Author's note: I would like to start off, as always, by saying thank you for the amazing reviews. These next few chapters are going to be full of frustration and angst, but also some happiness. There can be no light without the darkness. As always, I would love to hear what everyone thinks. Thank you for reading. Please note that the next chapter will take place at the same time as this one, but will be from Olivia's point of view.

Since their fight, Casey had done everything she could think of to take her mind off of everything that had happened. She cleaned everything in sight, from the invisible dust on the already immaculate counter-tops to the pictures upon the walls, which weren't crooked until Casey messed with them, and everything in between.

Finally forced into the realization that there was nothing left to clean, Casey relaxed on the sofa, surfing through various television channels. Nothing really sparked her interest, as usual. Today, the television even seemed to be mocking her. The first several channels showcased commercials. Every single one of them showed loving couples who had just met on a dating site, or were enjoying some new yogurt together, or, in the case of the last one, enjoying a nice date at an expensive restaurant.

Casey sighed, flipping through a few more. Finally finding a show that didn't seem to fixate on the abstract notion of love, she left it on for a few minutes. But by the second commercial break, it was clear that it was the same as all of the others. A man and a woman stood on the screen, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. The man brushed the woman's hair lovingly out of her eyes, proudly declaring his love for her. Falling to one knee, he proclaimed that he wanted only her forever, and he happily asked her to marry him.

Of course, the woman screamed, jumped up and down, and eagerly accepted. Then the couple rushed to their bedroom, falling into bed to make hot, passionate love. Casey growled, rolling her eyes at the nauseating love story. Leave it to her to turn on a soap opera when all she craved was something to take her mind off of everything that had happened. Nothing on her saved shows list appealed to her, either, so the attorney jammed the power button on the remote and lightly tossed it onto the wooden coffee table.

She fell back against the couch cushions, closing her eyes and allowing her mind to wander, despite herself. She remembered the feeling of Olivia's hands upon her body, the overwhelming desire she hadn't felt for years overpowering her logic and senses. She thought of the way Olivia had kissed her, then held her afterward. If only the memory had stopped there. She could have reveled in the idea of finally being with the woman she had wanted for as long as she could remember.

But this wasn't a soap opera. This was reality, and as with all real things, the memory stubbornly persisted. She could practically hear Olivia assuring her that she had wanted her for years, and wasn't going anywhere, then stating that this couldn't be anything more than casual for now. She could hear her own voice eagerly agreeing to the arrangement, her heart soaring at the mere idea of being anything to Olivia.

She thought of the dinner she had endured, alone and frustrated. Olivia had referred to it as a date, at least once...hadn't she? Unbidden, the memory of mere hours before crept into her mind, and Casey was forced to relive their fight all over again. As much as she wanted to blame Olivia and call her a betrayer, she was more complicit than she cared to admit.

She had agreed that they shouldn't move too fast. She had agreed to sleep with Olivia, consequences be damned. She broke her cardinal rule of never dating a coworker, and that was no one's fault but her own. Casey sat up, everything suddenly as clear as crystal. She had no right to act like an innocent victim. She had over-reacted to Olivia's comments. Of course the older woman didn't want to move too quickly.

Casey tried to convince herself that it was because of the feelings Olivia had claimed to have that she had tried not to move too quickly. On the one hand, it made no sense. If she had waited so long to be with her, as she had claimed, then why wouldn't she jump at the opportunity to assure Casey that she was, truly, different? But, on the other hand, Casey realized, it was wholly logical. If they moved too quickly and their relationship ever fell apart, everything would be in jeopardy: their friendship, their working relationship, and their ability to even work together at all.

Casey reached for her phone to call Olivia and ask if she wanted to talk, but stopped herself. If she called now, mere hours after their fight, she would look ridiculous. She would look like some innocent schoolgirl who couldn't control her feelings, rather than a successful, independent attorney. But if she waited longer, say, until the next day, perhaps even at work, it would give them both an adequate amount of time to clear their minds.

Returning her phone to the coffee table, Casey mentally checked her calendar for the following day. She didn't have court until the afternoon. She could go out and have a couple of drinks. All of her pre-trial work was done, her research organized into nicely highlighted packets, her dockets all in order. She deserved a drink or two. It might even help her forget about Olivia for a bit, she reasoned.

A couple of hours later, Casey sat at her usual table in her favorite bar, her favorite scotch in front of her. The attorney sipped it thoughtfully, watching the people around her. She usually didn't have much interest in people watching, but for tonight, she welcomed the distraction.

A middle aged man looped his arms around his date, a pretty brunette who had to be at least half his age. A woman around Casey's age sat at the bar, enjoying a heaping plate of French fries, what appeared to be a tall glass of vodka, and the football game on the stretch television to her right. A handsome man who looked around forty five, maybe fifty, met her gaze.

Casey snapped out of her revelry, quickly returning her attention to her drink. Damn it. He had surely seen her looking, and might even have mistaken her gaze for flirting, or who knew what? As long as she didn't look up again, she could pretend it had all been an accident.

"Looking for someone?"

Casey looked up. Of course it was the very same man she had locked eyes with. So much for the accident theory. "Hi," she murmured, hating the blush she could already feel upon her cheeks.

Without invitation, he pulled out the chair across from her, and sat down. "What is a beautiful woman like yourself doing alone on a nice evening like this?" he asked.

Was he flirting with her? Casey sighed, not knowing if it was inside her head or out loud. "Just thinking," she answered carefully. "Enjoying the nice evening," she added, a small smile upon her lips. "How about yourself?"

"I see," came the snipped response. He gestured to her half finished drink. "Would you like another?"

Under normal circumstances, Casey would have accepted the offer, perhaps even flirted back. He was quite handsome, if pushy. But Casey didn't want anyone else. She couldn't take her mind off of Olivia, no matter how hard she tried. And even though they hadn't agreed to be exclusive, it still felt like a betrayal to even look at anyone else. Especially a man. "No thank you," she murmured finally. "I was getting ready to leave, actually."

"Oh? Have someone waiting at home, do you?"

Now Casey realized just how pushy and desperate he really was. "No, no one," she murmured. There was no sense in lying. She had a feeling he could read her face like an open book.

"Do you want someone to wait at home for you?" he asked, grinning suggestively.

Casey shook her head instantly, all traces of her gratitude evaporating. In their stead was the idea of just how wrong this could go. She wasn't going to invite some random man home- especially not one who, she suddenly realized, had a wedding band on his finger and smelled a little too strongly of rum. "No thank you," she answered, hoping she sounded more polite than she felt. "I really do have to work in the morning, and I should have been home sooner than now. I'm already out much later than I planned to be." She finished her drink and stood up. "Thank you for the offer, though. Maybe you should go home to the person waiting for you," she added, gesturing to his wedding band. Maybe it was all of her years working with the Special Victims Unit, but all of her alarm bells were sounding in her head. She wasn't stupid enough to go home with a pushy stranger, especially not a married one, or one who was so determined to take her to bed.

Casey exited the bar after paying her bill. Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked to her car, which was a few blocks away. She liked to walk whenever she could; it helped her clear her head, and she also enjoyed the clear night air. The conversation from the past few minutes raced through her mind, and Casey shook her head. She really had dodged a bullet with that creep.

Finally deciding to call Olivia, if only to tell her what had just happened, Casey retrieved her phone from her purse and speed dialed the older woman. She placed the call on speakerphone, waiting for Olivia to pick up, and unlocked her car.

Just as she opened the driver's side door, someone pinned her against the car. "There you are," a deep voice growled in her ear. "I knew you went in this direction, but I couldn't find you right away."

Casey recognized it as the voice from the bar. Knowing he was just drunk, she attempted to push him off. "I don't know your name, but please understand that I'm not looking for anyone right now," she answered, trying to remain as calm as possible. He was just drunk, she reasoned. This would all blow over. Frustratingly, the call to Olivia continued to ring.

If the stranger from the bar noticed, he didn't say anything. He pinned her against the car again, purring in her ear. It sounded more like a hyena's laugh to the frazzled attorney. Casey kicked herself mentally for parking in such a secluded area. All of the businesses on this street were already closed, and there was no one around for a quarter of a mile in either direction. "You're the only one who cares about my bitch of a wife, sweetie," he murmured. Casey tried not to gag at the stench of rum on his breath. Had he smelled like that in the bar?

"But I'm not looking for anything," she tried again. The call to Olivia continued to ring. God, how many times had she set it for before it would go to voicemail? Casey wanted to reach into her pocket and silence the call, but that would surely alert him to the call. What if he thought she was calling the police? Although, she supposed, she technically was, but that was beside the point.

Overcome with a sudden burst of courage, Casey shoved him off of her, kneeing him in the crotch. She fumbled for her keys, realizing she had dropped them beneath the car. Scrambling to pick them up, she had just opened the car door when it slammed shut again, narrowly slamming her fingers with it. "You're going to pay for that, bitch." Only then did Olivia's phone finally go to voicemail.