A/N: This chapter is a bit Abbie-centered, but the next one will be all about Alex and Casey's first date. Thanks so much for all of the feedback and, as always, suggestions are welcome. :)

Casey and Serena had finished their second week of law school without any struggle, but they felt as if the real challenges were yet to come. The two of them had become very fond of Professor Stuart's class. He was very intelligent and friendly to his students, which made Casey feel uneasy. Alex had told her that he always started out that way, but his charming demeanor didn't last beyond the third week. As brutal as it sounded, Alex let Casey in on the fact that no professor coddled the first-years once the first couple of weeks had passed. By then, they were expected to be at the top of their game and to prove exactly why they were worthy of Harvard. That daunting experience was still ahead of Casey, but for now she wasn't going to worry about it. She had a date with Alex in an hour and that's all she wanted to think about.

No matter how many times Casey pleaded with Alex to let her know where they were going, she refused to tell her. The only hint she would give her is that she needed to wear comfortable clothes, which only further confused Casey. Just how comfortable should these clothes be? She decided on a new pair of jeans and a University of Arizona softball shirt. The t-shirt wasn't her first choice for date attire, but during their last phone conversation Alex had mentioned wanting to see her in it. With less than fifteen minutes until she was expected to meet Alex at her apartment, Casey grabbed her keys and her wallet and headed out the door.

She arrived at Alex's apartment nearly out of breath, but she figured making it there on time was more important than being slightly out of breath. The first thing she noticed about Alex was her fitted Red-Sox t-shirt that hit slightly above her belly button.

Alex Cabot showing some skin? Just seeing her belly button is making me think inappropriate thoughts about her. I wonder what the rest of that toned center looks like.

"Casey?" Alex asked.

Oh, no. She caught me staring.

"Yes?" Casey responded, snapping out of her trance.

"Did you wear that shirt just for me?"

"Maybe," Casey said and winked at her.

"It looks perfect on you," Alex told her.

They had talked on the phone for hours over the past week, but Casey noticed that they were still somewhat nervous when they were face to face with each other. She knew small talk was a nice way to start out their date, but all Casey really wanted to do was have physical contact with Alex. She wasn't ready to touch any of the clothed parts of her body and she definitely wasn't ready to have sex with her, but she wanted something. Not caring that Abbie was watching them from the couch, Casey gathered up the nerve to intertwine her fingers with Alex's.

"Oh, you crazy kids," Abbie teased.

A twenty-four-year-old woman who still blushes when she's holding hands? Alex, you're one of a kind.

"You're blushing, Alex," Casey said playfully which made Alex blush even more.

"Kiss her already," Abbie insisted. Not wanting to embarrass Alex too much, Casey decided to give Alex a kiss on the cheek instead of on the lips. Their kisses were just for each other and Casey didn't like the idea of having an audience.

"Shouldn't you be out looking for your flavor of the week?" Alex asked her best friend.

"Not tonight," Abbie told her. "I'm such a menstrual case. I don't even want to think about sex right now."

Casey wished she could tell Serena what she had just heard. Although Abbie said they couldn't date each other, it broke Serena's heart to think of Abbie having sex with other women after what they had shared with each other that night.

"This is why you need to date," Alex told her. "When you date women instead of just using them for sex, they eventually start to give a damn about you and it wouldn't matter if you're a menstrual case. If Casey were on her period, I'd still want to spend time with her because I enjoy her company. I'd even go on a chocolate binge with her."

As awkward as that statement was, Casey couldn't help liking Alex even more after hearing what she had just said.

"Get outta here," Abbie insisted. "Go enjoy your date before I catch monogamy from the two of you."

Twenty minutes after Alex and Casey had left, Abbie heard a knock on her apartment door as scheduled. She was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, but she decided to remove her shirt before answering the door, leaving her in nothing but Harvard sweatpants and a white cotton bra. It wasn't the most flattering bra she owned; it didn't add an extra cup size or give her an added lift, but for once she wasn't trying to be sexy. For the first time in all of her adult years, Abbie Carmichael actually wanted to be cute.

Just seconds after answering the door, Abbie was pressed against the wall by her beautiful blonde guest. She had tried to pace the two of them, but while her younger woman was nibbling on her neck, she took things a bit further by untying the draw string on Abbie's sweatpants.

"Whoa, whoa," Abbie said and grabbed her hand. "I'm kind of a mess down there."

"How?" she asked. "I don't care if you didn't trim. I think it's sexy when women actually have hair, especially when it's dark like yours."

"It's that time of the month," Abbie told her in between kisses. "But I can still touch you, Serena. I can still taste you and be inside you and—"

Serena shook her head. "No, it's not the same. Part of the fun of being with Abbie Carmichael is being able to touch her."

"I'm sorry if I brought you here under false pretenses, but do you still want to spend time with me?" Abbie asked. She knew she sounded desperate, but at that point she really didn't care. She may not have been able to have sex with Serena but she still wanted her around for as long as she could have her.

"I didn't walk over here and risk the two of us getting caught, just so I could have sex with you," Serena admitted. "I could have sex with any woman I want—so could you, yet we're risking everything to see each other. That has to mean there's something there."

"Or maybe we just get off on the thrill," Abbie suggested. She knew that definitely wasn't it, but she didn't want Serena to know she was already interested in her.

"Right," Serena said sarcastically.

"I rented Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Watch it with me?" Abbie asked in a hopeful tone of voice.

"That movie scares the hell out of me," Serena told her. "You might have to hold me the whole time and I might have to bury my face in your shoulder during certain scenes."

"I suppose I'll allow that, but only tonight," Abbie teased. "After tonight, I can't promise you anything."

Abbie had planned on sitting up and putting her arm around Serena, but Serena had something else in mind. She told Abbie to lie down, so she could squeeze in next to her on the couch. Abbie was lying flat on her back with Serena turned on her side. After a few minutes of watching the movie, Abbie was holding her closer than she had ever held anyone before.

"I don't hate this," she admitted.

"Don't hate what?" Serena asked.

"This," Abbie told her. "Having someone in my arms."

"Someone or me? There's a big difference."

"Just you, I guess," Abbie responded. "I've never held anyone else."

"This is all new to you, isn't it?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, but let's not talk about it."

Serena started laughing. "I popped your cherry, didn't I? I popped your girl crush cherry!"

"Don't go thinking I have a crush on you now," Abbie said, trying not to be embarrassed. "I just like looking at you. When you talk, it kinda ruins it."

"It's only a matter of time before you're madly in love with me," Serena insisted and gave Abbie a kiss on the cheek.

"None of that," Abbie said as she wiped her face. "We're grown women, we can kiss each other on the lips."

"Oh, but I prefer this," Serena said and kissed her on the cheek again. This time it was a sloppier kiss just to spite Abbie.

Abbie desperately tried to change the subject. "Oh, look. Leatherface is cutting someone with a chain saw."

"You Texans," Serena teased. "Why do I have a feeling when I meet your family, they're going to look exactly like these people?"

Abbie scoffed. "First you think I have a crush on you, then you say I'm going to fall in love with you. Now you think you're going to meet my family someday. You have some nerve, kid."

Abbie was surprised when Serena didn't respond with a smart-aleck comment. Instead, Serena rested her head on Abbie's chest and pulled a blanket over the two of them. When the movie ended, Abbie looked down and noticed that Serena had fallen asleep with a slight smile on her face. Not wanting to wake her up, Abbie delicately kissed her forehead, but Serena opened her eyes anyway.

"I should go," Serena told her.

"Don't," Abbie insisted. "Stay with me."

"You do have a girl crush," Serena teased.

"Nevermind," Abbie said and gave her a goodbye kiss.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep," Serena said shyly.

"Don't be," Abbie told her. "You looked really beautiful."

Serena rolled her eyes. "And you still insist you don't have a crush on me."

"Get out of here," Abbie said and playfully tossed one of the decorative pillows at her.

"I'm leaving, but not because you told me to," Serena insisted. "Let's make that perfectly clear."

"Fine," Abbie responded. "Call me when you get to your dorm so I know you made it home safely."

Abbie cared about Serena's safety, but there was no way she'd tell Serena that was just an excuse to be able to hear her voice again. She had also wanted Serena to stay, but a part of her was grateful that Serena had refused. Abbie hadn't told Alex that Serena was coming over because she didn't want her best friend to think she was becoming a softie. She could just imagine what Alex would say if she had seen the two of them cuddling earlier.

After hearing that Serena had made it home, Abbie finally felt at ease. She took her make-up off, put some pajamas on, and decided to tackle some reading before Alex got home. At that moment, her best friend was on her first real date with Casey and she knew she'd be getting an earful from her when she returned, not that she minded a single bit. Alex deserved some excitement in her life and Abbie knew Casey was just the woman to give that to her.