Chapter 4: Happy Birthday

April 2007

Of course, Alex and Olivia ran into each other way too soon. Casey and the 1-6 took Olivia out to a classy bar for her birthday, the kind where you say what flavors you like and they custom make you a drink, the bar is called Have a Drink.

Olivia was having a great time. "I like lemon and ginger," she said and she got a glorious cocktail with domaine de Canton, limoncello, and rye whiskey.

Alex had taken her team there to try and get to know them. "The first two rounds are on me. I just wanted to thank you all for working so hard, and apologize for any disruptions that last week caused you."

"You don't have to apologize for girl problems," Peluso told her. "I have like 100."

She snorted. "I won't let my personal issues come to work. I lead by example."

When the waiter came by to take orders, Alex said, "I want a drink that tastes like luxury."

"Coming up."

While she waited, she looked around the bar and saw, oh shit. Olivia!

Alex quickly turned back around, which encouraged everyone else to take a peek.

"That's the crazy woman from before," Finn whispered, but she wasn't that quiet.

"Your whisper sucks," Peluso told her.

"Sorry."

Alex thought she could avoid her, and for the first three rounds it worked. Unfortunately, she had to go to the bathroom; Olivia was there at the same time.

Rematch

"Fancy seeing you here," Olivia said.

"My friends own the bar." They also own a similar bar in Boston that Alex used to frequent during law school.

"Was it really necessary to go to McCoy?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Last week. McCoy scared the shit out of Cragen."

"I didn't tell Jack anything."

"Well somebody did."

"Who knows? Everyone in my office heard you screaming at me. Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?"

"You shouldn't have told Casey anything."

"I didn't fucking tell her anything!" Alex glared angrily. "She's the one who came to my office asking about you because apparently, she has insecurity issues. I told her not to worry about anything, and that we didn't talk anymore. Why that was a cause for alarm, I have no idea?"

"You didn't tell her about our office hookups?"

"If I wanted to screw you over, I would have told you that you fucked me on her birthday."

"I …"

"Yeah, I figured that one out."

Olivia realized that it made no sense for Alex to tell Casey about the office and not about their most recent hookup.

"Then who told her?"

"I don't know. People gossip Olivia, but it wasn't my fault, and it wasn't fair for you to drag me into it. It was bad enough you ripped out my heart and stepped on it. Did you really need to humiliate me and then out me to my entire office?"

She hadn't told them she was gay, and she didn't think they knew before Olivia's outburst.

Olivia crossed a line, a big one. "Alex I'm sorry."

Well you're a day late and a dollar short. "Apology not excepted. Just leave me alone."

Alex went back to her table.

"How much you want to bet they got into it in the bathroom," Drummond whispered on her way back.

"Into it or bow chicka wow wow," Peluso teased.

Olivia needed like five more drinks. Happy birthday to me!

Two days later, Alex was getting more coffee when she ran into someone she was not expecting.

"John?"

"Alex, so you are back. I heard the rumors but never saw your pretty face."

She laughed. "It's true. I'm the Bureau Chief for Homicide."

"And I'm sure you're great at it. Are you busy right now?"

"Can't say that I am. What did you have in mind?"

"I always get a sample of the coffee of the week before I make my purchase." The café sold bags to go and cups to drink on the spot. "I never know if I want the coffee of the week or the original blend."

"I always get the Turkish blend. I can't say I'm very creative."

"Then let's try something new."

They got some samples and took a table.

"How's life at the Homicide?"

"It's hard," Alex said. "Not so much the work, the work is not terribly complex for the most part, but being back and the first case I have to oversee is another ADA who got murdered. It stings."

Munch could see the anguish in Alex's face. "Every time an officer goes down it breaks a piece of me apart. I imagine it's the same for you."

Alex nodded. "We don't really think of our jobs as dangerous because it usually isn't, but when you get that one goon who thinks he can escape by shooting the ADA …"

"You got knocked down, Cabot." He told her. "But you got right back up. It's all you can do, fight the good fight until your fight runs out."

"I thought about a lot of things when I became a prosecutor, how I was going to fight for justice, get into politics and push policies that would make the world a better place. Now I think it's an accomplishment if I remember to eat breakfast in the morning."

He put his hand gently on hers. "You didn't see it; you couldn't have seen it, but you were an inspiration to us all. You still are."

Eventually, they both had to go their separate ways. "We should do this again."

"I look forward to it."

Welcome Home

Alex had been back to work for three weeks. Things seemed to be going pretty well. Randolph's killer took a deal, which annoyed Jim, but Alex thought it was best this way. No appeals, no chance to drag Randolph's name in the mud. The DA's Office could get the final word on what kind of person he was and what he stood for.

Her team actually seemed to respect her, which she wasn't expecting given her youth and personal issues. She still hadn't made up with her brother. She tried calling but he never answered or called her back. They weren't that close before. She was surprised that he took all of this so hard. He hardly seemed like the feeling type, but who knows. Maybe he changed in three years.

Right now, however, Alex had a meeting with the other bureau chiefs.

"It's not in the normal room because of renovations," Jack told her.

She followed him into what was supposed to be a conference room. Instead she heard, "SURPRISE!"

She blushed when she saw the banner.

Welcome Home Alex!

Of course this was a set up. "I should have known."

Hugs were given all around as people from her past and present came to welcome her with open arms.

"I'll never repeat this again, but I missed arguing with you," Petrovksy told her before giving her a hug.

"And I you."

"Where's my favorite lawyer?" her uncle Bill hugged her warmly.

"I missed you so much."

"I'm just glad you're back."

He was with her Aunt Margo who had been one of the few encouraging voices she heard when she first got home.

"Caroline would be so proud of you right now."

"I put her through so much," Alex started to tear.

"You fought through it all, and that's who she raised you to be, a fighter."

After the hugs, it was time for drinks and snacks and of course, they had to have a speech.

"I'm going to give the mike to someone who has known Alex almost as long as I have. They have battled in court time and time again, but secretly they have been long time friends. I give you Trevor Langan."

He came out and took over. "Alex and I have known each other since elementary school, and in many ways, she's exactly the same now as she was then: precocious, headstrong, and passionate about helping people.

When we were in high school, she used to sneak out of her house and take off in her car on the weekends. Her mother had no idea where she was going, so she paid me $50 to follow her and find out.

As it turns out, she would go to McDonalds, spend like $100 on food, and would give it out to the homeless, prostitutes, anyone in Dorchester who looked down on his or her luck.

Her parents were terrified. They couldn't believe their 16 year old was driving around in a BMW and going to the projects. When they told her she couldn't bring her car, she started to trade her car with the gardener on weekends and drove his beat up Toyota instead.

She was always there for those who couldn't advocate for themselves, a voice for those who had long gone silent. We're all apart of the justice system in one-way or another. We give a voice to someone who would otherwise be silent, but Alex doesn't just fight for people when she's wearing a power suit and storming Petrovsky's courtroom in her heels. She fights for people any time and any place because that's who she is. Welcome back, Lex. We've missed you."

She started to feel like herself again, just a little bit, but it was there.

"Our final speaker is not with us in person. She left this video in the event that Alex came back to New York."

It was Caroline Cabot, speaking from beyond the grave.

The video had been made at her home. She decided to spend the last two weeks of her life out of the hospital, surrounded by her family.

"If you are watching this Alli, then I'm sorry to say I didn't survive until your homecoming. I got a call from Agent Hammond, and I was surprised to learn that you were still alive, and once I the shock wore off, I was angry, angry that that bastard shot you, angry that you were forced out of your life, and angry that he stole what should have been our last year together.

I was angry with a lot of people for a lot of reasons. I was even angry with you, not for joining the Program … that you had to do, but for taking on a Colombian drug cartel in the first place. I wanted to ask you what the hell you were thinking.

Why couldn't you just let one killer get away, but then I thought about it and I realized, if you had backed down, then you wouldn't have been the delightful young woman that Alexander and I watched grow up.

You always stood up for what you believed in, no matter whom you were fighting or what was at stake. It was your passion and courage that drove you through life and what made you the legendary prosecutor that endeared you to your office and what made you the charming daughter that I adore.

I don't want what happened in the program to change you. I don't want you to become timid or to scare easy when bad boys with guns make threats. I want you to lower your head and forge through like a ram because that is who you are. You are a Cabot, and like your father and your grandfather before him, you take on the world without flinching! The next time a Cesar Velez comes knocking I want you to kick his sorry ass!

There are so many things I should have told you, and I'm sorry for not remembering them all right now, but remember this. I've had a great life, and achieved a lot of things, but the biggest honor I ever had was having you for a daughter. I love you, and it better be a long time before you come to the other side."

Alex couldn't fight the tears anymore. She missed her mom so much, but this was exactly what she needed to hear. No more holding back. No more fearing what tomorrow brings. She was a Cabot, and it was time she owned up to it.

The room was full of applause, for Alex, for Caroline, for everything the Cabots stood for.

Namesake

And to make the moment sweeter, there was a special guest star.

"Alex," Trevor called out to her. "I have someone for you to meet."

She came over and her sister in law, Lisa, with a little girl with brown hair and blue eyes.

"This is Alexandra Caroline Ellsworth Cabot."

My niece! "Do people call her Alex or …"

"I usually just call her Lexi."

Alex thought that was also a bit confusing. "Hi there," she crouched down to the little girl. "Can I call you Ace?"

She nodded.

Alex scooped up the little girl. "Do you want any snacks?"

"Cookies!"

The adults laughed at the girl's enthusiasm.

Alex took her to get a cookie. They were pretty big so she broke it in half. Ace demolished the first half faster than Alex could blink.

"You're a little chomper." Alex gave her the other half when they got back.

"It's good to see you Lisa."

"I was afraid you were mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you?"

She explained what Graham had told her. "He said you two had gotten into an argument about the Foundation and you weren't talking to us anymore."

Alex was stunned. "I have a lawyer to vote for me. I haven't paid any attention to the Foundation," although I should. She explained what they fight was really about.

Lisa sighed. "I think he was jealous of all the attention you got when you died."

Now that did sound like Graham.

"We should keep in touch."

Lisa agreed. "Let's trade numbers."

Alex had always been fond of Lisa. She wasn't, however, about to ask Lisa to pick sides. As it turns out, she didn't have to ask.