Olivia stepped off the elevator and looked around in amazement. She could truly say she had never seen a place such as Le Bernardin. The private dining area was a secluded area on the second floor. The room was big enough to accommodate a huge party or had the ability to be broken down to host several small parties or couples. The lighting was set low to allow for a romantic atmosphere and there was soft music playing in the background. There was a wait staff and bartender that stood to the side that was apparently assigned to the floor or at least to them for the night.

Alex couldn't help but smile as Olivia looked around the room and the look that crossed her face as she slowly took everything in. The best way to describe the look was one of that the crossed a child's face at Christmas.

"Hey," Alex whispered as she stepped in front of Olivia and pulled her against her body, "Are you sure?"

"It's a little late if I'm not."

"Never too late, if you ask me. I'm serious, if you want to leave now, let me know."

"Let's stay."

"Okay, honey, but if at any point during the dinner you want to leave or it becomes too much for you, let me know and we will walk out," Alex told Olivia as she heard someone call her name.

"I will," Olivia said as she looked over Alex's shoulder at a tall, lean, beautiful black hair woman who was walking toward them with a smile on her face, "I think Sarah is walking this way."

Alex smiled as she gently kissed Olivia on the cheeks before turning to greet Sarah.

"Look at you, Alex, you look stunning in that dress," Sarah said as she approached the two women, "What I wouldn't give to have a figure like yours!"

"You don't look bad yourself," Alex answered with a smile as she pulled the woman into a hug, "How have you been?"

"Great, but busy," Sarah answered as she pulled away and looked at Olivia, "Is this your better half?"

"It is," Alex answered as she stepped closer to Olivia who had stepped away when Sarah walked up on them and wrapped her arm around her waist, "Olivia, this is Sarah, and Sarah, this is Detective Olivia Benson."

"You finally woke up and went after a woman in uniform," Sarah said as she shook Olivia's hand, "They are one of a kind, are they not?"

"You dated a cop?"

"Try 'married a cop,'" Sarah answered laughing as she motioned for the women to follow her to their table, "Alex, I would like to introduce you to my beautiful wife, Erica Langen, she was a detective with Albany Police Department, but is now an investigator for the DA's office here in New York."

"I've seen her from time to time," Alex answered smiling as she shook the woman's hand, "You're with White Collar Crimes, correct?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Erica answered standing, "I've been there for about six months now, ever since her job transferred her back here to the city."

"I'm sure it wouldn't have taken much paperwork to have you transferred to one of the precincts here," Olivia answered shaking her hand before pulling Alex's chair back for her to sit in.

"It wouldn't have, but I was injured a few months before she was transferred and after rehab I was never medically cleared for duty. So, when we moved I did the next best thing and became an investigator with the DA's office."

"So where's Trevor?" Alex asked hoping to change the subject quickly.

"He called and said he was running over, something about finishing up closing statements on some case. Personally, I'm thankful, since that means we can catch up without the meddling brother in the mess."

"Call him what you want, but if it wasn't for him we would have never been able to date when we were teenagers."

"True," Sarah said laughing, "So, Olivia, you're a detective?"

"I am."

"For what division?"

"I work with Special Victims Unit," Olivia answered as she glanced at Alex.

"That's a hard unit to work for," Erica said joining the conversation, "How long have you been with them?"

"Going on three years, I've been with the department for close to eight."

"Fast tracker then, do you have plans of being PC?"

"Lord, no. I want to serve my time there in SVU and that's it."

"I understand; I was happy in homicide until my injury and would have been happy to retire from homicide as well."

"I know the feeling," Olivia answered as she looked away.

"So, Alex," Erica answered noticing the change in Olivia's demeanor and deciding it would be best to change the subject, "You're the prosecutor for sex crimes, correct?"

"I am."

"I bet that makes for some arguments at the end of day."

"Why wait till the end of the day?" Alex said smiling, "We have had some legendary ones in the middle of the bull pen. Now, enough about us, I want to know how you two met?"

"I wasn't paying attention to the road one day when I had to go to Albany for a meeting and rear ended the car in front of me."

"No, not the squad car?" Olivia said

"Thankfully, not the squad car, it was some man who was a sexist pig."

"Boy, do I know the type!" Alex said laughing.

"Yeah, well the responding officer happened to have been one Erica Sims. Let me tell you, when she stepped out of her car and walked up to the scene, I like to have fainted. I had never seen a woman look so good in a uniform or wanted a woman as badly as I did her by just laying eyes on her. She had given me her card which had her number on it and I called her up the next morning and asked her out on a date. I believe you see how well it went."

"I do and I hear you have two children."

"Twins," Erica moaned, "Who have now hit the terrible twos. You have no clue how thankful I am some days that we have a nanny."

"You have a nanny?" Olivia asked as she glanced at Alex.

"Yeah, we do," Eric answered leaning forward, "I'll tell you though, the hardest part for me of being with Sarah was the money. I was and still am a blue collar worker who, more times than not, couldn't make ends meet no matter what I did. Now, suddenly, I have this gorgeous woman whose income is more than twice of mine and that was including over time and side jobs as well interested in me. There wasn't a day that went by I was wondering when she would wake up and realize I wasn't the one for her that I couldn't give her what she was accustomed too."

"How did you overcome it?" Olivia asked wondering if there was truly a way for her and Alex to become equal.

"I wanted to be with Erica all the time," Sarah answered as she leaned over and kissed her wife on the cheek, "I was tired of commuting every weekend and only getting stolen moments. I knew, without a doubt, that she wouldn't leave her job with the department and there was no way I would ask that of her as well, so I compromised."

"Compromised?"

"I surprised her one day when she wasn't expecting me and told her I knew without a doubt she was the one for me. I dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me. Told her I wanted to make a life with her there in Albany."

"She said yes, I take it," Olivia said glancing at Alex who was staring intently at her.

"She did and the following week movers came and packed up my apartment and placed everything I owned with the exception of a few items in storage for me. I leased the apartment I had so that I wouldn't have to sell it simply because I had gotten it at a steal and didn't want to lose it. I figured, if anything, it would become extra income for us. With the help of the movers and her consent, I rearranged some things around in her one bedroom apartment to make room for my desk and the items I needed for work and turned that one bedroom into a home for us."

"Wow."

"Yeah, but something tells me that your story will beat ours," Erica said with laughter in her voice, "I have a feeling that your story is something out of a fairy tale book."

"Not even close," Olivia said standing as she held her hand out for Alex to take, "I will allow Alex to share that story with you guys once we return. Now, if you will please excuse us, I would love to dance with my stunningly beautiful girlfriend."

Alex smiled as she took the hand Olivia offered and guided her out onto the floor. For the first time since agreeing to this dinner, she didn't feel any tension or anger radiating off of Olivia. It was almost like she had relaxed upon hearing Sarah and Erica's story. Maybe, just maybe, hearing how two people from two different worlds met and formed a very loving relationship was what she needed. Hopefully, after this dinner most, if not all, of her arguments about how she doesn't belong with her would finally end.

A/N: Could it be that this dinner is just what Olivia needs to see that her and Alex could have a loving relationship despite their financial differences.