Chapter 5: Coffee Dates

May 2007

Alex and John's by chance coffee encounter evolved into a ritual. They would meet at Grouchy's every Sunday at 11AM. They had the same table and would discuss their week.

"What's new in the life of John Munch?"

"I can't say too much is happening," he looked down at his coffee. "Same cynical man with a caffeine addiction."

"No events coming up?"

He shrugged. "There's the policemen's ball at the end of month."

"Now that could be fun."

"Watching a bunch of men dance with their wives while I stand in the corner and drink Scotch, exhilarating."

"Why don't you bring a date?"

He had a smirk on his face. "If I brought a date to that ball, it would be the last date. Those places are not where romance is made."

"You could ask a friend."

"You act like I have a rolodex full of ladies or something."

"What am I? Chopped liver."

John was stumped. "You would go to the policemen's ball with me?"

"It depends. I haven't been asked yet."

"I'll be right back." He abruptly left the coffee shop. Alex was confused by the action until he returned with one yellow rose. "Would you Alex Cabot attend the Policemen's Ball with the ever so humble John Munch and make all of the other pigs jealous?"

Alex laughed as she accepted the flower. "I would be happy to go with you."

He grinned, bitches gonna be jealous.

Fantasy

Olivia enjoyed the cold, wet sand as she lay out on the beach. The birds flew overhead and off in the distance there were children playing, but there was no one else nearby.

"Thirsty?" Alex's voice reeked of sex as she slid down next to her girlfriend. In her hand was an innocent rum and lemonade.

Olivia took a sip, not expecting the alcohol. "That's a strong way to start the day."

"It's vacation and it's almost noon."

"I just got up less than an hour ago."

"I know, lazybones. I've been up since sunrise."

Olivia took the drink out of her hand. "I'll show you lazybones alright." She rolled on top of Alex, showing her just how energetic she could be.

Making love on a beach sounds like it should be sandy and uncomfortable, but it was just right.

Olivia woke up in a cold sweat. All she had was the memory.

Casey snored as she slept. Olivia used to find it cute, but now it was frustrating.

How am I supposed to sleep with that noise?

How am I supposed to sleep with her on my mind?

The short answer was, not very well. Olivia was tired, and it showed in the morning when she got into work. Her eyes were sunken in, and when she went for a cup of coffee to revitalize herself, she damn near spit it out it was so bad.

"Who made this swill?"

"Blame Munch," Stabler told him.

"Do not blame me," John retorted. "I make my own coffee, and I know better than to share with you."

"You've been holding out on us," Fin complained. He actually made the unfortunate coffee. The corner store didn't have much this week.

"None of you appreciate the good stuff. It would be a waste of coffee."

"When did you turn into such a snob?" Olivia teased.

"Is it so wrong for a man to start to appreciate the finer things in life?"

"For a normal man, no. For you …"

The others laughed.

"See for yourselves. I'm a new man."

None of the others had any idea what that meant.

A Cinderella Story

Alex needed a dress for the ball. She was not thrilled with anything she saw in stores, so she called Lisa to ask for any ideas.

"I know just the thing," her sister in law said. "Why don't you call Tyler (Alex's cousin)? His husband owns a boutique and they may have something for you."

"He and Lucienzo got married?"

"Oh yeah. It was a gorgeous ceremony, out in the Boston Commons."

Alex got his number and gave him a ring.

"Hello, Tyler Cabot-Vergas speaking."

"Tyler, it's Alex."

"Alex fucking Cabot, back from the dead, how are you Love?"

"I'm hanging in there. It's been quite an experience."

"You're telling me. Your life is out of a spy movie or some shit! What can I do you for?"

"I was invited to the Policemen's Ball, and I need a dress."

"Say no more Love. I will find you something smoking hot with shoes to match!"

"You're the best Tyler."

"Don't you forget it Honey, and when are you coming to visit us? Boston misses you."

"Maybe we could make plans this summer. We could try to get an afternoon with Ace."

"Ace?"

"My namesake."

"Lil' Alex. Oh gosh she's so cute!"

They had a nice little chat.

"Lucienzo is going to be jealous that he missed you."

"Send him my love."

"I will, bye Lex."

The Team

It was a week before the ball, and the 1-6 was out for drinks to celebrate yet another court success under Casey Novak.

"Want to come with me to the mall tomorrow?" Casey asked Olivia.

"No," Elliot laughed. "She hates the mall."

"But I thought you might want to help me pick out my outfit for next week."

"It depends," Olivia teased. "Do I get to pick out your underwear too?"

Casey punched her arm as the guys laughed.

"You two are lucky," Elliot told them. "You'll have the hottest dates, other than Kathy of course."

"I guess it's you and me going stag," Fin said to Munch.

"Speak for yourself, I have a date."

"Is it your right hand?" Olivia teased.

The others all laughed.

Munch only smirked. "She's quite a catch."

"Who is she?" Fin wanted to know.

"You'll see in a week."

"$100 says he hires a pretty escort," Elliot ribbed.

Munch flipped him off. "All of you haters will see."

They went on to make fun of Munch all week.

"What color dress is she wearing? You have to make sure yours matches."

"Are you going to give her a corsage?"

"Is she legally blind?"

Munch took it all in stride. He knew he'd be getting the last laugh.

Casey was still getting ready when Olivia came to pick her up. The detective was wearing her dress uniform. She didn't feel like wearing a dress tonight, and she knew that Casey, like most gay women, got turned on by a woman in uniform.

Casey grinned when she came out of her bedroom. "You look hot."

They shared a quick kiss. "I like the dress, Case."

Casey had on a sleeveless, lilac dress that complimented her hair nicely. "I just need to get my shoes on and I'm ready."

Olivia arranged for a car to drive them to the ball and pick them up, so neither of them would have to be the designated driver.

The lights overhead were bright, illuminating the room fully. Many of the men in attendance were standing near the bar or along the wall nursing a drink. The women also grouped together, gossiping and such. Olivia took Casey on her arm and they socialized in tandem.

"Aren't you looking spiffy?" Fin said when he saw Olivia with Casey.

"Why thank you kind sir," Olivia replied. "Where are the others?"

"Elliot and Kathy are on their way. No one's heard from Munch."

"Maybe his date stood him up," Casey offered.

"Maybe he made her up," Fin retorted.

Elliot and Kathy arrived about 15 minutes later.

"I love the dress Kathy," she had on a pretty red number.

"And you look rather dapper in your uniform."

"She makes the rest of us look bad," Elliot teased.

They started heading for their table.

"I bet Munch comes alone," Fin put down $20.

"I bet he doesn't show up," Elliot put down $20.

"I bet he arrives with his cousin," Casey put down $20.

Olivia also bet on him coming alone and Kathy held onto the money.

All Bets Are Off

They were laughing about a joke Elliot made when Casey dropped her glass.

The others looked down at her fallen drink and then turned to see what had stunned her.

John Munch came, wearing a fancy tux, with Alexandra Ellsworth Cabot on his arm.

She had on a stunning Vera Wang dress, midnight blue, strapless. She had on 4-inch heels making her almost as tall as John. Her hair was up and she had on a stunning diamond necklace that she had inherited from her mother.

Olivia looked ready to pass out. She looked as amazing as ever.

Elliot was wowed with her glamour, as was Kathy.

Fin just muttered, "God damn girl!"

John took his seat with Alex sitting between him and Fin. "Good evening ladies and gents."

"It's nice to see you all," Alex said charmingly. She made sure her voice didn't betray her emotions. It was hard seeing Olivia looking so handsome for someone else.

Casey did not think this was nice at all. Olivia was frozen in time.

Kathy was the first to break the silence. "Your dress is spectacular."

"Thank you."

"My eyes hurt from all that bling," Fin told her. "Seriously, I need sunglasses."

"I almost wore a tiara to signal the Ice Queen's return. Would that have been too much?"

Elliot started cracking up. "Do you really have a tiara?"

"I might." Who knows what's in my mother's vault?

Crossed

Before they could ask any her anything else, the MC began to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining us on this beautiful evening."

A parade of men came each saying something about what it means to protect and serve and thinly veiled propaganda for Mayor Bloomberg and everything else.

Alex would softly whisper side comments to John. Olivia forced her eyes to look forward, but her ears strained to try to hear every word.

Eventually, the boring parts were over, and it was time for champagne and dinner.

Now that the shock had worn off, Olivia realized that John, her long time friend, showed up with her ex as her date. It would have been nice to have a little warning.

Elliot could read Olivia better than anyone, and she could see the death glares that she was sending Munch.

"Olivia, what are you up to this weekend?" Calm down.

They started having a secret conversation with their eyes.

"Can't say too much. I'll probably just have a lazy weekend." What the fuck is Munch doing?

"You've earned it." Try to ignore her.

Beautiful

Ignoring Alexandra Cabot was impossible. Everything about her stood out, from her immaculate table manners to her subtle manipulation of dinner conversation.

"How's your son?" Alex asked Fin innocently.

"Ken's good. How's life as the Bureau Chief?"

"Always a story."

"Tell us one."

"Well, my Deputy had an affair with his second chair. It was somewhat obvious, but I didn't care so long as they got heir work done, and it was up to par. Unfortunately, defense counsel discovered the affair and tried to ruin his credibility and the unrelated murder trial sounded like an episode of Days of Our Lives."

She explained how ADA Finn had to save the day.

"She's quite sweet, but the girl gets so nervous. Sometimes I'm afraid she'll puke when she's in my office. Am I really that scary?"

"I plead the fifth," Munch teased.

Alex rolled her eyes at him, but then she smiled. "I gave her my best advice. If you're ever feel that you're going to puke in court, throw up on opposing counsel."

The table laughed as Alex showed off her charming side.

Munch kept himself close to Alex, gently grazing her arm or resting his hand on her back.

Olivia was boiling with jealousy, and Casey was nervous, very nervous.

What if she wants Alex back?

While John was in the bathroom, Fin and Stabler asked Alex about how she came to be his date this evening.

"We were having coffee at Grouchy's, and I asked him if anything of interest happened to him that week. He mentioned getting an invitation to the ball, and I suggested that I might want to go.

He got me a rose and asked me."

"He gave you a rose?" Fin questioned.

"It was cute."

"Why would you have coffee with Munch?" Casey didn't get it.

"We get coffee every Sunday."

Olivia's head was reeling. She hangs out with Munch every Sunday?

Munch saw murder in Olivia's eyes when he sat back down. "Did I miss anything exciting?"

"Only us gossiping behind your back," Fin told him. "Speaking of which, why didn't you tell anyone you hang out with Alex every Sunday?"

He shrugged. "It never came up." Next time I do something that suggests normalcy, I'll send out a PSA.

When Stabler offered to get Kathy a soda (she couldn't drink due to her pregnancy), Munch offered to get Alex a drink as well. Fin said he'd grab drinks for Olivia and Casey and the three men were off.

"What's going on with you and Alex?" Fin got straight to the point

"We're two kindred spirits in a cruel, cruel world."

Elliot had assumed that Alex didn't date men. He had never seen her with anyone not Olivia.

"Are you and Alex …"

"Would it matter if we were?" John wasn't sleeping with her, but it was hardly their business.

"You know Liv's ready to kill you."

"Why? She chose Casey. She can't keep Alex in a box."

"She was gone for three years," Elliot countered.

"Not by choice. Olivia has a right to move on, but she can't move forward and backwards at the same time. She has to pick one."

Munch returned a beer for himself and a Sazerac for Alex. The drink reached her perfect lips, and she sipped it delicately. She had a pleased look on her face, as if she were drinking sex.

Dance

An officer that Alex didn't know personally (Cassidy) approached, and told her she was beautiful. "Would you like to dance?"

"I would," she said.

The man grinned cheekily until Alex handed her hand to John. "Shall we?"

He stood up and they were off.

Cassidy was left stunned.

Stabler started cracking up.

Kathy elbowed him.

"Sorry, Cassidy you have no game."

"I thought you were about to leave with him for a moment," Munch said teasingly.

"Of course my first dance had to be with you. What kind of date would I be otherwise?"

They moved flawlessly across the floor. Alex had taken many lessons as a teenager. "Mother had to make sure I was ready for society."

"You don't get married four times and not learn how to dance," Munch retorted.

All eyes were on Alex and John. She was stunning. Everyone was surprised to see him with her. Some couples joined them on the dance floor, but many seemed content with watching.

People questioned if they were dating, was this a new development, had there been a latent interest from before her stint in witness protection.

The others from the 1-6 knew better than the others, but they still had their own questions about what all John was doing with Alex.

Casey did not like the way Olivia kept staring at the blonde She turned to her girlfriend "Dance with me Liv."

Olivia took her lady to the floor and they danced cheek to cheek.

The music speed up which got more people dancing. Olivia was not afraid to get a bit friskier with Casey as they danced. Her hands slid dangerously close to Casey's ass. The redhead laughed happily as Olivia led them on the floor.

Showstoppers

John and Alex had a different response to the music.

"Let's show what we can do," Munch whispered into her ear.

He spun her around and pulled her back to him. They flawlessly switched from ballroom dancing to a more modern style. John had one hand on Alex's shoulder and his other hand was holding hers.

The embrace could have looked romantic to some people, but they were just two friends who were comfortable in the same space. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, was the pattern that they moved in. Their bodies were fairly close but they weren't touching. Their dancing wasn't "dirty" but it was flirty.

"In a weird way," Kathy said to her husband, "they are cute together."

"You did not just put Munch and cute in the same sentence."

Olivia hadn't noticed them until she heard cheering. She turned to see, John lifting Alex in the air, his hands on her stomach and hip as he spun her around his torso. She gracefully landed on the ground, and they continued to dance.

Olivia's feet kept moving, but her mind was drowning in Alex Cabot. The carefree way she moved, the smile she had beaming on her face and the knowledge that she was smiling for John Munch of all people made Olivia's head want to burst.

She had loved Alex, but she couldn't show it. She had a chance and she destroyed it. She had to refocus before she lost Casey too. She pulled the redhead into a passionate kiss.

The dancing continued as more and more people moved onto the floor. There was this infectious energy that people wanted to be apart of. Alex Cabot was both the cure and the disease.

She and Munch broke apart to do solos. They were a few meters apart before John motioned for her to come forward with his hands. She "ran" to him and he hoisted her over his head.

The crowd broke out in cheer and when he lowered her she hugged his shoulders to stay upright.

"Now where did you learn to dance like that?"

They had other guests chatting them up until it was time to go home.

Olivia and Casey had left early. The redhead could tell that her detective wanted to fuck her good tonight.

Casey's arms were locked around Olivia's shoulders. The detective had a silicone strap-on affixed to herself as she took Casey wildly.

"OLIVIA!"

The sultry redhead mewed and moaned as Olivia took her to such great heights. Casey came so hard that she fell asleep soon afterwards.

As Olivia closed her eyes, all she could see was that blue dress and that smile. Should have been me.

As John promised, they got gelato before going home.

"Now this is the perfect end to a date," Alex told him as she got her stracciatella.

"Thank you for coming with me."

"It was fun."

"And I'm sorry about the seating," he hadn't thought to tell her that they seated by precinct. It didn't even occur to him that she'd be at a table with Olivia and Casey.

"Don't worry about it. I'm a big girl." It was uncomfortable, sure, but Alex had a good time overall. She needed to get out more anyway.

"I'm sure she was jealous. You were the star tonight."

Alex blushed. "You weren't so bad yourself."