AO Fic: Dancing

Author: MJ Duncan

Fandom: SVU

Pairing: Alex/Olivia

Rating: Mature

Summary: Alex agrees to join Olivia out in the field to try and help catch a serial rapist. Will this be the time she and Olivia finally stop dancing around their feelings?

Disclaimer: The aren't mine. Damn.

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Part 1

Alex Cabot looked up from the closing argument she was busy drafting, jumping slightly in surprise at the three fast knocks that echoed off her door before it was unceremoniously thrown open by the woman who haunted her dreams and had a tendency to make everyday conversations rather… passionately combative. She watched the powerful brunette stride purposefully into the middle of her office and couldn't help but think of how much easier dealing with the headstrong Detective would be if she could just gather the olive skinned beauty into her arms and kiss her senseless whenever she worked herself up into a strop.

Unfortunately, those thoughts had no bearing on her relationship with the real life Olivia Benson who was perpetually stuck in the 'friend' category.

"Detective," the blonde drawled as she leaned back in her chair and adjusted her glasses. "What can I do for you?"

She expected a rushed demand for a warrant (that was what a lot of Olivia's visits centered around, after all... unfortunately), or perhaps another rip-roaring fight over the Peters case where she couldn't file charges because the evidence was just entirely too circumstantial. An urgent demand, a fight, these were things she was more than prepared to handle. What she got, on the other hand, was something entirely different.

"Hi." The brunette smiled and jammed her fists into the pockets of her leather jacket.

"Um, hi?" Alex carefully set her pen down on her legal pad and smiled tentatively, extremely aware of how her heart was beating faster from just being in the same room with the stunning Detective.

She watched, fighting her amusement at how adorable Olivia looked struggling to find the correct words to voice whatever was bouncing around inside that brilliant mind of hers.

"Do you need me?" Alex asked, arching a perfectly sculpted brow questioningly.

"Um, actually I do," Olivia admitted softly.

"Well, what can I do for you?" Alex asked amiably, doing her best to keep her fantasies to herself and not let them influence her interactions with the brunette.

Olivia stared at the beautiful blonde and bit her lip thoughtfully. Oh the things I would love for you to do to me Counselor, she thought to herself before her embarrassment about why she was there overwhelmed her again. In Cabot's office. Goddamn, but that woman is gorgeous.

Alex folded her hands in her lap and rocked back in her chair, rather enjoying the subtle play of emotions rolling across the brunette's features.

"Liv," Alex tried again. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Olivia snapped out of her daydream about Alex spread out across her desk and screaming in ecstasy. "Oh, right, sorry. I need a favor."

Of course, Alex sighed. "Well, why don't you tell me what you need and I'll see what I can do."

If Alex hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she never would have believed it. Olivia Benson blushed. Well damn if that wasn't the most interesting thing to happen today, Alex thought to herself as she pushed up out of her chair and rounded her desk to perch on the front edge closer to the now speechless brunette.

"Hey," Alex smiled as she reached out and ran a comforting hand down the Detective's arm. "What is it?"

"I need you to help me with a stake-out tonight," Olivia muttered, eyes downcast as her blush deepened.

"Me?" Alex asked, unable to keep her surprise out of her voice. "And… you?"

Olivia nodded and blushed some more.

Alex chuckled softly. "If you wanted to ask me out on a date you could just … you know …," she let her voice trail off.

"What?" Olivia gasped.

"Ask me," Alex smiled.

Olivia stared at the blonde, her heart beating a mile a minute in her chest and her blush deepening as she processed what Alex had just said. A large part of her desperately hoped that the blonde was serious, but the more realistic part of her convinced the fanciful part that Alex was just teasing. "Hmm. Well, I'll keep that in mind Counselor – but I actually do need your help on a stake-out tonight."

"Oh." It was Alex's turn to blush as she realized that she'd just embarrassed herself. Would have thought that you'd have learned to not go and do something stupid like try and flirt, she mentally berated herself. "Okay. Sure."

"Really?" hopeful brown eyes looked up to stare into endless blue. "I haven't even told you what it is. You'd really help me?"

Alex shrugged self deprecatingly. "If you're willing to be seen out in public with me, I'd be a fool to say no – no matter the situation."

Olivia cocked her head to the side and stared at the blonde. "Anybody in their right mind would love to be seen out with you Alex," she murmured before she could stop herself.

"Well," Alex ducked her head in embarrassment. "Thank you. But why me?"

"We have a lead on the serial rapist in the Village," Olivia ran a hand through her hair, referring to their open investigation into the rapist who was specifically targeting lesbians.

"That's great." Alex smiled, mentally willing Olivia to just get the hell on with her reasoning already. She was only vaguely aware of the investigation because the squad didn't have a suspect yet so she hadn't been fully briefed –and the way Olivia was hemming and hawing had her beginning to think there was something major that she was unaware of. "But I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"Each of the victims visited a club in the Village, Sugarland, the night they were attacked," Olivia explained, her face still hot and her eyes still insanely focused on the pattern of carpet on the floor of the ADA's office.

"Okay," Alex nodded. "And..."

"Um, yeah, you see," Olivia stuttered.

"Just tell me Liv," Alex sighed, her amusement at the brunette's awkwardness wearing thin.

"Each of the victims were blonde," Olivia explained. "Tall, blonde, and beautiful," Olivia continued, pleased that Alex, so far, hadn't interrupted her.

Alex, for her part, was busy staring incredulously at the woman in front of her. Does she really think I'm beautiful?

"And," Olivia cleared her throat in an attempt to draw her attention away from what had to be the most beautiful blue eyes on the planet, "they all wore glasses."

"Glasses?" Alex repeated dumbly.

"Yeah," Olivia nodded.

"You guys don't have fake glasses in your dress-up bin?" Alex chuckled.

"Alex," Olivia groaned without thinking. "Nobody looks better in a pair of specs than you."

This got the ADA's attention. "Really now?"

"Yes," Olivia groaned and covered her face with her hands. Dammit Benson, she's so not interested in you – can you just try and pretend to be a professional. "Of course. I mean," she waved indicatively, "have you seen you? Shit, I knew Cragen should have sent Elliot up to see you about this."

"And yet here you are," Alex grinned. "Telling me that I'm a beautiful blonde who can rock the glasses like nobody else."

"Yes," Olivia nodded, resigned to her embarrassment.

"And, as I'm a hot blonde with glasses, you want me to go to this club and pretend to be a lesbian to try and draw this guy out."

"Argh, I knew this would just make you completely insufferable!" Olivia looked up at Alex and could do nothing to keep the grin that was threatening from breaking free.

"Why do you all think that he'll hit again tonight?" Alex asked, trying to change the subject and save the object of her affection some embarrassment. And failed miserably.

"It's Blonde Bombshell night," Olivia murmured.

"I'm sorry," Alex leaned in closer to the brunette. "I didn't hear that."

"Thursday nights are Blonde Bombshell nights," Olivia looked Alex in the eye and gave up on trying to contain the blush that was setting her face on fire. "Blondes get in for free … so lots of possible victims for him to choose from."

"I see," Alex murmured.

"I knew it was a stupid idea," Olivia turned to leave. "Just, forget it Cabot. Never mind."

"I'll go on one condition," Alex smiled.

"Anything," Olivia breathed, beyond pleased to have the blonde's assistance. "Anything you want Alex."

"I want you to go as my date," Alex answered.

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"And what did you say?" Elliot laughed as he listened to his partner recount her meeting with Cabot.

Olivia dropped her forehead onto her arms that were folded atop her desk and groaned loudly. "Ugh. What could I say? I said yes. Of course I said yes. What would you say if Alexandra Cabot asked you to go to a club with her as her date?"

Elliot laughed again. "I'd tell her I was married but that my partner has been ass over eyeballs in love with her for years."

Olivia lifted her head to glare at the man who was torturing her. "Laugh it up Stabler."

"Oh I intend to," he guffawed. "You finally got a date with Cabot and you're both going to be wearing wires!" he crowed.

"You suck El," Olivia wadded up a scrap of paper off her desk and threw it at him. "Just, can you let me drown in my own misery in peace?"

"Nope," he grinned. "That's what partners are for."