Olivia put a pair of black pants and a white button down. Alex had on a pair of pants as well and put her pink robe over her bra. Olivia brushed her matted hair. Alex pulled out her make-up, on the bathroom counter. She looked at Olivia in the mirror seeing the hickey she left on her from that weekend, "Hey can you cover that up?"
"Why, I thought you wanted the whole world…"
Alex started to freak out as her parents were on their way up. She didn't want to fight with her mom about Olivia and break the news about ankle, "Olivia, Can you Please." Alex yelled out of frustration.
"Ooo… okay." Olivia's heart broke watching Alex's personality change so fast. She quickly covered up the mark.
"Alexandra?" They heard Jane get off the elevator.
Alex took a deep breath as she followed the sound of her mother's voice. Olivia followed behind her. She rested against the wall/doorframe of Alex's room.
"It's good to see you Daddy." Alex jumped into a hug in her father's arms.
"Alexandra why aren't you dressed?" Jane asked.
Alex looked at her mother, "We had a slight delay after the plane landed. I just got out of the shower and I'm going to do my make-up now." She informed her mother. She saw Olivia standing there, "Michael Cabot meet Olivia Benson."
"You took Alexandra's pictures for the charity event last month right?" He asked, walking towards the burnette.
Olivia stood up straight as she was meeting Michael for the very first time. He definitely was different from his wife, "Yes sir I did."
"And this was your first professional photo session, is what I heard." He looked at his two leading ladies.
Olivia cleared her throat, "You could say that."
"Well you made my daughter look amazing. I can see more in your future." He stuck his hand out.
"Olivia has an amazing eye." Alex smiled.
Olivia shook Mr. Cabot's hand, "It's not really that amazing."
"Oh I'm sure Alex's right, if you would like to share your portfolio, I can meet with clients and maybe get the word out."
Olivia's heart fell into her stomach not liking how nice Alex's father was after seeing how Alex's mother is. "Oh I just do it for fun. I don't want to put that kind of pressure on something I love." Olivia tried to be as polite as she could be. "But I appreciate the offer sir."
"Okay. I'm going to finish getting ready. Excuse me." Alex walked into her room. "Olivia will get you something to drink."
"Yeah, what would you like?"
Jane followed her daughter into the bathroom. She looked around the room to see the black robe that matched the pink robe Alex was wearing. She saw the towels on the floor. She ventured further into the bathroom to talk to Alex.
"Why is Olivia here?" Jane asked her daughter.
Alex was working on her eye make up. "Because she's coming to dinner."
"No, this is a dinner celebrating your win." Jane looked around the bathroom to see all the clothes that were still on the ground.
"I'm going to dinner without Olivia." Alex stated. "Olivia helped me alot this weekend."
"No, Liz helped you out, your choreographer helped you, your jump specialist helped you. Lena helped you, I helped you. This bartender did not help you." She looked down at the sink to see the second tooth brush. "Are you two having sex?" Alex sighed a smile as she still focus on her make up. "What's wrong with you she could have a STD."
Alex was surprised that was the first thing that her mother went to, it almost sounded mother-like. "Don't be ridiculous. She doesn't have one."
"Really? Did you ask, do you really want to live her lifestyle?" Jane asked.
Alex raised her brow at her mother. "And what kind of lifestyle is that?" She watched Jane figure out her words carefully.
"A promiscuous one."
"Trust me mom, I will not be promiscuous because I'm having sex with Olivia." She was rolling her eyes at her mother. Her voice went high and defensive, "And how would you know IF Olivia is promiscuous or not? You haven't even tried to get to know her." Alex wasn't going to give Jane the upper hand.
"I would say a girl who shows up to a professional event with a hickey on her neck would count as promiscuous." Jane explained.
Alex smiled at her mother through the mirror, "You know I put one on her this weekend, what does that make me?" She was ready to hear what her mother had to say.
"Why? Would you... "
Alex shrugged her shoulders, "It was fun. Maybe you should try to give dad one, you two might enjoy it." She sassed at her mother, knowing her parents have always had a marriage that wasn't about love.
"Alexandra!" Jane was taken back by her daughter speaking to her in such a manner. "I don't think she is good for your career."
Alex began to fix her hair to look perfect for her mother. "And there's the one statement I was waiting for." Alex rolled her eyes as her mother said her go to line.
"What if people find out? This is an Olympic year, you don't want her to cost you the Olympics." Jane advised.
Alex was trying the urge to not dig at her finger as Jane keeps on chirping bad things into her head about Olivia. She took a deep breath; before looking at her mother, "Why does it matter? It's not like you ever cared about my Olympic dream." Alex will never let Jane's actions four years ago go.
"Alexandra, everything I did was for you." She tried to cup Alex's cheek. "I know what's best for you. And before we got you Lena I got you the best deals." She smiled with a sad way of expressing her pride about Alex.
Alex quickly pulled away from Jane. "There is no talking to you because I will only be a dollar sign to you." Alex went to find a shirt to put on.
"Let's not be over dramatic." Jane pushed Alex's statement to the side.
"I'm not. And I'm not worried that the world MIGHT find out that I'm in love with Olivia, ruining my Olympic dreams, when my Dear Mother, who wants what's best for me, took my nationals and Olympics dream four years ago." She put a high collar sleeveless blouse on. She walked out of her bedroom. "Alright, who's ready?" She walked into the living room to see Olivia and Mike sitting on opposite sides of the room.
"Yes," Mike stood up.
Jane watched Olivia stand up. "Olivia's not."
Olivia looked at everyone, "Excuse me?"
"Yes, We don't need to be sitting with someone who looks like they are working there." Jane shrugged her shoulders.
"Are you serious?" Mike was upset with his wife's response.
"Yeah I can't be seen next to that outfit."
Alex crossed her arms pissed at her mother once again trying to embarrass Olivia in front of everyone. "Fine then we are ordering take. Olivia looks great."
"Or why don't we do this... Alex, can you let Olivia borrow a different color shirt." Mike suggested, "I rather not have take out." He looked at his daughter.
"Okay for you. We will do a shirt change." Alex looked at Olivia for permission to change her shirt. Alex stuck out her hand for Olivia to take. She looked at Jane as she held Olivia's hand, "Oh before your wife finds something to say. Olivia is the girl I've been telling you about." She shot at her father who's been easier to talk to, and told him about her relationship.
Alex and Jane walked in their brownstone after nationals. Alex refused to talk to Jane for the entire trip home. Mike walked to the door to greet his ladies. Alex had her headphones in and the volume max out. Alex walked up the stairs as she ignored her father talking to them.
Mike held Alex's arms. Alex took out her headphones, "Hey how did it go, did you win?"
Alex looked at Jane, and back to Mike, "No."
"What happened?"
"Ask her. Ask her why she thinks it would be wise for me to drop Donnelly?" Alex yelled at her dad with a shaky voice.
"Jane?" He asked quietly looking at his upset daughter and over to his stern wife.
"She's a bad influence on our daughter." She explained looking at her husband.
"Yeah you're right mom. She's the worst, because she's gay she's teaching all of her skaters to be gay. Because that's clearly how it works."
"Alexandra, you can't speak to your mother like this." Mike was trying to calm down his child.
"You're right." Alex lowered her voice to her father. "I cant't wait til I'm eighteen so I can move out and not deal with you." She gave Jane dagger eyes and finished running upstairs.
"Why do you always have to do things like this to her?"
"Do you know what I saw your daughter's friend was doing to her the other day?" Jane looked at Mike.
"Stop." Mike put his hands.
Mike followed his daughter up to her room. He sat his daughter sitting at her window looking out to the park across the street. He was trying to figure out how to talk to her daughter. He walked closer to her. "Do you remember your cotillion?" He sat down next to his daughter. Alex looked at her father. "There was a guest boy band playing and all your friends were happy to see them."
"Yeah." She sighed out.
"Well you could careless about them. You refused to bring a date." He was telling her the story.
"What's your point?"
"But I saw you talking to Christina."
"How do you remember her name?" Alex was impressed by her father's memory of a crush.
"Because" He placed his hand on her back. "I have never seen you blush over anyone. You have always been so poise even as a little girl. It was nice to see you finally act like a hormonal teenager."
Alex had tears run down her face, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What would it do? This is your journey of discovery, not mine." He said softly.
"Are you mad at me? Do you think I'm throwing my skating away?" Alex asked her dad the things her mother said.
"One I could never be mad at you." Mike pulled in Alex for a hug, "And if you want to stop skating right now I will fully support you. I know that's not the case, but I will."
Alex needed to be held by her father, "Abbie and I were…" She let go of the hug, "Mom walked in on us."
"You and Abbie?" Alex nodded. "You know you should give your old man credit. I should know I know how to read you. You know everything will be okay." He pulled her in for another hug.
The four of them made it out to one of Alex's favorite vegan restaurants. There was an awkward silence at the beginning of dinner. They order white wine to celebrate. Olivia declined the wine.
"Here to gold medals." Mike toasted to Alex.
"To gold medals." Jane sipped her wine, "So what happened on your first quad yesterday?"
"Not sure." Alex cleared her throat. "A divot on the ice I guess. You know I was the last skater."
"But Alex was able to recover it in the second half, gaining that extra ten percent." Olivia smiled, being happy for Alex.
Jane looked at Olivia, "And she's lucky she had that ability. I don't understand how hard it is for you to skate clean." She looked at her daughter. "This is why Anika will beat you at the Grand Prix this year. She always skates clean without fail."
Alex was getting really quiet as she was hearing her mother tell her that her win wasn't good enough. Olivia looked at Alex. "Alex was twenty points ahead of everyone else. I think she did very well."
"Maybe you shouldn't think so much, when you have no idea what's going on." Jane refused to look at Olivia. "Maybe next weekend you can do better."
Alex and Olivia held each other's hands under the table. "I can't do, next weekend." Alex cleared her throat.
"Come again?"
"I…" She looked around the table to see her father and Olivia. She looked back at Jane, "I… sprained my ankle. The doctor says I have to be off it for about four to six weeks."
"Alexandra are you okay?" Mike quickly asked, "How did it happen?"
"When I fell. I landed rolling my ankle."
"And you still skated?" Mike questioned his daughter's health. Alex nodded her head to her father.
"Well at least you were smart and finished your program." Jane said.
"Smart? That probably made it worse, don't you think?"
"Or If she skated clean like she should strive for. Have you told Lena yet, has she figured out how to spin this?"
"No." Alex choked out.
"You need to call her."
"Why don't make sure Alex is doing okay before talking to her manager." Olivia coughed out.
"I agree." Mike smiled at Olivia.
"As much as I appreciate your concern for Alexandra, you clearly have no idea what's riding on the next six weeks." Jane looked at the bartender.
"Okay, inform me then what's more important than your daughter's health." She squeezed Alex's hand tighter.
"Seven hundred fifty thousands dollars for Alexandra for medaling at the Grand Prix." Jane wanted Olivia to stop talking.
Olivia fell silent at a number that big. "I had bonuses from one of my sponsors if I medaled at Skate America, Skate Canada and the Grand Prix. Lena was getting me a new one and she was looking for the sign off at the Grand Prix, But we can work it out for the Olympics." Alex crossed her fingers.
"But now She has to work harder for it."
"That's what I pay her for isn't." Alex nervously laughed.
"Olivia!" Mike looked at the stranger at the table. "What's your story? What do you do? What's your family like?" He needed to change the subject of skating and pressure of Alex.
Olivia looked around the table. She's never been one to talk about herself. "Well, I'm a bartender. And there is really not much to say about my family." Olivia tried to be honest with Alex's father.
"Serena Benson, an English professor at Columbia. She's been in and out of Rehab for alcoholism but hasn't been cured yet." Jane finished Olivia's sentence telling Olivia, she knows all the secrets.
Olivia looked at Jane to hear, she checked up on her, "How do you know that?" Olivia feared that Alex told her mother about her mom. Serena was being one Olivia's darkest secrets.
"Do you know I have eyes everywhere in this city?" Jane locked eyes with Olivia. "Strange how she's a professor and you never went to college."
Alex's heart broke hearing that her mother did a background check on her girlfriend. "Mom you didn't."
"Didn't what? I needed to make sure you weren't hanging around someone who is just here for your fame and fortune." She responded to her daughter staring at Olivia. "I would say that a woman who has bedded more people than in this room, and seeing her settle for someone is worth more than anything she'll make in a lifetime." The table got quiet. "Sounds like gold digging to me."
"You don't know me." Olivia softly spoke.
"Oh but I've seen too many like you destroy my friend's lives. I Won't have you destroy my daughter's life and reputation."
"Okay we stop this right now!" Mike Snapped at Jane.
"Yeah this does stop right now." Alex stood up. "Olivia let's go." Olivia stood up from the table.
"Alexandra don't be overly dramatic." Jane scoffed.
"Can you get a cab. I'll be right out." She told Olivia. She wanted Olivia away from Jane as soon as possible. "You don't know Olivia. You don't know what kind of person she is. I asked you to get to know her. But you tell her you did a background check on her." Alex was hurting more for this than her ankle. "I don't want to see you again."
"Alexandra." Mike and Jane both said.
"No, I told you if you can't accept me then get out of my life. And you have proved it to me. Don't contact me again, I mean it." She looked at Mike, "Will you walk me out."
"Yeah." Alex walked away from the table. "And you always get mad that she talks to me and tells me things and you do stuff like this."
"Michael, you let her get away with too much." Jane rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, someone who has never done anything wrong gets away with too much. I'm not going to lose my daughter because you're worried about my money." Michael has never thrown his fortune in his wife's face until now. He left the table to talk to Alex and Olivia.
"Hey Olivia, I am so sorry." He looked at the ladies, "I had no idea."
Olivia gave him a half smile, "It's okay, I get why she did it."
"No it's not okay." Alex shook her head. "Look Dad, I mean it. If I don't want to see her."
"I know I understand." He reached in his pocket, "But I will call you later. And here you go." He smiled at his daughter and handed her the box.
Alex smiled as she opened the jewelry box, to see a golden teddy bear holding red rose charm. "Thank you Daddy." She gave Mike a hug. "Dad buys me a charm every time I medal."
"Luckily I don't have to worry about two charms coming up." Mike smiled, "Listen, please do what the doctors say so we can make sure nothing else happens." Alex nodded. The two entered the cab. "Olivia!" Olivia looked at Mr. Cabot "Take care of my daughter."
