Chapter 9: Responsibility

Olivia called up Casey. "Are you busy right now?"

Casey was going over files for a trial she had coming up. "Not particularly, why?"

"Can I come visit you at your office?"

"Of course."

Casey hoped that Olivia wanted to do something frisky. She was jealous that Olivia had Alex all over the office, but she didn't do anything to her.

When Olivia got there, Casey greeted her with a kiss, which Olivia returned before she broke away. "I wanted to talk to you about work."

"Oh, boo!"

Olivia grinned. "Sorry Case. Have you been following the Walker murders?"

"That couple from the Upper East Side, that was terrible."

"Well, someone tried to kidnap their daughter today, so the 2-7 asked for us to provide security for her and her foster mother while they look for who all is involved in this."

"You're going to be doing security?"

"Protective detail. I've done them before, but I wanted to talk to you about it before I start. Munch is on the first shift."

"Oh right. What more is there to say?"

"It's about Cassie's foster mother."

Olivia wasn't sure how to say it, so she blurted it out. "It's Alex."

"Alex … CABOT?"

"Yes. She has custody of Cassie for now, so I have been assigned to protect them both."

You've got to be kidding me. "Where will you all be staying?" Casey's eyes got cold.

"Her apartment but …"

"You're shacking up with your ex."

"It's not for fun, believe me. She did not look happy." She didn't look mad either but …

"Why can't she pick someone else?"

"She let Cassie pick since she gets anxious around new people. Cassie picked me and Munch."

"You and Munch?"

"Apparently, they knew each other from before. Casey, I know that this is uncomfortable for you. It is for me too. The last thing I need is to be staying at the house of a woman who can get me fired just by calling her godfather, but I can't let this little girl down. She's counting on me and …" I feel like I owe it to Alex after all that I put her through.

Casey relented. "I know it's your job, but it's Alex Cabot. She's flawless. Everyone talks about her all the time."

"She's not for me," Olivia told her. "I chose you."

"I know," Casey said, "and she said she didn't even want you back."

"She didn't? Then why were you so upset about her before?"

Casey explained the locker room gossip about how hot and heavy they had been. "I was jealous that she saw a side of you that I haven't."

Olivia kissed her. "Don't put too much stock in rumors, Love."

Casey grinned. "What if I want to start some rumors?"

They started to kiss. Olivia pinned Casey to her desk. If she wants desk sex then …

Her phone went off.

"It's Cragen. I have to take this."

"Yes Captain."

"…"

"I'll be right there boss."

Casey frowned.

"Sorry Love, but the job calls."

"Tease!"

Going Under

Tommy Walsh knew he was in trouble. The only question was how much. "If I talk, can I get a deal?"

"That depends, what do you have to offer us?"

"What am I facing again?"

"Right now, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap a minor. Two felonies and your cooperation could make the difference between one decade behind bars or three."

Ugh! "I want the ADA in here, and I'll make it worth his while."

Steele wanted to know, "What's he offering?"

"He hasn't said yet, but he says he wants to talk. Hopefully, he can give us who is in charge of this mess."

Steele sat down. "Let me make myself clear, if you want a deal from me then you must give me everything you know and no bullshit. If I find out you're lying then the deal is off, do you get it?"

"Yes. I get it."

"What kind of information do you have?"

"I can tell you about the go between."

"The what?"

"The client hired someone who hired Marsh. I can give you the guy in the middle, and I can give you stuff on Marsh."

"How do you know anything?"

"Marsh called me from jail. He told me to get the girl."

"Why would he call you?"

"He's my older brother, half brother, which is why I have a different last name. Anyway, he killed the couple and was supposed to take the girl. He was getting 100k for the job, and he thought he'd get some money for doing some of the work, but they would only pay him once he got the girl. That's why he was going back to New York after he had fled to Maine.

Anyway, he got caught and had no money for a lawyer, so he called me and said if I got the girl, we could split the money. He'd get his lawyer and I'd get 50k."

"So he got paid to kill the parents and take the girl."

"Yeah, and Stuckey is the go between."

"Stuckey?"

"He's a hustler. People come to him needing work and they give him money. He hires someone else to do the work and pays them less than what he got paid."

"And how do you know Stuckey is the go between."

"Because my brother told me. He said he was good for 100k because Stuckey got him something good. This was a week before the murders."

"He didn't tell you the job until afterwards."

"Honest."

Steele wasn't sure if he believed that, but the rest of it sounded like it could be good. "Where do we find this Stuckey?"

Walsh handed over some meet up that Stuckey liked to use. "When people call him up, he picks a place to go. He keeps changing them, and he probably fled the coup once Marsh got arrested."

Steele sighed. He probably did.

John and Alex chatted after Cassie went to sleep for the night.

"I just want us to be able to be safe in the apartment. DCYS is letting me keep her because she's in danger. Once the killers are caught, they are going to try to take her from me."

"I'd be happy to be a character reference. You're great with her."

"Thanks John."

"Are we still on for musical Friday?"

"Of course."

They started talking about songs they wanted to play.

"You should bring your flute."

"You might kick me out."

"I doubt it. I'm pretty rusty on the piano."

"You sounded flawless."

Alex was glad that John was in her life this time around although she had no romantic interest in him. He was like a big brother.

At 8:00AM, Munch's shifted ended and Olivia arrived at Alex's apartment. She hadn't been there since before Alex was shot three years before.

"Alex is in the shower, and there are pancakes on the stove."

Olivia nodded. "See you later."

Cassie ran out to see whom it was. "Hi Livia!"

"Hi Cassie!" Olivia scooped up the precious child. "How are you today?"

"Good!"

"What are you up to?"

"I had pancakes."

"I see that. Do you like pancakes?"

"Yeah. Uncle John John made them."

Olivia wasn't surprised. Alex couldn't cook for shit.

The detective started to eat; she had skipped breakfast. "These are good! Olivia was just putting her empty plate in the sink when Alex came out in one of her famous power suits. "Ready to go?"

Olivia nodded.

"Cassie, do you have your coloring books?"

"Yeah."

They headed out to Alex's office. Olivia drove.

"How's the case coming?"

"Walsh, the guy who took me hostage, sang like a bird. They're looking for the people he rolled on."

"I hope this is over soon."

"Me too."

Eyes

When they got to the office, everyone was surprised to see them together, even Steele who knew about the security detail.

Everyone was looking to see how the two women interacted.

"I believe you all have WORK to do."

They all skedaddled.

"Don't mind them. They're really nosy."

Alex's office was bigger than the old one and it had a nice view. Cassie set up with her coloring books.

The ADA had a lot of paperwork to do. She never did do her work from home last night.

Olivia sat down, unsure of what to do or say.

"I have a coffee maker in the corner if you need some. It's programmed to make coffee at 10AM every weekday, but you can just push the start button if you want."

"You always have the best coffee available."

"After drinking swill for three years, I decided to treat myself."

Cassie's favorite part of the day was lunch. She and Alex would go out, get something to eat and play in the park.

After getting sandwiches for lunch, Alex took Cassie to play.

"We can play tag now that we have three people!"

Cassie poked her Mama and ran off. Alex gave her a head start and then started to chase her.

Olivia's heart warmed up when she saw them running around together. Cassie did look just like Alex. Olivia used to dream about having little Cabots running around their house, but she wasn't sure if Alex would ever go for it. Maybe she should have asked. Maybe she should have known.

"You're it Livia!" Olivia started to chase.

Eventually, Alex had to come back to work. They had a plea deal in the works and needed her go ahead before making the deal.

"I have to get back to the office."

"AW!"

Family

While Alex met with her ADAs, Cassie and Olivia got to know each other.

"My favorite food is steak," Olivia told Cassie.

"My Daddy's favorite was steak too. Do you think you could be my Papa?"

"Me?"

"Alex is my Mama now, but I need a Papa too."

Cassie looked up at her with adorable eyes.

"I'm sure Alex will find someone when she's ready."

"But you keep us safe. My Daddy kept us safe."

Olivia gave her a hug. "I'll always be your friend. Whenever you need me."

"Promise?"

"Pinkie promise."

When Alex got back to her office, Cassie was sleeping on Olivia's lap.

"You can put her on the couch if you need to get up."

"She's so cute. I couldn't move her."

Alex could relate to that. "She really likes you."

"She asked me to be her Papa."

"What?"

"She said since you're her mom now, I should be her Dad."

"Kids do say the darnest things."

"I didn't think you wanted children."

"I never thought I'd have the time," Alex said. "I didn't want to be the kind of parent that never saw her children growing up, and I didn't think my career would ever slow down. Then I got shot."

If Alex hadn't gotten shot, so much would have been different.

Olivia nodded with understanding.

"I had a son in the program."

"You did?"

"Antonio, I fostered him and we lived as Sarah and Miguel in South Dakota."

"Where is he now?"

"He wanted to go back to his family."

"I'm sorry."

"I know why he did it. He didn't feel like himself in the program, no one does, and if he came back with me, he would have been an uptown boy. He wanted to be a kid from the Bronx who plays stickball with his friends and has a bunch of aunts to fuss over him. I loved him, but I couldn't give him the things that made him feel like Antonio.

If my family had wanted me back, I would have done the same thing."

"What do you mean if …"

Olivia didn't know. Of course she didn't.

"My brother won't talk to me. Most of my cousins won't either, unless they're trying to get money out of me. I still have Bill and Margo (and Jack and Liz), but it's not the same. Margo's an Ellsworth, and I'm a Cabot, a Cabot estranged from the clan."

"Maybe they'll come around."

"I hope so."

Olivia had no idea that Alex's family could so cold. Alex was always so composed on the outside. Olivia had underappreciated all of the complex layers that made her up.

Olivia's shift ended at midnight. She and John had 18-hour shifts, so she would be back at 6PM and then would stay with Alex until noon.

As soon as she got home, she hit the pillow. It wasn't until the morning that she realized Casey had called her three times yesterday.

She called her girlfriend back. "Hey Case!"

"Hey Stranger."

"Sorry I missed your calls. I didn't notice my phone going off."

"Having that much fun?"

"It's not like that Case. I spend most of my time playing with Cassie while Alex works."

"What do you do when she goes to bed?"

"Guard the living room while Alex goes about her business. It's not like we're having a slumber party."

"I know, but I miss you."

"I miss you to. How about I take you to lunch today?"

Casey gladly accepted, and when it was time for lunch, she made a point of having her arm looped with Olivia's. She wanted everyone to know her detective was taken.

"Are they any closer to finding the killers?" Casey asked Olivia.

"They have a name of a go between, but they still don't know who orchestrated the whole thing or why."

"And is Alex going to keep Cassie after this is all done?"

"I'm sure she wants to. They're two peas in a pod. They even look the same."

"Cassie must be quite the looker then."

"She is," Olivia said, not realizing that Casey was testing her.

They were on their way back to the office when Cassie saw Olivia and run up to her. "Hi Livia!"

"Hi Cassie."

Casey was shocked. She did look like an Alex double.

The girl quickly jumped in Olivia's arms.

"Cassie, what have I told you about running …" Alex stopped chasing when she saw that Cassie had run up to her other protector.

"Where's John?" Casey questioned.

"Right here, and Cassie, you might get lost if you run off like that."

"Sorry."

John retrieved Cassie. "Let's get you upstairs. I believe we have a game of Candyland to finish."

"Wanna play Livia?" Her smile was irresistible.

"I'm sure she's busy," Alex told her. "You'll see her later."

"Okay."

The trio headed upstairs.

"I don't get why she likes Munch of all people," Casey questioned.

"Kids like weird people. They're more interesting."

"So that's why she likes you."

"Maybe."