AN: giggi91- re: "I can't wait for what's coming next and your future M rated chapters ;)"... Thankyou! Until such time, you'll have to be content with the 4 chapters in 'Negotiating' that contain M rated beautiful lady loving (and an intimately tender yet quite blatant breast fondle of Olivia by Alex in one of the most recent chapters) ;-) "Does Abbie's strawberry blond comment means Casey? (:"... Abbie also said 'blonde' therefore hinting at Serena. So it means you have to keep wondering until what happens at the Rainbow Shamrock ;-). I think the term 'subterfuge' works really well here ;-) LBM - re: "Abbie is such a bitch for saying that crap to Alex!"... And she doesn't even realise how hurtful it was either. It's definitely interesting writing things like that. "definitely deserves better and I hope that Olivia will give it to her"... Absolutely. Just remember in all my stories: always trust me ;-) guest - re: "love the difference of olivia and abbie listing different beauty characteristics of alex. Quite revealing of each womans character."... Indeed ;-). Bkwrmchar - re: "Really glad Alex 'tended' to Abbie's boxes...heh."... Teehee! She had to have a little revenge ;-) guest - re: "truly sad abt alex but if anybody can make alex see how beautiful she truly is its olivia"... ;-)
AN2: Apologies for the delay in updating this story, but if you're a reader of my other story 'Negotiating', I'm sure you'd understand why I've focused a lot of my attention on that story after the unexpected bombshell that just dropped ;-). I promise I'll add another chapter to this story before returning to work on 'Negotiating', because provided everything goes to plan (and I hope it does), I think the next chapter will be the one readers want: Rainbow Shamrock!
"You gonna help me, Benson?" Abbie asked as the elevator doors slid open to reveal the 4 boxes.
Arms folded, Olivia leant against the wall nonchalantly while watching Abbie struggle to move the boxes and hold the doors open, "Nope! I only help people I care about, Carmichael."
Abbie smirked as she stood back up, "That's why you were always sniffing around Alex in the background, like a little puppy... mooning over her... pining after her... hoping that she'd notice you and your shiny shield? You care about her, and you love her. D'aww!... I think I'm gonna vomit."
"You obviously don't care about her, or love her for that matter."
"Of course I love her... especially in the bedroom!"
"I get it. You love Alex, but you're not in love with her."
"That's your interpretation, not mine. Maybe I love different women in different ways? All I know is that I asked Alex out and had her in my bed on the first date. Unlike yourself... the woman who's known her for years and never made a move on her. How... noble... of you," the raven haired woman continued to struggle with each box. "I saw the looks you constantly gave her, even when Alex was completely oblivious to them seeing she's so besotted with me."
"Some of us don't see a person as just a bedtime conquest, like you seem to do."
"Well unlike you, I conquered her all the time. Several times a day in fact... until she wouldn't give me what I wanted, so I went elsewhere. Now I get what I want, when I want. But I bet you anything that she'll ask 'us' for another chance because she loves me and can't live without me, so I'll take her back when she finally does. I think I quite like the thought of Alex being my mistress."
Olivia shook her head in disgust, "Yeah, I can see you really loved Alex. You're not even ashamed of what you did by cheating on her. Real classy. All she ever wanted and wants is to be loved for who she is."
"What's not to love about her, she's drop dead gorgeous! Especially in lacy lingerie, garter belt and thigh highs. I'm getting all hot and bothered just remembering it, whereas you can only imagine it."
"Some of us see more than just looks, Abigail. Some of us see everything about a person."
"Ah, I've seen everything of her, Olivia. I know all Alex's likes and dislikes, the adorably cute little noises and nuances she makes and does in the bedroom. And even though I love her, she's kinda just sloppy seconds now. Huh, seems you like my sloppy seconds, Liv."
"Sloppy seconds, Abs?! It's so nice to see how you really talk about the woman you say you supposedly love, the woman who you left just because she wouldn't have the child you wanted when you wanted them."
"Oh good lord, is she still going on about having brats?! I never wanted a child, that's her damn delusion, not mine!" Abbie sneered as she moved the final box out of the elevator.
Liv was taken aback. Alex had said that Abbie ended their relationship because Abbie wanted children but Alex kept putting it off. Why would Alex say otherwise? Her train of thought was interrupted when Abbie's cell phone rang, "Hey there, Hunny Bunny!... ...Yeah, I'll be there soon. I'm just getting my stuff from her... ... and I wuv you too, Cutie Patootie!"
Olivia tried her best not to snort, gag or throw up in her mouth a little at the sheer syrupy sweetness dripping from Abbie's tone. She knew Abbie was just trying to get a reaction and Olivia wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
"Benson, I'd love to stay and continue talking to you, but I got a lover waiting for me!" Abbie grinned, slipping her phone back in to her pocket. "Say hi to 'Rena for me when you next see her!"
"I only have one question, Carmichael. How do you know that who you've been cheating with isn't one of my... cast-offs?" Olivia fished again.
Abbie's proud grin melted away as Olivia turned to face her, "S-she would've told me."
"Would she?" One of Olivia's eyebrows raised in curiosity, the seed of doubt already planted.
"Y-yes," the federal prosecutor tried to sound confident. "Yes. We have no secrets between us. We're very open in our relationship."
"Oh no! Now you're not so sure, are you?" Liv mocked as she entered the elevator. "Tell me who, I'll be able to put your mind at ease."
Dimples appeared as the Texan chuckled, "It just irks you not knowing, doesn't it?"
"Truth be told, I couldn't give a damn who you're screwing or fucking, just like I don't give a damn about you." Olivia pressed the button for Alex's level, then addressed the older gentleman hovering near by. "Gregory, make sure this trespasser is removed promptly from the premises. Any troubles, let me know via Ms Cabot's intercom."
Alex asked as she let Olivia inside her apartment, "What took you so long? I've already ordered dinner for us."
"I made sure Abbie didn't try and sneak back up to see you... to try and upset you any further than she did."
"You saw that?" she avoided eye contact with the detective while she approached the kitchen.
"Kind of difficult not to, Alex."
"I don't think she meant to upset me like she did. She just..." the blonde sighed heavily, "Abbie reminded me of something... something that'll never happen again, while telling me that she still loves me even though she cheated on me."
Liv spoke from the heart, "Don't make excuses for her. A person who truly loves someone... they'd never make the other person cry, unless it was through laughter or tears of happiness and joy. Someone who truly loves you, they'd be the one to wipe away your tears and comfort you though the darkness and sad times. And if they did happen make you cry, that person who loves you would find out what they had done to make you so upset and fix it. That's what someone who truly loves you does, and Abigail Carmichael doesn't."
"You're quite a wise woman, Olivia." Alex replied softly, "Why hasn't anyone snapped you up yet?"
"Still waiting for my Ms Right if you've forgotten. Now why did Abbie make you cry?"
"I told you, she just reminded me of something that'll never happen to me again," lamented the blonde as she poured a glass of wine for each of them from the already open bottle.
Olivia stood on the other side of the bench, "What was it?"
Alex passed over the half filled glass of merlot, "It doesn't matter."
"It does to me."
"Can we please just drop it?" begged Alex.
Olivia took a small sip before continuing, "If I can help-"
"You can't help."
"I can try."
"Trust me, you can't!" Alex drank her wine in one large gulp before refilling it.
"Alex, please!"
"Olivia, when a woman makes love to my left breast with her mouth I can orgasm, alright!" blurted Alex, before covering her mouth in embarrassment.
"OH!" That wasn't what Olivia had expected Alex to reveal, "Oh."
"I can't believe I just told you that," Alex unconsciously adjusted her glasses with her left hand and cleared her throat. "Like I said, Abbie unintentionally reminded me that it'll never happen again after next Monday."
The brunette broke the heavy, tense silence lingering between the both of them, "Wha-what about the other one?"
"Excuse me?" The ADA raised her eyebrow in surprise.
Olivia vaguely indicated Alex's upper body with a wave of her hand, "What about your... ahh... right breast? C-can the same thing happen with the right one?"
"LIV!"
"What?!"
"I can't believe you just asked that! I can't believe we're even having this awkward conversation!"
Olivia backpedaled, "Please don't take this the wrong way, Alex... but I'm very impressed, and quite frankly a little jealous of your... talent. I can't say it's ever happened to me... not even close."
"It's... umm... certainly... hmm... pleasant... and, ahh... breathtaking... as you can probably imagine." Alex cleared her throat again, "And to answer your question: no, it's never happened with my right breast. Just the left one is... extra sensitive for me. I'll be even more sad to lose 'her' now after being reminded. As I told you, it's been a while since Abbie and I were... intimate."
Liv nodded her understanding, "Maybe... you just haven't found the right girl... for your right 'girl'." The detective waggled her eyebrows suggestively, "Right, girl?"
Alex couldn't help but giggle, finally breaking the tension. "You're a stupid ass, Olivia Benson!"
It made Olivia's heart soar when she heard Alex laugh. She would do anything she could to hear Alex laugh like that all the time, even if it resulted in being called a 'stupid ass'.
Once again sitting on the floor at the coffee table, Alex and Olivia were eating the last of their Greek mixed entrée platter for 2 as they perused the mastectomy surgery pamphlets. One explained the items needed for the surgery after care including the post operative mastectomy compression bra or camisole; a crescent pillow so that the upper arm didn't press against the surgery site nor the safety belt while driving; what clothes would be the easiest for the patient to wear including button down shirts. Another small booklet explained simple exercises to do in the days following the surgery. The one Alex was looking at was regarding the surgery itself, following the journey of a patient from surgery to recovery and beyond.
"It's quite confronting, isn't it?" Alex indicated an image of a modified radical mastectomy patient immediately after surgery. With the face blocked out to protect the privacy of the patient, the image showed a woman with a sutured incision where her right breast had been, from the centre of her sternum, across her thorax to under her axilla. In layman's terms: from the centre of her breastbone, across her chest to under her armpit. There were 2 bulb drains collecting fluids, each held in place by a single suture. One was located under the armpit, the other underneath where her breast had been.
The next image had been taken 24 hours later. The bruising on the thorax was significant even with the use of ice packs across the now waterproof wound dressed sutures. The bulb drains were half full, even though the text near the image said the bulbs had been emptied 8 hours earlier.
And so the images continued. 48 hours, 72 hours, 96 hours. At the 1 week mark, the drains had been removed, as had the waterproof dressing across the sutured wound. A vast majority of the bruising had changed to hues of yellow and very faint purples in certain areas. At the 10 day mark, there would be a followup consultation with the surgeon. At this point, the pamphlet text read, that scar creams or gels could be applied now.
There were a few more photos at different time intervals 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and so forth showing the scar slowly fading from pink to be a few shades lighter than the woman's skin tone. The last image had been taken 2 years after the patient's surgery, and showed that the woman had opted to have a large hibiscus and a pink ribbon scroll curved above the flower with the word 'Survivor' inside the scroll, tattooed on her chest to cover her surgery scar.
"It certainly is. I'm not so sure about the tattoo though," Liv said while indicating the last image.
"You don't like tattoos?" Alex asked, genuinely curious.
"It's not that I don't like them..." Olivia trailed off.
"I'm sensing a 'but' coming up in your explanation."
"I hope this doesn't sound wrong or judgmental, because I don't want it to be...but, I guess I don't see why someone would want to do that to their body."
Alex rebutted, "Elliott has the US Marines logo and the crucifixion of Christ. They obviously have a very significant meaning for him to wear them permanently."
"I know and I can understand why that patient chose to get a tattoo over her surgery site. It's hard to explain... Maybe I should've just said that tattoos aren't for me."
"Well, you don't have to get one then!" the blonde lightheartedly teased. "Although, I think a small tasteful one that could be hidden would look good on you."
"No. Like I said, it's not for me." Liv asked, "Would you get something like that done?"
Alex shrugged noncommittally while popping the last bite of the dolma in her mouth, "Looks like I have 2 years to think about it."
"Seriously?! I can't imagine you having a tattoo."
The blonde didn't say a word as she gathered up the small platter from the coffee table to take to the kitchen. She returned with a cruet set and wooden chopping board with the main meal platter for 2 that had been keeping warm in the oven, then Alex sat back down next to the detective.
"Sweetie, you haven't got any pepper left in the shaker." Olivia held up an empty, small condiment pot.
A devilish grin slowly settled on Alex's mouth as stood up, grabbed the pepper grinder off the formal dining table and handed it to Liv.
"What did you do?" Liv asked as Alex sat down again.
Trying desperately to keep a straight face, a small giggle from the ADA slowly built to full throaty laugh before tears leaked from her eyes, her hands holding her stomach.
Opening the door, Abbie gave a cheeky dimpled smile. "I'm free, Hunny Bunny! Free from the Ice Princess!"
"You mean the Chairwoman of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee?"
Abbie snorted, "More like the Ice Queen with her damn missionary position vanilla sex. Not an adventurous bone or muscle in her body. She's obviously still hung up on me though. I reminded her of what she's gonna miss and she burst in to tears. Kinda pathetic if you think about it. Oblivious is being all protective and charming, as expected."
"Urgh! Don't want to hear about either of them any more. It'll ruin the mood we're setting."
"I've missed you so much! Bedroom, now!" Abbie growled.
"Did you bring... King Dong?"
Abbie gave a naughty wink, "One of the boxes here, my Cutie Patootie!"
"Then we'd better go find him!"
The raven haired woman was swiftly pulled inside the apartment along with the 4 boxes.