A/N: Thanks for reading my little story. I hope you still like it. Here's the next chapter. I just wanted to move things along. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 8: W.T. F

Waking up with Alexandra Cabot wasn't exactly how Olivia had imagined it. In her dreams, she and Alex were always snuggling and sharing passionate kisses. Of course all of this would have occurred after a night of unbelievable lovemaking. The reality was a stark contrast to the fantasy. She hadn't awakened to a passionate make-out session nor had there been any sex to speak of. They had fallen asleep wrapped in each other's arms and slept peacefully through the night.

As the sun drifted into the dark room, Olivia couldn't help but think that this wasn't your typical morning after, but also it occurred to her that nothing about them was typical. Here she was, lying in bed holding the woman she had loved and lusted after for more than a decade and she hadn't even made a move on her. The thought nearly made Olivia laugh. It wasn't like she didn't want to make love with Alex. Of course she did. Who wouldn't want to make love to this woman? Alex was stunningly beautiful and incredibly sexy. Olivia wanted nothing more than to worship at the altar of this woman's body, but the time hadn't been right. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel the need to rush. She figured they would get there soon enough. She was just going to enjoy the journey until the right moment arrived.

Olivia couldn't help but smile as she watched Alex sleep. The blonde looked so young and peaceful…almost angelic. Olivia knew she needed to leave but didn't have the heart to wake the other woman. Placing a loving kiss to her love's forehead she carefully removed herself from Alex's grasp and slipped out of bed. After dressing, she wrote a quick message on a note and left it on the nightstand on Alex's side. Olivia literally ached to crawl back into bed into those loving arms but she knew that she had to talk to Cragen about her relationship with Alex before he got the news from someone else. She owed him that much.

When she walked into the squad-room, she found it empty as expected. The only sign of life was the slightly out of tune humming coming from the captain's office. She snorted back a laugh at the unusual behavior. She headed to her locker and found the bag of clean clothes and toiletries she kept there. She went to the locker room and quickly freshened up and changed. When she came out, the squad room was still empty and silent. Taking a deep breath, she went over to the captain's open door. She knocked lightly not wanting to startle the older man.

"Olivia? You're here early. Getting a jump start on the Preston case?"

"Uh… yeah. Nick and I are going to sit down with the parents today, but…" She hesitated for a moment trying to gather her wits. "There was actually something that I needed to talk with you about… in private."

Cragen immediately gave her his complete attention. Olivia didn't come to him often and when she did, it was usually serious. "Is there something wrong, Detective?"

"No sir… at least I don't think so." She nervously scratched the back of her neck.

"Alright. Come in and have a seat." He said gesturing to an empty chair. He moved around the desk and took a seat as well. He raised a brow noticing how nervous she seemed to be.

"I have something to tell you and I wanted you to hear it from me first."

"You've never been one to mince words. What's going on, Liv?"

She swallowed hard trying to hold the sudden nausea at bay. She had thrown up twice already on the way over. The last thing she wanted to do was toss her cookies all over the captain's desk. Taking a deep breath she decided to take the professional approach.

"As my superior officer, it is my duty to disclose that I am involved in a romantic relationship with Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot. Alex will be speaking with the District Attorney later today. She has made the decision to no longer work with SVU and will be requesting a reassignment. I'm sure you will be notified, but I wanted you to hear it from me first."

Cragen sighed heavily. "Damn it, Liv! How could you do this?"

Olivia's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Cragen to be overjoyed their relationship, but she didn't expect him to actually have a problem with it either.

Her posture tightened. "I will not apologize for this, Captain. Our relationship did not change until Alex recently returned from her leave of absence. We have done nothing inappropriate."

Cragen shook his head and waved his hand. "Of course you haven't. I'm just not excited about getting some new wet-behind-the-ears ADA to train. I finally had Cabot back in top form and I was still looking forward to seeing her 'knock someone's teeth down their throat'. Now you've gone and ruined it."

The look on Olivia's face was so priceless that he couldn't hold his poker face. He laughed out loud and she began to catch on. She let out a sigh of relief.

"You almost had me going there, Cap." She said with a smile.

He took a good look at her in that moment and instantly saw the difference. Her eyes were little brighter, laugh a little more genuine. He'd always had his suspicions about Olivia and Alex. They were always professional, but there was always something more there. He was actually glad his suspicions were finally confirmed. This was the old Olivia; the Olivia he remembered before Alex had been torn away from them. She looked… happy and if anyone deserved happiness it was Olivia Benson.

"Don't get me wrong, I am really not happy about losing the best ADA I've ever worked with, but…" He cleared his throat and looked her in the eyes. "You deserve to be happy Olivia and if Alex does that for you, I'm all for it. I hope it works out for the both of you."

"Thanks Cap. That means a lot."

"Is there anything else, Detective?"

"No sir," She said standing up.

"Well get out of here and get to work. These cases aren't going to solve themselves."

"Yes sir." She hid her smile as she closed the door. 'That went better than I thought.' She said to herself. Now she just hoped that Alex would have the same luck.

Alex had woken up to a loving note from Olivia explaining that she had to go in early to speak with Captain Cragen and that she would call her later. She smiled as she read the last words of the note over and over again. "I love you, Alexandra" it read. She had taken the note with her for support as she entered into the office of the District Attorney. She didn't need to read it. Just the feel of it in the palm of her hand gave her the strength she needed.

"Are you sure this is… something permanent, Alexandra? This could have serious political ramifications for you. You have to know that. Is this… relationship worth jeopardizing that?"

Alex leaned back and watched Jack McCoy carefully. She squeezed the tiny note in her hand as she gave him a steel gaze.

"Not that it is any of your business, but yes. My relationship with Detective Benson is permanent and I will not deny her. As for the political ramifications you speak of… I refuse to live my life based on what is considered to be politically acceptable to others. I am good at my job, Jack. It should not matter who shares my bed at night."

Jack felt the intensity of her words and nodded like a proud father. He and Alex had often found themselves on opposing sides on various topics, but he'd always admired the young woman's tenacity and unwavering ethics. She was one of the good ones and he saw parts of his younger untainted self in her. He knew he owed it to Alex to make sure that she was absolutely sure she knew what she was doing.

"I remember a time when you said nothing was worth sacrificing your path to this office. That kind of ambition doesn't just go away, Alexandra."

Alex smirked and shook her head. She knew she was never going to live down her old reputation. She had been a slave to her ambitions back then. She couldn't help thinking how much she had changed; how much Olivia had changed her.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "True, but that was before I sacrificed five years of my life to Witsec for those ambitions, and even more years with the woman I love because of my own foolishness. I'm not the same person I used to be, Jack. My priorities have changed."

"Just like that? You're giving it all up?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Who said I was giving anything up? Why should I have to?" Alex threw back at him. "I can still achieve all the goals I set for myself when I left law school. It's simply a matter of deciding if it's what I want to do. I just refuse to believe that I have to sacrifice my happiness to reach those goals."

"So I can't persuade you to reconsider?"

Alex glanced down at the note in her hand and smiled. She looked him in the eyes and shook her head. "Olivia deserves to be put first for a change. I won't sacrifice her for this office or my ambitions. If you want me to resign, I completely understand."

Jack gave her a long look before pulling out a file. He checked its contents before pushing it towards her. "You leave me no choice then, Alexandra."

Alex had to admit that she was a bit surprised. She hadn't really expected McCoy to let her leave, but she was prepared. She had already drafted a resignation letter. It was saved to her computer and simply waiting to be printed. She took the folder expecting to see the regular forms regarding severance pay and insurance. When she flipped through them, she became confused.

"Jack, what is this?"

"David Haden will be leaving at the end of the month to work for the Department of Justice. I'm going to need a new Executive ADA in Major Cases. The job is yours if you want it."

Alex blinked and was currently doing a good impression of a fish out of water. Jack was actually amused. He thought he would never see the day that the linguistically talented Alexandra Cabot would be rendered speechless.

"Um… you…you don't want me to resign?"

"No."

"You're offering me a job… a promotion?"

"Yes."

"What's the catch?"

He almost laughed. "There is no catch. You're the best prosecutor that I have, Alexandra. I'd be a fool to let you leave this office. Contrary to what many might believe, I am no fool. I was actually going to approach you this week about the possibility of you taking over the position at the end of the month."

"But… Major Cases? That's only a step away from…"

"Exactly." Jack said knowingly. "Alexandra, everyone already knows that you were wasting away in SVU." He held up his hand to stop her disagreement. He knew how she protective she was of that unit. "I'm not saying anything negative about SVU. God knows it's the toughest unit to work in and you pulled off miracles with some of those cases. You could have demanded a more high profile position years ago. You stayed because you were dedicated to the victims and those detectives. You stayed because you knew you were needed there. Not many prosecutors with your talent and record would have. You've put in the work, Alexandra. It's time to move on. And let's face it, when I leave this chair you're the next best thing."

"But you just said…"

"I had to be sure that you were serious about this relationship. That doesn't mean I think you can't become District Attorney someday should you decide that's what you want. The voters of New York are much more progressive than they used to be. You're brilliant, driven, and ethical, with an impeccable pedigree to back it all up. Hell, if you manage to marry the 'Angel of SVU', you'll be the complete package."

Alex was still having a difficult time following.

"I will file the papers regarding your disclosure. I'm sure Internal Affairs will be contacting both you and Detective Benson but only as a precaution. You disclosed immediately and never worked on any cases together while being romantically involved. It won't be an issue but we want to make sure everything is handled strictly by the book."

He stood and came around the desk to give Alex a firm handshake.

"I will expect your decision in writing by the end of the week, Alexandra." He said walking her out.

And just like that, the meeting was over and Alex found herself standing out in the external office alone. "What the fuck just happened?" She thought to herself as she left.

TBC...