"Come on, Casey, just a few more!" Alex tugged on Casey's arm and pulled her through the racks of lacy dresses that tickled the skin on their bare legs.

"Alex, nothing fits right," Casey whined in response. "I'm tired, and I just want to go home."

"You know, I've heard that when trying on clothes, if you get too discouraged and everything looks bad on you, it's really your mind, not your body," Olivia suggested.

"Okay, in that case, let's leave and try again some other time!" Casey continued to complain.

"Nonsense, red," Casey's sister Holly laughed. "We're not resting til you say 'yes to the dress,' as they say!"

Holly, though she had called Casey "red" since they were kids, sported hair that was even more fiery than Casey's and far wilder. Holly had always been the freer spirited of the two sisters, and Olivia and Alex could tell from the moment they met their friend's sibling and maid of honor. Today she wore a bright yellow fringy sundress that stuck out amongst the milder hues of Alex's blue pinafore dress, Casey's tan khakis and white blouse, and Olivia's jean shorts and black t-shirt. Holly had been running Casey and Olivia quite ragged the whole day, and Alex, bless her, was still trying to keep up with the intense redhead.

"Nothing looks good on me. I'm too damn tall and I have the body of a man," Casey pouted.

"A man with boobs?" Holly quipped.

"No you don't, Case," Alex glared at Holly and then looked back at Casey sympathetically. "You have an athletic body that is admittedly harder to flatter in a dress, but you will look simply breathtaking when we find you the right one."

"And this is what, the eighth boutique we've attempted to sift through?" Casey looked up at the sign for The Bridal Garden.

"Well, we haven't tried Kleinfeld yet," Alex winked.

"We're not all trust fund babies, Cabot!"

Alex just shook her head and turned her head back to Olivia. Five weeks had passed since the funeral and Olivia was up, walking, and had regained most of her strength, but the Novak sisters were quickly zapping it back out of her. "Babe, you okay?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Am I supposed to be able to feel my legs or is that just something that some people get to experience?" Olivia moaned.

"It's a luxury," Alex replied. "Ladies, you think we could break for lunch quickly before we continue this venture?"

"Yes," Casey responded quickly and emphatically, and turned her glance to Holly.

"Alright, fine, you out of shape weenies. Except Olivia, you get a break for the whole getting shot thing. But Casey, nothing with any salt or fat, or you'll get bloated and then you'll never like anything!" Holly instructed, wagging her finger at her younger sister.

Casey grumbled. "I want pizza."

"Not happening!"

Four very long hours later, Casey had found the one. The dress, that is...sorry, Mark. When she walked out of the dressing room wearing dress number seventeen, Holly had jumped up screaming, Alex put a hand to her mouth, and even Olivia was speechless. It was a simple silhouetted dress, with a hem that swept across the floor, with just a few tiny beads running up and down the thick straps before the cinched waist.

"Oh my God, red, you're a freaking princess!" Holly yelled.

"You look…statuesque!" Alex marveled.

"Wow…that's just…stunning," Olivia agreed.

"You guys really think so?" Casey asked, spinning awkwardly in the long gown. "Do I have a dress?"

"If you don't take that damn dress, sis, I'm gonna take it myself and save it for my wedding," Holly said.

"Like you would ever get married to anyone," Casey rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I've gotten proposed to three times!"

"And that's when you take off running!"

"Whatever, I'll wear it around town if I have to, but that dress is damn gorgeous and you had better buy it before I do."

"Or before I do," Alex blurted out thoughtlessly, then blinked a couple of times and looked at Olivia, who was smirking.

"Plan on marrying someone anytime soon, Alex?" she joked.

"Before this conversation becomes more awkward, can we go reserve this dress?" Casey interrupted.

"Yes, let's do that," Alex replied quickly, swallowing the lump in her throat and letting out a breath.

Casey looked herself over in the mirror one last time and smiled. "I'm going to be a bride," she said softly.

"And a beautiful one, Casey," Holly grinned, wrapping her arms around her sister from behind and kissing her cheek. "Now start stripping, but not in front of your gay friends."

Olivia threw Holly's purse at her back.

"When can I quit doing these damn stretches?" Olivia griped, raising her left leg up to a ninety degree angle, holding it for five seconds, and then letting it fall back down. The previous day, spent chasing the phantom perfect bridal gown had been hell on her body but she hadn't felt it to its full extent until today.

"Ease your leg down gently, don't just drop it," Alex said, grabbing hold of Olivia's lifted right leg and rolling her eyes. "And the answer to that is, when it doesn't hurt anymore."

"It doesn't hurt now," Olivia lied, but her grimace when Alex pulled her leg up just a bit further gave her away.

"Mhm. I hope you realize that gunshot wounds take several months to heal completely."

"I don't have several months."

"Why, trying out for the Olympics?"

"I could if I wanted to! But no. I'm just dying here and I need to get back in the field."

"You'll be back soon, Liv, but for now just let your body do its job, and let me take care of you," Alex smiled.

"I do like it when you take care of me…but I haven't taken care of you in weeks," Olivia replied, raising her eyebrows and scanning her eyes over Alex's body.

"And you're still not ready for that sort of activity," Alex laughed, pressing the tip of her finger to her lover's nose and using the advantage of her position hovering on top of Olivia to lay a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Ahh, but that's where you're wrong, Alex." Olivia lifted her chin and redirected Alex's lips to her own, letting them mingle for just a second before pulling away softly. "My body isn't ready to be on the receiving end, but it doesn't mean I can't do you a favor."

"Liv, you don't have to do that for me," Alex whispered, but as Olivia's lips began to graze her neck, she felt her resolve weakening. The featherlight kisses became more passionate suckling and Alex began to sigh happily.

"But I want to, Alex…we've been through too damn much in the last few weeks, and I've missed this, I've missed us. I've missed those sounds you make when you're in that small space between pain and pleasure, with your head thrown back and your hands clutching the sheets…"

"Oh…" Olivia began to ease the fabric of Alex's blouse up her torso and she fought the lingering pain in her waist to sit up and explore Alex's midsection with her mouth and fingers. She smelled Alex's flowery body wash and lotions and ran her lips over the smooth skin. Alex took the lead and removed the blouse completely.

"I've missed watching the way your body starts to glow when you get turned on," Olivia winked, running her fingertip underneath the cup of Alex's bra, slipping it underneath and then back out. Alex simply stared back lustfully.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself," Alex breathed out.

"I won't be hurting myself," Olivia chuckled. "I'll still be able to walk tomorrow. The question is, will you?" Grinning, she lifted Alex's bra over her breasts without bothering to peel it off her body and immediately latched onto one of the blonde's nipples. Alex groaned softly as Olivia swiped her tongue back and forth across the rosy bud and alternating teasing her other nipple with her fingertips and running her hand from breast to hip.

"My God, Liv…"

"I've missed that too, the way you say my name with such reverence and adoration…sometimes thrown in with a few swears when you're in the heat of your climax…" Olivia, having detached her mouth from Alex's breast brought it back to the attorney's lips. Alex hungrily swept her tongue into the detective's mouth, moving her hands all over her lover's body but frustratingly knowing she couldn't take it any further than that with the still recovering woman.

"Mm…" Alex began, and when Olivia broke apart from their kiss, she continued, "I don't swear."

"Yeah, okay," Olivia laughed. "We'll see about that in a few minutes…"

"Jesus, Olivia…I need you to touch me, please…" Alex backed off and stood up, hurrying to slip her jeans off her slim legs. She hopped back up on the bed where Olivia had been doing her regular stretches just a few minutes earlier, and now she was hoping to stretch a little bit herself. She placed her knees on either side of Olivia's body and stared down.

"Alex, never let me forget how sexy you are," Olivia said worshipfully, looking down from Alex's exposed breasts to the lacy black panties covering her final target.

"You never let me forget, why should I let you forget?" Alex smiled.

"I can't fucking wait until this damn thing finishes healing," Olivia growled, "but for now, come here, and let me show you what else I've missed."

They kissed again, even more passionately if possible, and soon teeth were practically mashing against teeth. One of them might have started bleeding from how roughly they kissed but neither would've noticed. But Alex definitely did notice when Olivia's hand finally dipped beneath her panties and began to explore the abounding wetness underneath.

"Yes…Olivia, please…" Alex whimpered as Olivia's finger began to roll over her swollen clit. The throbbing bundle responded fiercely to Olivia's loving touch, and Alex moaned again.

"I've missed how impossibly wet you get for me," Olivia continued, as Alex began to lose the ability to reply. "Thanks to that, when I finally slip inside of you…" Olivia carefully thrust two fingers into Alex's opening, "it's as though you're welcoming me with open arms…"

It wasn't long before Alex's breathing was erratic and labored and the moans became loud and pained. "God, fuck Liv!"

"There's the swearing," Olivia grinned. "It's sexy as hell…"

"Gah, shit…oh…" Alex closed her eyes and her mouth hung open as electricity flung through her body, and Olivia smiled at her job well done.

Alex came down from her high and rolled next to Olivia on her uninjured side, eyes still closed and beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. She didn't even bother to pull the bra back into place, she just lay there, recovering, until she came back to earth and met the gleaming eyes of her lover.

"I've missed this most of all…" Liv finished. "Just you and me."

Yay for happy, humorous chapters :)