Author's note: I would like to say thank you for the amazing reviews, as always. This story has a long way to go, and I'm happy that you all are enjoying reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it. As a quick note, the timeline in the next several chapters will be expedited a bit. Each of the following chapters will take place two months apart. Afterwards, everything will go back to a normal speed. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks. And if anyone has anything they'd like to see happen, just tell me in a review and I'll write it in.

Two months had passed since Casey's assault. The investigation into who could have attacked her sped along rather quickly. Her assailant wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, and he had left a large amount of evidence behind- not the least of which was his semen inside of her. Olivia had spent hours, even days poring over the attorney's old case files, searching for people they had convicted, who also happened to have a brother.

Even with that, the list was surprisingly long. Olivia had narrowed it down by eliminating people who were out of town, and by the time she reached the bottom of the list, everyone's alibis had cleared. Frustrated, Olivia had instructed the squad to research anyone Casey had even taken to court at all, even if it was just for a Grand Jury. She knew that someone didn't have to be convicted to hate the prosecutor.

And then, as if it were falling into their laps, they finally found their suspect. It had taken six weeks, but they finally had someone to question. Robert Matthews was indicted for seventeen counts of possession of child pornography and one count of statutory rape against his fourteen year old neighbor. He had managed to be found not guilty at trial, because his lawyer convinced the jury that he was framed, and the victim refused to testify. He was free, but his life had fallen into shambles, beginning with him losing his job and culminating in his eventual suicide.

The unit had discovered that Matthews had a baby brother. Everyone they could find recalled how close the brothers had always been, and how angry the brother was when he discovered what happened to Robert. No one had known that Matthews even had a brother, as he hadn't attended a single hearing, much less the trial. But once they discovered him as a suspect, the pieces had quickly formed an entire picture.

He lived upstate, but had been staying in the city lately, informing multiple people that he had a girlfriend to win back. The only times he was seen at the bar Casey frequented was when Casey herself was there.

When he was arrested, he had bragged to Olivia about what he had done. He joked about his friend's stamina, but refused to provide his name. Nevertheless, he confessed to his part in the crime, and referred to it as true justice.

Olivia had just come from the interrogation when she unlocked her front door. She smiled softly when she entered the apartment and noticed Casey sleeping on the couch. Walking silently past her, Olivia gently covered her with a blanket. This was the first time in months that she had seen Casey looking so..peaceful.

As if sensing her presence, Casey opened her eyes slowly. Her emerald gaze was droopy, exhausted. "Hey," she murmured.

"Hey," Olivia murmured back, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on the younger woman's forehead. Casey flinched at first, but then smiled. "How are you feeling?" the brunette questioned.

"I'm okay," Casey replied quietly. She sat up, curling her legs beneath her under the blanket. She gestured to the bags in Olivia's hands. "You went grocery shopping," she pointed out.

Olivia nodded. "I picked up some dinner too, knowing you were probably hungry. Everything had to sit at the precinct for awhile." She really didn't want to bring up the reason she was so late. If Casey brought up the case, that was different, but Olivia wanted to keep her mind off of everything.

"I am pretty hungry," Casey admitted. "I don't know why I've been so hungry lately. I just feel like I can eat a truck full of food and not be satisfied in the least." She shrugged. "It must be the medicine. They did list an increase in hunger and thirst as a side effect, so I'm not going to worry about it." She looked down at the blanket. "It's not the most important thing to worry about right now," she murmured.

"I'm just happy to see you eat, and sleep for more than a few hours," Olivia answered. She placed the bags on the kitchen counter and retrieved their dinner. It was Chinese take-out, Casey's favorite. Olivia handed the younger woman her dinner, some chopsticks, and a bottle of green tea. She didn't know how Casey could drink that stuff, but everyone had their own tastebuds. "How long were you out?" she asked, sitting down once more, her own dinner in hand.

Casey glanced at the clock beneath the television. "About four hours, I guess." She smiled softly. "Wow. That's more than I've gotten all month." She laughed wryly.

Olivia didn't laugh with her. Casey had a way of deflecting her pain with sarcasm, and Olivia could only listen and comfort her whenever she could. Casey sighed, taking a small bite of kung pao chicken. "How did the interrogation go?" she asked.

There it was. The question Olivia had so desperately been avoiding. She sighed deeply, considering how best to break the news. "Well, there's good information and bad," she replied hesitantly. "The good news is that he confessed to everything. He's going down, Casey. We will make sure of that."

"And the bad news?" Casey asked, her emerald eyes searching Olivia's chocolate brown ones pleadingly. "What's the bad news, Olivia? I can handle it."

"The bad news," Olivia began carefully, "concerns his partner. He admits he had one, and even laughed about his buddy's stamina. But he refuses to name names, and Alex is refusing to offer him a deal, so we aren't going to get that out of him anytime soon."

Casey shook her head, her fingers trembling as she took another tiny bite of her dinner. "I wouldn't offer him a deal, either, if...things were reversed," she mumbled. "There would be no guarantee that the name would even check out if he received a deal, or even that he would accept one." She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. "I guess one is better than two. At least he confessed. Or bragged, or whatever you want to call it. But, Olivia, I need you to do something for me."

"You name it," Olivia murmured automatically.

"Will you talk to Alex?" Casey asked hopefully. "I just want this to end, Olivia. Trials take forever, you know that. And I know, as a prosecutor, I should be doing anything but advocating an easy close, but I also can't handle the thought of being on the other side of the desk. It's nothing against Alex. It's merely the fact that I can't see myself in the witness box. Every time I try to prep myself, the visual refuses to come. And besides...forget everything I just said. One is not better than nothing, no matter what I try to convince myself of." Casey exhaled sharply. "I just want it over with. Please, Olivia. Please convince Alex to plead him out and get the other name."

Olivia fell silent for several moments. She was shocked, especially since, as Casey herself had admitted, the redhead was a prosecutor, and a ruthless one at that. But hearing Casey's plea, and seeing the woman she loved so broken and beaten down made her realize just how badly Casey needed this. It wasn't that she wasn't strong enough for a trial. Olivia knew it would destroy Casey's thoughts towards her own career, and that would be just another thing for her to lose because of this attack. She couldn't let that happen. So, taking a deep breath, Olivia finally nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to her," she answered. "But I can't guarantee she'll say yes."

"You would think you would have more pull over someone you used to sleep with," Casey muttered, popping another piece of chicken into her mouth and chewing it silently. But then she shrugged. "Well, thank you. And thanks for dinner."

For the next half hour or so, the two women fell silent, eating their dinner in peace. Afterwards, Olivia finished the dishes and Casey took a bath. It was the first time since the attack that Olivia hadn't heard her crying when she thought she was alone. It was taking time, of course, but Casey was healing remarkably fast, given what had happened to her. She still wasn't able to sleep through the night, except after several nights of nothing, and then only because she finally crashed. Olivia held her at night, but Casey's nightmares weren't as frequent or as terrifying as they had been at the beginning.

Hearing the bath water shut off, Olivia sighed, pouring herself a glass of wine and sipping it carefully. Casey had experienced the entire spectrum of emotion since the assault. At the beginning, when she found out that Olivia had been flirting and making out with someone else instead of answering her phone, Casey had oscillated between screaming at her for letting her get hurt, and crumpling into a heap, sobbing that she didn't mean it.

The one good thing to come out of the ordeal was its effect on Casey and Olivia's relationship. It had given Olivia perspective, forcing her to realize what she had almost lost. They had officially entered a relationship, though, of course, not a sexual one..at least since their first night together. But for now, Olivia was just to content to hold the woman she loved in her arms, to heal her, to love her.

"Olivia?" Casey called from the bedroom. "Have you seen my phone?"

Olivia looked around the kitchen and living room, spotting Casey's phone on the coffee table. "It's out here," she called back. "Just lie down, and I'll be in there in a few minutes with your medicine."

Grabbing the phone, Olivia set it on the counter, and used her own phone to dial Alex's number. It was only eight thirty, so she knew Alex would answer. Holding the phone to her ear, the brunette set to work uncapping Casey's medicine. Just as she grabbed another green tea from the refrigerator, Alex's phone went to voicemail. "Alex, it's me," Olivia said after the voicemail prompt finished. "I need to talk to you about Matthews. If you could stop by sometime tonight, I would appreciate it. It's urgent." Olivia hung up, dropping the phone into the pocket of her slacks.

She glanced down at the pills in the little cup. Casey was still on painkillers, albeit a much lower dose. She was also on a light sedative, to help her sleep when she really needed it, and an anti-anxiety medication. It made Olivia sad to know that the woman who never took anything stronger than ibuprofen had to take such strong drugs. But that part of the healing process. And Olivia would be there with her for every step.

Entering the bedroom, Olivia found Casey sitting up in bed. She handed the younger woman her pills and her drink, then her phone. "Here you go, honey. Bottoms' up."

"Thanks," Casey mumbled, taking the pills and turning onto her side. "Did you call Alex?" she asked.

Olivia nodded, wrapping an arm around the younger woman as Casey cuddled into her for comfort. "I did," she murmured, stroking Casey's long red curls. "I asked her to come here tonight, so I don't have to leave your side." She placed a gentle kiss on the top of Casey's head. "Just relax for now. I'm not going anywhere," she promised.