Fic Update: Wanted (4/?)
Chapter Four
Olivia kept looking at herself in the mirror. She had barely made it through work with the anticipation of her 'date' with Alex looming over her, and now it was five minutes to seven and she was bundled up in snuggly clothes, a knitted scarf and a cute little hat with one of those puffballs on the top that Alex had given her at work and insisted she wear. She really didn't want to wear the hat, but Alex had been so sweet giving it to her, telling her it was to protect her ears from the cold, and she couldn't say no. So now here she was in front of the mirror, and maybe the hat was a *little* bit cute, but not at all the sexy look she would normally go for in a situation like this. This was good, though, maybe it would remind her that this wasn't a date so she didn't need to look sexy, and then she wouldn't forget herself and say something date-ly. Always a silver lining.
The intercom buzzed and Olivia jumped, then growled. "Get ahold of yourself, for fuck's sake," she told her reflection, then stuffed a wad of cash and her ID in her pocket and went to head downstairs.
Alex was dressed similarly, with a hat as well, and Olivia thought it looked absolutely adorable on the ADA. "Gloves?" Alex asked, and when Olivia nodded, she grinned and pointed behind her. "I've got a cab waiting. You look cute."
Before Olivia could respond, Alex had turned to get into the cab, and she couldn't help admiring her ass when she bent over to climb through the door. She shook herself out of it and followed Alex in, buckling her seatbelt as her date - friend! friend, damnit - gave the cabbie the address of the skating rink. Cute, huh? She cleared her throat once they got going and stared out the window as she said as casually as she could, "you look pretty cute yourself."
Alex grinned, chuckling to herself at the fact that Olivia couldn't seem to look at her. "Cute? Not 'incredibly sexy'?" she asked, eyeing Liv sideways.
What was she, trying to kill her? Olivia forced a nervous laugh out and eyed Alex sideways as well. "It's the hat, Counselor. These hats take away the sex appeal." She finally looked at Alex with a crooked grin, pointing to the hat on her own head.
Alex reached up to take her hat off, placing it in her lap, her blonde locks falling over her shoulders without the woolen barrier to hold them back. Then she turned to stare silently at Olivia for a minute before slowly shaking her head, her eyes flicking from Liv's hat to her face. "No they don't."
Olivia's fleeting thought was 'OhmyGod' before she blushed and looked away. Alex was flirting with her... she wasn't going to make it through the night. She was already sick just sitting next to the blonde. Without the flirting. The flirting added a whole new element to the twisting butterflies in her stomach. They grew fangs. And started trying to claw out every nerve she possessed.
Alex was oblivious to Olivia's inner turmoil. She was contently watching the other cars on the road fly by, unaware that Olivia didn't think this was a date.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, and the taxi finally reached the skating rink. Alex paid the driver and got out, holding the door open for Olivia and offering her a hand, which Liv didn't notice as she scrambled out of the cab.
Alex raised an eyebrow and dropped her hand, then closed the door and turned to Olivia as the cabbie drove off. "You ready?"
"Yeah," Liv nodded, shoving her hands in her pockets.
Alex started to walk toward the rink, but stopped. "Is something wrong, Olivia?"
Olivia froze in her tracks and tensed up, then forced herself to relax. "No, just a little cold," she lied, adding a little shiver for good measure. Well it *was* cold, but that's not what was wrong.
"Put your gloves on," Alex suggested as she slipped on her own pair and flashed a winning smile at her date. "The rink's outside but the snack shop's inside and they usually have a fire going. We can get some cocoa when we're done skating, if you want."
"I'm going to embarrass you, you know that right?" Olivia asked suddenly, pulling on her gloves. "I'm going to be holding onto the railing the entire time."
Alex laughed and shook her head. "I'll just pretend I don't know you," she offered, pushing through the double doors into the skate rental area.
"Perfect," Liv agreed, stepping through the doors after Alex and looking around. "Ahhh, much warmer in here."
The ladies moved through the line and got their skates, then sat down to put them on. "Ow," Olivia complained as she tied off her skates. "It already hurts my ankles and I'm not even standing or moving."
"Poor baby," Alex said, tying off her second skate and standing above Olivia. "I'll massage them for you afterward."
Death by innuendo. Olivia could already see the headline. She looked up and Alex was holding out her hand, so she took it, and winced as she was pulled to her feet. "God, do I have them on wrong?" she wondered aloud, staring down at her skates.
"No," Alex laughed, sincerely amused by Olivia's behavior. "They're supposed to feel like that."
"They're supposed to scrape all the skin off my ankles?"
"Yes," Alex replied matter-of-factly. "I thought you were tough."
"I am tough. This is me being tough," Olivia countered, taking a few steps forward and wobbling precariously, reaching out to grab Alex for support.
"Wow. I'll make sure they reserve a spot for you in the next Olympics," Alex teased, patting Olivia on the back.
Liv growled, making her way over to the rink and grabbing the railing. "I should have pretended to like opera." As she stepped out onto the ice, she clung tightly to the rail, nearly falling on her ass, but her impressive arm strength and tight grip on the railing kept her upright.
Alex glided onto the ice and past Olivia, giving her a smug smile and wave as she skated by, even twirling in a circle to taunt the detective further. Olivia just grumbled and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other without having her ankles break. She had made it about a quarter of the way around the rink and was rather proud of herself, when Alex came skating up beside her and blocked her path.
"Skate with me," the blonde implored, taking one of Olivia's hands from the wall and starting to pull her away from it.
"Alex no... no, no, no," Olivia protested, her brown eyes wide as she lost her balance and went sliding into Alex, both of them crashing to the ice.
Olivia was horrified, but Alex was laughing. When she caught the look on Liv's face, though, she stopped laughing and smiled at her. "If you don't fall, you'll never learn," she said gently. "And if you inch along the wall all night, we won't get to skate together, because I can't move that slowly."
Olivia frowned. She really hated not being good at something, and she was terrible at this. Nevermind the fact that it was her first time doing it...
"Here. We'll do it like this." Alex got to her feet and grabbed the rail while she hauled Olivia up, then when she was sure Liv was steady, she moved around behind her. "You just stand still and I'll do the skating," she decided, placing her hands on Olivia's waist.
Liv's breath caught and she tried to swallow, but it was very difficult to concentrate on such a task with Alex Cabot's hands on her waist. She heard Alex tell her to let go of the wall, but she didn't.
Alex moved in closer, lightly pressing her body against Olivia's back, and tried again. "Let go of the wall, Liv. Trust me."
It was hard to hear past the heartbeat in her ears, and Alex's breath tickled the back of her neck, making her shiver and bite her lip to hold in a groan. She really didn't want to let go of the wall, but Alex wanted her to, and the ADA was so close... if they fell it would be entirely Alex's fault... so she reluctantly dropped her hand to her side with a sigh.
"See?" Alex whispered. "Still standing."
Surprisingly, skating with Alex was easier than skating with the wall, and Olivia was starting to actually get the hang of it. She might even have been able to skate on her own after awhile, but Alex never let go.
Finally they made their way off the ice, and Olivia groaned as she took off her skates, rubbing her ankles gratefully.
"So tough," Alex said facetiously from her seat beside the detective, where she was already out of her skates and in her street shoes.
Olivia tucked her gloves into her pocket and put her shoes on, then elbowed Alex in the ribs. "Shut up."
"He he he," Alex cackled deliberately, and then glanced toward the snack shop. "Would you like some hot chocolate? Assuming, of course, that you can walk over there?" she added with a not-very-well-hidden smirk.
"You mean you're not going to carry me? Some knight in shining armor you are," Liv scoffed.
"I was not aware that my role this evening included knight in shining armor," Alex said. "But if I must... Is there anything else expected of me that I may not be privy to?"
When Alex leaned over to pick her up, Olivia held out her hands in surrender. "There was no witness to the knight in shining armor clause, I recant my testimony," she said quickly. "I can walk, and I would love some hot chocolate."
Alex grinned, her insides melting at the sight of Olivia's quirky smile, and she preceded the detective into the snack shop. "Want to get us a seat by the fire?"
"Sure," Liv nodded, heading that way while Alex went to the counter. She sat down on the plush red velvet sofa in front of the fire and took the opportunity to study Alex while the blonde's focus was elsewhere. She was having so much fun tonight... She couldn't remember the last time she went out and was able to just relax and enjoy herself, despite the throbbing pain in her ankles. And Alex was so beautiful... Liv watched as she ordered two hot chocolates, that charming smile on her face, the rosy tinge to her cheeks from the cold air outside.
The detective's attention was snapped away from Alex when someone stepped up in front of her. "Is this seat taken?" the man asked, smiling at Olivia insidiously, already starting to sit down before she could even answer.
Liv opened her mouth to tell him where he could sit, but she didn't get a word out because Alex was suddenly standing behind the man with a firm grip on the collar of his shirt. "Actually, it is," she said smoothly, her blue eyes boring holes in his head as she moved him aside and turned to Liv, a mischievous twinkle stealing into her baby blues. "Cheating on me already?"