Lately tensions had been high between Alex and Olivia. Alex’s most recent case had gotten a “not guilty” verdict and she took it out on the squad.
She never did that before and wishes she could take back the words she said. Ever since then, Olivia has given her the cold shoulder. Alex misses seeing the detective swing by her office almost every day for small talk not related to the case. Their only interactions for the past week have been strictly professional and as brief as possible.
Olivia, for her part, misses those visits just as much. She couldn’t believe that she was falling for the blonde ADA. And just when she finally admitted it to herself, Alex insulted her and the whole squad.
It hurt Olivia because she and Elliot busted their asses to get as many pieces of evidence as possible. She spent almost three days with little to no sleep, trying to put the bastard away for life. It is one thing for Alex to be upset about losing a case. A “not guilty” verdict means no peace or justice for the victim and that alone always weighs on Olivia’s mind.
But for Alex to blame the squad for the verdict was crossing a major line. Alex did apologize the next day, though. Most of the other detectives had forgiven Alex, even if they were still a bit wary around her.
Olivia just can’t let it go. She feels vulnerable and raw, and that makes her even more upset. She talks to Alex the bare minimum now, but she is tired of the silent treatment. It had only been a week, but it was a deviation from her normal routine.
Olivia’s phone rings and she sees Alex is calling. She almost doesn’t answer it, but she will not let her emotions get in the way of her work.
“Benson,” she says, trying to stay as neutral as possible. Above all else, Olivia Benson is stubborn.
“Hey Liv,” Alex says, falling back in her habit of using the detective’s nickname.
“Can you swing by my office, I have some more information I need to discuss with you.” It is not technically a lie. Alex needs Olivia, more than she cares to admit, and she wants the time to apologize to Liv.
“Why can’t you tell me over the phone?” Olivia asks, finding it hard to not get excited about seeing Alex again. Alex sighs and says it will be easier in person. Olivia, not able to come up with a reason not to, says she will be over as soon as possible.
Alex’s heart flutters just a bit when she sees Olivia open the door. She looks stunning in her leather jacket. But the blonde is sobered when she sees the hurt in Olivia’s eyes.
“Liv, I am so sorry. I should not have taken that out on you. You’re one of the hardest working people I know and that was wildly inappropriate. I wish I could take it back...” Alex begins, she can barely keep her eyes from tearing up.
Olivia says nothing, but walks towards Alex, stopping about a foot away. If this were a normal situation, Olivia might gently touch Alex’s arm or sit next to her on the edge of the desk.
Liv clears her throat, trying to keep her resolve to distance herself from Alex. “Which case is this about, Alex? What information?”
Alex’s chest gets a little flushed as she admits she wanted to apologize and did not know how else to get Olivia to come by. She pouts just a little after admitting that, hoping Olivia won’t leave.
Olivia feels her resolve breaking when Alex pouts. She doesn’t know what to say, so she just does the first thing that comes to her mind.
Olivia grabs Alex’s waist and pulls her close. Without a pause, she roughly kisses the blonde. If Alex is surprised, she doesn’t show it, just eagerly kisses Olivia back.
It isn’t the way she always imagined it happening, and she certainly imagined it a lot, but kissing Olivia suddenly becomes her favorite thing in the world. After a minute or so, Olivia’s kiss starts to become softer.
Without warning, Olivia pulls back. She takes a deep breath and meets Alex’s eyes, not sure if Alex was okay with the kiss. Alex’s blue eyes reflect a hunger that Olivia has never seen before, certainly not directed at her.
For what seems like minutes, but is really only ten seconds, they don’t speak. Finally Alex breaks the spell.
“So does this mean we are friends again?” Alex laughs a tiny bit, mostly out of nervousness.
“We’re not just friends and you fucking know it.” Olivia says out loud what both of the women had been silently wishing for, maybe for years.
Alex goes to hug Olivia and relaxes when she feels Olivia hold her close. Not out of anger or even stubbornness, but like she already knows that Alex will fit perfectly in her arms.
And she does. The two women talk a bit more and work through all of the things they have been holding on to.
“Lex?” Olivia says, no longer upset. “Let’s get dinner tonight. I want to go on a real date with you. But you’re paying…” Olivia winks and Alex knows that they are going to be okay.
Thank god Olivia is so fucking stubborn. A week apart really was enough time to coax Olivia to make a move.