AN: Well folks, here's chapter 2. I struggled a little with the final half of it so I hope you like it. Thanks to those of you who have read/reviewed and special thanks as always to Mashnut for betaing for me. Any reviews/comments/constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Thank you for reading

Jaxx

When Serena finally managed to get through the stack of paper on her desk she immediately left for the hospital to visit Abbie, what she found when she got there made her laugh unceremoniously at the absurdity of it. She had been warned by one of the nurses that Abbie was in a 'strange mood' but the nurse hadn't been scathing or even disapproving, more mildly entertained and so Serena had shrugged it off as nothing more than her sort of girlfriend playfully teasing the medical staff in a bid to escape from her growing boredom with the situation. As she rounded the corner and made her way to the private room in which Abbie had been staying since she had gotten out of the operating theatre Serena could hear an unusual sound, she couldn't put her finger on what it was except that it was a constant 'kathunk…kathunk'. When she reached the doorway what she found was so typically, unexpectedly Abbie that she had to pause just to watch before making herself known to the other woman. She was still in her pyjamas and dressing gown, but instead of walking around her room, looking out of the window or sitting in one of the nearby chairs reading as Serena had found her on every other occasion since Abbie had been allowed to move around more, she looked like something from one of their mutual favourite movies. She was sitting with her back against the bed, flinging a baseball against the nearby wall and catching it as it propelled back towards her. She never missed it, even with the quick pace she was maintaining, her reflexes were excellent. Despite the obvious pain that these movements must have given the Texan she was actually smiling, granted it was more a smile of concentration than one of pleasure, but still it was enough to make Serena's heart melt just a little. In fact Serena would probably have watched her just a little longer if it wasn't for the fact that Abbie noticed her, caught the ball and threw it towards her playfully. To Abbie's amazement, and if she were being totally honest with herself Serena's, she caught it first time without fumbling, breaking a nail or more importantly breaking anything belonging to the hospital. Abbie jumped to her feet and moved swiftly towards Serena taking her free hand and kissing her tenderly on the cheek before leading her into the room. As the two women sat opposite one another, Abbie sitting on the bed while Serena sat on a chair, Abbie retained her gentle hold of Serena's hand, her smile now wide and matched by Serena's own.

'You're looking better' was all Serena could think to say.

Abbie simply chuckled before brushing Serena's knuckles lightly with her thumb.

'You're looking pretty good yourself Ser'

'You've heard something haven't you?'

'Might have.'

Abbie's eyes were bright with amusement. It was brilliant for Serena to see after all this time, especially when Abbie had spent the last week distressed that she was never going to get out of hospital.

'Don't play games Abs tell me what's going on.'

'We have a date this Friday.'

'You're getting out of here?'

'Tomorrow.'

'Tomorrow's Wednesday…' Serena left the obvious question hanging.

'I gotta have time to plan honey. Wanna do this right.'

The sincerity in Abbie's voice when she said it made Serena feel like she had been given the most precious star. Even with their surroundings the moment was perfect, it had been a long time coming but their patience finally seemed to be paying off. Abbie was on the mend, in a few days they would have their first date. It felt good to know they'd soon be able to make something of this thing they had, no doctors, no surgeons or nurses or visiting hours, just them together without watching their time or worrying about anyone else. The moment was only spoiled by one nagging thought in Serena's mind.

'Where did you get the baseball?'

This time it was Abbie's turn to laugh, tears coming into her eyes as she let go of Serena's hand to clutch her sore side.

'Don't go all mushy on me or anything…' Abbie's laugh was infectious even as she attempted to tell Serena who gave her the baseball.

When they had finally settled enough for both of their voices to remain level a highly amused Serena sought clarification.

'You're telling me that a friend of yours, one of yours and Liv's best friends in fact, whom you haven't seen in a year discovered that you'd been in hospital and thought it'd be a good idea to bring you a baseball… don't you have any normal friends?'

'And normal friends bring…'

'Flowers, books, grapes… you know normal things.'

'She brought me a magazine too.'

'Well that makes her completely normal then.'

'Your best friend isn't exactly one for 'normal' gifts' Abbie retorted still laughing 'She brought me a Chess set last week. I can't even play Chess!'

Before Serena could think of any kind of response to this they were interrupted by another amused voice at the door.

'Excuse me Ms Carmichael but it's time for your pain meds, sorry to interrupt.'

The nurse who had warned Serena about Abbie's 'strange' mood had returned with a tray of meds and water. Abbie was now able to take solid pain killers instead of having them through a drip and this was one of the reasons that she was able to move about more freely and hence finally be released from the hospital. Having tended to Abbie's medicinal needs the nurse smiled happily at both women before leaving, discretely closing the door behind her.

'I guess this means I should step up looking for another place huh?'

Serena had been staying in Abbie's New York apartment since the night they had escaped from Cassidy and White. Her own apartment had been given the full forensic treatment and had in fact been cleared for her to move into for weeks but Serena had been too scared, the memories of the night Abbie was shot too strong to allow her to do much more than gather her belongings and leave. The apartment was now back on the market and she was looking for a new place but Abbie had been happy to offer Serena a place to stay.

'No Ser, it's fine you don't have to.'

'Abbie, if we're going to do this right…'

'I know… At least stay with me until you find a place you like. I need someone with me and Dad's not getting back until the weekend.'

'Alright. I will, but only until Friday morning.'

Abbie nodded her silent agreement, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to convince the blonde to do otherwise. It felt good to be going home, knowing that Serena would be there at least part of the time. She knew however that Serena was right, if they were going to do this right, then that meant separate apartments, for now at least. Rushing into things hadn't served either woman well in the past and they were determined that this time would be different.

...

With Eliot and the guys having been sent out to deal with their respective cases Jo and Liv found themselves alone in the 1.6 looking over case files in an attempt to discover a single lead on Cassidy. Jo had brought her case notes from the undercover operation she had been involved in with her and the two were concentrating hard, trying to see what Cassidy was up to hiding out with a drug cartel. They had been looking over the files for three hours and it wasn't getting any easier. Jo got up and poured them both yet another coffee in an attempt to focus their minds once again. Handing Liv her mug she received a nod of thanks before the other woman took a mouthful of coffee and placed it onto the desk.

'Your coffee making skills are as good as ever partner…'

'I worked in a cafeteria and a 'gourmet food shop' for my entire school career – what do you expect? Mrs G woulda had my guts if I served crap coffee.' Jo chuckled in memory of her friend and mentor.

Olivia stretched her back, after being out of action for so long reading over case files and leaning over a desk was making her neck sore. Still if they found something on Cassidy it'd be worth it. Jo's undercover work had been pretty interesting reading so far. Who knew an Irish/Italian crew could do so much damage in such a short space of time. It was clear that this wasn't going to be an overnight success though; it was going to take time. The drug cartel Jo had been working on was an Irish/Italian family crew, traditional in its criminal values, it had been tough for her to be accepted in the first place and they both knew it was going to take something special to find a way to get Cassidy while trying to salvage her operation. All those months of work couldn't be for nothing, even if they were now assigned to their respective desks until they were cleared for active duty something had to give. It was time to take a break from the paperwork, Jo was starting to feel claustrophobic she hadn't been cooped up indoors for this long since she had gone undercover. She could tell that Liv was starting to feel restless too. She stood and announced that she needed some air, motioning towards the stairs which led to the roof.

'Come on Liv, I need some air.'

'Sure thing, just gimme a sec.'

Finishing the last paragraph on the page she had been reading Olivia was more than happy to follow Jo outside. It had been their habit ever since they joined the academy that they spent more time outside than in while on the job. Being confined to desk duty was their joint worst nightmare at least in a career sense. Stepping out onto the small roof space the two breathed deeply, taking in the smell of the city and marvelling in its sights and sounds. You couldn't beat it.

'So Carmichael told me you got your act together Liv, I'm happy for you. Sorry I wasn't around to see it.'

'Carmichael's the one that got my act together, I'm just lucky.'

'I'm glad it's workin' out for you. It took you long enough.'

'From where I'm standing you got your own world record goin' for pining after someone. You never did take my advice either.'

'It just didn't work out. Some things are harder to say to a friend.'

Her words echoing in her own ears, words which had changed her life once upon a time, Jo leaned over the wall, looking down at the cars and people below. It was her way of trying to close the subject. She really was glad that Olivia had gotten her act together and started seeing Alex. The number of phone calls and dinners she and Abbie had spent collectively trying to convince their friend that it was worth risking everything on the beautiful ADA were now worth it. She just wished she hadn't been under when it had all kicked off. It was almost enough to convince her to risk it all with her own princess. She never would though. Some things just weren't meant to be. Blair Warner was too good for her, she always had been. Besides the woman wasn't even in the country she spent her time travelling the world for her family's company Warner Industries. Jo hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye to her before going under.

'You called her since you got back?'

'She ain't even in the country. I wouldn't know what to say.'