More Than Friends
Pairing: A/O
Disclaimer: I own nothing. These characters belong to Dick Wolf.
Spoiler: None
Summary: What if one dinner could change everything?
Chapter 17
When Alex awoke the first time, it was still dark outside. The moonlight was streaming through the window and she could hear the rain had finally let up. Only a soft patter could be heard on the roof. The first thing she felt was the warmth on her back and the light breathing on her ear. The next thing she felt was the strong arm around her waist holding her close. It was then that she smiled. “Olivia” She continued to smile as thoughts of their lovemaking flowed through her mind. She remembered how Olivia had softly whispered her name…’Alex’… again and again. Hearing her name whispered from those lips was like a heavenly benediction to a lifelong prayer. It was at that very moment that she finally felt it. She had been back in the city for nearly a year, but still felt like a vagabond. In that one moment, all had changed. She wasn’t Carolyn from Minnesota, Emily from Wisconsin, or Sarah from Arkansas. She was Alexandra Cabot again … Olivia’s Alex… and there was no other place she would rather be than in these arms. Settling back into the warmth of Olivia’s embrace, she closed her eyes and drifted back off to a pleasant slumber.
**********
Later that morning: 7 am.
Olivia woke later to the bright sun coming through the window. She squint her eyes and tried to stretch only to feel a warm body weighing her down. A smile crossed her face instantly at the golden locks splayed across her chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes and took a deep breath allowing her senses to take this moment in. The room, the pillows, and even herself she imagined smelled of apples and vanilla; Alex.
There was a part of Olivia that still couldn’t believe that she was lying here with Alex Cabot in her arms. For a moment, she was afraid that it was all a dream; that any minute now she’d wake up alone and still aching for Alex. She closed her eyes for a moment and held Alex closer. As the memories of the previous night invaded her thoughts, her disbelieving side was soon assuaged. It had been a night of pleasant surprises. She remembered how they’d slowly undressed one another, careful not to move too fast. Both were a bit bashful feeling like tonight was their first time again. She remembered how Alex had responded to her touch; how she’d given herself completely to the detective. She also remembered how open and honest Alex had been about her inexperience which was quite the pleasant and terrifying revelation to Olivia.
“Liv…” Alex looked so tentative, almost afraid.
“Baby, what is it?” She took Alex’s hand in her own.
“Liv, I haven’t… I’ve only…done this with…”
“Oh. Okay.” Olivia nodded as things became clear. “We can wait if…”
“No. Waiting isn’t something I ever want to have to do again. I’ve waited long enough for this. We both have.”
Olivia stared at her intently. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I just…I feel a little inadequate. I… I don’t know what to do.”
Olivia kissed her palms gently. “Do whatever feels right to you, nothing else.”
“You’ll have to… tell me…or show me how you like to be touched.”
Olivia smiled softly. “Do you love me, Alex?”
“I love you more than anything.” The answer was so sure, so clear.
Olivia took Alex’s hand and placed it over her chest. “Then you’ve already touched me in the most intimate of places. That’s all that matters. Everything else is just a bonus.”
Olivia found herself smiling even more as the memory of the precious gift Alex had given her played in her head over and over. That would be one of the moments that she’d cherish for the rest of her life. Shaking away her thoughts, she realized that nature was calling and she couldn’t wait much longer. She carefully extracted herself from Alex’s sleeping form and quietly got up. She spied the t-shirt and sweats Alex had given her the night before thrown across the room on the floor. She picked them up on the way to the bathroom.
Finding a spare toothbrush, Olivia took care of her morning hygiene routine. When she opened the door, she was surprised that Alex was still asleep and snoring softly. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Who would have guessed that Alexandra Cabot snores? Knowing herself too well, Olivia knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep so she decided that she could take the time to look around. After tucking the covers back around the sleeping blonde, Olivia quietly slipped out of the room and went exploring.
Walking down the hallway, she noticed three other bedrooms, both with large windows to overlook the harbor. There was a second bathroom on the floor and then there were the stairs. It was a sweeping staircase with beautiful dark wood. There were numerous black and white photos on the wall. Olivia stopped and looked at a few of them on her way down. There was one in particular that got her attention. It was a photo of a young Alex with who looked to be her father. She was standing next to the tall blonde gentleman on a sailboat, both saluting to the camera. The picture made her smile. The house was absolutely gorgeous Olivia thought as she took it all in. She had noticed that it was a nice home the night before, but she had more important matters on her mind at the time. Now that she had taken a good look, she felt a little intimidated.
As she rounded the corner, she noticed a dining room and several other rooms as well. When she came upon the living room, she spotted her clothes. She arched a brow. Her clothes were not only dry, but appeared to be clean and neatly folded. Her gun and badge sat on the table next to them. She scratched her head and tried to figure out how Alex had managed to clean and dry her clothing without her knowing. When did she have time to do this?
“I do hope you don’t mind, but thought you might wish for some clean clothing this morning, ma’am.”
Olivia nearly jumped out of her skin. She instantly grabbed her gun in one smooth motion as she turned. “Christ! Who the hell are you?”
The man simply stood there watching her intently eyeing the gun in her hand. Olivia took a step back and tightened her grip on her weapon. “How did you get in here?”
“He probably used his key like he always does.” Alex said with a yawn as she made her way into the room. She gave Olivia a quick peck on the cheek as she settled into the detective’s side. She blushed slightly and smiled at Joseph’s amused grin. “Good morning, Joseph.”
“Good Morning, Ms. Alexandra.” He said eyeing the obvious closeness between the two. “I gather that you will be having a guest after all.”
The tips of Alex’s ears colored. “Yes. Joseph, this is… my… this is Detective Olivia Benson. Olivia, this is Joseph Spencer. He’s our family caretaker so to speak.”
A bright shade of crimson colored the detective’s cheeks. She placed her gun back on the table and sheepishly extended her hand. “Hi. Sorry about that, Mr. Spencer.”
“Please call me Joseph and think nothing of it, Ms. Benson. It’s nice to know that Ms. Alexandra has such protective friends.”
Alex looked over at Olivia with the most adoring smile. “Yes, it is.”
“Umm… thanks and you can call me Olivia.”
“Very well, Ms. Olivia.”
Olivia was about to protest, but Joseph was already half way to the kitchen. Alex waved her off. “Don’t waste your breath. It won’t work. Trust me. I’ve been trying to get him to call me Alex since I could talk.” Alex turned fully in Olivia’s arms and captured her lips in a long languorous kiss. “Good morning, Detective.”
“Mmm…. Yes it is a very good morning.” She moved down to nuzzle the blonde’s neck. “Was it a good morning for you?”
“Perfect.” She leaned back and sniffed the air. “And it’s about to get even better. Joseph is making waffles. They are to die for.”
Olivia laughed. It was strange seeing Alex this way. She was practically giddy. “I never pegged you for a morning person, Counselor.”
“I’m not. I just had the most amazing night with the wonderful woman that I’m completely in love with.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t help but be happy this morning.”
Olivia leaned in and kissed her. “Me too. God, I love you. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of kissing you.”
“I hope not.” Alex sighed and pulled away. “But we’d better stop before we get carried away… again.”
Olivia grinned as she pulled the blonde back into her embrace finding her new favorite spot; the pulse point on Alex’s neck. “And that would be bad because?”
“Because I think Joseph has seen me naked enough already.”
Olivia frowned and pulled back. “What do you mean he’s seen you naked?”
Alex smirked. She liked the idea of Olivia being jealous over her. “Joseph has probably seen me naked more than any man I know.”
“Excuse me?”
Alex couldn’t hold back her grin any longer and laughed. “Joseph has known me my entire life. He used to change my diapers, Liv, which means he’s seen me naked quite a bit.”
“Oh.” She scowled at Alex playfully. “You really shouldn’t make me jealous like that. I have a gun, you know. I could have gotten angry and shot the poor guy.”
Alex shook her head and placed a soft kiss on Olivia’s cheek. “You are absolutely adorable. You also have nothing to worry about where my affections lie, Detective. That you can be sure of.”
Alex leaned in and met Olivia’s lips in a gentle kiss; a kiss that quickly turned passionate again. They couldn’t seem to keep their hands off of one another. Alex secretly wondered if they would always be this way. Feeling a little lightheaded, Alex pulled away and took a step back.
“Now, we really do have to stop that or I’m going to have my way with you right here and I would hate to give poor Joseph a heart attack.”
Olivia laughed. “Him? He nearly gave me one. I didn’t even hear him behind me. And look at my clothes…” She pointed to the neatly folded clothing. “…I’m almost afraid to touch them. Who folds clothes like that? Does he secretly work at the GAP?”
Alex simply laughed as she took Olivia by the hand and started pulling her into the kitchen. “Come on, sweetheart. You’re going to love him. He makes the best coffee in the world.”
“In the world, huh? We’ll I guess he can’t be all that bad then.”
Chapter 18
After breakfast, Alex and Olivia ended up lounging on the sofa together. Alex was lying in between the detective’s legs and resting back against Olivia’s body. Though still new, lying in Olivia’s arms felt as natural as breathing to her. This feeling was something that she wanted to experience forever. But both knew that they had a lot to talk about before any plans for the future could be made. Still enjoying their new blissful status, neither felt really comfortable bringing it up. Alex finally decided that it was time to address the big pink elephant in the room. It couldn’t be ignored forever.
“So…it’s the morning after now.”
Olivia was relieved that she wasn’t the only one thinking about this. “Yes it is and we should probably talk about what all this means now. Just because we slept together doesn’t mean that all of our problems went away.”
“You’re right. This isn’t some movie or classic romance story.” She smiled softly as she played with Olivia’s hands. “If it was, I’d go ahead and skip to the happily ever after ending.” She suddenly felt nervous. “We are going to get the happy ending aren’t we? This wasn’t just about last night was it?”
“Not for me it isn’t. And I want the happy ending too. I think we deserve it. We’ve been through too much not to.” Olivia leaned in and placed a kiss on top the blonde head. “But first…. we need to figure out how all of this is going to work. I mean everything is perfect right now.” She looked around the spacious room then out the window. “We’re here in this beautiful home away from all the craziness and pressure back home. But when we leave here, what will we be to each other and how will we handle really being together.” Olivia hesitated almost afraid to imagine it.
“As in a relationship?”
Olivia nodded. “Yeah. I have to be honest with you, Alex. My track record isn’t all that great. Relationships have never been one of my strong suits.”
“But you want to try…right?” Alex asked almost hesitantly.
“Of course I do. I just….” Olivia hesitated unsure of how to express how she felt. “I’m… not exactly a kid anymore. I’m forty years old, Alex.”
The pause made Alex feel as though she needed to say something. “Are you saying our slight age difference is going to be a problem? You’re only a few years older than I am.”
“It’s not that, Alex. What I’m saying is… I think I’m a little too old to just…” Olivia growled with frustration. This wasn’t coming out the way she wanted. “I don’t want casual with you. I want us to be serious. I want to have a serious relationship with you…or at least I want to try.”
Alex turned so she could look into Olivia’s eyes. She wondered to herself just how many times this woman was going to surprise her. “Do you have any idea just how wonderful you are?”
Olivia shrugged her shoulders and blushed. “I just… I don’t want to screw this up. I’ve made so many mistakes with you already and…”
Alex placed her fingers over Olivia’s lips. “It’s okay. We both made mistakes.”
“I hurt you, Alex. The things I said…”
“Were said out of anger and hurt. I thought we settled this last night. I know you and I know you didn’t mean it.”
Olivia lowered her eyes still feeling guilty. “How could you possibly know that?”
Alex lifted her chin. “Because everything I need to know about you, I can see in your eyes. Your words might have said one thing, but your eyes have always told the truth.”
“I love you, Alex. I’d give anything if I could go back and make it right.”
“I know you do and you have made it right. You love me. That’s all the reassurance I need.”
They sat quietly for a while before Alex broke the silence. “You know... with our jobs, having a serious relationship isn’t going to be…easy. People will talk.”
“Yeah.” Olivia nodded. They couldn’t avoid this forever and she knew she needed to be honest. “Look Alex, I’m not naive. I know you have a public job. I also know that being in a relationship with another woman could make things…difficult for you. But I don’t know if I could hide the way I feel about you. Besides Abbie, the squad…those guys; they’re my family. I don’t want to have to lie to them about something so important in my life, but I can understand if you want us to be discrete. I just hope it’s not forever.”
Alex sat up and turned to face the brunette fully. “Is that what you think I would want you to do?”
Olivia shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her hands. “I’ve always known that you wanted to be DA one day. Now that you’re back, you have a real shot at it.” She sighed. “I also know it’s an elected position. Although the world is changing, I don’t know if the city is ready to elect an openly gay District Attorney.”
Alex looked at Olivia thoughtfully. “You’ve made some valid points and you’re right about most of it.”
Olivia felt her heart lurch in her chest. Well at least we know where we stand.
“You know, if you had asked me about this a few years ago, I probably would have agreed with you. I would have chosen my political career over anything else. But now...” She shook her head and sighed. “… now it just seems so insignificant. To be honest with you, I haven’t wanted to be District Attorney for a long time. As a matter of fact, I realize the exact moment that I knew that I’d never be the right person for the position.”
Olivia was a little surprised. “When?”
“Do you remember that one case involving Eric Plummer?”
Olivia’s features darkened a little. “I’ll never forget it.”
“It was the day that you came to my office. You were trying to convince me that he was stalking you.”
“And you didn’t believe me.” Olivia’s voice was soft and quiet, but Alex could still hear the hurt.
Alex quickly grabbed Olivia’s hands and held them. “I did believe you, Liv. I just couldn’t do anything about it. I remember asking you how many drinks you’d had and you were so angry with me. You thought that I didn’t trust you or believe you, but I did. But I also knew that any decent defense attorney would have asked you the same thing and made you look like a less than credible witness. What I remember most was how much I wanted to just take you in my arms and hold you and tell you that it would all be okay, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t because I had to put my job first. I knew then and there that I would never be a good DA because I’d always want to choose you over everything else.”
Olivia pulled Alex back into her arms and kissed her. “Thank you for that.”
“For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never hidden who you were, Liv. You are who you are and you’re not afraid of who knows and what they might think about it. That’s one of the things I admire most about you. I would never ask you to hide for me.”
“Exactly what are you saying, Alex?” Olivia needed to be sure before she got her hopes up.
“I’m saying that I want to be able to walk down the street and not be afraid to hold your hand or kiss you whenever the mood strikes me.” Alex smiled at the faint blush that colored Olivia’s cheeks. “I want to be able to go out to dinner or a movie with you and not care if someone from work sees us. I’ve lost too much time as it is. I’m not going to waste anymore time with you worrying over if the people I work with or anyone else will like me or not. If they want to be angry about whom I love, then that’s their problem, not mine.”
Olivia looked at her carefully. “You sound sure about this.”
Alex leaned in and kissed Olivia slow and deliberately. “It’s because I am sure. I had a lot of time to think when I was hidden away in those small towns. I thought about what I had taken for granted and what I really wanted in my life if I ever got the chance to come home. I want you in my life and anyone who doesn’t like it can go to hell. Besides, I have my own big bad detective to protect me now.”
Suddenly Olivia remembered the scene she’d caused at Alex’s office the previous day. She bit her lip and looked at Alex sheepishly. “Speaking of the people you work with…. Um…there might be one person in particular who might be a little upset at you when you get back.”
Alex frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I might have caused a little scene yesterday when I went looking for you.”
Alex lifted a perfectly arched brow. “Olivia Benson, what did you do?”
“Well….” Olivia bit her lip. “Like I said, I was trying to find you and your deputy wasn’t being all that cooperative.”
“Jim?”
Olivia nodded suddenly finding the sofa really interesting. . “Yeah. Um…He wouldn’t tell me where you went and… um…”
Alex lifted the brunette’s chin with her finger and pinned her with a stern look, although she was about to break out into a smile. “And exactly what did you do to make him more cooperative, Detective?”
“I might have… twisted his arm a little to get the information.”
“You threatened him!”
“Threaten is such a strong word, sweetheart. I think strongly persuaded is a much better description.”
“Liv, you could get into a lot of trouble.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have had to but he went and made a comment.”
Alex raised a brow. “What kind of comment?”
Olivia looked away and mumbled. “He said something about you that I didn’t like. I didn’t really threaten him. It really wasn’t as bad as it sounds.”
“Let me be the judge of that. Spill it, Detective… all of it.”
Olivia sighed and retold the story of what had gone down at her office. She half expected Alex to be angry or maybe a little worried, but she hadn’t imagined that the Bureau Chief would be in tears from laughing hysterically. As Olivia watched in awe as Alex’s face transformed before her eyes, she knew that she’d slap Jim Steele around a thousand times just to see that smile.
Alex wiped her eyes and tried to control herself. “So, let me get this straight. You actually pinned him to the wall and told him that?”
Olivia nodded sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Alex but he really was being an asshole and I was already worried about you. I couldn’t help it.”
Alex cupped Olivia’s face in her hands and kissed her passionately. When she pulled away, Olivia was still in daze. “Thank you. I’ve never had anyone stand up for my honor before.”
“You’re welcome. He needs to learn to watch his mouth. Nobody speaks that way about my girlfriend.” The words were out before Olivia could stop them and she instantly blushed all the way to the tips of her ears.
Alex smirked. “So, I’m your girlfriend?”
“If that’s what you want?”
“I want that very much…among other things.” Alex said with a devilish look in her eyes.
They were in the middle of a very passionate kiss when a cell phone rang out from across the room. Alex knew it had to be Olivia’s because she had turned her phone off the previous day. Already working her way down the most delectable neck, she tried to get the detective to ignore it. “Don’t answer it.”
Olivia giggled as Alex forced her onto her back. “It could be important.”
“They all know you’re on personal time.” Alex said on a mission to remove her girlfriend’s shirt.
“Which is why I should answer. They wouldn’t call me if it wasn’t important.”
Alex groaned then lifted herself off of the detective. She scurried over and grabbed the phone tossing it to Olivia. Olivia quickly flipped it open. “Whoever this is, you’d better have a really good reason for calling me.”
“Well that is no way to speak to your best friend who has been worried out of her mind over you.” Came a low southern drawl.
Olivia smiled in spite of herself. She pulled Alex back into her lap. “Hey Tex. How are you?”
“That’s the question I was about to ask you? Serena told me that you headed up to Martha’s Vineyard to find Alex. When I didn’t hear from you, I got a little worried. I thought Cabot had killed you.”
Olivia bit back a moan as Alex went back to nibbling on her neck. “Uh… no, she didn’t kill me.” But she’s trying to.
“So… what happened?”
“Well, we talked.”
“Liv quit beating around the bush. What the hell happened up there?”
Olivia glanced at Alex, a little unsure of what she should tell her. “Abbie, we’re kind of….”
Before Olivia could finish, Alex took the phone. “Hello Abbie.”
Abbie paused, obviously surprised to hear the voice of Alex Cabot come through the extension. Alex could just picture the look on the brunette’s face. “Hi Alex.”
“I assure you that I have not harmed your friend. Olivia is right here, underneath me, and just fine.” She winked at Olivia who seemed a little embarrassed. She could hear Abbie chuckle on the other end. “Now, I know that my best friend in somewhere in the same vicinity as you so why don’t you go ahead and put her on. That way we can take care of this with one phone call and Olivia and I can get back to what we were doing.” Alex said smoothly. Olivia closed her eyes and turned a deeper shade of maroon. She knew Abbie would never let her live this down.
“Hello Alex. Ever thought about letting someone know when you plan to leave the state?” Came a cool response.
“I’m sorry, Serena. I just needed to get away for a little while. I was going to call you today, but I’ve been a bit distracted.” She looked at Olivia lovingly. “I wasn’t expecting….to have company.”
“So? Are you two alright? I swear to God, Cabot if you don’t talk to that woman and tell her how you feel; I’ll skin your hide!”
Alex laughed. “More southern sayings. I can tell things are still going well with, Ms. Carmichael.”
“Yes they are, but don’t change the subject.”
Alex rolled her eyes then smiled down at Olivia. “I can assure you that I have no plans of letting Detective Benson get away…ever.”
“Ooh! I want details when you get back!”
“Deal.”
“Okay, Abbie wants to speak with Olivia again. I love you, sweetie. Congratulations.”
“Same to you.”
She passed the phone back to Olivia. “Hey Tex.”
“I wanted you to know that Elliot called me. He was worried about you.”
“Yeah, I know. I just told him that I was taking a few personal days to take care of something. I’ll give him a call later.”
“So how long are you staying up there… ‘underneath’ Cabot?” Abbie teased. “Who would have guessed that Cabot was a top?”
Olivia shook her head and tried to ignore her friend’s teasing. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be up here. I guess that all depends on my hostess. I call you later.”
“Okay, Liv. Have fun.”
Olivia ended the call and tossed the phone aside. Alex leaned back in her arms. “We’re going to have to make some calls aren’t we?”
“Yeah. People are getting worried about us.” Olivia said. “Does that bother you that people are going to start asking questions about us... so soon?”
Alex thought for a moment then laughed. “Actually…believe it or not, I couldn't care less.” She turned in Olivia’s lap and kissed her. “I’m more interested in how long you plan to stay here with me.”
Olivia shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t think about it. To be honest, I didn’t think about much at all. I just came here looking for you. I don’t even have a change of clothes…except the clothes that Joseph was so kind to wash and press of course.” She joked eyeing the perfectly folded clothes still on the table.
Alex chuckled. “The clothes won’t be a problem. That just gives me an excuse to take you shopping.” She smirked when she saw the look of terror cross the detective’s face. “So… how long will you be staying?”
“How long do you want me to stay?”
“I want you for forever, but…” She pretended to think it over. “I’ll settle for a week because any longer without something to do would have you crawling up the walls.”
Olivia laughed. “You know me pretty well huh?”
“Of course I do. Besides, I think that a week will give us enough time to settle things between us and make some important decisions.”
“A week…” Olivia nodded. “A week with you all to myself sounds wonderful.”
“Good.” Just as the detective was about to lean in for a kiss, Alex slipped off Olivia’s lap. “We should shower and change. We have some shopping to do.”
Olivia bit her lip as she watched lovely hips sway away. “God, I hate shopping, but I love her more.”
TBC