This chapter is strangely the longest one in the story (even though I write short chapters, so it's still relatively short!)

Thanks for reading!

"Okay, so this is going to be the basic framework for all future cases?" Casey asked Alex as they put the finishing touches on the Parker trial. Thanks to working hours on end (of course not without about a dozen arguments) the two had managed to shuffle through Hardwicke's notes. They had been relatively thorough, but the blanks were left where Hardwicke had the ideas in her head. Every lawyer presented a case slightly differently—not news to Alex and Casey, who seemed to disagree with each other an awful lot. But whether it was because they actually came to compromises or because this was their first case and they just wanted to get it over with, they managed to lay it out pretty clearly, only leaving the question of who would be responsible for what parts of the trial.

"Basically, yeah, but of course it's open to change based on the circumstances. If one of us believes the other is more suited for a certain task, or vice versa, it can be varied. Supposing we split cross-examinations, which parts do you think you're good for? And no, that wasn't a backhanded insult," Alex explained, wincing.

Casey laughed. "I know, you're not the bitch I hoped you were." Alex raised an eyebrow. "Can you blame me? It's a successor thing," Casey added quickly. "Anyway, I do really well with opening statements."

"Good, cause I like to be the last one in the jury's face before the end, so closing argument works well for me. What about witnesses?"

"I think you should take the children."

"Why?" Alex asked confusedly. "I have no particular experience with children."

"Sure you do. Remember a little boy named Antonio? You were the only one besides Miguel who could make him comfortable. The way you talked to him made him feel safe. It's more than I ever knew how to do. Please, take the kids," Casey said.

"Alright. That leaves the adults for you." Alex was kind of glad she wouldn't have to be dealing with the battered women that they so often questioned during these trials. She already had enough women weighing on her conscience, and she wasn't sure she could take on any more.

Casey, of course, had no qualms with questioning, and often tearing into the men. And she was usually okay with the women too—except when it was a domestic dispute. "No problem," Casey replied, though her voice was a little far away.

"You alright, Case?" Alex turned her head to face her partner.

"Of course." Casey wrote something down on her notepad. "I'm a little nervous for this, though."

"Why? It's an easy one. There's no way we're going home without a conviction for this one."

"I haven't tried a case in three years, Alex. What if I'm off my game? What if I don't have the presence in the courtroom I used to have?" Casey shrugged.

"Come on, Novak, it isn't something you just lose," Alex said, placing a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I do remember that feeling, though. See, at least you were still teaching law while you were away. For my three years, I was an insurance agent," she laughed. "When I came back, I wasn't sure I even knew how to be a lawyer anymore. But all I really had to do was step into that courtroom and take a look at the scum I was trying to put away, and suddenly the prosecutor was there again." Alex sat across from Casey and smiled. "And if you feel uncomfortable during the trial, you know I got your back."

Casey beamed back at Alex. "That goes for you too. Anytime."

"Good. Now go home. We got this, alright?"

"Okay, but you have to leave with me so I know you're not just kicking me out so you can keep reviewing the case file. You're ready."

"So are you," Alex replied genuinely.

"I can't believe you let me eat the amazing dinner you cooked yesterday and then only manage to order pizza for you," Alex said shaking her head at her girlfriend, whose mouth was adorably watering at the smell of the pies the blonde was bringing into the dining room.

"Does it look like I'm complaining?" Olivia grinned. "Just open these babies up!"

"You open them up. I'm grabbing a bottle of Shiraz."

"Wine with pizza, Alex?"

"The Italians do it! Besides, I'm drinking the wine either way, so I may as well pick out a nice dry one that'll complement the flavors in the pizza. I can grab you a beer, if you'd prefer," Alex offered.

"Nah, I'll give your way a try," Olivia smirked. "But you could find a wine for just about anything, couldn't you?"

"Certainly, is that a challenge?"

"Depends. What would you serve with Twinkies?"

"Didn't they do that on Grease? They used 'a dessert wine.' I remember," Alex joked. "Although personally, if I ever got caught dead eating a Twinkie, I'd drink champagne with it."

"Why on earth would you choose champagne?"

"To celebrate whoever pulled the stick out of my ass, of course!"

Olivia playfully pushed Alex's shoulder, and Alex laughed. "You do know, babe, that when I call you a snob or a princess or whatever, I'm joking. You're not like that."

"I can be."

"Well, I haven't seen it."

"I'm glad. Here, take a bite of your slice then sip the wine," Alex instructed.

Olivia followed her instructions. With most of the bite and a slosh of wine still in her mouth, she rose an eyebrow. "Hmm!" she exclaimed, careful to keep her mouth closed. "Hmm hmm hmm!" she went on, nodding at Alex excitedly, eliciting fits of laughter from Alex.

"I'm glad you approve!" Alex teased, and began consuming her meal.

Olivia managed to swallow the bite down. "Damn, Alex, you've got talent!"

"It's a skill. See, our worlds aren't too far apart."

"I knew they weren't."

When they finished, Alex took the liberty of clearing the plates and sending Olivia off to the couch with the beer she knew the brunette wanted but didn't want to ask for. Washing the plates off and putting the three leftover slices into the fridge (Wow, we must have been hungry!), she checked her hair in the reflection of the microwave. She knew Olivia probably didn't care if the strands were out of place, but Alex's nerves were finally catching up to her about the next day's trial—a little later than Casey, but they were still there. Olivia had said the nightmares would most likely go away after she started winning cases. If that were true, she needed this first one to be a win. If it wasn't, Alex wasn't sure she could make it to the next one with an ounce of sanity.

"You coming, sweetie?"

Alex smiled at Olivia's endearing pet name. "Yeah, right now." She poured herself another glass of wine and joined the detective in the living room.

Olivia frowned. Alex was playing with her hair again. When she twirled the blonde strands around her fingers or tucked it behind her ears and back out again, Olivia knew she was anxious about something. "Baby, what's happening?"

Alex set her wine glass down on the coffee table and allowed her head to fall on Olivia's shoulder. The brunette took her cue to start running her fingers through Alex's hair while the attorney did her best to clasp her own hands in her lap. "Nothing, it's just the trial tomorrow."

Olivia nodded. "You and Casey did a fantastic job getting it together so quickly."

"Well, Hardwicke might have run off, but she left pretty detailed notes. And I have no doubt we set it up the best we possibly could've."

"Well then you're sure to win, Alex. You only lost when you weren't sure about your game plan, and even then it was mostly an issue of self-confidence and you still didn't lose."

"But there's still that chance, Liv…if Casey and I can't win this, neither one of us is going to be ready for another one."

Olivia moved her hands to Alex's neck, rubbing gently at the tension. "Casey's nervous too, huh?"

"She has reason to be, doesn't she? I remember what that was like. I had the reputation as the lawyer who got gunned down for caring too much; she'll have the reputation as the lawyer who got kicked out for caring too much. But now I feel like I have to be a pillar for her to lean on if she needs it. I'm happy to do it for her, but who will support me while I'm supporting her?"

"First of all, Casey's a big girl, just like you. Most likely, she won't need anything from you, just like you didn't need anything from anyone when you came back, even when you felt unconfident. Second, if she does, then you don't stand there like a tree while she rests on you. You lean on each other. That's what Elliot and I do. That's what partners do."

"I know. And I know Casey's going to do fine. In all likelihood, I'll be adequate as well. But I can't help but be scared to lose, because a loss will make me think I've just lost it," Alex admitted.

"Baby, you couldn't lose it if you tried. And I bet that's what you told Casey, isn't it?" Olivia said knowingly. Alex nodded sheepishly. "Knew it. Why can't you believe it for yourself?"

"I don't know. I guess I just feel like…if I lose now, the women in the nightmares are going to have a right to scream at me and feel betrayed, and they'll never go away."

"You're going to win, Alex, and the nightmares will go away." Olivia pulled up Alex's face and kissed her forehead. "The whole nightmare will be over."

Alex smiled and sat up. "It almost is. And it's slowly being replaced with the best dream come true."

"Funny, I had a lot of dreams like this too," Olivia replied, kissing Alex in the crook of her neck, making Alex giggle. "And you sounded just like that," she continued, moving her lips just below Alex's ear, eliciting a sigh from the blonde's mouth. "That too, but there was another sound, one that I loved even more." Olivia nipped at Alex's earlobe, and Alex moaned. The detective grinned. "Yep, that's it," she said returning her mouth to Alex's. This time it was Alex who wanted so badly to push into Olivia's mouth. Without waiting for permission, her tongue reached out to meet Olivia's, and Alex moaned again. She ran her hands down the brunette's sides and hooked her fingers into the belt loops of Olivia's jeans, rubbing her thumbs on the fabric of the bottom of the shirt. Olivia was so warm.

Olivia pulled back gently, proud of the swell in Alex's lips, knowing she had put it there. She put a hand over Alex's pinked cheek and stroked it with her fingertips as Alex finally opened her eyes. "I could do that for hours, you know."

Alex smiled. "I bet I could go longer."

"Always up for a competition, aren't you? Well I have news for you. Even if I did lose, I wouldn't lose in that one," Olivia teased.

"Mmm, but I like to win," Alex said, laying kisses on Olivia's throat, trailing them down towards the bit of exposed skin on Olivia's chest.

"Alex…" Olivia groaned. "I love what you're doing, more than you could ever imagine, but if you don't bring those lips back up here I can't be held responsible for my actions…"

"Well maybe that's what I want, dear…" Alex replied, not picking up her face.

Olivia snapped out of it. "Baby, please? It hasn't been long enough for you yet…"

Alex lifted her head. "Isn't that for me to say?"

"Of course it is. But we have a trial tomorrow, and I don't want us to do anything that there's a chance you might regret. It would throw you off your game," Olivia reasoned, trying to appeal to Alex with logic. Truthfully, she really thought that not enough time had passed after Alex's attack to be thinking about sex yet—besides, they'd only been together a couple of days, right?

Alex nodded, bringing her mouth back to Olivia's briefly. "I suppose you're right," she admitted, laying her head back on Olivia's chest.

"Come on, sweetie, you're tired and you need your sleep. I'm gonna hit the road so you can go to bed." Olivia tenderly lifted Alex's head from her body and went to retrieve her things.

Alex watched Olivia as she moved around. Tell her to stay, you idiot! Her mind gave her conflicting orders—part of her thought she might sleep better with a warm body next to her. The other part didn't want Olivia to see her if she woke up from another one of those nightmares, yelling at no one, clawing away at imaginary faces. She wouldn't want anyone to see her that way.

On autopilot, the hostess in Alex got up to see Olivia to the door. Olivia smiled at her and pecked her on the cheek as she reached for the doorknob.

Then Alex's hand covered hers, and Olivia looked up, confused.

"Please stay. Not to do anything, just…I think I may get a better night's sleep if you were there with me, like last time. And I want every chance I can get to make sure this trial gets won."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked, remembering both the nightmares and the way Alex had thrashed about in her sleep the last time they'd shared a bed.

"I'm sure. Please?"

Olivia turned her hand over on the knob and grasped Alex's. Alex had never used the word please twice in a row as long as she'd known her. "I'll stay with you as long as you need me to. That's a promise."