More drabbles
Greetings. I come bearing more drabbles. Again, many have been posted in the drabble communities mentioned previously, though in this batch there are several original ones that I haven't posted elsewhere yet. These run PG/PG13 as before. And as always, comments feed the muse. ;)
Willpower
The decibel level was not unlike most bars on a Friday night. Glasses clinked and friends laughed. The blond registered none of it until a lone voice seemed to ring out above the din; just someone calling out to a buddy, "Alex!"
A lifetime of responding to that name was almost undeniable: every fiber of her being told her to turn and look.
But Emily's gaze never wavered from her four coworkers. She barely even blinked. And of all the people in the crowded bar that night, she alone was aware of the victory willpower had just scored over instinct.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Influence
Olivia closed in on Alex, not quite invading her personal space but coming pretty damn close, "You're right, we don't have much. But we need this warrant, Counselor."
Alex, utterly unable to concentrate when the detective stood that close and wondering if Olivia had ANY idea of the affect she had on her, retreated a step and sighed, "I'll see what I can do."
With a triumphant half smile and a sly half winked, Olivia thanked Alex and left the office.
It was then that Alex realized that yes, Olivia Benson knew EXACTLY the affect she had on the attorney.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Note: this and the following each stand alone but also can go together. They were answers to a "to err is human" and a "to forgive, divine" challenges.
Not Alone
Nobody's perfect.
We all make mistakes.
To err is human.
She could tell herself the same thing a thousand different times in a thousand different ways. But that wouldn't go back and keep the man behind bars. It wouldn't bring the child back to life. And it wouldn't make the guilt inside go away.
In fact, nothing could ever accomplish the first two. But alcohol, at least temporarily, might accomplish the last.
So, alone at the bar, Olivia readied to throw back yet another shot. But a gentle hand on hers and a quiet but familiar voice stopped her, "Don't."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Just One Person
Staring at her drink, Olivia asked of the person who had just prevented her from taking it, "You think that little boy forgives me?"
"No."
Olivia looked up sharply.
"To forgive someone implies you hold them responsible in the first place. And that little boy wouldn't hold you responsible. No one would." A pause. "No one does."
"I do," Olivia whispered back.
"Well, there's just one person you need to get forgiveness from then, isn't there?"
Having said their piece, Olivia's newly arrived companion moved to leave. But Olivia's hand on their sleeve and her quiet plea stopped them, "Stay."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Office Party Hookup
The morning after the Christmas party, Alex awoke tangled in unfamiliar sheets to find the owner of those sheets already awake and staring back at her.
Unable to hide the faint blush, she forewent morning pleasantries and just stated with a shy smile, "Well, aren't we a cliché."
Olivia frowned, "Cliché?"
"A drunken office Christmas party hookup? I'd call that a cliché, wouldn't you?"
"I would if I had been drunk," Olivia said quietly.
Alex stared back, her smile having faded, "You weren't drunk?"
Olivia shook her head.
They were silent for several seconds before Alex whispered, "Neither was I."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Frozen Moment
She couldn't remember what Munch had said. But whatever it was had caused her to erupt in laughter and embarrassed Olivia to no end, as evidenced by Olivia's sheepish smile and the faint blush that just barely shown through her tanned skin.
Willing away the tears that blurred her vision, she stared at the photo in her hands; burning that image, that moment, into her memory; not knowing how long it would have to last her.
When they arrived at the airport for her flight to Minneapolis, she exchanged her favorite photo for an unwanted clean slate and new identification.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Quit It
"Quit distracting me. I'm trying to work."
"I'm just sitting here."
"Staring at me."
Silence.
Seconds, half a minute, two minutes tick by.
"I thought I told you to quit distracting me."
"And I thought I told you I was just sitting here."
"Staring at me."
"Yeah, you mentioned that."
More seconds, more minutes.
"You just going to keep staring?"
"That's my plan."
"Any way I can get you to change your plan?"
"Yep."
"Any way other than *that* I can get you to change your plan?"
"Nope."
"You sure can be annoying, Detective."
"Yep. but you love me anyway."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Screw That
Olivia silenced her alarm with an unceremonious whack.
6:30. Already. Son of a bitch.
Even half asleep she could remember why she was getting up at 6:30 instead of 7:00: Vanity. Vanity that took 29 minutes longer to "do" each morning than it used to.
Screw that.
She stumbled to the bathroom and yanked open a drawer. Finding what she was looking for, she plugged it in and with a flick of her thumb turned it on. And with a sigh, she reveled in the quiet buzz the hair clippers emitted.
The next morning, her alarm went off at 7:00.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LUDs
If anyone were to decide to pull the LUDs on Alex Cabot's phone for the days and weeks following her shooting they would find a large number of incoming calls.
Most of which were from people who knew better.
But they called anyway; just to hear her voice, even if all it said was that she wasn't available, please leave a message.
And they kept calling, right up to the day they were greeted not by her voice but by an electronic mockery telling them that the number they had dialed had been disconnected, please hang up and try again.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Last Word
"Fine!" Olivia was angrier than she'd been in a long time. "Then just go! Go file a motion or file your nails or do whatever it is you do when you've decided not to help us."
Alex's response was to pull out Fin's vacant chair, sit down, and calmly meet the detective's glare.
"Um, in case you missed it, Counselor, that was actually an invitation to leave."
Alex smirked. "I didn't miss it. I've just decided to wait around to see what it looks like."
"What what looks like?"
"Your head, Detective, when you pull it out of your ass."
Willpower
The decibel level was not unlike most bars on a Friday night. Glasses clinked and friends laughed. The blond registered none of it until a lone voice seemed to ring out above the din; just someone calling out to a buddy, "Alex!"
A lifetime of responding to that name was almost undeniable: every fiber of her being told her to turn and look.
But Emily's gaze never wavered from her four coworkers. She barely even blinked. And of all the people in the crowded bar that night, she alone was aware of the victory willpower had just scored over instinct.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Influence
Olivia closed in on Alex, not quite invading her personal space but coming pretty damn close, "You're right, we don't have much. But we need this warrant, Counselor."
Alex, utterly unable to concentrate when the detective stood that close and wondering if Olivia had ANY idea of the affect she had on her, retreated a step and sighed, "I'll see what I can do."
With a triumphant half smile and a sly half winked, Olivia thanked Alex and left the office.
It was then that Alex realized that yes, Olivia Benson knew EXACTLY the affect she had on the attorney.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Note: this and the following each stand alone but also can go together. They were answers to a "to err is human" and a "to forgive, divine" challenges.
Not Alone
Nobody's perfect.
We all make mistakes.
To err is human.
She could tell herself the same thing a thousand different times in a thousand different ways. But that wouldn't go back and keep the man behind bars. It wouldn't bring the child back to life. And it wouldn't make the guilt inside go away.
In fact, nothing could ever accomplish the first two. But alcohol, at least temporarily, might accomplish the last.
So, alone at the bar, Olivia readied to throw back yet another shot. But a gentle hand on hers and a quiet but familiar voice stopped her, "Don't."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Just One Person
Staring at her drink, Olivia asked of the person who had just prevented her from taking it, "You think that little boy forgives me?"
"No."
Olivia looked up sharply.
"To forgive someone implies you hold them responsible in the first place. And that little boy wouldn't hold you responsible. No one would." A pause. "No one does."
"I do," Olivia whispered back.
"Well, there's just one person you need to get forgiveness from then, isn't there?"
Having said their piece, Olivia's newly arrived companion moved to leave. But Olivia's hand on their sleeve and her quiet plea stopped them, "Stay."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Office Party Hookup
The morning after the Christmas party, Alex awoke tangled in unfamiliar sheets to find the owner of those sheets already awake and staring back at her.
Unable to hide the faint blush, she forewent morning pleasantries and just stated with a shy smile, "Well, aren't we a cliché."
Olivia frowned, "Cliché?"
"A drunken office Christmas party hookup? I'd call that a cliché, wouldn't you?"
"I would if I had been drunk," Olivia said quietly.
Alex stared back, her smile having faded, "You weren't drunk?"
Olivia shook her head.
They were silent for several seconds before Alex whispered, "Neither was I."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Frozen Moment
She couldn't remember what Munch had said. But whatever it was had caused her to erupt in laughter and embarrassed Olivia to no end, as evidenced by Olivia's sheepish smile and the faint blush that just barely shown through her tanned skin.
Willing away the tears that blurred her vision, she stared at the photo in her hands; burning that image, that moment, into her memory; not knowing how long it would have to last her.
When they arrived at the airport for her flight to Minneapolis, she exchanged her favorite photo for an unwanted clean slate and new identification.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Quit It
"Quit distracting me. I'm trying to work."
"I'm just sitting here."
"Staring at me."
Silence.
Seconds, half a minute, two minutes tick by.
"I thought I told you to quit distracting me."
"And I thought I told you I was just sitting here."
"Staring at me."
"Yeah, you mentioned that."
More seconds, more minutes.
"You just going to keep staring?"
"That's my plan."
"Any way I can get you to change your plan?"
"Yep."
"Any way other than *that* I can get you to change your plan?"
"Nope."
"You sure can be annoying, Detective."
"Yep. but you love me anyway."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Screw That
Olivia silenced her alarm with an unceremonious whack.
6:30. Already. Son of a bitch.
Even half asleep she could remember why she was getting up at 6:30 instead of 7:00: Vanity. Vanity that took 29 minutes longer to "do" each morning than it used to.
Screw that.
She stumbled to the bathroom and yanked open a drawer. Finding what she was looking for, she plugged it in and with a flick of her thumb turned it on. And with a sigh, she reveled in the quiet buzz the hair clippers emitted.
The next morning, her alarm went off at 7:00.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LUDs
If anyone were to decide to pull the LUDs on Alex Cabot's phone for the days and weeks following her shooting they would find a large number of incoming calls.
Most of which were from people who knew better.
But they called anyway; just to hear her voice, even if all it said was that she wasn't available, please leave a message.
And they kept calling, right up to the day they were greeted not by her voice but by an electronic mockery telling them that the number they had dialed had been disconnected, please hang up and try again.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Last Word
"Fine!" Olivia was angrier than she'd been in a long time. "Then just go! Go file a motion or file your nails or do whatever it is you do when you've decided not to help us."
Alex's response was to pull out Fin's vacant chair, sit down, and calmly meet the detective's glare.
"Um, in case you missed it, Counselor, that was actually an invitation to leave."
Alex smirked. "I didn't miss it. I've just decided to wait around to see what it looks like."
"What what looks like?"
"Your head, Detective, when you pull it out of your ass."