The Blonde ADA and the Rookie Detective

By: Liv-x-Case-Benson

Ch. 1: Unknown Secret of Wine

Alex Cabot sighed as she sat at her desk. The news of Elliot putting his papers in was bound to be hard on all of them, but Olivia unparticular. And it was so cold. No reason. No warning his partner of twelve years. Not even a goodbye. She wondered how Olivia would handle it, but she knew Casey would help Olivia through whatever she would go through.

Yes, it was hard seeing Olivia with another woman, but Olivia was adamant about wanting to be with Casey and so she couldn't bring herself to infringe on her happiness no matter how she felt. Besides, no one knew if she would be back, after the assassination attempt, to prosecute. It was luck that when he was expedited no one in his gang came after again. After all, he'd bragged to his cell mates in Rikers, which lead to her leaving.

She sighed. Everything in her life had been turned upside down after that. And though she'd hoped she could pick things back up with Olivia, the night before Liam Connor's trial, Alex had told Olivia to move on. Even if she did come back, who knew if she'd be safe in New York again?

A knock at the door pulled the blonde ADA from her thoughts. "Come in," she called, running her fingers through her hair.

In walked Amanda Rollins, rookie detective to SVU. One of two, whom Alex assumed, was to help with the caseload and try to fill the hole Elliot left, but even the ADA knew it would never work. Completely anyway. He was still much more part of the large, extended family than the new detectives.

Alex smiled. "Detective Rollins. Please, come sit," she said, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk.

"All right," Amanda replied, albeit, nervous. Olivia had suggested meeting Alex before she got started with a case. Through she'd worked in Georgia, Olivia had warned and assured, things were done differently around here. She sat with her hands in her lap, very still almost statuesque.

Alex smiled, sitting forward at her desk. "You can relax, detective. I'm not going to throw you in holding if you say something I don't like. Would you like a glass of water?"

Amanda smiled. "Yes please." There was something about Alex Cabot that drew her in. Was it her confidence? Her way with words? Her smile? Or her eyes?

Alex got up, getting the detective a glass of water, setting it in front of her. "Here," she said, settling behind her desk again.

"Thank you," Amanda said.

Alex smiled. "You're welcome. Did Olivia send you to see me?" she asked, folding her hands and resting them on her desk.

Amanda drank half of the glass of water and set it in front of her before answering. "Yes. She thought I should meet you, formally, before working with you."

Alex nodded. "It's probably best. I have a reputation of not always being the easiest to work with."

"You admit that?" she asked, shocked. "I would think you'd rather keep it to yourself."

The ADA sighed. "Yes, but word will get around. So," she said, getting up again and grabbing a bottle of wine from the cabinet and sitting behind her desk yet again, "what got you interested in this line of work?"

Amanda sighed, but her tone was anything except depressing. "I just want to help people. In Georgia, there wasn't much of a police force for these heinous crimes." The more she talked, the more she found she couldn't resist the pull of Alex's deep blue eyes. They were perfect crystals. So beautiful. She could picture herself drowning easily.

"Would you like a glass of wine? It is the end of the work day," Alex offered. She didn't normally offer drinks. Olivia was the one of the few she usually drank with, but there was something...special about the new detective that Alex found...was charming the right word? She seemed so shy and innocent.

Amanda nodded. "Um, maybe a small one," she said, not accustomed to drinking with a coworker.

"All right. Hope you like Bourbon," the ADA replied with a wink, filling each glass halfway.

Amanda smiled. "Yes, that works," she said, taking a drink before placing the glass on the desk in front of her. "How long have you worked here?"

Alex raised a brow. But maybe Amanda was trying to make friendly, polite conversation. After all, she seemed quite nervous. She soon smiled, taking a long drink and placing hers in front of her. "About eight years. Off and on."

"Off and on?"

Alex nodded. "Yes, I um, I had some things to take care of so I took a couple years' leave. Was there something specific that made this line of work your profession – this specific line of work?"

Amanda suddenly found the lines in the grain of Alex's wood desk quite interesting, ignoring the question – verbally anyway. Yes she had wanted to help others, but her reason for leaving was more than that. It was something she didn't usually discuss. With anyone.

"Would you like a little more?" the ADA offered, seeing the detective's hands clench at the question. Her posture wasn't as stiff, which meant she had been relaxed, but since Alex had asked her reason for coming to New York, she noticed Amanda had tensed up. Something had made the detective nervous again. She reached out, placing a hand on Amanda's. "Amanda?"

Surprised, Amanda jumped, accidentally knocking over her glass. She jumped back. "Oh..I'm so sorry! Here, I'll clean it up. Where are some towels?"

Alex stood, grabbing some paper towels from the closet. "I've got it. You sit," she insisted. "Would you like a little more?" she asked, wiping up the mess her face inches away from the young detective.

"I..uh..I need to go," she said suddenly. Something about being that close to Alex made her uncomfortable. And she didn't know why.

Alex dabbed at the cuff of Amanda's sleeve, where the drink had been spilled. "Oh, um, yeah ok," she said, looking into her green eyes. "But you really don't have to. I enjoyed our little talk."

Amanda scoffed. "Where I sat like a statue and was nervous? Yeah, I bet."

Alex smiled. "Come back anytime."

The detective stood, zipping up her jacket. "Thanks and thanks for the drink," she said, making her way from the office.

Alex sighed. What was it about Amanda that made the baser feelings she'd had with Olivia kick in? She was young, so not even close to experienced and yet, when Alex relaxed, she could picture a nice quiet evening with the new detective.

Amanda returned to her flat half an hour later after picking up Chinese for dinner. She kicked off her shoes, hung her jacket and relaxed on the couch with Chow Mein. Was there something wrong with her? She'd always been attracted to men, but yet Alex..Alex was something else. How could she be having these feelings for someone she'd just met?

Author's Note: I think this couple deserves a chance in fanfics. Either one are usually paired with the brunette detective. The question remains: who's got more hidden?