Comfort
Her eyes closed, Olivia sat at home with her mind spinning around at the murder of Elias Barrera. The whole case was a nightmare from the beginning. Elias was a seven year old who brought a gun to school to protect himself from gang bangers, but he killed a little girl instead. Alex had had no choice but to try him as an adult, but he was acquitted when his fears over Machete came out. He was gunned down by another kid in front of his home.
Liv's heart felt like it was being squeezed by a vice for the poor child. It was always the children that threatened to undo a good cop. She sighed as she again tried to put Elias out of her mind. She sipped at the glass of wine and was thinking hard about switching to the Stoli vodka in her freezer when the door buzzer rang out.
Sighing she got up and walked over to the intercom.
"Who is it?" She said lowly.
"Alex Cabot." Came the reply. "Can I come up? Please?"
Liv sighed, a three way fencing battle between herself, her attraction to Cabot and the ADA herself wasn't what she wanted tonight.
"Please, Olivia?"
Liv's eyes watered at the tone. Alex was apparently feeling the same thing she was. Before she could think better, her instincts kicked in and she jammed her thumb against the door release.
She instantly regretted her caring nature and walked away to throw on a shirt, seeing the ADA while wearing a tank top and no bra was just unacceptable.
She pulled on her blue NYPD tshirt and returned to the door just in time for Alex to knock. Liv braced herself swiped at her eyes and unlocked the deadbolt. Alex stood, still in her court suit, with puffy eyes and a bottle of wine.
"I, um, I just… don't… want to be alone." She said hesitantly.
Liv held the door open and guided the ADA in.
"I'm really not in the mood for politics tonight." Liv said.
"I…" she looked around and settled on the bottle of wine and the glass on the coffee table, she spun around and looked straight into Liv's eyes. "No politics. No arguments. I just want… someone who… understands."
A tear rolled down Alex's cheek. A tear that Liv knew all too well.
She shut and re-locked her door, "Let me get you a glass."
Alex nodded and slipped out of her heels.
Liv went into her tiny kitchen and pulled out a clean wine glass and returned to see Alex sitting on her couch. Her jacket was draped over the arm and her heels were on the floor. She'd already located Liv's Kleenex and had one pressed under her eyes.
Liv quietly placed the glass in front of her and sat down next to her. She hesitated but put an arm over Alex. The ADA scooted next to her and leaned her body against, Liv's. "He was only seven."
"I know." Liv said.
"And that boy killed him over race, because he shot a black girl." Alex broke down. "He was only seven!"
Liv slipped both arms around the ADA as she cried into Liv's shoulder, "I know, sweetie."
Alex responded by pulling Liv closer, Liv leaned back against the couch and let the ADA cry it out, Her own turmoil all but forgotten as she settled in to doing what she did best, Protect and console. Alex didn't know it but the distraction of taking care of the lawyer was what the detective needed to put it past her.
Liv gently stroked Alex's hair, offering whatever comfort she had. Soon the ADA stopped shaking and crying, then she stopped moving altogether.
She could barely feel Alex's breathing through her wet t-shirt but the ADA's ribs were still moving, at a much slower pace. Liv looked down to see that Alex had cried herself to sleep. She looked so peaceful and angelic, a far cry from the icy mask she so often wore. Liv gently pulled the DA's glasses off and reached to set them on the table.
Alex groaned softly and placed her full lips to Liv's neck for a gentle kiss. Liv froze at the gentle suction and again placed a hand on the young woman's ribs. She was still asleep.
Liv dropped the glasses on the table and, holding Alex to her, Laid down on the couch. The ADA settled in next to her and remained blissfully asleep. A hand on Liv's stomach, Alex rested her chin just above the swell of Liv's left breast, her head on Liv's shoulder.
"You're going to feel awkward tomorrow aren't you."
Alex sighed.
Olivia gently pulled the blanket that was on the back rest of the couch over them before again cradling Alex to her. "Sleep well, Alex. I've got you." She whispered.
A slight smile creased Alex's face.
Attachment
She was so comfortable, pressed against lovely curves with a unique scent filling her nose. Alex breathed in gently taking more of the lovely scent in. She couldn't imagine a flower that smelled better. Her hand drifted to the side of the body and gently gripped the ribs next to ample mounds. She let her leg drift up to hook over well shaped thighs in sweatpants, her head resting against a feminine shoulder, her forehead against a feminine neck. Alex felt like she was in heaven.
Then she remembered that she didn't have a girlfriend.
Alex's eyes fluttered open slowly, her conscious mind returning at a crawl as she tried to figure out where she was and who she was with. Her eyes darted around an unfamiliar room and as she lifted her head slowly she felt an arm around her pulling her back down gently.
Alex pulled back enough to see the sleeping face of Olivia Benson.
Oh my god, what have I done!?
Alex tried to force her mind awake and remember exactly what had happened last night. She'd been feeling lost and upset over Elias Barrera's death and she'd raced across town to seek some kind of comforting knowledge from one of her detectives. Only the lunch with Benson stood out in her mind so she'd called the night court DA's office and gotten her address.
Benson had let her come in and she'd broken down. Benson hadn't said much but had held her tight while she cried. Neither one of them had had a drink and sure enough as Alex looked at the table, she found her wine unopened with an empty glass next to it. Liv's bottle was corked with half a glass, the same amount as when Alex walked in.
Yet here she was, on Benson's couch, tangled up with the beautiful detective, under a throw blanket.
A really comfortable throw blanket.
Alex felt her throat tighten and her stomach dropped as Benson sighed gently and opened her eyes.
Oh this is going to be awkward.
She sighed in contentment as she awoke to a lean body draped over her own. But as her hand gently stroked the silken shirt, she remembered that the person next to her was Alex and that they were not this close. She stilled her hand and tried to figure out how to untangle herself from the sexy DA.
The body stiffened slightly and Liv knew that it was too late, Alex was awake.
She slid her hand up the back to the shoulder and gripped it gently, "It's okay." She whispered.
Liv slid away enough to look at the wide eyed woman. "Feel better?"
"What?" She replied.
"A good night's sleep with a friend holding you together always helped me."
Alex relaxed slightly, "Were friends now? When did we cross that line?"
Liv smiled, "When you came over in need of one."
Alex nodded and rested her head back on Liv's shoulder. "What time is it?"
Liv lifted one of her wrists then the other. She remembered feeling something snag her shirt last night and gently lifted Alex's arm to where she could read the expensive watch.
"Seven thirty in the morning." She said and placed the hand back where it was.
Alex rose up on one arm and looked at her watch, "Oh crap."
She struggled to get out of the blanket and finally managed to get it over the edge of the couch. She grabbed the arm of the couch and slung a long leg over Olivia and rested it on the floor. Her skirt was bunched up to her waist, and Liv got a clear view of the lacy white underwear the DA was wearing. Alex slung her other leg over and felt around the floor for her glasses, giving Liv a prime view of her backside, and thong.
Liv sputtered, as Alex rose up and felt around the couch. "What are you looking for?"
"My glasses." She said. "I was wearing them when I came over."
"On the table."
Alex turned around and found them immediately. She then pulled her shirt straight and blushed as she realized her skirts position. She slid it in place and groaned at the wrinkled mess. "Oh shit!"
Liv rose up and caught her hand.
"Hey relax, you don't have to run off."
Alex shook her head, "You don't understand. I have to get home, shower, change. I have a meeting with Councilman Draper at nine o'clock at his country club."
She threw on her suit jacket and scrambled to find her shoes. "Damn. I need to call a car, I'll never make it."
"Hey," Liv said in a calm voice, "Relax, I'll drive. Just give me a minute to put some clothes on and I'll drive you to your meeting."
Alex thought about it for a second and realized that Liv could get her home and over to the club in time. Though showing up in a cruiser might not be the best impression, she could spin that. Being late was inexcusable. "Okay but please hurry."
Liv stood up, stretched and headed into her bedroom. "Could you start the coffee? Just push the silver button." She disappeared into the room.
Alex went into the kitchen and pushed the silver button, the coffee maker lit up and started its thing.
She turned around to tell Olivia to hurry again when she froze. She had a clear view of Olivia back as she stood in front of a dresser. The detective pulled her shirt off to reveal her wide shoulders and bare back. Alex bit her lip at the sight. But when Benson slid her arms into a bra and reached behind her to clasp it, Alex actually whimpered.
Liv threw on a shirt and slid out of her sweats.
The sight of Liv's backside made Alex groan as the detective pulled on a set of jeans. Liv turned and Alex spun around to see that the coffee maker had turned off but only filled half of the carafe. Liv walked out of her bedroom and immediately went to the scent of hot goodness, and the coffee.
Grow up Benson. She thought to herself as she pulled a travel mug out of the cupboard. She filled it and went to her refrigerator to get her creamer. "Do you want some?"
Alex blinked, realizing that she'd stood completely motionless, "Um, no, thank you."
Liv nodded, poured some creamer in and returned it to the fridge. After screwing the cap on she took her gun and badge out of the drawer and attached them to her waist. "Okay, were all set." She took the keys off the counter and guided Alex to the door.
As expected it hadn't taken Liv long to drive to Alex's uptown condo. A quick badging to the guard and Liv drove into the parking garage below the building. Alex had never actually been in this part of her building before, but Benson's car looked out of place among the high end rides.
Liv parked near the elevator and left her NYPD parking permit on the dash. They rode the elevator up to the top floor and Alex lead the way to her condo.
As they entered, Liv paused, taking in the setting. Alex's condo was twice as large as her apartment but furnished with things that Liv knew cost a fortune. It was all tasteful, expensive, and like it's owner, beautiful.
"This is a really nice place." Liv said as she sipped at her coffee.
Alex nodded, "Thank you. My room is down the hall, I'll be back in a few minutes, please make yourself comfortable."
Easiest way to do that is to leave. The frigging throw pillow costs more than my apartment.
Liv decided that the place she could drink her coffee with the least risk of damage from a stray drop was in the kitchen. She wished she would have waited in the car. Stone tile, granite countertops and mahogany cabinets. The silverware on the counter looked like real sterling silver.
"She's loaded. That's all." Liv said to herself, "Alex is stinking rich."
She waited for what felt like forever and finished her coffee. Rinsing her travel mug out in the sink, Liv left it there as she peered around Alex's home. The condo had a well laid out living room that surrounded a gas fireplace, a full out formal dining room and a huge balcony. Everything here screamed that Alex was worth millions, even at age twenty-six. Liv shook her head, when she's worth all of this and can have anyone she wants, what in the world would she do with you, Liv?
She sighed and looked down the hallway. The last door on the right was closed but the others were open. Liv decided to keep looking around, more to kill time than anything else. The first room was a fully styled guest room since there were no personal items of any kind in the room. The full size four poster bed was amazing, as were the dressers. Liv quietly backed out of the room and looked in the next one. This one was an at home office with a huge desk, one of those plush executive chairs that she only saw when she was arresting someone in a fortune five hundred company, and a bookshelf lined with law books. Several awards sat on the shelves and Liv looked them over.
Valedictorian from Harvard Law in Boston. Several awards from Boston Cambridge University, a handful of other awards, all from the Boston Area and each one had a picture of her holding the award, but the one thing that really stood out was how alone Alex looked in each of the pictures.
There were one or two of Alex with a sharply dressed boy here or there but even then Alex looked like she was completely alone. Except for one, and it sat on the desk.
Alex was standing in a formal ball gown around eighteen years old. A wide smile on her face as she was being held by a woman who could only be Alex's mother, since they looked so very much alike, and what Liv assumed was Alex's father though there wasn't much of a resemblance. It was the only picture where Alex looked happy, really happy.
"Olivia?" She heard her name being called from down the hall.
Liv walked out of the office to see the last door was open, "Alex did you call me?"
"Yes, could you help me please?"
Liv walked in to see Alex standing in the middle of a huge closet wearing a dark blue dress and trying in vain to reach the zipper. "
"Could you please zip me?" Alex asked.
Liv caught sight of her perfectly flawless back and had to stifle the thought of dragging her lips against it. "Sure." She gently pulled the zipper up with one hand while grasping the bottom of the zipper, near Alex's butt, with her other. Trying to keep her focus, she finished but without any thought on her end, Liv put her hand on Alex's bare shoulder, "There you go."
Alex nodded and turned around. "Does it look alright."
Liv's mouth watered at the sight of that dress clinging to such a beautiful woman. She swallowed hard, "Yeah. Uh, it looks gorgeous on you."
Alex ran her hands down the material and sighed, "I think this would look better on you than me."
Liv arched an eyebrow at her, "not possible. I couldn't fit my butt in that, let alone my rack."
Alex glanced at the anatomy in question and back to her own, "Okay the chest I will give you, but your hips could fit in this." Alex selected a jacket that would compliment the dress and slid her arms into it.
"Is there a place where the rules of fashion are written down some where."
Alex looked over at her, "What do you mean?"
"A formal dress with a suit jacket?"
Alex smiled, "This isn't a formal dress, it's just a simple Maxi, the jacket is just to turn it from sexy to professional."
Liv nodded. "Okay. Like I said, is there a place where I can get a hard copy of these rules?"
Alex smiled, "I wish. They change all the time. Let me put on some eyeshadow and lipstick and we can go."
Liv nodded as they left the closet, Oh the irony there.
Alex stepped into her huge bathroom and pulled open a drawer of cosmetics. She selected a compact and gently used the small sponge to highlight her eyes, then she chose a red lipstick and applied it gently to her full lips. Afterwards she capped the stick and dropped it into the pocket of her jacket.
Alex picked up yesterday's suit jacket and took out her phone, her keys and a small stylish wallet and placed them in her current jacket.
"Okay I'm ready." Alex said and smiled warmly at Olivia, "Thank you again for doing this for me."
Liv nodded, "We'd better go if you want to make it on time."
"Alright." As Alex walked passed her full length stand up mirror, she paused and slipped off the jacket. Sighing she emptied the jacket pockets on her bed and draped the blazer over it. She walked back into her closet and selected the matching clutch.
"What happened to professional?"
"As Alex put her things in the purse she smiled, "Councilman Draper is kind of a letch. I just remembered Sandy, my legal aid, heard that Draper's wife is on a shopping spree in Miami."
"So sexy will get your agenda through the Councilman a little easier?" Liv shook her head, "You are a politician."
Alex's face chilled, "I am what I was brought up to be. One day, I'll be sitting in the DA's office and then we'll see some real change."
Liv pinched her brows at the sudden change in Alex's demeanor. Up until now, Alex was warm, and sweet. Now she was again the Ice Princess.
Alex lead the way out of her bedroom, out of the condo, and again they rode the elevator down to the garage.
Liv pulled up to Draper's Country club with ten minutes to spare. Unfortunately for Alex, Draper was also getting out of a Town Car. He spotted her in the blue dress almost immediately.
"Miss Cabot." He said with a wolfish grin, "riding around in a police car."
Alex looked to Olivia and there was a plea in her eye.
Liv smiled and climbed out.
"Councilman Draper, this is Detective Benson from Special Victims," she said, "Our meeting ran over so the detective was kind enough to run me over."
Some days I'd like too. Liv thought.
Alex let slip her mask for a second, "Thank you, Detective. I appreciate the ride."
Liv nodded, "Counselor, call if you need anything. Councilman." She got back into her car.
Alex mouth "Thank you" again, Liv smiled and drove away. In her rear view mirror she didn't like the way the councilman's eyes dragged along Alex's rear.
"Just give me a reason to throw your ass in the Tombs." She said as she turned the corner.