A.N. Never thought I'd update this story again. Also, I rewrote chapter 1 because I couldn't live with how terrible it was. I think it reads better now :)
Happy Reading :)
4 hours before Court
Olivia pulled on a fresh white t-shirt and jeans. A tame smile plastered on her face as she secured her belt and clipped the empty holster to her hip, looking to the woman fast asleep amid the sheets; her musings finally answered. Alex was just as beautiful under the suit as she always thought.
'Don't do too much too soon.'
She had to keep some restraint, but God was it hard. She'd never forget the way Alex called her name. It echoed wildly in her thoughts. Her eyes drifted over Alex's bare skin and she bit her lip as she approached the bed. The sheet covered the prosecutor—mostly, her skin peeking from beneath the fabric's scrunched and tousled mess.
"Alex…" Olivia climbed atop and said at nearly a whisper, completely content to let Alex sleep. She hooked the sheet in her grasp, pulled it back with careful ease, and kissed Alex's hip. She glanced up to see if Alex moved.
No response.
She kissed Alex's waist, her lips traipsing delicately up smooth skin.
"Alex…" Olivia said a little louder and kissed Alex's shoulder, their cheeks brushing as Alex stirred and cracked an eye open but closed it.
"Hm…"
Olivia kissed her temple, pressing deeper, as though it could be the last time she did. Alex shifted and turned beneath her, but her kiss lingered, just a little longer. "Time to get up."
With a groan Alex buried her face in the pillow. "…no", came her muffled answer.
Olivia smiled. She always thought Alex would be a morning person, but this explained why everyone in the squad room knew not to visit her office before nine o'clock. She might have been at the office well before then but was known to snap without her morning dose of caffeine.
"Come on." Olivia said soft to the woman beneath her, her hand stroking Alex's back.
"What time is it?"
"6:15."
"Ugh…you're the worst."
"Am I?" A grin stretched across Olivia's face as she leaned in and kissed right between Alex's shoulder blades, the prosecutor tensing at her touch. "That's not what you said last night."
Alex turned her head with a smile. "You're doing a horrible job of getting me out of bed."
With a chuckle Olivia laid beside her, scooping Alex into her arms, Alex's cheek pressed to her chest.
"You didn't have to wake me up this early."
"Something told me I should."
Alex pushed herself up with a well-deserved stretch, her hair tousled, and the sheet slipping down, until it lay discarded beside her. Olivia held her at the waist and kept her eyes up. "This isn't the worst way to wake up." Alex said and touched Olivia's face. She leaned in, her other hand searching for the hem of Olivia's shirt.
"I just took a shower." Olivia said but resisted with only a weak, loose grasp around Alex's wrist.
"Great, now you can take another one…with me."
Alex kissed her.
"I just put these clothes on."
"And you can put them back on later."
2 Hours before Court
Back to the real world…
Showered and clothed, with desires tamed, they sat side by side on the couch; Alex's hand in both of Olivia's, and Olivia's hair wet for the second time that morning.
"You'll do fine."
"I know. I always get nervous about the jury though. I've seen some full-proof cases go down in flames because a jury surprised everyone."
"So have I."
Alex looked into her eyes and smiled, but her gaze drifted down. "Of course..."
Olivia was always in the courtroom when she could be, sitting right behind her, tense but patient as the story unfolded on the witness stand. Whether the odds were in their favor or not, Olivia would give a subtle nod, rarely more, if their gazes crossed paths. 'Doing good. You got this. I'm here with you.' That simple nod meant so many things.
She leaned into Olivia, communicating her need with a non-negotiable nudge into the detective's chest and Olivia complied, nestling into the corner of the couch, pulling Alex close as Alex laid against her with a sigh.
Olivia held her gently but fully, and a moment later Alex reached behind herself to break Olivia's folded grasp at her back, taking Olivia's hand into her own and entwining their fingers.
Olivia's intuition was spot on. She needed to wake up early enough to go through the motions of getting her head together. She'd stress—on the inside, of course—until her nerves passed. Then she'd comb through her notes one last time until she finally felt satisfied with her preparation. All this while managing to get dressed.
"It'll work out. I'll be right there with you."
Olivia gave her a squeeze and Alex's response caught in her throat. Was there nothing she could say to convey how much this woman meant to her, without crossing a very delicate line? No words seemed like enough.
"We can meet up after the trial—"
*knock, knock*
They both tensed at the knock at the door. Alex squeezed Olivia's hand, but Olivia slipped out of her grasp and took the gun from the coffee table.
"It's El."
Olivia breathed and holstered her weapon, opening the door. "Hey." She said and ran a hand through her damp hair.
'Rocking the wet hair vibe, huh.' Elliot gave Olivia a once over and glanced over her shoulder to Alex. 'She must've dried hers, smart.'
"Ready to go?" Olivia's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Hope you two are in the mood for breakfast tacos." Elliot held up a paper bag and raised his brow at the stifled laugh turned "cough" from Cabot on the couch, as she turned her face away and cleared her throat.
Olivia glanced over her shoulder then looked down, biting a smile that threatened to break. "Maybe Later." She said with a calm tone, trying to disguise the crack in her resolve.
"Are you kidding? I went through a shit-ton of traffic to get these."
Olivia looked at her watch. "We should get going anyway." She said and moved from the doorway, pulling on the same leather jacket she arrived with the night before.
The two gathered their overnight bags in silence, then brushed past him and quickly slipped out of the room.
'They're acting strange.'
The room was quiet, too quiet, but a conversation hung in the air. He'd interrupted something, a moment maybe. There was no way two women, who were friends at the very least, spent the morning meandering in silence. The two practically gravitated towards each other anytime they were in the same room. Then their glances turned to stares. Alex would come to the precinct to inform the team about changes to a case, and she did, looking exclusively at Olivia for most of it. Then she'd catch herself—the best part to watch—and look down. Funny thing was, that's when Olivia looked down too.
'Maybe nothing happ—'
He backed out of the room; the door nearly closed when the sight of the disheveled bed caught his eye. He studied it for a moment, noticing impressions on each side and in each pillow. The couch, it looked too perfect, not a blanket or pillow in sight. 'Cabot would have to be a pretty wild sleeper to do that all by herself.'
His eyes widened.
Their strange demeanors, Cabot snickering at "tacos", and the bright look in Olivia's eyes. He expected his partner to look…tired. Olivia always carried so much weight on her shoulders, but this had to be the brightest her eyes looked in a while, not to mention the bashful smile she tried to hide. 'They did it. Holy fuck they actually did it.' A smile inched across his face and he closed the door in awe. 'I was right.'
"Everything good Elliot?"
He turned to see Olivia watching him, Cabot waiting not far ahead of her, looking everywhere but him. He noted the small, flushed mark on Olivia's neck with a growing smile. It looked recent. "All good, partner." He said, giving her shoulder a hearty squeeze as he strolled past them, humming a jaunty tune on his way to the elevator.
He pressed the button to go down, glee rising inside him as he felt their awkward presences behind him, silent as ever.
They were likely going back and forth, sharing odd looks about now.
He did give Liv the night shift for a reason. They could have easily put Alex in a double room, but one bed was more enticing than two, and apparently his gut was right.
'Good job, partner.'
Smoke swirled in the air, hazing the bar.
Three Marines sat in a booth with a blueprint spread across the table. Around them a few empty beers each.
"What about this room? It's got sniper vantage points from the outside." Matt, his sniper buddy with a thick beard and a few tours under his belt, spoke for only the second time that night. He was a ghost, hardly said much, unless sniping was in the talks.
"I'm sure Cabot values her privacy." Elliot took a swig of his beer. "Trust me. She's not someone you want to piss off."
"Where's your partner? Don't you want her in on this?" Shaun, a retired Gunnery Sergeant and his brother from another mother, said and Elliot opened his mouth, carefully choosing his words before speaking.
"Olivia's opinion is always valued, but in this case, I feel I should make this decision without her."
"Marines don't leave brothers hanging, same goes for your partner."
Elliot put his hands up in surrender. "Trust me guys, it's not like that." He paused. "She's about to make a mistake, and I can't let her do that. I know her too well …I know both of them well. Olivia will never make the first move."
Matt's brow creased. "What exactly are we doing Elliot?
"We're doing what we said, finding a place to stash the witness. A comfortable room where her and Liv can talk, with preferably one bed instead of two."
It took a moment but soon the Marines broke out in hearty laughs.
Shaun gave one of his famous, panty-flinging grins, and drank a swig. "Since when are you a matchmaker?"
"Me? No. I'm just tired of seeing them stare at each other like idiots for years and not do anything about it. So, we're giving them an incentive to talk." Elliot shrugged his shoulders. "Should anything else happen…" He trailed off.
"How do you know you're right?" Matt asked with enough seriousness to dull the jesting vibe.
"I don't. And if I'm not, no harm, no loss." Elliot said, taking the beer bottle into his grasp. "But I got a pretty good feeling I'm right." He took a quick drink. "They haven't seen each other in almost two years. No contact, nothing. If anything is going to happen, that'll be the night it does."
Shaun pointed to the blueprint. "What about this room? High enough, close to an exit, and if we coordinate with NYPD to cover the hotel's entryways we should be good. We don't need snipers, and the windows are reinforced with shatterproof glass."
"The height will give your partner time to react to anything coming up." Matt continued Shaun's thought. "Worst case scenario, she takes the secondary staircase at the opposite end of the hall. That staircase leads straight to the lobby, and straight to us. Two ten-man teams will rotate watch every four hours, and your partner will have continuous radio contact. If the radio goes down she has her phone—"
"We've got two. Personal and work, I have both numbers."
"Good."
Elliot grinned widely. "Look at you guys talking like Blues."
They shared a laugh for old times' sake.
"Not on my life. My wife would kill me if I joined the force." Matt said with a smile.
"Same." Shaun followed. "I don't know how Kathy does it with you."
Elliot sighed. "I don't know either. She's gotta be stronger than me." He looked down at the table, thinking about Kathy, then wondering if Alex would feel the same about Olivia. His gaze shot up and he slammed a confirming fist on the table. "Let's do it." He smiled.
*Ding*
The elevator doors opened, and Elliot stepped aside. "After you." He said with a glee-filled smile as he watched them board the lift, ignoring the scalding side eye Olivia threw his way.
"What's your problem Elliot?"
"Problem?" He entered the elevator, his knowing gaze meeting Olivia's for a lingering second before he turned and faced the closing doors, completely unable to contain his smile as the elevator started down. "I guess neither of you enjoy making the bed." Someone shifted behind him, probably Cabot. Although, Liv too had a habit of getting shifty when something made her uncomfortable. "Between the two of you, someone's got to do it. Marriage tip 101: Divide Chores. It'll save you arguments in the end."
The elevator was starkly quiet.
Both women played it smart, saying nothing, neither confirming nor denying his suspicions, but still he smiled widely, even as his partner's ominous aura permeated the air. He felt Olivia's eyes burning holes into his back and envisioned the furrow in her brow. It took a lot to make Olivia mad. Her temper must've flared faster when it came to protecting Alex's dignity. What they did in that room was no one else's business but theirs, and Elliot agreed, but inwardly he'd still dance in the streets. The elation of being right, it was a tempting trap to fall into.
Elliot started to chuckle and tried to cover it up with a clear of his throat, but his chuckle rumbled in his chest, then tightened around his stomach as he tried to hold it in. "Ha!" It broke free, becoming full-blown laughter soon after.
"Something funny Elliot?" The daggers in Olivia's voice sliced the air, but Elliot grinned and gave a hearty sigh.
"Just thinking about how today's gonna be a good day."
'He knows.'
Alex and Olivia looked at each other and shared the same thought through their gazes. Then Alex looked at Olivia's neck. "Oh God." She murmured and put a hand over her eyes. She would've stepped over and popped the detective's collar, but that would've looked just as bad.
The elevator opened and they strolled into the lobby, past the armed guards still scattered about, and through the automatic front doors, where Elliot's car waited on the curb.
At the car Olivia opened the passenger door for Alex.
"So…what do we do?" Alex said just between them, watching over Olivia's shoulder as Elliot rounded the car's front and entered the driver's side.
"Let's not say anything yet." Olivia said with a gaze scanning the street, the cop in her suddenly alert.
"That mark on your neck might've tipped him off."
Olivia froze.
"Yeah…you might want to cover that up for the trial."
Olivia tightly smiled.
"You meeting us there?" Alex started a little louder. This part of the conversation Elliot was allowed to hear.
Olivia gave in and looked at her; the look in her eyes different, not as distant. She kept some restraint but everything between them had changed, and this time for the better. "No, I'm going to run home and change into something more…court worthy."
They held each other's gaze too long, neither wanting to leave the other's sight.
Alex looked down, catching the slight wrinkles at the bottom of Olivia's shirt, probably made when she pulled it over the detective's head.
She sighed inwardly. A last hug, touch, something, anything to feel Olivia close, she itched for it again, longed for it as a thought bothered her. If the trial didn't work out, it was back into witness protection, carted off to another place, with another identity. She'd have to break the system just to talk to Olivia, let alone see her. But here, Olivia was well within her reach. She could hug her one last time. It would look like a rekindled friendship to most. But what if she slipped? What if she held Olivia too long, or too close? What if her hand accidentally slipped into Olivia's jacket? What if she buried her face into Olivia's neck, to hide her tears, her fear? To smell the soap on her skin and feel her warmth?
She couldn't trust herself.
"I'll be there for the second half of the trial. Don't worry, I won't miss it." Olivia said.
With a nod Alex sat in the car and Olivia closed the door.
"See ya." Olivia said and stuck her hands in her jean pockets, giving Alex a last, endearing smile that summed up all her feelings.
'Good Lord…What'd you do to her Liv?' Elliot looked away as Alex dreamily gazed out the passenger window, his partner lingering on the other side.
To melt the ice queen, the night must've been good.
He pulled away from the curb with a smirk, Alex shifting in her seat as she faced the windshield and sunk into the chair with a telling sigh.
"I was wondering how long you two would stare at each other." He mumbled under his breath.
"What was that Elliot?" Alex confronted him.
"Nothing."