Inspired by "Night," season 6, episode 20.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Law & Order: SVU, its characters, or storylines. I make no money from this work of fiction, that is inspired by an episode, but otherwise created from my own mind. Any relation or resemblance to another story or a real life instance is purely coincidence.

Recovery

Chapter 9

kateandharvey

Olivia was brought from her haze of arousal with glossed-over eyes and swollen lips at the redhead's whisper of her name. She heard the plea, and knew what it meant. She was mildly surprised, even in her dream-like state, that the ADA wanted to kiss her again, but she certainly wasn't going to say no.

To deny herself the chance to kiss Casey again would be denying herself something she suddenly realized she wanted and needed more than anything she ever had before. She wasn't sure what was going on or how it had even happened, but it felt as though a dam had been broken in the midnight light of the bedroom, and the only logical answer seemed to be to see it through.

Not wanting to break the moment they were in, she whispered a clear and distinct yes of agreement, and impatiently waited for the impending feel of the redhead's lips on her own yet again.

At first, she didn't even know what the sound she was hearing was. She assumed it was an effect of the halo of chemistry the pair of women seemed to be in, and she was wondering just how far out of reality she was when she realized what the source of the sound actually was. Upon her realization, the detective was more than annoyed, and considered ignoring it, but like a bucket of cold water, where they were and why they were there suddenly dumped over her, breaking the halo she was so deep into only moments before. It was this knowledge that made Olivia give her best apologetic face, feeling sorrier than she ever had in her life, and exit the bedroom, moving toward the sound of the chime.

She stumbled through the hall, reaching her bedroom and snatching the interruption off of the nightstand. When she flipped open the mobile device and snarled, "Benson," into it, she had the fleeting thought that being interrupted during their intimate interaction might be some sort of sign.

"Olivia," she heard the voice of her captain on the other end, his voice gruff but holding a slight hint of relief, "Are you and Casey alright?"

"Yes." She said, her heart dropping its ties and the part of her brain that was trained to be a detective rearing its head, "We're…fine." She swallowed thickly-remembering how their tongues were gently sliding against each other only moments before-and took a deep breath.

If her distraction was coming through in her voice, Cragen didn't notice it. He barked, "Go to the door and see if Garcia is still outside."

Wordlessly, the detective moved through the place she was calling home, out of her bedroom, down the hallway and to the front door. When she passed the bedroom of the worried ADA, she heard the call of her name, but she pushed it away to complete the task the captain had given her. Every hair on her neck was standing high as she raised onto her toes to look out the peephole at Steven Garcia, the uniform posted at their dwelling.

"He's here." She said, "I can see his name and his face."

"Good." The captain replied, "Double check your windows, and make sure that all of the blinds are closed and the curtains are drawn. Keep Casey as far away from them as possible."

Olivia moved hastily to do just that, alarm bells going off and her stress rising. "Captain…" she pulled a curtain tight across the front window, "…what's going on?"

He sighed, reluctant to say anything but knowing the detective would demand answers. "Maureen saw Anderson outside of Stabler's place."

Olivia's heart fell into her stomach and she felt like vomiting. Keeping her composure like the trained professional she was, she said, "Are they alright?"

"Fine. It seems he was just snooping around for now, but we're relocating them as we speak." He continued, "We're pretty sure he still thinks Casey is out of his way, so the two of you should be safe, but no one is in the clear right now."

"Captain-" she began, but he interrupted her.

"-It's a mess over here. I have to go, I'm sorry." He said, "I'll call back later on." He took a breath so large that the brunette heard it on the other end. "Olivia?"

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Don't let your guard down."

After she heard the click on the other end, Olivia put her phone in her pocket, and threw her head back, eyes closed, letting out a sigh. If Anderson found Elliot, it was more than a possibility he would find them, too. The detective raised her hand, rubbing the back of her neck in hopes that the tension lingering there would dissipate at the kneading.

She rubbed her neck, simply listening to the sounds of the cars on the street, the air blowing through the vents, and her own breathing. The brunette took a moment to exist in the silence, hoping that maybe a voice would appear and give her the answer to all of her problems.

"He found us, didn't he?" Olivia heard the faint voice of the injured woman, and slowly turned to face her. Somehow, the stubborn person that she was, Casey had gotten herself out of bed, and down the hall. Now, her green eyes were full of concern and her brow was furrowed in worry. She was leaning against the archway of the room, looking more exhausted than Olivia could ever remember seeing her.

"No," she replied softly wishing she could shield her from the truth, "But Maureen saw him outside of Stabler's place." The growth of tension in Casey was clear as her back tightened and her shoulders straightened. "We'll keep laying low," she was hoping her words sounded more convincing coming out than they did in her head, "and it'll be fine. Cragen didn't say anything about moving us."

Speaking Olivia's very thought, she said, "Yet."

The brunette continued her attempt at comfort, "Until we hear anything else, he wants us to keep the blinds and drapes closed. Don't go near the windows. We don't want to risk you being seen." Olivia grew more frantic as she spoke. "Garcia is still outside, and they're probably getting closer to catching him now that he's made an appearance."

Casey only looked at Olivia as she explained, examining her still-swollen lips and flushed face. She took in the brown eyes that had either grown deeper or simply become more visible to the redhead, and could not stop the slight jolt of nervousness at the knowledge that she was too late to stop her companion's panicking.

Ever aware of the other woman's gaze one her, the detective moved, pulling the already taught drapes even tighter together, and stuttering out, "We'll just be here a few days, and you'll be able to recover. Really, Anderson is lucky that he's still alive… he went to the Stabler house, and you know how Elliot is. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Everyone is out there looking for him and trying to keep us safe-"

"-Liv-"

"-and you and I are tougher than a lot of teams. We're strong, independent women. We can keep ourselves out of harm's way, and we have each other's backs, you know, so really-"

"-Liv-"

"-we have almost nothing to worry about except your recovery, but the doctor should be able to check you out soon and then-"

"-Olivia." The ADA was firm in her voicing of the other woman's name, effectively stopping her rambles. She sighed in frustration and said, "If you don't stop, I'll sleep in front of the window.

"That isn't funny," she replied, annoyed, "Are you tired? I could help you back to bed and we could both get some sleep." Uncharacteristically nervous, she said, eyes slightly wide, "Alone. Separately. In our different rooms."

If she wasn't so concerned, Casey would've laughed. "I know." She said, "And I am tired, and I agree we should sleep."

Olivia was taken aback by the soft feeling of disappointment and hoped she didn't look as deflated as she felt. Regardless of what she was saying, there were parts of her that wanted nothing more than for Casey to push her forward—back into her arms and back into bed.

"But I also want it clear that this," she gestured between the two of them, "is not over." Olivia was silent. "It's okay if you're freaked out or panicked, but we can't not talk about it." She grimaced as she moved forward, gripping onto the couch for stability. The detective met her half way, and they were now close enough that Olivia could feel the charged air again. "Everything happened really fast, and I know that you aren't..." she sighed, trying to choose her words carefully, "so if you didn't like it, that's okay, and I'm not taking it personally-"

"-I'm not saying that." Olivia interrupted, her cheeks flushing just the slightest shade of pink when she realized what she'd said. "I'm just..." she let out a breath, "I'm not saying no. I promise, Casey, that I'm not saying no, but I… I just can't right now."

Satisfied with this information and the answer she was being given, Casey smiled. "Okay." She said. "I know it's a lot, on top of a lot already. So, when you're ready, you let me know." She gestured to the space around them, "I'll still be here."

Both women laughed lightly at the joke, and after a moment, Olivia asked, "Ready for bed? Again?"

Casey smiled, "Yeah. I'm exhausted."

"I can't imagine why," the detective was sarcastic, and it felt like their friendship might survive the romantic interlude. She moved closer, allowing Casey to wrap her arm around her shoulders, and they moved down the hallway.

It was Olivia's intention to bolt from the room after Casey was comfortably in bed. She meant what she said: she couldn't right now. That didn't change the fact that she wanted nothing more than to fall into the sheets next to her, however, she knew that if she stayed in the room too long it would be like playing with fire. And if she played with the flame, she wouldn't have anyone but herself to blame when she got burned.

After having asked the redhead if she needed anything, she moved quickly toward the door. She was only two steps away when the ADA called out, "Liv?" and she stopped in her tracks. When Olivia turned to face the sound of the voice, Casey said, "I don't want to push you." The desire in the detective's stomach almost scoffed, "But I'm feeling a lot of things, and I really could really use my best friend." As nervous as she was, Olivia agreed. "It would be really nice if we could just sleep in the same room. As friends."

The redhead did not have any idea how her statement would be received, and was pleasantly surprised at the nod of agreement from the other woman. "I'd like that." She moved toward the bed, and climbed in next to the injured woman, careful not to jar her with the movement of the mattress. She lay her head down so that she was facing opposite the ADA, and let out a breath as her exhausted body sunk into the soft surface underneath her. She closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would become her faster than it took for any still-smoldering flames to reignite.

Olivia had only had her eyes closed for a moment when she realized she could feel the tension radiating off of the redhead in bed next to her. She rolled over so they were now facing each other and saw a single tear fall from the closed eye of the other woman, leaving a trail in its path as it rolled down the porcelain cheek. "It will be okay, Case." She said, reaching over to brush the tear away, and grasp the redhead's hand in comfort.

The ADA's eyes fluttered open, and she interlaced their fingers together, giving a half smile to the detective.

It graced the older woman's mind how beautiful Casey was, even in such a dire situation, and the idea of avoiding the flames was long forgotten at the feel of their intertwined hands.

Soon, comforted by the presence of each other, exhausted from the day, and warm under the covers, both women were breathing evenly.