A/N: Nobot, air high five! :) Hang in there y'all the show is about to get good! Thanks for the reviews - keeps my mojo running...well that and Hozier today... ;)

Present Day...

Liz Donnelly paced her office. She didn't like meddling in the affairs of others. As a matter of a fact, Liz Donnelly prided herself on staying above the table. She was a firm believer that when friends messed around in the intimate affairs of their friends bad things happened.

Laughing to herself, the older blonde realized that is likely how this whole mess got started. Sometimes the younger DA's just didn't know how to not interfere in there friends lives. She wondered if she, Jack, and Nora ever acted like that, surely not. Then again she and Nora did set Jack up a lot and also tell him to break it off when needed. Maybe she wasn't as above the table as she thought...

Eleven months earlier...

Alex Cabot smiled as she made her way home that evening. Nothing could get her mood down tonight, not even the horrible traffic of New York City. She had just received the best call ever and best of all she was headed home to her beautiful girlfriend who'd been out of town all week.

She and Casey had been sorting out their new relationship after getting snowed in at the cabin for a week and a half. Over board games and puzzles they hammered out the finer points of their relationship and spent countless hours discovering the wonders of each other's bodies and sharing finer intimate details of their lives they wouldn't tell any other person in the world. Alex smiled remembering dancing together in the kitchen while cooking dinner one night. She loved how it quickly became their thing.

They'd found easy ways to negotiate any problem they crossed. Maybe it was the snow, maybe it was just they were meant to be together, but ever hurdle they discovered they handled well. One point Alex had been terrified to cross was Casey's dress appearance.

As awful as it sounded, Alex needed Casey to dress more conservatively if they were going to be in a relationship. When she finally got the nerve over a game of Scrabble to mention this Casey stared at her with a frown for a minute. Alex was waiting for her to explode like Audrey would have but Casey just agreed as long as Alex agreed to lighten up and live a little. Alex questioned what exactly that meant. Casey smiled and said Alex had to learn to live and be spontaneous with Casey. Anytime she turned Casey down on an adventure Casey got to wear something skimpy. They sealed the arrangement over a kiss.

So the last five weeks had been smooth sailing. Arriving back to New York City, Alex discovered that Audrey had moved out and left Alex's car parked in the garage and her keys on the counter. It was the easiest break up Alex had ever experienced, and to celebrate Casey came over with a bottle of wine and a bottle of Redi-whip. They broke in every room of the apartment that night.

The couple rarely spent a night apart, and this last week had been hell because Alex had gotten so use to sleeping with Casey in her arms. As a result, she'd slept a lot less and spent much of the night tossing and turning or pacing the floor. She'd never had that problem with Audrey. It just showed her how much she truly loved Casey.

Pulling into the parking garage below the apartment complex, Alex's heart sped up in her chest at the sight of Casey's Range Rover. She was so excited she didn't notice the angry brunette waiting for her by the elevator. Climbing out of her car, Alex headed over to the lift. The sight of Audrey instantly made her stomach turn sour.

"Audrey, hi." Alex said weakly.

"Hi? Really? Why is that redheaded tramp in our apartment Alex?" Audrey snapped.

Alex sighed standing by the elevator. She wanted to get on and go up, but she didn't want Audrey to follow. Taking a breath to steady her nerves, Alex asked, "Why are you here Audrey? We broke up; even more you deserted me at a cabin with an enormous snow storm blowing in! So what the hell Audrey, why are you here?"

Audrey's eyes went wide, "Why am I here? I am your girlfriend Alexandra, that's why! The better question is why that redheaded slut is in our apartment."

Alex's blood was boiling with fury. Invading Audrey's personal space, she spoke sharply, "Stop calling my girlfriend names. You treated me like shit Audrey. I wouldn't be with you if you were the last woman on earth. I love Casey and she loves me, and she treats me well. She treats me like you are supposed to treat someone you love, with love and support, something you know nothing of Audrey! So screw off!"

Not caring if Audrey followed Alex got on the elevator. As the doors started to close Audrey called out, "How is old Casey going to do at the Governors Ball Alexandra?"

Alex nodded. Now it made sense. Audrey had heard about the ball and wanted to go. That's why she showed back up today. What's worse was now she was trying to put thoughts in Alex's head about Casey screwing it up.

As the lift arrived at Alex's floor she pulled out her cell phone and found the number of a 24 hr locksmith. Calling him outside her apartment she offered him an additional $200 to come immediately. She wanted to make sure this never happened again. She loved Casey and didn't want to see her hurt, she could only imagine how upset she was going to be walking in the apartment.

Unlocking the door and walking down the hall to the kitchen, she finds Casey pacing in front of the kitchen island. "I saw Audrey," Alex says.

Casey stops pacing at the sound of Alex's voice and looks up smiling at the blonde. Running into Alex's arms, Casey kisses the blonde over and over saying, "I...missed...you...so...much!"

Alex flips Casey backwards in her arms and kisses her passionately for a moment before flipping her back up and laughing. Casey smiles at Alex as she walks to the island and pours Alex a glass of wine, "I was having the worst day until you came home."

"Tell me about it..."

"Well know about the Ice Cunt. Then we couldn't work out a deal with the inmate, then while getting coffee with Serena, Abbie and Kim today you'll never guess who showed up!" Casey stated animatedly.

"Who?"

"Andrea! She is back in town." Casey says with a scowl.

Alex just stared she wasn't sure what to say. Finally she managed, "Andrea, as in you ex? As in Andrea Holden the civil rights attorney? As in your law school girlfriend?"

"Yes, that Andrea. Are you freaking out?"

"No, yes, I don't know." Alex says sitting at the island. "So what happened?"

Casey smiled, "Nothing really. Kim and Abbie were talking about their plans to visit the fertility doctor, and telling me again how I am changing myself for all the wrong reasons."

"God, they hate me…"

"Then," Casey continued, "I saw her." Casey paused remembering her ex's smile from across the restaurant as she noticed Casey, and how Andrea's sea foam colored eyes lit up as she talked about be happy to be back in New York City. She had seemed genuinely happy for once and that made Casey happy.

"Casey, should I be worried?" Alex asked in a tentative voice seeing how her girlfriend stopped talking and seemed to be reminiscing over her ex.

"No, it's just Andrea seemed at peace for once and it was nice to see. We split up for all the right reasons. We just weren't a good match. Plus, she was battling her own demons, but she seems really happy now and I am happy for her if she's happy. Anyway, dealing with Kim and Abbie was enough, and I finally got here and thought 'great, I can take a long bath before Alex gets back,' and then Audrey showed up. She literally let herself in Alex. We need to change the locks." Casey stated.

Alex grinned, "Already taken care of baby, the locksmith is on his way."

"Thank god. Had she come five minutes later she would have caught me in the tub."

"I'd like to catch you in the tub." Alex whispered.

"I am sure you would. Anyway, she was just as awful as she always is to me. Calling me names and asking how long you had been cheating on her."

Alex shakes her head at the news. "She is so crazy. I am sorry you had to deal with her alone. I made my feelings clear to her downstairs."

"Thanks babe. Well, since you are home and the locksmith will be here any minute I am going to go get into that tub." Casey replied with an evil grin.

"That's not fair!" Alex called out to her girlfriend as she watched her walk through the living space to the bedroom. "Hey, wait Case! I forgot to tell you the big news!"

"Let me guess, you got invited to the Governor's Ball?" Casey asked.

"How did you…let me guess Kim?"

"Yep, she blew the whistle. I am excited baby, as long as I am your date that is…" Casey smiled.

"Of course you are darling. Go get your bath now." Alex said shooing a smiling skipping Casey off in the direction of the tub. Casey's silly goofy nature was starting to rub off on Alex. She both loved and feared it. However, she never doubted for a second that she and Casey were perfect for one another.