A/N: So, I decided to pick this back up again in-between writing chapters of my American Horror Story: Coven fic "My Little Black Star." It's so strange to me how much has changed for the LGBT community between when I started writing this! A lot of the stigma that existed when I began has shifted and even slightly dissipated. I'm not saying things are perfect, far from, but it's still pretty incredible. Also, since it's been so long, I apologize if some things are a bit muddled or disjointed as the loose ends get tied up. Special thanks to any of you coming back after such a long hiatus. You're the best!

Window

Chapter 10

Alex paced the floor, feeling much better after her conversation with Dr. Huang, but still unsettled as to how she should proceed. She took little joy in the conversations ahead of her with both Lucy and Liv. She ran her fingers nervously through her hair before crossing to the door joining her room with Lucy's. She waited a brief moment before pushing it open, having left it unlocked on her way out.

Lucy was curled into herself, breathing steadily. The room was dark, but Alex could still make out the reflection of light shining in Lucy's unfocused eyes. Alex shivered involuntarily and crossed over to crouch at the edge of the bed.

"Hey," She called softly as the small redhead shifted to meet her gaze, silent and thin-lipped in her stoicism. "I just wanted you to know that an officer will be here in a few minutes to take over for me." Alex saw a brief flash blaze and settle, in Lucy's vacant eyes.

"You're leaving." She stated flatly.

"Yeah," Alex swallowed hard, "I need time to gather everything for the case and I don't," she faltered, "I'm not sure I'm the best person to be here with you. I can't give you what you need and I don't want to make things more complicated for you."

"It's because I kissed you."

"That's part of it. I think you need comfort right now and I'm happy to provide that in spades, but I can't give you anything more than my professional care and support. I'm so sorry. You deserve all the warmth and human kindness in the world."

"I didn't mean to. I know it was the wrong thing to do, I just," Lucy's eyes shone in the dark, glazed with unshed tears, "I just miss her. I know you're doing your job and I'm sorry I kissed you. You were just... just so nice. And it all hurts so badly."

Alex said nothing, she just nodded. George had brought up some valid points, outlining the probability that Lucy acted out of need, which Lucy, herself, confirmed. But Alex had acted out of need too and her needs could not be fulfilled by the woman lying on the bed in this dark room. What's more, the icy blonde was far too professional to drag out any situation that may constitute impropriety on her part. She needed to leave Lucy for the night, partly to allow the girl a reprieve from potential guilt and confusion, but Alex also needed to suss out her own conflicted feelings and right everything before the opportunity faded.

"I know, and I am so, so very sorry. I can't even imagine what I would do if I lost the woman I loved." Alex dropped her gaze to her hands, "I do know I'd be absolutely devastated." She wrinkled her nose, surprisingly comfortable with the admission. "I've been thinking about her constantly and trying so hard not to let my fear get the better of me. I may have acted a bit irrationally because of it."

"Ah," Lucy shifted and pulled herself into a seated position. Light from the city cut through a gap in the curtains and fell across Lucy's lightly freckled cheek. "You let me kiss you because you're scared of losing her."

"That makes even less sense when you say it than it did when I thought it." Alex almost laughed and could swear she saw a slight smile at the edge of Lucy's tight lips.

"Not really." The redhead tossed off casually. "Seeing what happened to me, it's easy to put yourself in my place. Fear of ending up where I am triggers your fight or flight and you, counselor, seem to have chosen flight." Lucy sighed and slouched against the headboard. "So then your primary instinct is to drive a wedge between you and your partner. If it pushes you apart, the distance will make easier to bear if something happens. The closer you are, the more you love, the more it'll hurt."

"How is it that you understand, so easily, something I can't even begin to comprehend?"

"Psych major."

"Ah."

"Yeeeeeeah, I might want a new lawyer if mine can't even figure out how love works." The girl actually laughed and Alex playfully glared up at her. The counselor shifted and leaned against the side table, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Compared to understanding love, the Bar was a cakewalk." Alex admitted.

"Eh, That sounds about right."

"Okay, I'll make you a deal: I promise to do my absolute best –which, let's face it, is pretty amazing – to get justice for you and for Tawny."

"And I will try and figure out how to survive without putting the moves on my legal counsel."

"Deal." Alex extended a pale hand up to the girl on the bed.

"Deal." Lucy shook the outstretched hand, resolute.

SLAM

Olivia shot straight up in her chair, her hair sticking up at an odd angles. She blinked slowly, allowing her eyes to come into focus.

"I'm awake. Wait… what?"

"Jesus, Liv, did you sleep at your desk again? Go home." Fin sauntered casually to his locker, shrugging out of his oversized leather jacket.

"Don't worry about it." She straightened, feeling the faint pop as her joints settled into place. "I was up all night trying to figure out the details of this NDA and I think I might have hit pay dirt."

"That's great." Fin pulled his sidearm from his locker and crossed to lean on her desk. What me to run anything down for you? You look like you could use a break." He thrust his chin at the mess of hair on her head. "Why don't you head home for a bit?"

"Nah, I can catch a shower here. I have a change of clothes. I just really want to follow through on this myself, you know?" She shuffled the papers on her desk, separating them into neat piles.

"You sure?"

She shrugged and ran a hand through her cropped hair, smoothing down the flyaways.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

Olivia pushed herself up from her chair and crossed to the lockers, the station was slow, barely awake, only a few officers milling around here and there. She pulled a small overnight bag from her locker and slung it over her shoulder. Heading down to the station's gym, she found it, thankfully deserted. She tossed the bag on nearby bench and methodically began her morning ablutions.

In no time at all, she found herself heading back up to her desk.

"You look fresh and ready to go, Liv. You just get in?" Eliot questioned as she rounded the corner into the bullpen.

"Don't let the change of clothes fool you, I found her face down, drowning in paperwork this morning." Fin answered on her behalf.

"Hey!" She tossed the bag back in her locker and shut it with a metallic snap and laughed at Fin as he shrugged, sheepishly.

"Well I hope you got your beauty sleep, cause we're off to catch ourselves a bad guy!" Eliot sing-songed and slid a bundle of paper, sheathed in blue, over to her desk.

"We got Newsome."

"Well, we got two of his guys, but it's enough to search his place and bring him in for questioning. Chances are, he'll lawyer up, but not before we get a crack at him. He's too arrogant to let some mouthpiece do all the talking for him." Eliot stood and straightened a picture of Kathy and the kids, near the edge of his desk. "I don't know how she did it, but Cabot must've pulled some serious strings to get us this close to him. She's definitely out for blood."

"Let's go get him, then!" Olivia grabbed her coat and threw it on over her plum colored sweater before clipping her badge to her belt and following Eliot out the door. She had a small inkling as to why the counselor might be so potentially aggressive, but decided to tuck it away. Maybe she and Alex could find a spare moment today, Olivia felt like they had backburnered whatever they had started the other night and wanted to make sure they didn't flame out before they had the chance to begin.

"I'll drive," Eliot jingled the keys, snapping Liv back into focus.

"How long has he been in there?" Alex crossed to the two-way glass as she addressed the precinct Captain.

"About fifteen minutes."

"And his lawyer?" Alex touched the arm of her black-rimmed glasses to the corner of her mouth before sliding them back on and up the bridge of her nose.

"He's not under arrest, he's here as a guest."

"That doesn't mean much, I'm surprised the whole firm hasn't surrounded the building?" She almost choked.

"We offered, he declined." Captain Cragen shrugged and fiddled with the lid on a nearby tub of RedVines.

"Newsome declined to have a lawyer present." Alex mused. "He thinks he's too smart to slip up, he's showing off!"

"He certainly is." A low voice resonated in the office as Dr. Hwang slipped into the conversation. "I've reviewed his file and watched feed of his conferences, interviews. His ego is astounding. Given the statements from the women at the fundraiser he attended –"

"You mean the fundraiser that is also his alibi for the murder. That fundraiser?" Cragen cut in.

"Yes. That fundraiser," Hwang countered. "The statements from those women show us a man who believes he's too big to fail. He doesn't understand rejection. It is a foreign concept to him. He doesn't perceive reality in the same way you or I might. His perception is skewed by extreme narcissism. That sort of blind confidence may serve him well as a politician, but it can be an extremely dangerous cocktail, should it find itself partnered with sociopathy."

"So how do you want to play this?" Cragen looked from Alex to Dr. Hwang.

"Start him off with Eliot. I'm interested to see how he reacts to another Alpha male presence." Hwang shifted to lean on the desk and Alex was almost certain she saw a smirk start to creep across his face. "After that, I have a theory that I'd like to test."

Alex could feel Hwang shift his gaze to her and was suddenly nervous to see how this interview would play out.