A/N: Ok, I love SVU, but I also love anything by Shonda Rhimes (Greys Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder) so don't be surprised to see characters from those shows pop up into my stories. Anyway, meet Dr. Teddy Altman. Then it's dinner with my favorite blonde. :)
At 5:45 Casey began packing up her bag and preparing to leave for dinner with Alex. She figured she would wait outside for her that way she could save time. Hearing a knock at her door she turns to see her girlfriend Dr. Teddy Altman.
Teddy was dressed in her sneakers, scrubs and fleece jacket topped with a wide smile. Seeing Teddy brought a big smile to Casey's face. "Hey you," Casey began walking over to the sandy blonde haired doctor, "I didn't think I would see you until tomorrow" she says wrapping her arms around Teddy's waist and placing a light kiss to Teddy's lips.
Teddy smiles even bigger seeing her beautiful red haired girlfriend, "My surgery got pushed until tomorrow afternoon and I am not on call until 8pm. So I thought I would come take you to dinner."
"Oh, I would love too…"
"But?"
"But," Casey says biting her lip, "I have dinner plans with someone."
"Who Casey? And why are you being weird?" Teddy questions firmly. One thing Casey loved about her girlfriend was how direct she was; you never wondered what Teddy was thinking you knew because she told you.
"So, you know how I told you this morning I was getting to co-chair on a major case?"
"Yeah," Teddy says tentatively.
"Well the case is regarding fraud with Cabot Vineyards, my stepsisters company. One of her corporations was selling fraudulent wines. Anyway, I had to have a meeting with her today and she wants to take me to dinner tonight to catch up." Casey confesses.
Teddy rubs Casey's arms as she smiles again. "Casey, why did you seem scared telling me that? That is great. I was hoping you two would reconnect. Even though you never say it, it's apparent how much you miss her." Teddy replies kissing Casey as Casey smiles into the kiss pulling Teddy closer.
Alex Cabot walks down the hallway towards her stepsister's office. As she approaches the office door she catches sight of something she didn't intend to find, Casey in another woman's arms. The other blonde haired woman has her arms wrapped around Casey and is kissing her. Casey is smiling and her laugh is filling the air as the blonde playfully nips at Casey's chin. Alex feels like she can't breathe. All she wants to do is run away. She tries to turn around and walk away, but she can't make her feet work. She is literally stuck in her place. Silently she starts praying for death to come and come quickly before she breaks down. She doesn't want Casey to see her cry ever again, her graduation was bad enough she doesn't need a repeat performance.
Alex continues to painfully watch as the other blonde pulls Casey closer again into a much deeper kiss. The sight of the woman with her hands on Casey's body and lips on Casey's mouth is driving Alex mad. Suddenly something in Alex snaps, and she starts towards the office with determination in every step. She has to put a stop to this now. Knocking loudly on the doorframe she startles the two women apart. "I am sorry to interrupt, Alexandra Cabot." Alex says with a smirk holding out her hand to the other woman.
"Oh hi! Dr. Teddy Altman, Casey's girlfriend, it's nice to meet you." Teddy says happily shaking Alex's hand.
Alex looks Teddy up and down and then smiles at Casey and says, "It's nice to meet you. Casey, are you ready? I made us reservations to your favorite tapas bar."
Casey doesn't really know what to say to either woman. She is slightly shell-shocked seeing the woman she loves and the woman she is in love with in the same room together. The only problem is she is in love with the wrong woman. Looking at Alex she smiles, "Yeah Alex, let me just grab my bag and we can head out."
Teddy watches the exchange between the two sisters. Casey hasn't ever told her what the falling out was about but it must not have been that awful because Casey seems very happy to see Alex. Honestly, Casey seems happier than Teddy has ever seen her. She doesn't really know what to think of it. "Well sweetheart I am going to head back to the hospital. You all have fun tonight. I will see you tomorrow night." Teddy says leaning in to kiss Casey goodbye. She is a little caught off guard when Casey turns her head at the last minute and she ends up kissing her cheek instead.
"So Casey, what brought you back to Manhattan?" Alex asks while trying one of the tapas they ordered.
"Teddy got a job as head of cardio at Weill Cornell. It was just way too good of a deal to pass up, so we moved." Casey says trying a tapa of her own. It was so good without thinking she says, "Oh my God, Alex try this," and holds the other half up to Alex's mouth.
Alex takes the offered bite into her mouth along with the very tips of Casey's thumb and forefinger. Casey's breath instantly hitches in her throat at the sensation of Alex's mouth on her. Quickly she retracts her hand as she begins to flush furiously.
Trying to not let on how much of an effect Alex has on her, Casey quickly asks, "So how do you like running the business?"
"Well, it was a lot of fun before the whole fraud thing." Alex says with a chuckle as she picks up another tapa.
Casey closes her eyes and scrunches up her face, trying to apologize she says, "I am sorry Alex I wasn't thinking about what I was asking."
Taking Casey's hand in hers, Alex warmly says, "Casey you don't ever have to worry upsetting me. To be honest, it's just a job. It is fun, and at one point I threw myself completely into it, but now I feel like I need more in life. I just had to reach an amount of success I guess to feel like I could pursue what I really wanted in life and now I wonder if I took too long to get to that point."
Casey looks deep into Alex's steely blue eyes. Examining Alex's face she takes in the blonde's sweet smile. Casey just doesn't understand. She does understand why Alex being so nice to her, she doesn't deserve it.
"Alex I know I hurt you all those years ago. So why are you being so nice to me?" Casey asks. She isn't fully sure why she is asking or opening up so much. It's dangerous territory and Casey knows it, but as wrong as it may be part of her wants to know if Alex still feels anything.
Alex looks directly into Casey's green eyes and says, "I love you Casey, and I missed having you in my life. I promised myself if I ever saw you again I would do everything in my power to not lose you again." Finishing giving her answer the blonde picks up her wine and takes a sip seemingly unfazed by the answer she just provided.
Casey's green eyes go wide at the answer and she quickly looks down at her plate. She really isn't sure if Alex just said she loves her in a romantic way or a sisterly way. "What do you mean Alex?" Casey finally asks.
"What are you doing Saturday night Casey?" Alex asks not answering the question asked.
"Why?"
"I wanted to take you someplace special." Alex says softly as she takes a sip of her wine. She already knows Casey is going to say no from the look on her face and since she answers a question with a question.
Casey nods, "I would love to go with you, but Teddy has a gala for the hospital that we have to attend. Could we do it say Sunday instead or is it time sensitive?"
"We can do it anytime you want." Alex says leaning in, "What is the gala for?"
Taking a sip of her own wine, Casey says, "Oh, it's a fundraiser for the hospital, so they need all department heads there to charm potential donors."
Alex smiles thinking of a new plan. Seeing a strand of red hair fall into Casey's face she reaches out a hand and pushes it behind Casey's ear again, locking eyes with the redhead. Neither woman says anything for a few minutes. They just stare into each other's eyes. It's a serene moment and their silence speaks volumes.
After dropping Casey at home later that evening, Alex picks up her cell phone and calls Amanda. Amanda picks up after two rings. "Hey boss, what's up?" the young blonde casually answers in her southern tone.
"Amanda I need a ticket to the Weill Cornell gala for Saturday night." Alex says.
"Okay, no problem I will get you one first thing in the morning. Also, do you want me to just cancel the plans you made today for the Hamptons Saturday?"
Alex bites her lip, Casey mentioned going Sunday instead. She wondered if the redhead was serious. "Don't cancel Rollins. Instead see if we can just reschedule it to Sunday."
"Got it boss," Amanda says adding, "So how did dinner go tonight?"
Alex smiles big at this question, "It went amazingly."
As Casey walks into her apartment she is filled with a pang of guilt seeing her and Teddy's shared living space. What was she doing with Alex? Was it harmless friendship or something more? As much as she wanted to lie to herself and say it was harmless friendship she knew it wasn't and she couldn't believe her own lie. Casey had feelings for Alex, she always had and even running all the way across the country couldn't make those feeling go away.
However, Casey couldn't let herself fall for Alex again. It was dangerous. She had let herself get close to Alex before and each time she was left hurt and alone. She would not do it again. Getting hurt like that was something she did not wish to experience again, and why would she throw away the wonderful life she shared with Teddy. Teddy loved her and had never run from those feelings.
Walking across the living room to the fireplace Casey looked at the picture of her and Teddy on the shelf. They were wrapped in each other's arms smiling on Teddy's parents porch swing last Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day filled with love and family, Teddy's family. Casey didn't have anyone anymore. She didn't have anyone but Alex.
Shaking her head she walked to the window next to the bookshelf and looked down on the busy New York streets. Alex had always tried to make things special after the crash. Every holiday she would plan something special just for Casey. Frowning Casey remembered the last Christmas before Casey graduated from Harvard. She told Alex she wasn't coming home for the holiday, but felt bad last minute and showed up Christmas day. Alex hadn't put out one decoration. Casey always thought Alex was decorating for herself, she hadn't realized until that moment who Alex really had been doing it for, the memory made Casey sad.
Looking towards the bookcase, Casey saw the book sitting on the shelf staring her in the face. She picked it up and opened the front cover. Alex's message stood out boldly on the cover page.
Casey,
This book opened my mind to the world and our possible futures. It might not be today, but one day we will ignore Big Brother together. I promise.
All my love,
Alex
Tears fill Casey's eyes as she reads the message. She hadn't read it since the day it was given to her. She'd read the book and enjoyed it, however, she was too young to understand the meaning behind Alex's message. Closing her eyes she shakes her head. It couldn't be. She didn't make this mistake. Opening her eyes she rereads the message. It was clear. Alex had said it in the only way she must have known how at the time.
Alex had loved her, and promised to be with her when the time was right. Bowing her head Casey fully understood Alex's words from dinner tonight. Casey was what Alex had been working to achieve. How could any of this be though and could Casey believe Alex this time…
