A/N: And an equally great response? Guess I'll just carry on!

Tripperz: Honestly, They'd be OOC if they weren't. One of my writing pet peeves is when Alex is delicate and vulnerable for no real reason, on the show, she was consistently a tough bitch, and she seemed to be very emotionally stable before and even after(!) WitSec. Don't worry, you'll see Casey step up soon enough. And you're right, they are very cute :)

Tracer0403: I'd imagine that she just got treated like shit as an ADA and she just eventually went "Fuck it" before she made the same mistake again.

steple: Yep, it's Lizzie! Also, can we just talk about how she writes Alex? SWOON. I wish there were people like that in real life.

Madds21: I was never exactly sure why in hell Casey would ever wanna be an ADA considering her emotional instability and past. But she was damn good. She got offered a job as a defense attorney and I was like "THAT'S SUCH A GOOD IDEA WHY NOT GO WITH IT".

Personal Pet Peeve: ALEX IS A LADY! Not a husband! Not a daddy! There does not need to be a "man" in lesbian relationships. This has been a public service bullshit rant from Rossellini :)


Tossing her briefcase into the backseat, Casey slid into the passenger seat of Alex's car, and allowed herself to sink into the supple leather for a moment, the stress of the day melting like a popsicle in the summer sun.

"Hey beautiful!" Alex grinned, leaning over to give Casey a kiss, which she happily returned.

"Well hello to you too, stunning! How was work?" Casey bantered.

Pulling away from the curb, Alex made a "gag me" expression. "You cannot even begin to fathom the bullshit I have to put up with. Some of my DAs are complete morons. Who the hell would offer a plea deal to a man who killed seven people and was stupid enough to leave behind a mountain of evidence that would convince even a five year old he did it? It never ends!"

When Casey did not reply, Alex looked over to notice that her girlfriend was feigning sleep, complete with exaggerated snoring. "Waking up", Casey chortled. "What? You're sexy when you ramble." She had a weakness for Alex's regal voice, deep, smooth, and still very feminine. She especially loved the warbling note her voice would take when she inflected certain syllables, and it would jump to a girlish pitch. It made her normal voice effectively the same as her bedroom voice.

Alex decided to change the subject to something more serious. "So what are you going to do about Lizzie? You sounded pretty torn up on the phone earlier."

Casey sighed softly. "It looks like I'll be her advocate when her case comes to trial. I spoke to Liv at length this morning, she's the one who sent Lizzie my way, and she's gonna set up a time to talk about what happened and how I can help her."

"You'll be able to handle it, right?" Alex prodded gently.

The redhead swallowed thickly. "It's tough to handle personal cases like this. But it gives me fuel to work harder, to fight harder. That's why I left the DA's office. So I could truly fight for the interests of the victim. Not the people. And if Liv put her faith in me, then I'm damn well not going to let her down." She fixated on the streetlights outside. "I just keep remembering her as the little girl playing basketball with her brother and father, not a care in the world. Now she's being forced to become an adult. She can't be any older than 18..." Her throaty voice got increasingly scratchier as she spoke. Alex reached over the center console to lay a comforting hand over Casey's on her thigh, lacing their fingers. Casey still didn't meet Alex's eyes.

"There's more on your mind, Case."

"It'll be fine, Alex." Casey assured.

"Tell me." The blonde whispered.

Casey bit her lip. "I've been thinking. About the baby. I'd like some peace of mind, considering that I'm not exactly young anymore." She inhaled before continuing. "I'd like to have amniocentesis done at the next appointment. Just to be sure."

Alex patted the hand she was holding. "If that's what you want, and you think it's what's best for our baby, then I'm right behind you."

Casey snapped her head around to look at Alex. "You don't think I'm being ridiculous?"

The Attorney General shook her head. "Not at all, honey. It's completely normal to worry that something could be wrong with your child. I'm completely in favor of you doing whatever you need to keep your sanity intact." She smiled slightly at her last statement, hoping to add some levity to the discussion.

"And what if there is something wrong?"

Alex pressed her lips into a hard line. "Casey. Remember that the chances of these things happening are low. And we already knew the father's entire genetic profile well before you conceived. That reduces the number to almost zero. Nothing's going to go wrong."

"But what if it does?" Casey wondered. "Can you promise me it will be alright?"

"It'll be okay." Alex soothed, more for herself than Casey. "It will."

The rest of the drive home was spent in easy conversation. Upon arriving home, Casey prepared them both dinner, as she usually did, she wanted to keep being able to before it became too painful to move around their kitchen and Alex, being the lethal chef she was, would have to order takeout for them every night. They enjoyed their meal in peace, and Casey put on a pot of tea before moving to watch her favorite Tuesday night sitcom on the couch. Alex was just finishing up washing the dishes when there was a buzz on their intercom.

"It's Olivia. I have Lizzie with me. We'd like to talk."

Alex promptly buzzed them up, and not 30 seconds later, there was a knock at the door. Alex opened it, and let Olivia in, followed by a shorter, dirty blonde wearing silver half-framed glasses.

"Liv! Good to see you!" Alex embraced her friend.

"Alex, I believe you know Lizzie Stabler? Lizzie, this is my friend Alex Cabot, she used to prosecute for us." Olivia introduced them.

"Good to meet you, Ms. Cabot." Lizzie shyly extended her hand.

Alex smiled warmly, taking her hand and giving it a shake. "No need for formalities here. Call me Alex, sweetie. I suppose you're here to speak with Casey?"

Olivia responded first. "Yes, this isn't a bad time, I hope? With the baby and everything?"

"There's never a bad time for anyone in need of my help!" Casey replied, entering the room. "Hi, you might not remember me, but I'm Casey Novak. I met you once, but you were a lot shorter back then." She smiled and chuckled, shaking Lizzie's hand. "Why don't we sit down?" She gestured to their kitchen table, pulling out some chairs. They took their seats, and Alex poured them each a cup of tea.

"So, Lizzie." Casey began. "If you're comfortable, could you tell me about what's been going on?"

Lizzie's eyes darted around the room, settling on Olivia, who grasped her hand and nodded, then briefly to Casey, then into her cup of tea. "I-it's my b-b-boyfriend. I l-live with him. Y-you can't tell my dad. Please. H-he can't know." she stuttered.

"Lizzie, look at me, sweetheart." Lizzie looked at Casey over her glasses. "Anything you tell me is confidential by law. Ellio-I mean your dad- won't hear a word, unless you decide to tell him on your own. Your secret is safe with me, I promise you." She smiled encouragingly.

Lizzie exhaled deeply before continuing. "H-his name is Ethan. Ethan Merrick. I m-met him in one of my classes, and he seemed really nice at first. He asked me out. The next few months were a fairytale. Always flowers, kisses, he even took me to the zoo because he knew I loved baby animals." She smiled sadly, her eyes reddening with unshed tears. "Then he asked me to move in with him. I told my parents I'd found a roommate off campus, and they were okay with it, because it saved them tuition money. And it all worked out. Until a couple months ago." She started to tremble.

Casey scooted her chair closer, concerned. "You can stop if you like, Lizzie. This is hard for everyone, and you've been doing a great job."

"No, I can do it!" Lizzie snapped. Her eyes immediately widened, regretting what she'd said. "I'm sorry-"

"It's okay, honey. Keep going, you're doing great." Olivia soothed, her hand resting on the girl's shoulder.

Lizzie screwed her eyes shut to keep the tears from coming. "I had office hours with a professor one day, and I forgot to tell Ethan. When I got back to the apartment, he started yelling at me, asking where I was, and if I was sleeping with them. I told him, and he asked me if I was cheating on him. I hadn't even, you know, tried anything with Ethan, of course I wasn't fooling around with my professor! That's when he slapped me." Despite her best efforts, Lizzie's tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her sobs began to choke in her throat.

"You can do this, Lizzie. Just take a deep breath. Tell me what he did to you." Casey prompted.

Lizzie did as Casey instructed. "Every day after that, he got more and more violent. When I was late getting back, he hit me. When I wouldn't give him a b-b-blowjob, he slapped me some more." She slipped off her hoodie and Casey had to bite back a gasp when she saw the various marks on her arms. "He just kept doing it more and more until I couldn't take it anymore! I told Olivia, I didn't know what else to do! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Lizzie's floodgates opened completely. Casey's heart broke, and she took the sobbing young girl into her arms, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Lizzie, I want you to listen to me and I want you to listen good. You are very brave for telling me what you just did. What Ethan did to you is absolutely deplorable, and I swear to you that I will do everything I can to help you get through this. I will be your advocate, your voice in the matter, and I will be right there every step of the way. I understand how awful what you're going through is, believe me, I know. When I was your age, my fiancee did the same thing to me that Ethan did to you. I only wish I had the courage to speak up sooner, like you did. But it will be okay. I promise." Casey whispered in her ear.

"And if I weren't the Attorney General, I'd march down to the courtroom and nail his ass to the wall personally." Alex cut in, having heard the exchange from where she'd been standing. "But ADA Barba is one damn fine prosecutor, and this is coming from someone who sees most attorneys as complete nimrods." She rested her hand on Lizzie's back, rubbing slow circles. "That being said, I want to do everything in my power to ensure you get justice. I'll send the best ADA I can find to sit co-chair with him. You have my word, Lizzie, that everyone in this room will have your back. Come hell or high water, you won't be alone."