Olivia Benson was obviously coming down with something.
Alex knew a sick person from a healthy one, and the absent, dazed look on her coworker's face clearly illustrated the fact that she was not feeling up to par. Again, Alex wondered if this was the right thing for her to do. After all, Olivia was hardly in a position to refuse her offer of a ride, and if Alex knew the detective at all, she had a hunch that Olivia would normally hate to be mothered. However, Olivia said nothing against getting into Alex's car, so the concerned attorney opened the side door for her and helped her in, knowing full well that Olivia could manage on her own, but also fully aware of the opportunity to make some sort of physical contact with the usually unapproachable woman.
Finished on the passenger's side, she looped around the front of the car and slid into the driver's seat, shutting the door firmly as Olivia mumbled something fragmented.
"Are we…?"
Turning, Alex took a second to register the half-finished question. The milky circle of white light being issued from the lamppost above them hit Olivia's face in a peculiar manner, making certain parts seem darker and graver than usual. Her eyes caught the glow and shined in the blonde's direction, but Alex couldn't help but notice the unintentional frown that played on Olivia's dark lips, tugging just barely on the corners of her mouth to make her seem…well, vulnerable. It must have just been a trick of the light, however, because Alexandra Cabot couldn't imagine Olivia Benson ever being that way. Still, the pouting lips and raised eyebrows belonged to that of a young child, not a hardcore detective, and Alex had never seen that tenderness in her before…Sticking the keys into the ignition, the car started with rumble and began to purr, almost covering Alex's quiet response.
"Hmm?"
Great. She had only been alone with Olivia for a minute, and already she was loosing her intelligent speech. Luckily, the detective took no notice of her monosyllabic response. Not often could Alex get away with such subtle discrepancies, because the people she worked with were trained to notice things that were out of the ordinary. Apparently, however, Olivia was too tired to pick up on these nuances, and that suited Alex just fine.
"Where are we going?"
Ok. Maybe Olivia wasn't as out of it as she'd originally thought. Reaching over quickly, she stretched the seatbelt across Olivia's torso and clicked it into place, ignoring the way Olivia's body heat made her shudder. To combat her unwelcome emotions, she stared furiously at the windshield as though looking anywhere else would result in her immediate death. Still, she could not banish her body's reactions, and Alex flushed slightly and began to chew on her lower lip, face turned away from Olivia so that the detective couldn't witness her nerves.
"I'd like to take you home, detective…"
The words came out before she could censor them, and with a jolt, Alex realized the double meaning. Wishing that she were in a position to actually suggest such a grand evening destination, Alex instead found her wits almost immediately and did the obvious thing: being a lawyer, she caught herself just before she hit the ground.
"…so, are you awake enough to give directions?"
Her own voice sounded unbearably stiff and formal, even to her own ears, yet the ploy seemed to work…pulling out of the space, she began a steady crawl for the exit of the parking lot, noting absently that it was almost empty. Daring herself to look at Olivia, she glanced over to gage her expression, only to find something that made her stomach clench and her resolve flicker: the detective was wearing an unusual expression of disappointment. The round eyes and slumped posture were unmistakable, yet Alex did not understand. Had she said something wrong? Did Olivia...did Olivia actually want to come over? Then the detective's eyes closed wearily, and Alex knew that it was all in her imagination. What was wrong with her? She wanted something so badly that she simply refused see the truth in the matter: Olivia couldn't possibly be interested in her, any more than Alex could be interested in that slime-ball Trevor Langan, and it was time that Alex came to terms with that.
"Olivia? Are you falling asleep?"
It was another stupid question, one of many that Alex had asked that night. She wondered if she could actually author a book containing all of the idiotic things she said around Benson. This new idea would not be put into action however, because very promptly, Alex was met with silence from the brown-haired detective, and no words were needed to patch up the empty space. Instead, Alex just drove, because driving made sense.
Unlike everything else.
Slowly the silence filtered out all discomforts, channeling a type of safe energy that surrounded Alex and made her calm. Not unlike the way she felt when she was about to make a particularly smart move in trial, with absolute clarity she realized where she was going. The car began to move in a definite fashion, and in was at least half an hour before the vehicle came to a stop, sliding easily into a space that rested beneath the dingy illumination of a streetlight. Switching off the engine and withdrawing her keys, she sat for a moment and looked out her window, unable to predict what was about to happen, and for the first time in her life, ok with that.
"We're here, Olivia."
From the seat next to her, Olivia stirred slightly, stretching her legs and arms in a rustle of clothing. Alex kindly reached over and rubbed her shoulder soothingly, pressing just hard enough to wake her up. Slowly brown eyes became visible from beneath their lids, and Olivia sat up carefully.
"Where's here?"
As she spoke, the detective turned to look her in the eyes, and Alex felt the magnetic pull that Olivia unconsciously emanated immediately, tugging her tightly in and refusing to surrender control.
"My apartment."
Never once did she break eye contact, and Alex found herself remembering a time when she had stared into those brown eyes just as intensely, weeks ago. On that day, she had smiled so brightly that she'd surprised herself. Tonight, however, it was Olivia's turn, and the grin that came over the detective was enough to make the ice princess melt.