the bar code into the scanner.

"Well…"

"Good god, it's not as much as I spent in here last time, right?" Olivia scoffed, whining a bit that she had such expensive taste when it came to Alex.

"Oh no! Not anywhere close. But, it's a little more than people would probably want to spend on a necklace."

"Hit me, Todd."

"$3350." He waited, averting his eyes from Olivia, looking down at the necklace in her hands.

Olivia reached into her wallet and pulled out her black American Express card, handing it to him with a smile. "Thank you. Really." Todd grinned and nodded as he ran the transaction through.

"It's no problem." It seemed like he wanted to say something else, so Olivia waited for it as she signed her receipt. He boxed up the necklace with a small white bow and placed it in a bag with Alex's repaired earrings. Olivia took the bag and looked towards Todd, silently urging him to continue with what he was thinking.

"I don't want to be too forward…"

"Spit it out, man. Judging from the past five weeks in here, I'm poised to hit 100k before the end of the year—you know enough about me." They both laughed aloud as Olivia's comment broke the ice. "Are you wondering why I haven't proposed yet?"

"No! No, not at all. Listen, you've gotta do that at the perfect time. No, I'm not gonna pressure you for that. Although, after seeing her, I have to tell you that that ring is perfect." They smiled towards each other, before Todd continued. "No, what I was thinking was…," he took a breath and proceeded, "when you do propose, you're going to have to have a ring too…"

"Yeah. But, I think I want Alex to pick it out."

"Yeah, absolutely. But, there's no harm in a nice, handsome, salesman steering her in a particular direction…besides, have you even thought about what you would want?"

"Well, I guess I have some time." They walked towards the familiar case, a bag already in Olivia's hand. "So, here's the deal. Obviously, I'm a cop. I don't want a typical engagement or wedding ring, but I want something that people will see and know that I'm married."

Todd opened his mouth to speak, but already having gone through this routine, Olivia stepped in, knowing what he was going to ask. "White gold or platinum, long rectangular diamonds, size 8." She felt herself wink at him as she reached out to shake his hand. "Thanks for all your help, Todd. With everything." They shook hands as Olivia left, knowing that it would only be a short matter of time before she slipped that ring on Alex's finger.

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"I love this dress. I actually almost bought it the other day, but if I don't quit buying clothes, I'll never have a paycheck." The saleswoman walked up behind Alex, who was admiring herself in the long mirror in the common area of the dressing room.

"The color is great. I just don't know…is it too…?" Alex's voice trailed off as the woman jumped in.

"What? Modest?"

Alex nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking. But, there's something about it."

"Modest is the new sexy." The maroon dress was long sleeved and was cut just above her knees. The neck was broadly cut, extending almost over her shoulders. It was mostly plain, save an inch of a lace accent around the bottom. "I think it looks great on you. What it lacks in sexiness around your chest it makes up for in its shape." She was right: it clung to every curve on Alex's body, and she knew Olivia would appreciate that. "You'll need a strapless bra, but other than that, it looks great on you."

Alex nodded and smiled—she knew she was going to buy it. "Thank you. I'm gonna take it. I bought a bra from here last week and I don't remember what brand it was, but my girlfriend, um," she paused, "she really liked it." A shy smile passed over Alex's face and the saleslady understood what she meant.

She waited for Alex to change out of the dress and pass it over the door to her. She took it and waited for the blonde to exit. "Do you remember where in the store you bought it? Some of the collections are spread out all over. Or, do you remember what kind it was? We can find one that she might like on you."

"It was a push up—obviously I need some help there." They both laughed and Alex enjoyed the woman, Ashley, helping her shop. "It was an underwire, and it was slightly padded—not too much, though. And, if you have any that match with a thong, that would be great."

"Have a certain color in mind?"

Alex thought about Olivia and knew what she'd answer. "Yellow."

Fifteen minutes later, Ashley had taken the dress and yellow lace bra and thong behind the counter, saving it for when Alex wanted to check out. Alex had taken a liking to Ashley, and thought she would ask for her help with Olivia's wardrobe.

"Are you busy?" Alex smiled and the woman smiled right back.

"I'm a personal shopper. This is my 'busy.'"

"Ok. Well, I have a wedding tonight, and you know what I'm wearing." She nodded towards the counter and Ashley followed. "My girlfriend needs something to wear too, but…" Alex's voice trailed off, not knowing quite how to explain Olivia's style.

"Do you know her sizes?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what you want her to wear?" They both laughed aloud as Ashley continued. "That's the real question! Every time I have somewhere to go with my husband, I have to buy him stuff to wear and I don't think he even has his own sense of style anymore."

"Well, her style is a little difficult. She's feminine, but she leans more towards the menswear side of the spectrum." Ashley nodded. "And, I think it would be nice if we matched somewhat."

"Duh. Say no more." They were off towards the other side of the department, chatting all the way.

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Alex opened the door and set the bags down on the kitchen table. She heard the shower running and knew Olivia was home, getting ready for the wedding. They had about an hour before they had to leave, and Alex was going to need every second of that time to make sure she looked as good as she knew Olivia was going to. She checked the bags and grabbed the two that contained her clothes before she walked into the bathroom.

She admired Olivia through the black frosted glass, and thought back to what seemed like so long ago when she stayed with Olivia after her sting operation. The first time she glanced into the bathroom she dreamed about this exact moment. Before she could think any more about it, Olivia turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel.

"How was Bloomies?" Alex chuckled and tousled Olivia's wet hair.

"God, you're cute…It was good. Your clothes are in bags on the table."

"BagS? What all did you buy me?" Olivia was surprised.

"You'll see. I'll help you." Alex smiled and kissed Olivia's cheek as she sat down to do her own hair and makeup.

Olivia dried herself off and went into the bedroom, throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Quickly, she returned to the bathroom and began to fix her hair. Alex watched as she dipped her hand into a tub of pomade, rubbing it through her fingers and onto the palm of her hands. The detective examined herself in the mirror, trying to decide how this was going to work.

Alex watched as inspiration must have struck: suddenly Olivia ran her hands from her forehead back, spiking all of her hair straight up before flattening it all down again, giving it some volume. She then, almost scientifically, picked and twisted at certain pieces, accentuating just the right sections of hair to make her look as sexy as she always did. Alex found it fascinating.

"What?" Olivia turned and saw Alex staring at her.

"Nothing. I just love watching you do your hair. It's like a science." Olivia smiled and shook her head. She rolled on some deodorant and grabbed her make up bag, standing over the toilet to apply just the minimal amount that she usually did.

Fifteen minutes later, Alex walked into the guest bedroom where she had tossed her bags. She wanted to surprise Olivia with her new lacy purchases, so she changed behind the closed door. She smoothed out her dress in the mirror and ran her fingers through her blonde hair, tossing it over her shoulders. She looked good, and even she couldn't deny that. Before she could do anything else, she heard Olivia calling for her.

When Alex walked into the bedroom, Olivia could barely speak. "Wow! I uh…" she stuttered. Alex smiled and knew she had made the right decision with the dress. "I'm definitely going to have the most beautiful woman on my arm tonight."

"I wouldn't bet on it." Alex smiled and displayed three bags in her hand. Olivia groaned a bit: she liked to look good, and she trusted Alex, but she didn't like shopping, and wasn't a huge fan of getting fancy.

Alex noticed Olivia's makeup—it was flawless. She wore a light layer of foundation and penciled her eyebrows in, filling them out a little. Her eyeliner was black, accentuating her golden brown eyes, and Alex thought she had never seen anything more beautiful. Soon, she snapped out of it, as she knew they had to pick up the pace if they were going to leave on time.

"Ok baby. Clothes off." Alex was snapping into boss mode, and Olivia knew it.

"Everything?!" Olivia thought that she could at least wear her own bra and underwear, but apparently she was wrong.

"Everything." Alex dug in the bag and pulled out a pair of grey boy short underwear, tossing them at Olivia. The detective stepped into them and smoothed them out across her hips before she felt a bra smack her in the stomach. It matched. She clasped it and pulled it over her head, adjusting the underwire and tightening the straps over her shoulders.

Alex peeked up from inside the bag and smiled. "Ok. Looks good so far." Olivia chuckled and awaited the next item.

Alex snipped the tags off of a pair of navy blue and maroon striped trouser socks and motioned for Olivia to sit down on the bed. She did so, and Alex rolled the socks onto Olivia's narrow feet.

Next was a grey undershirt. Olivia put her arms into the shirt and pulled it down, worrying that it was too small. "Is this supposed to be…?"

"It's supposed to be body hugging. It's an undershirt baby." Olivia shrugged and waited for the next item that came out of Alex's bag of tricks.

She saw the same maroon color Alex was wearing reflected in the pants that the blonde had just tossed her. She stepped into them and had to hand it to Alex: they were comfortable and looked sharp. She tucked the undershirt into the pants, to Alex's approval, as the attorney approached her with a dark grey leather belt. She took the tags off and looped it into the belt loops, smiling at Olivia as she worked her way around the detective's slim waist.

She left the belt unbuckled and unbuttoned and unzipped the pants—Olivia had forgotten about her shirt. Alex bent down and pulled a navy blue shirt from the bag. Olivia smiled when she thought about the sapphire jewelry in the boxes: the two of them would match even more than Alex knew.

Olivia pulled on the shirt and buttoned it up, tucking it into her pants with Alex's help. The blonde was a little worried that she had bought the belt a size too big: when she secured it, she pulled it to the second to last hole and tucked the excess into the first loop again. She stepped back and looked at Olivia.

"You look great." Olivia smiled at Alex. "Almost done."

Some dark brown suede boots emerged from a box. Olivia loved them, but knew that they had to have been expensive. "Alex…" She held her hand up.

"No time to argue, Liv." The detective rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed. She pulled them on and looped the laces around the hooked eyelets, double knotting them before she stood back up.

"Ok, so this next one is your choice. The saleslady talked me into it, but I'm not sure if you'll like them, or if you want to wear them. Up to you." She pulled out a pair of grey suspenders.

Olivia shrugged. "I don't know. What do you think?" Alex took a step back and examined her outfit.

"I don't know baby. I think they would look good. But, do you want to wear them?"

"I honestly don't care. Why, do you think they're too masculine or something?"

"No. No, I don't. I just haven't seen you wear them before so I didn't know." She unpackaged and secured them. Alex stepped back and looked at Olivia, her opinion slowly changing. "Oh yeah…those look…those look good." Olivia smiled, knowing that there had to be some sexual motivation behind her thoughts.

Quickly, she took the last piece out of her bag. "Ok. Last thing." She handed Olivia a navy blue blazer, and the detective pulled it on, straightening it out: it fit perfectly.

"See? You were wrong." Alex's voice startled Olivia. "Looks like I'm gonna be the one with the most beautiful wom—." She was stopped with a kiss from Olivia, transferring a bit of the dark lipstick from the blonde's lips to her own.

"Stop." Olivia paused, looking in the mirror. "I mean, I do look amazing, but I'm nothing compared to you baby." Alex blushed and grabbed her lipstick, throwing it into her purse.

"I got you one more thing." Alex handed Olivia a fragrance bottle. She sprayed it on her neck and over her blazer and couldn't deny that it smelled great—as soon as she smelled it, she knew Alex probably loved it.

"Alex, thanks for all of this. You really take care of me, beautiful." Olivia was securing her watch and put on the familiar, thin silver band that Alex hadn't seen in a while. After she examined the band around her ring finger on her right hand, she peeked down at her left and imagined a wedding band around it. Alex's voice snapped her out of her trance.

"Did you pack a bag?" Olivia nodded and noticed Alex putting on a pair of her earrings.

"Oh, wait. I have something for you." Alex turned around, a bit confused. Olivia walked over to her dresser and took the two boxes out of the bag. Alex's face softened as she recognized jewelry boxes.

"Liv, what—?" Olivia took the smallest box in her hand and started speaking.

"Sweetheart," she took Alex's hand into her own, "if there was one thing that I wish I could give you, or change, it would be that you could have your mom back here again. But, I know that's not possible." Alex felt the emotion well up in her body. "I wish I could have met her, because as wonderful as you are, I know you had to get it from somewhere."

"Earlier, I went down to the jewelry store to check and see if your earrings were fixed yet." Alex's eyes lit up—Olivia knew she was excited and had waited to get these treasured possessions back. Olivia opened the box and Alex smiled.

"They're perfect." She took them out of the box and secured them in her ears. Olivia smiled as she took in the sight: they were truly beautiful. "Thank you so much, Liv. That was so thoughtful."

"Well, that's not it."

"Olivia!" Alex knew she had something up her sleeve, and she didn't want Olivia to feel the need to buy her things.

"I wanted to get you something Alex…Not just for this wedding, but," Olivia took a breath and continued, "because I want you to know that I'm so sorry, and if I could, I'd take back everything I've messed up over the past few weeks, months, hell—even years. I love you so much Alex, and I know that I'll never truly deserve you. But, I can try to give you everything you deserve."

With that, Olivia opened the large box that displayed the necklace: Alex gasped. "Liv," it was breathy, soft. She reached into the box and delicately touched the stones, tracing her hand over the patterned diamonds and sapphires. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched Olivia take it out of the box and step behind her, securing it around her neck as Alex held her hair out of the way.

Alex turned with tears in her eyes. She blinked, and one fell onto her cheek. Olivia reached up and wiped it away with the back of her pointer finger. "Now, don't cry, honey. You'll mess up your make up." Alex laughed along with Olivia and had a hard time responding.

"Olivia," she held the detective's face in her hands, caressing her cheeks with her thumbs, "I don't even know what to say."

"Then don't." Olivia smiled. "Let's get outta here."