A/C

Casey was starting to cope with the situation at hand. Olivia had been nothing if not totally honest with her. She knew they had coffee the day before, that Alex had been with another woman while she was away, but that her heart had belonged to Olivia the whole time.

There was nothing Casey could do until Olivia's heart reached clarity, so the ADA tried to keep herself busy with work, so she didn't just break down and cry.

Unfortunately, the redhead did not have much to occupy herself with outside of Olivia. She had some friends from softball, but they were also Olivia's friends, so it would be awkward to talk to them. She was friendly with Abbie and Serena, but they were Alex's friends more than hers, which was also awkward.

She couldn't reach out to her family either. They had broken off their ties with her when she told them of her relationship with Olivia.

I wish I wasn't so fucking lonely right now.

Casey was staring at her screen, not doing any work when she got a phone call.

"Novak."

"Hi, Casey, it's Alex. I was wondering if you wanted to get pizza after work."

"What?"

"Pizza, the American staple that most people think is Italian but was actually invented by the Vikings who were Scandinavian and Irish, so in a way, your people invented pizza."

Casey snorted. "I know what pizza is. I was more surprised that you were inviting me."

"Why wouldn't I invite you?"

Maybe because we're both in love with the same woman? "Other than the obvious reason?"

"The way I see it, we're both in the same boat for the foreseeable future. I think you are probably the only other person who can understand what I'm going through right now. Also, I need to unwind before I take my team out for drinks."

"Sure, where did you want to go?"

"Grimaldi's."

They met there at 5:30.

"I'm supposed to eat dinner with my team, but I'll probably just get a salad tonight."

"What's your team like?"

Alex started to describe them. Jim was the hardass who seemed to sleep with any woman he could get, one of them the ADA working under him. Peluso might have a drinking problem. Christina was new and nervous, and unfortunately, her former mentor had been murdered months before.

"They're an interesting bunch. I never saw myself as the boss before. It's weird."

"Everyone has you pegged for the DA's chair," Casey told her.

"So I've heard, but it's weird being removed from the courtroom. I have to adapt to other people's talents, flaws, and litigation strategies."

"Before you know it, there will be 6 Alex Cabots running around. The defense bar should watch out."

Alex laughed. "Oh Steele in heels, that would be amazing."

Casey started to chuckle. They got a pepperoni and capers pizza and some Guinness to wash it down.

"What do you do for fun?" Alex asked her red-haired counterpart.

"I like to play softball, and I am a Phillie's fan to Liv's chagrin."

"I raise you the Red Sox, and yes, I sent her a letter after we reversed the curse."

"She didn't tell me about that."

"Oh, I also sent her a fitting jersey for her to wear."

"I bet she burned it."

The women laughed.

"What do you do for fun?" Casey turned the question back to Alex.

"Well, pre-WP Alex loved the New York art scene, galleries, museums, theater, concerts, anything that reminded me that the world was a beautiful place, and there was more to my life than punishing human depravity.

While I was away, I had to find other outlets, so I chose dance."

"Like ballroom dance?"

Alex laughed. "No, like clubbing."

"You clubbing?" Casey couldn't believe it.

"I can pop lock and drop it just like anyone else," Alex insisted.

"I don't even know what that is."

"Then we should get a group together and go out."

Somewhere down the line, Alex and Casey started building a friendship. Here was their first test. Olivia called.

"Hey, Honey what's up?"

"…"

"I already ate dinner. Do you want me to bring you some?"

"…"

"I got pizza with Alex."

"…"

"Yes, Alex Cabot. I don't know any other ones."

"…"

"Maybe she just likes me better than you," Casey teased.

"…"

"We got pepperoni and capers."

"…"

"See you soon."

"…"

"Mind if I give her the leftovers?"

"Go for it. I have another dinner today."

"How do you stay so thin?"

"Sex," Alex deadpanned, "Also dancing."

Casey raised a brow. "You are quite a character."

"Are you surprised?"

"I guess I shouldn't be. You are more like your brother than I expected."

The Cabots graciously invited Casey and Olivia to Christmas last year. Neither woman had a family to go home to, so Alexander insisted that they come to Boston. Alex would have wanted it this way.

Alex turned up her nose. "I am nothing like him," she said in an exaggerated French accent.

"You two do the same stupid accents."

"Our mother was French. It's a real accent, minus the exaggeration."

"Are you a French citizen?"

"Dual," Alex told her.

"That's so classy!"

Alex shrugged. "I love my food, my wine, and my women. I'm a classic French girl."

"You should ditch the power suits and just dress like Coco Chanel."

"I'll think about it."

C/O

Casey realized she was in a good mood on her way to Olivia's apartment. She hadn't been in a good mood in days.

When she rang the bell, Olivia opened the door quickly and pulled the redhead into the apartment. "Hello, Beautiful."

They shared a quick kiss.

"How was your day?"

"I didn't get as much done as I should have, but it was nice to get out of the office."

Olivia was ready to eat. "This is good. Where did you go?"

"Grimaldi's."

"Have we been there before?" Olivia felt like she had been there, but she couldn't remember when or with whom.

"I think the team gets pizza from there sometimes."

"Right. So how was dinner?"

"It was surprisingly fun. We both needed to blow off some steam. She wanted to pregame before having dinner with her team."

"She got pizza with you before dinner?"

"Yeah."

"What did you want to do tonight?"

"How about we just stay in and watch movies?"

"I'd like that."

They went with Terminator II a modern classic.

Both women felt more at ease with each other than they had been as of recent.

"I don't know why, but today feels a lot better than the earlier days have," Casey told her.

"I agree," Olivia responded. "There was so much tension before. I never knew what to say or do, so I'd just stare at you."

Casey kissed her softly. "Don't be afraid to approach me."

"I'll try."