Author's Notes: Good day peeps! I'm very tired today. It is not pleasant. I'm contemplating going back to sleep for a bit but before I did I was determined to get this thing written and out. We're coming up on the end of this I do believe but hey who knows I may have a few more twists here and there that can get to bring this one back up and running or I may save it for a sequel who knows? I like doing sequels. I like seeing how everyting has developed beyond where it had before. Anyways we'll see what happens here and there and go from there. Hopefully it will be something fun right? All right off to nap and then gym. I'll try to get another chapter up tonight guys. Love you all!

Chapter 11

Livia was studying her face in the mirror. She trailed her hand up tracing her fingers over her ever present collar. She'd never taken it off since Jocelyn had given it to her. Even when she'd been here with Alex she'd never removed it. She kept it on at first to try and remind herself of her time with Jocelyn but now she was wondering why she'd kept it on in the first place. She reached up sliding her fingers through her brown locks. Her hand slid along the scar feeling it's jagged edges before slipping to the buckle of the collar. It was a simple affair and though she knew Alex wouldn't put a collar on her again unless maybe she asked her to it was still hard for her to let this go.

She sighed removing her hands and setting them on the vanity before turning. Alex was standing in the doorway watching her silently.

"I can't." She said softly knowing Alex would know what she meant.

"You don't have to. You can take it off when you're ready and not before." She promised.

"You won't collar me will you?"

"No. I won't." Alex shook her head.

Livia bit her lip and turned back to the mirror. "Ever since Joc…she collared me I never wanted to take it off. I felt so loved and safe with it around my neck. Like I had a physical representation of her love for me. It seemed if I were to take it off or let someone else remove it I wouldn't be safe anymore. I wouldn't be her beloved…or yours." She looked down at the vanity.

Alex sighed inwardly hearing what Livia said and though she understood she didn't make a move to speak allowing Livia to work out in her head what she needed to do to get better.

Livia's hands trailed back to her neck and then fell. "I can't. Not yet."

Alex walked into the bathroom and gently pulled Livia close pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head. "It's okay. Maybe one day you'll want to take it off but until then I think it's a perfectly lovely accessory." She promised.

"Hey you ready to go?" Elliot asked smiling at his former partner.

Livia smiled and nodded, "Yeah let's go." She turned to grab her leather jacket from the closet. As she pulled it on she paused, "Let me go tell Alex we're about to leave."

"Sure." Though Elliot frowned he never said a word allowing Livia to do as she chose. He was honestly putting forth the effort to get to know Livia.

She was quite pleased with his progress towards her and her own progress towards him. She'd realized about a month ago that she still held him responsible for the way he'd shattered her existence even if now she could admit that it wasn't a totally healthy one it was still what she'd known and what she'd thought made her happy. He in return blamed her for lacking her former self's abilities and found it quite hard to get past what he'd known of her to who she was now. Though she still made a distinction between Olivia and Livia she was now willing to at least consent to the fact that they were one in the same. Though she still preferred to be called Livia and believed she probably always would.

"Alex?" She called as she went into the living room. She found the beautiful blonde pouring over files trying to prepare for a case she was taking to trial. The beauty looked up and smiled when she Livia.

"Elliot here?"

"Yeah we're going to head out. I just wanted to let you know."

Alex nodded, "Go ahead and have fun at the baseball game. It'll do you some good to go out. You have your cell phone right?"

"Yes. It's in my pocket." She patted her jeans pocket to let Alex know she'd grabbed it.

"Okay. Then go and have some fun. I'll see you when you get home tonight."

The baseball game had been a lot more fun than she'd anticipated. Though she and Elliot were indeed getting closer he still found it hard to reconcile her slightly more girly way of doing things with the butch girl he used to know but at least he was trying. Livia screamed and cheered right along with him and seemed to be having a great time so he supposed he was doing things right. She also found herself enjoying Elliot's presence way more than she ever had.

When they left the game it was getting late. The sun had already set but things were still going strong in the city. "Do you want to stop and grab a beer maybe some dinner?"

"Alex wanted me to be home to have dinner with her." Livia still acted on the rules laid down for her even if Alex said it was all right to break them once in a while if she wanted to have dinner with her friends.

Elliot frowned and nodded, "Okay. Maybe next time?"

Livia nodded with a smile, "Definently."

"How was the game?" Alex asked looking up from her thick stacks of paperwork when Livia walked into the living room.

"It was good."

"Did you guys stop for dinner?" Alex asked going back to highlighting a passage she needed.

"No, I wanted to come home."

Alex looked up, "You could've had dinner with Elliot. I wouldn't have minded. Mitsuru still isn't back from class and I know she's usually hungry when she gets here."

Livia shrugged, "I just wanted to be with you instead."

Alex grinned and nodded pushing aside her papers. Livia smiled back at her and made her way to the couch slipping onto it beside her. It didn't take long for her to get what she had wanted all evening. A few brief shifts and she was kissing Alex.

It never took long for things to get heated between them and before Livia knew it she was standing up and trying to guide Alex to her bedroom. The blonde hesitated before seeing the pleading look Livia shot her. Her resolve crumbled under a pair of beautiful dark eyes that she could never say no to.

Everything seemed to happen in a blur. One moment they were climbing into bed carefully kissing and caressing through their clothes before those were suddenly gone. Alex found her body shocking enough underneath Livia's. It was the first time since they'd began to see each other that Livia ever allowed herself to take control of their love making.

Livia sat up smiling at Alex before she slid her hands to her collar. Alex sat up carefully slipping her arms around Livia's waist as the woman unbuckled the collar and finally set it aside. She smiled watching Livia and then reached out taking the warm leather in her hands. "It is beautiful. I can understand why it has such meaning to you."

"The next time I put it on, I want you to put it on me." Livia murmured softly. "When you're ready to accept me as your devoted servant."

"Livia." Alex breathed staring up at her beautiful brown eyes.

"It's what I need even now. I need you to master me, teach me, mould me into what you want me to be not what she made me that you were forced to take over so that I wouldn't fall apart." Livia paused, "I'm ready to accept that like Olivia's past Jocelyn is my past. And you are my present and future. Whether or not that is in the capacity as my Mistress and lover or just my lover I'll accept it. But I want you to know that I'm ready to accept you in whatever capacity you will give me."

Alex stayed silent during the whole speech before she gently tapped Livia's thighs. When the woman slid off her she picked up the collar and stared at it then shook her head. Livia felt her heart drop into her stomach. She had hoped Alex would understand how much she truly did need her ownership over her but it appeared that wasn't the case. She looked down feeling hurt before Alex gently reached out lifting her chin up so she could see her eyes. "I won't use the collar she put on you. It's hers. Not mine. And not yours anymore. If you are willing to allow me to become what you need then I must ask that I be allowed to make you what I need. And for starters getting you a beautiful collar that I've picked for you and not one that she did will make you one step closer to being mine."

Livia felt her heart explode at Alex's words. She nodded watching as the woman lifted the collar and threw it in the little trash can beside the bed before she leaned back over and pressed her lips to Livia's in their first kiss where their normally tightly controlled passion was allowed to let itself loose.

Author's Notes: Dun dun dun! No smut yet. Sorry guys. Smut soon. I promise. I'm being a bit lazy cause I'm tired today.