Chapter 2: The Nightly Grind

Alex's cell phone trilled and she looked at it recognizing the number immediately. "Liv?" she asked.

"Can you come get me?" was the tired reply.

"You guys done?" Alex asked.

"For now." Olivia sighed. "I'm too tired…"

"I'll be there, Liv. Just give me a minute."

Alex looked over her desk, and shuffled through the files in front of her. She grabbed what was most important and threw it into her bag, taking only moments to decide. Grabbing her coat off the rack, she didn't take the time to put it on before walking out of her office and locking the door behind her.

In minutes, Alex found herself pulling next to the curb near the precinct entrance. She could see Liv leaning against the wall. If Alex didn't know better, she would think that Olivia was posing for a modeling shot. Her back tight against the wall one foot resting under her, the other was supporting all her weight. Her thumbs were laced through her belt loops and though she looked like she was half asleep, Alex knew she was keenly aware of what was happening around her.

Olivia watched around her for Alex's pearl colored Lexus to come into sight. When Olivia had first seen it, she had tried hard to keep her mouth from hanging open. She stared at it as a price tag started to flash behind her eyes, the base price alone was more than she made in a year. Hell, that golden L on the front was three thousand dollars and served as a glowing reminder of the socio-economic differences that lay between them.

Olivia changed her weight on her feet, letting her head dip back for a second to stretch her tight neck. While Alex might be an ADA, her job was not her major source of income. Alex had inherited money from her parents—there was a trust fund set up in her name that would let her live quite comfortably without needing to work at all. While Alex lived modestly compared to her general means, her cars were entirely a different matter.

The first time Alex had thrown her keys and told her to drive, Olivia nearly had a heart attack. "Do you know how much that car costs?" she gasped as she started at Alex's other car, the bright red Mercedes convertible.

"I have a pretty good idea," Alex rolled her eyes.

"I, uh, can't," Olivia said, throwing the keys back. "If something happened…"

"It's insured," Alex said flippantly, throwing the keys at Olivia again.

"But," Olivia stammered.

"It's a car, Olivia. It's replaceable. And besides," Alex whispered, stepping closer to the wide mouthed brunette. "You? Driving that? I don't think I could resist you."

Olivia stared at the keys in her hand, and then back at the car, and then at Alex. Alex smiled a possessive smile. Her body turned catlike as she stalked over to her girlfriend. Taking Olivia's face into her hands, she stared into Olivia's eyes with a smoldering look and as purposely as she could, leaned in and kissed her on the lips, a purring sound in her throat.

Olivia's head pushed closer, desperate to make the kiss deeper, but her urgent whimper made Alex pull away. "Ready?" Alex asked with a self satisfied grin, turning on her heel leaving Olivia behind her holding the keys.

And Olivia had to admit, there was some kind of satisfaction that came from the first time Elliot had seen the car. The two of them immediately turned into amateur gear heads while Alex and Kathy shook their heads and bonded over their "boys."

Olivia checked down the street and saw the car coming towards her. Saying a silent "thank you," to whichever God was listening; she pushed herself off the wall and walked towards the curb. She pulled open the passenger door and slid into the already warm car. Alex leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before pulling back out into traffic.

Besides their hello, neither spoke. They didn't need to. Liv let her head fall back against the head rest, and her left hand fell comfortably into Alex's right. A quiet squeeze and a few moments of silence and Alex smiled as Olivia's quiet snore filled the car.

"We're here," Alex whispered as she shook Olivia awake gently. Coming to life all at once, Olivia rubbed her face and mumbled an apology for falling asleep. Alex smiled at her and shook her head, pulling her girlfriend out of the car, happily wrapping her arm around the detective's lean waist and walking with her into their apartment.

They fell into their own comfortable rhythm. Both of them dropped their professional clothing, Liv hitting the shower and Alex padding into the kitchen pulling out pans and staring absently into the refrigerator. While Olivia washed off the last two days, Alex shuffled through the fridge looking for things that weren't expired or growing. She had spent a lot of time when she had been away learning to cook. She had found the ability empowering, and now, Olivia found it endearing. Even though Olivia had showed healthy skepticism at first, Alex had slowly shown her that she could create magic in the kitchen.

Alex smiled as Olivia wandered into the kitchen. In a tight tank top and boxer shorts Olivia ran her fingers through her wet hair, tussling it trying to get the excess water to drip off the ends. Alex watched her, aware of both the deep love and unfailing attraction that were running through her. They didn't speak to each other; they didn't need to. Olivia crawled into her chair at the kitchen table and watched Alex as she pulled together the final stages of their meal. As she set it before Olivia, the detective looked up at her and smiled. "You're too nice to me."

Alex laughed at her, and leaned over kissing her gently on the forehead. "You're delirious."

"Could be," Olivia said with a smile, staring down at the food in front of her, trying to remember how she was supposed to get it into her mouth. Alex walked slowly over to the table with her plate and slid into her chair opposite Olivia. With a sympathetic smile, Alex stared at Olivia, watching her as she picked off her plate. Olivia looked up at Alex and smiled. "Sorry," she muttered. "I'm not great company."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Alex assured her. "You look so tired."

"I am." Olivia affirmed, a deep yawn taking over her body. She leaned back into her chair and pushed her plate back. "How was your day?"

"Good," Alex said with a bemused smile. She was pretty sure she could tell Olivia that pigs had flown through her office and she would get the same reaction. She could see the Olivia's eyes fighting to remain open while she tried to keep up a conversation. "Come on, baby," Alex said, putting her hand out and pulling Olivia to her feet.

"Mmm," Olivia said, without protesting. She followed Alex to their bedroom and let Alex pull back the sheets and put her to bed. Olivia hit the bed happily with a contented whimper. "Allie, will you?" Olivia mumbled.

"Of course sweetie," Alex smiled, sliding over to her side of the bed and laying carefully next to the brunette. Olivia lay quietly on her stomach and turned her head to look at Alex.

"Love you," Olivia murmured, her eyes closing as Alex rubbed her hand in gentle circles over the detective's back. Alex smiled—she had learned that trick quite by accident, but rubbing Olivia's back put her to sleep in seconds. It was better than a sedative. She happily watched as her girlfriend nearly purred beneath her ministrations. In a few moments, Olivia was out and Alex sat up sighing contentedly watching her sleep.

She walked back to the kitchen, clearing the dishes away from the table. She pulled out the files she was supposed to complete. She remembered when she was in law school sitting for hours in an actual law library, now with a few clicks of a keyboard she could find most of what she needed. When she finally found herself wandering towards bed, she smiled as she watched Olivia, dead to the world. Alex crawled into the bed next to her and carefully spooned up against Olivia. She sighed, but didn't wake up. Alex curled up into her and with Olivia's scent filling her head fell quickly asleep.

To Be Continued...